Steven Harper's Blog, page 16
August 11, 2023
The Cruise: Venice!
Darwin and I are taking a cruise, our first!
We started in Venice, where we stayed a couple days before the cruise. Our flight was uneventful and only got interesting when we landed. Venice, you see, is built on 120 islands out in an ocean lagoon, but the airport is on the mainland. So getting to the city from the airport is a bit of a puzzle for newcomers. However, our thoughtful BnB hosts had sent us careful instructions. There's what's basically a shuttle bus (but it's a boat) that runs from the airport to various stops around Venice. Jetlagged and with lots of luggage in tow, we arrived at the water taxi stop.
It was strange to see water instead of a parking lot and boats instead of cars, I have to say. To Michigander me, boats are for recreation, not transportation. But Venice has a different point of view.
Anyway, I bought tickets at a kiosk. Darwin, who's a Europe newbie, doesn't like trying this kind of thing, but I'm fearless about it. The shuttle only cost fifteen Euros each, a bargain when a private taxi to the city was at least 100!
We joined the line of people at the dock and the water taxi arrived. It really was a floating bus--long, with rows of basic seats and a diesel engine. The (enormously handsome Italian) ticket taker asked, "Where are you going?" in English.
I paused, confused. "Venice?"
He laughed. "What part of Venice?"
Ah. "Zattere. Does the bus go there?"
"Yes, yes. They will announce it."
So we boarded with a pile of other people. It was great fun for me. The empty water stretched in all directions. Traffic was expected to stay within a narrow lane between Venice and the mainland marked by pilons. Other boats breezed past our chug-chug-chug bus, but I didn't mind. We got a great initial view of Venice. Astounding architecture everywhere you looked! Delightful!
We landed at the Zattere dock, and after a problem sorting out the directions to the flat, we arrived, hot, tired, and panting. But the flat was cool and inviting, right on the big canal (not the Grand Canal, which runs through the city--the giganto canal that runs south of it). Our third-floor windows had a spectacular view of Venice, and when we opened the windows, soft ocean breezes wafted through. The building was at least 300 years old, and we could see the original hand-hewn beams in the ceilings.
We powered through jet lag, forcing ourselves to go out and about. We explored Venice quite a lot, and it was lovely. We had to walk nearly everywhere---no cars allowed in Zaterre--though I became adept at using the water-borne mass transit system.
Venice is everything you've heard. It's an incredible mix of ancient buildings and new technology. Romantic canals snake in every direction, and bridges that range from toy-sized to mega-huge cross them. Lots of narrow streets that Americans would call alleys with shops and restaurants and private dwellings. High balconies, wooden shutters, cobblestone streets. The weather was sunny and hot, but among the stone buildings the air was pleasantly cool.
We arrived Saturday afternoon and were leaving Monday morning, so a lot of the more famous attractions were closed during our visit, but we didn't mind. It was plenty interesting and diverting to explore the streets. We wandered St. Mark's Square and learned the photos don't do it justice. It's HUGE. You could play a game of NFL football in it and have room for a couple little league games. The Basilica sprawls across the south side near the Doge Palace, and at night everything is lit up. There are thousands of people there at any given time, including at night, but it doesn't feel crowded at all. We also came across what I think was a dance school that did an outdoor street performance. These kids (young teens) could DANCE.
We ate, too. Lasagna and pizza and gelato and squid ink pasta and more. Sorry, Italian-Americans, but Venice has your cooking beat in every way.
One of the nicer moments was the little seafood restaurant where I tried the above-mentioned squid ink pasta. Darwin and I sat right under an umbrella on the sidewalk next to a narrow canal. The weather was charming, the service wonderful, and the food fantastic. It was excruciatingly romantic and delightful.
We went on a gondola ride, of course. Darwin wasn't sure he wanted to do something so tourist-y, but I told him, "We're going to go on a gondola ride. In Venice. With a gondolier. As husbands. BECAUSE WE CAN."
There are gondola rides all around Venice. They're tightly regulated by a guild, so they all cost the same and none of them try to cheat anyone. We went to a cluster of them near St. Mark's Square. They were in a spot where several canals came together in a big pool. I promised Darwin a Handsome Gondolier Guy, and right when we arrived at the dock, just such a gondolier moved up to pick us up. His name was Alessandro. I asked about going under the Bridge of Sighs (if you kiss at sunset under the BoS, legend says your love for each other will remain eternal), but it was way far away and would increase the cost by quite a lot, so we decided against.
The gondola was lushly appointed, with velvet seats and black lacquered wood. Alessandro stood behind us with the tiller/oar under his arm and we were off. It was wonderful. It was an entirely different view of Venice--back "alleys" and docks and narrow, twisting ways. We drifted past sparkly people dining in golden-lit restaurants and heard distant music. Alessandro didn't sing, but he did whistle from time to time. He had to duck when we went under most of the bridges, and I asked him about that.
"It's because Venice is sinking," he explained. "Three hundred years ago, the water was a meter lower, and no one had to duck." He also told us that the buildings are all built on wooden foundations, not stone, but the clay under Venice is anaerobic, so the wood doesn't rot. The oldest building in Venice is over 1000 years old. It's the one they wiped out in CASINO ROYALE, if you were wondering. The whole trip was lovely and romantic and a delight.
Sunday evening, we repacked and got everything ready for our taxi to pick us up. We decided to hire a private taxi rather than risk misreading the bus schedule, you see. In the morning, ready to leave for the cruise itself, we ran into a small problem....
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We started in Venice, where we stayed a couple days before the cruise. Our flight was uneventful and only got interesting when we landed. Venice, you see, is built on 120 islands out in an ocean lagoon, but the airport is on the mainland. So getting to the city from the airport is a bit of a puzzle for newcomers. However, our thoughtful BnB hosts had sent us careful instructions. There's what's basically a shuttle bus (but it's a boat) that runs from the airport to various stops around Venice. Jetlagged and with lots of luggage in tow, we arrived at the water taxi stop.
It was strange to see water instead of a parking lot and boats instead of cars, I have to say. To Michigander me, boats are for recreation, not transportation. But Venice has a different point of view.
Anyway, I bought tickets at a kiosk. Darwin, who's a Europe newbie, doesn't like trying this kind of thing, but I'm fearless about it. The shuttle only cost fifteen Euros each, a bargain when a private taxi to the city was at least 100!
We joined the line of people at the dock and the water taxi arrived. It really was a floating bus--long, with rows of basic seats and a diesel engine. The (enormously handsome Italian) ticket taker asked, "Where are you going?" in English.
I paused, confused. "Venice?"
He laughed. "What part of Venice?"
Ah. "Zattere. Does the bus go there?"
"Yes, yes. They will announce it."
So we boarded with a pile of other people. It was great fun for me. The empty water stretched in all directions. Traffic was expected to stay within a narrow lane between Venice and the mainland marked by pilons. Other boats breezed past our chug-chug-chug bus, but I didn't mind. We got a great initial view of Venice. Astounding architecture everywhere you looked! Delightful!
We landed at the Zattere dock, and after a problem sorting out the directions to the flat, we arrived, hot, tired, and panting. But the flat was cool and inviting, right on the big canal (not the Grand Canal, which runs through the city--the giganto canal that runs south of it). Our third-floor windows had a spectacular view of Venice, and when we opened the windows, soft ocean breezes wafted through. The building was at least 300 years old, and we could see the original hand-hewn beams in the ceilings.
We powered through jet lag, forcing ourselves to go out and about. We explored Venice quite a lot, and it was lovely. We had to walk nearly everywhere---no cars allowed in Zaterre--though I became adept at using the water-borne mass transit system.
Venice is everything you've heard. It's an incredible mix of ancient buildings and new technology. Romantic canals snake in every direction, and bridges that range from toy-sized to mega-huge cross them. Lots of narrow streets that Americans would call alleys with shops and restaurants and private dwellings. High balconies, wooden shutters, cobblestone streets. The weather was sunny and hot, but among the stone buildings the air was pleasantly cool.
We arrived Saturday afternoon and were leaving Monday morning, so a lot of the more famous attractions were closed during our visit, but we didn't mind. It was plenty interesting and diverting to explore the streets. We wandered St. Mark's Square and learned the photos don't do it justice. It's HUGE. You could play a game of NFL football in it and have room for a couple little league games. The Basilica sprawls across the south side near the Doge Palace, and at night everything is lit up. There are thousands of people there at any given time, including at night, but it doesn't feel crowded at all. We also came across what I think was a dance school that did an outdoor street performance. These kids (young teens) could DANCE.
We ate, too. Lasagna and pizza and gelato and squid ink pasta and more. Sorry, Italian-Americans, but Venice has your cooking beat in every way.
One of the nicer moments was the little seafood restaurant where I tried the above-mentioned squid ink pasta. Darwin and I sat right under an umbrella on the sidewalk next to a narrow canal. The weather was charming, the service wonderful, and the food fantastic. It was excruciatingly romantic and delightful.
We went on a gondola ride, of course. Darwin wasn't sure he wanted to do something so tourist-y, but I told him, "We're going to go on a gondola ride. In Venice. With a gondolier. As husbands. BECAUSE WE CAN."
There are gondola rides all around Venice. They're tightly regulated by a guild, so they all cost the same and none of them try to cheat anyone. We went to a cluster of them near St. Mark's Square. They were in a spot where several canals came together in a big pool. I promised Darwin a Handsome Gondolier Guy, and right when we arrived at the dock, just such a gondolier moved up to pick us up. His name was Alessandro. I asked about going under the Bridge of Sighs (if you kiss at sunset under the BoS, legend says your love for each other will remain eternal), but it was way far away and would increase the cost by quite a lot, so we decided against.
The gondola was lushly appointed, with velvet seats and black lacquered wood. Alessandro stood behind us with the tiller/oar under his arm and we were off. It was wonderful. It was an entirely different view of Venice--back "alleys" and docks and narrow, twisting ways. We drifted past sparkly people dining in golden-lit restaurants and heard distant music. Alessandro didn't sing, but he did whistle from time to time. He had to duck when we went under most of the bridges, and I asked him about that.
"It's because Venice is sinking," he explained. "Three hundred years ago, the water was a meter lower, and no one had to duck." He also told us that the buildings are all built on wooden foundations, not stone, but the clay under Venice is anaerobic, so the wood doesn't rot. The oldest building in Venice is over 1000 years old. It's the one they wiped out in CASINO ROYALE, if you were wondering. The whole trip was lovely and romantic and a delight.
Sunday evening, we repacked and got everything ready for our taxi to pick us up. We decided to hire a private taxi rather than risk misreading the bus schedule, you see. In the morning, ready to leave for the cruise itself, we ran into a small problem....
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July 27, 2023
Darwin and the Birthday
Today is Darwin's birthday. He didn't want to do any kind of big celebration, but I persevered. It turned ... interesting.
While the cleaning crew was going over the house this afternoon, I suggested we get out of their way and go out to lunch. We decided to look for a place on Ann Arbor's west side. But when we got there, we discovered the entire area was without power due to last night's storm. All the restaurants were closed.
Darwin noticed we were on Dexter Road, so he said, "Let's go to Dexter. I've never been there."
So we zipped up the road to Dexter. It turned out Dexter had power, but their downtown was in the grip of some awful road construction, with traffic backed way, way up. We happened on a restaurant (the Fillmore) right at beginning of the long backup, so we decided to eat there. The weather was lovely, and they offered outdoor seating. The ambiance was very nice, but the food was ... meh. Especially for what they were charging.
Originally we'd wanted to explore downtown Dexter, but there was no way we wanted to deal with the awful, awful traffic snarl, so we went back home. A disappointment, but a first-world one, so we weren't bothered.
At home, I assembled The Cake.
When I asked Darwin what kind of birthday cake he wanted ("Just get one from Kroger or something." "Are you telling me NOT to bake you a birthday cake? ME?" "Oh, right. Uh ... chocolate cake?" "Boring! How about a Boston cream pie?" "Oooooo! I didn't know you could make one of those at home!"), I got to work the day before, in case things didn't work out right.
Actually, Boston cream pie is pretty easy. It's just a butter cake with the middle cut out and replaced with simple custard. The REAL challenge lay in not making a full-sized cake. With only two of us, a full cake would go mostly uneaten. What to do?
I rooted through the cupboards and found my ramekins--small bowls that can be used for baking. These should work! I made enough cake batter for a single layer, which would be more than enough, but I wanted to do a test cake. If it didn't work, I'd need the batter for a second try. I poured and baked two little cakes, watching carefully, since the recipe's baking time was for a 9" metal cake pan, and these were 4" glass ramekins.
The cakes came out perfectly! I had figured on making a second set, but realized I didn't need to. Yay! In the meantime, I made the custard (custard also looks more difficult than it is) and put it and the little cakes in the fridge overnight.
Today, I made some chocolate glaze (also easier than you think), cut the center out of one layer, and filled the hole with custard. Plopped the top layer on and smoothed glaze over the whole thing. Ta da! A tiny, two-person birthday cake!
I put one candle on it, and Darwin put up with "The Birthday Song." He pronounced the cake wonderful and rich. He also appreciated his present--a pair of house moccasins. His old ones are wearing out. When you're a grownup, you like this kind of present!
And so he's a year older.
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While the cleaning crew was going over the house this afternoon, I suggested we get out of their way and go out to lunch. We decided to look for a place on Ann Arbor's west side. But when we got there, we discovered the entire area was without power due to last night's storm. All the restaurants were closed.
Darwin noticed we were on Dexter Road, so he said, "Let's go to Dexter. I've never been there."
So we zipped up the road to Dexter. It turned out Dexter had power, but their downtown was in the grip of some awful road construction, with traffic backed way, way up. We happened on a restaurant (the Fillmore) right at beginning of the long backup, so we decided to eat there. The weather was lovely, and they offered outdoor seating. The ambiance was very nice, but the food was ... meh. Especially for what they were charging.
Originally we'd wanted to explore downtown Dexter, but there was no way we wanted to deal with the awful, awful traffic snarl, so we went back home. A disappointment, but a first-world one, so we weren't bothered.
At home, I assembled The Cake.
When I asked Darwin what kind of birthday cake he wanted ("Just get one from Kroger or something." "Are you telling me NOT to bake you a birthday cake? ME?" "Oh, right. Uh ... chocolate cake?" "Boring! How about a Boston cream pie?" "Oooooo! I didn't know you could make one of those at home!"), I got to work the day before, in case things didn't work out right.
Actually, Boston cream pie is pretty easy. It's just a butter cake with the middle cut out and replaced with simple custard. The REAL challenge lay in not making a full-sized cake. With only two of us, a full cake would go mostly uneaten. What to do?
I rooted through the cupboards and found my ramekins--small bowls that can be used for baking. These should work! I made enough cake batter for a single layer, which would be more than enough, but I wanted to do a test cake. If it didn't work, I'd need the batter for a second try. I poured and baked two little cakes, watching carefully, since the recipe's baking time was for a 9" metal cake pan, and these were 4" glass ramekins.
The cakes came out perfectly! I had figured on making a second set, but realized I didn't need to. Yay! In the meantime, I made the custard (custard also looks more difficult than it is) and put it and the little cakes in the fridge overnight.
Today, I made some chocolate glaze (also easier than you think), cut the center out of one layer, and filled the hole with custard. Plopped the top layer on and smoothed glaze over the whole thing. Ta da! A tiny, two-person birthday cake!
I put one candle on it, and Darwin put up with "The Birthday Song." He pronounced the cake wonderful and rich. He also appreciated his present--a pair of house moccasins. His old ones are wearing out. When you're a grownup, you like this kind of present!
And so he's a year older.
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July 25, 2023
Odd Baking Result
I decided to see what would happen if I used fresh cherries in chocolate chip cookies. I used a standard chocolate chip cookie recipe, but with almond extract along with the vanilla, and added some chopped fresh cherries when I was beating the butter and sugar. They baked up nicely, but they came out… blue?They taste great, but look really weird. I have no idea why they came out blue. If I do them again, I'll add some coloring, or frost them.
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SNW/LD
I saw the SNW/LD crossover episode. Wonderful! One of the top ten Trek episodes of all time, right up there with "Trials and Tribblations."
Best line: "Have you noticed how people from this time talk really slow?" "Yeah, and quiet!"
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Best line: "Have you noticed how people from this time talk really slow?" "Yeah, and quiet!"
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July 17, 2023
The State of the Estate
The work on my brother's estate continues. I spend hours on the phone with this company or that agency. He had an IRA with no beneficiary listed, which is causing a tangle of paperwork. He had life insurance and some stock, both of which had beneficiaries, but there's no trigger that alerts the company when the owner passes away, so I had to take care of that. Some stuff needs to be sold off (various outdoor toys like dirt bikes and snowmobiles), and my cousin Mark has nicely taken over that chore, since he knows the value of all this more than I do and he lives in a place where such things get a lot of use--and have a high demand.
His truck was a tangle--the bank refused to give me a payout amount, and even though I alerted them that Paul had died and gave them a death certificate and letter of authority, they dragged their feet and then slapped a late fee on the account. I had to do some creative yelling to get it removed. But at long last, I got the release of lien letter, freeing the truck up for transfer of ownership.
Once all this is done, I have to figure out how much to leave in the estate account for taxes next year.
I finally got access to his Apple account, but not his phone, though we might still be able to. His computers are dead to us. All this is because we don't have his passwords.
Folks, please--write a will. Appoint beneficiaries to your retirement savings and any stocks you owe. So many difficulties and headaches could have been headed off if my brother had just written down what he had and where it should go.
And make a list of your accounts and passwords, including your phone PIN. Put it in a sealed envelope with MY PASSWORDS written on it. (That way you'll know if someone has opened it.) Leave it where someone would find it after you die. Please, please do this. I could have taken care of 90% of everything if I'd had access to his computer and phone.
Do it today!
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July 13, 2023
Ants!
Ugh! Ants! I have tiny black ants crawling all over my desk all of a sudden. I noticed a couple yesterday and didn't think much of it. Today it's an ant party!
Darwin and I tracked them to the window. They're getting in through the teensy space between the screen and the window frame. We tried closing the window, and I still saw ants squeezing in. Darwin McClary suspects that the landscaping just outside stirred them up.
I went to the store and bought some spray and poison traps. We set out the traps (which are supposed to trick the ants into taking poison back to the colony and the queen) and I hosed the outside sill and the bricks beneath it. Then I wiped down my desk with vinegar, which supposedly wipes out their chemical trails.
I'm seeing way fewer ants right now, but there's a bunch of them clustered around the ant trap closest to their entrance point. We'll see what happens over the next few days. I hope this takes care of it--I'd rather not hire an exterminator.
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Darwin and I tracked them to the window. They're getting in through the teensy space between the screen and the window frame. We tried closing the window, and I still saw ants squeezing in. Darwin McClary suspects that the landscaping just outside stirred them up.
I went to the store and bought some spray and poison traps. We set out the traps (which are supposed to trick the ants into taking poison back to the colony and the queen) and I hosed the outside sill and the bricks beneath it. Then I wiped down my desk with vinegar, which supposedly wipes out their chemical trails.
I'm seeing way fewer ants right now, but there's a bunch of them clustered around the ant trap closest to their entrance point. We'll see what happens over the next few days. I hope this takes care of it--I'd rather not hire an exterminator.
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June 30, 2023
Rocky Summer
It's been a rocky start to summer, to say the least.
Darwin's sister Linda died around the time of final exams. It was semi-expected--she'd been ill for some time--but no less upsetting. She died on a Friday, and her funeral was the following Monday. The pastor freely admitted that he hadn't known Linda, and he said it wasn't appropriate for him to eulogize someone he'd never met, so he asked people from the congregation to speak. Several people called on Darwin to speak. He didn't want to, but eventually he did, and it was heartfelt.
A couple weeks later was the internment of her ashes, and we drove up for that, too. Only Darwin's nephew (Linda's son) and one of Darwin's sisters came for that. It was raining, fittingly. We went to a restaurant afterward.
Last week my uncle Maris passed away. At 88, he was the oldest sibling and last remaining brother in my dad's generation. Maris was deeply affected by the war years dad's family spent in Europe during and after Word War II, and all his life he struggled with deep-seated PTSD, and it made his life very difficult. I remember liking Maris (Morris in English, though no one in the family called him that) when I was younger. As I got older, these two parts of the family drifted, and I didn't see him very much. He passed away quietly in hospice, the only family member left who remembered living in Latvia.
And my brother died two and a half months ago.
Rocky start to summer.
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Darwin's sister Linda died around the time of final exams. It was semi-expected--she'd been ill for some time--but no less upsetting. She died on a Friday, and her funeral was the following Monday. The pastor freely admitted that he hadn't known Linda, and he said it wasn't appropriate for him to eulogize someone he'd never met, so he asked people from the congregation to speak. Several people called on Darwin to speak. He didn't want to, but eventually he did, and it was heartfelt.
A couple weeks later was the internment of her ashes, and we drove up for that, too. Only Darwin's nephew (Linda's son) and one of Darwin's sisters came for that. It was raining, fittingly. We went to a restaurant afterward.
Last week my uncle Maris passed away. At 88, he was the oldest sibling and last remaining brother in my dad's generation. Maris was deeply affected by the war years dad's family spent in Europe during and after Word War II, and all his life he struggled with deep-seated PTSD, and it made his life very difficult. I remember liking Maris (Morris in English, though no one in the family called him that) when I was younger. As I got older, these two parts of the family drifted, and I didn't see him very much. He passed away quietly in hospice, the only family member left who remembered living in Latvia.
And my brother died two and a half months ago.
Rocky start to summer.
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June 13, 2023
Ahhhhhh
The best part about summer break: the beginning!
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June 10, 2023
Writer's Tic
I'm reading a Stephen King book published in 2012. King has an annoying writer's tic. His teenagers tend to speak like they're in the 50s. Their slang consists of phrases like "rolling in dough," and "mum's the word," and, "cross-dressing," and describing a beautiful woman as, "Va Va Voom!" His editor clearly isn't paying attention.
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Pride 2023
Fifty-four years ago this month, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a refuge for the LGBTQ+ community in Manhattan. It wasn't the first time but, that night, led by Black and Latino patrons, they said, "Enough!" Despite the threat of losing their jobs or homes because of who they were and whom they loved, they protested and sparked the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement.
Millions of Americans have continued to fight to not only live authentically and love whom they love — but to simply exist. We've seen incredible progress in the years since Stonewall, but constant efforts to turn back the clock continue. Extreme Republicans in states across the nation have passed new laws to further restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ people, while others are attempting to erase their existence entirely. So this month, I want to encourage you to celebrate Pride with our LGBTQ+ community and show care and compassion for yourselves.
I also hope you'll take action. We stand at a critical moment where the rights that LGBTQ+ people have won in the courts could easily be erased. And today, too many still face the threat of being evicted or denied services for who they are. Vote for politicians who support equality. Attend local school board meetings and tell the board you demand inclusion of LGBTQ materials in the classroom and the library. Donate money to LGBTQ causes (the ACLU, the Triangle Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign). Be vocal with your friends, family, and co-workers about your beliefs in LGBTQ equality. All these little steps taken together can make great strides forward.
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Millions of Americans have continued to fight to not only live authentically and love whom they love — but to simply exist. We've seen incredible progress in the years since Stonewall, but constant efforts to turn back the clock continue. Extreme Republicans in states across the nation have passed new laws to further restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ people, while others are attempting to erase their existence entirely. So this month, I want to encourage you to celebrate Pride with our LGBTQ+ community and show care and compassion for yourselves.
I also hope you'll take action. We stand at a critical moment where the rights that LGBTQ+ people have won in the courts could easily be erased. And today, too many still face the threat of being evicted or denied services for who they are. Vote for politicians who support equality. Attend local school board meetings and tell the board you demand inclusion of LGBTQ materials in the classroom and the library. Donate money to LGBTQ causes (the ACLU, the Triangle Foundation, the Human Rights Campaign). Be vocal with your friends, family, and co-workers about your beliefs in LGBTQ equality. All these little steps taken together can make great strides forward.
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