Peg Kerr's Blog, page 9

A holy tree

Many thanks to minnehaha K. for the link:

The Tree of Contemplative Practices.

This entry was originally posted at http://pegkerr.dreamwidth.org/1732452.html. There are comments on the post.

Today's manicure

Courtesy of Delia again:

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I was a wee bit impatient and put the top coat on before the stamped flowers had entirely dried so they are slightly smeared. Perfection constantly recedes beyond the horizon.

Poor Delia. She spent so much time on my nails that she got impatient with hers and packed up her stuff while they were still drying and wrecked her own manicure. I paid her for mine as a mini consolation. She'll do her own again today.

These mother-daughter manicure sessions have been a nice way for us to bond.

And now I have a yen to pick up lots of little bottles of nail polish at the drug store. I have NEVER been into manicures before. This is the first time in my entire life that I have had three manicures in a row, with no bare nails in between.

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Trying to restart my exercise program

Now that cancer is receding farther and farther in the rear view mirror (thank goodness), I am trying to reevaluate things and muster up the effort to reshape my life closer to where it should be.

I have started studying French again. I've had about a month of Duolingo lessons (well, I missed one day. But my current streak is twelve days long, and the streak before that was nineteen days).

A bigger deal: I am trying to start getting active again. I have to. I am at my all time highest weight (due to some medication I've been on), which is still below the national average for women my age and height, but I feel uncomfortably heavy, and I've been thinking about reasons I want to resume exercise. Anti-depression effect. Graceful aging. And just feeling good about myself. I can't do karate anymore, and my go-to exercise for years, exercise DVDs, isn't very easy, as we don't have a computer with a DVD drive in a room set up for exercise. English country dancing is fun, but it's just two hours a week.

I've gone out for several walks. Tonight I made it a walk/jog.

It's tough, I'm not going to lie.

I just have to think of long term rewards.

And ice cream is nice, but I really don't have to have it EVERY NIGHT.

This entry was originally posted at http://pegkerr.dreamwidth.org/1731846.html. There are comments on the post.

Today's amusement

Harry Potter versus Twilight. Thanks to Delia for the link!

Rather good looking dancing. And one hilariously gratuitous ab shot.




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Another Pretty

Manicure week two, again, courtesy of Delia.



This entry was originally posted at http://pegkerr.dreamwidth.org/1731434.html. There are comments on the post.

Pretty

I like my new ring, and the manicure that Delia gave me to show it off.



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I just can't contain my joy

I am so happy about today's Supreme Court decision that I feel as though I am on the verge of exploding.

I had hoped I would see this one day, but now that it's actually here...wow.

Best. Pride. Weekend. Evah.

Here are some links.

The Supreme Court Marriage Equality decision, in haiku.

19 hysterical passages from Supreme Court Same Sex Dissenters.

[Suck it, Scalia.]

And I also wanted to say this: I want to remember all of those who hoped and prayed and sweated and worked and marched and fought for this day, yet did not live to see it. My interest in gay civil rights began when I was researching The Wild Swans, and it has only continued to become more passionate and burning as I have watched the changes in American culture over the past two decades. I am utterly convinced that the nation would have not progressed to this point had it not been for the AIDS epidemic, for all the brave, dying men who realized that they had to come out of the closet, in order to fight the cruelest of diseases, to fight their shamefully complacent and criminally uncaring government, to fight for their right to have their partners visit them in the hospitals, for their renters rights, their inheritance rights. A generation of men were forcibly outed to their astonished families because of AIDS, and Americans had to really face for the first time that the people that they casually, unthinkingly denigrated were in actuality their beloved sons, their brothers, their fathers, their uncles, their cousins.

A whole generation of amazing creative talent was lost. But their tireless activism changed the face of America for those that followed them.

I want to light a candle for Sean and Elias, and for all the others with their names on the AIDS Quilt. Thank you for your fight, and for the way you changed this nation. We will not forget your courage, your faith, and your sacrifice.

Edited to add: Someone pointed this out on Facebook, and I think it's important: in the joy of this victory, I don't want to forget or exclude in the celebrations this weekend the other sisters and brothers on this journey: those who identify as bi and trans (or questioning or asexual for that matter). There are all sorts of points on the rainbow continuum, and they need to be assured of their full rights as American citizens, too.

Another thing: it's entirely possible that there will be people who will joyfully post their wedding photos online, only to be fired the next day. You can STILL lose your job for being gay in more than half the states. We still have a lot of work to do.

This entry was originally posted at http://pegkerr.dreamwidth.org/1730943.html. There are comments on the post.

Waterloo

Last Sunday on Facebook I wrote:

I just finished reading Imperial Scandal by Teresa Grant (impressive), glanced at the bibliography, and saw a reference to one book: The Duchess of Richmond's Ball 15 June 1815, and I realized: good heavens, its the 200th anniversary of that famous ball [last] Monday. Those of you who read regency romances surely recognize the significance of that date. And good heavens, I just checked the cost of that book from her bibliography and gawped. it sells new for $10,000! It must be the gold standard for romance writers doing research.

Today marks the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo. The battle is being reenacted at the site by 6,000 people (and lots of horses). The Telegraph is updating the progress of the battle minute by minute at the link here.

Here's a fascinating article about the history of Waterloo reenactments.

This entry was originally posted at http://pegkerr.dreamwidth.org/1730722.html. There are comments on the post.

Accomplished today

Went to church
Went to hardware store and bought safety goggles
Came home and (wearing the safety goggles) used the weed wacker to cut the grass on the hill and the weeds in the cracks of the pavement in the back yard
Did three loads of laundry and the odd sundry items that needed to be handwashed
Visited with my mom
Stripped the bed, turned the mattress (with Rob's help), and remade it
Filed paperwork in my office
Cut the weeds behind the garage
Gave Delia some Mommy support
Cleared up part of the bedroom
Balanced my checking account, my savings account, and the joint savings account. And I would have balanced the joint checking account, too, if Rob hadn't lost the damn checkbook

This entry was originally posted at http://pegkerr.dreamwidth.org/1730480.html. There are comments on the post.

For Dad and for Leigh

This is Memorial Day weekend. But more than that, today is the day that my niece, Leigh, graduates from Brown University.

My dad had gone to Brown University himself, and he was a loyal Brown booster. He went to many of the reunions and was a recruiter for Brown. He was absolutely thrilled that my brother Chet and Chet's daughter Leigh also chose to go to Brown. Dad had always told us how excited and proud he would be to be there on the day that his granddaughter graduates.

I know that today will hold some bittersweet moments for Leigh, since Dad didn't live to see this day. But my Mom is there, and I know that all the family who are there with you are so proud of you, as Dad would have been.

In honor of both Dad and of Leigh, to commemorate Memorial Day and Leigh's graduation, I went to Fort Snelling Cemetery to leave flowers for them both. The rose for Leigh is tied with a brown ribbon, as Brown University's colors are crimsom, white and brown.

Congratulations, Leigh! I wanted you to know that I visited your granddaddy today for you and for all the family, to tell him of your proud achievement in graduating from the school he loved so much. Please know that he loved you, and is absolutely there with you in spirit as you take that long walk down the hill to your commencement.





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