Guest Blog

Recently a good friend and fellow blogger gave me the opportunity to guest blog over at her site called Red, White, Blue ... and Green.

http://redwhiteandblueandgreen.blogspot.com

She's a very cool person who is fundamentally concerned about a number of issues, especially those which involve justice, liberty, equality and the environment.

I heartily recommend reading her blog on a regular basis and provide her with encouragement and feedback.

Thank you, Watermelon, for letting me contribute to your blog! Keep doing what you do and write about it too. We want to know!

New look, ... and an apology.

So I got to fooling around with the look of this blog. Before I knew it, an hour had passed with me going from design to design. I finally settled on this one.

Actually, I'm not completely settled. My eye was drawn to the stained glass pattern and the color palette. Maybe it's too busy. I might change it soon. If you, gentle reader has an opinion about the new design, please let me know.

I had also gone back and reread the smattering of posts contained herein. While I am in the main pleased with the content and style, I am chagrined to read what are obviously blatant typos that now leap off the screen at me as if circled in red by a tongue-clucking grade school teacher, yet somehow completely evaded my normally eagle-eyed editor. (Me.)

I am sorry. You can't see me, but I'm hanging my head and pouting my lower lip. Of the things I intend to do more often, blogging and getting the typing correct are amongst them. Thank you for your understanding. Stay tuned!

Do you want to bring down unemployment and stimulate the econonmy? Here's one way.

Legalize same-sex marriage.

It struck me the other day. There is a sure-fire way to jump start our lagging economy and for a true fiscal conservative the issue should be a no-brainer. The financial upside for making same-sex marriage legal is the weddings.

Think of how much money is spent at a typical wedding. Sources vary about what the average amount of money that gets spent on the wedding, but in 2011 the range for average is twenty-five to thirty thousand dollars. We all can grasp that it's a pretty significant sum for each and every wedding.

There is the wedding dress, and bridesmaid's and groomsmen's clothing. They need to be made or rented. Engagement and wedding rings need to be made and sold. The reception hall needs to be booked. There must be entertainment at the reception. Invitations need to be printed. Vehicles rented. Flowers to be grown, delivered and arranged. A cake needs to be baked and delivered. Caterers must be hired, and bartenders to keep the libations flowing … quite a tidy sum of money is spent and it all goes into the local economy. The happy couple have a (hopefully) perfect day, and a tidy number of local small business get a boost of much needed capital.

Now consider this. Who would throw as lavish a wedding and reception as gay couples? Say what you will, but gay men especially tend to have pretty good taste and a willingness to exhibit that good taste. They're not afraid to spend money on what they want.

It only makes sense for an economy to encourage this kind of behavior. Allowing gay men and lesbian women to legitimize their love in the eyes of the law will not decrease the number of “traditional” man-and-woman marriages, and would benefit every single local economy in America with the increased money put in circulation due to all the new weddings every year.

Chances are, these small businesses in the wedding industry will see a pretty good increase in business. It stands to reason. They would have to hire additional help to handle the increased business. Unemployment could drop. Each of these business would presumably have to pay an increased amount of taxes, which would further benefit the local and state governments of areas where they are being starved out of existence by the “something-for-nothing crowd” who hate the idea of paying ANY taxes.

I think it's pretty safe to speculate the increase in business to the wedding industry would be significant. Any increase of business to just about any industry would be a good thing right now. A good thing in any economy, but notable so in this one.

It is a sad commentary on us as a society when we allow the small-minded and withered of heart to dictate our economy the way we do. I for one know that business can be a positive contributor to our society. I know that more money flowing around means a better life for everyone.

I also know how hard it is to find someone to love in this world. How incredibly fortunate it is to have someone who loves you for you. Who am I do deny that to anyone?

Summer soundtrack 2011

Sheesh! My most profuse and humble apologies for contributing nothing here in quite a long time.

As most who know me know that I walk. A lot. Not having a car contributes to this immensely. While I walk, my brain will search my memory for songs and play them for me. I've not been trying to force any from memory. I'm content to just let them play as they come.

This year, I've taken to paying closer attention to the mental soundtrack. I've listed them, for your entertainment. I ascribe no meaning to the selection. They're just songs my brain has stored and play back unbeckoned. In alphabetical order the songs are:

A Passage to Bankok-Rush
Beauty of a Dream-Thomas Dolby
Behind Blue Eyes-The Who
Brooklyn (Owes the Charmer Under Me)-Steely Dan
Do You Close Your Eyes-Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow
Everyone's Gone to the Movies-Steely Dan
First Look-Jimmy Buffett
From the Beginning-Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Gone Daddy Gone-Violent Femmes
Grass-XTC
Hip Hug-Her-Booker T & the MGs
Hold Your Head Up-Argent
Jole Blon-Gary "U.S." Bonds
Jump-Aztec Camera
Narrakesh Express-Crosby, Stills & Nash
My Old School-Steely Dan
On Broadway-Eric Carmen
She Caught the Katy-Blues Brothers
Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours-Stevie WOnder
This Time it's for Real-Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes
Tube Snake Boogie-ZZ  Top
Walkin' with a Mountain-Mott the Hoople
What is Life-George Harrison

Luckily there are more great songs stored in my memory than lousy ones! If you are unfamiliar with any or all of these songs, GO FIND THEM. Listen and enjoy. If you're lucky to have a memory for music like I do, treat yourself to some long walks and listen to what your brain plays for you. You will probably be surprised.

Enjoy the rest of your summer. Make the most of it. We're only allotted a limited number of them.