Ravings of a Random Mind...

Dear Kristi Merritt (and anyone who thinks she has a point with this stunt, below ) No, the Seahawks jersey, helmet, and football do not make you Russell Wilson, but then they aren't what make Russell Wilson, Russel Wilson, either. Russell Wilson is Russell Wilson because of WHO HE IS, not because of what he wears. Mexicans don't all wear sombreros, drink beer, and eat tortilla chips - you're thinking of Americans who celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Have you ever been to Mexico? Mexicans are light, dark, black, brown, white, Asian, African, European, Native - just like in the United States. Mexico is a nation of immigrants, just like the United States and Canada. Just like every other country in the Americas, it's population is a blend of peoples from EVERYWHERE IN THE WORLD. Also, did I mention that Mexicans don't all wear sombreros, any more than all Americans wear cowboy hats. So no, your sombrero doesn't make you look Mexican. It makes you look like a gringa ...

First World Problems, right? Seriously, though - first thing in the morning I just want my coffee. I don't want to teach you how to make it. I can. I can come right there behind the counter and do it my own bloody self if necessary - but I pay you $5USD a cuppa so that I don't have to do that. It's simple. Flat white. Two shots ristretto, Heated (not scalded) milk. No foam - hence the name FLAT WHITE. The milk is velvety, but it is the OPPOSITE of a dry cappuccino. Not the same. Dear Starbucks,I realise that most Americans won't know the difference, but can you get together with your baristas to... Posted by  Wim Gates  on  Thursday, 17 March 2016 Hey  +Starbucks Coffee  - are you listening? I sure hope so. I'd just like a coffee. Thanks.

Last week @SenOrrinHatch says #MerrickGarland is "a fine man", an acceptable #SCOTUSnominee ; today he won't meet him https://t.co/hDyfsze14q — Willem Gates (@WimGates) March 16, 2016 Sen. Hatch commented just last week that Garland would be an acceptable nominee,  telling Newsmax  that Obama "could easily name Merrick Garland, who is a fine man," adding that "he probably won't do that because this appointment is about the election." Hatch also  sang Garland's praises  back in 2010, and offered his support: "I have no doubts that Garland would get a lot of (Senate) votes. And I will do my best to help him get them."   Then today: Hatch says he won't meet with Garland though he notes: "I have a high opinion of him." — Seung Min Kim (@seungminkim) March 16, 2016 If you think Congress should get off their collective asses and get to work, I encourage you to let them know. Here's one place to start: Tell...

#Poly #Polyamory #Compersion #Relationships Compersion is, I believe, fundamental to true happiness in a relationship. It is finding joy in the simple fact that your romantic partner(s) has/have found joy in their lives - and the fact that it sometimes happens without you is not a barrier. Gracie X speaks to Compersion in her article Why My Husband and I Sometimes Have Sex With Other People. ( http://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-20649/why-my-husband-i-sometimes-have-sex-with-other-people.html) "Compersion fascinates me because it sanctions the idea of our partner deriving pleasure in a context separate from us, and from another source. In this way, compersion is antithetical to how we view relationships and expect to operate in them. We are raised to believe that when we are one half of a couple, we should derive all our happiness and pleasure from that single partner and only experience it together with that partner." Before we were in relationship with one another, we were indiv...

When I was younger, I subscribed to the ideal of the white picket fence, 3BR house, a husband, a dog, some number of kids... the whole shebang. I was going to be one of those "normal gays". I've since grown up and realised that I'm not. Not now, and not ever going to be. That is not to cast dispersions upon those who've done exactly that. Some of us really are "just like you", and there is nothing wrong with that. Some of my best friends... Yeah, you know where that's going. Seriously though, it's a perfectly viable option. For someone else. I've learned a lot about myself since my early 20s, and one of those things is that I'm not suited to the nuclear family dynamic. I used to think that this meant that there were certain things I was just going to have to miss out on. Children being primary among them. If I wanted kids, I was going to have to have a partner to raise them, right? That's how it's done, properly. Being a singl...

Last week was Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Hebrew calendar. This year, I don't belong to a synagogue community. In past years, I was either teaching in one, dating someone whose family was very involved in one, or lived in a town where there was only one beit in town. This year, I was adrift. Kind of fitting, as this is also the first year I'm living as a single fellow, and on a sailboat, no less. Sort of last-minute - literally the day of - I ended up being rounded up by a friend to attend Erev Rosh Hashanah services at the Hillel at UW. I've been there previously, as I used to be involved in the local "bridge group", JConnect. It's meant to "bridge the gap" between college involvement, and getting married and settling down in a synagogue to raise a family. It's purpose is to keep young professionals (mid 20s - 30s) involved in the Jewish community. This year I turned 38. Rosh services went well. I was with friends, and the rabbi is very f...

This last weekend I went to see the new Guardians of the Galaxy film with my friend JMc. Before the film, we decided to get dinner, and since he's new to Seattle - recently transplanted from London - and there are a number of places I haven't yet been to, I took the opportunity to suggest DragonFish . It was close to the movie theatre, and I'd always walked past it on my way to someplace else, thinking I'd make a point of going later. Of course, later never really happens unless it's on the calendar. I arrived early, put my name in for a table, and was seated outside on the patio. The weather was nice (I'd just spent the afternoon at the beach), the sun was still up, and it was quite warm for Seattle. When JMc joined me a few minutes later, we commented on the lovely weather, "How often do I get to sit outside in Seattle without a cover?" The waitress came by and took our first orders - we didn't really decide to do a sort of tapas, one plate a...