Wow: What She Said

The Spouse forwarded me this link: Senator Diane Savino's speech on the floor of the New York State Senate, in support of the (unhappily defeated) law legalizing gay marriage in the state. With humor, grace and passion Savino points out that 1) these laws are, au fond about extending protection to the people you love, and 2) that no religious organization would be forced by such laws into doing anything against their principles.

I hope Savino goes far. She's smart, she's eloquent, and we need people like her working for us.

Pelf!

I got some of my birthday presents yesterday, but today the Spouse and Avocado demonstrated that they truly understand me: Avocado gave me my joint birthday-Christmas present--a bottle of Mitsouko eau de parfum. It's my favorite scent, and I made the tiny bottle of perfume I got in Paris when the Spouse and I got engaged last for a good ten years. This bottle is, by comparison, huge. And again I smell like an exotic whiff of Paris...at least to myself.

And the Spouse...there are not words! He found a copy (with dust jacket) of The Dictionary of American Underworld Lingo, circa 1950, and I don't expect to be seen for a while--at least not until I've made my way from "Abbey: one who impersonates a clergyman as a means of swindling the devout" to "Zool: an Italian, especially of the Old World, nonassimilated type." With stops along the way for "Kissing the Dog: facing a victim while in the act of picking his pocket" and "Spread the Eagle: To escape from prison or other official custody." I love this stuff.

Today (having been enjoined by various parties yesterday from using the phrase "I have to" or "I need to make" for the next couple of days, I'm going to take it easy, do some writing, do any freelance work that comes across my desk, walk the dog, go out for a drink later, and kind of enjoy a slow day. Thank you all for your kind wishes. And yes, I'll post a photo of the cake later!

Creative Outlets

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Originally uploaded by madrobins

This is the cake I made yesterday for the party/my birthday. Plain yellow, with rum frosting. Homemade multi-berry-cherry jam between the layers. Generally, kinda Yum.

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Originally uploaded by madrobins

And this is the Christmas stocking I made for Sarcasm Girl's beau. He's coming for Christmas this year, and he needs a receptacle for whatever Santa Claus brings with him. I've just been a whirlwind of handicrafts, no? Maybe I'll lay off the making of stuff for a while, now.