Just Another Day in the Life

I don't really have much to share today.  Why?  Because I'm chillin'.   I'm enjoying a few days of relatively quiet time before the craziness of the next few weeks starts.  So far so good.

I went for a bike ride this morning.  I sometimes forget how much I used to enjoy riding bikes.  I started to chat with one guy who suggested that I try a triathalon.  I'm pretty sure I could do the biking.  The running - probably.  Swim a mile??  I don't know.  I've never tried to swim a mile.  This particular gentleman said he once ran 18 marathons in 18 days for charity.  That's insane.  I couldn't do that if my life depended on it.  Really.   I'm just saying.....

I had dinner with a friend I've known for 20+ years tonight.  I knew her husband - actually, I video-taped her husbands first marriage.  She and her kids played with my son when they were all in grade school.  It was great to see her.  We've chatted a few times in recent years and it's always nice to have those kinds of long-term relationships in our lives.  It's sad when all the long-term ones die off and all we have left is relatively new ones.  I realize it happens sometimes, but people like Kathy make me glad to still have some of those kinds of special friends in my life.

Here's a pic of us:

An effort to get "Don't Ask Don't Tell" failed in the Senate today.  That absolutely sucks.  But when it does pass the fact of the matter is that it still won't be safe to come out as transgender.  Per today's press release from NCTE:

It is important to remember that the military policies that negatively impact transgender people are entirely different than those which speak to sexual orientation, although some transgender people have been caught in "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" investigations. Transgender servicemembers should be aware that it is still not safe to come out as transgender, whether or not "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is repealed. You can read the resource that NCTE and SLDN issued earlier this year for more information about the laws that impact transgender people and how you can find assistance if you are serving in the US military.

That's not to say that I don't know openly transgender people serving in the military.  I do.  But it's a different thing than "just" being gay or lesbian.

Australia allowed gays and lesbians to serve openly in their military 18 years ago.  They just recently dropped the barrier that prevented transgender people from serving (details here).  This country is so far behind other parts of the world when it comes to puritan ideas of sexuality, masculinity, femininity - these things that are happening in other countries who recognize, "What's the big frickin' deal?" and they do the right thing to fix it.

Here's another interesting article on schools and trans kids (see it here).

In my world - I watched my first football game of the year last night.  The 49ers-Saints game was a lot of fun.  I know this is going to sound whacked, but the teams "looked" good together.  I watched it on a large, large flat panel TV in HD and besides just being an exciting, well-played game it was visually stimulating.

Anyway - that's it for today.  Nothing too deep or profound.  It's just another day in the life...   Tomorrow will come.  It's supposed to be another nice, sunny, day.  I'll live it when it gets here - in it's own good time.  I wouldn't have it any other way.   :)