Pride weekend is here in Atlanta. A big event expected to bring in over 130,000 people...but not at it's normal home.

We are under extreme drought conditions, and any event expected to have 50,000 or more attendees cannot be held in public parks - the most brilliant park to host festivals of all kinds, Pride included, is Piedmont Park.

Since 130,000 clearly exceeds the 50,000, the festivities will take place at the Civic Center....a downtown, red velvet seating venue to see the opera with 1960's movie theater carpet in the lobby and $20 bottles of beer.

Now I will admit it would be fun to watch the personal lube samples getting tossed around in such a venue, but that just isn't motivation enough to go.

So with the closing of a holiday celebrating our freedom, and the fight our countrymen fought to get it....what a great weekend to hold Pride....crappy location, but great timing.

Civil Rights in this country started with the Declaration of Independence in 1766. "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Since the inception of the first Civil Rights laws put on paper, the 1960's brought the most important additions. The most recent addition to Civil Rights laws was made in 1991. I would certainly like to see at least one more amendment in my lifetime.

Today, federal laws prohibit discrimination based on a person's national origin, race, color, religion, disability, sex, and familial status. Where federal law steps in is when this law is violated in the following:

Education
Employment
Housing
Lending
Public Accommodations
Law Enforcement / Police Misconduct
Voting

I continue to ask myself why then, immediately after the word "sex" (or any one of them for that fact), have we not added "sexual preference"?

It would seem to me there are a lot of frightened people that think this addition to human rights will threaten their (Federally protected rights to practice, mind you) Religion that bans such behavior. Not that my intention is to target any religious beliefs, it just seems the statements to deny EVERYONE Civil Rights in this country, seem to contain the justification based on God and the Bible.

But I know plenty of people that believe in God and read the Bible, and they don't seem to share the same sentiment that God disapproves of gays. Hmmm. Funny, I think the KKK hid behind the Bible, as did those who believed women were not equal to men. I see not a pattern of Religious affiliation but fearful people that are using their religion as an excuse. Written words to justify their fear.

I have often said "this is not my fight to fight". I would say the majority of gay couples I know, some married for over 20 years, are married. End of story.

And I would have to agree with those friends. I do not place any value in the institute of marriage...well, other than some financial benefits that come with the territory. A commitment is a commitment - be it to a friend, lover or promise to a stranger. I hold that responsibility in higher regard than any "law" that states what I have to (responsibly) do in this "contract".

So, in protest of the location (just 'cuz I am kinda' a snob about that stuff, like the Dogwood (tree) festival that got moved to a posh mall parking lot I refused to attend) I will not be going to the festivities in person.

Instead I will be there in spirit and continue to support ALL people in this country, and on this planet, to have the rights they deserve as fellow humans....regardless of who they lay down to sleep with at night. And I hope those people that fight so hard to deny everyone equal rights, can put their fear to rest and appreciate they have their rights protected; everyone should have that same right.

Here are some festive pictures from years past







And just like years past, we are experiencing a torrential downpour the day of the parade....actually the minute the parade starts.

I love some severe thunderstorms, but as the dogs get older they are less tolerant....okay, more like scared to death. There is nothing worse than to have a 1 hour storm and 300lbs of dogs trying to crawl up in your person for safety

I joined a gym and got a personal trainer this week.

The people working at the gym said something like "you are in shape so you shouldn't have any problem toning up"

What they did not realize is that I am just naturally the size of a twig and am completely out of shape.

My trainer worked me pretty hard yesterday - now I can barely bend my legs to sit on the toilet. I need to use my arms to support my weight.

Today we worked the upper body and she just kept saying "wow" when I would tire long before she expected....but she pushed me. It felt good. But, I anticipate tomorrow's pain and burn and I will not be able to use my arms to help support my weight to sit on the toilet.

I may need to get Rob to stop and buy a bed pan or some big people diapers on his way home from work today.

In the summer, I tend not to eat much meat.

The perfect meal is a spinach salad, homemade bread, eggplant Parmesan and spaghetti squash with butter and a touch of nutmeg...

But if you have ever made eggplant parm - it is no easy task.

So I decided to try a dish we had in the rain forest of Argentina...we were told it is a common meal for the native Indians.

I looked all over the internet for a recipe, but no luck. So I am winging it from memory. I will let you know how it goes, and if anyone knows the real recipe - I would love to know!

The ingredients are stacked (starting with tomato on bottom) on top of each other. It was served with a small amount of balsamic vinegar on the plate (there was probably something more than just the vinegar) and topped with a few whole peppercorns.

5-6 thin slices of tomato
thin sliced heart of palm (equal to the height of the tomato)
Avocado slices
Mango slices

In my recipe I used 1 whole (medium) tomato, and 1/2 of all the other stuff. Including 1/2 can of the heart of palm

Once all the items are stacked, it stands about 6-8 inches high. The name of the recipe was translated in English as "the tower of paradise"....but I could be totally wrong since I was enamored with the food and didn't really listen to our server.

Now I am off to grill up some portobellos stuffed with fresh spinach and cheese. Yum

I will admit that our cable bill is one of the most expensive household bills we have.

It's sad. When my electric bill reaches levels close to the cable bill, I freak and run the a/c a bit less. I have even been known to skip coffee to save....the coffee maker, in the process of heating the water, uses more wattage than your furnace!

But every time I think about cutting back on the cable channels, I just can't do it.

Funny b/c we watch TV maybe 5 hours a week.....okay, during hockey season my husband watches more like 20 hours a week.

Yesterday was a rare bum day on the couch with some TV.

I realized that while once the "Hitler channel", the History Channel (at least the HD History Channel) has taken up the market that Discovery, Discovery Times and Discovery Science have abandoned for the stupid reality TV everyone is eating up these days.

I remember when I could actually watch NOVA-like shows on cable! I was so excited that Discovery had television that I liked to watch. Then they moved all the educational TV to the "upgrade" package to include the Science Channel. Discovery was motorcycle, tattoo and other bullshit reality stuff.

The other channel transformations that pissed me off were Court TV and Biography Channel. I remember these channels were the places I could get my fill of serial killers, dead people and mobsters.

Now Court TV is tru TV and I can watch rednecks argue with arresting cops about whether the porch they need to step down from is a milk carton or an actual porch. Or watching people get mangled from some stupid stunt. Biography will offers up some high maintenance, bitchy, bride-to-be drama.

I guess just about every product out there has done this, when I think about it. My nasty love for Chips Ahoy cookies has transformed. I can get extra chips, soft and chewy, colored chips, probably even some with Buffalo Chips - but damn if I can't find the regular count of plain, chocholate chips.

For the time being, History HD is filling my void. The lost tomb of Egypt was a 2 hour special that was followed by a documentary about the Dragon and its existence in different cultures.

I keep having to add channels, to get that 1 channel that fills my need for information. I think maybe they have this all planned out...but by god! I will call it quits when the cable bill is getting close to the mortgage bill.

On another note: I have had some serious dream activity lately (thank you Chantix!)

My entire night seems filled with dream after dream. Normally I have strange, convoluted scenarios that I always make me go "WTF?".

These Chantix dreams have been so different. They are REAL and vivid dreams. There is little to no dream analysis needed. I talk to someone on the phone - I fall asleep - I dream about the person, the scenarios we discuss or what I am thinking about them while awake.

Last night I had a dream about a friend (not a specific friend, one of those faceless people you just know is a friend) that got the lapband procedure done. In her case, however it was not weight related - it was for some other (futuristic) reason and benefit this provided. But her band fell off and she got really sick....no details on her sickness or emotional involvement on my part...I just moved on to the next dream after that.

Last week I talked to an apartment manager who is trying to work with a resident who is months behind on her rent - she had the procedure done and everything went wrong. In a matter of months, she has lost everything; job, health, hair and her ability to be mobile, due to complications from the procedure. Now she faces being homeless.

While the real-life situation is very, very sad, I have no emotional involvement with this woman; it was story. And my dream was exactly that. A story.

It is kinda cool and weird that my reality is so perfectly translating itself into my dreams.