California Supreme Court Overturns Gay Marriage Ban

That yell you hear is a collective "Oh, Shit!" from the southern states (and a couple of backward sections of the northern ones)!

Gays are now thisclose to be able to marry.

That ought to scare them wrong wingers.

God Bless

Mario Kart for the Wii

I was going to blog about the election or gas prices, but this past weekend, I was in Green Bay visiting my grandsons and dropping off Cheryl for the week. Kim had purchased Mario Kart for the Wii, so naturally, I had to play it, too! Well, I had a blast, so I purchased my own version and I've been playing it ever since I got back.

All I can say is my employer should appreciate the fact that I bother to come in when I could be home mastering Mario Kart! I love the fact that you can play with friends online. So, if anyone would like to trounce me in Mario Kart, send me an email and we can exchange friend codes and arrange a time to play.

Happy Playing!

True Story -- Under the better late than never category...

My dear gentle readers, I know this AP news story is going to seem like something I made up, but I assure you I found it online at Roadrunner's News Section.  All I did was copy and past it here (emphasis is mine).  Please read:

Woman Pays Off 1976 Parking Ticket Issued in Mich.

CALUMET, Mich.(AP) Police in this Upper Peninsula town had forgotten about the $1 parking ticket written on Sept. 1, 1976. But the woman who had found it on her windshield hadn't.

The ticket, a $20 bill and a note arrived at police headquarters last month in a plain white envelope with no return address.

The note read: "I always had good intentions of paying it. I put it aside and every once in a while I would come across it and said `someday I'm going to pay it.' Now I think it's time."

The fine for an unpaid meter violation increased to $5 after 72 hours, said Police Chief David Outinen, but it hadn't increased beyond that. He told The Daily Mining Gazette of Houghton that he couldn't remember someone making good on an unpaid ticket after so much time.

The woman apparently hopes her payment closes the matter. "Please don't try and track me down. I am a respectable lady," she wrote.

You absolutely have to love that last line, I'm a respectable lady.  Like because she had a parking ticket and didn't pay it, she wasn't respectable.  Well, I'm sure we all have debts we believe should be paid that we haven't paid (and, yes, my student loans are all paid off).  In this day and age of people just shrugging off their responsibitities, this woman should be appaulded.  Although, I wonder about that respectable lady part, don't you?

Do you think she's now a grandma and wants to set a good example for her grandkids?
Do you think maybe she's running for office somewhere and needs to pay the fine before the press finds out about a 22 year old parking ticket?

I just wonder.

But, anyway, good for her.

God Bless

They Ride Deer, Don't They?

Make sure to turn up the sound -- it is hard to hear!

God Bless!

Translation Assistance

We found a document in Cheryl's family trunk that starts off like this:

PANOWANIE SPOLECZNE NAJSW. SERCA JEZUSA
Now the L has a line (/) going through it and the S in NAJSW has a link above it.
If you can translate this or identify what language this is, I would be very grateful.

Thanks in advance!

God Bless

Funeral Arrangements

Cheryl's mother passed away Tuesday morning. The news was devastating to the both of us, despite the fact that Mary had been sick for the past month. But, I think even more difficult than coming to terms with our grief has been making the funeral arrangements.

The funeral director, Mike, is a nice man. He remembered Cheryl from her father's funeral nearly twenty years ago. And, we're lucky because our brother-in-law, Charlie, was on the ball and wrote the obituary with Mike right away. All we needed to do for that yesterday was proofread it.

No, the real hard part came with picking out the casket and then Mom's dress. We even had to pick out what vault. Did you know that linings in caskets are not interchangeable? I liked the roses that were embordered on one lining, but we liked a different casket better. You can't take one lining out of one casket and put it in another. In any case, it's hard trying to decide just what casket someone would like to have.

This morning, we'll be meeting with the Priest to go over the Mass arrangements.

So, my whole reason for this post is simply this:

Sit down and plan your funeral. Go take a look at caskets -- many funeral homes offer pre-planning. And, if you're thinking, well, I might not live where I'm at the rest of my life -- that's okay. Don't make anything official. Just pick out the color and style and write it down. Trying to make serious and expensive decisions through the tears of grief is the hardest thing your family members will ever have to do. So, do something for them and plan it out. Write down your favorite hymms and if you want a full Mass (if you're Catholic) or not. Do you want a viewing the night before? Do you want your funeral to be at a church at all?

My father recently said that he was writing out what he wants for his funeral. At first, I really didn't want to think about it. But, now, I'm thinking Dad's giving Scott, Brian and me the best gift he possibly can. I just wish he could convince Mom to do the same.

God Bless