good things...

The past 24 hours have been quite the effective use of time. I am feeling rather proud of myself. Two projects were put to bed yesterday afternoon, and the clients are verbally satisfied with the results. I also had two good business-related phone conversations, which have resulted in pipelines for potential future work being opened. And, I made some killer mac-and-cheddar for dinner. Yum.

And once again, water has refreshed my brain. I was in the shower this morning, trying to get myself into a character's head, when the entire scene I needed to write started to trickle in. By the time I was dried off and dressed, it was just a matter of jotting down the outline so I could remember where I needed to go.

So ever since then I've been writing, and am almost at the point where I feel ready to close up the files and send them off to arcaedia. And I've made a lunch date with an editor who wants to follow up on earlier conversations about various projects.

And it's a totally gorgeous and spring-mild day outside, with predicted rain for the rest of the week, so now I'm going to indulge myself and go for a walk and get some fresh air. Not too much, mind you. Wouldn't want to shock the system. But small doses of it, I'm told, is a good thing.


Not too Much Later Oh, it's so lovely outside. A Perfect Day, with blue skies and low 60's temps, and a light breeze... healthy happiness. And I came back to discover more Joss-y Good Thing -- Serenity Returns!

Spitzer says nay, and yet...

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/03/nyregion/03CND-GAY.html?hp

"As the national debate over gay marriage swept across the country again today, Attorney General Eliot Spitzer of New York said that state laws do not authorize marriage licenses to be issued to same-sex couples and that officials should not solemnize such wedding ceremonies.

Mr. Spitzer made his decision based on the language of the Domestic Relations Law's references to "bride and groom" and "husband and wife." But he said New York's marriage laws raise constitutional questions involving equal protection, and that any uncertainty in that regard must be decided by the courts."

So I wonder... is "husband and wife" to be read as 'this is the only acceptable pairing' or as 'the language of the times' the way that "man" in older documents was read to stand now for "men and women of any color?" I know which I'd choose, but I don't sit on the bench.

In that same article, mention is made that the mayor of Nyack said he too would start "solemnizing" same-sex unions, and Ithaca has started the process to allow same-sex marriages, up to and including offering "legal help to gay couples who go to court if their marriage license applications are denied." Go, them!


I've noticed that the coverage of protests I've seen of gay marriages tend to be by people carrying signs that talk about God and (im)morality. These are the same people who told me it was a sin that Peter and I were living together without the benefit of 'holy matrimony.' Guess what, guys! We still are! (our marriage was a civil ceremony, same as those marriages they're protesting now). So forgive me if I don't think your protests are all that convincing... or, in fact, relevant.


And to anyone who reads this, and has recently entered into the civilly disobedient state of wedding bliss (or if you know someone who has) may I say that all my best wishes are with you, and may your lives together be all that you hoped as you said your vows.

addendum(and if you're interested, check out http://www.nytimes.com/2004/03/03/national/03GEOR.html, an article about how Black leaders in the South, despite their own feelings about same-sex marriage, are making the obvious connection to racial rights and refusing to play along with the ban... )

suri cooks

and for dinner tonight...

( recipe )

The above is a combination/adaption of the Silver Palate Cookbook's "lemon-ginger chicken" and my mom's orange chicken recipe. You can prepare everything up to the deep-fry stage and then refrigerate it until ready to cook, or cook it all and then slice it up for chicken salad the next day. It's all good. We had no leftovers. :-)


Oh, and to go with it we had a Groth 2001 Sauv Blanc, which was _perfect_.