Today, as I'm busy making some behind-the-scenes corrections around the site, I thought I'd leave you all with a Top 10 Best Of list, naming the 10 most popular Red! posts to date. Enjoy!
#10: The Slightly-Belated, Long-Awaited Proposition 8 Blog Post!
“Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples.” [U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker]
That's right, the judge (rightly, I believe) has ruled that people cannot enact laws, even with a majority vote, that have no rational or practical basis and are based entirely on the prejudice of the majority against a minority group with a different belief set.
That's right, the judge (rightly, I believe) has ruled that people cannot enact laws, even with a majority vote, that have no rational or practical basis and are based entirely on the prejudice of the majority against a minority group with a different belief set.
#9: Wiser By The Day
"I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." ~Abraham Lincoln
Well, Abe, I learned a lot yesterday after making a somewhat painful discovery.
That said, I started thinking last night about all that I have learned in my life as a result of romances and friendships, some of which failed miserably and some that fizzled out slowly and some that are still ongoing.
Well, Abe, I learned a lot yesterday after making a somewhat painful discovery.
That said, I started thinking last night about all that I have learned in my life as a result of romances and friendships, some of which failed miserably and some that fizzled out slowly and some that are still ongoing.
#8: Dumplin, Monkey, Snickerdoodle!
Since becoming a parent almost 3 years ago, I have begun to notice how common it is for parents to give their children nicknames. Some are standard nicknames, like calling Robert "Bobby" instead or calling William "Will" or Benjamin "Ben" or Patricia "Patty" or Christina "Tina." It's not uncommon to hear that a boy who shares his father's name might be called "Junior." I even attended high school with a boy called "Tres" (which he pronounced 'tray') because he was the third in his family to have the same name -- both his father and grandfather had the same name. These sorts of nicknames are fairly common, and no one seems to bat an eye or give a second thought when being introduced to Jeff (instead of Jeffrey) or Jake (instead of Jacob) or Becky (instead of Rebecca).
#7: P52, Somewhat: Week 6, "Texture"
Monday, January 23, 2012 marked 9 years since I met my friend, Jack. As he does on many holidays and special days, Jack had a gorgeous flower arrangement delivered to me at work. I kept them at work to show off and admire all week, then took them home on Friday afternoon to enjoy them longer (they usually last a couple of weeks).
It was nice to have the flowers at work all that week, giving me something to jump-start happy thoughts during the occasional low points in my days. It struck me how many of life's situations we tend to describe using "texture" words.
It was nice to have the flowers at work all that week, giving me something to jump-start happy thoughts during the occasional low points in my days. It struck me how many of life's situations we tend to describe using "texture" words.
#6: P52, Somewhat: Week 7, "Love"
It's hardly surprising that the P52 topic this week was "love," being that this is the week of Valentine's Day. I have plenty of things I love: my little boy, family, friends, pets, books, shoes, chocolate....the list goes on and on. I could think of plenty of things to photograph for this week, from the mundane to the extraordinary and from cliché to unique. But I couldn't narrow down my options and decide what sort of photo I wanted to take!
But today, my sweet Jack solved the question for me, sending me a gift with a story.
#5: The Real Reason We Celebrate St. Patrick's Day
Today is supposedly St. Patrick's Day, a day where people celebrate the undeserved fame of the man who is wrongly credited for driving the snakes out of Ireland—a country that is believed to have been snake-free since the end of the last ice age when the ice melted away and left no path for snakes to travel to the island nation. Can you believe that nonsense?!
#4: Matthew, Part IV: An Emotional Evolution
These last few days have taken my emotions and feelings on a roller-coaster ride of change. When I first began receiving texts and calls from friends who were concerned about me and checking on me, I had no idea what everyone was talking about. At first, I got only a very little bit of information.....just enough to scare me.
#3: Catharsis
Some days, some hours, some moments, life can take a downward spiral and end up leaving us broken, defeated, and demoralized. These descents into emotional desolation can be provoked by situations, places, people, or occurrences—and once the declivity begins, you can feel powerless against it, completely incapable of halting the fall or preventing the impending crash.
#2: A Darn Good Christian
A co-worker friend of mine said to me today, "You know, you'd make a darn good Christian....Well, you know, if you believed in God and stuff." I must have had one pretty quizzical look on my face, because he then looked at me and added, "I meant that to be a compliment, just so you know, 'cuz you're always doing nice things for people and stuff."
At first, I thought this entire concept was somewhat silly, since if I remember correctly, belief in the Biblical God is the primary defining quality of a Christian. And, while the reasons for my non-Christianity are a topic for another post coming in the near future**, I can say for now that I do not identify myself as a Christian—and never have.
#1: The First of Many
Yesterday, I wore my hair in two braided pigtails which started right behind my ears and hung down in front of my shoulders. This means that my hair spent more time in my line of sight than normal, and was not held shaped into its natural ringlet curls by any hair products. While one of my classes was taking a test this morning, I glanced down and something caught my eye. Right there, half-hidden in the braid down my left shoulder, was a gray hair—or maybe it is white, as many natural redheads never go gray but go white instead; it's hard to tell with just this one hair in the middle of all the darker red ones. Ugh.
Well, there you have the most popular 10 among my first 200 posts! I hope you will all hang around to read the next 200 as well.
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