I See You Shiver With...

I was shocked to find out yesterday that my friend, who is a few years younger than I, is getting married. The idea of getting hitched so young, however, wasn't the thing that took me aback the most. Though I won't use names, I'm sure my comment won't be taken lightly by the individual, but I'd like to speak my mind. (Besides, who reads this crap anyhow?)

Not long ago, I had a conversation with Scott about individuals who ignore their sexuality struggles and enter a heterosexual marriage to appear "normal" for the rest of society, whether it be friends, family or the public in general. What was troubling about my conversation with my soon-to-be-wed friend was that he initially acknowledged that the marriage was a "convenient" arrangement. When I realized - after breaking down some barriers and eliciting a more accurate, true-to-feelings response - that the poor guy really seemed bitter (on top of being nervous, of course) and even demonstrated (I won't say how) that he wasn't exactly ready for a commitment, let alone a heterosexual one.

This isn't the first time I've seen or heard of this happening. It has also become a sore spot for me when it comes up in conversation. While the gay community protests and waits for their rights to marriage, the heterosexual crowd seems as if though they're simply throwing their rights away. It infuriates me to no end to see these couples wasting these opportunities (with some being an exception, of course) while those who truly do want to be with the one they love are denied all because society can't accept the form of love between same gender couples.

Unfortunately, for all my rantings, I have little, if not less, room to discuss the subject. I haven't been protesting or waiting anticipatedly (I'm still convinced this is a word, or should be) for gay marriage ban lifts. I haven't done my part, and therefore I haven't fought for my right either. I can only hope, however, that this blog entry - though it does little justice to the issue - is a start to a more activist stance on gay issues. Who knows who I'll be marrying some years from now, a man, a woman, my imaginary pet ring-tailed lemur, Dusty -- but it doesn't matter. I support love in all forms and will continue to do so no matter what my sexual preference in the future.*

*I'm going to go ahead and say that incest is pushing it and bestiality...well, that's just wrong.

However, there was a break in the clouds today when my friend let me on to an excellent idea for summer projects. (No promises on getting everything done on my growing list...I say to myself.) If there's a place for drinking until you're puking on your heels every night of the week, it's gotta be State College. And where there's booze, there's plenty of bottles. The Green Glass Company has some innovative ideas for these discarded and unseemly treasures. With an inexpensive glass bottle cutting kit, beer bottles, wine bottles - bottles of all kinds - can be transformed into a decorative glass set for the table. Just watch those jagged pieces around the rim. No, in all seriousness, that can be solved, too. It's all here on instructables. (Damn them and their clever name.) It's a sweet site, check it out!

I realize at this point that I have a plethora of new things from the same source, but they're too good to not mention. For the past twenty-four hours, I've been on a Mother Mother kick, repeatedly playing my favorite songs of theirs: Wrecking Ball, Hayloft and Oh My Heart. It seems there's a discrepancy on the last one and since I like the video, voilà:



There's no discrepancy on this story from the Huffington Post - those screwy Smirnoff-lovers are at it again. This time, the Russians are placing cardboard cutouts of Brad Pitt in heavy traffic areas in hopes that it will attract and slow down drivers as they pass by what can only be a highly unusual sight to them.

Looks like you're out of a job, fatty.