We rang in 5771 in a very unorthodox way – by moving into a new place.
After two solid days of unpacking, there’s still piles of boxes in the office & the living / dining room but the rest of the house is in good shape.
Here’s the kitchen:
So many good things are happening these days! New year, new home, work is going well, and another trip to the UK in 2 weeks. Then Adobe MAX next month. We have a lot to be thankful and grateful for.
A sweet new year to all!
I’m a New Yorker and proud to be one. I’m proud to call people like Mayor Michael Bloomberg fellow New Yorkers; even moreso when, faced with divisive subjects like the Park51 mosque, they give speeches like this:
This is a test of our commitment to American values. We have to have the courage of our convictions. We must do what is right, not what is easy. And we must put our faith in the freedoms that have sustained our great country for more than 200 years.
What I’m not so proud of, on the other hand, are idiots like this:
Michael Enright … was charged with felony attempted murder as a hate crime – among other crimes – after [he] slashed [NYC cabbie Ahmed] Sharif across the face, arm and hand after asking the Bangladesh-born cabbie if he was Muslim and then saying ‘As-salaam alaikum’ – which means ‘peace be unto you’ in Arabic
Luckily Enright was from upstate though. 🙂
Aside from shooting a bunch of photo in Napa (still processing them, some are here) we also visited a few wineries I hadn’t previously tried. Our last few visits to wine country have either focused on Sonoma or have been somewhat disappointing, but this weekend we hit a few winners.
Most notable:
Castello di Amorosa – more of an experience than a winery but despite the touristy castle attraction, it ended up being a blast. And the wines were not bad either.
V Sattui – Fantastic deli & picnic area AND some tasty wines, particularly if you’re a fan of Riesling.
Mumm Napa – I was somehow under the impression they made plonk but was pleasantly surprised to find I was wrong.
And one more photo, just because:
Had a little fun art-ing up this shot of an oak barrel.
So a Federal court has struck down CA Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage, on the grounds that it’s unconstitutional. 🙂
At this point it’s obviously just a matter of time before Prop 8 winds it way to the US Supreme Court. So today’s ruling is just one more waypoint on that long journey and, thanks to the stay Judge Walker granted almost immediately after issuing his ruling, nothing has really changed.
What’s bugging me tonight are not so much the outright anti-gay bigots, but the ones who choose to wrap their bias in the cloak of their “activist judges are stepping on the voice of the PEOPLE!” outrage.
It’s really simple. The US Constitution sets the rules by which this country is run. If “the people” vote on something that’s against the tenets of the Constitution, it is completely appropriate to use the courts to deny “the people” their wish.
Don’t like it? You have options. Amend the Constitution. Or go live somewhere else. But this is America and these are the rules by which we operate. Getting upset when those rules go against you is, well, un-American.
I don’t know how this will all end. For all I know the Supreme Court will eventually decide that banning gay marriage does not violate the 14th Amendment and Prop 8 will stand. And I’ll be pretty unhappy if that does come to pass (G-d forbid!). But that’s how America works.
It would be nice if more Americans understood that.
