Just testing an app!


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Happy birthday, anr! Have fantastic day!

(Those of you utterly uninterested and/or exasperated with hearing about Dreamwidth all the time, free pass: skip!)

I have created an account over at Dreamwidth under the name "readysetgo". I would love to friend those of you who have done the same (so leave your username as a comment if you're amenable). Like many, many others, I'm not sure how I'm going to use the DW account but I don't plan on leaving LJ as my personal LJ any time soon.

Am married and moving to Guam in early July. Will update further soon. I've been reading the flist daily, but if you guys have anything you'd like to share, I'd love hear it. (Thank you to everyone for the lovely birthday wishes - I will be catching up to your comments individually soon!) :)

*smooches*

The SO (a captain in the Air Force, for those of you who are catching up) talked to his detailer today (something akin to his career advisor/manager) and got the news that it's very, very likely he'll be getting restationed to Guam, with a reporting date of July 15 this year. He's asked for a PCS to a domestic air base so that we can be nearer to his son (a wonderful 2 1/2 year-old that I have resisted writing about here, only because he's not my kid and I am hesitant to cross that line) - that might take us to Salt Lake City or San Antonio - but as the decision has pretty much already been made, it's unlikely that will happen. We'll know at the end of the week for sure.

It's a bit of a surprise, as we weren't expecting to hear anything this soon, let alone be restationed anywhere soon. The last we'd heard about it, it was Italy with a departure date of late October/early November.

This means a few things:

1. We're probably going to get married by justice of the peace in the next couple of weeks (so that I can be listed on his reporting orders), and just have an unofficial ceremony in Michigan at the already-established time in June. And leave immediately following the honeymoon (and I mean *immediately* - in that we're not sure we're going to have one).
2. No permanent job for me! Which is sad, but as I haven't officially been hired yet, no great loss. It's going to be interesting trying to find a job locally there.
3. All of these plans are subject to change, so it's hard to make plans.
4. Um, I don't really know what else yet. This is a fairly new thing for me.

In related news, although the SO is currently in a non-deployable assignment, that changes at his next assignment. It sounds like he'll probably be deploying to Afghanistan from his next duty station. Which will be...not great. But as a self-proclaimed staff weenie, his tours are shorter (he's already been to Iraq once) and relatively away from combat (although, again, it's a war zone, so). Anyway - we know it will happen, we just don't know when. From his perspective, he needs to deploy again to serve his career - something I more than understand and would not fault him for. I'm just not looking forward to it (hey, if I were the one going - no problem. But I'm getting the feeling that it's going to suck being the one left behind). ;)

Don't worry, I think this is the last of it. Even I can't take too much happy. ;)

I got myself a permanent job!

So you remember that I said I was temping at a specialist's office? Well, this specialist's office is in need of hard-to-find Specialist Technicians. And apparently my temp boss likes me, because she was talking me up to the Specialist Supervisor, who decided to come over and say that if I was interested in a permanent position there, they would be willing to train me. 0_0

It means more money, training in an understaffed medical field, and steady work. Also, I looked up the certification requirements of the licensing body, and all I'll need are two things to sit for the certification exam at the basic level: 1) 6 months experience and training in a clinical setting, under a licensed clinical supervisor, and 2) completion of the licensing body's course curriculum (which can be done in the classroom, or under the supervision of my supervisor).

Seriously, a permanent job in this economy? *is relieved*

I LOVE THAT MAN. And he mentioned bi and trans people too! Seriously, I heart Bishop Robinson.

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Also, snagged from splash_the_cat:

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me: My choice. For you.
This offer has some restrictions and limitations:

- I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. Commenter beware!
- What I create will be just for you.
- It'll be done this year.
- No forewarning about what it will be. It may be something on paper; it may be a bit of jewelry; it may be a bit of writing or a set of icons. With luck, it will be a surprise.
- I reserve the right to do something extremely strange.
- Let me know in your comment if you're okay with giving me your mailing address to get your stuff to you.

The catch is that if you sign up for me, you have to make the same offer (your choice of wording/things offered) in your journal as well.

I may behind on this, as I tend to come these things last, but:

There's this webshow called The Guild. It's written by Felicia Day (who once played a possible Slayer on Buffy), about a young woman who is addicted to online gaming and whose game-mates suddenly become real-life problems. (Note: Day also played Dr. Horrible's love interest in Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.)

So Funny. Sometimes in a horrible way, granted, but still - HILARIOUS. The episodes are short (between 2 and 6 minutes each) and free, so go watch now. Really. You won't regret it.

An Open Letter to President Obama

Dear Mr. President,

I'd like to begin by saying: welcome. We're so happy to have you. It's amazing how just your inauguration has lifted the spirits of so many (including myself). Call it what you may: a breath of fresh air, a new beginning, a way forward, or (say it with me) just the promise of change and hope; whatever it is, we feel better about ourselves as a culture and as a nation just knowing you're there to represent us.

But there's a downside to that as well. You're facing a very strange dichotomy when it comes to the American people's expectations for you: on the one hand, as long as you don't add insult to the injury we feel we've already suffered at the hands of your predecessor, you probably won't face much scorn from us. Indifference, possibly, but not scorn. On the other hand, we think pretty highly of you as a man and as a politician (it's your own fault; you raised our expectations). Much of our hope in the future, in what we think we can accomplish, rests with you. If you fail, if you face a moral dilemma, or a challenge of leadership, and you don't step up - well, you'll cement that nagging little fear in all of us that says disappointment and cynicism are the only results we can expect from putting our faith in our leaders.

So don't fuck it up.

I know it'll be tough. No one's asking you to be perfect, or to solve every problem. We just want you to try. We want you to do your best. We know you'll get things wrong (and that's okay). Just show us that you can be honest, self-evaluating, and engaged with the people around you, and we'll give you our loyalty and respect and the benefit of the doubt.

Lead on. We're right behind you.

Sincerely,
Us

Most exciting subject line EVA!

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I have my CNA state certification exam tomorrow. I don't expect it to be too difficult (EMT practicals were much more difficult), but please think good thoughts for me anyway. :)

In related news, my first temp job (medical records/errand woman at a specialist's office) is going very well. Boss says they are very pleased with me, and would like for me to stay as long as possible. Yay for good impressions!

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Book meme which I filched from andveryginger (she did two, so I'm doing three just to one-up her! :p Okay, it was just that there were three sitting there in a pile and I couldn't choose):

1. Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
2. Turn to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post that sentence along with these instructions in your LiveJournal.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

"The census form was more shocking still: apparently we now live in a country called "The Russian Federation."
- Absurdistan, by Gary Shteyngart

"All she did was sigh."
- Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky

"The police investigators hoped, as they always do, that carrion birds would show them where the body was, or that maybe he would return safely to his caravan home."
- The Man Who Fell Into A Puddle: Israeli Lives, by Igal Sarna

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It's cold in my house.

Anyway: I got engaged.

It was lovely - under the moonlight, beside a frozen lake and surrounded by white christmas lights. And then we had really excellent food. ;)

So I'm very excited, and happy, and thankfully we're both keeping a sense of humor about it. I've been engaged once before, and he's divorced, so we're both rather tongue-in-cheek and irreverent about the whole thing. Not that we're not taking it seriously - it's just that we've both been 'round this particular bend before.

I'd like to also put an emphasis regarding how good it feels - not to justify the engagement (that way lies warning bells), but to just to say it: it feels right, and thank god.

( About that. )

On to the next thing, a rather recent dilemma: how does one have a feminist wedding? Is it possible? And how does one avoid the commercial wedding, aside from eloping? Not that I'm ruling that out, mind you.

( Okay, here's the thing: there are a lot of things about marriage ceremonies that I'm not so keen on. First: the vows. Second: the religious aspect. Third: that whole "giving away" thing. Fourth: the cost (HOLY ****, the cost!). )

Okay, here's the long and short of it: I do want the day to be nice. I only plan to do it once, so I want it to be special. But honestly? I care more about the marriage and life after the day than I do the ceremony. I don't want something fancy, or expensive. I want something small, intimate, and cheap. And then I want to have a barbecue on the beach. After that, maybe I'll trash the dress. Or give it away.

Come to think of it, I'm not sure I even want to wear white. But hey, on the subject of dresses (that I'm not going to buy): did you know they have hemp wedding dresses (also bamboo!)?! I am SO THERE. I am in love with this dress (but it's so expensive!). Oh, and Olivia Luca? Might be the neatest thing EVER. I've wasted a lot of time there already (although much more affordable, it's still more than what I want to spend on a dress).

Oh, the DRAMA. Maybe I'll just elope.

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On a completely unrelated matter: now that I have a job (and am no longer using all of my energy to hunt for employment), expect to see roundups again. I miss doing them!

( Well. Um. Okay then. (There be cursing within.) )

Wow. That left me distinctly unimpressed.

Good things!

( I wasn't interviewing for the position I thought I was interviewing for, but that's okay because I HAVE WORK. )

Anyway, thank all of you so much for the good thoughts! I was reading them on my beloved BlackBerry whilst I waited for my interview, and I can't tell you how calming they were to read!

Bless you all.

You know, when scheduling an interview for 3:00pm, it's generally a good idea to actually *begin* the interview at 3:00.

Yeah. Still waiting.

I've got an interview for a job today!

It's for an Admin position at a healthcare staffing agency, so not really what I was looking for, but I'll take what I can get at this point. Wish me luck!

*thinks good thoughts*

The requisite 2008 retrospective post. ;)

A meme that I stole from the lovely seldear:

( 2008-2009 Meme )

Black out! I'm posting from my Blackberry, because there's no way that I can be torn away from the internet even for a few hours. I'd be the first ro die in an apocalypse, since I'd be standing in line to use the last functioning computer to post about the OMG ZOMBIES!
And then I'd get eaten by my OMG!ZOMBIEDOG.

I don't think it's serious, but it's very cold inside and out. Time for heavy blankets and lots of cuddling with the SO. And possibly board games by candlelight.

I need free antivirus/anit-spyware software quickly.

Anyone have any links?

Abby died today.

I thought it might be serious, and thought about her quite a bit today while I was away. I was stunned when I saw the news.

I didn't know her as well as a lot of you, but I always enjoyed her writing and chatting with her during the few occasions we crossed paths. She was a wonderful, beautiful, very funny woman whose wisdom and humor I will miss very much. My thoughts go out to her family and all of you.

My heart hurts for our loss, but I know that Abby is happy and with God.

But I'm taking it back. See, my frustration level has only gotten higher in the last few weeks, and I need to vent a little.

Look, everyone (or mostly everyone) knows that my mother is a lesbian. And I'm not going to pretend that I know I'd be for gay rights even if she weren't, because I do not know that. I don't want to be a hypocrite, and to claim that I have always been for gay rights would be hypocritical.

However, I saw the error of my ways (and yes, it was AN ERROR), and decided that there is NO REASON WHATSOEVER that advocating gay rights was contrary to being a Christian. That it was IN NO WAY contrary to the overall tone and moral system in the Bible. And I swear to God, do not quote Leviticus or any other text at me, because if you don't then believe in ALL THE THINGS in the Bible, then I might call you a hypocrite. And if you believe that everything in the Bible is God's Honest Word, then I might find you a little naive, because any practical application of the Bible in its entirety is IMPOSSIBLE.

Look, I have tried very, very hard not to get emotional about this. I have tried very, very hard at being able to say that you have your politics, and I have mine, and disagreeing with your politics is not reason to question your judgment.

But you know what I realized today? It's not just politics, although that's a big part of it. It's people's lives. It's people's lives that, in their living them, takes NOTHING OF VALUE AWAY FROM YOU. Absolutely nothing of real, practical, imaginary, or any other kind of value away from you. It DOES NOT INJURE YOU IN ANY WAY. And given these things, these TRUTHS (and you will never be able to convince me that they are otherwise), what could your motivation possibly be for denying basic rights to a whole group of people? And I could find none that was legitimate. I just can't understand why you would think that other people's healthy, committed relationships have anything to do with you. I find that position to be very narcissistic.

I'm sorry if, FList, I have called you out. And if it sounds like I am chastising you, it's only because I am. If it sounds like I question your beliefs, honestly, it's because I do. I have tried very hard to understand your position, to not alienate you, but I just can't do it any longer. You know why? Because it's my mother whom you insult, whom you hold as an abomination or in contempt, and whose rights you are seeking to deny. I don't want to be emotional about this, but I really don't see how I can't be.

This is a very personal issue for me. I am losing my ability to empathize with you on this matter. I don't expect to change your mind, but please understand that every time you make a comment about the absurdity of gay marriage, or gay adoption, or gay rights in general, YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE I LOVE. And no matter how neutral, how fair, how kind you think you are being, your very position precludes any neutrality, fairness, or kindness.

I've heard many people preface comments about gay rights with, "It's nothing personal, but..." And that is where this strange disconnect begins between what you believe and what the rest of us experience: it IS personal. Of course it's personal! How can you think it's anything BUT personal?

Again, I realize that I may be alienating you. Whether or not it's my intention, I know it will happen. For the most part, we've managed to avoid the wank war I am sure this post will start. I really am sorry for it. But to be honest, Prop 8 was only the catalyst for this; it didn't start there. I just cannot understand why you believe what you do, I never will, and I can't help but seriously question why you would advocate discriminating against people for no other reason than you don't agree with their lifestyle.

Anyway - if you feel that you need to defriend me for this, I understand. If you dislike me and want to attack me, I understand that too. If you want to discuss it, we can, but as I will not change my mind, I don't know how constructive it will be. I have really tried not to fall to this kind of immovable position, but I don't see any way around it.