Things Are Really Good Right Now

How gorgeous is the weather today? I hope everyone has this weather today.

New York has been so hot lately and we're finally getting a break. I despise sweating. Despise it.

As a kid I always imagined that New York's climate would be more like San Francisco. I now know I was misled about the weather in the North. It's just as hot and humid here as it was when I was shelling butter beans on my grandma's back porch.

You ain't never shelled butter beans? Well, you ain't lived 'till you shelled butter beans.

The thing is, in the South everyone has air conditioning. Every store, every home, every car has air conditioning. People can't afford health care or food, but you'd better believe they have that A/C cranking. Just ask Mr. Curtis.Except, of course, my grandma who would only turn hers on when we were having company, and then it would be restricted to the kitchen area only. So it was either suffer the heat or suffer the family.

Anyway. It's finally a gorgeous day. Erica has been outside all morning pruning the bushes and squealing about our backyard rats. "They're as big as fucking possums!"

I am pretty sure Erica has never even seen a possum.

I am enjoying the day from the couch. Though we have these huge windows that are wide open, so it's like I'm outside. I may even sit in one of them to make it really feel, you know, real. Or at least get Erica off my case.

It's so nice today, you should be out here. ... Eeeeeeek! Fuckers! There's another one!

As I'm sitting here, I can hear Erica talking with the neighbor over the fence. We're meeting friends tomorrow night, so I'm making plans with them via a someecard conversation. Chulo's sleeping under the couch with his new bone and it's just all so nice and, well, normal. I have to remind myself that we're a family because I so frequently realize that I'm actually surprised at the normalcy. Like we're portraying characters or something.

We've had such a nice weekend. Friday we had dinner with three of Erica's friends from work and then went to a bar where one of them read our Tarot cards. Fun! Yesterday after my DDP class, E and I had brunch then last night had dinner with our friends M&M (A&L were supposed to join, but their baby was sick) then went to a fantastically fun burlesque performance. Today is Sunday & that means a day of reading The Times together and watching CBS Sunday Morning. When I woke up Erica had made coffee and bought fresh bagels, scallion cream cheese and heirloom tomatoes. Awesome.

I love our life. I'm so happy these days and so thankful. I'm so thankful, I'm thinking of getting a tattoo that reads, "Thankful". I just have to find the proper font.

I hope you're all well and happy and enjoying your Sunday.

Mwah!

Happy 9-11!

It's that time again -- the day we remember the most awful day in our country's recent history, and the day all of New York gets their panties in a wad because the memorial STILL has not been finished. Though I believe the design has finally been approved.

For seven years, Ground Zero has been a hole. Sometimes with fancy lighting, sometimes not. For seven years, New Yorkers who were in the city on 9/11/01, have watched every plane they've heard flying overhead to decide whether they're at the proper altitude or not. For seven years we have tip-toed around this date and kept it sacred and made a big deal about it. Not saying that it's not a big deal. It's a huge deal. But I am ready for September 11th to be a normal fall day again.This evening Dan is having an opening at his gallery and when I called to tell him about having dog pee on my hand yesterday (Tragic and awful story. I'm clean now.), I told him I couldn't make the opening because I planned to spend the day in mourning and re-tracing my every movement from that fateful day.

Fuck you! You're an asshole.

Turns out, Dan has received tons of comments and pseudo-complaints about the opening being today. You know, what if it's bad luck? What if it's disrespectful?

Seriously people. Isn't this exactly what the terrorists had planned? Doesn't this mean they're winning?

I respect the memory and the honor of 9/11. I was here in the city when it all happened and I am not the same as a result. But I don't feel that we have to be miserable every year in order to prove our reverence.

I, for one, will be attending the opening.