Wow.

The utterly unexpected arrival of a very generous gift goes a long way toward redeeming an otherwise horrible day.

Thank you, Svoid.

I'm going to go play with my Kindle 2 now.

This Post Does Not Have A Picture Of Me In It

That's all.

Because Every Good Portrait Should Be Obamiconned

The New Me aka HRG Fob

Now with added happy pills!

A Deep Thought about Learning Empathy

We usually park in one of two lots--a small lot that's close to our apartment, or a larger lot that's not so close. Whenever we pull up to the small lot and all the spaces are full, we feel bitter and angry. And then it occurred to me this morning: the other people who park there probably feel the same when they pull up and it's full because we're parked there.

So really you'd think that, knowing what it's like for us, they'd be a bit more courteous and just park elsewhere.

The Old Me, Obamiconized

For Future Reference

The old me:

Money-Saving Tip of the Day

If you are filling out an online form to buy something and there's a space to enter a Promotional Code, take a second to do a Google search for "[name of company] promotional code." If you're lucky you will find a code listed on one of many coupon/code sites and when you enter that code you'll get $25 off the very expensive glasses you're buying because you don't like the ugly glasses your insurance could get you for free, and that just might make you feel a little better about your flagrant splurging. You may also want to remind yourself that the insurance wouldn't have paid for the deluxe anti-glare lenses that just may make it possible for you to keep your staring-at-the-computer-all-day job without going blind, and/or that the ugly frames the insurance wanted you to buy would not have lifted you up out of your depressive funk by creating a new you and thus solving all your problems like your cool-looking expensive frames will. So really, it was a good deal.

"If you don't mind being unhappy, then what happens to the unhappiness?"

Eckhart Tolle has a few wacky ideas, but a lot of what he says makes a lot of sense.

Equality in Utah?

During the Prop 8 campaign in California, the LDS Church emphasized that it was not "anti-gay" and that it "does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights." In an effort to work together with the church in ensuring that same-sex couples in Utah have these rights, Equality Utah launched the Common Ground Initiative, a group of bills currently being discussed in Utah's 2009 legislative session. These bills do not seek to legalize same-sex marriage or anything like it; rather, they seek to ensure that all Utahns have the rights specifically named in the above quote from the LDS Church.

Whether you support same-sex unions or not, I would hope that you, like Equality Utah and the LDS Church, support legal protections that treat all people fairly and equally. If you live in Utah, I urge you to contact your representative and encourage him or her to support the Common Ground Initiative. You can find your representatives and their email addresses here, and this page includes sample messages that you can copy, paste, and personalize as you see fit.

You don't have to be a gay activist to support equal rights. If you live in Utah, please take a minute to do what you can.