Maine and an Update
First, an update on my roommate sitch:
C and I talked with K on Sunday. Luckily, C just kind of did it, rather than waiting for me to work up the nerve to force the conversation. It actually went pretty well, and as usual, I felt silly for getting so worked up. Yes, K can be unreasonable or unobservant sometimes, but she's not going to risk ruining her only friend that is actually involved in her day-to-day life, either.
When we said we wanted to move on July 1, K did start up with the, "well, maybe I'll come too since I'm unemployed" thing. C, being the remarkably intelligent woman she is, spun it in a way I hadn't even really considered. She said that we wouldn't want to leave K in a situation that she wasn't prepared for, but that we also didn't want to have to move again once K got on her feet. She went on to say that if K needed for us to all live together for a while longer, that she would rather us just not move from Oakland yet. Genius! This made K start thinking about it differently, I think, so that she felt more like she had control over the situation. I felt much better about the whole talk after that.
Ultimately, I think K is going to get new roommates to move into the house when we leave on July 1. I think it's a great solution, especially since that way she won't have to be stressed about the costs and stresses of moving so there's less potential for bitterness. Hooray! I really can't wait to be settled into my new place in time for Azkatraz!
And how about Maine, huh? That's C's home state, so she was understably really moved when she heard the news. Her childhood best friend's mother is in the ME House of Representatives and called to give her the news personally. She and C talked for nearly an hour, because she was excited to tell her about all the moving things that happened on the floor. I was especially moved by a story she recounted to me about a long-time representative coming out in a speech, and telling the story of his partner who committed suicide a few years ago. Apparently he hadn't planned on coming out, but felt that it was important for the people around him to know that it was personal for him, for someone they knew well. Apparently that really changed the mood of the debate early on.
I also read this quote from Republican representative Sean Flaherty this morning, and thought it was great:
"Madame Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of the House,
I was not going to speak today, in fact I actually turned off my light. But then something happened over the course of this debate, I got a few texts messages and e-mails, twitter followers and facebook messages. They were from constituents, from college friends, from supporters, from folks all around the nation are listening in to us today.
Friends, the country is watching us, they are watching to see where a small, proud, and independent State will stand on the issue of equality. And so I wanted to make sure that folks who are watching know exactly where I stand - even if it may cost me reelection. It is more important, that to do what I know is right, than to do what may seem popular.
42 years ago, the Supreme Court found that the right to marry was a constitutionally protected fundamental right when they struck down laws forbidding interracial marriage. It was said then that interracial marriages violated tradition, were morally wrong, and would harm society. But last November, when this country made history and this state overwhelmingly voted for our President, we elected the son of a white mother and a black father who had formed an interracial marriage. Their marriage violated tradition and their marriage was said to be harmful to society. Yet it was their son who grew up to be the president of the United States.
So this country has overcome slavery in the United States, we’ve ensured women the right to vote, and my own great-grandparents, who were Irish, were once prohibited from even apply for many jobs.
Society progresses and makes sure that all people, regardless of their beliefs, must be treated equally. I've heard from so many people in Scarborough who just want to have the equal rights of Marriage for themselves, their friends, their coworkers, and their families. They work hard, play by the rules, pay their taxes, and love this country. I feel strongly about my obligation to vote in favor of granting them such equality."
C and I talked with K on Sunday. Luckily, C just kind of did it, rather than waiting for me to work up the nerve to force the conversation. It actually went pretty well, and as usual, I felt silly for getting so worked up. Yes, K can be unreasonable or unobservant sometimes, but she's not going to risk ruining her only friend that is actually involved in her day-to-day life, either.
When we said we wanted to move on July 1, K did start up with the, "well, maybe I'll come too since I'm unemployed" thing. C, being the remarkably intelligent woman she is, spun it in a way I hadn't even really considered. She said that we wouldn't want to leave K in a situation that she wasn't prepared for, but that we also didn't want to have to move again once K got on her feet. She went on to say that if K needed for us to all live together for a while longer, that she would rather us just not move from Oakland yet. Genius! This made K start thinking about it differently, I think, so that she felt more like she had control over the situation. I felt much better about the whole talk after that.
Ultimately, I think K is going to get new roommates to move into the house when we leave on July 1. I think it's a great solution, especially since that way she won't have to be stressed about the costs and stresses of moving so there's less potential for bitterness. Hooray! I really can't wait to be settled into my new place in time for Azkatraz!
And how about Maine, huh? That's C's home state, so she was understably really moved when she heard the news. Her childhood best friend's mother is in the ME House of Representatives and called to give her the news personally. She and C talked for nearly an hour, because she was excited to tell her about all the moving things that happened on the floor. I was especially moved by a story she recounted to me about a long-time representative coming out in a speech, and telling the story of his partner who committed suicide a few years ago. Apparently he hadn't planned on coming out, but felt that it was important for the people around him to know that it was personal for him, for someone they knew well. Apparently that really changed the mood of the debate early on.
I also read this quote from Republican representative Sean Flaherty this morning, and thought it was great:
"Madame Speaker, ladies and gentlemen of the House,
I was not going to speak today, in fact I actually turned off my light. But then something happened over the course of this debate, I got a few texts messages and e-mails, twitter followers and facebook messages. They were from constituents, from college friends, from supporters, from folks all around the nation are listening in to us today.
Friends, the country is watching us, they are watching to see where a small, proud, and independent State will stand on the issue of equality. And so I wanted to make sure that folks who are watching know exactly where I stand - even if it may cost me reelection. It is more important, that to do what I know is right, than to do what may seem popular.
42 years ago, the Supreme Court found that the right to marry was a constitutionally protected fundamental right when they struck down laws forbidding interracial marriage. It was said then that interracial marriages violated tradition, were morally wrong, and would harm society. But last November, when this country made history and this state overwhelmingly voted for our President, we elected the son of a white mother and a black father who had formed an interracial marriage. Their marriage violated tradition and their marriage was said to be harmful to society. Yet it was their son who grew up to be the president of the United States.
So this country has overcome slavery in the United States, we’ve ensured women the right to vote, and my own great-grandparents, who were Irish, were once prohibited from even apply for many jobs.
Society progresses and makes sure that all people, regardless of their beliefs, must be treated equally. I've heard from so many people in Scarborough who just want to have the equal rights of Marriage for themselves, their friends, their coworkers, and their families. They work hard, play by the rules, pay their taxes, and love this country. I feel strongly about my obligation to vote in favor of granting them such equality."