Yes, I KNOW it’s Tuesday. But La Marmot is now going to be appearing weekly at 417 Magazine’s Blog. Check out this week’s entry! More insanity to follow!
Posted by: admin | 05-13-2008 | 07:05 AM
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The State Supreme Court of Michigan ought to be ashamed. Yesterday, the court voted, because same sex marriages are banned in Michigan, it is “illegal for public universities and other entities of state government to provide domestic partner benefits to the partners of gay employees.” This according to InsideHigherEd.com.
From InsideHigherEd’s site:
The ruling came in a case that has been closely watched because many states in which some public universities offer domestic partner benefits also have bans on gay marriage. The impact in Michigan itself is unclear. After a lower court ruled that the gay marriage ban applies to benefits, some universities switched their benefits programs so that they were available not to domestic partners but to “other eligible individuals,” a category that would include many gay partners, but would also include others who live with but are not legally related to university employees. For example, the University of Michigan’s criteria include joint residence for at least six months, some joint financial ties such as checking accounts, and no legal relationship or marriage between the individuals involved.
After the Supreme Court decision Wednesday, the university immediately asserted that its new benefits are not domestic partner benefits and are thus not covered by the ruling. Further, the university said it had eliminated domestic partner benefits after the lower court’s decision. “The university believes all current benefit offerings are in full compliance with Michigan law. The university cares deeply about recruitment, retention, and maintaining a healthy workforce and we design our benefits with these principles in mind,” the statement said.
Other universities said that they were still studying the decision.
Before I get started on my red-faced rant, I will NOT be entertaining emails from those of you who want to argue with me about homosexuality being a sin. You and I aren’t ever going to agree on that, number one. Number two, that’s not the issue here.
This ruling could have an impact here in Springfield. Drury University offers domestic partnership benefits. Let me get my back up right now, it would be wrong and just plain dumb for the State of Missouri to follow suit and not just because this involves folks who are gay.
Marriage, my friends, is a religious construct. In my humble opinion, the State has ABSOLUTELY no business being involved in ANY religious ceremony. We have separation of church and state for a very valid reason. Our government never got involved in marriages to protect them. Our government got involved in marriage because there was money to be made, let’s not kid ourselves.
In this country, we are free to worship as we choose without interference from the government. In fact, that’s why our ancestors risked life and limb to come across the ocean to live here. All of us should be outraged the government sticks their nose into marriage. Frankly, if the government wants to be involved in marriage, ALL marriages should be civil unions for tax and census purposes but the interference should end there.
So for Michigan to go along with some special interest with his panties in a wad about the gays is ridiculous. Even if you buy into the notion that the Institution of Marriage needs protection it ain’t got squat to do with insurance.
Most of us at least pay a part, if not all, of our insurance. If I’m paying for it ladies and gents, I should have the right to decide who I get to share it with. I was raised thems that does the payin’ does the sayin’. If I want to share it with a friend who has lost a job and needs health care I should be able to.
Health care is a service we pay for. No one gets their knickers twisted if I buy dinner for a friend, why should they if I buy insurance for someone whether I’m sharing a bed with that person or not. Being able to share my benefits with whomever I choose in no way hurts marriage. It simply hurts people who need help with insurance.
Posted by: admin | 05-08-2008 | 08:05 AM
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I get up early these days and, wanting to catch some local news before snooze, I dialed up KSFX’s 9 p.m. newscast last night. In another life, I was a news producer. To this day, I remain solidly a news junkie. Friends would tell you watching the news with me is a contact sport.
I get involved and make lots of commentary about the newscast I’m watching.
Last night, KSFX did a piece about a study abroad program Drury University is doing. The story involved a REALLY big map. In fact, three of the stories in the first block of the newscast involved maps. There was a story about a man who plead guilty to possession of child pornography, but the way the graphic was done I could swear the city of Rolla plead guilty to possession of child pornography.
I digress.
Angie Weidinger was standing in front of a REALLY big map of Europe with markers to show where the Drury Study Abroad students were going. My favorite destination? Medieval England.
Weidinger had buried the lead! Students at Drury have created a time machine! And then I was instantly jealous because I think I’d enjoy a trip to Medieval England so long as I didn’t wind up in a rack somewhere. I also wanted to meet the brilliant students who had created such a device because there’s some stuff in La Marmot’s life she’d love to go back and change, let alone the vacation possibilities.
Sadly, it was just a tease. I guess this is my cosmic karma for making fun of newscasts all this time. Students at Drury didn’t create a miraculous machine. Weidinger’s choice of words merely made me think so. She simply meant students could tour what WAS Medieval England. Gee thanks, Angie. Get me all excited only to dash my tiny rodent dreams of wearing armor and brandishing a sword. Meanie.
Posted by: admin | 05-06-2008 | 07:05 AM
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I HATE spiders. They creep me out. Look, I know, the eat bad bugs and are for the most part a help rather than a hindrance but they squick me out and it’s one of the few things I allow myself to be goofy about.
However, I feel a bit justified in my fear and squeamishness over black widows. Yes, yes, I know they rarely get close enough to us humans to bite and when they do their bite is seldom fatal. But still, I don’t want to suffer the consequences if I don’t have to.
I was moving some stuff around the garage a few weeks ago. I moved a large picture I had stored out there and discovered a large black widow clinging to the back of it. A girly scream ensued along with much whacking with a broom.
Widow dispatched, I went inside and changed my pants.
Yesterday, coming in from a workout, I discovered another smaller widow perched precariously at the lip of the entrance to the house. With no broom in reach, vigorous stomping ensued. The widow fell to the step, still alive and I stomped some more. Then I didn’t see the widow.
I looked around furiously to see where it went. Not on the ground. Not under the step. The horror struck. Oh God. I looked down. Sure enough, there it was on my sock.
Y’all you’ve never seen a woman come out of her sock and shoe and throw it so far in your life. And yes, there was even MORE girly screaming.
I went in the house, found clean pants again, put on more shoes, found the broom and went back to the garage. The spider was quite dead. But after scraping it from my sock, I bleached the thing within an inch of its life.
So anyone got any bright ideas about how to discourage spiders from my garage? Sigh.
Posted by: admin | 04-29-2008 | 09:04 AM
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Jody remarked yesterday that last Friday it was February and now it’s August. The weather is, indeed, freaky … in extremes the last few weeks but now finally seeming to settle. Well, if you can call pop up storms settled.
Saturday the warm up started. Although, I admit it was a bit breezy wandering around Rockin’ Ribs in my shorts. And I swear I consumed my weight in barbecue. But then, such things cannot be helped. I need to enter a 12 step program to address my addiction to smoked meats.
Sunday, I indulged in a luxurious bit of sleeping in followed by hanging around the ballpark watching friends hit the ball … and sometimes catch it whilst talking on the cell phone. Most impressive. What was more impressive was the delightful sunburn I got on the backs of my ears. The temp gage in the VW said it was 80, it felt warmer. I was smart enough to put sunblock on, just not smart enough to put it on my ears. I seem to never learn this lesson.
Driving around that night, the air was still warm enough and I opened the windows and sunroof on the VW. I cranked up the volume on my Ocean Blue CD. I got hooked on them in college and always seem to crave hearing them the moment the weather warms. I started daydreaming about float trips, swimming pools, backyard grills and fireworks.
Monday, the parental unit showed up for the spring drive by landscaping. I heard a commotion out front only to come out and find the maternal unit planting impatiens and pop fertilizing. My grass is eight feet tall and my mower is broken, not sure why he thought THAT was necessary. But later, random men with a large mower showed up and took care of the jungle grass. Sigh. That’s my folks, always outdoing themselves.
Even today, despite the overcast gloom, I’m cruising around in my favorite cargo shorts and flip-flops. Although, the gray sky led to a giant winteresque nap. But on the waking, I found a book, opened the shades and enjoyed the watery sunlight. I know it’s still warm out and has little chance of faltering back to sweater weather. All not-so-subtle reminders that it’s spring … and I’m bloody glad spring has sprung.
Posted by: admin | 04-22-2008 | 03:04 PM
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One programming note: You’ve noticed the quiet here I’m sure. I’m busily working away on the job hunt as well as working on my freelance materials. I’m scaling down to one post a week for the time being.
A friend of mine had a birthday last week. I took her for the obligatory birthday dinner and we had a delightful meal at Bambino’s. Bambino’s is some place I tend to forget about. But when I do go, I remember how much I freaking love the place.
I had the Portabello Ravioli and all I can say is YUM. The sage butter sauce the pasta is served in is divine. We also split a bottle of wine, from an Italian winery by the name of Farnese. The menu boasted that it was a red wine with “vanilla undertones.”
I scoffed and joked to my friend that I wanted that job: coming up with clever things to say about wine and food. I was firmly convinced once the bottle was poured there would be no such thing as a vanilla undertone, or even flavor.
I stood corrected. There was, indeed, a vanilla undertone to the Farnese red. It was delicious and a bargain at $15.50 for a bottle of wine in a restaurant.
After dinner, we meandered over to 1984. Nothing like reliving your youth on your birthday. For those of you who haven’t been, 1984 is an arcade located on Jefferson Street downtown. But it’s not just any arcade.
For $5 you can play all the video games you want. And for someone in my generation they are all the video games I want: Pac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Galaga, Joust, Pole Position, Asteroids and my most favorite game of all Centipede. My eyes completely glazed over when we walked in. I didn’t know where to go first.
But after all that wine, I had to GO so I went to the restroom first. Kids, the restroom at 1984 is not to be missed. It’s lit with black lights. You’ve not lived until you’ve seen your underwear glow in the dark.
One of my favorite aspects of the $5 all you can play is the games are set up so you can do two player games as well. Some of the fantasy-based games that are better with two players are a lot of fun. There was one game my friend and I played for close to an hour where I was a wizard and she was a Valkyrie and I kept accidentally killing her … because that’s the kind of friend I am.
I also spent entirely too much time playing Centipede. Ok,I had to be dragged bodily away from the game at closing time. 1984 is open 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and they’re located on Jefferson, just across from the YMCA downtown. $5 gets you all the video game play you can stand, pinball is still a quarter a play though. See you there, I intend to become a regular.
Posted by: admin | 04-14-2008 | 07:04 AM
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Patience waxes and wanes.
I’ve lost it.
I’ve found it,
ran out of it again.
I’m wishing my life away,
hurry up and wait.
Oh my God I’m late!
I’ve wasted the whole day.
Faster and faster I spin.
Can’t get there fast enough.
Can’t ever have enough.
What is it I’m trying to win?
Why not relax and unwind?
Take some time.
Slow can be fine.
Let myself out of my perpetual bind.
Patience waxes and wanes.
I’ve lost it.
Found it.
Hold onto it with great pains.
Posted by: admin | 04-07-2008 | 08:04 PM
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Oh hi. Sorry, La Marmot has been working on a number of other writing projects and got neglectful of the blog yesterday. I fear I’ll likely be quiet off and on here for a bit. But I’ll tide you over with some trademark snark for the moment.
I’m on a mission to lose fifteen pounds. My cholesterol is too high and while I don’t look or feel fat, I need to cut some excess away and change some of my eating habits. I’ve learned I need to cut out red meat almost entirely.
As I’m often more confident than I actually am, I thought this wasn’t going to be a problem. Silly Marmot.
I’ve always said I could give up anything but chocolate and cheese. A girl has to have her standards. And I was doing fine until a friend and I went for Mexican at Los Portales the other day.
Fajitas, ladies and gentlemen, were my downfall. Oh, I could have ordered chicken or shrimp, but I got greedy. I had to have the mix with chicken, shrimp AND steak. But that one slip up started the slippery slope.
Soon I’d consumed a burger, a prime rib sandwich and more beef stir fry. So much for the theory that moderation would keep me from bad habits. I got back on the horse though.
Yesterday, I made a pasta and chick pea dish full of broccoli and tomatoes. I had cereal for breakfast. If I can just stay out of Steak and Shake I’ll be ok. Sigh. But I am having Chinese with a friend for dinner tonight.
Send thoughts of chicken and veggies my way y’all. I need willpower!
Posted by: admin | 04-03-2008 | 09:04 AM
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My parents came over in the middle of the nasty storms yesterday. Dad breezed into the house as tornado sirens were blaring and I was attempting to herd Hamish and Sunshine into the hall bath.
“C’mon,” he said, “Your mother is waiting in the car.”
I stared slack-jawed at him, “Do you not hear the sirens?”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to leave my car out. Our basement is safer than your house anyway. It’s just wind, Hammie and Sunny will be fine.”
Just then I heard Ron Hearst say the bad part of the storm had passed my neighborhood over, but was headed straight for Mom and Dad’s. So I got in the car with them, because I’m not the sharpest knife in the drawer sometimes.
We drove across town in a blinding rainstorm. Numerous times I bit back the urge to demand Dad stop the car and let me drive. Once at their house we hung out for about twenty minutes before they decided it was time to go back out in the storm and get some dinner.
I’m related to crazy people. And clearly it’s rubbing off because I keep going with them.
Once seated at IHOP, the real reason for the hurry for the meal became apparent. Mom was starving. She started a diet yesterday.
“How’s that going?” I asked.
Dad chortled and Mom shot him a withering glance. Mom had been good, sensible breakfast, Lean Cuisine for lunch. But after lunch, Dad caught her coming out of the pantry with a handful of chocolate doughnettes.
About that time the waitress showed up with our order. Mom had an enormous plate of chocolate chip pancakes. Dad and I almost lost our lives when we asked what she wanted for dessert.
Crazy people. Funny. But definitely crazy.
Posted by: admin | 04-01-2008 | 08:04 AM
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My best friend from high school came to town last week. We’d not seen one another in nearly ten years. The last time I’d seen her she was pregnant with her eldest. Her eldest is now nine and there are also two twin boys too.
Yet when Heather walked out of her sister-in-law’s garage to greet me, it was that same sweet 16 year old girl coming to hug me. She’s aged well. It was also as if we’d only been separated by a summer vacation, not ten years and several states.
Heather is someone who knows me entirely too well. She’d be one of three people you’d tgo to if you really wanted the dirt on La Marmot. Which is why I’ll never tell you where she is. 
She also knows a part of me that I thought was long gone and buried.
I was something of the class clown in high school. Short, skinny and awkward as hell I looked a bit ridiculous standing next to Heather, the tall, blond cheerleader. I tried to hide the awkward by being a smart ass. My humor got me out of as much trouble as it got me into.
At 16, I thought I had the world by the tail. I thought there was nothing I couldn’t do. I had a cool car, cool friends and good grades. I was a hopeless dork, but no one told me that. In fact, despite being the popular cute girl, Heather seemed to enjoy hanging around with the clueless dork.
Come to think of it, we were both dorks. We once toilet papered her entire neighborhood, including her house, to remove suspicion from ourselves. So we still wound up cleaning up wet toilet paper. We were geniuses like that.
But we still laughed our butts off at the whole thing. No matter what we got into, we found a way to laugh about it … to the point just thinking about her makes me smile even to this day.
I was also grinning like an idiot the second I saw her. Youthful idealism and mirth filled my gray soul. Who knew? The happy go lucky Marmot does still exist.
We spent a lot of time catching up, talking about her kids and her brother. She wanted to see Casa Marmot, so I took her out to the VW. As she got in, she giggled, “This is like old times.”
I usually drove us everywhere we went. Despite the red sports car, I was the staid responsible one. Fortunately, Heather’s car was a yellow diesel VW Rabbit we had to get out and push to get to go over 35. We giggled even harder over that memory.
21 years magically disappeared. It was like a typical Friday night after school. We’d gone home to dump our books and were out gallivanting in the car. The sunroof was open and the music was too loud.
I’ve been so serious and somber lately. There’s been so much adult drama preying on my mind. I must admit I’ve let far too much of it consume me. I’ve been taking me too seriously.
When I was younger, I was the first to poke fun at myself to lighten the mood … mine or anyone else’s. I was usually the one drawing my friends out of their shells, getting them to realize nothing could ever be all bad. How is it that I’m not able to do that with myself? Lucky for me my goofy blond counterpart was doing that for me last Friday.
Regardless of what higher power you believe in, it delivers … usually when the chips are down. A few weeks ago, I locked myself in my own private Hell. While I’d steadily been getting better, with the help of a surprise visit from Heather and the love and support of a couple of other very special people I’m back on my feet. I’ve even found my smile.
Posted by: admin | 03-31-2008 | 09:03 AM
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