Miscellaneous Monday

A Mother-Daughter Experience

This weekend I went to the movies with my Hot Daughter. We went to see Brave, of course, which I highly recommend. Merida is my kind of hero, and my daughter and I both agree that her relationship with her mother Elinor bears a more than passing resemblance to our own relationship when she was a youngster. I think Pixar should be giving us some royalties, yo. Also: If a horrifying, gnarly bear was threatening my own curly-haired, non-traditional, self-rescuing princess, I would TOTALLY break my bonds and beat that motherfucker to the ground. Elinor's kind of the Bomb.

I Need to Hire Molly Maid for my Mind

You'd think that middle age would have brought me some level of wisdom, but alas, my mind still requires a quarterly house-cleaning. Like dust, there are certain ideas that keep coming back over and over again, in spite of the fact that I think I've learned my lesson. No, people aren't going to change just because I want them to. No, people won't suddenly gain the ability to think critically and logically just because I place value on those attributes. No, people aren't suddenly going to start looking at the world in a more compassionate way just because that's the outcome I desire. They're just not. Which means I need to look at people and make my own determination as to whether they enhance my life with their presence, or simply make me feel bad. I hate making that determination, but seeing (and accepting) people for who they are is part of living a courageous life. And just because I accept the truth doesn't mean I need to invite their egregious bullshit into my life. So there's that.

A Class Act

So Anderson Cooper finally decided to make a public declaration regarding his sexuality. I've always thought he was an incredibly ethical reporter, and I'm glad he's decided to live a transparent life. The money quote:

I've also been reminded recently that while as a society we are moving toward greater inclusion and equality for all people, the tide of history only advances when people make themselves fully visible. There continue to be far too many incidences of bullying of young people, as well as discrimination and violence against people of all ages, based on their sexual orientation, and I believe there is value in making clear where I stand.

The fact is, I'm gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn't be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.

Just so.

Running, Redux

My knee is feeling better, so I've resumed my normal workout schedule. I'm back to running 20 minutes 4-6 days a week, on the track, not the treadmill. I'm pretty sure it was the treadmill that did me in, but we'll see - if my knee starts to ache again, I'll probably excise running from my regimen permanently. I'm getting too old to beat up my body for anything less than saving my life and protecting those I love. Priorities, people.