Marriage for One and All

Everyone be quiet for just a second.  Shhhh....shhhh....you hear that?  That very distant, stifled crying.  You hear that, right?  That's the sound of 'traditional marriage' supporters huddled in their bigotry bunkers.  The Supreme Court today (26 June 2015 [mark it in your calendars]) legalized same sex marriage throughout the country.  This is a monumental event in the history of our country and within the LGBT community.  

No longer will a couple have to travel to another state to marry their partner.  No longer will a civil union be good enough.  No longer will a same sex couple have to introduce their partner as their partner.  They can introduce them as their husband or wife.  

Let's not pretend that this will magically solve everything.  Of course there are still hateful, sad, unsatisfied in their own life so they have to act out against others, people that think that this moment in our history is just the worst thing in the world.  Of course the LGBT community will face ridicule because it's 'not normal' (even though it is).  And of course the sad scared little politicians will try their best to find loopholes. 

I don't want to end on a negative note like that, so let's all take a moment to celebrate this. If you are part of the LGBT community or if you are an ally.  Take a moment to remember this day.  Surely we all have friends or family or both that this directly impacts.  Celebrate today.  For today and forever more, marriage is for one and all.  Regardless of who you love.  

Celebrate.  

Comfort Music

For all the music that I have been finding, whether it is new bands of a genre I have appreciated for a long time or a new genre all together, it is always nice to go back to something that is solidly in your brain.  It's kind of like comfort food, but it's comfort music.  I grew up listening to quite a bit of country music and top 40 pop music because that is what we had in my hometown as far as radio stations.  We also had an oldies station.  It was mostly golden oldies.  1950s and 1960s.  The music that my parents listened to growing up.

I'm not afraid to admit that I didn't start listening to classic rock until I was a little bit older.  I didn't buy my first Led Zeppelin album until I was in college.  And it wasn't even a studio album.  It was a compilation album.  Once I listened to it, I made it a point to go out and buy all their albums.  ALL OF THEM!  I almost over listened to them.  It got to the point where the CDs would sit in my car and I would look at them and think 'there's something else I want to listen to right now.'

I just recently put all their albums on my phone to listen to while commuting to work.  Just because I wanted something that I truly love to listen to.  Putting their entire catalog on shuffle is fun because it covers some many genres that they pulled from.  A heavy rock song can be followed by a blues inspired song to something that is borderline prog rock.  It's fun.  

This song came up while I was sitting in traffic.  'Good Times, Bad Times' was the first track of the compilation album that I bought.  It's also the first track on their first album.  It's the one that got me hooked on Zeppelin.  It's hard, it's fast, it's heavy.  Two chords followed by echoing drums.  That's the start of the song and it is glorious.  For whatever reason, when it came on, it just brought a smile to my face.  I cranked the volume the rest of the ride home.  I played the air drums at certain parts of songs.  I bobbed my head along to the beat.  I'm sure that I looked like a fool.  It was comforting to have that music that I have listened to so many times at my fingertips.  

Whether it is bubblegum pop, thrash metal, or rap, everyone should have that one band that they can play and just forget about life for a little bit.  Isn't that what music is for?  

Solo Movie Going

Is there a stigma in going out by yourself?  I'm planning on going to see 'Mad Max:  Fury Road' this afternoon.  And I'm going by myself because it's a weekday and my wife is at work.  Also, she doesn't want to see it.  Even though it's apparently hella feminist.  Action movie, strong feminist characters and story lines, what's not to like?  Also, Tom Hardy.  One of two reasons 'Inception' was tolerable, the other being Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  Is it weird to go see a movie by yourself?  Or is it okay at certain times?

I have gone to see multiple movies by myself, so it's not like it's weird for me to do this.  I have always gone on a day off in the middle of the afternoon before it gets busy and is cheaper.  There's movies that I want to see that my wife just has no interest in.  And it's funny, because there usually has been a few other people that are there by themselves.  It's like a little club.  Except no one wants to talk to each other and avoiding eye contact is crucial.  I'm pretty sure when I saw 'Choke' I was the only person in the theater. 

I have always looked at going to the movies by myself as okay as long as it's during the day.  If you are going in the evening by yourself, that seems weird.  Evening movie going seems like a date time frame or a family event time frame.  That's not to say you can't go see a movie in the evening by yourself.  This could be the only time you are able to go because of work or other engagements.  And besides, there are some movies that just need to be seen on the big screen.  Usually action movies with tons of explosions because it grabs you and won't let go.  I saw 'Return of the King' by myself and the Battle of the Pelennor Field sequence was absolutely amazing.  Watching it at home doesn't have the same effect as seeing it in the theater.  

There aren't any rules that say you can't go see a movie by yourself.  Even if people say that it's weird, who gives a shit?  You want to go see a movie, you don't have anyone else to go see it with, go see it.  Make a day of it.  Make it about you.  Treat yourself.  Sneak some candy in to avoid the high prices.