Clever Title here....song lyric I think....

I should be studying, so of course it's a perfect time to blog. I also need to go to the grocery for cat food and put towels in the dryer. Yes, perfect.

I sometimes jot down little things to blog about on the back of an envelope when I'm in class or leaving yoga, whatever....I did that this week and then lost the envelope. And let me tell you, it was some clever bullshit this time. Including the weird title, which was some song lyric, I think from the new Shins album. (BTW, they are coming to ACL. I looked at the lineup a few days ago, and wow, it is really something this year.) I've been listening to their new album on my Nano at the gym, and I have to tell you James Mercer really is quite a lyricist. Some words he puts together truly take my breath away. I think the title I planned to use was something about bridges engulfed in flames....you know, burning your bridges....something about not getting what you expected. Anyway, imagine that I put it up there.

One of the things on my mind has been this Chick-fil-A controversy. I posted an invite to my Facebook female friends to meet up and kiss last Friday and one of my "friends", a long-ago coworker, a conservative guy that I haven't seen or talked to since 2005 (yes, not really a friend, huh?), posted this as a reply "Now that's classy." I wasn't sure how to take this -- but I'm pretty sure it was an insult to me, saying that my proposition was uncouth. Well, I read this right before I left to drive to school so I got to ruminate on it for my 30 minute drive. I came up with so many clever ripostes. I'm so good at thinking of snappy retorts after the fact, when it doesn't count. Here's some, I had at least 6 on the envelope.

• Oh, "Joe" (not his name) -- you can come too and watch. I know you like that. 
• Yes, being a doormat to bigots is much classier. 
• Why yes, Joe, you get it! It's a class session type thing -- look, Chick-fil-A, here is reality, same-sex couples exist and kiss in your store and deserve the same civil rights as other people. 
• Classy? Boy, if you are looking for class in my FB posts, you're on the wrong page. 
• I have lesbian friends. They are classy. You, Joe, are not. 

I was talking to a friend about the whole Chick-fil-A thing yesterday over lunch and he brought up an excellent point. This is all a manufactured controversy. The media is sticking it in our faces. The CEO is a known religious bigot, and he was speaking to a Southern Baptist group when he made his hateful remarks. That's nothing new. The media whipped it up. And look at all the profits the company gets now. Not OK. But I can tell you this, I won't ever purchase their products again. 

Nile has his black belt testing. This is the first stage, the provisionary or probationary, or something. But the belt is black and that's what counts. He was supposed to test Saturday but woke up sick. Drag. Now he has to wait for October. This is a huge deal. He's been taking Tae Kwon Do since fourth or fifth grade and has had to basically start over twice when we moved and he changed styles because the schools are all different in parts of the country. This last time has been the worst -- he was a senior red belt in NJ, and was six months away from black belt when we moved. It's taken him 2 years to catch back up. He had to re-learn every form. 

My class is still interesting. Our lecture this morning was on attraction and love. Some good socio-biology (and just plain ole biology too). Here's an interesting tidbit: there is a known phenomenon called misattribution of arousal. When we're physically aroused (by lots of things -- it can be fear, exercise), if we encounter a suitable partner (that is, someone within the framework of who we deem as acceptable in terms of age, gender, ethnicity, social status, etc), we are more likely to be attracted to them and pursue them. In fact, some theorize that we often mistake a good sex partner for love that way -- we're aroused and we start down the romantic path. When the truth is, we're just aroused. The professor suggested that we do active things on first dates - go jogging, for example. That is, if you want to activate that pathway and start down that road. I guess if you want a one-night stand (like Ryan Lochte's mom advocated), you should avoid that. Including no swimming. Ha.

I'm very much anticipating next semester, which will be the most challenging and most critical of grad school. I've applied for two clinical positions, one is at the University Counseling Center working with eating disordered clients (definitely an interest of mine), the other is working at a private therapy practice. They see a variety of clients and work on sliding-scale fees, but here's the kicker -- they are on Bee Caves Road, down the street. Yes, can you say "10 minute commute"? I'd be super happy with either of those. But before the circus starts back up, Ken and I go to Baton Rouge to see Karen and then up to New York to deliver Dani to NYU. Oh, and I'm working two days a week for the next two weeks. Some fun stories to come!

I'm going to close with two fun photos. One is Crabby, all tucked up in bed. Yes, I'm sorry you're jealous but I have the cutest cat in the world. The other is me at Vino Vino, our favorite little bar, Ken took this. I look tired, but that's because it was Friday night and I am tired by the end of the week. Hey, my life is hard! The other day I had to spend at least 10 minutes getting leaves out of the pool before I could swim laps after a hard day of attending my sexuality class that morning. The yard guys had come that morning and a few things ended up in the pool. And the pool guy only comes on Thursdays. It's rough.