Which wolf are you feeding?

Wow its been over a week since I posted anything on my blog!  The days seem to be going so fast, I have 45 days to go before I leave for Australia!

The past week has been mostly work and sleep, not much time for anything else.  I've been riding my motorbike to work just to get a bit of time in the saddle, the more experience I get with traffic and intersections the better, the same intersection can pose many different challenges each time I encounter it!

Work has been a bit tiresome, there seems to be some serious negativity around, nobody seems to be happy with anything!  We have recently employed a whole heap of new people who have all come from the same place and they have brought their negativity with them!  Most of the people I work with have 2 or 3 other jobs....one person has 4 other jobs!  No wonder they are negative, they're exhausted and it shows in their work performance!  They blame it on the economy, I say the economy cant be that bad for you if you manage to have 3 jobs.....some people can't get one!  My personal opinion is that they need a lifestyle change.  Every minute of their waking hour is at work, they have no time for leisure, family time or personal growth.  There should be a limit on the number of jobs people have, these people are taking jobs away from people who have none...isn't it better for everyone to have one job rather than one person having 3 and 2 people having none?

I do some voluntary work at the local horse stables and my work colleagues think I am crazy to 'work' for no money!  That is a very SAD state of mind!  My voluntary work is not work for me, it is an absolute pleasure being around the horses and I look forward to going as often as I can. 

There was a story someone once told me about a Cherokee Elder talking to his grandson and it goes something like this....

The Elder told his grandson that within each of us there is a battle going on between 2 wolves. One wolf is evil, he is full of anger, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, self pity, arrogance, resentment, lies, false pride, ego....

The other wolf is good, he is full of joy, peace, love, hope, humility, kindness, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion.....

The grandson asked his grandfather which wolf wins.  The grandfather replied....the one you feed.

That little story is a great way of explaining life and I think of it often when I have 'choices' to make in how I act in certain situations. 

Harvey Milk 5/22/30 - 11/27/78

Today would have been Harvey Milk's 79th birthday.

 Happy Birthday, Harvey.

 Harvey was born in Woodmere, Long Island, New York and settled in San Francisco with his partner, Scott Smith, in 1972, they opened 'Castro Camera' at 575 Castro Street and they lived in the apartment above the store. Early in the year 2000 the board of supervisors assigned a 'Historic Building' status to Harvey and Scott's old camera store, which is now a gift store called 'given'. Above the store is a painting by Josef Norris, of Harvey looking down on Castro Street.

On Harvey's birthday in 2006 a permanent photographic tribute was unveiled at Harvey Milk Plaza at Market & Castro Streets.

It was the world premier of the movie 'Milk' on October 28th 2008, it was also the day that one of the historical street cars in San Francisco was dedicated to Harvey as a museum on wheels, the car # is 1051.

In May 2009 the California Senate passed legislation to create 'Harvey Milk Day' in honor of Harvey, this day will be celebrated every year on Harvey's birthday.......May 22nd.

Harvey may remain frozen in time but his memory is still very much alive in San Francisco.  

weather report

A fabulous 95 degrees today........I'm loving it!

The California Senate has just passed legislation that creates Harvey Milk Day in California in honor of the state's first openly gay elected official.

The slain civil rights leader will be honored yearly on May 22nd, his birthday.

“Harvey Milk is an inspiration to Californians who believe in fairness and equality,” says Senator Mark Leno (D-San Francisco), who authored the bill. “He fought for many of the issues we value today, including access to education, public transportation, affordable housing and protecting the environment. Harvey Milk gave his life for what he believed in, and with that courage and sacrifice he gave hope to an entire generation of gay and lesbian people whose basic humanity and freedom had been denied and dishonored."

Harvey Milk settled in the Castro district of San Francisco in 1972, where he and his partner opened a camera store. Fives years later, Milk became the first openly gay man elected to public office in California and only the third openly gay elected official in the nation.

During his short political career, Milk fought for social change and championed many issues, including access to education, affordable public transportation, low-income housing and civil rights. His fundamental belief that all people should be treated with respect paved the way for the populist movement he pioneered for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights. His legacy continues to inspire the LGBT community to this day.

Milk, who was a San Francisco Supervisor, and San Francisco Mayor George Moscone were assassinated on November 27, 1978.

May 22, 2009 marks what would have been Harvey Milk’s 79th birthday

Thank you Perez Hilton website for this article.

was that a kangaroo that just went by?

I read this article in the Aussie newspaper today and watched the video.
What the heck is this guy doing with a kangaroo anyway and where did he get it from?
The question they asked was 'why did he run away in the first place?' My answer....because he belongs in bloody Australia mate!
Click on the title for the article & video.

Mother's Day

Did you celebrate Mother's Day today?

Do you know the origin of this day?

Mother's Day in USA is not the same as Mothering Sunday in the UK. Mothering Sunday is celebrated on the 4th Sunday of lent in honour of Mary, the mother of Christ, it was initially a Christian holiday until another religious order included all mothers in this celebration and that's how it was called Mothering Sunday.

Mother's Day in USA was officially proclaimed a national holiday by president Woodrow Wilson in 1914 in honour of mothers.  This resulted from a movement by Anna Jarvis (1864 - 1948), a school teacher from Philadelphia, who wanted to set up a national mother's day in honour of her mother.

Here's something interesting about Mother's Day in the US.......

It is one of the most commercially successful US occasions.

It is the most popular day for dining out in the US according to the National Restaurant Association.  Telephone lines are the busiest on this day.  Business research shows Americans will spend about $2.6 billion on flowers, $1.53 billion on gifts like spa treatments and $68 million on greetings cards!  Mother's Day will generate 7.8% of the US jewelry industry's annual income.  Not bad eh?  

image

Wow, just over 2 months....8 weeks........60 something days......to go before I return to Brisbane!  

So today I thought I would start the clearing out process, getting rid of some stuff to charity and throwing away clothes that should have been thrown away a VERY long time ago.  I looked around my apartment and walked over to the closet, put on my leather jacket and went for a fabulous bike ride!! 

The weather was gorgeous today, it hasn't been like this in a long while, so I couldn't resist the urge to go for a ride, the sun was shining, lawn mowers were mowing and people were smiling! It's amazing how a little sunshine can totally change some people's personalities.

I took myself off to a few country roads which wind around the smaller towns of Sonoma county, it was........what was it, cant find the words.....but anyway I had a smile on my face all through the ride, I was so happy....just me, my bike and my thoughts.  It was a bit warm for my leather jacket but I wont ride without it, it's a comfort to me and it's all part of the gear....... jacket, helmet, boots, gloves and attitude!

I think you need a certain attitude when you are riding, the road is as much yours as it is the cars, SUVs, minivans, trucks etc and they need to know that you know that.  As I look back to the days when I first started riding I recall myself being very meek on the road, like I don't belong there and not claiming my lane, cars would squeeze into the same lane as me and I would move over to give them room.....how nice of me!  I used to rush off at the traffic lights so I wouldn't hold up the cars behind me, at 4 way stops I would let everyone go before me, I would speed up if someone was on my tail......the list goes on! But now I know my place on the road and I have every right to be there as the next person.  You have to have a 'presence' and let the cars know you are there, don't let any asshole in some jacked up Honda terrorize you, go at a speed you are comfortable with and be cautious at junctions, don't take off from the traffic lights until you are ready.....'matey' behind you can rev his little motor as much as he wants, he will just have to wait.  Some drivers are just plain rude and inconsiderate to motorcycle riders and when I encounter this I wonder if they are this rude to the badass looking bikers, the ones with skulls tattooed on their knuckles, chains hanging from their hips and throaty loud bikes, so I tried a little experiment..........I put a skull and bones sticker on my helmet.........I think it's working!!!

My Mac

Today I went for my weekly Mac session and as always it was most beneficial.  When I bought my Mac computer I was offered this 'one to one' package for $99, which includes an hours lesson every week for 52 weeks from the date I bought my Mac.  These lessons have been the best thing for me and I really enjoy them, I can choose the topic I want to cover or there is a guide list that I can pick from.  I am now able to make slide shows from my photos, make videos, create wonderful presentations and so much more.

I was a PC girl before I got my Mac and I have no regrets in making the switch, initially I was dubious because I had heard stories that a lot of stuff was not compatible with Macs but I have not encountered that problem.  There's so much cool stuff on my Mac to explore and the possibilities are endless, it's really easy to use, most things are drag and drop....its all so brilliant and simple that I am excited about using my computer.  When I had a PC I found it incredibly difficult that I dreaded trying to learn anything, despite courses I had taken, I just ended up sending emails and doing a bit of word processing.

Now, thanks to my Mac, I have made little movies, created fabulous presentations, arranged my photos beautifully and even made some slide shows.  I would recommend a Mac to anyone, being on the computer is exciting and enjoyable now and the stuff that I am creating is fantastic, I look at my productions and think.....who the hell am I?

Drag Kings

Well my BFF in Brisbane has recently joined a Drag King troupe and did their first show last week. The photos are very convincing, she could easily pass as a guy....infact I have no problem seeing her as a wee Irish man down the pub flirting with the girls!
For those of you that aren't familiar with Drag Kings, let me explain. 

Drag Kings are female performance artists who dress in masculine clothing and embody male gender stereo types often performing as exaggerated macho male characters.
The making of a Drag King.....first of all we need to hide those breasts, this can be one of the most challenging pieces of gender illusions to accomplish.  Small breasted women can get away with wearing a tight fitting sports bra, but our well endowed sisters may have to resort to duct tape....ouch......and double ouch when removing....or tightly wrapped bandages.  Creating facial hair aids greatly as a visual aid in the gender transformation.  Drag Kings use cosmetic shadowing or loose hair, which they have saved from their hair cuts, or piece applications to produce beards, goatees, mustache or side burns.  The eyebrows are usually darken and thickened and their hair is styled in a masculine way.  Masculine gestures and movements need to be practiced and maybe some anatomical props added to complete the gender 'package'.
The oldest and possibly largest Drag King contest in the world takes place in San Francisco, California.  The San Francisco Drag King contest is known to have been called 'A parade of gender bending eye candy'.  Another yearly gathering is the 'Great Big International Drag King Show' and that takes place in Washington DC.

Well Kell, you did a great job and I can't wait to see a live performance!

Guess what I'm playing at my next party!

First of all...go empty your bladder.  Make sure your sound is turned on, and enjoy this hilarious video clip!  It took me a couple of runs to work out what they were doing!

Where did I come from?

I was just having a read of the Aussie newspaper and I came across this article.  I have not read the book but I think the idea of letting kids know there is more to families and having babies than a man and a woman and heterosexual sex.  It would be interesting to read, but believe me it is not high on my list of 'to read' books!  I don't plan on having any kids so thankfully I wont be faced with the dilemma of telling the kids where they came from.

Well, we all came from a womb but the real question is...how did I get in the womb in the first place......guess I could always tell them "go ask your father" and give them the catalogue number!

Click on the title to get to the article.

International Female Ride Day

The first Friday in May is designated 'International Female Ride Day' and today is that day. This is the 3rd year of this annual event which originated in Canada by its founder, Vicky Gray. Its aim is to encourage women to get out there and 'just ride', to increase awareness of women riders by increasing visibility.  There is not an organized 'International Female Ride Day' ride, although some clubs do organize a ride or charity event to coincide with this day, the day is for women to have the freedom to enjoy riding how ever they please. 

Harley Davidson has gone one step further and declared the whole month of May 'Women Riders Month'....thank god for that because it is freezing and pouring down with rain today and I am NOT going out in that weather.....call me whatever you like but I am not going out there! Now if the sun was shining, I would have absolutely no problem.  I am sure there will be plenty of time in May for me to get some nice long rides in and be visible and there is no doubt when I get back to Queensland we will have perfect dry autumn weather on the first Friday of May 2010 with a temperature sitting around 68 - 72, so next year I WILL RIDE!  

For all you women that did get out there today, especially if was cold and freezing in your part of town, I applaud you!