Why I don't need to use illegal mood-altering substances.

This is an example of a random afternoon conversation in the Charming-Mercury household.

Me, arms full of clean laundry. I shout downstairs. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be an arms dealer?"

The Charming Man in the kitchen. "No."

Pause.

The Charming Man. "Is there something you need to tell me?"

Me, standing over the bannister, holding clean sheets.  "I just wonder if it would be a good career. You never run out of market. It's recession-proof. There is always new stock being developed and you don't have to pay for the R&D."

The Charming Man, being logical.  "I doubt you'd like your clientele much. And you'd have to learn about guns."

Me: "Yeah, that would be far too much work. I certainly couldn't make a living off of selling pointy sticks."

***

But now I'm stuck wondering what kind of person goes into the arms trade? The stereotype is that of a selfish, thoughtless person. Would he or she be redeemable? What motivates them to enter this job? Why deal in the business of war at all?

And this is why I don't do drugs. I think like this all the time. :)

Things I love: Part IV

Fresh, sweet, juicy peaches.

They taste like love. :)

Things I love: Part III

I love Nike of Samothrace. Even with no head and no arms, she is the very image of a powerful woman. In postcards and pictures on the Internet, she is eye-catching. In person, she is life changing.

Things I love: II

The most important love object in my life:

The Charming Man, here with my Charming Mother in Law.

Things I love.

The first year after a big loss is not the most pleasant time of one's life. But there are things that can make getting through the day much easier.

For me, that involves looking around at the world and seeing things I love. And in honor of today, here is the first thing I love.

This is the back of my National Coming Out Day t-shirt. Check that date out!

I love National Coming Out Day. Today is the day to celebrate who you really are. It's doesn't matter if you are a nervous heterosexual, today you can accept that it's ok that you are straight and and maybe realize that GLBTQ people aren't scary at all! 

Come out of the closet. There is a lovely big world out there.

Well, I'm home.

It's been a poignant couple of weeks. There has been a lot of crying, hugging, and sharing but still, I am incredibly fatigued and numb. So yeah, no writing going on.

In addition to the loss of my grandmother, I learned that my family of birth doesn't read my blog. It didn't surprise me - I've always been the oddball of the bunch (and that's pretty darn odd, considering our bunch). But it did sting.

I'm trying to soothe that sting. The best thing I've come up with is that I am free to say whatever the hell I want here. I could write about my intimate secrets - well, ok, not that I *want* to say that much about my private life, but I *could*!

My grandmother believed in me. The Charming Man and my family of choice believes in me. And that goes a long way towards making the world a better place.