Wonderful Wednesday follow-up

I told you it was good coffee!

And yes, the Metro is a great source for important news.

Marvelous Monday Morning

After a rather epic weekend of fun, Monday mornings are not so bad. The glow of all the different fun parts hasn't worn off yet, and stopping at this little coffee cart on the back of a bike (so naturally I was totally sucked in) outside Charles/MGH pretty much made my day. Yes, already. That coffee was outstanding, especially to my not so picky and sophisticated coffee palate. After an epic (yes I'm using that word twice in one paragraph, mostly because I like it) bachelorette party on Saturday night and a late night impromptu ER trip with a certain blood peeing, air-sitar playing friend last night, it was not only delicious, but also vital to getting through today. You should 1) definitely try that coffee and 2) probably read all of this post as fast as possible because it was written on caffeine, so even if you're not caffeinated, that's how it would be best understood. Expect lots of errors and such. The best part of this morning is that now we're close enough to lunch that I can look forward to that!

So I finished The Help by Kathryn Stockett this weekend. I once read a book review in the New York Times for a different book where the author said the only time he stopped reading was to chase his wife around the house and talk to her about how awesome it was. Unfortunately, I am not paid to review books and had to put it down more frequently than that, BUT similar to him, I have been chasing pretty much everyone around talking about how awesome this book is. It's about this white girl, Skeeter, who writes a book about what it's like to be a black maid in Jackson, M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I, pretty much immediately pre-civil rights movement. Reading this book included many moments of blatantly cracking up on the Red Line with a bunch of grumpy commuters, who were probably some combination of jealous and judging me as crazy. Oh well. I contemplated including some of my favorite quotes, but I don't want to ruin any of the book for any one who might possibly read it. But wow, consider yourself chased around the house.

I have lots of recommendations this morning, apparently. Drink good coffee and read good books. The end.

I now pronounce you...

Admittedly, this is much belated, but I wanted to give props to New York for passing the Marriage Equality Act in their State Senate on June 24. I'm sure opposition exists, and everyone is entitled to their opinion, but hearing people talk about how happy they were and seeing people celebrate in New York, which was already preparing for their annual Gay Pride, was nothing but joyful. I was thrilled and honestly overwhelmed by how incredibly lucky I felt to be surrounded by people from all different venues of my life who were celebrating equal recognition by the law for thousands of people in New York who are now able to marry the one they love.

Historically, we have denied certain groups of people this right based on all sorts of silly ideas. For instance, in ancient China, people with the same surname were not to marry as that was considered incestuous... but marrying one's maternal relatives was a-okay! In the United States, Jim Crow laws prevented marriages between blacks and whites in many states all the way into the 1960s.

Some would argue that the Bible (and perhaps other religious doctrine, though I do not know for certain) is opposed to same sex marraige, but I say any God/Being, who is as lovely as all religions claim them to be, would celebrate the happiness of their followers in their faithful, loving relationships.

Now, this is not to say this is a perfect institution. There are certainly internationally condemned traditions such as forced marriage, child brides, and many more I'm sure I've never even heard of. But as we celebrate with our friends and family this wedding season, we can all be a little happier that more people have the option of choosing marriage to recognize their love with the one they love.

Music and picnics and drinks (oh my!)

As the Charles River banks are cleaned of their red, white and blue scraps, lingering from yesterday's festivities, I feel the summer outstretched before me like a nice blank sheet of paper, fresh in its newness. As blank as the sheet can be, already quite full of much awaited parties, weddings, family obligations, etc. etc. etc. I know this summer, like many in my past, will go by in a blink, probably because it is so full of happy gatherings, and I'll find myself reaching for that jacket as the leaves turn pretty shades of yellow and orange and the chilly wind sends them soaring.

One way I'm planning to absorb as much summer as possible is by attending Concerts in the Park on Thursday nights at Hastings Park in Lexington to see the Metropolitan Wind Symphony play. There really isn't a whole lot about picnicking in the summer while listening to good music one can complain about. Not only are they incredibly talented as a group, but one of their saxophone players is strikingly handsome. You should probably come join me for some music and picnics and drinks (oh my!).