I'm here at St. Olaf College to attend my 30th college reunion weekend. I've left the family behind, and I have that pleasant sensation (so unfamiliar to mothers) of being responsible to no one but MYSELF. I arrived a day early, so there's not much going on yet, but that's all right. I'm spending a quiet evening here in a lovely corner room in Melby Hall (windows in two directions) paging through my old college yearbook, trying to remember which faces went with which names.

I have some of the stereotyped fears about attending a reunion. I have little to boast about as far as career accomplishments--I'm still galled to be earning my living as a legal secretary, typing for a living. And I've written no new books in ten years. (But hey, I did earn a black belt since the last reunion. Not that I'm planning on kicking anyone in the head or anything, but the thought is obscurely comforting.)

But I'm determined to do my best to set self-consciousness aside and just relax and enjoy the weekend. I don't need to impress anybody, and I'm sure many of my classmates have had their struggles, too. I didn't make my 25th reunion, but I did go to my 20th, and I do remember how many of my classmates were no longer working in the field in which they graduated, and in fact many of the women ( in the throes of motherhood) weren't working outside the home at all. It will be interesting to see where people are today.

I plan to have a good weekend.

And I don't have to cook for anybody.

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that I had never heard of Calming Manatees until now??

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Thanks to volkhvoi for this one. Great fun.



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Fiona went over to a friend's and made an number of different batches, all with different flavors, of this: Ice cream made without an ice cream maker, and she brought home a selection for us to try. Really pretty good.

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Best Proposal Evah.

Not sure, but it may be the first Lip-Dub proposal I've seen. It's quite funny. Albeit with quite an original spin on the phrase 'this dancing juice' from the original lyric.

See what you think. It certainly made me smile.





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Of course I haven't seen or read the testimony, but as best I can tell from what I've heard about the case within the media, I think the verdict seems about right. Oh, heavens, how can I say? I'm so glad I'm not a judge forced to make these agonizing decisions. There can be no winners in this sad matter. The judge explains his reasoning here, and his thinking seems measured and well-considered.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

One point that particularly caught my attention was the judge noting that the man who was with Tyler Clementi, identified in court documents as "M.B.," had written to the judge asking that Ravi not be deported. The judge granted his request by recommending that (but noted that his recommendation may be overruled).

Edited to add: Here is M.B.'s victim impact statement. I'm glad to have read it, as I had been wondering how he was doing.

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May Day was late this year, due to the rain date cancellation, and I am even later posting my pictures. But here they are. I no longer have my parade book so cannot give you much commentary on the intended meaning behind many of the characters, some of them very strange, that marched in the parade. But as Terry Garey once remarked (and this sort of a hazy paraphrase based on my memory of an email she sent out about the parade once years ago), it all sort of boils down to the same thing every year: good conquers evil because it's nicer.

The parade and ceremony seemed so much more successful to me this year than last year, mostly because of the weather. Whereas last year it felt we were unable to banish the gloom from the park, this year's weather was warm and marveleous. It almost felt that all our work was done before the parade even started. We found a good spot near our usual location, at the point where the parade turns from Bloomington Avenue to head for Powderhorn park. Here's Fiona with a couple of her friends (Delia had wandered off to meet up with several of her own friends).






Pictures follow. Lots of pictures.

( The parade begins )

( The Tree of Life is carried in the parade, shrouded )

( I loved the big cranes )

( With my interest in the heart of flesh/heart of stone theme, I was happy to see the heart here )

( Stiltwalkers appear throughout the parade, always traditional )

( Sloths appeared in the parade to remind us to slow down and smell the flowers )

( Yes, at the May Day parade we have violins in the marching band )

( All the floats in the parade are human-powered )

( Community May poles )

( Part of the South American dancer contingent )

( One of the four horses representing the four winds, I think )

( More marchers )

( The May Day parade keeps community front and center )

( Marching bees )

This may be my favorite picture of the day. It says it all:





( One thing I enjoy about the parade each year is that it's so colorful )

( After the parade ended... )

( We headed to the park to picnic and watch the ceremony. Here's the sun, preparing to be rowed across the lake )

( And when the sun finally arrives on the opposite shore )

( The Tree of Life miraculously rises up to bless the community )

Happy May Day!





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I was delaying posting because I was going to put up the pictures from May day, but there were so many of them and I've been so busy...argh. And so there have been quite a few days go by without a post, which really was not my intention. But all's been pretty good on the home front. Just busy.

I may yet get them up today. Although again, I have much to do. But I just wanted to poke my head again and say yes, I'm here.

I went to see a performance that Delia was in at her school, '8,' about the trial Perry v. Schwarzenegger which one of the students put on as part of his senior project. Delia played one of the expert witnesses. It was well done, and the audience discussion afterward was lively.

Delia has a summer job! She got it through the Step Up program here in Minneapolis, which is how she got her summer job last year. She will be working with a center for printmaking as an education intern; they partner with schools and the community to teach the process of printmaking. This is very exciting for her because she's thinking of a career in graphic design. She'll get about twenty hours of work a week. She's also lined up a yardwork job and some babysitting, so she'll be very busy this summer.

Fiona has caught up on her sleep and has now been home long enough to be very bored. She still needs a job. She's been looking, but nothing yet.

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Received a call at work informing me that my entire family is going off to see The Avengers. Without me.

I feel left out.

I daresay a margarita is in my immediate future.




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Maybe all month: here:

"@LegendMG: The thing that bugs me most about North Carolina; Jesus had two dads."

Also: my favorite fictional president, Josiah Bartlet (@Pres_Bartlet) made a speech, on Twitter no less, in response to yesterday's events (link here):

The following is a speech given on twitter by the account of the fictional President Bartlet from the television show The West Wing, on May 9, 2012, about the passage of Amendment 1 in North Carolina, and directly preceding President Obama's endorsement of Gay Marriage. Each line represents one tweet. President Bartlet can be followed on twitter @Pres_Bartlet

To those who want to retaliate against North Carolina for their vote my moving the DNC: You are going about this all wrong.

If anything, the vote in North Carolina is a sign that we need to spend more time in this state, not less. We still have minds to change.

To give up the task of reforming society is to give up one's responsibility as a free man.

When a deep injury is done us, we never recover until we forgive.

I have one great fear in my heart, that one day when they are turned to loving, they will find that we are turned to hating.

Cry, The Beloved Country, For The Unborn Child That's The Inheritor Of Our Fear.

Alan Paton's words are as true today as they were in his day.

There is only one thing that has power completely and this is love. Because when a man loves, he seeks no power, and therefore he has power.

It would be easy to be consumed by anger and hatred right now. I suggest that instead we commit ourselves to love and forgiveness.

Let our message be the message of love. Of the belief that all men and women who share love should be treated equally under the law.

Will it be harder for @BarackObama to win reelection if he comes out in support of gay marriage? Maybe. I can see the argument.

I have found in my many, many years in politics that doing the hard thing is usually the same as doing the right thing.

We are, here and now, setting the conversation for the next generation. If we refuse to stand up, we are failing our children.

We are failing our brothers and sisters, or mothers and fathers, our fellow men and women of this country. We are failing them.

For those of you worried about energizing the base of the GOP, I have to tell you, they are already energized.

[At this point, the news breaks that Obama endorses gay marriage]

Game on.

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