The Late, Great Beatrice Arthur

Today is a sad day. We lost a tremendous talent. Beatrice Arthur passed away today from cancer, according to an AP news story. She was 86. I have always adored Bea Arthur. I used to make the joke that if "Bea Arthur didn't sing it, it's not on my iPod." Of course, that was just a slightly facetious allusion to my fondness for show tunes and standards. But while Bea Arthur did make many notable stage appearances, including the original productions of Threepenny Opera, Fiddler on the Roof, and Mame, most of us know her today from one of her groundbreaking television sitcoms. She will always be known as Maude Finlay on Norman Lear's Maude and as Dorothy Zbornak (later Hollingsworth) on Susan Harris's The Golden Girls. Did anyone have a greater facility with a one-liner, or have sharper comic timing than Beatrice Arthur?

Here are some YouTube clips I found.







What a talent!

Catching Up

I've been a bad blogger lately, as my friend Cristy will surely tell you. It's been difficult to sit down and write. My mind hasn't been in that mode lately. I've been caught up in a mad whirlwind of online dating. I've met some very interesting guys, most of whom were very nice, and I made it with some of them past the second or third date. I've got to remember that now is not the time to find myself a true boyfriend, since I'm still dealing with an awkward living situation here. I can't bring anyone over (Jeff has specifically asked me not to) and I think that's best. I mean, how insensitive would it be for me to bring a guy over and get intimate with him in the bed that I used to share with Jeff, while Jeff is still living in the house? Pretty damn insensitive, I'd say.

Not that Jeff and I have this sparkling, chummy relationship. He and I speak to each other only when absolutely necessary, and most of the time we pointedly ignore each other and stay out of each others' way. Personally, I think he could be a bit more cheerful, considering that I'm still supporting him, but maybe that's just me. I know this is not the best of situations by a long shot -- for either one of us -- so I'm trying to be patient and just not let things get to me here. Fortunately, I have my own room, which has really become a sanctuary for me. We've just got five months to go, so our goal is keep things civil, if not friendly.

So, I've met a few guys and I've struck some sparks here and there. I've met guys from all different career fields and walks of life, and their stories have been interesting, for the most part. Right now, I have about three guys who are possibilities. Each of these guys are different.

My preferred choice would be to just date (perhaps even exclusively) after a while, but I do not want to move in with someone right away. My lease is up in September and I have plans to move in with a friend. My friend Karen and I have pretty much decided that we're going to get a place together. I want to live in the Valley Ranch area. It's right off LBJ freeway and convenient to both Dallas and Fort Worth, and there is much to do there. I've never lived with a strictly platonic friend (except for Leah, and that doesn't really count since I was living with Jeff when she moved in), and I'm excited about it. Karen and I go way back. We met in 1994 or 1995 when she was with her long-term partner Gail and I was with my first boyfriend Steven, and we hit it off immediately. We were both with controlling, dominant partners and we clicked. When she and gail broke up in 2000, we reconnected. If I ever have a gay wedding, I'd like Karen to give me away since she's the gay friend I've known the longest. She and I get along very well, and in no time at all, we've got each other laughing hysterically. I'm excited, and so is Karen. We're already making plans and looking at the furniture each of us will bring into the apartment.

Work is a bit of a bear right now. We're being swamped with projects and we have such a small staff now. I'm certainly finding myself going to more meetings, and I invested in a dry-erase board to help me keep everything organized. We also use rapid-development tools like Articulate, which can do some pretty neat things with PowerPoint. (On a side note, PowerPoint 2007 is awesome!) I had two courses go out this week! Whew.

And that, gentle readers, is all I have to say for the night. I need to get into bed! Happy Thursday to all of you. Love, hugs, and decadent desserts! :)

The Fabulous Four: Massachusetts, Iowa, Vermont, and Connecticut

Two more states have legalized gay marriage: Iowa and Vermont. Vermont's state legislature overrode a governor's veto to pass the bill, while Iowa's Supreme Court decided that the ban on gay marriage was unconstitutional. While I am thrilled beyond words for these signs of progress in both states, I'm especially encouraged by the victory in Iowa. This brings us to four states who have approved gay marriage: Massachusetts, Iowa, Vermont, and Connecticut. According to the Associated Press, four other states (Maine, New York, New Jersey, and New Hampshire) have gay marriage bills in various stages of the legislative process.

For opponents of gay marriage, isn't it just a matter of time before it becomes a reality? It's not going to be tomorrow, and it's not going to be next year, but someday, it will come. I'm optimistic that I'll see it during my lifetime.

And while we're at it, forget about the Gay Agenda. Most gays couldn't tell you what the Gay Agenda was. I, for one, didn't receive that fax. Maybe the Gay Agenda was scrawled on a cocktail napkin or something, such as those wonderful MikWright napkins that say things like "I am woman, here me whore", and could be stuck to the heel of a Prada shoe. I do admit to being mildly concerned, since for all I know, I could have action items assigned to me that are obviously not getting done. I'd hate to lose my gay card. I get great discounts with it.

The gay marriage issue is hitting home in a big way. I carried my former partner on my medical insurance as a domestic partner, and he had some medical expenses that were covered. I was glad that we had the insurance, since he was a full-time college student who would have otherwise had no coverage. And let's face it --it's still pretty liberal in Texas for a Texas-based company to provide domestic partnership benefits, so RadioShack gets snaps for that. However, since the federal government does not officially recognize same-sex couples, neither does the IRS, so any claims paid on Jeff's behalf are considered additional taxable income for me.

Getting Close to the End

I discovered something interesting this week, gentle readers. This week was the first week of registration for the Summer and Fall terms, and I was disappointed to find that the final class I needed in my degree plan was already closed for the Fall term. Anyone who has gone to college knows how frustrating it is to watch and wait for that required class to finally appear on the class roster. However, it was being offered during the Summer term, so I grabbed it. I filled out my application for Summer Financial Aid (which consisted of telling UNT that I wanted it) and discovered another unpleasant truth. I had to take at least 4 graduate hours to receive the financial aid, and my class was only three hours. The only answer was to take another class. So now, I'll be taking six hours during the Summer term. I've avoided Summer classes as much as possible during school, but I figured I'd have to take some eventually. Minor bummer, but it has a happy ending. I double-checked my degree plan and it looks like I will have completed all of the hours necessary to graduate in August instead of December. 

I'm strongly considering starting another graduate program right afterwards, though. I've always been curious about the Library Science program at UNT. Training is one of the first things to be cut when businesses have to trim budgets, and I'd like to have another feather in my cap. So, I'll see if I can get into the program in the Fall. If not, maybe I'll wait for the Spring term. I checked with Glenna (my former director) and she suggested I go for it. My current degree and a Library Sciences degree actually fit together pretty well, since more and more technology is being utilized in libraries.