Born Straight, Refuse To Hate - Lily's Favorite Marriage Equality Poster Slogans

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

Happy Monday!  I am taking a break from my usual blog subjects - travel, food and my crazy dating life - and instead turning to the United States Supreme Court.  (Three years of law school-- I might as well put forth some legal blog posts every now and again, eh?)

This week, the United States Supreme Court will be hearing two cases regarding gay marriage - the constitutionality of Proposition 8 as well as the Defense of Marriage Act Case - United States v. Windsor.  (Read more about it here.)

I am pro equality - as in pro-marriage equality.  I believe life is too short to not have love recognized and for all United States citizens to be treated equally.  I look to the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.  Looking back at US history, White Americans were not allowed to marry Asian Americans in some jurisdictions.  If this law had continued, my parents would not have been allowed to marry legally.  I am half Caucasian, half Asian.  While I may be an outlaw by personality, had such anti-miscegenation laws continued I would have either been an outlaw by birth or not born at all.  

(Could you imagine a world without Lily?  Oh the horror!)

There will be rallies held all around the United States this week in support of marriage equality.  While I am heterosexual, I will be taking part in a local rally to show my support of this very worthwhile cause because inequality to some is inequality to all.  

My politico partner in crime is getting out the glitter glue and making posters for the rally.  I searched the internet for some good poster slogans.  I flooded my politico partner's cell phone text in box with so many slogans that I decided I also needed to write a blog of "Lily's Favorite Marriage Equality Poster Slogans."  

I would hope that all my readers would support equality for all citizens.  

Lily's Favorites:

1)  For me - "Born Straight, Refuse to Hate" and "Straight not narrow - I support equality" are tops in my book!

2) "It's not about gay or straight - it's about human rights."

3) "Gay marriage doesn't bother me, hatred and inequality do."

4)  "People of quality, don't fear equality."

5)  "Marriage is a human right, not a heterosexual privilege."

6)  "Equal means equal"

7)  "And Marriage For All"

8)  "Separate is not equal"

9)  "Teach love, not H8"

10)  "Legalize love"

11)  "Got Equality?"

12)  "No one is free when others are oppressed"

13)  "Open your heart, open your mind"

14)  "Marriage equality NOW"

15)  "Love is gender-blind"

16)  "Love belongs to everyone"

17)  "Marriage is an issue of commitment not gender"

18)  "Le-gay-lize"

19)  Ban gay bashing, not gay marriage"

20)  Pugs, not Drugs  (OK that last one doesn't fit the occasion, but it's still a good slogan)

I hope you will support marriage equality.  I don't have any pictures for this blog post, so I'll post a picture of my kitten Chibby.  He supports love in all forms.

     

Emotional Spring Cleaning

I read an interesting article emailed by the Chopra Center on Emotional Spring Cleaning.  I am including the link here for those interested in doing more than just turning their clocks ahead one hour.

And if you like a little laughter with your Chopra, check out a vintage LilyOnTheLam.com blog post entitled "This Dog Loves Deepak Chopra, Do You?"

P.S. In selecting a corresponding ad to go with this blog post, I stumbled upon a Deepak Chopra Nintendo Wii game.  WHO KNEW??  Once again, I commend the man's marketing savvy and penetration into every purchaseable medium.  I think the path to true enlightenment may be aligned with a road paved in gold - and I am not talking Oz here.





   

Airplane Etiquette - Your Thoughts?

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I was recently on a plane from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida.  I was kicking back in the Exit Row with my face buried in a magazine.  Eventually I paused, looked up and saw the following in the row ahead of me.

I travel a lot.  I try to be courteous when I can.  I usually do not strangle children when they spend a majority of the flight kicking the back of my seat.  (Emphasis on "usually.")  

I try not to give parents dirty looks when they bring their small children on a long flight without any snacks, toys or other distractions.  (Seriously?  Plan ahead, people!)  

I don't jam my knee into the seat in front of me so the person in front of me cannot recline their seat.  (Even when they have reclined so far back I feel like I am in dental hygienist school.  "Hi, I'm Lily and I am here to scrape your tartar.")

I try to exhibit behavior on an airplane that is unlikely to get me wrestled and hog-tied by any undercover air marshals.  (I'm not in to the rough stuff, boys!)  

So when I looked up and saw Mrs. Salmon/Melon colored moccasins had contorted herself into a "V" and was using the headrest of the person in front of her as her own personal foot rest.  I did a double take.  

Really?  REALLY?  Get your pastel-colored dirty bottomed shoes off the headrest and sit like a lady, old missy!  (That was my gut reaction.)

I just kind of stared at the woman's feet, not really believing what I was seeing.  And wondering how annoying it was for the person ahead of her to feel a pushing on the head rest caused by aforementioned resting feet?

A male flight attendant walked down the aisle, took one look at Mrs. Salmon/Melon colored moccasins and rolled his eyes exaggeratedly with a "whoo child, where do you think you are?" look.  But here's the thing ... the flight attendant (American Airlines) said nothing.  Just kept walking.  

I get whacked on the arm if it even looks like my seat is not in a full upright position and Mrs. Salmon is making the Exit Row her own personal shangri-la with only an eye roll from the flight attendant??  Seriously?  

Allow me to be incredibly sexist for a moment, but if the male flight attendant had been a weary, more seasoned female flight attendant I think I would have seen a head snap back, finger twirl, head roll and a Jerry Springer worthy "WOMAN! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?  GET YOUR FEET DOWN FROM THERE!  WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"  I would have brought popcorn to see that show, but ohhhhh noooo - the male flight attendant just gives an eye roll.

Excuse me, but you work here Mr. Flight Attendant.  You're really not going to say anything?  You get an eye roll from me on that one!

So what do you think LilyOnTheLam.com readers?  If you're limber and physically able to transform yourself into a "V" and smack your melon colored moccasins on the headrest of the passenger in front of you, should you?  Is it a flight faux pas or perfectly normal, justifiable behavior?

I'd love to hear your viewpoints on this issue.



     

Spot The Chibby - My Future Talk Show Career?

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

If you're a regular reader of LilyOnTheLam, you may remember that a week ago I wrote a blog post about how the Universe has been sending me some very interesting messages.

As part of my ongoing redecoration of my living room and "dining area" (that's what we call the portion of the living room when you don't have a dining room!), I have been blending the highly coveted decorating style of Morticia Addams' boudoir with Morocccan/Mad Hatter/Crazy Tea Party.  I believe these styles were covered in last month's Architectural Digest ... or was it Loco Crazy Decorating Weekly?  Hmmm, who's to say? 

As part of my fab decorating, I have been pilfering St. Petersburg's Iron Pelican Antiques and Home Decor.  (Read more about my re-decorating in this blog post here.)  One item I bought without even test driving my butt in the seat are two black velvet chairs with a gold-colored frame.  They are PERFECTION.  I paired them with a red chalk-painted drum table, also from Iron Pelican.  

I usually have the chairs facing each other with the drum table inbetween.  However whenever my maid service comes to visit (Lily does NOT clean), the ladies leave my chairs angled out from the table.  To me, it is reminiscent of a talk show set.  (Can you spot the Chibby Kitten in the picture?)  I feel like my maid service is trying to tell me that I should have a talk show.  Or maybe the maids are telling my cats that they should have a talk show?  They are in love with my cat Finnerty - they call him Dracula and he responds to the name!

What do you think?  Are my maids trying to get me to enter the talk show circuit?

Now with Links and Pictures!

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

My downstairs neighbor is having new floors installed, so I have had to endure two days of constant jack-hammering.  Do you know what two days of constant jack-hammering does to a Lily?  It makes her go CRAZY!  

I have been a slacker on loading my British Virgin Islands pictures and finishing the remaining blog posts from the trip.  I need a Lily clone who has more discipline than I!

But I have loaded pictures and links for three of my existing BVI blog posts, so if you read the posts before - check out the pictures.  If you haven't read the posts yet, do so now!  (They are great!)

Day One

Day Two

The Marauding Caterpillar

I'll keep you posted as I add more pictures!  

Happy Wednesday!

Hello Molecular Gastronomy!

Hello LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers - especially those who live in Florida -

Top Chef contestant Chef Richie Farina will be back at the Rolling Pin in Brandon, FL to teach Molecular Gastronomy classes on May 8 and May 9, 2013.  I had the great pleasure of attending Chef Farina's cooking class in the past, read all about it here.  It is a fun event and a portion of the proceeds will go to the Brandon Foundation charities.  If you like to cook or want to be around a BRAVO TV Top Chef contestant, check out the class!  

I WAS NOT CONSULTED! A Tale of Deprivation and Dark Magic.

Dear LilyOnTheLam.Com Readers:

I know that you all think that I lead an ultra-glamourous life (yes, I used the UK spelling - because I am Cosmopolitan!)  I also know that each and every one of you have a shrine to me in your homes (you crazy stalkers, you!)  

It is really difficult being so fabulous and so internationally loved, but it's worth it to do the "heavy lifting" to satisfy the little people - and yes, I mean you.

Unfortunately, every now and again, I am confronted by circumstances that prove that not everyone thinks I am the Supreme Center of the Universe (GASP! NO!)  It is really heart-breaking to know that there is a small rogue faction of non-Lily-believers out there.  

Today, this small, pissy army of hatefulness struck a blow against the almighty wonderfulness that is ME.  Since returning from vacation in the British Virgin Islands, I have been having headaches.  I realized that my vacation routine of easily accessible diet Cokes on the Yacht Promenade as well as the heavenly espressos and frozen coffee drinks that the adorable, fluffy-haired Captain Chad would make for me had re-triggered my caffeine addiction.  Now back on land and with no soda, coffee, tea or other caffeine-laden drinks in my system, my brain was on REVOLT!  

I decided to first try to wean myself from caffeine and just ride out the headaches, but by Day Four (today); I cracked.  I went to my beautiful Keurig system (see my lovely, personal coffee/tea bar here) and made an iced coffee using Green Mountain's Espresso Blend K-cups.  I noticed that I only had 4 of these wonderful, rich and bold K-cups left, so after sucking down an iced coffee (and feeling instantly better) I went online to order more.  Only to discover the shocking truth ...

MY GREEN MOUNTAIN ESPRESSO BLEND K-CUPS HAVE BEEN DISCONTINUED!

Gasp!  Wail!  Gasp!  

NO, NO, NO, NO!

Why?  Why, oh Coffee Gods, why?  Is it because so many brainless people thought the "espresso blend" would make actual espresso with a lovely crema?  It's a Keurig brewer for God's sake, not an espresso machine!  Why, why, why did you discontinue this flavor, Green Mountain?  Do you hate me that much?  Is there a picture of me in your office being used as a dart board?

I went on eBay - perhaps I could become a Green Mountain Espresso Blend hoarder - purchasing every last K-cup on Earth!  One seller was auctioning off these K-cups but their "suggested use by date" was mid-2012.  Argh!  

The Green Mountain website recommended that as an alternative to the discontinued Espresso Blend, I try their "Dark Magic Extra Bold Coffee."  Dark Magic?  Am I a sexy witch?  (Or sexy vampire, zombie, werewolf or voodoo doll?  Was I a member of Slytherin House at Hogwarts?)  

Is this what it has come down to -- I need to sell my soul to the Dark Arts to enjoy full-bodied coffee from my Keurig brewer?  Green Mountain - not only did you take away one of my favorite flavors, but now you have put my soul in a moral dilemma!

Just because I watched every season of "Charmed," does not mean that I want to be a witch!

I have four beautiful Green Mountain Espresso Blend K-cups left.  I may have to set up my home as an Apocalypse-proof bunker and guard these four precious beauties with my life.  

P.S. Since I am the world's worst photo stylist, I decided to jazz up this picture by placing the remaining four K-cups on a lovely Coach travel jewelry box that the wonderful Miss LM gave me for my birthday.  I then placed this in front of "Captain Francois Paddebear" that my sister Squidge purchased for me from the Pusser's Outpost on Tortola, BVI.  And for that added zing, I positioned these items in front of a bunch of grapefruit because nothing says "Green Mountain has disappointed me spiritually" like a pile of citrus.

As I sip my 2nd iced coffee of the day (this time using Green Mountain's French Vanilla Brew Over Ice K-Cup), I can only ponder what else the Universe has in store for me.  It would be so much easier if everyone just got with the program and supported that I am Queen of the Universe.

Is that so difficult?