Today’s headlines indicated that the economy is in transition, the DOW was down 200 points , the world is becoming a larger desert, terrorism is plaguing our neighbors to the North, human trafficking exists at incredibly high levels, and we are sending troops to monitor the border of our “land of the free” country. Over 2000 (some say that might even be doubled) soldiers have died in Iraq since we invaded over faux-WMDs and AIDs is 25 years old. Those are headlines from just today, in the past 2 hours. So, what I don’t understand is why Dubya insists on regulating marriage and banning gays from expressing their love for one another? In a world that has so quickly fallen by the wayside…in a country that can barely muster respect from its peers…in a time when all we should be doing is celebrating the little things because the big things have ceased to exist…we are regulating love? The love of two people is what is important, their gender is not. We cannot stop our children from dying and our elders from living in poverty, perhaps the government should focus on social security, Medicare and Medicaid, bringing our troops home, regaining trust from the international community, and keeping our grounds free of terrorists. Conservatives claim they want less government involvement yet they have invited themselves into the lives and homes of same sex couples and settled down-uninvited-on their couches in order to “look out” for what might loosely resemble a wedding band. I am so incredibly disappointed. Let people just love each other regardless of race, creed and gender.

Orange and Blue baby!

Sorry it has been so long since I have written…I am a slacker and out enjoying life instead of writing about it on these pages. But here I return to tell you the shenanigans that are my life.

This past weekend I was in Champaign-Urbana for a reunion of sorts. I hadn’t seen these friends since we walked through the University in our caps and gowns, and we reunited at our old stomping grounds a weekend of fun! Tony, Ang, Tim and I planned on meeting for the weekend and C-U was a central location, not to mention the grounds of years of debauchery. With Lauren as a guide we walked through campus town to see the new construction. R&Rs finally opened up as the new bar the Firehouse (my freshman year forever gone as the new façade did not promote sharkbowls and dancing on the bars) and Green Street seemed developed and actually on the borderline of useful and cool. Panera is out and made way for a new Bar Louie (whatever will R. Kirts do?!). The town looks completely different even from when I was there 10 months ago.

Saturday night we went out to dinner and then to Murphy’s where I proceeded to feel incredibly old (while drinking a ton of alcohol). One of my friends who was a freshman when I was a junior has now graduated and is spending the summer as manager at Murphs…so he is hooking me up with drinks when it was I that used to buy him beer b/c he was too young to do so himself!

My two senior year roommates, Noah and Felipe, met us out. We were reunited again and reminiscing about life in our apartment above Gully’s bar. Things came up that I had completely forgotten about-like their love of Enrique Iglesias’s song “Escape My Love” which played non-stop in our apartment for a year straight and just how much I used to be groped by both of them. Living with a gay man now does not allow for the same ass touching and lewd comments…for better or for worse.

From Murphs we moved on to Cowboy Monkey and ended the night on the patio in the beautiful summer night. It was truly a joy to be there and my heart was rejuvenated by the experience.

I think so often about those days in Champagin and wonder if I could ever return to live and work there. I think those times have past as I am a city girl now, but it is nice to visit and take a walk down memory lane once in awhile. A weekend with friends in a town that treated me so well for so long…it is hard not to want to go back…until you get a wiff of South Farms and realize that you are surrounded by corn.

A huge thank you to Lauren and Megan for their constant love and companionship! It was such a joy to spend the weekend with you both! A HUGE SORRY to Minda as I missed didn’t get to see my favorite blond babe but I will be back to visit just you guys soon!!

I hope that everyone had a wonderful weekend and a great start to the week!