Yesterday I spent so much time talking with friends that I didn’t get much done. I reconnected with an old friend who offered to get my resume to someone who looks for people like me. She also thought my new direction was a perfect blend of my experience and skills. I hope so. For the first time I felt like I was doing what I should be doing when I met with someone about a consulting job.

Today I will probably spend the day hunting for other possible jobs and working a little on my yard. It needs a lot of work, but I can only stand to do a little. I have a bit of help, so that makes it better.

Later I have hula class. I don’t find out about tryouts until this Sunday. It will have been two weeks since tryouts. For anyone looking for the podcast with me, it should be available on Thursday.

Technorati: friends

I’m thinking about burying my head in the sand until the November elections are over. Here in California we get an election guide printed on newsprint sent in the mail. Nowhere else that I have lived does this. This year’s guide is almost 200 pages. Just thinking about 200 pages makes my head explode. I’ve found a few good shows on network TV, which is rare. I don’t have TiVo or something like it, so I can’t forward past commericials. I”m not ready for smarmy Schwarzenegger commercials. What was California thinking when it put him in office? I would like to know why we can’t get a good actor in office.

Now news on the work front yet this morning. It is also a holiday for some people. Everyone I know was busy this weekend, so it was pretty quiet here. I did get a chance to talk about business with my neighbor. She does similar work to what I’m trying to get.

I will be talking with Kelly on her podcast today. That’s the plan. This will be my first podcast, so it should be interesting. You won’t hear any religion or politics there. She does a really nice job with her cast. I really enjoyed her podcast with Ricardo, so I volunteered.

Technorati: elections, California, Schwarzenegger, podcast, Based on Experience

It has been quite week if I only count these past two days. The worst thing about being a consultant is the hurry up and wait. There’s the hurry: hurry to find a gig, hurry to submit your costs. Then there’s the wait: wait for a response to see if your price is too high. It’s a bit nerve-wracking. I’m in waiting mode right now. I have an opportunity to work on a 3 month project, but I submitted my stuff on Friday, so of course, I haven’t heard a thing back. I could use the work, but I don’t want to work for too little money.

I’ve been feeding the neighbors cats for the past couple of days. It’s not so bad, but they have to be fed twice a day. My cats are grazers. I leave out food and water, and they eat whenever they feel like it. I have skinny cats. The neighbor’s cats are pigs. They are already kind of large, so they require food rationing. I’m waiting for them to get back so I can give them their key.

I’m a bit stuck on what to write–again. I’d love to write about being single and those I date and have dated. However, some of them read this blog. I really don’t need emails or phone calls asking why I wrote whatever I wrote. A blog is no place to air the conversations you should be having directly with the person involved anyway.

Today I want to get readers’ responses. I have something I’ve been thinking about that I’m not sure I have a reasonable answer to. So readers, how soon is too soon to have sex in relationship? How long should you hold out?

My experience has been that once you start having sex that is mostly what you do, and it becomes very difficult to get to know the person. Often you get so emotionally attached to the person that you overlook the fact that you don’t really get along.

Anyone who hasn’t been over to Boobie-Thon should get over there before it ends on Saturday. They have raised just over $5,000 for breast cancer this year. I’m sure a few more donations would be welcome.

I heard a story this week that I want to share. I was told this story by someone who knows the main person of the story. A young man from this area was a bit lost in not knowing what to do with his life. He didn’t go to college. He comes home and announces that he has joined the army and is going to Iraq. I wasn’t told exactly how long he was there, but while stationed in Iraq, he began a blog about his experience. It’s popularity led to a book deal and writing gigs with Esquire. I wasn’t told his name, but maybe some of the bloggers out there know who this is. The person is from Northern California. So he got his book deal and gets asked to write stories for magazines, which he occasionally turns down. Lucky him to be able to turn down a job. I was told his writing has been called Hemingway-esque. My own writing was called that by my journalism professors. I suppose that is why this story stuck with me. I’m not crazy enough to think that someone will pick up my blog, and some time down the road I’ll be famous. I think that becoming a famous blogger has about the same chances as winning the lottery. I thought it was a nice story though. I always like to hear about people doing well, even if I wish it were me.

If anyone knows who this is, please post it.

Technorati: blog, boobiethon

It’s everyone’s favorite subject. I was discussing my pet theory on sexual identity with a friend last night, and I thought others might find it interesting. I don’t know that it’s original, but I’ve never read it elsewhere.

My theory is that sexual identity is a continuum—a bit like a line with hetero on one end and homo on the other. Everyone fits somewhere on the line, but they are not stationary. I don’t believe that anyone is 100% straight or gay. Any curiosity, fleeting thoughts or dreams puts you away from that 100% even if you never act on any of it.

This little theory makes it difficult to definitively label someone’s preference. I know how much everyone likes their labels. I don’t care much for labels, and I don’t think I’m alone.

I had my theory in mind also because I watched a couple of programs on the LOGO channel (nothing else on and they have good programming) about gay rights and sexual identity. They present both sides. One program was about sex education in our schools and how the textbooks get chosen. I am so surprised by the strong emotional response by those who are against the gays having any rights or teaching sex education. They appear so threatened and fearful. I’m sure that they wouldn’t like my continuum. Although they may think that it means people can change their identity. While I believe that sexual identity is somewhat fluid, one doesn’t flip from one preference to the other. A person only moves a little along the continuum depending on the circumstances.

I am writing this early in the morning, and I just realized how timely this topic is with the current political scandals. I want to know why those who are most vocal against gay rights and sex education are involved in these scandals? How is it that one can be gay and a Republican when their agenda has been anti-gay rights for many years? Is it possible to hate yourself that much?

Technorati: sex, gay, straight

I was shocked to hear about another school shooting this week. I’m sure there must be a reason why there are copycat crimes, but I don’t know it. What appalls me is that these particular crazies are targeting women and girls. I see a lot articles about how do we keep our kids safe, the myths of school shootings and statistics of these crimes. I have yet to really see an article talking about the targeting of women or the kind of message this sends to girls. It really is a form of terrorism. What it says is that it’s not safe to be a woman. Many women know this first hand.

I’ve only had minor incidences: cat calling, being run off the road while biking and being grabbed while walking down the street. Oh, I guess I had one major incident, which lasted the first 15 years of my life. It’s not easy to live with a tyrant. I learned at a young age not to go out alone at night—not even to the store. All of my minor incidences occurred in daylight, so perhaps I should re-think my position on going out at night alone. Maybe it’s not safe during the day. I’m not sure it is safe any time. I wasn’t even safe when I was married. What are you supposed to do when the person who is supposed to love you wants to harm you? It’s not supposed to be like that. I know everyone says you should leave, which is easy to say if you’ve never been there. I was lucky. I had help.

Most men I know really don’t get it. When I tell some guy about how a bunch of drivers yelled obscenities at me while I was walking on the sidewalk, he asks what I was wearing. As if it really matters–it doesn’t. The time I was grabbed while walking I was wearing sweatpants and a sweatshirt. I never even saw who it was. Some guys in a pickup drove close enough for the passenger to lean out and grab my butt. How do you explain to someone who has never had to be careful about where they are going that you do have to? I am watchful in parking lots. I notice strange acting people. I get my keys out while in the store and have them in my hands tightly.

In some ways, these men who target women for their shooting crimes are no different than the terrorists we are supposed to fear. Most of these cautious behaviors go unnoticed by most women. It’s natural. It’s normal. It’s odd to live with the fact that there are people who wish to harm you because of your gender and know that they can probably overpower you.

So I hope that the school shootings stop. Children should never live in fear. I’d like to see a time when women no longer live in fear as well. When will society change to the point where women are valued more?

Technorati: school shootings, women, fear

I got a writing project! I don’t get paid until it’s complete, but I will. I am writing test questions for the TOEFL. I should write them to be quite difficult although my typical writing isn’t that difficult at all. I remember the foreign graduate students. They passed the TOEFL, but there was no way that they were understandable when teaching. Anyway, it’s some income instead of out-come. Now I just need a few more projects. I’m excited since this is my first one, and it may lead to writing even more test questions. Someone suggested I consider tutoring for the subject exams. I may have to consider it. Meanwhile, I’m still looking for projects.

It’s time to plug the Boobie-Thon again. I’ve seen a few bloggers during my surfing who are also supporting the cause with photos. The Boobie-Thon has bloggers baring their breasts. I think I saw this on the website: “If they are worth looking at, they are worth saving.” I agree! I couldn’t find it later on the website when I went looking. So please, head over to the website and give to the Susan B. Komen Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness—any amount. They have raised $2,815 as of Tuesday morning. You can check out my boobies if you dare!

Technorati: breasts, breast cancer, work

Here’s a bit of craziness in Silicon Valley. The garbage can lids were changed at a Mountain View park, which make it more difficult for animals to get into them. There have been several reports of squirrels attacking people, including children.

So now they want to trap and kill the squirrels. Why not just let them back into the garbage? What seems obvious to me is that the garbage can change has made the squirrels hungry. My guess is that the people who have been attacked smelled like food (they either had food or had recently eaten).

The officials say the squirrels are behaving this way because people have fed them. While I’m not familiar with that park, at my nearby park I have never seen anyone feed squirrels. We have wildlife advocates and rehabilitators here. Periodically a mountain lion or wolf wanders into a city looking for food. We keep reducing the amount of land they have, so it’s rather predictable. The wildlife people are saying that trapping and killing won’t do any good. They may be right. I hate to see the kill the squirrels just because they are hungry, which was caused by the park changes.

For residents near this park, I suggest buying squirrel feeders and squirrel food as long as you don’t mind them in your yard. Most likely the squirrels are in the nearby yards if they are in the park, so they might as well be fed. I put out squirrel food for a while because the squirrels were eating the bird food. My dog didn’t care much for the squirrels. She will kill anything that eats her food. I have had several dead squirrels. Now the squirrels don’t come into the yard.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Today is the first day of the Boobie Thon for breast cancer. The banner will be on the side bar for the entire Boobie Thon. Please stop by and donate. There are many bloggers participating. My photos are there. I also have photos in the pay-per-boobie area (naked breasts). There’s still time to participate. Men are also participating. Each year about 700 men get breast cancer.

I’m off to tryouts this morning. I am hoping for an early tryout time so I can get back home, nap and shower. I have some place I have to be this evening.

Technorati: breasts, cancer, boobie-thon