Two Dads are Better than None

Yahoo! News - Canada to Move on Gay Marriage After Court Ruling

Buys
12-6-04
AAPL @ 65.00 going to 80.00
EBAY @ 116.00 going to 130.00 then down
interest rates going up on 12/14
high spec shrn from .06 to .12 in one day. Predict it will go to .18 and back down

12-12-04

AAPL currently at 65.15. Still going to 80. Retraced a bit then jumped up
EBAY wrong on this one. at 114.00 now. I think it may go to 120 then down.
side play is AAC, up 15% on Friday. Potential play of ebay buying?

Winter 2004

Sunday December 05, 2004 9:20 AM
Greg is still asleep and it is rainy and cold out today. I need to update this so I feel like I am doing something productive.

Pic from the lake.

Here is a good shot from the deck of cabin.






The Cruise

We went on a 7 day cruise out of New Orleans in November. We hung out in New Orleans for Halloween and then spent 7 days floating around the Gulf aimlessly..not really. We went to Jamaica, Caymen Island and Cozumel. Our first time to slum it on Carnival ..not too shabby. We met Robert and Jennifer in the French Quarter and partied like rock stars. The next day Greg showed me some New Orleans architecture and then we got on a large boat with a bunch of screaming queens... and I was the loudest..It was our first time doing an inside cabin (and last). Highlights include: chilling on the beach in Jamaica, me singing Elvis, lots of drinking and dancing and eating amazing food.


Updates

We spent a fair amount of time out at the lake this summer. Since we just bought the place it has been fun to get out of Dallas and relax by the water. We usually sit outside under the trees, eat, sleep and stare at the stars mostly. It is cool because the deck is above the ground so you feel like you are floating in the forest. We have seen all kinds of freaky animals like otters, skunks, possums and even a couple of small snakes. In case you are curious where it is, go here. It is called Lake Bob Sandlin and it is about 2 hours from Dallas. It is nice because not many people know about it and the lake and pines around it make it feel like you are way out the sticks.

Random Rudy Shot

Rudy on crack.





New house

We have decided to move and put a contract on a townhouse in Addison Circle. I have lived in my current condo for about 5 years and it feels like it is time to move. Our new house will not be done until maybe June 2005 so we are going to start getting it ready to sell in the new year. The new place is in a better location and I will be able to walk to work. It is also on the corner so we will have easy access to parks, food, theater and stuff. Click here if you want to see more. We are getting the floorplan called "The Gramercy" and have picked out our options already. We are really excited about it.

Job

I have been working at my new job since April and so far I like it. It is weird working at a smaller company but it is pretty easy going. I am doing a lot (all) of the documentation. It is kinda cool but I don't want to be a "Documentation Dork" forever. I am currently studying to get my PMP ( Project Management Professional) so I can be a PiMP and sell Johns to corporate america. PiMPs make good money and it should be pretty secure. I work in the homebuilding/IT industry, so it is weird not being a "Consultant" and more. I still teach community college a couple of nights a week. I teach english lit to 20 year old kids. It has its days, but I usually enjoy it. I am going to take next semester off since I need a break. I want to try and get in better shape this Spring since I can definately feel the effects of being in my 30s now...jeez. how the time has flown. All in all, I never expected my life to be like this..but hey, who does?

The Gloves

A coworker of mine, Mark, wanted to purchase a gift for his girlfriend's birthday, so after careful consideration he decidedthat a pair of gloves would be appropriate since he had just started dating this girl. He went with a girl I worked with named Amy. Amy is a no nonsense kind of girl, so you should not be surprised when I tell you she bought a pair of panties forherself.

During the wrapping, the clerk mixed up the items and Amy got the gloves and Mark's girlfriend got thepanties. Without checking the contents, Mark sealed the package and sent it to his girlfriend withthe following note:

"I chose these because I notice you are not in the habit of wearing any when we go out in the evening. If it wasn't for Amy, I would have chosen the longerones with buttons, but she said the short ones are easierto remove. These are a delicate shade, but the lady I bought them from showed me the pair she had been wearing for thepast three weeks and they were hardly dirty. I had her try yours on for me and she looked really nice in them. I wish I were there to put them on for you the first time, as no doubt other hands will come in contact withthem before I see you again. When you take them off, remember to blow in them beforeputting them away, as naturally they will be a littled amp from wearing. Just think of how many times I will kiss them in the coming year. I hope you will wear them on our date thisFriday. I would love to see you in them. All my love. Mark"
snow.gif

This is what John Kerry SHOULD HAVE said in his Concession speech.

My fellow Americans, the people of this nation have spoken, and spokenwith a clear voice. So I am here to offer my concession.I concede that I overestimated the intelligence of the Americanpeople. Though the people disagree with the President on almost everyissue, you saw fit to vote for him. I never saw that coming. That'sreally special. And I mean "special" in the sense that we use it todescribe those kids who ride the short school bus and find ways toinjure themselves while eating pudding with rubber spoons. That kindof special.I concede that I misjudged the power of hate. That's pretty powerfulstuff, and I didn't see it. So let me take a moment to congratulatethe President's strategists: Putting the gay marriage amendments onthe ballot in various swing states like Ohio... well, that was justgenius. Genius. It got people, a certain kind of people, to the polls.The unprecedented number of folks who showed up and cited "moralvalues" as their biggest issue, those people changed history. Thefolks who consider same sex marriage a more important issue than war,or terrorism, or the economy... Who'd have thought the election wouldbelong to them? Well, Karl Rove did. Gotta give it up to him for that.[Boos.] Now, now. Credit where it's due.I concede that I put too much faith in America's youth. With 8 out of10 of you opposing the President, with your friends and classmatesdying daily in a war you disapprove of, with your future beingmortgaged to pay for rich old peoples' tax breaks, you somehow managedto sit on your asses and watch the Cartoon Network while aginghomophobic hillbillies carried the day. You voted with the exact sameanemic percentage that you did in 2000. You suck. Seriously, y'do.There are some who would say that I sound bitter, that now is the timefor healing, to bring the nation together. Let me tell you a littlestory. Last night, I watched the returns come in with family andfriends. As the night progressed, people began to talk half-seriouslyabout secession, a red state / blue state split. The reasoning wasthis: We in blue states produce the vast majority of the wealth inthis country and pay the most taxes, and you in the red states receivethe majority of the money from those taxes while complaining about'em. We in the blue states are the only ones who've been attacked byforeign terrorists, yet you in the red states are gung ho to fight awar in our name. We in the blue states produce the entertainment thatyou consume so greedily each day, while you in the red states showopen disdain for us and our values. Blue state civilians are theactual victims and targets of the war on terror, while red statecivilians are the ones standing behind us and yelling "Oh, yeah!?Bring it on!"More than 40% of you Bush voters still believe that Saddam Hussein hadsomething to do with 9/11. I'm impressed by that, truly I am. Yoursons and daughters who might die in this war know it's not true, thepeople in the urban centers where al Qaeda wants to attack know it'snot true, but those of you who are at practically no risk believe thiseasy lie because you can. As part of my concession speech, let me saythat I really envy that luxury. I concede that.Healing? We, the people at risk from terrorists, the people whosubsidize you, the people who speak in glowing and respectful termsabout the heartland of America while that heartland insults andexcoriates us... we wanted some healing. We spoke loud and clear. Andyou refused to give it to us, largely because of your high moralvalues. You knew better: America doesn't need its allies, doesn't needto share the burden, doesn't need to unite the world, doesn't need toprovide for its future. Hell no. Not when it's got a human shield ofpointy-headed, atheistic, unconfrontational breadwinners who arewilling to pay the bills and play nice in the vain hope of winning avote that we can never have. Because we're "morally inferior," Isuppose, we are supposed to respect your values while you insult ours.And the big joke here is that for 20 years, we've done just that.It's not a "ha-ha" funny joke, I realize, but it's a joke all the same.And I make this pledge to you today: Next time, there will be nopandering. We will run with all the open and joking contempt for ouropponents that the President demonstrated towards the cradle ofliberty, the Ivy League intellectuals, the "media elite," and the"white-wine sippers." We will not pretend that the simple folk ofAmerica know just as much as the people who devote their lives toserving and studying the nation and the world. They don't.So that's why we're asking for your vote in 2008, America. I'm talkingto you, you ignorant, slack-jawed yokels, you bible-thumping, inbreddrones, you redneck, racist, chest-thumping, perennially dupedgrade-school grads. We know better, and I truly believe that we canhelp your smug, sorry asses. And may God, if he does in fact exist,bless each and every one of you.

This individual seeks an executive position. He will be available next January and is willing to relocate.
RESUME

GEORGE W. BUSH
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20520

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Law Enforcement:
I was arrested in Kennebunkport, Maine, in 1976 for driving under the influence of alcohol. I pled guilty, paid a fine, and had my driver's license suspended for 30 days. My Texas driving record has been "lost" and is not available.

Military:
I joined the Texas Air National Guard and went AWOL. I refused to take a drug test or answer any questions about my drug use. By joining the Texas Air National Guard, I was able to avoid combat duty in Vietnam.

College:
I graduated from Yale University with a low C average. I was a cheerleader and a member of the most secret, secret society in the world whose members are in the process of taking over the world.

PAST WORK EXPERIENCE:
I ran for U.S. Congress and lost. I began my career in the oil business in Midland, Texas, in 1975. I bought an oil company, but couldn't find any oil in Texas. The company went bankrupt shortly after I sold all my stock. I was involved in the national savings & loan swindle in the 1980s. I bought the Texas Rangers baseball team in a sweetheart deal that took land using taxpayer money. With the help of my father and our friends in the oil industry (including Enron CEO Ken Lay), I was elected governor of Texas.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS GOVERNOR OF TEXAS:

- I changed Texas pollution laws to favor power and oil companies, making Texas the most polluted state in the Union. During my tenure, Houston replaced Los Angeles as the most smog-ridden city in America.

- I cut taxes and bankrupted the Texas treasury to the tune of billions in borrowed money.

- I set the record for the most executions by any governor in American history.

- With the help of my brother, the governor of Florida, and my father's appointments to the Supreme Court, I became President after losing by over 500,000 votes.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS AS PRESIDENT:

- I am the first President in U.S. history to enter office with a criminal record.

- I invaded and occupied two countries at a continuing cost of over one billion dollars per week.

- I spent the U.S. surplus and effectively bankrupted the U.S. Treasury.

- I shattered the record for the largest annual deficit in U.S. history.

- I set an economic record for most private bankruptcies filed in any 12-month period.

- I set the all-time record for most foreclosures in a 12-month period.

- I set the all-time record for the biggest drop in the history of the U.S. stock market. In my first year in office, over 2 million Americans lost their jobs and that trend continues every month.

- I'm proud that the members of my cabinet are the richest of any administration in U.S. history. My "poorest millionaire," Condoleeza Rice, has a Chevron oil tanker named after her.

- I set the record for most campaign fund-raising trips by a U.S. President.

- I am the all-time U.S. and world record-holder for receiving the most corporate campaign donations.

- My largest lifetime campaign contributor, and one of my best friends, Kenneth Lay, presided over the largest corporate bankruptcy fraud in U.S. History: Enron.

- My political party used Enron private jets and corporate attorneys to ensure my success with the U.S. Supreme Court during my election decision.

- I have protected my friends at Enron and Halliburton against investigation or prosecution. More time and money was spent investigating the Monica Lewinsky affair than has been spent investigating one of the biggest corporate rip-offs in history. I presided over the biggest energy crisis in U.S. history and refused to intervene when corruption involving the oil industry was revealed.

- I presided over the highest gasoline prices in U.S. history.

- I changed the U.S. policy to allow convicted criminals to be awarded government contracts.

- I appointed more convicted criminals to administration than any President in U.S. history.

- I created the Ministry of Homeland Security, the largest bureaucracy in the history of the United States government.

- I've broken more international treaties than any President in U.S. history.

- I am the first President in U.S. history to have the United Nations remove the U.S. from the Human Rights Commission.

- I withdrew the U.S. from the World Court of Law.

- I refused to allow inspector's access to U.S. "prisoners of war" detainees, and have refused to abide by the Geneva Convention.

- I am the first President in history to refuse United Nations election inspectors (during the 2002 U.S. elections).

- I set the record for fewest numbers of press conferences of any President since the advent of television.

- I set the all-time record for most days on vacation in any one-year period. After taking off the entire month of August 2001, I presided over the worst security failure in U.S. history.

- I garnered the most sympathy ever for the U.S. after the World Trade Center attacks and less than a year later made the U.S. the most hated country in the world---the largest failure of diplomacy in world history.

- I have set the all-time record for most people worldwide to simultaneously protest me in public venues (15 million people), shattering the record for protests against any person in the history of mankind.

- I am the first President in U.S. history to order an unprovoked, preemptive attack and the military occupation of a sovereign nation. I did so against the will of the United Nations, the majority of U.S. citizens, and the world community.

- I have cut health care benefits for war veterans and support a cut in duty benefits for active duty troops and their families in wartime.

- In my State of the Union Address, I lied about our reasons for attacking Iraq and then blamed the lies on our British friends.

- I am the first President in history to have a majority of Europeans (71%) view my presidency as the biggest threat to world peace and security.

- I am supporting development of a nuclear "Tactical Bunker Buster," a WMD.

- I have so far failed to fulfill my pledge to bring Osama Bin Laden to justice.

RECORDS AND REFERENCES:

- All records of my tenure as governor of Texas are now in my father's library, sealed and unavailable for public view.

- All records of SEC investigations into my insider trading and my bankrupt companies are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public view.

- All records or minutes from meetings that I, or my Vice-President, attended regarding public energy policy are sealed in secrecy and unavailable for public review.

Spring 2004

As you can see, we have been blessed by a new family member. My niece, Brooklynn was born April 5th (I think, if I am wrong her mom will let me know I PROMISE). What can I say since she is perfect! Greg and I have already had to babysit her and she was great. We are very happy that she is here and cannot wait to spoil her


Other Goings Ons include a new lakehouse that we clsoed on. We decided that it would be fun to have a place to get away to on the weekends. We are not the party monsters we once were, so we wanted a quiet place on the water. The place will need some work, but we will do it up right. There is a boat house and lots of trees too. Hopefully it will become a nice place to get away to. Oh yeah, and we also picked up a sea doo so we can have some fun too. It should be interesting.





I threw in a pic from Greg's B-day. He is 31 now.... :-). This past spring was an interesting one. I finished my contract at Freddie Mac and now work in the homebuilding industry (sort of) doing process and documentation stuff. It is a full time gig and very close to the house, so I am happy and well. Another bit of news is the fact that both Greg and I have stopped smoking! Can you f'in believe that? We were like friggin chimneys before, and now we have been a month without a cigarette. In fact, this picture below is from the first day.

Mexico

valentines days in Mexico was a blast

New Closet

Before

We had an empty room behind this wall that went to waste. There is a skylight in it too.



After
We intalled a french door, painted the walls and installed a new closet. Now we have a nice dressing room...took lots of time, but it was worth it we think.

Why The M Word Matters To Me
Only marriage can bring a gay person home
By ANDREW SULLIVAN
As a child, I had no idea what homosexuality was. I grew up in a traditional home ? Catholic, conservative, middle class. Life was relatively simple: education, work, family. I was raised to aim high in life, even though my parents hadn't gone to college. But one thing was instilled in me. What mattered was not how far you went in life, how much money you earned, how big a name you made for yourself. What really mattered was family and the love you had for one another. The most important day of your life was not graduation from college or your first day at work or a raise or even your first house. The most important day of your life was when you got married. It was on that day that all your friends and all your family got together to celebrate the most important thing in life: your happiness ? your ability to make a new home, to form a new but connected family, to find love that put everything else into perspective.

But as I grew older, I found that this was somehow not available to me. I didn't feel the things for girls that my peers did. All the emotions and social rituals and bonding of teenage heterosexual life eluded me. I didn't know why. No one explained it. My emotional bonds to other boys were one-sided; each time I felt myself falling in love, they sensed it, pushed it away. I didn't and couldn't blame them. I got along fine with my buds in a nonemotional context, but something was awry, something not right. I came to know almost instinctively that I would never be a part of my family the way my siblings might one day be. The love I had inside me was unmentionable, anathema. I remember writing in my teenage journal one day, "I'm a professional human being. But what do I do in my private life?"


I never discussed my real life. I couldn't date girls and so immersed myself in schoolwork, the debate team, school plays, anything to give me an excuse not to confront reality. When I looked toward the years ahead, I couldn't see a future. There was just a void. Was I going to be alone my whole life? Would I ever have a most important day in my life? It seemed impossible, a negation, an undoing. To be a full part of my family, I had to somehow not be me. So, like many other gay teens, I withdrew, became neurotic, depressed, at times close to suicidal. I shut myself in my room with my books night after night while my peers developed the skills needed to form real relationships and loves. In wounded pride, I even voiced a rejection of family and marriage. It was the only way I could explain my isolation.

It took years for me to realize that I was gay, years more to tell others and more time yet to form any kind of stable emotional bond with another man. Because my sexuality had emerged in solitude ? and without any link to the idea of an actual relationship ? it was hard later to reconnect sex to love and self-esteem. It still is. But I persevered, each relationship slowly growing longer than the last, learning in my 20s and 30s what my straight friends had found out in their teens. But even then my parents and friends never asked the question they would have asked automatically if I were straight: So, when are you going to get married? When will we be able to celebrate it and affirm it and support it? In fact, no one ? no one ? has yet asked me that question.

When people talk about gay marriage, they miss the point. This isn't about gay marriage. It's about marriage. It's about family. It's about love. It isn't about religion. It's about civil marriage licenses. Churches can and should have the right to say no to marriage for gays in their congregations, just as Catholics say no to divorce, but divorce is still a civil option. These family values are not options for a happy and stable life. They are necessities. Putting gay relationships in some other category ? civil unions, domestic partnerships, whatever ? may alleviate real human needs, but by their very euphemism, by their very separateness, they actually build a wall between gay people and their families. They put back the barrier many of us have spent a lifetime trying to erase.

It's too late for me to undo my past. But I want above everything else to remember a young kid out there who may even be reading this now. I want to let him know that he doesn't have to choose between himself and his family anymore. I want him to know that his love has dignity, that he does indeed have a future as a full and equal part of the human race. Only marriage will do that. Only marriage can bring him home.

Homosexuality is WRONG because the Bible says so!!

Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a US radio personality who dispenses
advice to people who call in to her radio show. Recently, she
said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an
abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be
condoned under any circumstance. The following is an open
letter to Dr. Laura penned by a US resident, which was posted
on the Internet.


Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law. I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the
homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other specific laws and how to follow them.

When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a pleasing odor for the Lord - Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her period of menstrual uncleanliness - Lev.15:19-24. The problem is, how do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offence.

Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and female, provided they are purchased from neighbouring nations. A friend of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath.. Exodus 35:2 clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him myself?

A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I don't agree. Can you settle this?

Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev.19:27. How should they die?

I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all
the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? Lev. 20:14

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal and unchanging.

Your devoted fan, Jim

SURPRISE!

Robert & Bobby threw a surprise party for Kimberly last weekend. Robert lives in downtown Dallas and we were on the rooftop partying.
The weather was amazing. It was in the 70s and we were wearing short sleeves. Happpy Birthday Kim!





By the way, I hope everyone has a great 2004! If you'd like to say hi, just leave a comment!

Christmas 2003 Photos



Christmas at Rhonda's. We even got a present for our future niece - Brooklyn



At the Price's we opened presents Christmas morning and ate amazing food!



Hanging out with the Jeter's and me trying to ice skate



What a bunch of hams



A carriage ride Christmas eve



James got drunk and puked on my mom's fur. (Just kidding)

Our Families Meet

Christmas 2003 was the a special holiday for Greg and I. Our families finally met each other for the first time in Frederick Maryland. I stayed with Greg's mom and dad and Nick and Mistry came up from Austin too.

When Greg and I met we had no idea we had family so close together. His parents live in Fredrick and I have tons of family in Hagerstown, not far away. My mom, James & Rhonda stayed with the Jeter's in Hagerstown and both sides of the family met one night for dinner. This is the photo of that night and we had a really great time.

One of the most important things to us is family. We would not be where we are now if it were not for the years of love and support from our family. The greatest thing about our families is that they support our relationship and are happy for us. WE ARE VERY LUCKY AND WE LOVE THEM VERY MUCH !!