Friday, February 20, 2004

Proud to be a San Franciscan

It goes way beyond proud -- I'm deeply thrilled and honored to be a San Franciscan. It is amazing witnessing the next chapter of the civil rights movement.

I'm proud to be able to say that I know Gillian Smith, who hurried down to City Hall with her beloved Sarah, to become the second couple to be married there. I'm proud of Gavin Newsom, who I thought was a milktoast centrist Democrat all this time.
I shake my head at those doofus Democrats who are wringing their hands. Don't they recognize history when it's being made? Don't they know we will look back on this heroic moment in time someday and realize that this is how it began? In the future, when all my friends have the same rights that I do, I will be able to say that I was there and I saw all those people standing out in the rain in tuxedos and dresses two by two in a long line waiting to be married.

I got married once upon a time, and it was something I could just go over to the courthouse and do, get a marriage license. I happened to be born a certain way that made it all right. If we are really all created equal in this country, anybody should be able to do that. The mysteries of life and love are the same no matter who it is steals your heart and inflames your passion.

I did not ask to be born such an enthusiastic heterosexual, but it has certainly provided me with a lot of song material the past few years.

Sunday, February 01, 2004

Shaky hands

My doctor ordered me off caffeine in September of 2002. This was a very tough transition marked by splitting headaches, low energy, and all the things you'd expect. Overall it has been a great help though. It's great that in the 21st century in the San Francisco Bay Area, a switch to decaf doesn't mean a taste sacrifice!

Nearly a year and a half later, my body responds very differently when I do consume caffeine. I have to be very circumspect about it on those rare occasions. I forgot about that this morning and added about a third of a cup of regular coffee to my decaf at the cafe I habitually go to on Sunday mornings, and now my hands won't stop shaking! It's really dramatic. On mornings when I don't get enough sleep, I'm tempted to add a little regular coffee to the decaf and along with the alertness, I often get anxiety and other side effects.

Celeste commented a little while ago, in a voice tinged with suspicion, that I was "so clean-living". I assured her it was only because the doctor read me the riot act, and that I used to be as wired as everybody else.

Last night the Lads and I met for rehearsal at Jim's place on the Stanford campus. Jim offered me a bottle of water, and when I opened it I found it was carbonated. I have never been able to drink carbonated beverages, because they always hurt my throat. I have tried them from time to time throughout my life and it's always been that way. Jim didn't know this of course because it's never come up.

When Grant arrived I offered him the bottle of water. He was surprised to hear of my beverage deficiency. I told him it was very sad and it isolated me from my peers. He said I could form a support group for non-carbos, but that I would probably get a bunch of Atkins diet folks.