Darcangel's Musings

Getting Published

2008-07-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a month or two since I last wrote. I have two reasons:

1. It's summertime and I've been out and about doing stuff.
2. I'm on Facebook now so that sort of kills two birds with one stone. I can post pics and stuff there a lot easier than here. So, I'll still write some updated stuff now and then but I'm going to primarily use Facebook. I know, I know ... I thought I could avoid the bandwagon. But once I got a good look at it I had to jump on.

As for the latest news ... there's only one thing to say — I'm getting published!!! That's right, one of my books (The Trouble With Emily Dickinson) is hitting the shelves just in time for Christmas. And the publisher is even interested in The Crabapple Tree.

I'm bursting with fruit flavor!

I'll update you more as we move along in the process.

Birthday, Wedding and Vacation

2008-05-30T07:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been more than a month since I've written last. OK — a few things have happened since my trip to Atlanta. First, I turned 30 on May 9th. I'm not upset or anything. Everyone kept asking me how I felt and, quite honestly, I don't feel any different than I did when I was 21. I may be a bit older and wiser (and a bit more self aware, thank God) but other than that I still feel young and full of life. I think age is what you make of it. If you think you're old, then you'll feel old. But if you hold on to the feeling of being young and free, then you'll feel that way no matter how old you are. I learned this from my grandmother, who is going to be 96 this September and is still so full of life.

My 30th birthday was the first big event of May 2008. The second was Jill and Paul's wedding. I had so much fun. Jill and Paul asked me to do a reading and I was incredibly nervous but I apparently hid it well because everyone said that they couldn't tell. I read a passage from the bible about love being patient and kind. It was a beautiful passage. And no, despite what Tray may have thought, I didn't burn up at the podium.
Here's the link to view the pictures from the wedding: http://picasaweb.google.com/melmc79/JillPaulSWeddingMay08

The last big event was our trip to London and Scotland. It was incredible. We saw so many things, including Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the London Bridge, the Thames, Tate Modern Art Museum, St. Paul's Cathedral, Avenue Q at the London Theatre, Indiana Jones at a huge Omniplex movie theatre, St. James Palace, Hyde Park, Edinburgh Castle, Glascow, Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Palace, Arthur's Seat, the William Wallace Monument, the Royal Mile, Stirling, Stirling Castle, St. Andrews and St. Andrews Golf Course, and more. My favorite day was when Melissa and I rented a Mini Cooper (Thank God she can drive stick on the left side of the road!) and drove along the Scottish countryside through Stirling, Falkirk, Perth and St. Andrews. It was a beautiful sunny day and the scenery was breathtaking. This trip was amazing and it made me want to travel other places as well. I loved Scotland, but I can honestly say that being over there made me appreciate the life I have here in America. As much as we enjoyed our trip, we were just as happy to get back home. Here's the link to the pictures from London/Scotland (and a few from NYC the day before we flew out to London):
http://picasaweb.google.com/melmc79/LondonScotlandTrip

Atlanta

2008-04-06T17:48:00.001-07:00

So, the weekend before I was in Boston. Last weekend Melissa and I were in Atlanta. Her mother came as well, so it was a family trip. Melissa had been planning to run the ING Marathon with Jo (my sister-in-law) so her mother came along for support. It was interesting to see her mother interact with my family because she is so quiet and my family can be a bit overwhelming. But everyone got along really well. It was good to see my parents as well as my niece and nephew. I have some updated pictures of them. We went to one of Lilly's soccer games. Ty ran around with the soccer ball while I chased him. Lilly ran around with the other kids on her team around the field. It was funny because they all moved in one single blob all over the field after the ball. If one of them didn't feel like playing, they'd sit down on the field and pick grass or run off the field to sit with their parents. It was hilarious. All the pics below are from the soccer game.

As for the marathon. Well, that was an experience in itself.

Picture this. I’m standing at the finish line with Melissa's mother. I see Jo run by and I think that Melissa should be coming by any second now. An hour later and I knew something was wrong. Then my phone rang and it was an attendant from one of the medical tents along the route telling me they had taken my “friend” to the hospital. The hospital was six blocks away and I was in downtown Atlanta without a clue of how to get there. Thankfully, a nice young EMS guy gave her mother and I a ride to the hospital.

I felt two things when I saw Melissa laying in the emergency room. Panic and relief. I panicked once I saw her and I was relieved once they told me she was going to be fine. They loaded her up with fluids and blankets. I did my part by going to get her some ice cream from the cafeteria (hey, it’s what she asked for). Then she cried in disappointment and it broke my heart. Who could blame her? She made it 23 miles … 23. She only had three more to go. But still, it was quite the feat. Not many people can run a marathon, let alone 23 miles. Once she realized that, she felt better.

The best part for me was when they came into the room to complete the paperwork before she could be released. I guess when she came in she was so disoriented, she couldn’t do more than mutter her own name. They began to ask her the regular questions — her name, her address, her insurance carrier, blah, blah, blah. Then they asked her if she was single or married.

That’s when she lit up, grinned at the woman and said, “I’m engaged.”

She looked over at me and I smiled back. I knew then she was going to be just fine.

Boston

2008-03-25T12:37:00.000-07:00

I wish I had brought my camera with me, but alas ... I didn't. So I don't have any pictures to post of my drunken escapade to Boston, MA to sip a bevy of frosty beverages and
bond with my two brothers over basketball.

I spent most of Friday driving. The entire trip takes about six hours and I've done it so often I could probably do it blind folded. Friday night we tried what we thought was a fancy restaurant for Boston's Restaurant Week, but it turned out to be far less than fancy. No biggie. I was eager to head back to Bryan's apartment and check my brackets.

On Saturday we toured the Sam Adams brewery. This wasn't that interesting to me but Jason and Bryan were all about it so I thought I'd tag along. The most exciting part was the beer tasting, and at 2 p.m. the beer tasted surprisingly refreshing. And hey — I even got to keep my tasting glass as a souvenir. You can't beat that! We spent the rest of the day bar hopping near Fanueil (sp?) Hall so Jason could check out some of the city. I met up with my buddy Steph who I hadn't seen in a year or two (she still looks the same and I mean that in a good way), and I finally got to meet her girlfriend. At about 9 (at least I think it was 9) we headed back to Southie to meet up with Bryan's girlfriend (and my friend) Erika and went to a bar around the corner of his house. Fast forward to 2 a.m. and I've spent way too much money, drank way too many beers and watched countless first and second round games of the 2008 NCAA tournament.

On Sunday, I woke up far too early but I was eager to get on the road. I had a six hour drive to attend to. Despite being incredibly tired from the whirlwind of traveling in such a short period of time, it was a lot of fun. I think we might even make it a tradition.

This weekend I head to Atlanta with Melissa for her full marathon race. I'm excited for her because this is a huge accomplishment and she's put her all into her training. I will not forget to bring my camera this time. That's a promise.

March Column

2008-03-05T09:54:00.000-08:00

Hello all, the March column for Outcome is up and you can view it here.

This is just a quick note to say, "hello."

I've got a few trips coming up and some other things planned, so I'll be updating soon. Take care!

February Column

2008-02-06T07:18:00.000-08:00

Hey all, this is just a quick note to let you know that the February column for Outcome is up on the Poetry & Columns page.

Also, I've got some things happening with The Crabapple Tree. Stay tuned for exciting news regarding this novel!

New Hampshire

2008-01-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back from my trip. I got back last Sunday actually, but this week was just waaaay to busy for me to find time to update this blog. New Hampshire was awesome! The weather warmed up just enough for us that week that it was very enjoyable. There was enough snow on the ground already so when the temps warmed up it didn't all melt away. Melissa and drove up on Tuesday night. It took about 9 hours to get from Buffalo, NY to Bartlett, NH. I don't mind road trips, but I have to admit that even I was getting a bit antsy after awhile. We stayed in a "ski in, ski out" condo at a ski resort called Attitash. On Thursday (Wednesday we just sort of tooled around), Melissa, Paul, Jill and I went skiing. We put on our skis right outside of the condo door, jumped on the hill and skied down to the ski lift. It was awesome. The mountains in NH (or any ski resort on the east coast really) make the mountains at Holliday Valley (ski resort in Buffalo, NY) look like hills. The scenery was breathtaking. We skied for almost four hours in almost 50 degree, sunny weather. The conditions were almost perfect. (I say almost because it was a little icy in spots). After we were done skiing, we went out to a nice dinner and home to relax. Friday we walked all around town and in and out of the little shops in the area. Saturday we watched football and hung around, and on Sunday we drove home. It was so relaxing. Melissa and I were in need of a vacation.

Something else happened as well. On Thursday, during our ski adventure, I "proposed" to Melissa on top of a mountain. I had planned on doing this for awhile now and the opportunity presented itself so I took it. I didn't give her a ring because we had talked about not doing engagement rings. I did, however, give her a candy heart that said "Marry me" on it. I had given her the heart last year at a Christmas party as a joke. Well, she kept it all this time in her jewelry box. So I gave it to her this time "for real" in a ring box. I swiped it from her jewelry box before we left on the trip. I was so nervous the entire day we went skiing but things just fell into place. She said yes and we will probably have a very small and intimate ceremony of some kind. Right now it's planned for Fall of 2009. We hope to do it either in Vermont or New Hampshire - either way I'll keep you posted.

Below are some pics from the trips. The frozen waterfall on the ski hill that you see is the spot where I asked Melissa to marry me. I know, I'm smooth!

2008

2008-01-07T12:45:00.001-08:00

Well, another year is gone. And what a year it was. 2007 was a definite pick-me-up for me. I saw a lot of good things come my way and I hope I manifest the same for 2008. Well ... maybe not the same ... more like bigger and better!

I've updated a few things on the website. For one, you can read the new Outcome column for January on the Poetry & Columns page. It was recently picked up by a newspaper in San Diego called the Gay & Lesbian Times as well. So that's exciting.

I went rock climbing for my latest installment of Fitness 101. It's written and ready to go, but due to legal issues I have to wait for it to publish in the Buffalo News first, before I can post it on the site. As soon as it's up, I'll let you know.

Other than that, I'm just winding down from the holidays and family interaction. I leave for vacation tomorrow with my Buffalo BFF's and Melissa - I can't wait. So I will have plenty to write about when I get back. Until then, Happy New Year!

Here's a little teaser pic for Fitness 101 of me rock climbing ... or hanging in there really!

Half Marathon/Thanksgiving

2007-11-28T17:11:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was as enjoyable as mine. Of course, I ran a half marathon on Thanksgiving Day. And that wasn't enjoyable at all. It wasn't torture either. It was, I don't know ... a challenge. When I finished I felt a great sense of accomplishment. I found myself wondering how I could have run 13.1 miles. All the training and preparation that went into it was worth it and yes, I think I'd do it again. Maybe next Thanksgiving?

(for more about my marathon training, read the Fitness 101 column on the Columns and Poetry Page)

I also had a wonderful time in Atlanta with my family. Melissa came with me and we had so much fun. Here are a few pics from the family gathering. The little girl is my niece, Lilly. And the boy at is my nephew, Titus. Ty for short. He's too cute for words.

November Column for Outcome

2007-11-06T09:42:00.000-08:00

The November column for Outcome is up and posted to the Poetry and Columns page. Go cheeck it out!

Happy Halloween

2007-10-28T09:59:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again. I love fall, especially in Buffalo. I love when the leaves begin to change color, when you can feel the cleaness of the crisp, cold air, and when the smell of burning firewood travels along the edge of a breeze. Another thing I love about fall is carving pumpkins. Melissa and I drove out to the country a few weeks back to get some fall decorations for the house and some pumpkins. Jill and Paul came over last night to carve the pumpkins with us. I think they all came out pretty good!

You may be wondering why my pumpkin's mouth is so big. Well, my pumpkin started to ro actually, right at the spot where I could carve a mouth. So I had to account for the rotten spot, and make sure I carved it all out. Hence the big mouth.

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!!

New Book & New Short Story!

2007-10-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

I added a new short story to the short story page. It's called, The Lesson of Graham Brooklyn and it's unlike my other stories in that it's a bit darker. I can't tell you where the idea came from ... but is just sort of oozed out of me.

The short story anthology, Best Lesbian Love Stories: Summer Flings is out in stores! You can also buy it at my bookstore. Purchase a copy, as my own short story, The Sight of Her, is published in it.

I hope you all enjoy these stories as much as I enjoyed writing them1

October Column

2007-09-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

The October Column for Outcome is up! Go here to read The ethics of outing.

My Buffalo BFF's

2007-09-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

(Jill, Paul, Melissa and I at the Lobster Fest at Caroline's Winery in Canada)

Since two of my closest friends are now in North Carolina, I was thinking the other day of who I talk/hang out with the most here in Buffalo. Two names came to mind: Jill and Paul.

I don't know why really, but I feel compelled to talk a little bit about them.

Jill
I've known Jill since we were little actually. She was shy and quiet, and we played on the same softball team (the Avengers). I remember that she didn't say much but she was always super sweet. Fast forward about 20 years, and she's still just as sweet. Only now she's much more of a talker! When Melissa and I got together, I had no idea that she and Jill were best friends. So imagine my surprise when I found out. Small world, right? The wonderful thing about she and Melissa being best friends, besides their friendship of course, is that Jill and I already knew each other to some degree only now we had a chance to get to know one another even better. These past six months have been so much fun because the four of us hang out a lot more. I'm thankful for that. I've enjoyed nothing but fun and laughter every time we've hung out. Not only do we have a close couple to do things with now, but Melissa can hang out with Jill and I can hang out with Paul by ourselves, or vice versa. I enjoy Jill very much. She and I have had some deep heart to heart conversations. She's pretty much "what you see is what you get," which is the type of person I bond with the most. I'm so happy that she's in Melissa's life, but I'm also happy that she's in mine too.

Paul
Where do I begin ... my Playstation had been collecting dust for quite some time. When I bought it, my brother Bryan still lived in Buffalo. He and I grew up competing against each other at Nintendo, Sega - you name it. If there was a sports game to play, we played it. It became sort of our thing. And then he moved away. I learned that playing Playstation wasn't as fun when it's by yourself. Enter Paul. Now, I'm not saying that I love hanging out with Paul simply because he's someone I can play Playstation with. I'm saying that I love hanging out with Paul because he's become like my brother to me. We not only bond over video games, we have intellectual conversations, go out for drinks, rollerblade and put up with our girlfriends on couple outings (kiddng ladies!) He's just really sweet, genuine, incredibly intelligent and incredibly affable. And, like Jill, he's real. There's nothing fake about him. He is who is and I appreciate that so much. I miss my brother like crazy, but it's good to know I have another one here to lean on now.

Jill and Paul have become staples in my life. And I'm thankful for that. As my friendships shift and change, with others falling by the wayside, I've learned that when there is space for new and wonderful people to come into my life ... they do. And I welcome them with open arms.

North Carolina

2007-09-05T17:14:00.000-07:00

(<---Tracy)
Labor Day, I drove nine hours by myself to see my best friend from childhood - Tracy and a close friend I met when I lived in Boston, MA - Allison. Ali recently moved down to NC, and Tray has been there since March (don't quote me). We basically hung around and did what we always do when we get together - laugh a lot. On Sunday, we watched almost eight hours of Lifetime movies and it was brilliant. We learned how not to have an eating disorder, to never kill people and take over their identity, that depression and anorexia can be caused by an overbearing mother and that cyber-sex on the net can be addictive. Oh, you gotta love Lifetime television. Here are some pics from our fabulous weekend, which included a trip to Raleigh (Tray lives in Greensboro) to see Ali's new place, sit by the pool and watch She's the Man. (I LOVE that movie!) (Allison and I --->)

Tray recently got a puppy and she is the cutest thing ever!

I wanted to take her home with me, but I have two wonderful dogs of my own.

Here's another pic I enjoy. It's my serious look. Don't take it too seriously.

September Column

2007-09-05T09:29:00.000-07:00

The September column for Outcome is up and ready for reading. Well ... what are you waiting for?

(more on my trip to N.C. later!)

August Outcome Column

2007-08-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

The August column for Outcome is up and ready for reading. You can read it here.

Mia Michaels & the Book Store

2007-08-08T10:31:00.001-07:00

On the front page of my site you may have noticed that I am writing two articles for Curve Magazine (the best-selling lesbian magazine in the nation!) The first is about Jen Austin, author of Coming Out Christian. The second is going to be about Mia Michaels! I've been given the go-ahead from Curve and am trying to set-up an interview with her through her agent. It's kind of surreal really, talking to someone's agent. I am sooooo excited though. It's my first interview with someone famous!

Second, you can now shop at Amazon.com on my site. All you have to do is click on the Books & More link and you'll be sent to an Amazon store where you can purchase books, music and DVDs. Browse my pics, best sellers and gay & lesbian selections. Once the books I am in our published, I will put them up there as well so you can purchase them right on my website! Happy Shopping!

Catching up

2007-07-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

I haven’t written in awhile because I’ve been busy writing in many other ways (my third novel is half way through, freelance work, short stories, 451 press, etc.) Usually, I use this blog to talk about the little adventures I take outside of the writing world. Unfortunately, I don’t have another family get together planned for a few months, and the next trip I have planned isn’t until the end of August. The most exciting thing that has happened since my last post is this …

I bought a JUICER!

It’s the best invention in the entire world! Or at least it is in my mind at the moment. You can basically make juice out of anything. Of course, it helps to make the juice as tasty as possible so that you can actually drink it. I’ve had two successful concoctions so far:

1.) Apples, blueberries and apricots – oh my! Sooooo good.
2.) Oranges, blueberries and a touch of Kale for good measure. Quit delectable!

We (Melissa and I) tried to make a vegetable drink, but it tasted absolutely disgusting. I’m thinking we might have to mix veggies with fruit in order to have some flavor and be able to get our vitamins as well.

This purchase was part of a little shopping spree I decided to go on after doing some extra freelance work. I made some good money and wanted to spend some of it on myself. Normally, I am a saver. So it felt good to just spend without thinking about it. I bought new clothes mostly, a fresh pair of sneakers to add to my collection and the juicer.

Anyone have any good juicing recipes to share??

Other than writing I’ve been watching, “So You Think You Can Dance” (I love me some Mia Michaels. She’s intriguing in a ‘I can’t stop watching you’ kind of way), and waiting for the arrival of my Harry Potter book, which I ordered as a gift with points from my credit card.

There’s a team in every family

2007-06-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

If there was one sport I could play every day of my life, it would be basketball. I’ve loved basketball since the days Michael Jordan leapt from the free throw line, Magic Johnson passed the ball right while looking left, and Larry Bird could basically hit the bottom of the net from anywhere on the court. I grew up playing ball with my brothers and their friends on the playground, played on my high school team, and spent my summers at numerous basketball camps. And whenever the Gus Macker three-on-three tournament came to town, I was always ready and willing to participate. The Gus Macker is a national three-on-three basketball tournament that visits numerous cities throughout the country.
Of course, as I’ve gotten older and lost a few quick steps here and there, I haven’t been able to play basketball as often as I would like. My brothers have since moved away, with one residing in Atlanta and the other in Boston. This past winter we toyed with the idea of playing in the Gus Macker tournament as a family when it came through Buffalo. At the end of June, that idea became a reality.
Four people were needed for a team with three players on the court at a time and one sub. Both of my brothers and I recruited another childhood friend of ours to form the ever-impressive entourage, the “Darc Angels.” My sister-in-law even made us T-shirts bearing the name. We registered as a co-ed team but there were so few co-ed teams entered, we were put into a bracket with only male players. To say that I wasn’t a bit intimidated would be a complete lie. Sure, I grew up playing against boys. But these were no longer boys; these were big, sweaty guys, some beer-bellied and some ripped like Rambo, and all were unwilling to cut a female player any slack.
Despite being locked into an all-male bracket, I played my heart out. And my brothers were there every step of the way. They patted me on the back or gave me a high-five whenever I made a shot or left the guy guarding me in the dust. I wasn’t only trying to play ball to the best of my abilities, I was trying to win the respect that I deserved. As a team, we were incredibly fluid. It could have possibly been the fact that we knew each other inside and out because we were family, or because we had grown up playing enough playground ball to know where each other would be on the court at any given time. Whatever the reason, there was this unspoken pact between us that said we weren’t only there to win as a team, we were there to win as a family.
Sadly, the Darc Angles didn’t take home first place. But we did end up with the third place title out of a total of 16 teams entered in the tournament. They even gave us bronze trophies! And every team we played against exhibited good sportsmanship. I can honestly say that was treated with respect as the only female on the court.
Playing in a three-on-three basketball tournament like the Gus Macker is exciting in itself. The atmosphere is much like a street fair, complete with concession stands and sponsor kiosks. Ages range from 10-year-olds to 60-year-olds, and the skill level is equally varied. While walking up and down the courts you can watch just about any game, from serious competitors to people who just want to play for fun. There’s also a center court featuring elite players, a dunk contest and a free-throw contest.
I was more than content to spend two full days playing nothing but basketball. But what made is special was the fact that my brothers, my father, and other members of my family were there to enjoy the game with me. They flew in and drove hundreds of miles to take part in a basketball-filled weekend.
I love this game for many reasons. I love the smell of a leather basketball, the shine of the court, the squeaking of sneakers against the floor, the sound of the ball swishing through the net, the strain in the legs from a defensive slide, the feeling when you know the ball is going in the basket as soon as it leaves your hand, and a buzzer-beater shot to win the game. Now, I love the game even more because it brought my family together to play a sport we all respect and enjoy. We not only played for ourselves, we played for each other.
It didn’t hurt that we walked away with a trophy either.

For a more detailed recap of the Gus Macker - read the Fitness 101 column. Also, the July column for Outcome is up as well!

The Corporate Challenge

2007-06-08T06:30:00.001-07:00

The Corporate Challenge was held yesterday in Delaware Park.It was about 80 degrees, muggy and sunny, so not ideal for running. But, there were over 300 companies there with about 10,000 participants running 3.5 miles for charity. It was quite the site to see and very enjoyable. My goal was to beat my time from last year, being that I am in much better shape (better running shape especially). I beat my time by 11 minutes, finishing at 34:43. It was probably about 34:00 flat by the time I was able to start running. Regardless, I ran under 10-minute miles, which I am extremely proud of. Especially when I started running back in January, it took me 15 minutes to run a mile.

Now for the biggest news of the night! Melissa had a competition with this guy Neil at her work. Basically Neil is your quintessential manly man, who feels that men are better at women at all sports. He's not an avid runner, and still believed he could easily beat Melissa in the race. Melissa, who has been running consistently for almost two years (including two half marathons and numerous 5ks), gladly accepted the challenge.

He totally underestimated her and she smoked him. She ran the race in 26:00 minutes!!!! It was her fastest time yet. 7.5 minute miles. So awesome, and quite the achievement for her. I know she ran her ass off, not just for pride reasons, but also because she wanted to show how hard she has been working at running. It's a sport she really enjoys. I was very proud of her.

After the race, we walked through all of the tents because each company had a little picnic going on. Food ranged from pizza to subs at some of the small companies, to catered food like clams and kabobs at larger ones. Over all, it was an enjoyable night for all.

June Column

2007-06-01T08:23:00.000-07:00

The June column for Outcome is up! Read it now .... go , hurry!

Vermont

2007-05-29T18:02:00.000-07:00

This past Memorial Day weekend,I spent in the rolling hills of Vermont. Our trip there was a nice and relaxing seven hour drive, except for the part where Melissa thought we were lost. She accidentally read the map wrong - turned out we weren't lost at all. But, in the dark winding rodes along route 22 with no street lights or signs of life (oddly eerie in the countryside when it's pitch black) anything can happen. It was honest mistake.

So we arrived close to midnight on Thursday, talked with my aunts a bit and then hit the sack. Here's a pic of the two beautiful women who welcomed me and my "tribe" (as aunt lois likes to say) into their home.
The next day, we headed into the bustling town of Shelburne, which consisted of a country store, a gas station, a coffee shop, a church, an art museum, a restaurant, a country store and an antique furniture store. Everything moved with the speed of a turtle, and I wouldn't have wanted it any other way. We went back to the house for lunch and then took off down route 7 on a little adventure to another town called Vergennes. Their main street lasted about a half mile, if that, and took all of twenty minutes to explore. When we got back, we had one requirement to fullfill. Aunt Lois said that her fee for housing us for the weekend was to help her plant her garden. No problem. The four of got in, got our hands dirty with some MooPoo and planted lots of vegetables and spices. We had that garden finshed and ready for watering in less than half an hour! We were served lasagna for our trouble and then some watermelon ice cream followed by a rowdy night of games.

Saturday, we woke up bright and early to go golfing. I've never been before and I must say - it's quite fun! I was able to hit a few good shots off the tee, though once my ball hit the fairway I was in trouble. The irons and I didn't get a long too well, but me and the five would are tight! I pretty much used the five wood every change I got, and was able to pitch a few good shots on the green. Putting, well that needs some work. I tend to hit the ball a little too hard and send it skidding across the green so fast that falls back onto the fairway in the opposite direction. I had a good time though, and would gladly welcome the chance to golf again. Being out in the sun for four hours though pretty much wiped us all out. When we got back to the house, I crashed until dinner time.
We ate grilled chicken with asparagus, carrots in tomato sauce and brown rice. To top it off we had homemade strawberry shortcake for dessert.

Sunday, Melissa and I went for a run in the morning and then we all ate breakfast. The Vermont marathon was this weekend as well, in Burlington. So we went in to take part in the aftermath and explore the city. It's adorable, if a city can be adorable and reminded me a lot of Boston. We walked down Church Street, which is all on a brick covered street much like Fanuel (sp) Hall in Boston. I loved it. We decided to take the aunts out to dinner to thank them for their hospitality at a Japanese restaurant.

The next day, Memorial Day, we headed back home. A nice relaxing weekend logged into memories.

Call to duty

2007-05-23T08:01:00.000-07:00

I am putting together a book of lesbian soldier stories, yet to be titled. Are you a lesbian who is or was a soldier in the U.S. military? If so, I ask you to share your story with me about your experience, whether good, bad or ugly, and tell me how it has affected you personally, emotionally and mentally. Please e-mail me your story at ldark21@yahoo.com

May Column for Outcome

2007-05-01T09:36:00.000-07:00

It's up and ready for reading. visit the poetry and columns page to read it!