give me an “O” …

Chanting at a protest rally can be SO much fun!   ha
from Houston Chronicle

h/t to Melissa at Shakesville

election eve

… inspiration.

Loving Tribute

The New York Times reports:

Mildred Loving, a black woman whose challenge to Virginia’s ban on interracial marriage led to a landmark Supreme Court ruling striking down such laws nationwide, has died, her daughter said Monday. [...]

”I want (people) to remember her as being strong and brave yet humble — and believed in love,” Fortune told The Associated Press.

Loving and her white husband, Richard, changed history in 1967 when the U.S. Supreme Court upheld their right to marry. The ruling struck down laws banning racially mixed marriages in at least 17 states.

”There can be no doubt that restricting the freedom to marry solely because of racial classifications violates the central meaning of the equal protection clause,” the court ruled in a unanimous decision.

Her husband died in 1975. Shy and soft-spoken, Loving shunned publicity and in a rare interview with The Associated Press last June, insisted she never wanted to be a hero — just a bride. [...]

”The law that threatened the Lovings with a year in jail was a vestige of a hateful, discriminatory past that could not stand in the face of the Lovings’ quiet dignity,” said Steven Shapiro, national legal director for the ACLU.

”We loved each other and got married,” [Loving] told The Washington Evening Star in 1965, when the case was pending. ”We are not marrying the state. The law should allow a person to marry anyone he wants.”

Loving v. Virginia changed the marriage landscape for interracial couples. It is often cited as a reason why same-sex couples should be allowed to legally marry. As Mildred Loving said, “the law should allow a person to marry anyone he wants.”

h/t to Lambert at Corrente

time for a physical … ugh

I have the best doctor in the world. I’ve been a patient for the past 18 years. I mention this because I informed her today that she’s my longest relationship to date. She smiled.

It was time for my annual check up, which according to her records I do about every four years. Ugh. Better put that on my list of things to improve on.

I guess the bottom line is that no matter how much you like your doctor, having a physical is never really “fun.”

This part is always a blast. Good thing I remembered to brush my teeth before going!

And shave … yikes!

My blood pressure was good … EKG okay … lungs sounded good. The blood work will come back later.

And no lumps where there shouldn’t be lumps … that’s always good news.

She does want me to have a stress test, since I desperately need to exercise, and I don’t want to have a heart attack or stroke! (they run in the family)

Overall, except for the extra lbs., I’m doing okay.

Did I tell you that I really like my doctor?