What's Up Wednesday: Marriage Equality Edition
I'm catching the What's Up Wednesday hot air balloon from the blogs of Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk.Here's how it works:
WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY
WHAT I'M READING
I'm rereading THE OUTSIDERS by S.E. Hinton, a classic of YA literature, and it's packing the same punch it did when I read my tattered movie tie-in paperback years ago.
Have you read it? What did you think? Some call it their #1 Favorite Book of All Time. My niece, who is 19, gave it ONE STAR on goodreads. What?!
WHAT I'M WRITING
At the moment, nothing. This week I'm focused on critiquing manuscripts for the MNYA Writers group, which meets on Saturday. I won't be able to attend because of a rather significant birthday party at our house, but I want to be 100% caught up on notes by the end of the weekend.
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
Let's see - the weather is finally more spring-like, although yesterday we shattered records with a high of 98 degrees. Work, work, work, Cub Scout stuff, Mother's Day, etc.
WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
This week, I'm inspired by LOVE. Minnesota is full of LOVE right now. Yesterday Governor Mark Dayton signed the historic same-sex marriage bill into law. I'm proud to be a Minnesotan. I'm proud of my state representative, a republican for whom I did not vote, who was instrumental in the passage of the bill on the House side. He voted YES, against his party, because it was the right thing to do.
LOVE is the law. As of August 1, 2013, ALL loving and committed couples in Minnesota have the right to marry.
It's been an emotional few days as the bill first passed the House last week and the Senate on Monday. Take a look at this photo gallery of the signing and celebration and be inspired by LOVE.
And then enjoy this - a classic Suburbs tune that has become the anthem for Minnesota Marriage Equality!
What's up with you this week?
WHAT I'M WRITING
At the moment, nothing. This week I'm focused on critiquing manuscripts for the MNYA Writers group, which meets on Saturday. I won't be able to attend because of a rather significant birthday party at our house, but I want to be 100% caught up on notes by the end of the weekend.
WHAT ELSE I'VE BEEN UP TO
Let's see - the weather is finally more spring-like, although yesterday we shattered records with a high of 98 degrees. Work, work, work, Cub Scout stuff, Mother's Day, etc.
WHAT INSPIRES ME RIGHT NOW
This week, I'm inspired by LOVE. Minnesota is full of LOVE right now. Yesterday Governor Mark Dayton signed the historic same-sex marriage bill into law. I'm proud to be a Minnesotan. I'm proud of my state representative, a republican for whom I did not vote, who was instrumental in the passage of the bill on the House side. He voted YES, against his party, because it was the right thing to do.
LOVE is the law. As of August 1, 2013, ALL loving and committed couples in Minnesota have the right to marry.
It's been an emotional few days as the bill first passed the House last week and the Senate on Monday. Take a look at this photo gallery of the signing and celebration and be inspired by LOVE.
And then enjoy this - a classic Suburbs tune that has become the anthem for Minnesota Marriage Equality!
What's up with you this week?
I have "What the World Needs Now Is Love" in my head right now and that's a good thing, because it's true. ♥ You can never go wrong with more love, as far as I'm concerned.
ReplyDeleteSo, this might sound crazy, but I've only ever read the first part of THE OUTSIDERS, and that was when I was doing a teaching practicum. I still have no idea how it ends. Should probably finish it sometime... ;-)
Way to go Minnesotans!
ReplyDeleteCritiquing for others is really rewarding. To do a whole manuscript is pretty intense, that's so nice of you :) I always find that I learn something new from critiquing for others.
Way to go, Minnesota!! Inspiring indeed.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, your niece really hated The Outsiders! Did you ask why? One of my students read it last year for seventh-grade and really liked it--they also watched the movie and she liked that too. It's always interesting to me when 'classics' hold up over generations. I remember liking it, but it's been so long since I've read it I don't actually remember much.
I have to admit, I've never read THE OUTSIDERS. It's one of those books I've always meant to get around to, but you know how it is with the never-ending TBR list.
ReplyDeleteAnd congratulations to Minnesota! There are a lot of happy people in those pictures you shared, and rightly so! I can see why you'd find this momentous occasion inspiring. :)
I love hearing all these stories of states getting on board. I can't wait for the day when the last state comes to its senses and this is no longer an issue. :)
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean about feeling the love from your state! Washington passed the same law late last year - and it was awe-inspiring to see all the footage of couples waiting in line at midnight the night before, to get their marriage license down at the courthouse! All I can say is it's about damn time, and I'm so happy that several of my friends have been able to finally tie the knot after so many years. So. Awesome.
ReplyDeleteI have not read OUTSIDERS yet...yes, I've seen the movie a million times, but for some reason, hadn't read it yet. It's been on my TBR list for eons - one of these days I'll get to it!
And I can't believe it was 98 degrees in your neck of the woods yesterday - holy shift in weather, Batman! Bet that little snow mound that was in your front yard is long gone now, eh?
I hope all your editing is going well - we need to catch up soon!
Way to go, Minnesota!!!! Yay!!!
ReplyDeleteI think I started reading The Outsiders but never finished it. Add me to the list of people saying "I should do that someday!"
98 degrees? Wow.
Those photos are lovely, so many happy people, yay Minnesota!
ReplyDeleteI've never read The Outsiders either.
Wow 98, can you send some of that heat across the atlantic please? It is still freezing in the UK
Yay Minnesota!
ReplyDeleteI read THE OUTSIDERS last summer just as I finished college. I'd never read it before and sometimes I feel like I missed out on a lot of "classic" YA (Outsiders, The Chocolate Wars) bc I just never read them. I loooved THE OUTSIDERS. I have yet to see the movie but love that they did a movie-tie-in book cover when you got it way back when. Too cool!
And *fans self* 98 degrees? Luckily there is a boy band to fix that (98 Degrees, haahhahaa #myhorriblesenseofhumor).
I taught seventh grade for a year (I usually taught eighth grade but we switched it up for a year) and I got to teach The Outsiders. The kids loved it, and so did I.
ReplyDeleteAwesome to Minnesota!
ReplyDeleteI haven't read THE OUTSIDERS since high school, but I loved it then. I was also really inspired by the author since she wrote it when she was a teen.
That's awesome for Minnesota. I hope that Fla will not be far behind, although we tend to be rather backwards in many ways. :(
ReplyDeleteAww, yay for love :) I can't wait until everyone has the right to marry WHOEVER they want--as it should be :)
ReplyDelete