Celebrity Hunt

Whenever I travel, especially to the east or west coast, I am constantly scanning the people around me. I'm looking for celebrities. I don't want an autograph and I don't bother them. (A year or so ago, I almost knocked Abby down on a NY street because Chris Rock was standing next to us.)

In this silly but harmless quest, I've been rewarded. I have seen and/or met:

OJ Simpson in the Dallas airport (while he was an athlete and before he became a murderer.)
Teri Garr in a CA hotel.
Jane Seymour in an airport.
Henry Winkler in a NY restaurant.
Kelly Ripa walking down a NY street.
Brooke Shields and Chris Henchy with their daughter in NY.
JFK, Jr. riding his bike in NY.
One of the Wilson brothers (Luke or Owen) on the subway.
Vincent Price, Jane Pauley, Ted Koppel, G. Gordon Liddy in various places.

There are many more.

Last night, the husband and I went to one of our favorite haunts. He stopped in the men's room so I headed to grab a couple of seats at the bar. I ordered us each a glass of wine and took out my notebook to jot down some thoughts. When he joined me, he asked, "Did you see who you're sitting next to?"

Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts Quarterback and Superbowl MVP two years ago. Local celebrity of huge magnitude. Big brother of Eli Manning, Superbowl MVP in this year's game. I've met him before but never bellied up to a bar next to him.

As usual, my head was in the clouds and my nose was in a notebook until the husband reeled me back to the real world.

The oldies lived with us when our Colts won the Superbowl. She would've been so impressed that I was sitting next to Peyton.

Gay Marriage

California's recent ruling to allow gay marriage has been in the national news lately. I'm just conservative enough for the word "marriage" between two same sex people to rankle me. I'm just liberal enough to think this is none of my business and why can't they have some of the benefits that are automatic with legal marriage?

One of our city's largest employers recognizes domestic partnerships in terms of benefits, etc. I suspect more and more companies will do the same in coming years. It's a good time to be a lawyer because I am certain that many of these unions will fail and without a legal partnership, people will be suing for what they assume is rightfully theirs.

I don't have the answers. The heterosexual model of marriage has proven to be less than ideal. The statistics are dismal.

As a society, we seem to have surrendered to the idea of a baby or two before marriage as an okay thing. Two people living together is no longer considered living in sin. Divorce isn't shocking. (I'm not judging -- I've done a couple of these things myself.)

I don't understand the fear. What could gay marriage do to this institution that we haven't already done?

Opposite Coasts

Part of the reason the husband and I were trying to steal a little time last night is that we are headed to opposite coasts next week. We've got to coordinate some time with baby while he's home on break and my rock & roll husband has two band gigs coming up this weekend. Throw in work issues and Hangdog ... well, we're trying to be a well-oiled machine. We're failing but don't we get credit for trying?

The husband is going on a business trip to California. Several of my girlfriends are going to Florida for a winter escape. I did not plan to attend but the husband has concluded I must go. Secretly, I think he's deciding between sending me on a girlfriend trip or visiting me in the nut house. (I am not making fun of mental illness.)

So, I will go to Florida for a few days. The husband will go to California. Hangdog will be in the Home. Hangdog will call me at least five times each day.

I'm taking books and lots of work stuff. I will never turn off my cell phone. I may fed ex the dog pillow to Florida. Curling up on it gives me a strange comfort.

Cross check and call forward. I'm out of here for a few days. Of course, I will still blog.