Not the Eternal Tao

Last Monday, Memorial Day, I installed McAfee and ran a virus scan. When I went to bed, the scan was still running but had not found any viruses. I click the check box that told it to turn off the computer when the scan was complete if no viruses were found.

I didn't expect it to find any viruses. I'd used the free ClamWin security software until just a few days prior, unloading it only to load McAfee, which I wanted because it is proactive about scanning e-mails and other incoming files, and because it was free from my ISP. Unfortunately, there were some problems downloading McAfee from the Cox Web site, and I went about three days without any protection.

What is it that they say about HIV and pregnancy? It only takes one time?

I don't know if McAfee found a virus, but when I turned on my computer Tuesday evening, I got a black screen with text telling me some Windows files were missing. My current theory is that McAfee found some infected system files and quarantined them. It did not turn off the computer, but the computer hibernated. It either didn't return from hibernation or I assumed it was off and pressed the power switch long enough to turn it off. With the Windows files quarantined, Windows couldn't launch. But that's just a theory.

I had a virus myself--a cold. I stayed home from class and then from work, focused on getting my computer working again.

Modern PCs don't generally come with recovery discs. You're supposed to make them yourself. I was able to download a generic one from the Web, but it wasn't able to repair my Windows installation.

My computer has a recovery partition that can be used to restore the computer to its original state. I started to run that, but when I saw that it was going to reformat my hard drive, I stopped it.

I was able to get into DOS using the downloaded recovery CD, and from there I tried loading the missing Windows files, which I'd copied to CD from Andrew's computer. That seemed to work well until it asked me for the file named "System." I wasn't able to copy that from Andrew's computer because the file was in use. I might have been able to start Andrew's computer in DOS and copy the file that way, but there was no guarantee that I wasn't going to have to do that with 100 files, so I gave up on that idea.

I found information online that indicated I could reinstall Vista Home Premium if I got the CDs, and that this wouldn't damage my data; it would merely replace the damaged Windows installation. So I bought the CDs at Staples, for about $240. (By this point I was a little bit frantic.)

I reinstalled Windows. The computer started! But this was not a solution. First, all of my data was gone. Second, the generic installer didn't include any of the drivers specific to my computer. My screen looked wrong because its drivers weren't installed. I couldn't access the Internet because the drivers for my network hardware weren't installed.

I was almost in tears. It was the middle of the day and I was home alone and I screamed two or three times. I wondered whether I would ever again see some of the photos I'd had on my hard drive. That was my biggest concern. But there was also all of my school work, and my creative writing.

It was time to try to save the data. I called two companies that had Internet ads that claimed they would come to you and help you with computer problems. The first one left me on hold, which didn't bode well. The second one had a receptionist who told me she didn't know anything about computers, but that I should bring mine in for one of the techs. There were no techs there at the time, but they would want me to bring it in.

Hmm. I decided to return to Staples for some hard disk recovery software. I ended up talking to one of their EasyTech service people. He said the software probably wouldn't help me. He checked my computer and confirmed what I already knew: the data wasn't immediately accessible. He said he could run some software on the drive to see what can be recovered. I left the computer with him.

But wait... I automatically back up my computer to a network hard drive. I wondered what the state of the backup was. What had I told it to back up? And would I be able to access the backup files?

From another computer, I downloaded the software for the network drive. I loaded it on the other computer. I was able to read the network drive! Everything I could think of was there, with the exception of some photos I'd loaded two days prior. My Outlook files, Quicken files, photos, writing, school work—everything!

I called Staples to cancel the data recovery, and then went to get my computer. I would restore the computer to its factory condition from the recovery partition and then load the data back on the computer!

But wait. The recovery partition no longer worked. Apparently the Windows installation had ruined it. Fortunately, HP offers model-specific recovery CDs for a small fee. For less than $30 I was able to have them within 24 hours.

Much of this weekend has been spent restoring my computer. The recovery discs worked perfectly, though I had to install more than 90 updates from Microsoft after restoring. (That is not an exaggeration.) There were two software packages I'd installed electronically rather than from discs, and I was able to get access to both online at no additional charge.

It has been interesting for me to observe my response to this situation. I believe in the wisdom of accepting reality. I did scream a little, but I didn't yell at anyone or blame anyone. In fact, for the most part I just accepted the situation. Which isn't to say I didn't try to remedy it. I did try, and it is remedied.

And thank goodness for backups. I have a backup system because I know this can happen. I am thankful that the system worked.

So I guess there are two morals to the story: freaking out won't help anything, and preparing for potential problems can help a lot.

Andrew and I spent the last nine days in Montréal with our friends Joseph, Steve, and Traci. This entry describes our culinary adventure.

Not long after Traci arrived on Saturday, she and Andrew and I set out for the Marché Atwater, to stock up on supplies for the week. The market is something like the Pike Place Market, though not as big, and with as many cheese stores as the Pike Place Market has fish stores. We stopped at the Boulangerie Première Moisson for lunch. I had the Croque-Monsieur, which was delightful. After we ate, I stood in the long line to buy bread. I got plain and chocolate croissants, a baguette, a multigrain round, jam, and coffee.

I did not then know it, but Boulangerie Première Moisson would turn out to be a big part of our time in Montreal. There was another one about seven blocks from our rented townhouse, and I stopped there many times during the week. All of their pastries were good, but their raspberry danish was superlative.

On Sunday we found ourselves looking for a place to eat near the Musée Des Beaux-Arts De Montréal. It was Mother's Day. The bistro at the museum was open only to families. The fancy Italian restaurant we'd passed earlier was reserved for a private party. We somehow found our way to the dining room of Il Cortile, at the back of a retail building on Sherbrooke. (They do not seem to have a Web site, which is a shame.) There we got the prix fixe dinner, which turned out to be one of the best meals we had in Montreal.

It started with roasted eggplant with fresh tomato sauce and mozzarella. Then there were two pasta courses: linguine with fresh tomato sauce and gnocchi with Gorgonzola sauce. There were three options for the main course. None of us had the chicken. Two of us had the veal, the others had salmon. The main course was the weakest course of the meal. We followed that with a nice bitter green salad, perfect to prepare us for the almond layered cake dessert. The meal took over three hours, every moment a pleasure. The staff was very attentive, which was typical of our experience in Montréal.

The next day we had lunch at Europea Espace Boutique in the Vieux Montréal, which was recommended by Eat Shop Montréal. It's not a fancy place, but the food was good. The pecan tart was fantastic. They give cool reusable lunch-sack sized bags for take-away.

After wandering through the Vieux Montréal that afternoon, we stopped for drinks and snacks at Vallier. A couple of us had beet salads. I had the maple pudding. It was a pudding in the British rather than the American sense. It had both cake-like and custard qualities. I love maple, cake, and custard, and this pudding succeeded on all three levels.

We spent most of Wednesday wandering through Parc du Mont-Royal. We began looking for a place to eat as soon as we found our way out of the park. It can be difficult to get five people to agree on a restaurant. Some are more adventurous than others, some don't want carbs, some don't like seafood, some want to save money, and so on. Anyway, we found a little place called Cantine. The menu was both familiar (burgers!) and daring (the burgers are made from bison, deer, and wapati meat). Andrew and I had the burgers, which were huge and delicious. The others had less unusual but equally delicious foods. The owner was very friendly and kind, opening some of the dinner menu to us at 4:45 in the afternoon.

We wandered through Montreal searching for sushi for an hour or so around midnight Wednesday. Eventually we decided Montreal wasn't a late-night sushi town, though sushi was found at a grocery store after we'd given up. The next day we were in Quebec City with sushi still on the brain. We asked the concierge at Hotel 71 to make us a reservation at the place she recommended, Yuzu.

The Yuzu menu featured both traditional and innovative items. They had rolls containing cooked lobster, which I like. We already had the impression, from experiences at Mexican and Thai restaurants, that Québecois do not favor spicy foods. The experience at Yuzu confirmed this: our platters came with about a half teaspoon of wasabi each. When the waitress, who was as beautiful as she was helpful, discovered that we liked wasabi, she brought us a complimentary platter of sushi made with flying-fish eggs infused with wasabi. I'd not previously been a fan of fish eggs, but these were fantastic.

Our last night in Montréal was a Friday. We wanted something special, but we'd been in Quebec City and hadn't made a reservation anywhere. We considered French and then tapas before deciding we'd go with whatever we could find that could seat five people. The Wallpaper* City Guide: Montréal recommended Brontë, which was just five blocks from our townhouse. When I saw that they served rabbit and sweetbread, two foods I'd never eaten, I figured it would be memorable.

It was indeed. (See top photo.) Though the Web site said 48 hours notice was required for a reservation, they were able to seat us at 8:00. There was virtually nothing "normal" on the menu. It was also expensive: the entrées ran $36, and the waitperson told us they were small enough that we should get starters as well. We had rabbit, sweetbread, and an off-menu green salad to start. We followed that with lobster and quail, salmon with morels, and halibut with chorizo. Every dish was presented beautifully. The chef sent an amuse-bouche, and then a between-course treat of chicken pâté. We finished by splitting three desserts. By the end of the evening, I'd tried at least three foods I'd never eaten before.

We each guessed the total of the bill before it came, and several of us were quite close. I think it was also the biggest bill I've seen for an impromptu dinner out.

My final story isn't a restaurant story, but it includes a culinary element. Eat Shop Montréal recommended 3 Femmes & 1 Coussin for one-of-a-kind tableware. This was the kind of shop I knew no one else in my group would want to visit, so when we got separated one afternoon in the Plateau neighborhood, I took the opportunity go there alone. They sell flatware and some kitchen tools, but mostly white porcelain ware from Europe. Their specialty is imported porcelain they decorate themselves. Each dish is unique, though you can get a set that uses the same motif. (See lower photo.) The woman who helped me—one of the owners—was in the midst of firing something. I bought a square platter and large salad bowl, which I am happy to say I got home without breaking.

We have a mockingbird that lives in one of the trees or poles outside of our house. It sings ALL NIGHT LONG EVERY NIGHT. The other night, when it was unusually cold, it stopped briefly. But otherwise it sings all the time. Right now it sounds like it’s saying “Ebert Ebert Ebert.”

Anyway, Andrew just got a new phone that has a QWERTY keyboard, and I wanted to text him so he could use his keyboard to text me back. I texted him about the mockingbird, using the feature on my non-QWERTY phone that recognizes words as I type. When I typed “mockingbird,” it gave me “mockingbire.” The dictionary could spell the first 10 letters of the word correctly, but missed the eleventh. I thought maybe its dictionary only includes 10 letters per word, but then why didn’t it use the first letter from the DEF key when I pressed that key? Maybe it has an algorithm that tells it to pick the most commonly-used letter from each key after the first 10 letters?

I like imagining Carly Simon and James Taylor singing “Mockingbire.” Mock. Yeah. Ing. Yeah. Bire. What? Mock-ing-bire!

From Mate magazine.

Facebook is like God: I love and fear it.

If a tree falls in Facebook, and no one hears it, does it make a sound? What am I talking about? A Q-Tip falling in Facebook would get its own group and probably a video and a petition.

Facebook opened up to non-students in September 2006. I joined in April 2007. I hesitated because I'd already been part of Friendster almost since it began, and then MySpace. I'd enjoyed Friendster a lot at first, but once I got a blog and a relationship, I spent less time there. I was never big into MySpace.

Because it started as a student space inhabited almost entirely by people under 25, I didn't immediately take to Facebook either. But the more friend requests I got, the more I liked it—not because it stroked my ego, but because there were more people I knew at the "party." Over the past few weeks, Facebook has reached a tipping point for me. My friend count has probably doubled. The more friends that are there, the more fun it is, and the more enthusiastic I and my friends are about spreading the word to our friends who aren't already there.

I did a little accidental evangelism this week. I don't remember whether Facebook asked me, or I asked it, but I got a screen that showed me all of the people from my Outlook address book who are on Facebook. I clicked a box for each person to whom I wanted to send a friend request. I clicked Submit or Send or whatever and thought I was done.

Now, I was doing this in class. (Don't tell anyone.) I wasn't paying complete attention to the process. What I'm going to describe now is something I only figured out after I did it. Facebook displayed another screen, with a list of everyone in my Outlook address book who wasn't on Facebook. I have 550 entries in my Outlook address book, though probably only about 2/3 have e-mail addresses in their records. Facebook asked whether I wanted to invite everyone in the list to join Facebook. Like I said, I wasn't paying attention. I half thought I was telling it to send friend requests to the people I'd selected in the previous step, and I half thought I was clicking Cancel.

And then I figured out what I'd done. I tried to stop it. I hit ESC and the Back button and ALT plus the left arrow key. I closed Firefox. But it was too late. Everyone who had an e-mail address in my Outlook address book, and who wasn't already in Facebook, got an invitation from me. Judges, salespeople, ex boyfriends, estranged siblings, everyone. The Lord works in mysterious ways?

I have made some fun reconnections. One of my old roommates from Seattle lives just 30 miles from me in California now. I've reconnected with a roommate from my time at University of Idaho. And I'm getting to "hang out" with people that I'm not BFFs with, but who I really like. So I'm happy to be there.

But it's definitely affecting my blogging. You'll notice I've hardly made a peep here.

One last thing: does Facebook remind anyone else of AOL circa 1995? It's the place to be. Everything is there. There are ads. I guess the big difference is that it's not constantly asking me for money. And it doesn't take forever to load. But I don't doubt that it will be bought by Time Warner.

I'm in a new book. Jesse Reklaw included one of my dreams in his second volume of dream cartoons, titled The Night of Your Life. (Another of my dreams appeared in his earlier collection, Dreamtoons.) I need to start sending him some more dreams.

I should be listed as a critical reviewer for a book coming out later this year: the second edition of Garner's Modern American Usage.

But enough about me.

My friend Laura Sims has her very own book coming out. Stranger is her second book of poems, from Fence Books. See her Web site for more information.

Are any of my other friends showing up in books or having books thrown at them? If so, let me know. I'll up your Google rating with a link!

A friend of a friend works for the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and that meant I somehow had a ticket to see Penelope Cruz win the Outstanding Performer of the Year award. I think it might be glamorous to be feted at such an event. You know what's not glamorous? Being one of the mass of people in the crowd. The top photo is of me pretending to avoid the paparazzi, with Andrew, our friend Giovanni, and (hidden by me), Madonna. I mean Melissa.

The program was pretty cool. It consisted of clips from Penelope's 17-year career in films, from Belle Epoque to Vicky Christina Barcelona, interrupted by the festival director interviewing Cruz. I've enjoyed Cruz's work since first seeing her in Blow, but I left the theater with a greater admiration for her. There are two reasons for this. First, she seems to be a delightful person. She was humble, expressing gratitude for all of the opportunities she's had. Second, the film montages of her work provided overwhelming evidence of her talent.

We went to the afterparty for the people rich or cool enough to get into a party, but not rich or cool enough to get to go to the party where Penelope Cruz was. That felt a little more glamorous than waiting in line at the theater. The bottom photo, from the party, shows Giovanni, Andrew, Melissa, Kristin, me, and Soeren.

We've been upgrading the living room over the past couple weeks. So far, that has involved two new chairs, a new ottoman, and two new lamps. We've been moving toward modern, with the Noguchi coffee table and leather sectional. Now, with the George Kovacs lamps and Natuzzi chair, we're pretty much there.

What with the rearranging we've been doing, we were left with a relatively large open wall space. For the first time since we've been together—just over three years—we were faced with buying a work of art that we both liked. Our tastes are not identical, so that has been an interesting project.

We quickly agreed that we wanted something other than a painting. We wanted something three-dimensional, and we soon narrowed our focus to metal wall sculptures.

We discovered that the king of metal wall sculpture is the mysterious C. Jeré. Google the name and you'll get more than 10,000 hits. The piece we ended up buying is signed "C. Jere 1981."

Who is C. Jeré? I did a couple hours of research and created a Wikipedia page for the artist. "He" is a company, Artisan House, that manufactures and markets work by a variety of artists under the C. Jeré name. That explains the wide range of the works. The name is sort of a concatenation of the two founders of the company: Kurt Freiler (hence, "Curtis" or "C.") and Jerry Fels (hence, "Jeré").

The art arrived Tuesday, January 20. It was in excellent shape, and it was very easy to mount on the wall. Now we are getting used to it. It's so unique that it's almost hard to know how to look at it. There's not a focal point within the work; rather, the work is a focal point within the living room. I think Andrew liked it more than I did until it arrived, and now I like it more than he does.

This is a photo of a clear Mylar balloon with an image of a Gerbera daisy on it, photographed at night with a flash.

We had a party today, to celebrate the end of the Bush era, the start of the Obama era, and Martin Luther King Day. We had 70 guests!

I made lamb stew and couscous. Andrew made a chicken salad and a bean-and-fennel salad. Our friend Rosaleen brought a huge roasted-vegetable salad. And there was a more. I made two kinds of chocolate chip cookies for dessert.

There were a few group moments. I shushed everyone and played an MP3 of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.

I’d printed some Bush paper dolls of some art I’d found online. I'd set them out on the coffee table with some crayons, and people had written on them and colored them. A few hours into the party we threw them in the fire.

Amazingly, three hours later the house was back to normal, with all of the glasses washed and everything in its place.

We had a New Year's party in Palm Springs last night. We're renting a house with Tom and Marq (see the previous post). Our friends Giovanni, Kristin, Philip, and Christopher are also in town. Juliette, an MFA-program friend who now lives in LA drove out. Tom and Marq's friends Nick and John joined us as well. We had a very nice time!

We didn't demand or even suggest formal attire, but I have a tux that doesn't get a lot of use, so I wore that until I got too hot. Juliette showed up in a black velvet evening gown, so I wasn't the only fancy reveler.

We ate, danced, and chatted.

Andrew had a bottle of 1993 Dom Perignon he'd been keeping in the refrigerator at home for three years. He'd just read that good champagne shouldn't be refrigerated for more than a few days, so he was concerned it was ruined. It was not! The photo shows him and Philip comparing the Dom Perignon with a Moët & Chandon. The Dom won. I don't drink, but I smelled them, and the Dom even smelled better. Andrew decided to save the other bottle of Dom, a 1999, since everyone who wanted champagne had gotten his or her fill.




(Andrew didn't have a hangover today, so he is going to stick to all Dom Perignon all the time, preferably the 1993 vintage. Unfortunately, that's going to cost him about $450 a bottle.)

We watched the time-delay of the ball dropping at Times Square, kissed, and then played charades and Taboo. Giovanni and Kristin are quite good (and competitive) at both.

We had such a good time with our friends Tom and Marq (pictured) when we came to Palm Springs in March that we decided to do it again in December.





We rented another house. This one was smaller, less expensive, and nicer. As you can see, the kitchen is very nice. This was important because we did a lot of cooking. Tom put together a couple vegan meals. I made cookies. And our friend Kristin (pictured) made a pie.

While we shared the house with only Tom and Marq, we had several other friends in town. Kristin and her husband, Giovanni, stayed at the fabulous Korakia, while Christopher and Philip were at the East Canyon Hotel and Spa. We had the four of them over December 30.

This entry is backdated for Christmas, but I'm writing it January 1. I got a pretty bad cold the day after Christmas. Also, I've been in Palm Springs since the day after Christmas. So here's a little Christmas report.

We made all of our gifts. We gave candles this year. I chose scents from the yard of my Idaho childhood: juniper, peony, lilac, and spruce. Andrew chose two additional scents: apple blossom (which we coincidentally had in our yard in Idaho) and bayberry (which turned out to be my favorite). We made 48 square votives and 24 flower-pot votives. The process was fun and pretty easy, and it was relatively economical.

Andrew and I had set a budget on gifts to each other. I got him a compost bin (romantic!), a silver-and-enamel ring, a red-lacquered jewelry box, and the Springer Spaniel throw shown in the photo. The throw is for Lily to sleep on. (She sleeps on the bed with us and Lao.)

He got me a caramel-colored leather jewelry box, gold cuff links with the scales of justice on them, and a bottle of Aveda Man cologne.

My sister Deb got me the coolest Cat Tao Glasses. You already know my cat is named Lao Tzu. It's almost like these glasses were made just for me. Click the link to see the amusing contradictory/complimentary messages on the glasses. I love them.

Of course we got a lot of other very nice gifts. Formal thank-you notes are forthcoming.

I'm one of those people who thinks Obama isn't really against gay marriage, and that he just says he is because he has to. But like this writer says, if we were assuming Obama was going to reach out to gays after the election, the invitation to Rick Warren was a rude awakening.

This opinion piece in Time puts it this way: "Obama has proved himself repeatedly to be a very tolerant, very rational-sounding sort of bigot."

I still have faith that Obama is going to do the right thing. I hope I'm right.

I had high hopes for Equality California. I made excuses to my friends when the organization seemed disorganized. I figured leadership was too focused on the campaign against Prop 8 to address ordinary administrative tasks. But the campaign is over and problems have piled on top of problems. I have to say something.

1. I held a small fundraiser for No on 8 over July 4 weekend. My friends and I raised $1,250. That’s not a huge amount, but neither is it insignificant. Three months later my check was still uncashed. It wasn't until I'd contacted them twice that my check cleared my account. But that was just one of the checks in the packet. I have twice asked EQCA for acknowledgment of the contents of the packet, which included some cash. No one has replied to those messages.


2. EQCA Director Geoffrey Kors took a two-and-a-half week vacation to Spain in July of 2008, in the middle of the Prop 8 campaign. That was very poor timing. Can you imagine Barack Obama's campaign manager taking a long vacation last July?


3. The feedback form on the EQCA contact page is poorly designed. It displays about eight words at a time. This is characteristic of a bigger problem with EQCA: it isn't open to dialogue. The Web site doesn't include any blogs or community forums, and it doesn’t list e-mail addresses for leaders or staff. EQCA sends out many e-mails, but they don't respond to replies. Communications go one way only.

I do not blame EQCA for the passage of Prop 8. I don't blame anyone. We saw some progress from the last statewide referendum about gay rights, so there was even some success. But I am not blind to the fact that there are some problems at EQCA.

Today EQCA sent a mass e-mail asking people to complete a survey about the organization’s priorities. But rather than asking open-ended questions about what's important to GLBT people, EQCA provided lists that it asked people to rank. Still, the survey is a step in the right direction.

EQCA needs to engage in a more personal, grass-roots way. Leadership spends too much in dialogue with the leaders of other GLBT organizations, and not enough time in dialogue with the GLBT people of California. The leaders need to tour the state and get feedback from people outside of LA, San Francisco, and Sacramento.

I believe EQCA is a good organization, and that the leaders and staff are doing their best. Like the other GLBT people of California, I need it! I plan to continue to support EQCA. But something needs to change there.

I've been in the midst of finals, so I haven't had the chance to say that Lao is better. He started eating again last Sunday, after a week of anorexia we believe was associated with an infection. He is still a little dazed. He's lived through a major health event. But he's more affectionate than ever, in spite of the fact that I've been prying his mouth open and dropping pills into the back of his throat. I'm very, very happy that he's still alive. I wasn't sure he would be.

Yesterday was supposed to be the Day Without a Gay throughout the U.S. Promoters had asked LGBT people to:

• “Call in gay” and not show up for work



• Withdraw $80 from a bank account



• Limit purchases to gay-owned businesses



• Volunteer

I didn’t participate for a few reasons.

1. The message was muddled. Our plight is not primarily economic, so an economic protest doesn’t seem appropriate.



2. Even if an economic protest were appropriate, it would have to be very well organized to be effective. Organizers should have attempted to get buy-in from gay-rights organizations like HRC, EQCA, Courage Campaign, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and so on. Maybe they did and were rejected, I don’t know. In any case, the event was poorly promoted.



3. Some employers are friendly to gays and some are hostile. I can’t think of a rational basis for not showing up to work at a gay-friendly business. “Calling in gay” at a business hostile to gay rights could get a person fired for cause, even in places where discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is prohibited. “Calling in gay” doesn’t seem like a good idea in either case.

I do see one potential benefit: more people may come out. I think that’s almost always a good thing.

I sent the following informal, unscientific, e-mail survey to 115 or so LGBT friends.

Did you participate in Day Without A Gay today? If so, how?

I did not participate. The company I work for is gay-friendly and I wasn't able to formulate a good reason for me not showing up. I'm interested in hearing what other people did or didn't do.

These are some of the 23 responses I got:

I did not [participate] either. It would be interesting to see/hear the results. Of course this only would really work if people announce their REASONS for not showing up. If they just DISAPPEAR, with no explanation then no message is really being sent... or, another way to say it is that the communication can be interpretted in any way the recipient chooses.

It's equivalent to when a spouse acts angry and when questioned about it says, "What do you mean 'what's wrong'? You should know what I'm angry about!"

***

I work from home. I am my own employer and I am quite gay-friendly. It would be quite easy not to show up but it would lack impact. ;)

***

First I've heard of it! Cute idea but I can't imagine much impact. Plus I work for myself...

***

I'm self-employed, and no, I'm not participating today. I'm also not doing much work, as it happens, just because of how my schedule has shaken out this week, but I don't have anyone to "call in gay" to, anyway.

***

I'd love to know what you learn from your poll. I have been intrigued by the idea, and several groups locally have volunteer activities for those who do want to give back to the community instead of going to work today. (Pride Foundation, Northwest Women's Law Center, ERW, etc.)

***

I'm here at [a regional LGBT/HIV services provider]. In fact we are all here. I knew but likewise couldn't think of a good excuse for not coming in.

The [local newspaper] called us this am to get a statement about Day Without Gay. Half our staff didn't even know about it until the [newspaper] called.

Silly uninformed gays. Personally I think Day Without Gay is unproductive. I'd rather have a Day of Pink where everyone wears pink and is highly visible instead of simply missing!

***

I work for myself, so I am working today. I am not spending any money, except for buying lunch at a gay owned establishment (if they are open!) And I’m withdrawing the $80...

***

I went to work. I am one of four gays that I work with directly. I think that I am pretty supported or I wouldn't stay.

***

Yesterday I met with folks who promoted today's event (in front of the Castro Theatre).

I signed the repeal Prop 8 petition, I bought a button, they gave me flyers about today's protest (at 6pm) and they videotaped me talking to them about it.

Today I am not leaving my house during the day, and no one can see me anyway -- but I am actually working on a project that is due in January. [The company I am contracting for] wouldn't know if I was taking the day off or not. And no one has written me any work related emails so far. I am so invisible as a worker that if I chose to read my book today and not work, I'm sure no one would notice or even care.

So I AM technically working today, but I plan on walking to 24th and Mission at 6pm to see the protest event tonight. Which makes me half gay, for half a day. Which is sort of perfect since I'm bi!!!

I just cannot conceive of a day without a gay, because even as I walked [my dog] this morning, I am completely and utterly surrounded by pure love. Some sweet man walked by us and said "She's too pretty to poop!"

***

I don't have a boss except [my husband], but I'm not doing anything he tells me to do today.

***

To be honest, I don't know what it is. But I did come to work for myself today and I know I'm gay friendly!

***

No, I didn't participate. But to be perfectly honestly, I didn't even KNOW about it until today when a coworker mentioned it.

On the bright side, I've probably done more to be a gay ambassador here than anyone else [in the part of the country where I live]. Seriously, I don't edit myself AT ALL around a bunch of very hardcore deep woods rednecks.

***

I traveled all day today via plane, so I couldn’t de-gay the airlines without pissing off some clients : ) But I said hi to a lot of people so they new gay people were friendly… (just so they knew, I carried a rainbow flag with me to all airports).

***

Is that today?I haven't worked out my POV on this. So far I have continued my life activities. Many of the tasks that I am involved with at the moment have impending deadlines.

***

Interesting, I hadn't heard of it.

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Interesting thought - I did not participate either. Partially because my company is very gay friendly, and quite honestly, because I have so much work to do that the hindrance it would have exemplified would not as much point out to the company what it would be like without this gay, but rather would cause undue stress and havoc for me as I made up for work missed today.

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nope not me either... [the company I work for] is pretty friendly, and most of the people who would notice my absence voted no on 8... there's a couple of iffy people out there but not many.

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I didn't participate. I am already generous with my time and $$ with the organizations that I support, and like everyone else I find ways to be so without inconveniencing my employers or jeopardizing my work. Meanwhile, the would-be political motives behind "calling in gay" sounded ponderous at best, self-pitying at worst, so I did as I generally do with boycotts (because they really don't work) and opted out.

So I'm with you...unless your workplace is off-the-charts homophobic, or you've got some personal axe to grind, the idea of confronting your co-workers by "calling in gay" seems pretty pointless. In fact I'm curious to know whether it has paid off under any circumstances.

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I freelance and I need money now, so taking a day off is out of the question.

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I didn’t show, but, I’ve had the day scheduled off for a while. They are bitching like its hell on earth, but, that is to be expected.

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The country I live in [Canada] is gay friendly! so I went to work.