Day 27 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? I ran my errands by bike today.
This is an old picture but it embodies how I felt after riding 21 miles today.
Last week, I proved to myself that I can easily bike to library to get books and DVDs. Â Today, I took it to the next level and ran all my errands by bike. My ride started around 9am with a ride to the library to exchange some DVDs. I stopped off at home to drop of my DVDs and grab a snack before heading out again. I rode into Tempe to pick up a prescription and check out Zia’s Records. Zia’s is giving 20% off if you shop with a Golden Coupon during Independents Week (not a typo). I appreciate that the City of Tempe has invested a lot of energy and funding into making the city safer for cyclists with lots of bike lanes and racks. In all, I rode about 21 miles today. My legs were pretty tired and I was worn out in general by the time finished these two rides.
Although I sprayed myself down with sunblock before I got dressed today, I still got a bit of a sunburn on my arms and the beginning of a farmer’s tan on my thighs. And I hate having tan lines. Note to self: re-apply sunblock frequently.
I want to be someone who doesn’t rely on their car for every errand. Getting out and riding more often is showing me I can accomplish a lot even in a city with a substantial amount of urban sprawl.
Day 26 of the 90 Days of Awesome is in the bank! What made today awesome? The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that same-sex marriage is legal and protected the by the U.S. Constitution!
Rainbow by Benson Kua from Flickr (Creative Commons License)
It seemed like this ruling was going to be a given for same-sex marriage, but conversely, it means so much. Remember, homosexuality was regarded as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association until the 1970s. Just under 30 years later, I was at San Francisco Pride right after the Lawrence v. Texas (which legalized consensual sodomy between adults) came out. I was a newly-out baby queer, just basking in the fabulousness of the Castro. I hope people at Pride festivals this weekend are having a similar experience.
During my lifetime, we went from calling homosexuality an “alternative lifestyle,†to legalizing gay sex, to legalizing same-sex marriage. Not only have we legalized getting laid and getting hitched (woo-hoo!) the Supreme Court has legitimized same-sex marriages. At this point, we don’t need to say, “gay marriage†or “gay wedding.†When two people decide to get married, they have a “wedding.â€
As I drove into work, I listened to some of the reaction on NPR from people who were unhappy about the ruling. I thought, “Ugh. Just leave each other alone,†before changing the channel. I always thought it was strange when opponents said that legalizing same-sex marriage would damage heterosexual relationships. I can think of only two instances when someone’s relationship creates a problem in my life – and I use the term “problem†loosely:
If I’m attracted to someone and thinking about hitting on them. (Note to self: always check the left hand.)
If my friend is connected at the hip to their significant other whom I don’t like. (The same is true for a friend who is perpetually with their best friend and I can’t stand the best friend.)
That’s my butt & my Queer Pride shirt (2003)
Neither of these issues have anything to do with sexual orientation (or race, religion, gender, etc.). I hope as a country we are moving towards the idea of protecting individual rights, including the right to your own beliefs – with the caveat that this doesn’t give you permission to dictate what’s right for others. Stay out of my wallet, my sex life, and my reproductive organs. I don’t tell you what’s wrong with your relationship or life choices (to your face) and I would appreciate the same courtesy.
FYI – Your relationship – no one’s relationship – has ever legitimized or minimized any of my romantic relationships.
I probably spent two hours after the announcement reading the reactions on Facebook and Twitter with giddy excitement. I finally had to tell myself, “You need to calm the fuck down and get some work done today.â€
It was a good day. Congratulations everyone! Thank you U.S. Supreme Court – at the five of you who made the right decision.
I spoke to law students and lawyers along the west coast about social media marketing during The Undeniable Tour earlier this year. The Washington Bar Association asked if I would do a webinar version of this talk. Of course, I jumped at the opportunity.
So today was the day – at noon, I jumped on the webinar with Mark Jordan of the Solo and Small Practice Section and spent just over an hour talking with 3-4 dozen people about how I use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, and blogging to network and build my practice. I really tried to emphasize the interactive nature of social media, compared to print ads and billboards which are a one-way communication. I also tried to focus on how important it is to make time to blog, to be present on the platforms where you choose to create an account, and to be authentic. There is no split between my professional and personal lives.
We ended the webinar with questions from the audience and the thoughtfulness of their questions suggested that many of them are ready to take the plunge into blogging and being more active on social media. All the feedback I’ve heard so far was positive, so I hope I’ve helped this group be more effective at networking and promoting their knowledge and work.
I hope I get to do more things like this in the future. It’s a bit weird to post a sign on my door that says “Webinar in Progress. Please Do Not Disturb†and spend an hour talking at my laptop screen and webcam, but it’s a lot of fun too.
