(Community Matters) Made it back to Austin just after 11pm. Quite a miracle actually when you think about being able to travel half way around the world in 26 hours, including a 6 hour layover in Newark.

Lots of time to think, read, sleep, talk w/ & be w/ Steven on the journey.

Many thoughts in addition to miracle of modern travel:

how lucky Steven and I are, how much we love our family, friends and community.

how I regret that I pop off sometimes – most recently in my communication about/with Congressman Doggett, re: some of our neighborhood issues, even about Mike Levy who does add an important voice on important city issues.

It hurts my heart that so many in the LGBT community feel so disappointed and neglected by Obama. I don’t share the disappointment or pessimism but understand it. And, I think about how glad I am that he is our president. Eight months ago I was mostly praying we wouldn’t experience another great depression. I truly think this administration helped save us from that (though, I’m still quite worried about the global economy and don’t consider us yet completely out of danger). Increased CHIP funding, equal pay for women, the stimulus package, the budget, reversal of environmental policies, so much that helps us all. And, I don’t doubt his commitment to hate crimes, enda, doing away with Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, overturning DOMA. He’s only been in office 162 days.

Healthcare – good gosh we need universal coverage & changes to our system. I do want him to muster political capital to change our system. Don’t understand when some say we have the best healthcare system in the world – we have the most expensive, 49 million American have no coverage, life expectancy of Americans has gone down, 40ish % of all costs in last 6 months of life, significantly higher infant mortality than most industrialized countries (for sure Japan, UK, Germany, Switzerland).

I know & regret I didn’t give Lloyd the benefit of the doubt about the federal benefits issue. Lots of other thoughts generated by planning for an event in August and what I might say, how so many others work so hard for no recognition and how I get way more attention and appreciation for work that others would be thrilled to do.

The trip was fantastic – mostly because it was intense alone time with Steven. I hope others don’t think I take such luxuries lightly. It was a business trip for Steven. It was lucky for me that flights are so ridiculously inexpensive (or were when I booked) and that hotels are a fraction of normal costs. I love that traveling with ST isn’t about staying luxuriously, or shopping, or staying out partying. We witness others, usually spend our days frugally & mostly soak up the communities where we’re lucky to visit.

Home sweet home. Wouldn’t want to live any place else.

(Community Matters) Thrilled to receive a note this morning from Congressman Lloyd Doggett confirming he has again co-sponsored the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and has signed on as a sponsor to Rep. Tammy Baldwin’s legislation to provide full & equal federal benefits for LGBT federal employees (the Domestic Partners Benefits and Obligations Act of 2009). Additionally, the Congressman has earlier affirmed his commitment to overturning Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.

(Community Matters)

(Community Matters) Article on gay/straight friendships in today’s NYTimes (btw: I would have abbreviated as str8, but that’d be way too gay).

Ritch C. Savin-Williams, a professor of developmental psychology at Cornell University, recently completed a survey of 160 men, straight and gay, and found that gay men provided valuable social insights to straight men.

Well, I don’t know about the insights, but my closest str8 mates are all very comfortable with their own sexuality and simply ignore/barely abide my jests.

(Community Matters) Up early today and checked out the highly recommended Flying Pan in SoHo for breakfast, reminds me of Star Seeds in Austin, of which I’m quite fond. Wanted to try Joyce Is Not Here but they weren’t open, may have drinks there later.

In the beginning god created music; on the 2nd day god read & enjoyed coffee; then the 3rd day he started drawing; accompanied by food; and wine; the 4th day was sunny so he learned to dance; the 5th day was lonely so he looked for somebody to decorate the house, going to the internet he found joyce!!!; traveling with her on the 6th day; he collected treasures finally on the last day he wanted to make his elaborate home, a concept store he lovingly named it JOYCE

Joyce Is Not Here

Buddha Bar

While walking to the Flying Pan at 7am-ish, passed the Buddha Bar which was obviously going strong from cars and sounds escaping. An escaping aroma also suggested an appreciation for Moroccan delicacies.

Repulse Bay

Gained its name after pirates were finally repulsed by the British Navy in the 1800s, though another story that it’s named after a British ship. On par with Peak real estate prices, a most desirable place on the island to live.

Stanley Market

I’m reading that over 140,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong as domestics. I’ve seen the Sunday (their only day off) gatherings before, when thousands gather in Central to socialize, have picnics, do each others’ hair and nails. A friend says they call them sparrows. We were early but already hundreds gathered at the HSBC plaza and thousands more walking toward Central, Victoria Park and the Cultural Center as we walked back to our hotel for Steven’s siesta. (Steven’s been in three continents in the last three weeks – his clock a bit confused these days)

A few more pics from the Peak last night:

(Community Matters) yikes, I was seriously thinking of expanding the yard farm to the front yard if our experiment is successful.

(Community Matters) I’ve been reading Bryan Burrough’s The Big Rich about Texas’ earliest and most successful oil men, especially Sid Richardson, HL Hunt, Hugh Roy Cullen & Clint Murchison. I’m not surprised to read of their active bigotry toward Blacks & Mexicans, but I am floored to read of their overt & loud 1950’s bigotry against Jews as well as their positions as godfathers of America’s ultraconservatism. The latter starting in the 1930’s – especially in response to Roosevelt’s New Deal, or “Jew Deal” as some reportedly referred to it.

Wondering if any Americans today subscribe to HL Hunt’s vision that, “In an ideal society the more taxes you pay, the more votes you get.”

Pleased to read about Mandy Dealey’s daddy, EM Dealey, and how he threw Hunt out of his Dallas Morning News offices.

(Community Matters) Took Steven to the Peak this evening.

Hard to believe that until 1947, only expats could live on the Peak – reminds me of the rules against Chinese sleeping within the Bund area in Shanghai during colonial times.

btw, the Peak is also known as Mount Austin

(Community Matters)

he swears by the podcast, Die Empty

(Community Matters) AAS reporting the Lt. Gov is getting married - best wishes

(Community Matters) Members of House Financial Services Committee trading in banking stocks – gotta be kidding me. here

(Community Matters) Steven arrived 9:30ish – perfect timing, I’d just wrapped up dinner with Susan Adler and Chris Stephens who are on internship with Saatchi & Saatchi.

All sorts of typhoon warnings on the coastal mainland and in Hong Kong, so we worried about his arrival. We mostly just caught up and traded stories. Even ran into one of Steven’s former students and his parents in the lobby. Today full on exploration – big surprise, Steven’s come armed with maps, lists and books. SOOOOOO nice being back together!

borrowed stock photo – probably from peak

(Community Matters) Response to a friend complaining that Obama ran as an idealist but acting like a pragmatist.

You say he ran as an idealist, I say he also acknowledged being a pragmatist. All during the last year of the election I cautioned that the liberal base will be more disappointed than the moderates who didn’t vote for him, knowing that he was a pragmatist who most valued repairing the deep red and blue divide. ALWAYS imagined the moderate would be pleasantly surprised and the ideological liberals temporarily disappointed.

On my friend’s position that Obama & America should be much more overt and aggressive in support for Iranian opposition:

Disagree a thousand times about Iran. This isn’t an election about affirming American culture or reestablishing ties with us. Let’s not forget, the most powerful and influential Mousavi supporter is former President Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was the closest collaborator of Islamic Revolution founder Ayatollah Khomeini. I fear we’d lose much of the important fracturing support from clerics, revolutionary guards, police and the middle income older generation if this became framed as pro vs anti-American. President Ahmandinejad and Ayatollah Khamenei would be quick to exploit this given half a chance.

(Community Matters) Lainey Melnick kicks off her campaign for the 21st Congressional District next week. Lainey has been a committed, grassroots Obama organizer during the last two years as well as a community volunteer and real estate agent. We’ve only met once, but her hard working reputation proceeds her. Good luck, Lainey

http://www.laineymelnick.com