shi's Xanga

Gay Marriage

Fri, 16 May 2008 16:39:30 GMT

"If you don't want gay marriage...don't have one."

It seems like yesterday that my friends and I rampaged the rough suburbia residential streets of the Silicon Valley yanking out the "YES ON PROP 22" signs from people's lawns and then making quick getaways. It wasn't much, (and I'm pretty sure it was illegal) but it was the one of the only things that we as 17 year-old (read: unable to vote) high school seniors and the founding class of the GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance) felt we could do. -- Looking back, I'm sure we could have done more productive things -- but I have to say, it sure helped us let out some steam.

Anyhow, as you guys have probably heard, the amendments made by Prop 22 in the 2000 elections to the California constitution have been overturned... Meaning the ban on same-sex marriage is, for now, gone.

I was on the road yesterday when I found out I (embarrassingly) actually cried tears of joy. Perhaps because I'm on my way to getting married myself, it makes the victory even more poignant to me.

I'm so happy that all the people I have met and known along the way can get married and be able to feel the way I do. It's amazing being engaged to the man I love, and I know it's going to be even more wonderful spending the rest of our lives together as a family.

I know would feel like I was losing something if my marriage vows were called a "domestic partnership"... Even if I knew everything was exactly the same. The connotations hold different weights. (For example, making love, having sex and f***ing could all be talking about the same thing, the same event, but you can't tell me that they evoke the same feeling).

Separate is not equal... and I don't think separate can be equal. Not for colored people who wanted to use a restroom or ride at the front of a bus...It wasn't for women who wanted to vote... and it isn't for gay people who want to get married.

Interracial Marriage

In 1959 a trial judge sentenced an interracial couple to a year in prison for leaving the state to get married, and then returning to the state as a married couple. He stated:

"Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, Malay and red, and He placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with His arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that He separated the races shows that He did not intend for the races to mix."

How different and unforgiving would our world would be if that ruling hadn't been overturned by the US Supreme Court as unconstitutional.

Concluding

I know that it's going to be a hard road to keep the California Supreme Court's ruling in place. There are a lot of dissenters, and a new amendment to counteract this overruling will almost certainly be on the ballot in November. I'm not as worried this year, though, and I probably won't be pulling signs off people's front lawn any time soon...

The difference this time around? I can vote...which (I think, anyway) makes a much larger difference.

Holy crap, I wrote an essay.

la pride parade 2005

All I can say is... WHAT?

Thu, 15 May 2008 14:22:03 GMT

.. no... really... WHAT???

MUTO a wall-painted animation by BLU from blu on Vimeo.

March of Dimes

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:29:02 GMT

For every year since 1999, I've participated somehow in the March of Dimes walk (formerly WalkAmerica, now March for Babies). This year, I'll be walking at this event to raise money for the prevention of birth defects, premature birth, and infant mortality.

This event means a lot to me not just because I've been participating for so long (9th year, baby!), but because I was a premature baby as well. Go babies!!

Help me in my cause by sponsoring me as a walker! In past years I've collected dimes and dollar bills -- every bit counts, so don't be shy to even just donate a dollar or two. :)

http://www.marchforbabies.com/npc

Thanks everyone!!

Kim.

Mini-Pies!

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 17:03:20 GMT

I saw mini-pies on Craftster.org recently and decided that I MUST make them. We made them last night and they were sooo fun, easy to make and super delicious. We bought all of the food materials, so the only thing we really had to do was cut out the dough, put the filling in, and bake! Nothing beats freshly baked pies.

Prep Time: About 15 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes for each sheet
Materials: 1 pack of frozen 9-inch roll-out pie crust, 2 cans of pie filling [apple and peach], 2 cupcake pans, toaster oven

Putting the pie filling into the crusts [apple pies]

Starting to ake the covers for the peach pies

Have fun with it!

Apple pies right out of the oven

Enjoy!!

Things I would do different next time: egg wash on the dough to give it a nicer color and have the caps of the pies stay on better.

Camera Bag

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 15:45:43 GMT

I've been on a real bag kick lately. Here's the original bag I made for my camera, the night before I found the awesome tutorial for yesterday's bag. No pattern for this one, I just kind of winged it along the way... It still came out pretty good, though, if I do say so myself. And I do!

Time: 1 hour
Materials: Fusible lightweight interfacing, 1/2 yard main fabric, 1/4 yard lining fabric.

The bag in all its glory. I added a ribbon to take away from the plainness.

Handle detail. It may not seem like it, but I've gotten a LOT better at sewing. It might actually be time to graduate to a more sophisticated sewing machine.

Lining
I really love this green fabric color. It's so nice and simple.
Sadly, I'm almost out, and they don't have this shade at joann's anymore :(

Drawstring bag:

Last night I made two more drawstring bags! This time with longer handles. One of them is in that lovely pear and apple print -- unfortunately, the print is a little too big for the purse, so it didn't look as awesome as I thought it would, but I'm definitely going to try making a larger weekend bag with that print! I'm going bag-crazy! :)

Drawstring Bag

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 12:58:20 GMT

Yesterday, Craftzine posted a blog for Oh, Fransson's Vintage Pillowcase Lunch Box tutorial, and the second I saw it, I knew I had to make it. It was gorgeous!!! I don't need a lunch box, but I recently bought a camera, and have been looking for a tutorial for a camera bag. This wasn't a camera bag, but since it's a lunch box, it had instructions for padding on the inside, too! Perfect.

I'm planning to make a whole bunch more, since it whipped up so quick (about two hours in between commercial breaks while watching American Idol and Top Chef). So easy, and it takes about 1/2 a yard of fabric only for the outside, so I can buy really nice expensive ones and not feel guilty!

Next time, I'm going to lengthen the handles [currently you can only hold them in your hand, I like to be able to sling bags over my shoulder], and probably add a pocket to the lining.

Time: 2 hours
Materials: fabric, heavy-duty interfacing, fusible fleece, sewing machine, iron

Front view of one side

Front view of the other side

The drawstring enclosure

Lining. The lining was kind of a mess [I made it slightly too large, so it buckles] but this was my first time quilting fabric, so I was pretty proud of that. :)

I bought this TO DIE FORRR fabric yesterday on impulse at Joann's, so I'm totally going to be making a bag out of this fabric. ITS SO FRICKIN CUTE [but expensive :( $8.99 a yard!]

The Aquarium

Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:48:58 GMT

As another part of my birthday celebration, a few of us went to the Long Beach Aquarium together to look at the fishies. Things I learned: I don't like sea slugs, bass are very disapproving, and eels look like weiners.

Photos courtesy of Cang.

Me, grossed out by the sea slug

The gross, moving, gyrating, nasty, disgusting slimy sea slug

I have an amazing capacity to make really really stupid faces

This eel looked like a weiner that was hanging from the wall.

Color Me Mine

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:14:23 GMT

Went to Color Me Mine as one of my birthday activities, and here's what came out of it!

Color Me Mine is a store where you buy blank ceramics and they provide paints and materials for you to decorate the items however you want. Afterwards, they fire the item for you and a week later you get it back looking like a professional item! I'd have to say it's one of my favorite activities [even though it's kind of pricey] because I looove the fact that I can use them again and again~

I made a teapot/cup combo

It's us!

Inside messages [I painted them green so it looks like i'm drinking green tea even if I'm drinking water!

Brent made this awesome ninja bowl for me

Here they are together

I love color me mine! The one thing I regret is that we only had about two and a half hours there because we had to go to the aquarium -- you would think that that was enough time, but we were RUSHING to get our pieces done... Learned our lesson this time, though!

(ha, if you look at the post below, you can spot the teapot sitting on my desk)

My workplace

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 16:53:45 GMT

Thought I would post some photos of my office, since I'm always talkin' about it. :)

My humble desk, where I spend most of my days

The indoor basketball court

The foosball table next to the indoor basketball court [where daily battles are waged]

The conference table behind the foosball table

The beautiful view of San Clemente from our conference table

A close up of the view of the world's largest miliatary laser -- also viewable from our conference table area

What are things that you love about your office?

Turning 25

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 02:20:15 GMT

For those of you who didn't know, I turned 25 over the past weekend. I've been meaning to write the obligatory quarter of a century post, but haven't had the motivation to do it. So, in an effort to make an effort, I leave you with a repost of my 22nd birthday post. It pretty much says it all.

Memories:

Since turning 22 (25, now!) is kind of a boring topic, and I really don't have any idea of what is in store for me (apparently becoming mormon and engaged at 25). I decided to write about what I DO know. -- Things I will miss and/or remember about turning 21.

Five things I will remember about being 21:

1. My first strip club experience at Crazy Horse II in Vegas!

2. Using the excuse, "I didn't know I couldn't do that, I just turned 21."

3. Feeling powerful when I could buy things for my underaged friends.

4. Gambling for the first time in Vegas.

5. Pulling my ID card out to show people even when they don't ask, screaming "I'M 21!!!"

Ah, those days. I was so young... and had so many less crafts to do.