Friday fragments

Welcome to Friday fragments, my weekly recap of topics too big to forget, yet too small to be their own post.

Our neighbors Georgia & Dave gave me a bag of home grown cherry tomatoes from their garden. OMG, they are delicious! Perfectly ripe and wonderful. Spouse doesn't eat raw tomatoes so I've had them all to myself. Wednesday's lunch was pasta with olive oil, Italian seasoning, kalamata olives, and a dozen or so cherry tomatoes cut in 1/2. It tasted like summer in the Mediterranean!
Spouse's car has to be inspected this month and he felt certain it needed new tires so this week he had 4 new tires put on it, which cost a little over $400. When be bought the car 2 years ago the salesman said it had new tires. Since then we've put almost 40,000 miles on them, so I guess we got our money's worth.

My friend Martin and I both volunteer for the same organization, which feeds us pizza in appreciation for our 2+ hours of work. But the real treat is when Martin brings his homemade biscotti! Martin's biscotti are incredibly delicious, and he comes up with the most amazing flavor combinations: cranberry walnut, chocolate mint, blueberry lemon, pineapple ginger, plum annis, chocolate peanut butter, and cherry almond.

We ran into a little 'speed bump' with our tile selection for the bathroom. The tile we selected only came in floor tile, so there were no bull nose tiles for the finished edges around the shower. Fortunately our builder discovered this with plenty of time for us to select different tile and order it, if necessary. We decided to stick with the 16x16 floor tile for the floor because we like the large size and the color. We chose a complimentary 6x6 tile for the shower room and 3x6 tile for the trim in darker shade. The 1 inch glass mosaic accent tile looks great with both the floor and shower room tile, as does the 2 inch tile that will make up the shower room floor. So we'll have a nice variety of tile sizes, colors, and textures to keep the look interesting.

I was tagged by Stephen on this meme. The instructions are to list 7 of your personality traits as evidenced by your blog. Then tag 7 other bloggers to do the same. So here goes:

1. I am content with my life. This does not mean that I have everything I've ever wanted, or that my life is 'perfect'. But there are very few things in my life that I would change, had I the power. I think my blog's spirit testifies that I am happy and content most of the time.

2. I respect people with convictions. Even if the convictions are not necessarily shared by me, I give points to people who can clearly articulate, substantiate, and stand by their convictions. Conversely I have little-to-no respect for people who are unable to offer any reason for their feelings. I endeavor to be a person with convictions, too.

3. I have a 'live and let live' attitude. Although I do not smoke, have control issues, nor have an 'open relationship', I do not judge those who do. We're all adults with free will and the right to decide for ourselves what we want. I don't need to tell others how to live their lives. What's right for me may not be right for you, and vice versa. I strive for a judgement-free, control-free, drama-free life.

4. I plan for spontaneity. Better stated, I like to plan for important things (appointments, weekend guests, social activities) but I also leave room in my plans for unexpected opportunities. My weekend recaps often reflect this. Too much structure takes away the fun for me, while not enough structure may allow me to get bored.

5. I have a keen sense of fairness and justice. My many posts about marriage equality are not just because I am one who is currently denied the right to marry. I believe marriage is a civil right that all tax-paying citizens should have, so I see it as a fairness/justice issue that some are not allowed to marry. I also see hypocrisy and bullying as fairness/justice issues, on which I have also reported and editorialized.

6. I choose optimism. Realizing at a very young age that I was gay was not easy for me. Growing up gay in an uber-religious family was not easy for me either. Knowing that my 'coming out' would result in being shunned by my parents, siblings, and most relatives and friends due to their religion was certainly not a decision I made lightly. But I did it to save myself, and once the dust settled, I felt I had two options: optimism or pessimism. I chose optimism then, and I still choose optimism now. Life is so much more beautiful when you look for its sparkles instead of its flames.

7. Laughter is the best medicine. Often a good laugh with friends can be just what I need to pull me out of a funk or to change my grey skies to blue. I'd be rich if I had a dime for every laugh provided by our many, wonderful friends and weekend guests. Oh wait - I'm already rich in spirit thanks to those laughs!

You have been tagged: Mistress Maddie, Beth, Joy, cb, Tornwordo, Durban Bud, Berhmark.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Crush du Jour: Richard Lima