The exhaustion has lifted. I'm now packed, and ready for New York City for the weekend. This time, I'm bringing my digital camera.For all who don't know, there's a Blog Family Reunion. Check here for further details. I'll be blogging throughout the weekend as time permits.

There's such a thing called too much overtime and trying to overcompensate. Working 14 hour days was fine in theory, but absolutely atrocious in practice. I'm trying not to fall asleep, I swear.

Lots of things in my head are well represented in Orange Moon, located on the right. I've been told that I need to state that more. A lot of time and thought is spent in these posts, but not enough time to articulate them fully. You can place that under absent-minded behaviour. Other blogs which do the same are located under the Tycho link on the right as well. This is how I stay awake after these long days.

I mentioned same sex marriages earlier this week. While I've stated my position rather lo-key, there is more going on in this house. Prime has planned on following up our thoughts and expressions tomorrow. I'll make sure to have pictures as well. One thing that has been on my mind is the matter of opinion that gay marriages should not be allowed. What I'd like to see, and very well may never see, is someone who blogs about why they believe that this should not allowed in a very civil manner. Thoughtful opinions instead of asinine bashing is more understandable to me.

I'll be thinking more tomorrow and most of next week I'm sure. I also should have more time to say what I'm thinking. Either that or I'll be saving all of my strength for meeting bloggers in New York City next weekend. The plan, which is coming to fruition, will be settled next week. Stay tuned for updates.

[Addendum: NegroPlease will be doing activism while on hiatus, as well.]

I may be Valentines-challenged, but I know people who aren't.

Yesterday, on Valentines Day, from Efren Bose, a Bay Area homeslice of mine, wrote:

We Got Married!

I'm shocked. Honestly, I'm really shocked. I've always been a bit cynical about the whole gay marriage thing, especially since technically the marriage doesn't count anywhere else outside of SF (which is funny because my partner and I can literally spit into SF from our house). We've always joked with each other that we'll go to Toronto, Vancouver, or Boston. The mayor of SF is also a bit of a publicity hog so when the announcement came that queers were going to get married, most of us thought, "yeah, whatever."

Then Del Lyon and Phyllis Martin got married.

You could hear the collective shock from all over SF. We still weren't pretty serious about it. Even my partner, who's always been more excited about marriage than I was, wasn't too excited about getting married either.

But we figured, hell, Valentine's day, convenient, and we're a part of history. We arrive there in casual gear, both in jeans and t-shirts, and wait in line.

And wait. And wait.

See, because you know, Gwen had it (and she has great plasticity, ergo she rawks):

From Brainworks, I felt amazingly very well about these results, which in a nutshell said that I:

...can learn in either mode although far more efficiently within the visual mode. It is likely that in listening to conversations or lecture materials you simultaneously translate into pictures which enhance and elaborate on the meaning.

Being a child who associated everything with a picture, including every letter (and word) having specific colors associated with them, I was far more visually stimulated. This of course, also lends itself to myself seeing more colors and visuals in my head but having a roadblock of turning it more into an art and not just expression.

Auditory : 31%
Visual : 68%
Left : 41%
Right : 58%

The breakdown?

Okay, I'll confess. I have about as much romanticism in my soul as a Spam Sandwich would. I mean, yeah, I'm definitely a happy camper, but I think I'm missing my Valentine's Day genes. It's probably somewhere underneath the carpet.

I'm trying to remember what I did last Valentine's Day. I draw a blank. Then I try to remember the other Valentine's Days. No dice. I think I'm okay with being able to watch a movie and belch at the same time. Valentines Day treats? No, just make me a good steak or something.

I should be more into this Valentines Day thing. I should be thinking roses. The last thing I think I ever sent was a care package. I thought that if I did that, at least I'd be able to munch on something if they didn't want it.

And then of course, it's Friday the 13th today. Is this any coincidence? Is Valentine's Day a continuation of today? As things go, it's not a bad day, but I wonder...

Anyone else feeling this way? What does one do for Valentines Day? I'm at a loss.

I'll have to say that Orkut has seriously taken off. I hate having to say that, because I admittedly shy away from things like this....witness Friendster. Through blogfriends and now through Orkut as well, it's interesting and refreshing being in the blogosphere and meeting some really good people, because you never know what to expect. For instance, one of the websites I visited this weekend had an entry last month about why they blogged. It made me sit down and revisit the question of why in the heck I blog.

This started out as something that kept me busy when awake. Coming through various ailments (from kidney to brain seizure to layoffs), blogging was a safe space that I could insert myself into. When I go back and re-read my archives, I shudder because they weren't something that were more than merely ramblings, rants, and raves. I'd have to say that in the space of a month, I've managed to meet more than 10 new bloggers, and it keeps me more busy than the law allows.

I blog because it's good hearing about everyone's life- and talking about life in general- and not have to worry about being judged. It's freedom in it's purest form. It's definitely new education, re-education, learning, teaching, and rediscovery. For sure, there are people I will disagree with, may not ever see eye to eye with, but agreeing to disagree is affable. To sit and think about how others live their life without prejudice, pre-judgment, humor and retrospection is better than reading a book, in my opinion.

This question has been asked before, and it might be redundant, but just out of sincerity: why do you blog?