Let's Get Aquainted Florida!

[Stearns]

I'm sure everyone has heard about National Organization for Marriage's (NOM) "Summer for Marriage" bus tour. They're going to 17 cities this summer to fund-raise for their political campaign against equal marriage. So far, they've been outnumbered by LGBT & friends anti-protestors. The anti-protests have been silent in nature, which I think is a good strategy, lest we be accused of trying to deprive anti-gay religious groups of their First Amendment rights.

NOM will be in Tampa on Sunday, August 8, 2010 from 2:00pm - 3:00pm, if anyone is interested in taking part in a silent protest.

Here's a link to an LGBT site that is keeping up with the tour and posting info and pics: http://prop8trialtracker.com/2010/07...e-in-new-york/. A note of interest: NOM is underreporting the number of anti-protestors and are not showing anti-protestors in their photos.

P.S. NOM is a front for the Mormon Church. They donated $2 million alone to try to get Maine's equal marriage law repealed.

[durrrrrrrr]

mornin everyone

strutts- sounds like y'all had fun

Jesse- hope things chill for ya and you can relax. i always hate moving

Stearns - thanks for the link

Good Mornin everyone. yesterday spent with the family was great. we was at a store and i took my lil nephew and we went off by ourselves and checked out some tools. he was droolin when we got to the tool section. well, he drools all the time so never mind...lol. it was a good time all day long.

y'all have a good day

[Mrs. Strutt]

Morning, all.

Last day of vacation for Mr. Strutt (I go back Tuesday). Don't know that we plan to do much other than lounge around today.

Hope you all have a great one

[MysticOceansFL]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Strutt

Morning, all.

Last day of vacation for Mr. Strutt (I go back Tuesday). Don't know that we plan to do much other than lounge around today.

Hope you all have a great one

Dear Strutt family,

Glad you all had a great vacation and also glad your all back!!!

[weatherboi]

Hello fellow Florida peeps!!! Seems everybody had good weekends even if it involved functional chores like moving!!! The summer is leaving us quickly and I am a sad dancing lamb. My week is filled with work so it looks like Tuesday/Wednesday may be my only day we play.

I love the beaches, fresh water springs, the everglades, swimming with manatees, exploring natural caves, college football and all the tasty treats cooked up in a cast iron skillet!!! The many local varieties of those delicious crustaceans we call shrimp. I am preferential to Mayport shrimp and then the Florida Keys Pink shrimps they run a close second and are very Yummy!!! My local seafood supplier is saved in my phone. Anyone ever had fresh water bream?? Not only are they fun to catch on the cane pole with a balled up piece of sandwich bread but they are easy to clean and grill. The skin peels right off exposing the whitest, flakiest of meat. I love this state and feel very sad/angry when I encounter hate and ignorance.

I was driving Ms to the farmers market yesterday and we came upon a truck with 9 bumper stickers scattered across the back window. As I was reading them I started having tiny explosions in my head and could already feel the hurt my Ms was enduring from her experience of this displayed hate. Here is what we read.

I'll keep my money, my freedom and my guns and you can keep the "CHANGE"

"If this shit offends you, you need a history lesson." It had a confederate flag in the middle.

"It's a southern thang Yankees will never understand" Another big flag.

Another was a conferderate flag that says "HERITAGE not hate."

Another confederate flag that says "You think this flag represents hate and slavery? YOU ARE WRONG!"

The rest said the same thing "History not Hate" with a flag on it.


I am a white 4th generation Floridian. What I have never been able to love is our history. Just this particular state alone was created first from attempting genocide and wiped out almost all the Native Americans. Then we used the Native Americans, African Americans and Latino coummunity to build it and make it what it is today. My parents and family tried very hard to socialize me with racist, bigoted, and discriminatory behaviors. When I come across these kinds of situations my knee jerk emotional reaction is anger and shame, then a need to engage in some way that may benefit the fight against racism. In the moment sometimes for me it is really hard to evaluate what that fight looks like. My parents have that shit ingrained in them and they may never change. With them I have to call em out all the time. Sometimes so much so that it ruins whatever family event that is going on at the time and I am ok with that!! I have created the loss of some friendships by calling people out time and time again. Some friendships had been lifelong, some not so much, some straight friends, and some queer friends. I have found that it doesn't matter who I call out or how I call em out it is never received well when calling out another human on their racism.

From one fellow Floridian to another I would like to talk about how you all handle racist, bigoted, and discriminatory situations when they come up. I would love to hear what everyone has to say on this topic no matter if your roots to Florida are new or old. We all seem to love this state and what it has to offer us nature and entertainment wise, so I thought we could have a discussion about the unprogressive nature of this state and how it effects us on a daily basis. What we can do to change it and make our state a southern state that has pride based on a whole different moral compass??

Originally Posted by durrrrrrrr

uh, should i tell ya about what happened this past spring?

i was puttin the big ass twigs / tree limbs that had fallen from the winter into the fire pit. well, they was kinda wet so i figured they just needed a little help to catch em on fire and burn em. so, i had a small amount , well it seemed like a small amount of gasoline from last year i thought would be perfect to give that fire a little incentive. well, it was to much gasoline...lol. the fire shot up about 20 feet into the air, next thing i knew the branch that is / was 20 feet above the fire pit is now on fire. so, what do i do, i take a picture of it...lmao. it didnt take long for the fire to chill out and go back to normal height but i thought for sure someone from the neighborhood was gonna call the fire department.

I caught some tree limbs on fire once. It involved gasoline soaked tennis balls and two tennis rackets.

Originally Posted by Mrs. Strutt

Good morning, Florida
I wish I could have tried a few of the bigger coasters myself, but it was only the three of us and I wasn't about to stand in line for an hour by myself while Mr. Strutt stayed with Katie...so I will have to wait until we go again with a group or something. There hasn't been a coaster built yet that I won't ride and I am dying to get on ShieKra, which has a 200-ft., 90-degree vertical drop at 70 mph. Oh yeah, baby

Hope you all have a great day!
That was nice for you to not make them wait. I get motion sick on coasters so I am the one that waits!!! Glad your vacation has been joyful.

Originally Posted by ZimmygLrL

Good Evening Everyone,
Today was my oldest niece's birthday party and we all had fun. Since her and her brother came down six weeks ago, I have gained four sunburns and several hundred miles on my odometer driving to pick them up and taking them places. I am glad they came down to visit, but I am not to thrilled about the sunburn on my shoulders. But, it made the kids happy and that is all that matters.

Have a good night and see you all in the morning,

Zimmy

I have purchased more sunblock this summer than in the past 3 years combined. Lots of sun time with company!!!

Originally Posted by Stearns

I'm sure everyone has heard about National Organization for Marriage's (NOM) "Summer for Marriage" bus tour. They're going to 17 cities this summer to fund-raise for their political campaign against equal marriage. So far, they've been outnumbered by LGBT & friends anti-protestors. The anti-protests have been silent in nature, which I think is a good strategy, lest we be accused of trying to deprive anti-gay religious groups of their First Amendment rights.
NOM will be in Tampa on Sunday, August 8, 2010 from 2:00pm - 3:00pm, if anyone is interested in taking part in a silent protest.
Here's a link to an LGBT site that is keeping up with the tour and posting info and pics: http://prop8trialtracker.com/2010/07...e-in-new-york/. A note of interest: NOM is underreporting the number of anti-protestors and are not showing anti-protestors in their photos.
P.S. NOM is a front for the Mormon Church. They donated $2 million alone to try to get Maine's equal marriage law repealed.
My brother donates to this organization. It would be worth the drive for me to go if possible and protest!!! Thanks for the info Stearns!!!

Originally Posted by Tranzman

The rest of the pack- Wishing you all a safe and happy weekend.

We are heading to the beach after this wonderful coffee is gone, for an afternoon of relaxation
I am still having a cafe Bustello experience!!! Have a great day at the beach!!!

[Stearns]

Originally Posted by weatherboi

Hello fellow Florida peeps!!! Seems everybody had good weekends even if it involved functional chores like moving!!! The summer is leaving us quickly and I am a sad dancing lamb. My week is filled with work so it looks like Tuesday/Wednesday may be my only day we play.

I love the beaches, fresh water springs, the everglades, swimming with manatees, exploring natural caves, college football and all the tasty treats cooked up in a cast iron skillet!!! The many local varieties of those delicious crustaceans we call shrimp. I am preferential to Mayport shrimp and then the Florida Keys Pink shrimps they run a close second and are very Yummy!!! My local seafood supplier is saved in my phone. Anyone ever had fresh water bream?? Not only are they fun to catch on the cane pole with a balled up piece of sandwich bread but they are easy to clean and grill. The skin peels right off exposing the whitest, flakiest of meat. I love this state and feel very sad/angry when I encounter hate and ignorance.

I was driving Ms to the farmers market yesterday and we came upon a truck with 9 bumper stickers scattered across the back window. As I was reading them I started having tiny explosions in my head and could already feel the hurt my Ms was enduring from her experience of this displayed hate. Here is what we read.

I'll keep my money, my freedom and my guns and you can keep the "CHANGE"

"If this shit offends you, you need a history lesson." It had a confederate flag in the middle.

"It's a southern thang Yankees will never understand" Another big flag.

Another was a conferderate flag that says "HERITAGE not hate."

Another confederate flag that says "You think this flag represents hate and slavery? YOU ARE WRONG!"

The rest said the same thing "History not Hate" with a flag on it.


I am a white 4th generation Floridian. What I have never been able to love is our history. Just this particular state alone was created first from attempting genocide and wiped out almost all the Native Americans. Then we used the Native Americans, African Americans and Latino coummunity to build it and make it what it is today. My parents and family tried very hard to socialize me with racist, bigoted, and discriminatory behaviors. When I come across these kinds of situations my knee jerk emotional reaction is anger and shame, then a need to engage in some way that may benefit the fight against racism. In the moment sometimes for me it is really hard to evaluate what that fight looks like. My parents have that shit ingrained in them and they may never change. With them I have to call em out all the time. Sometimes so much so that it ruins whatever family event that is going on at the time and I am ok with that!! I have created the loss of some friendships by calling people out time and time again. Some friendships had been lifelong, some not so much, some straight friends, and some queer friends. I have found that it doesn't matter who I call out or how I call em out it is never received well when calling out another human on their racism.

From one fellow Floridian to another I would like to talk about how you all handle racist, bigoted, and discriminatory situations when they come up. I would love to hear what everyone has to say on this topic no matter if your roots to Florida are new or old. We all seem to love this state and what it has to offer us nature and entertainment wise, so I thought we could have a discussion about the unprogressive nature of this state and how it effects us on a daily basis. What we can do to change it and make our state a southern state that has pride based on a whole different moral compass??

Great topic, weatherboi. Red-neckery and good ol' boys are alive and well in Florida, that's for sure. If a bigoted behavior occurs in my presence, I speak up and so does my wife. She was appalled (and still is) by the sheer number of bigoted bumper stickers and billboards when she first started coming to Florida. Are we the only state with multiple anti-choice billboards lining both sides of an interstate???? It's really embarrassing. Offensive bumper stickers got really bad during the Amendment 2 issue in 2008, when Florida added its THIRD anti-gay marriage amendment to the state constitution. We organized a protest downtown and experienced cat-calls, drivers angrily revving their engines and laying rubber, but we also got a lot of honks of support. Some people even parked their cars and joined us. Soon also wore a t-shirt around town that said, "When Do I Get to Vote on Your Marriage?" She got quite a few dirty looks and a clerk at Publix felt the need to try to confront her on the 'sanctity' of marriage.

Soon and I have a plan for offensive bumper stickers. We just ordered a batch of rainbow stickers with the words EQUAL RIGHTS on them. And, I'll say no more about that...

Red-neckery and good ol' boys are alive and well in Florida. Unless it would place one in danger, I feel it's important to speak up and do what you can - whether it's in your own circle with family and friends, in the workplace, or out in public.

Looking forward to hearing others' thoughts on this, too.

[lipstixgal]

Florida is red-neck I would think that with all the latin communities there it wouldn't be but I guess not. Haven't been there in a while many years so I guess I wouldn't know. When I lived in Kansas City, MO it was very red-neck and Confederate flags all around I couldn't stand that!! And I was just thinking about relocating to either Florida or Arizona don't know which..

[Zimmeh]

Good Evening Weatherboi,

I have been applying a sunblock with an SPF of 45 before I go swimming and that isn't working...I look like a lobster, hehe..

For your discussion, I am adding my two cents. I to will stand up for myself and nearly lost my family as a result of coming out. My dad, was born to Southern parents who raised him, that if you weren't white, straight and Christian, you weren't allowed in his house. In my early 20's someone, I am not sure who it is; even to this day, went and told him that I was gay. I felt my first time of being discriminated against by him. I stayed in the closet until he passed away when I was 28. After the reaction I got from him, it took me another 3 years to tell my mom. She is cool about it and now supports me. I have lost two jobs as a result of my bosses finding out. The first job, the manager was a complete bitch, and threatened me with my job. The store I worked at was 99% women and they all felt threatened is what she told me. So I told her, that if she wrote me up for sexual discrimination, I would be calling the feds on her happy ass. Two days later, she called me into her office and on the write up paperwork, she had noted that I was causing an offensive work environment. That night, I emailed the ACLU and gave them, her name, the company name, store number and the date of the incident. I also contacted my HR dept and explained to them, what she was doing to all of the employees in the store. The ACLU kept an eye on her until the store closed earlier this year and she is now out of a job...I am all up for change in this state, and the only way that is going to happen, is if we get the politicians who don't understand the gay community out of office.

Have a good night and thanks for the discussion,

Zimmy

Originally Posted by weatherboi

Hello fellow Florida peeps!!! Seems everybody had good weekends even if it involved functional chores like moving!!! The summer is leaving us quickly and I am a sad dancing lamb. My week is filled with work so it looks like Tuesday/Wednesday may be my only day we play.

I love the beaches, fresh water springs, the everglades, swimming with manatees, exploring natural caves, college football and all the tasty treats cooked up in a cast iron skillet!!! The many local varieties of those delicious crustaceans we call shrimp. I am preferential to Mayport shrimp and then the Florida Keys Pink shrimps they run a close second and are very Yummy!!! My local seafood supplier is saved in my phone. Anyone ever had fresh water bream?? Not only are they fun to catch on the cane pole with a balled up piece of sandwich bread but they are easy to clean and grill. The skin peels right off exposing the whitest, flakiest of meat. I love this state and feel very sad/angry when I encounter hate and ignorance.

I was driving Ms to the farmers market yesterday and we came upon a truck with 9 bumper stickers scattered across the back window. As I was reading them I started having tiny explosions in my head and could already feel the hurt my Ms was enduring from her experience of this displayed hate. Here is what we read.

I'll keep my money, my freedom and my guns and you can keep the "CHANGE"

"If this shit offends you, you need a history lesson." It had a confederate flag in the middle.

"It's a southern thang Yankees will never understand" Another big flag.

Another was a conferderate flag that says "HERITAGE not hate."

Another confederate flag that says "You think this flag represents hate and slavery? YOU ARE WRONG!"

The rest said the same thing "History not Hate" with a flag on it.


I am a white 4th generation Floridian. What I have never been able to love is our history. Just this particular state alone was created first from attempting genocide and wiped out almost all the Native Americans. Then we used the Native Americans, African Americans and Latino coummunity to build it and make it what it is today. My parents and family tried very hard to socialize me with racist, bigoted, and discriminatory behaviors. When I come across these kinds of situations my knee jerk emotional reaction is anger and shame, then a need to engage in some way that may benefit the fight against racism. In the moment sometimes for me it is really hard to evaluate what that fight looks like. My parents have that shit ingrained in them and they may never change. With them I have to call em out all the time. Sometimes so much so that it ruins whatever family event that is going on at the time and I am ok with that!! I have created the loss of some friendships by calling people out time and time again. Some friendships had been lifelong, some not so much, some straight friends, and some queer friends. I have found that it doesn't matter who I call out or how I call em out it is never received well when calling out another human on their racism.

From one fellow Floridian to another I would like to talk about how you all handle racist, bigoted, and discriminatory situations when they come up. I would love to hear what everyone has to say on this topic no matter if your roots to Florida are new or old. We all seem to love this state and what it has to offer us nature and entertainment wise, so I thought we could have a discussion about the unprogressive nature of this state and how it effects us on a daily basis. What we can do to change it and make our state a southern state that has pride based on a whole different moral compass??

[Mrs. Strutt]

Good morning, Floridians

weatherboi - interesting topic and one I will certainly weigh in on when I have a bit more time to ponder. I've said this several times before: people usually think Disney and white sand beaches when they think about Florida--they forget this state is part of the deep South.

Vacation is over for the Strutts Mr. Strutt went back to work today and, although I don't go back to the salon till tomorrow, I have a lot of phone calls/paperwork/books, etc. to catch up on today. Welcome to the world of the small business owner

Have a great one!

[Jesse]

Strutts- I haven't been to Busch Gardens since I was a child. Back then it was mostly a Botanical Garden without all of the rides and stuff...Yeah I know, I just dated myself. lol Glad you all had a good time.

Zimmy- Personally I have never had a problem with Brighthouse. Hoping I don't either, because Verizon Fios is much more costly IMO. How's that sunburn?

Durrrr- Yeah moving sucks bigtime! But thankfully I have my sis and nephew to lend me a hand and keep me entertained as well. I was happy to read that you and your nephew went tool shopping rather than grill shopping. lol That could have proved dangerous.

The rest of the pack- Wishing you all a safe and happy weekend.

We are heading to the beach after this wonderful coffee is gone, for an afternoon of relaxation

[Zimmeh]

Good Aftenoon Tranzman,

Luckily it is mainly on my shoulders, so applying Aloe and lotion to it is easy. I am thinking of heading up to Publix here in a bit, one of the girly mags I was reading, recommended Aloe Vera Body Butter by a holistic company. I am thinking that might work better than applying Aloe and then body lotion. At this point, I am hoping anything will work....

I had quite a few problems with Brighthouse when I had my apartment in Orlando, if you had more than one laptop using the internet at once, their modem would crash. I am not having any problems so far here at my house and I am hoping that it doesn't change.

When I moved to Seattle, I had gone through everything I owned and donated quite a bit of it, threw half of it away, and gave the rest away to friends. So when I moved back home from Seattle and moved to Palm Coast, the move was easy. I had two car loads of stuff.

Have a good day,

Zimmy

Originally Posted by Tranzman

Strutts- I haven't been to Busch Gardens since I was a child. Back then it was mostly a Botanical Garden without all of the rides and stuff...Yeah I know, I just dated myself. lol Glad you all had a good time.

Zimmy- Personally I have never had a problem with Brighthouse. Hoping I don't either, because Verizon Fios is much more costly IMO. How's that sunburn?

Durrrr- Yeah moving sucks bigtime! But thankfully I have my sis and nephew to lend me a hand and keep me entertained as well. I was happy to read that you and your nephew went tool shopping rather than grill shopping. lol That could have proved dangerous.

The rest of the pack- Wishing you all a safe and happy weekend.

We are heading to the beach after this wonderful coffee is gone, for an afternoon of relaxation

[Mrs. Strutt]

It's a quiet day at the Strutt abode...I made homemade buttermilk waffles and sausage for brunch and we are going to get in some pool time in a bit when Mr. Strutt is done with hys yardwork.

Currently, hy is weed-whacking and edging the backyard. The good news is, I haven't heard any curses from hym cutting the cord or yelps from electricity racing through hys body

[durrrrrrrr]

Originally Posted by Mrs. Strutt

It's a quiet day at the Strutt abode...I made homemade buttermilk waffles and sausage for brunch and we are going to get in some pool time in a bit when Mr. Strutt is done with hys yardwork.

Currently, hy is weed-whacking and edging the backyard. The good news is, I haven't heard any curses from hym cutting the cord or yelps from electricity racing through hys body

cant wait for lazy days in the pool

and i am sensing some kinda sarcasm here about the yard work

[Mrs. Strutt]

Originally Posted by durrrrrrrr

and i am sensing some kinda sarcasm here about the yard work

Who, me?