in Cleveland Heights...

...your safety is NEVER "Overlook"-ed. :o)

FMA crashes and burns

Below is the text of a message I sent to my congresswoman, Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) in response to the defeat of the Federal Marriage Amendment on the House floor today.

And, as of 7/20/06, her response. :o)



* * * * *

Dear Representative Jones:

As a heterosexual man with a number of gay and lesbian friends and colleagues, I applaud the House of Representatives for defeating the Federal Marriage Amendment, and thank you for your part in doing so. I strongly oppose any measure designed to discriminate against a specific group of Americans.

I am just one of many citizens of this district who believe that regardless of sexual orientation, a commitment made between two individuals to share their lives with each other should be recognized and defended. With this in mind, I also understand the way some Americans are hesitant to change the way they think about marriage as a religious institution. Ultimately, I am convinced that if we as a society were to differentiate between the religious institution of marriage and the right to share one's life with the person of one's own choosing--and be afforded all the privileges that should accompany such a decision--people in every walk of life could benefit from it. This would not be an attack on marriage, as some might protest, but rather the simple distinction between religious matrimony and the legal union of two people.

As with any serious matter, I know the debate over this issue will not be resolved quickly, but I urge you and all your colleagues to continue fighting for equality as one of the defining principles of our democratic system.

Respectfully Yours,

Jared M. Sampson
Cleveland, OH

* * * * *


July 19, 2006

Dear Mr. Sampson:

Thank you for your correspondence in reference to the Marriage Protection Amendment. I appreciate knowing your views. As your representative, it is important for me to hear what constituents think on pertinent issues. I voted against this legislation, which was considered by the House of Representatives, July 19, 2006. Fortunately, the bill failed to obtain the two-thirds majority needed on any measure that would amend the constitution.

Amending the Constitution is the most far-reaching step that legislators can take in governing the citizens of this country, and it is my belief that the Constitution should be the instrument that protects and guarantees the rights of individuals; it should not be used to limit the rights of individuals. The defeat of this legislation is tantamount to the preservation of human rights in this country.

If Congress would like to take the issue of protecting marriage seriously, it should make a serious commitment to curb the divorce rate. We should protect access to overtime pay so that couples can spend more time with one another and less time working apart. We should support responsible healthcare legislation that ensures married couples live long healthy lives together. We should work diligently to pass legislation that strives to prevent terrorist attacks and spare families the experience of losing a loved one through such a tragedy. I cannot, in good faith, support legislation that undermines our U.S. Constitution and facilitates hatred against any group of people on the basis of race, religion or sexual orientation.

My idea of marriage protection is supporting legislation that ensures married couples share a long and happy life together. As your representative in Congress, you have my vow to do just that. Thank you again for contacting my office and please do not hesitate to do so in the future.

Sincerely,

STJ:th
Stephanie Tubbs Jones
Member of Congress

stormy weather sucks

There was a "severe thunderstorm warning" this morning, with damaging winds up to 58 mph. Clearly not cycling weather. I think I'm destined never to ride my bike to work again. Look at the forecast, for crying out loud:



Gotta love cleveland...

for the second time, I feel...WICKED!

If you haven't seen Wicked, the new(ish) musical now on tour--and in Cleveland until Sunday 7/9--you definitely should try to get a ticket. Even if you don't like musicals. It's a hilariously funny production, but also very emotionally touching at times. In fact, I had goosebumps for at least a third of the show. It was that good.

One might think that having seen the show on Broadway a year-and-a-half ago the tour might be somewhat anticlimactic for me. Absolutely not! There is only one thing I remember from the Broadway production that isn't in the touring one (winged monkeys flying on zip lines over the audience), but that would have been extremely impractical--no, a rigging nightmare--on tour, and I wasn't expecting it. Of course, Joey McIntyre (of NKOTB fame) played Fiero when I saw it the first time, and of course wasn't in this production, but the cast we saw here in the Land of Cleve was still phenomenal; the ovation they got when the audience almost immediately and unanimously rose to its feet was indeed very well deserved.

If you don't have a ticket yet, there's a lottery for maybe a dozen or so pairs of seats that takes place 1 hour before each performance, where the lottery winners are able to buy 2 tickets each for a nominal price, I think $25 each. Otherwise, it's probably pretty much sold out.

mysterious voices

Thursday night was our last Cabaret Rock rehearsal before opening, so naturally we were in full costume, etc. And, not atypically, there were some people just sort of hanging about watching the show, even though they weren't really allowed in the room, they would peek through the curtains from the martini bar or upstairs from the restaurant, or just stop on their way into the comedy show. Let's just say I was more worried about what I was doing to make sure I was ready for Friday than about paying any attention to our makeshift audience.

As I finished one of my songs, "Save the Last Dance," a young, female voice sounded from near the railing of the upstairs balcony. "Yeah Gu!" Well, of course this could only be referring to me--there aren't too many other Gu's out there, I wouldn't think. (If you want to know the story of how that nickname came about, ask me later. I'm not gonna go into it here.) Regardless, I looked up to the spot from which I thought the voice had originated, and found not a single familiar face. So I walked halfway up the stairs, and still found no one I knew among the group of people up there.

Basically I have on my hands right now an incredible mystery. Who was there that night? And why the hell--if she knows me, which she must--didn't she come say hi?!? For future reference, I enjoy being visited at Pickwick (or as I like to call it, my "weekend home"). If you're there, please come say hello! Anyway, the short of it is, I still have no real idea who that was. I'll keep you posted. :o)

here we go again

Tonight is the last night before the new cast officially opens at Pickwick. It's a very promising show--the song selection is fun, and the cast is talented. Of course it'll be a little bit rough at first, but over the next few weeks, it should work itself out into a nice little show.

Tonight also happens to be the last night of every-day-of-the-week rehearsals. So starting next week I can use my evenings to do all those things I've wanted to do for the last 4-5 weeks, like buy groceries, do laundry, wash dishes, and relax a little. Sheesh. Maybe I'll even throw in a little recording for fun.

recording

So recently, I've been spending so much time rehearsing I haven't been able to do much in the way of writing new songs. This is really too bad, because if I could get some more stuff written and finish the songs I've started, I might be able to actually record something with my new mixer and mic. (Also, if you're in the market for anything music industry-related, check out Musician's Friend--they're having a big sale these days, I just got a couple things 75% off!)

I find that most of the songs I write tend to be sappy love songs and they don't really go anywhere or say anything new or exciting. But then I hear some of the songs that have been hits on the radio and realize that sometimes, in fact, probably a majority of the time, the lyrics of the song aren't what people notice and grab onto most. Maybe I just need to lighten up and go with it. :o)