Gay Marriage in NJ UPDATE!

I found out yesterday that towns are not issuing marriage certificates to homosexual couples until the legislature passes a law one way or the other. I really don't mind the legislature giving them full civil unions, in that they get all the benefits of a marriage, but I don't want it called a marriage. A marriage is a religious consecration of the love between a man and a woman, and I don't want it cheapened by this legal bullshit.

Hopefully the NJ legislature will do the right thing.

Goodbye, Ford Taurus...

Anyone who's read my blog before knows that I'm into the Ford Taurus and Mercury Sable.  I drive a 1998 Sable, and I've got way too much money into it to count.

Anyway, after 21 years, production on the Taurus has ceased.  I believe the last Taurus will roll of the Chicago line at 8 AM Central Time.  It's a pretty sad day for me, especially considering the fact that the Taurus singlehandedly saved Ford Motor Company.  When the Taurus was first designed, it was a bold design that no one had done before.  People thought it looked too futuristic and wouldn't sell well.  It ended up being the best selling vehicle in American for several years, and was in the top five in most of the other years.

What does this mean for Ford?  Well, they can introduce new vehicles that might be able to better fill the niches, but unfortunately, they don't have a catch-all car anymore.  They introduced three new cars to replace the Taurus...not one, not two, but three.  The Fusion is meant to satisfy younger people looking for a sporty car, but without having to drop $28K on a Mustang GT.  The Five-Hundred is a hulk of a car, meant to fulfill the family segment.  It is a very nice car, but looks too generic and like a lot of other manufacturers cars.  The Freestyle is a cross-over wagon vehicle, meant to attract all those that want a wagon and don't want a Subaru or Volvo.  I don't know if any of them will ever be as successful as the Taurus was. 

Everything about the Taurus was bold and innovative, but Ford decided back in 2003 that they would start stripping the car down, offering it with fewer options, in the hopes that they could continue to make fleet sales.  Ford didn't want to update the car, and because it was a 20+ year old design (not externally, but the underpinnings were the same) Ford thought it would be better to let the car die a very unceremonious death.

I found out the other day that a Detroit television station had contacted the VP of the Taurus Car Club of America to do a segment on the Taurus and what it means to some of us.  He drove a few hours from Ohio to Detroit, met up with a few other devoted members, and taped the segment.  I'll link it here when it is played on ABC World News (should be tonight).

Goodbye Taurus...may you come back as a new model a few years down the line...

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Gay Marriage in NJ

The NJ state Supreme Court ruled today that gay marriage in NJ is constitutional, according to their interpretation, and that the state legislature has 180 days to pass a law either recognizing gay marriage as that, or calling it something else.  I, of course, don't agree.

I don't care to write what I really feel, 1- because I don't have the time, and 2- because I don't feel like getting sued for hate speech.

What I'm concerned about at this point is the fact that I have to go get my marriage license this Friday.  Guess what I'm going to have to deal with...

I want to wear a shirt that says "Marriage is between a man and a woman."

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I'm still alive...

Yeah, just really busy because of the impending wedding. We've got just a couple more weeks before the big day.

Yesterday was my bachelor party. We decided to go paintballing, which was a total blast. I had never been before, and all I can say is that, if you're able, save up some money and go. It will be just about the most fun you will ever have. I had never been, and after one day in the woods, I'll be buying a gun early next year. In all, I think it cost about $100 per person for the day, after you figure in the rentals, field pass, and paint. I think I went though about 2500 paintballs. I'm not sure if that's a high number or what, but I did see other guys out there that just wasted their paint like it was nothing. I mean, fully-automatic paintball guns that had to have been shooting at well over 100 rounds per minute. They would just hold that trigger, and the paint would fly.

Anyway, after paintballing, we all made the trip back to my apartment, where we showered. Somehow we got 8 guys through the shower and ready to go out in an hour. Could you imagine what 8 women would have required?

We headed out to Kildare's Irish Pub in Philly, on 2nd and South. The burgers were great, the drinks were great. Just an amazing time. I didn't want strippers (although there was some talk about a three foot tall South Pacific Islander in a dufflebag, somewhere) so we just went out and got drunk. My best man, James, rented a 12 passenger van, and we loaded that up and headed over. Some of my buddies from college met up with us, and, being the people they are, got me totally wasted. Somehow I ended up doing kareoke to Don't Stop Believin' by Journey. The only time I've ever heard that song was in an episode of Family Guy. I think I pulled it off, though.

In the end, I think I drank three Guinesses, a black & tan, two SoCo and limes, three bloody shits (I think it was vodka and Tobasco), a Baby Guinness, a Tic-Tac, two Four Wise Men, a glass of very, very good 18 year old Scotch, two Jaegerbombs, and maybe one or two more...It gets hazy around midnight, although I closed the night with kareoke to Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang.

So I'm not hung over, if that's what you were thinking. We got back to the apartment around 2 AM, and I passed out in the living room, on the floor in front of the couch. I woke up about two hours later, got changed, and moved from the floor to the couch. I finally stirred around 11 this morning, and have just been bumming around all day. I did some homework, watched Reservoir Dogs and played with the dog. Thank GOD I took a vacation day! I did manage to sprain my ankle a bit. It's swollen but not bruised, so a couple days and I should be good, but my quads and back feel like hell.

It sucks getting older. I'm only 23. What the hell is 50 going to feel like?