ABSILVER's World

The first thing everyone needs to do this morning is realize as much as we don't want to admit it, as far as we believe we have come in this society for equal rights whether based on race, gender, religion or even sexual orientation that yes racism is still a real issue in this country.  Too many people walk down a street and based on the color of their skin, their choice of clothes are "profiled" and people make assumptions based on race.  I hope that we have made progress, and that we have grown as a country to be less racist and prejudice, but as my good friend Cecelia has told me many times the first step in addressing the problem of racism is to realize we all have some prejudices and to realize them so we don't do and act wrong because of these tendencies. Like it or not, if Trayvon Martin were white or Hispanic George Zimmerman may not have been as suspicious and may have actually talked to this child to find out where he lived and why he was just meanderi

"Be the kind of person you would like to meet" This is the picture that is posted on a dating site, and it strikes me is quite an interesting statement.  There are sayings that I appreciate:  "Be the kind of person your dog thinks you are!"   "What would you do if you could not fail?" Even some of the funny ones: "Dinner isn't ready till the smoke alarm goes off" "Why can't I get a little ahead instead of a bigger behind? Or the serious and thoughtful: "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their Dreams" Eleanor Roosevelt  "Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom" Marcel Prost . All of the above adorn the side of my refrigerator, not sure that is where Eleanor Roosevelt or Robert Frost thought their words would wind up, but I assume and hope they would be happy to be remembered.

I have been in Key West for almost a month, from the 2 nd  of June to the 29 th , 2013.  So, I thought I would share my reviews of restaurants.  (Going to update and hopefully put these on a map.) The Key is Simple, and I will try and keep comments a few. Green: I would recommend it.  I ate there more than once, and the food and service were very good to excellent.   Blue: It was  very good.  I would probably go back but read the comments. Orange: Was OK.  I may have been there on a bad day, but odds are I won’t return.   Maybe the restaurant did not match my taste, but not somewhere I would not go out of my way to try again. Red: I wouldn’t go back, nor would I recommend anyone try it.  (you will note no reds below.) A few observations about restaurants in Key West, to my observation, they are all above average, and I was quite pleased overall.  Also, the most expensive meal to eat here is breakfast.  If you have a standard breakfast, it is $20 a person.  T

I sit here on what for all practical purposes is a great day for gay rights, and hopefully human rights overall.  The Supreme Court has struck down DOMA, and effectively let stand a California Court ruling against the constitutionality of Proposition 8.   I had written about listening to the Supreme Court and their questions in March on both cases and I was right on how Proposition 8 case came down.   Any one that questions either ruling should listen to the thoughtful questions from the justices as I did. Can only imagine the celebration this weekend in NYC, the parade, the Pier with Cher!  and something to celebrate! It also is the same week the Supreme Court set Affirmative action back.   They also for all practical purposes obliterated the Voting Rights Act.   Just happens to be based on the belief that the prejudice that was challenging fair elections and enrollments in colleges in the South are mostly gone.     In the middle of this discussion, in walks Paula D

I sit here, nearing the end of a journey.  This feeling that I needed to step outside of my life to observe it.  To think, to observe, and make sure that I get out of my own skin.  I picked the most unusual place in June, Key West.  I originally thought about a train ride through the northeast.  Stopping along the way in Washington, Philadelphia, New Jersey, New York, and end maybe in Maine.  But, that would have been costly and frankly would have been more about the journey and the company along the way.  It wouldn't have had the same ideal of stepping outside of myself and looking at the world and my world from what is basically an observation post. When I decided to rent this house.  I thought for a moment and did some research on house or apartment in New York City itself.  What would that look like?  What could it be that I had missed almost 20 years ago by placing my world in Westchester County that day and not as some in the briefing center had in the city itself? 

Here I sit in Key West... at a house that I have been at since the second of June.  In many ways this house, and Key West is about a fresh beginning.  It is about not wanting to lose touch with what is in my soul, which is my life is changing along with my work life.   I am on this journey of happiness, and have the luxury of good friends and family and have been meeting new ones. Some, relatively new friends, came down for the weekend.  (Thanks Tom and Mike!)  Was so nice to have them here, company, and we had a great time.  As Tom said, they like to be easy house guest and remind themselves this is someones home and they just fit in as if they belong here.   We had a bbq and pool party last night for some great gentlemen, including Graham, Bruce, Shane, Jeremy and some new friends in Key West Terry and Seann.  This was a group of folks who didn't all know each other, but by the end of the evening you would have thought we had all been friends for a long times.  Was lovely

Ok.. So today I have an opinion.. not yet on where I am headed.  Although, I spent most of Saturday forgetting it was Saturday which I take to be a good thing. My concern today, is about Apple's announcements yesterday, Googles, Microsoft Xone, Facebook where these vendors want to get to know you better.  They really think by following your day to day life they will know so much about you that you will buy more from them or their advertisers.  Apple is going to improve how you organize your pictures. Not help you organize them better you see, because they already know where you were.  They already think they know what you were doing.  So, why should you take the time to organize them yourself? or click Photostream and now the world can see where you were, who you were with, and if not careful people can add pictures to your stream that could either enhance your world or detract from it. Facebook, wants you to be front and center and live in Facebook from your phone and b