Review of the week

It has been emotional to say the least. That stands for personal and public experiences. For your sanity, let's focus on what has caught my eye outside of Lizworld. The bitter battle for the Democrat nomination has finally drawn to a close (although Clinton didn't seem to realise until well after everyone else). The result was going to be groundbreaking whatever the conclusion but a black presidential candidate will certainly bring a few potential Wallaces out of hiding no doubt. It will be interesting and sad to see how certain Republicans choose to villify him. Does he stand a chance against McCain? Internationally one may assume so. However, this was the mistake many made in 2004. We take for granted that our views are shared across the pond because we naively or arrogantly believe that they are right.
I went to New York in Feb and being the quintessential nosey parker that I am, I took every opportunity to quiz the US public about their political persuasions. Not that it was particularly difficult, because they are more than more forthcoming with their pearls of wisdom. It seems that politics and religion fit nicely into polite conversation in a bizarre way. But basically, to cut to the chase, the general prognosis at that point was that it didn't really matter who won the democratic nomination, a black guy or a woman were never going to make it onto the White House. Therefore McCain will win but will it be Republican status quo? I hope not.
This leads me to thinking about minorities. I can remember leaving school and believing that prejudice and (ridiculous as it seems) ignorance didn't exist. That is why it so difficult to hear the fact that educated professionals still believe that it is possible to be cured of homosexuality. The mind boggles. I appreciate that at points everyone could do with the number of a good psychiatrist, but your sexuality is your sexuality is your sexuality. No-one can pre-destine or manipulate that and in the wonderful cosmopolitan world that we live in, why would we want them to?
Negative views like this make me feel fairly disaffected, as if I needed an excuse! But I leave you with some personal pathos. A colleague's 16 year old daughter died this week. She was born with a hole in her heart and was also severely autistic. She has intricately planned her funeral with sunny colours and uplifting songs. To have that strength of character leaves me in awe and for her mother, to bury your own child will always be something that messes with my general state of being.
Where are the positives!!!?? I give you them as I've seem them- a rerun of Karate Kid. I cannot begin to describe the tingle I feel when Ralph does the dying lotus (or whatever it is) on the evil kid. That is pure catharcism for the bullied amongst us. I also welled up at my cousin's 18th birthday. I was surprised as I try to maintain an austere veneer at family dos (sometimes small talkbeats real talk) but to watch a young woman cry when her father spoke about her coming of age was food for the soul.
An average week them I guess, to be fair.