Happy Easter!  Today is March 31 and there are only 269 days until Christmas so get started on those fruit cakes.  Birthday greetings to Rene Descartes, Al Gore and Erik Turner.  On this day in 1880, Wabash, Indiana became the first town completely illuminated by electric lighting; in 1918 the first daylight savings time went into effect and in 1972 the Official Beatles Fan Club closed down. As I said, it is Easter, world-wide, it is Republic Day/National Day in Malta and tomorrow will be Seward Day in Alaska.

I am going to start out with something a little political today.  The polls have been published and our governor still has a rather high rating of 72% popularity among the 1129 people who were asked.  An interesting fact is that the majority of that same group is in favor of same-sex marriages.  My question is why does that group have so much influence when it comes to the governor, but not when it comes to the other issue? Personally, I do not see what the big deal is.  They claim that same-sex marriage will destroy the institution of marriage.  How?  That is like saying that allowing more kids to go to school will destroy education.

Are our politicians aware that legalizing same-sex marriage does not mean that they have to do it?  Just because the governor signs it into law does not mean he has to go out and find a man to marry.  It simply means that a group of individuals will now have the same rights that everyone else does.  Politicians claim that they cannot approve such an issue on moral and/or religious grounds. 

(Make your own appropriate loud wake up noise here)  Wake up people!  First of all, your moral convictions are not necessarily mine.  You were elected to represent us, not you.  If the majority of people who so impressively approve of the governor also approve of same-sex marriages, why is this a problem?  Second, do not tell me you are voting for or against something based on religious ideals.  We are constantly hearing about the separation of church and state.  How can you vote on something based on your religious beliefs and still maintain that separation?  Again, do not assume that your beliefs are the same as everyone else’s.  Vote for what your constituency wants, not what you want.

One other point I want to make before moving on.  Religion should not have anything to do with this issue.  You do not need a church to get married, nor do you need the permission of any religious body to get married.  All you need is a license, which is issued by the community you live in.  The church is just trappings and an excuse to wear a big, fancy dress and have six or seven of your girlfriends wear a gown that they would normally not be caught dead wearing.

Now that I have expressed myself on that issue, let’s move on to something far less controversial.  I was ironing a shirt recently and was having a problem with a crease on the back of the shirt.  I could not convince it to go away completely.  I was about to spritz it with water when I realized that I was worrying over nothing.  So what if there is a crease in the back.  Who really ever notices the back of your garment?  I have been in a number of social settings and do not ever recall seeing someone stop to check out the back of a person’s shirt or blouse. 

I am always asked why I wear shirts that need ironing.  “Why don’t you just wear knit shirts?” is the plaintive cry.  The reason is that I do not like tight things, be it shirts, ties, watches, whatever.  When I say this I am told that I am crazy (I get that a lot).  If that were true then why did the VA deny my claim for PTSD?  Am I just crazy enough to not like tight clothing, but not enough to generate funds from the VA?  Where is the cutoff?  But I digress …

Imagine, if you will, two people meeting at a party.  After introductions, one moves around to the back of the other and then says, “I am so sorry.  I would love to chat with you and get to know you better, but I notice that the back of your shirt is wrinkled.  I’m afraid that I will have to move on.”

So I have decided to just quickly run an iron over the back and not worry about it.  If someone notices that it is wrinkled they will assume that it is because I was sitting at some point and the shirt got wrinkled.  Like I have said before – c’est la vie.  Way back when jobs required that you wear a suit to work, I used to just iron the front of my shirts and the collar, since they were the only parts that were actually seen.  Why should I start worrying about the back now?

Again, Happy Easter!  Remember, tomorrow is April Fools Day.  As Martha Stewart says on her calendar – Beware of pranksters!