I might need to have a sprog just so I can decorate a nursery with this baby nerd stuff.

You have until Friday to send a submission to the senate about your support of same sex marriage. My submission (which incorporates a few previous blog posts) is below. Thanks to Lara for the link.Dear Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs Committee,

This is my submission to your inquiry into marriage equality. I fully endorse the submission made by Australian Marriage Equality in favour of the Marriage Equality Amendment Bill 2009.

I’m a woman and I’ve been with my (male) partner for more than nine years, but I never wanted to get married. I just couldn’t see the point. It seemed like a big hassle and expense, and anyway, our “de facto” status gave us most of the same legal protections, right? We’re not religious, and I didn’t have any desire to play Princess for a day. It seemed an antiquated, pointless institution.

Then in 2004, we attended my partner’s aunt’s 50th birthday party. Her girlfriend Sue made a speech and then proposed to her in front of all their family and friends. I kept thinking about it for days. I mean, they can’t legally get married. So what was the point of proposing? Obviously it was a big moment for them. Why? Eventually I came to the conclusion that it was the fact of making it all public. We knew they’d been off-and-on for years, but now Sue was telling everyone that she intended to be there for the long haul, that she was making a public commitment to be with this person from now on. And I saw the good in that. Linda knew that Sue was willing and unembarrassed to tell the world how she felt about her. They also knew that by making their relationship “public property” in a way, that there was now the pressure to make it work. We know how they stand. That’s a good thing. And I decided that if it’s good for them, it’d be good for us.

I still couldn’t stomach the thought of a big traditional wedding, so instead we got married on a holiday to Las Vegas. It was just the two of us (and Elvis). It was one of the best days of my life. We celebrated with family and friends when we got back to Sydney. I have no reservations whatsoever about making the commitment to my husband… but it makes me sad that Sue and Linda – and all of our other gay and lesbian friends – can’t make it “official” in the way that we have. We don’t plan on having any children. We’re not religious. Why should our relationship have a different status than theirs? I love my husband, but part of me still regrets that I took advantage of a right that many others cannot.

It’s just unfair.

Kristine Howard
Sydney

Candi.com.au
I’m thrilled to announce that the side project I’ve been working on has finally launched! Ladies and gentlemen… Candi.com.au. Candi is a jewellery designer here in Sydney, and she creates beautiful, whimsical, PRETTY shiny things! I implemented her new site for her, and she’s going to design some wedding rings for us. (Yes, the Snook and I will finally have rings, hopefully just in time for our fifth wedding anniversary.) Anyway, please check out her site the next time you’re in the mood for a pretty sparkly…

For my sister: At the Farmer’s Market on Saturday, I was excited to see that Sweetness the Patisserie had a stall. I dragged the Snook through the crowds to talk to the owner. “I’ve read so much about you on Grab Your Fork!” I said. “Your marshmallows are supposed to be divine.” “Would you like to try one?” She gave us each a small piece from her sample jar. It was so light and delicate and lovely. I promptly bought three sample packs of different flavours. So far we’ve tried the toasted coconut. They are the best marshmallows I’ve ever had. Very light and squidgy and almost moist inside, without that heavy rubberiness of the grocery store variety. These are special marshmallows to be savored, preferably with a cup of hot chocolate.

Steph and Eva’s party at Kam Fook was unbelievable. There were well over a hundred people there, and somehow we were seated at the central table next to the wedding party. That’s where all of our friends were, so it was just perfect. Eva’s decorations were beautiful! We had champagne and wine while we listened to speeches from the families. (Interestingly, one of Eva’s relatives stood on stage and translated into Cantonese for the non-English speakers. She then came over and translated Eva’s Dad’s speech into English for us.) Everyone took pictures as Steph and Eva cut the cake, and we laughed as they had to play the usual embarrassing reception games before everyone. And the food… THE FOOD! We were having THIRTEEN COURSES of the most amazing food! First was suckling pig, which is apparently a Chinese wedding tradition. We each got a couple pieces of beautiful crackling along with the succulent meat. Then there was a beautiful deep fried seafood fritter, served with mayonnaise. I loved that one. They just kept coming. Silky sweet crab meat with asparagus… abalone with mushroom… coral trout… lobster… shark fin soup! I ate it all, and it was all so, so good. Eventually the night wound to a close and we staggered off to catch a cab home. What a great party. Thank you, Steph and Eva, for sharing your special day with all of us!