Trip to the Zoo

Yesterday was really fun! I went out early and got an Austrian SIM card for my phone and managed to charm my way into getting the Neidermeyer guy into setting it up for me (the instructions are all in German...that could have been a problem), then I went across the street to my Starbucks and procured a latte. I sat there for a bit and read my book. I decided to head over the palace early and walk around a bit. I went and climbed the hill up to Gloriette and had coffee and topfenstrudel at the cafe overlooking the palace. A harpist plays there in the mornings on the weekend and it was really lovely. After which I wandered back down the hill to meet Julie. We went to the zoo and had the best time - I was inordinately happy to see a panda and hippos (hippo parade!). I took a bunch of goofy animal PICTURES and had a good time doing it. Julie and I had (yes, more) coffee there at the park before parting ways. It was a truly great day - beautiful weather, good company, all around fun.

Today I'm in again - I am determined to get my comprehensive outline sorted out for my paper. I need to start writing. In order to do so I need to feel like I have some order and direction. I need to send it to my supervising professor by next Monday, but I feel like by next Monday I should be putting the substantive portion together. I think I am invariably impatient with this part of writing - I want to get to the meat of putting things into writing and seeing the final product come together, but the research must be done and done properly to assure that everything is accurate. That part of the writing process infuriates me. It feels so non-productive.

Mom and I were talking about the institution of marriage last night - I think I mentioned that eventually I'd like to be in a committed relationship and living in sin. It really makes me think about it. I don't know if I'm all that keen on the idea. I've made the clear decision not to have children (and I do believe that the institution of marriage is beneficial for children - aside from that...not much. Tax breaks? Maybe. Everything else can be governed by existing law.), thus - do I ever really want to get married? I am partially opposed to marriage because it is a discriminatory institution - for starters, it has traditionally suppressed women and upon dissolution, women invariably end up with the short end of the stick. Especially if they forfeited the option of a career to raise kids. Secondly, it is discriminatory in that the law doesn't treat everyone equally - if I can marry some poor slob that would put himself up for the task, why can't my sister marry whatever woman she wants to? I think the gay marriage debate is absurd - the law discriminates. Period. End of discussion. You can argue with me all day long about tradition and stuff - but don't even try the religious arguments with me (which, in reality, that is the only argument and that violates our Constitutional guarantee of separation of church and state. If you don't believe in God - where do these arguments fall?) So, I don't know if I ever really want to get married. I'm perfectly content to live with a good man the rest of my life and forgo this one tradition. Hell - I've spent a good part of my adult life bucking societal traditions, why not this too?