That Dweam within a Dweam.

Some friends are getting married today. Having been married for almost 15 years, I don't agree with the sappy "happily ever after" story that women are so often sold. It's fucking bullshit. Marriage isn't for everyone. And you know what? That's a good thing. It should be okay to be alone. Marriage is hard work. As I see it, it's you and your partner against all the awful crap that life can throw at you. Yes, of course, there's the happy, and yes, having someone to share that happy with does make the good things...well...happier. Getting through the tough stuff is a hell of a lot easier too--provided you are the kind of person who is good at relationships, and again, not everyone is. One of the most romantic things Dane ever said to me was, "Keep fighting. I've got your back." You know what? That still sends happy-chills through me. (I'm not sure what that says about me that I find that so much more romantic than a bunch of roses and candy, but there you are.)

So, wedding. It's always great to see a couple grow together as they have. Finding just the right person to be with is extremely difficult, and it's extra difficult when you've had a previous long term relationship that didn't work out. Amanda deserves to happy. So does Joshua. He's a genuinely nice guy. They're both good people. Thus, hopefully no one will show up at the ceremony with a holocaust cloak and a wheelbarrow. That creates such a mess, and it's tough to get your deposit back from the wedding venue once things have been set on fire. Plus, I'm leaving our pitch forks at home. They're impossible to fit in the trunk. And really, do you know how difficult it is to find a wedding-appropriate outfit that goes with a pitchfork accessory? I'm not even going to bring up the shoes.

In other news, Cold Iron got a mention over at SFSignal yesterday along with 100 other great ebook deals. I checked on the gender/race balance of the listing, and it looks like John D. did a good job of balancing out the mentions. I deeply appreciate it when an online venue like that gets the lesson in one. Seriously. This is why I'm a fan of SFSignal. This is also why I said I had faith in them. Everyone makes mistakes. Mistakes are necessary. It takes a bigger, better person to own their mistake--you can't learn from a mistake that you don't own--and learn from it--particularly when it's such a public mistake. I admire that in people. Let's hope that lesson stays learned. I have faith that it will. Again, this kind of effort requires work, but it's too important to slack.