Brian and Kevin!

Minnesota Fun

Last weekend we visited Carla and Chip to see their beautiful new home in Minnesota. Here are some shots from the good times with them and their boys Cameron, 2, and Grant, 5 months. They're getting so big!

Breaking Cheesesteak News

Brian had to go to Philadelphia for work. Last time, he didn't have time to get a cheesesteak, but this time he sure did. 

He hit Pat's today and got a "whiz, wit" (above). Which means it has cheese whiz and onions. He ordered correctly. Kevin is so proud.

The Deep Freeze

Earlier this summer, Brian spearheaded a windowbox project. Parsley, lavender, basil (below, from left)... great success!

Now we have more parsley than we could ever use, so we decided to freeze some for winter. We did this with tablespoons of ginger and that worked — why not parsley? 

The conventional wisdom seems to be that you must chop it before pre-freezing. Behold our science experiment in progress:

We know we totally look like dealers. (FYI: Brian's parents got Kevin that mezzaluna and boy, is it great.) We'll tell you how it works out.

Brian's Legal Corner

While we've documented changes in the law favoring recognition of same-sex relationships in the past, today we look at challenges to these advances. 

In Maine, opponents of same-sex marriage delivered signatures to the Secretary of State's office to have the May 2009 statute put on the ballot for a "citizen's veto." Maine voters will then be asked in the November election whether they want to preserve same-sex marriage or repeal the statute. Unlike in California with Prop 8, the state legislature would be able to pass the law again and restore marriage equality.

In Washington State, a similar vote may happen on the recent statute expanding the state's domestic partnership law to include all rights and privileges of marriage. Turns out that a lot of the signatures submitted are invalid, so it may not qualify for the ballot. Stay tuned for future updates!

We're also tracking events in Wisconsin with great interest. Voters there approved a constitutional amendment in 2006 banning same-sex marriage and civil unions and the equivalent. This year, however, the state legislature initiated a domestic registry providing same-sex couples with about 40 of the rights afforded to opposite-sex couples. (For example, if we were suddenly 80 years old and infirm, we would be allowed to room together in a nursing home. This is the kind of thing that gets Kevin really, really fired up.) Not surprisingly, some people believe that this law violates the state constitutional amendment and a lawsuit has been filed.

So, bottom line? In order to protect three advances in Maine, Washington and Wisconsin, state and national groups still need our support. Please consider giving to The Task Force, whose mission includes campaigns to fight anti-gay measures at the ballot box, and Lambda Legal, which fights for partnership and marriage rights in the courts.

Birthday Bonanza!

We've been moving a little slow this week since Kevin has been under the weather, but we can't let our nephew Cameron's 2nd birthday go by without a shout-out. Also, this weekend is Brian's brother Scott's birthday and we hope he has a great one. 

Here are some pics of Cam through his two years, hanging with his NYC uncles, and mastering the guitar and Uncle Brian's Blackberry.

Summer Cocktails

We've been crazy for cocktails recently. The sidecar is always a favorite, but recent forays have included an expertly made Manhattan (at The Montauk Club, thanks Antonio!) and Brian's sazerac at Keen's Steakhouse. (Kevin is also a big fan of a rusty nail, but not in summer.)

We polled some loyal readers and your favorite summer cocktail is the mojito. We couldn't agree more, but we like to put our spin on the classic, muddling basil instead of mint — which allows us to make use of the herbs we planted in our  this spring. 

Basil and mint are cousins, supposedly, and the resulting drink takes on a slightly savory and borderline bracing quality. "The alchemy of fresh lime and fresh basil is unmatched by modern science," says Brian. Adds Kevin: "It's tasty!"

    BASIL MOJITO — adapted from The Little Black Book of Cocktails

    1 1/2 oz light rum (a/k/a one shot) — we use Bacardi

    1/4 teaspoon of regular sugar

    Juice of 1 lime — there is no substitute for fresh lime juice

    Soda water

    Basil leaves — we use 4-5 large leaves or more smaller leaves

Muddle the basil and the sugar in a glass — we use a double old fashioned glass but the highball glass is more traditional. Add ice — fill it up! — rum, and lime juice.  Fill the glass with soda water and garnish with lime.