penguin dust

Miryam

My lovely, amazing girlfriend. She is the light of my world, my beshert, my sweet femme, and the bravest person I’ve ever known. She makes our house a home every day. To be her partner in life is the greatest, best thing that has ever happened to me. Her touch makes me weak, her look makes me shiver, her voice is like that of an angel, and damn it all, she’s fucking sexy as all hell.

She can quote entire passages from “When Harry Met Sally” at a moment’s notice. She has expensive, expansive taste in just about everything. She can sing through a song twice and know it cold. She’s the most self-aware, perceptive person I have ever known. She fights, daily, through six kinds of hell that would have defeated a lesser woman years ago. She can stand on the bimah and guide her congregation in prayer with such kavanah (intent, focus) that you’d swear she was born to it, and I think she was. Miryam is smart, talented, funny, beautiful, brave, and passionate. She is the love of my life. I am very lucky.

Also, she cracks my shit up on a daily basis, which is always a good thing.

The Monkeys

Miryam’s biological children and my children by virtue of heart and spirit. Four of the coolest people you will ever meet, the monkeys are smart, radical little unschooled subversives. Learning how to be a parent is one of the scariest fucking things I’ve ever done, but they make it worth it.

Erich

Erich is the monkeys’ dad, Miryam’s ex-husband. He generally comes over a couple of days a week and we see a lot of him; he’s still part of the family. He and I get along pretty well most of the time. When the seven of us are together, the family is complete. Strange but true.

Judy

Judy is Miryam's ex-girlfriend and still her best friend (typical lesbians that we all are). It sort of pigeonholes their relationship to describe it that way and I don't like that. There needs to be another way to describe who Judy is to Miryam, me, and the kiddos. The nearest we've been able to come up with is that Judy is my and Miryam's "platonic third" and is yet another parent to the monkeys. We're all very lucky that way.

Regina ("Gino-Momma")

Regina and her family basically adopted Miryam when she, Miryam, was coming out of the closet and her marriage at the same time. Regina is kind, generous, and wise. It's an honor to be one of her people.

Shawn, a.k.a. Goose

Shawn was my landlord and roommate for four years in suburban hell. Shawn is responsible for much of my ability to curse creatively, as in, “You three-legged weasel-humping, shitbagging, fucknut assmonkey, don’t make me come across this desk and light your ass on fire.” This comes in handy at work.

Rachel

My little sister, although “little” is not particularly accurate, considering she has six inches in height on me. Rachel is the mother of my favorite niece. Rachel enlisted in the US Air Force in October 2005 and is stationed on the east coast.

Janet

Unix geek in California who I met through the Nest. Janet is pretty much my best friend besides Miryam. She and her wife have three genius children who will some day take over the world.

Leo

Leo is a Nest buddy of mine whose online acquaintance morphed into a real life friendship. Leo is a Unix geek like me and a good friend.

Shir Chadash

Anyone who has ever started a congregation of any kind knows that it takes on a life of its own. Shir Chadash is our fledgling synagogue. Miryam, Judy, Hilary and I sit on the board of directors (only when they've misbehaved very much, mind you). Miryam leads services as the cantorial soloist, Hilary and Judy do the rabbinic duties, I head up the monthly Torah study, and we all generally try to manage it more than it manages us.