I resolve....

I resolve to get back to blogging on a regular basis with the new year. Sorry folks.

Tanned, Rested and Married

Thanks to everyone for their patience while I was gone, but I'm back and already working hard at the Capitol.

As you may have heard, my longtime partner Philip Frank and I got married in Toronto, Canada (where it is legal and supported - their government recently voted to not review their policy on allowing gays and lesbians to marry) on November 24, 2006, with our immediate family there to celebrate with us. We then spent two weeks vacationing in Indonesia, on the islands of Bali and Java.

It was a fantastic honeymoon/vacation! We went diving at the US Liberty wreck, whitewater rafting, boating, touring the Borobudur and Prembalan temples and more. The Balinese people were especially gracious, in a Hindu culture that welcomes all people including gays and lesbians. I urge everyone to take a look at Bali as a vacation spot, and we'd be glad to pass on additional details.

But I am back, and if you have been keeping up with the news, helped craft a strong bipartisan ethics reform package this week (which I will outline in the next post).

Thanks to all who passed on their warm wishes. While we were gone, South Africa just made marriage legal for gays and lesbians, and since we got back, New Jersey passed a civil union bill. Progress. Real progress.

I truly look forward to getting back to work at the Capitol! As always, contact me with any questions or concerns.