WHAT CAN I DO IN THE NAME OF LOVE? 10 Things.

There are many things you can do to help advance Marriage Equality in Georgia. Here's 10. Try some. Try them all. Any one of you can be a leader and persons of meaningful impact. We're going to need quite a few of these sorts to get it done.

1. Plug-in and engage: Go to www.facebook.com/LoveUnderFire and click "LIKE" on the right-side of the header.

2. Recruit: Under the Georgia Flag, you will see a "Smart Suggest To Friend" button. Click on it and the rest should be self explanatory. Or to the right of the "MESSAGE" button click on the gear icon and select "Share" in the drop-down menu. Post blurb on your page, in groups which you belong to and in private messages to friends and family anywhere in Georgia who you know might be interested in supporting this cause.

3. Host Conference Call Party: Invite 5 close friends over for dessert, games and music beginning with a live interactive chat with The Love Under Fire Campaign, which will report campaign developments and feature relationship building advice. Encourage a discussion on the topic when the call is done. Have those 5 friends invite 3 other friends before they come. Broadcasting live every 3rd Tuesday on WRFG 89.3FM from 7P-8PM. Or you may stream the show live online @ http://wrfg.org/howlisten.asp . To call in dial 404-523-8989. The next one will be announced here  Fireside Chat. Repeat this step for the next call or alternate hosting between those 5 friends.

4. Write a handwritten letter, e-mail or call your state and federal legislators. Find them at www.congress.org  Read this article to get more ideas about how to engage your legislators.

5. Spread awareness by wearing a white knot at work on a red top on Mondays. Can't where a red top? Wear a red rose on the right and the white knot on the left. Get your white knot @: www.whiteknot.org Be prepared to educate when questioned about the meaning of the white knot and bring some for others to wear.

6. Organize a group of friends and supporters 3-5 or more and then visit your local courthouse with your same-sex partner and request a marriage license. They of course, will deny your request. As a record request that they write denied on your application and then share with them why marriage matters to you in less than 5 minutes and then leave peacefully. Black out your personal information and then snap a picture and send the evidence to dir.loveunderfire@aol.com and any of your local media outlets. We will be compiling these evidences of injustice. Obey all laws and remain peaceful and compliant. DO NOT show up alone just in case your friends might need to notify an attorney or the authorities in the case that you are unjustly arrested or harrassed by civilians. Visit WE DO Campaign for examples of how this is done. If things get out of hand through no fault of your own, contact www.lambdalegal.org Chances are you will have no problem if you remain peaceful and respectful.

7. Talk to your friends and family members about why marriage equality matters and get them involved. Watch these videos and this article and this article too to give you ideas and talking points but always relate them to your personal experiences. If you know of an outright opponent, read the List of Denials and then ask your friend if they know and care about what they are trying to take away from LGBT citizens. If they do, ask them why and ask how would they feel if done to them. Chances are they do not know and this is your open door to begin enlightening them. Ask them if they know of any particular LGBT families or individuals who are negatively impacted by their current legal status.

8. Make a Tax-Deductable Donation, ear-marked to The Love Under Fire Campaign through our sponsor, St Mark United Methodist Church Just select "other" and enter Love Under Fire Inc.

9. Offer your skills and talents. If you have any particular skill and talent you know of which could be an asset to the campaign and are willing to volunteer them as needed, please e-mail Dir.LoveUnderFire@aol.com your name, your contact information, your time availability, daily, weekly and time of year, your location and the details of your experience and recognition with whatever skills or talents you are offering to the movement. We are building a database of those wanting to help us. If at anytime we could use your help for a particular project, you will be contacted by our Secretary. We could use all the help that we can get.

10. Forward this page to others:: DO NOT SPAM!!! Spam is impersonal mass-emailing, messaging or form conversations with individuals who have not opted to join your list. This is not an effective tactic to engage people. In fact, it is likely to garner their resistance and get you ignored and in some cases, it is illegal. The best tactic is personally reaching out to individuals using their name and other personal relevances in truthful, honest and natural conversation even if it is electronic. If you wish to communicate with the masses, join a group which has similar concerns to our campaign and promotions of this sort are allowed and welcomed. Not sure? Contact the group's admin to get permission. Or you may post it on your facebook page, twitter or through any other list you already have where people have opted to receive like communications from you. It would be best if you have set an example by doing at least one of the previous 9 suggestions and telling your friends about what you did.

DISCLAIMER:
Like any campaign, commercial, political, social or otherwise, it is to our best interests to try to maintain an engaging and respectable brand. The moment you begin acting and using the name of this campaign in relation to each other, you automatically become an ambassador of that brand and it reflects on our entire movement. With that said, we ask that you please act responsibly and be as decent in conduct, speech and appearance as you possibly can when representing us. In all public affairs, we aim to engender and maintain an image which is poised, dignified and assertive. This is a world of difference from being aggressive, unfriendly, whiney, combative and an anarchist, even though some of our proposed methods might be considered radical by some conservative perspectives. This is also a world of difference from a strategy which is passive, complacent and accomodating to injustices which has yet to yield any real results. We do not use signs, we do not chant, we do not argue, and we never succumb to or openly agitate violence even if it is leveled against us. We will always behave lovingly and friendly, even if we are not treated the same as we are determined in our refusal to cooperate with injustice and to defy it. We will save our arguments for when our opponents are ready to listen. Until then, we only speak our truth unapologetically in love and conviction as we commit ourselves to letting our actions go on and speak boldly for itself. We believe that is all that we need until our opponents are forced to negotiate with our demands or incur ongoing, unceasing and mounting problems related to the issue of marriage discrimination. Lastly, to keep things rooted in perspective, balance and sanity, take things which must be taken seriously seriously. All else, keep a good sense of humor, and don't let these people steal your joy. You're going to need it. If we act together now, we're going to win this. Don't worry about that.


                                     THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. WE NEED YOU!

FORWARD MARCH! Part #1

FORWARD MARCH!

                                                               Part #1

It's Friday, and this week has been very productive at work. We have some accomplishments to celebrate together. I come up with an idea for a pizza party. If I can collect $3 from all of our colleagues I can provide two large slices to everyone. When I come to you for your donation, you're one of those health conscious types and not necessarily fond of pizza but you're also a team player so you gladly pitch in your $3, and to make sure there's enough leftover to serve those who might be extra hungry, you pitch in an additional $3. Within about an hour, the pizzas arrive hot and fresh with its sensuous aromas of Italian seasoning wafting throughout the workplace. You hadn't had lunch yet and your tummy has begun to groan. When you see your co-workers walking away from the break room with slices of pizzas layered with thick, gooey cheese, fresh peppers and pepperonis you think you might as well help yourself to a slice. You would save time and you're going running this weekend anyway. As you walk through the break room where the pizzas are spread, I immediately grab a measuring tape and proceed to take your height. When your hands move to help yourself to a slice of pizza, I crack your knuckles with a wooden spoon and explain to you that pizza is only for those who are of the height 5'9" or taller and that you are only 5'8". You ask me to explain the reason and I state that the Surgeon General has made a law that states those 5'8" or shorter on average do not expend enough calories on a daily basis to make eating pizza a smart food choice and are thus forbidden from eating pizza for concern it will make our society fat. You then explain to me that your genes would never allow you to be taller than 5'8" and that you do enjoy pizza on occasion. I tell you your height is a choice and then offer you some solutions. You could always go to a bone reconstructionist and get your limbs stretched or you can stand on stilts so that you too can be of normal height and at the next pizza party we host, you can then take part. Nothing personal...just business. Your feelings are now hurt on top of being hungry. You are then left trying to figure out what you did wrong. Wait, you must be an evil person with bad morals for wanting pizza like anyone else.

With this allegory, I ask you to take height and replace it with sexuality. Take pizza and replace it with the civil rights and benefits of marriage. Take your pizza donations and replace it with your tax dollars used to support the institutions which offers these rights. Take the Surgeon General and replace it with the Georgia General Assembly. And take this bone reconstructionist and replace it with those professionals engaged in the deemed unethical work of sexuality reparative therapy. Those who marry against the grain of their natural sexualities are your stilt walkers. And I am acting as your helpful county law clerk.

If you agree that we live within a republic of democracy, then what lawmakers create down at the Gold Dome in Atlanta are not actually laws at all. If they were, then our laws would never change at all and apply to all people universally as the Law of Gravity or the Law of Reciprocity. Real laws can not be created, they just are and always have been. They have no rhyme or reason but that they provide the basis from which all reality is derived. And if they were not just, then reality would contradict itself and nullify its own works. All known reality would then short circuit itself. You would not be able to calculate any sound mathematical equation by it. In this sense, it is impossible to break the law, you can only break yourself against the law.

What legislators actually create are public agreements with the constituencies they represent to abide by a certain code with a purpose of beneficially making life better and safer for all those it concerns. The process is that they propose a code which addresses those ends and then they must work to gain an agreement with the full legislature and the people in order to make it then so-called law. Whenever a particular code fails to achieve this purpose or does the inverse, any American who is paying attention ought to disagree with it. And I don't mean passively agree to disagree with it. I mean to maladjust oneself to the injustice, to totally get out of alignment with that which is wrong. This is how you break laws which should have never become law in the first place. When unjust laws of this order are broken, we then see that they were never laws in truth to begin with as the now the dead Jim Crow and antimiscegeny statutes.

I am not in any way advocating anarchy. I would actually agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all." St. Thomas Aquinas would also concur in that, unjust laws are not aligned with eternal law. "Any law which uplifts human dignity is just. Any law which degrades human personality is unjust." Therefore, all marriage discriminatory statutes are unjust because it sets up a different set of rules and benefits which do not apply to all and the results are inequality. Discrimination destroys the self-esteem and self-worth of those it leaves out. It many times breaks spirits beyond repair. It gives the included a false sense of superiority and the excluded a false sense of inferiority. Either "We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal who are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights which among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." or our national constitution is a blatant lie. Thomas Jefferson knew not what he was talking about. Abraham Lincoln was just another delusional utopian dreamer, whose philosophies never truly came down to earth to set African Americans free from bondage. And Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was just another quack doctor who wrote America his prescription through a fantasy he called a dream. I too am out of my mind. And perhaps you are a fool as well in need of a dose of reality if you believe in this.

Even if it were not for the direct benefit of oneself, all of us who wish to live in a more harmonious, loving and fair society and are dedicated to the best interests of our state and all of its inhabitants, have a duty and a responsibility to break the backbone of such legal injustices. Those of us who are in positions to change laws have a responsibility to now begin the hard work of changing them or accept being part of the problem which we must overcome and remove. Those of us compelled to cooperate with unjust laws, have a responsibility to disobey them and not comply, such as clergy members, justices of the peace or county law clerks, or accept their contributions to the problem. Those of us targeted and victimized by unjust laws have an incumbent responsibility to challenge them by petition, communicating our demands to our legislators and by peaceful yet assertive protest or there shall be no sympathy for us. We must also get better at engaging our loved ones, those closest to us, friends and family about why marriage equality matters and encourage them to take some form of action as you have. We must put aside our differences, our pride, our arrogance and resentments and reach out to one another and pull together all of the disjointed factions of this state’s LGBT population into one strong united front. The urbanites must join hands with the rural dwellers. Lesbians must become true siblings and best friends with gay men and vice-versa and not leave out their trans and bi siblings. We must get better at race relations and class relations than our heterosexual counterparts. We could do this by welcoming inclusion and respect, by embracing, honoring and representing the beauty of our diversity instead of trying to whitewash or standardize our image to the alienation of those who do not fit into that self-imposed image. We don’t need to assimilate but we must belong to one another and recognize that this is much bigger than the concerns of just one group. Our youth must seek the wisdom of their elders and our seniors must appreciate the innovations of our youth and take their places as respectable guides. We must include the populous strength of our ordinary everyday people in this work as leaders and not have this struggle dominated and controlled by the self-imposed leadership of an overbearing and cliqued up elite. We must invite the support of our straight allies and educate them about our needs. We must commit ourselves to doing whatever we can and must do to offer our talents, our skills, our passions, our stories, our money, our time, our prestige and our connections to those organizations which are committed to doing the work of organizing and mobilizing a movement to directly dismantle these legal injustices like The Love Under Fire Campaign on the state level in Georgia.

As Americans, we have a right to do this if anyone was senselessly waiting for me to come along and give them permission. I have heard certain persons cry out in desperation, “What in the world is it going to take to finally bring marriage equality to Georgia?” And I have just told you. Look not beyond yourselves. I am no genius imparting some innovative wisdom which has not been successfully tried and proven in the past. This kind of self-determination and unification is what has always worked to free people from the abuses of an oppressor, from the early Christians to the Revolutionary Americans to the Indians of Gandhi’s era to the African American Civil Rights movement and I know it will work just as effectively for us today. We are not required to subject ourselves to laws which degrade and do not uplift.

((Continuation of this discussion in Part #2))

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAPRICORNS

                                   Happy Birthday, Capricorns! December 22nd-January 19th

Capricorns are the entrepreneurs and the capitalists of the zodiac. Their marked ambition for upward mobility is symbolized by the goat ascending a mountain. They are the Cardinal Earth sign of the zodiac. The earth signs, Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn are influenced by stern pragmatisms, practicalities and down-to-earth conservatism. When this element is expressed in the Cardinal mode these influences are made active. Thus, we have an earthquake on our hands with the same earth shaking ambition which erected the prodigious mountains when it comes to the practical application of concrete plans, and managing the everyday necessities of life. Capricorn is also governed by the planet, Saturn, which in Roman mythology is represented by the god of agriculture, time and wealth. The planet is the second largest planet in the Zodiac which makes them the 5th most powerful sign in the zodiac after Scorpio, Leo, Aries, and then Sagittarius respectively. Saturn has historically been asscociated with the letter of the law or a tyrannical obsession with a rigid enforcement of the written law. This makes Capricorns very ordered personalities who plan religiously for their ascent to better modes of living. Saving and investing are nearly as important to them as eating and breathing. Prudence is the word that best describes this sign. The most important question to a Capricorn is, "How is this going to take us to the next level?"

Capricorns are hard workers and are diligent in meeting their goals. While competitive in their ambitiousness with Scorpio, Leo, Aries and Sagittarius, they tend to stick to more realistic goals; goals which if they work hard enough for it, they can acheive it beyond a shadow of a doubt. While opportunistic, these are not your natural risk takers and they are not comfortable with leaving things to chance or luck. Their cautious nature will always lead them to look before leaping. And while they will occassionally take successful leaps only if they have to, it will only be after much precalculation, deliberation and risk management. Excellence is always in their nature as they strive to be the best in any endeavor they're involved in. They are not comfortable with being second rate. They make sure that their works must stand out and set high standards.

Capricorns take a gritty and disciplined business approach to just about everything in life. They believe in taking things one step at a time. Because they need to play it safe, they need concrete rules and patterns to plan by so they can be scientifically sure of their success. Those who achieve beyond them while not playing by the rules or society's norms anger them as unfair and they are very unforgiving of those who get an easy ride to the top, especially ahead of them. They believe everyone should have to work as hard as they have to get where they have gotten. Being governed by Saturn, they are patient with methodically sowing seeds of success over a long period of time, keeping in sync with the patterns they have observed. This dependence on rules and norms will make them rather the traditional types. Punctuality and common sense are principles they hold dear. Falling in line right after Scorpio and Sagittarius, these too struggle with egotism. Unlike Sagittarius who often gets full of the awesomeness of their vivacious personalities and wide knowledge-base, Capricorns pride themselves on their hard work and as they acheive their arrogance grows in parralel to their self-confidence. While they do not usually display their pride as wild divas, like Sagittarius, they are found to be rather dignified and snooty.

In love, Capricorns are very cautious when being pursued but are attracted to ambition, good-sense and reliability. Always show up on time and be on point in all the material needs of stability, career, income, status, car, independence, etc if you seek a Capricorn. Have goals and realistic ones they can understand and value with their practical minds. If you're one of those types who plan to take over the world, keep those fantasies to yourself until you can show it to them by evidence of your hard work and results. They too want to be on top of the world and will be attracted to your ambition if they can believe in its eventual success. Be self-confident. Toughen your skin, Capricorns believe in tough love, they are just fine with allowing those they love to suffer if it will teach them a valuable lesson and make them stronger and more hardened like themselves. Not only that, when they care, it usually not the mushy, compassionate type of caring but they will be determined and rather domineering and helping to meet the needs of those they love, even if it means bossing them around to get them to do what they ought to do, or harshly scolding them and purposely hurting their feelings. This is how they love. Truly, if they did not care, they would not bother. For the most part, they often just worry about themselves and do not care for meddling in the affairs of others, especially if it has nothing do with their personal success. They will tell you, "I don't have time for that." And they are very shrewd with their time, it is their most precious resource. Capricorn is compatible with all of their fellow earth signs, Taurus and Virgo. They appreciate Taurus' stability and Virgo's orderliness. They are also able to acheive much when pairing up with two of the water signs, Cancer and Scorpio.

Career pursuits that suit Capricorn are just about anything involving math and money. They are natural entreprenuers and capitalists. They make reliable managers and talent agents. They make sound financial consultants and corporate executives. If involved in politics, they are prone to lean toward the right or the more conservative factions. As a hobby only, you might find them engaged in rock climbing.

2013 Love Predictions:

Your partner’s moral support is likely to increase in the second half of the year and that is when you will need it the most. Those willing to go in for a new relationship may go for it in the second part of the year. If the relationship is strong, it will sustain itself. Those already in a relationship may proceed towards married life and will tie the knot this year. Married couples need to support each other in order to keep things in balance. Between April and August, you and your partner may plan a long distant trip. -www.ganeshaspeaks.com

The first part of the year 2013 will generally not be significantly different from the second half of the previous year. There will be different shades, though, generated by the transit of the personal planets.

Therefore, January 2013 will enchant you by having Venus in Capricorn. Its irresistible attributes, charm, elegance and sensuality will surround you and enhance your capacity to seduce. There will be opportunities for love, dates and reconciliation to happen, and the couple atmosphere will be tender and cooperative.

March 2013 will focus attention on conversations, mail, declarations, romantic strolls and trips. It can also cause some discrepancies, but they can be easily avoided by making messages clear.

The second part of April and all the month May 2013 will vigorously stimulate sexual energy and romantic tendencies. Your overflowing eroticism will give birth to flirts, adventure, passion.

Between 3rd and 27th June 2013 the stars will favor you again: Venus, the Lesser Benefic, will cross Capricorn's house of couples.

It's still in June that a highly important event will take place: Jupiter, the Greater Benefic, will also enter Capricorn's house of couples, where it'll stay until July 2014. Traditionally, Jupiter in your house of couples offers the brightest perspectives of happiness, fulfillment and understanding. The relationship will develop harmoniously, there'll be shared achievements, the partner will benefit from professional or financial chance, etc.

Jupiter will broaden the perspective, will enhance the offer and create the appropriate environment for love, reconciliation, engagement or even marriage to happen. It's still Jupiter that can set you free from an unhappy relationship.

If it's disturbed by other planetary transits, Jupiter can harm the relational life by excesses, extravagancy, waste, vanity, exaggeration, carelessness or dishonesty. Beware especially at the end of June, in July and August 2013, but also in the last decanate of September and the first half of October, as well as in December 2013! -www.eastrolog.com

 

Capricorns are likely to get several opportunities for forging new relationships and reinforcing the existing ones. 2013 is predicted to be an exciting year for Capricorn lovers. New avenues will open up for those who have had no luck in the past few years in matters pertaining to love. Capricorn Love Horoscope 2013 predicts immense joy for people involved in a serious relationship. The movement of Mars and Uranus will offer ample opportunities to seekers of love to usher in special person in their life. There might be complete transformation for some people in 2013.

There are high chances of a Capricorn finding the right soul mate in 2013. You might walk down the aisle in this year if you start off with a relationship and show complete devotion towards keeping it for life. Those born under this zodiac sign are suggested by the Capricorn Love Horoscope 2013 to make the right move this year if they have failed earlier in expressing their feelings for their special person. -www.mydearvalentine.com

Famous Capricorns: Elvis, Muhammed Ali, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Al Capone, Aaliyah, Alvin Ailey, Debbie Allen, Kirstie Alley, Marc Antony (Roman General), Clara Barton, Mary J. Blige, Orlando Bloom, Julian Bond, David Bowie, Nicolas Cage, Cab Calloway, Jim Carrey, LL Cool J, Kevin Costner, Paula Deen, Katie Couric, Ted Danson, John Denver, Taye Diggs, Gabby Douglas, President Millard Filmore, George Foreman, Benjamin Franklin, Joe Frazier, Ava Gardner, Mel Gibson, Cuba Gooding Jr., Cary Grant, Steve Harvey, Alexander Hamilton, J. Edgar Hoover, Anthony Hopkins, Zora Neale Hurston, President Andrew Johnson, James Earl Jones, Roy Jones, Janis Joplin, R. Kelly, Eartha Kitt, Jude Law, General Robert E. Lee, John Legend, Rush Limbaugh, General James Longstreet, Julia Dreyfus, Diane Keaton, Susan Lucci, Ricky Martin, Dave Matthews, Barry Goldwater, Sir Isaac Newton, President Richard Nixon, First Lady Michele Obama, Dolly Parton, Mekhi Phifer, Edgar Allen Poe, Paul Revere, Karl Rove, Sade, Diane Sawyer, Howard Stern, Rod Stewart, John Singleton, Joseph Smith (founder of the Mormanism), Donna Summer, Nicholas Sparks, Phil Spector, J.R.R. Tolkien, Mary Tyler Moore, Jean Stapleton, Tracy Ulman, Madam C.J. Walker, Denzel Washington, Betty White, Governor Douglas Wilder, President Woodrow Wilson, Tiger Woods

                                                    Capicorn Love Theme Song:

                                                                            

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAGITTARIUS

                                              Sagittarius November 22nd-December 21st

Happy Birthday to the electrifying and thunderous Sagittarius!

The preachers and the comedians of the zodiac.

Just like their archer, symbol, Sagitarrians always have an end in mind, a goal to which they are aimed. These rambunctious spirits are the mutable fire signs of the zodiac. Mutable, meaning adaptable, having a dynamic duality and fluctuating widely between extremes. The fire signs, Aries, Leo and Sagitarrius are strongly influenced by spirit and energy, making them...well very lively, spirited, spiritual and energetic beings. When fire is expressed in a mutable way, that's electricity, with one bolt of lightning able to power a city like New York for a whole year but also adaptable enough to charge your cell phone. It can be used to cook your food, but it can also be used to cook you. Sagittarians are governed by Jupiter, the largest planet in our galaxy with a gravatational pull strong enough to tug on the Sun. This makes them counter-Kings of the zodiac to Leo, like the Papacy and the King, heads of the church and of the state which co-influence each other. Jupiter is representative of the Papacy or the sign of the Prophet. Jupiter is also the Roman chief deity and god of the sky, lightning, thunder and storms, also known as Zeus and Thor in Greek and Norse theology respectively. These influences are believed to create personalities given to expansive and unlimited perspectives and thought like Jupiter and the sky, which is why if there is anything Sagittarians detest most, it is restrictions and boundaries for they are so accustomed to roaming free and wild, just like wild mustangs on the prairie and the quintessential social liberal, nonconformists and rebel. Try to tame or control one and Lord help you. They will buck and jack and kick and fling an oppressor violently off their backs and across the abyss like a sling shot stone. Jupiter's influence also causes them to be highly creative, imaginative and innovative almost with magical minds which surge with electricity and excitement as they are allowed to brainstorm and pop off new ideas like a whirlwind. If you are looking to think outside the box, the novel Sagittarious is what you need in your think tank. Being such long range thinkers and "big picture" visionaries, the flaw that catches them often is their failed attention to the finer details. Sagittarians hate to be bothered with petty matters. When viewing everything from such an elevated and panoramic perspective, small things bug them like pesky gnats, they get in the way and are distractive to their grand visions. Because of this, they would rather delegate the job of being anal about minor details to someone else more prone to nit-pickiness, for they are too laid back to bother. The "BIG" element of Jupiter also plays out in their love for the outdoors and travel. They are most at peace and at home where there are no walls or ceilings and can get up and go as they please and the outdoors provide that. They can stare for hours at the night sky or watch clouds or become mesmerized by storms. Travel feeds their lust for freedom and their quest for knowledge and variety as they study diverse cultures. Just like a Texas Cowboy, your Sagittarian does nothing on a small scale, everything they take on will seem to need be bigger and larger than life, big hair, loud music, loud colors and just loads of fabulousness. Some will have fun with it, and it may be a little too much for some, but no one will call a Sag, boring or not enough. Sag's are just EXTRA!!!! um, did I really need a fourth exclamation point?

Besides having the energy and liveliness of a big city like New York, these boisterous beings also have a very quiet, spiritual center like that of a glowing candle in their hearts. When these rock stars are not in party mode, which is occasional, (even a Sag needs to catch their breath every once in a while) you will find probably one of the deepest thinkers you'll come across centered on profound and enduring spiritual and philosophical principles like love, truth, loyalty, justice and freedom, core principles which are essential to their personality make up. They like to have fun, but these are not airheads by far. They are highly intelligent, wise and with it, more than most. In the celestial sky, they are depicted as a centaur, half man/half horse with drawn bow and arrow firing behind them on an arch at Scorpio. The centaur represents the duality of their personality, the wild, thundering and adventurous horse half, and the wise, sophisticated and philosophical man half. This combination makes them both the preachers and comedians of the zodiac, the natural rustic, and the urbane socialite. They are both the rough and tumble jocks and the studious and nerdy bookworms. Being ruled by idealistic, almost utopian spiritual morals, those with more laxed principles, might find Sagitarrius rather self-righteous. Yet on the contrary, they are likely not to subscribe to organized religious rituals. They would rather study, meditate and preach principles, not dogma. All fire signs struggle with big egos, they often get caught up in their own charismatic personalities, it just differs with what their egos are rooted in. With Sagittarius, they can be very prideful in their immense knowledge base as they spend much of their lives researching, cataloging and storing up data on a full range of topics which then makes them well versed on a variety of subjects and cultures. If your friend has an expansive home library, they are likely a Sagittarius. Some may find them rather erudite and quite the know-it-alls. When engaging with them in conversation, expect to discover a professor or a scholar. When encountering those who are woefully ignorant and less exposed or cultured, a Sagittarian is likely to get up on their high horses and deal with them rather condescendingly and with snobbish aloofness. "What? This fool knows nothing about Bach? And he thinks Plato is silly putty? Scoff!" So, if you want to catch a Sagittarius, you had better do your homework before meeting with them and share something with them that they didn't know before. They will be impressed and drawn to you with fascination as a new source of information they have not yet acquired. In old age, they are likely to become wise community elders everyone consults for their sagely wisdom, rich stories and witty anecdotes. Because of this, they will make beloved grandparents.

The theme of lightning affects these spunky personalities by giving them quick-wittedness, spontaneity, impulsivity, and independence. Unless you can also think at the speed of light, you might not want to engage in verbal repartee with a Sagittarius. These razor tongues have been known to creatively mince a foe in short order with smiles on their faces and then utterly shatter their hurt feelings with the infamous Sagitarrius cackle which comes like thunder and loud enough to wake the dead. Most times, they intend to hurt no one, but their blunt, direct and abrupt deliveries on how they honestly think and feel often still manages to cut fragile egos to pieces. The lightning in their spirit causes them to speak and act before thinking making them quite impulsive and reckless in just about everything they do. While they are able to acheive much, they may do so by massive collateral damage. When it comes to spontaneity, they can get up and go anywhere and do anything in a spark, no need to get ready. As for independence, like lightning, their power is totally wireless and untied down. They don't follow trends, they create them. Just in their physical activity throughout the day is a mark of lightning playing out in them, they will zap around from task to task and from room to room like a ping-pong, they just can't sit still. They walk fast and they talk fast. They seem to be always on the go. Lightning also represents the magic of their imaginations and their streaks of luck and good fortune.

The theme of thunder is evident in the fact that these are not quiet and soft-spoken individuals. They tend to talk loud, laugh loud with startling outburts and clapping hands, they walk heavy and they may even like to shout with jolly gusto when they're really happy "Whooo Doggy!" "Hot Damn!". You will hear these thunderous and noisy beings coming yards away. You just have to be prepared to entertain these big personalities and give them their space. These fireballs tend to be both intimidating and charming to others at the same time just like a beautiful storm. These jokesters will have you laughing and loving them in no time while at the same time wondering, "What in the hell are they on? No more coffee for Mr. Horseyman." Thunder is also aligned with the horse element of their being, like thundering hooves in a gallop. While lightning gives Sagitarrians artistic talents, thunder avails Sagittarians athletic talents as well, especially those which involve, running, jumping and kicking, i.e. track and field, cross country, soccer and kickboxing, archery and javelin throwing. You might also notice them well-developed in the hips and thigh area. If drawn to music, they are likely to enjoy percussion instruments like the drums, clashing cymbals, tambourines and bells. When captured with a goal in mind, you will not come across a more ambitious and driven being. Sagittarians have strong hunter instincts and will pursue what they desire until it's eventual capture with the fierce momentum of a charging locomotive. They can be quite inspiring to watch. What they seek most is knowledge and truth and answers to the meanings of life.

While being prone to blunders of all sorts, what makes people still love Sagittarius is they really are sweethearts. They are probably the most friendliest sign in the zodiac. Their upbeat, light-hearted and festive energies are refreshing to have around. They love to laugh and are good at causing other people to laugh with them. The other comic of the zodiac is their mirror sign, Gemini. The differences lie in that while Gemini is more of a witty joke teller and a stand up comedian, Sagittarius is your more physical comic and your more slapstick clown. Their fire when not in candle light vigil mode is like the warmth and coziness of a fireplace and vascilates between both expressions like lightning. The moments they do quiet down, you will want to pay close attention for they have something important and powerful to say. Animals and children also hold a soft spot in the heart of a Sagittarius.

In love your Sagittarius will romance you in the most magical ways. Getting hit by their Cupid's arrow will have you swooning nonstop over their charming ways. In bed, they will teach you the meaning of horsepower. They are more comfortable with pursuing than being pursued. Be sure to always give them their space and not smother them or you will lose them in a heartbeat. Controlling, domineering and manipulative tactics will end you up in hot water fast with this free spirit, be prepared to be struck by lightning if you try. Never lie to them. Be yourself, they detest pretentiousness and phoney airs. Always keep them guessing, share new knowledge often and switch up routines regularly to keep them engaged. Sagittarians get excited by other daring and adventurous souls, so be prepared to step out of your comfort zone. Animals and children are snares to their hearts. Road trips and camping trips are the ways to the soul of a Sagittarian. Smile and laugh often and lighten up your mood. Don't take petty things so seriously and you can't afford to be too sensitive around them. Be confident in yourself and don't be threatened by their wandering eyes. Sagittarians are natural flirts and love to always look and survey the field but when they are committed to someone, they are committed to that person and they will stay loyal and always come home to you if you trust them and allow them to roam free. Last bit of advice, be as independent as they are and have goals of your own and you will keep your Sag for a long time. So sit back, buckle up and enjoy the warmth of their fire, life is about to get exciting.

Career: Sagittarians need careers which require continued education, variety and autonomy. As stated, a Sagittarius would make a natural gifted slapstick comic or clown and profound ministers. Careers involving travel, discovery and adventure will also suit them well. Later in life, perhaps after age 50, their slowing pace yet quickened mind would suit them best for a respected place in the world of academia where they would add to the storehouse of knowledge they gained in their discovering youth. If organized religion proves too rigid and tradtional for this free-spirit, he/she can be just as stirring and profound as a motivational speaker. If given the opportunity, a Sagittarian would make a powerhouse activist to reckon with, especially if challenging social injustices. If prone to a career in music,  a Sagittarius would be most in their element performing your more lively, energetic and baseline driven forms of gospel or the Rock genre. Anything involving exploration of the vast cultures of the world will excite them, cuisines, faiths, music, customs, history, dress, language, way-of-life, sociology and folklore. In just about everything they do, they will bring to it the discipline of a Philosopher. Their wit, humor and imagination will also gift them to be engaging storytellers, useful in a wide range of careers which benefit from those able to illustrate a point and engage an audience.  Their adaptable nature suits them for a vast number of career pursuits so long as they are afforded the freedom and autonomy their spirit needs to breathe and the learning their minds needs to drink.

Compatibilities: Sagittarius meshes well with all the other fire signs. They can take on the world with the equally ambitious and adventurous Aries. And they can rule the world with their royal counterpart, Leo so long as Leo knows they will never be able to rule over a Sag. Sagittarius and Aries would enjoy sports, traveling and outdoor activities together. The royal flare will cause Sagittarius and Leo to shop together until they drop being both prone to expensive and lavish tastes. Sagittarius and Gemini would be attracted to each other's high energy and playfulness. Sagittarius and Aquarius could talk for days on in about high minded philosophies and humanistic ideals. Libra is probably the only sign of the zodiac which might be able to control a Sagittarius by not controlling them at all but by balancing out their energies, calming them down and getting them think more before acting. Libra would be a great influence on a Sagittarius and could help bring out their better, less reckless attributes and teach them discipline.

Famous Sagitarrians: Tina Turner, Walt Disney, Bette Midler, Steven Spielberg, Margaret Cho, Bruce Lee, Andrew Carnegie, Jimi Hendrix, Monique (comedienne), Bill Nye, Little Richard, Richard Pryor, Nicki Minaj (rapper), Christina Aguilera, James Avery (Phillip Banks, Fresh Prince of Bel Air), Jaleel White (Steve Urkel), Brad Pitt, Harpo Marx, Florence Joyner (Flo-Jo, US Olympic track and field star), Ludwig Van Beethoven, Rodney Dangerfield, Ossie Davis, Redd Foxx, William Lloyd Garrison (Slave abolishonist), Nelly Furtado, Berry Gordy (creator of Motown), Jake Gyllenhaall (Brokeback Mountain), Samuel L. Jackson, John F. Kennedy Jr., Howie Mandel, Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (Civil Rights activist, Pastor and Politician), Jon Stewart, Ben Stein, Ben Stiller, Mark Twain, Dick Van Dyke,

Love Forecast:

Your love life this year would be much stable and shall withstand the heavy tides normally expected in a relationship. The planets make sure that your emotional and romantic needs are met in a more subtle way. Much intimacy is expected on your side this year. Cast away all masks you had been donning of late and remain your true self. This is an apt time when you get to know the real intentions of your partner or other half. Do not be too defensive on your side. Some basic changes are likely in your relationships during the second half of the year. If single this year shall bring some sweet nothings in your life worth remembering for years to come. -www.findyourfate.com

The 2013 love horoscope of Sagittarians suggests that your love life this year will go through phases of stability as well as transformation. Time will add depth to your relations and love affairs will become more serious events. Saturn will have a favorable impact on your love life and your romance will flourish under the guidance of the planet. You'll need to invest more time in understanding your partner to gain his/her trust. Single Sagittarians are likely to come across prospective love interests that can turn into successful relations. -www.123newyear.com

Sagittarius people may become committed to a relationship this year. You may also want to take this relationship to the next level and tie the knot with that person, which is most likely to happen in the first half of the year itself. If you have confusions about more than one person in the aspect of love, things will become more clear this year. The year is ideal for married couples to strengthen the bond of their love by getting more intimate. You should also become more demonstrating about your love. -www.ganeshaspeaks.com

Sagittarius Anthem:

　

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SCORPIOS

                                                Scorpio October 23rd - November 21st

Scorpios are the detectives and the prosecutors of the zodiac. They are as observant, intuitive, intelligent and as calculating as a Sherlock Holmes. If found in the wrong, they will follow you to the end, pursue you with fierce and focused determination until justice has been served to their satisfaction, even if they have to take matters into their own hands. Their ruthless lack of mercy toward wrongdoers is infamous. These natural grudge holders never forget and they are the most patient with the serving of justice so long as they are confident that their culprits will receive their due come-uppings in the worst way.

Still waters run deep. Scorpios are the fixed water sign under the influence of Mars (Roman god of war) and Pluto (Roman god of the afterlife, mysticism and the paranormal). Those influenced by the element of water are emotionally led beings. A lot of their decisions are based on large part on what they feel and whatever a Scorpio feels, they feel it intensely. Because water is expressed in Scorpio as fixed, their emotions appear like ice to the onlooker, cold, emotionless and stolid, all the while passionate emotions are surging just beneath their icy poker face. They are often recognized by their very serious and intense demeanor. They have a tendency toward being emotionally heavy which makes them very profound and deep when engaging in the arts. When emotions do emerge to the surface, be it anger, joy, sadness or sexual drives, it breaks through suddenly with startling volatility. Outside of these outbreaks, these are very reserved and dignified individuals and the classic closet freaks on the flipside. Don't let their prudish demeanor fool you. Behind that librarian front, thoughts of leather whips and chains excite their dirty and kinky minds. Their passionate sexual drives are often unmatched.

Scorpios carry an alluring aura of mystery and magnetism and they like it that way. Should you ever be caught in their piercing gaze, you might feel put under a spell. You would be drawn to them but at the same time unnerved that they seem to be able to look right through you with almost psychic precision into the depths of the core or everything you are, everything you have been and everything you're thinking to your deepest hopes and fears as if you have just been caught naked. While they love to solve puzzles and mysteries with keen interest, one of their greatest fears is being discovered and found out themselves. They will mix it up and do whatever they can to throw an equally discerning person off their tracks. They don't want to be truly known by most people. What are they hiding? While being one of the most courageous and determined people of the zodiac, they are also equally vulnerable and highly sensitive to hurtful insults and the mean-spirited intentions of others. The reason they must be tough is to protect their soft spots. They are both lovers and fighters and they do both very intensely. They love hard and they fight hard. Contrary to the incidences of their well-reasoned mean-streak, Scorpios also prove to be very thoughtful, kind, loyal and devoted friends and lovers who will stick in the corners of those they care for with die-hard commitment. Scorpios are your true and genuine die-hard friends. If they so much as like and respect you, they would force you to wear the shirt off their backs if you were cold. Just as much as they remember the mean actions of others, they remember kindness as well. While they are tremendously loyal and devoted to those they love, they demand the same in return. These high expectations lends them to the worst cases of possessiveness, clinginess and jealousy. When it comes to matters of reciprocating the love they lavish so strongly upon others, they often get their feelings hurt and it is very painful to them. So painful that they spiral down into deep depression. But don't worry, they'll survive. Surviving is what they do best. The resilient Scorpio is the true comeback kid, rising from the flames and ashes of defeat like the Phoenix renewed and stronger than before to then soar like an eagle. And when they pass through a period of  this renewal, it is like a rebirth or like someone has hit the reset button. If the person who has dealt them this pain is lucky enough to not be in their cross-hairs for revenge, they are completely done with them and they move on never to return again, almost quite coldly as if they had never loved the person so strongly in the first place.

Scorpios are gifted as decribed earlier in careers involving detective work and the sciences and are intrigued by paranormal activity and mysticism. They also make fine attorneys. Their crafty knack for stealth, strategy, focus, determination, patience and well-timed ambushes will make them successful snipers or under cover cops. Their talent for resourcefulness and order makes them effective managers too of operations large or small especially if it is in survival mode. These cunning and wiley coyotes are known for often snatching upset victories out of the jaws of defeat, mainly attributed to their keen wits in trickery and deception, manipulating and exploiting the weaknesses of their opponents and the sensing of opportunities and then seizing them with swift audacity.

Scorpios are most compatible with the stability and security of Taurus. Scorpios desire patterns they can track and plan by and are unpleasantly thrown off by surprises and spontaneity. Note, Scorpios do not enjoy surprises, unless they're pulling them.It's quite difficult to surprise a Scorpio anyway, for they watch, listen, remember, study and analyze everything down to their finest details with added almost psychic intuitiveness and then they automatically begin calculating an appropriate response. What they admire most is strength, stability, security, devotion and order from their mates. Taurus will serve them all of these things best. Cancer will give them devotion, stability and security. Virgo will give them orderliness. Capricorn would serve all of their needs except for in the affectionate arena. Pisces will steal a Scorpio's heart and be just as smitten by them. Only Pisces is likely to fail them in the area of devotion, stability and security by Pisces being quite fickled individuals.

Famous Scorpios: Hillary Clinton, Mahalia Jackson, Winona Ryder, Roseanne Barr, Whoopi Goldberg, Sally Field, Bonnie Raitt, Demi Moore, Rock Hudson, Ted Turner, Robert Kennedy, Joe Biden, Ryan Reynolds, Monica (R&B singer), Ciara (hip-hop/R&B entertainer), Bill Gates, Julia Roberts, Katy Perry, Gabrielle Union, Nelly (rapper), K.D. Lang, Sean Combs (P. Diddy), Matthew McConaughey

LOVE FORECAST:

This year 2013, would see much adventure in your love life. A better positive aspect of relationship shall come for you. There would be much constructive thoughts with a positive bend. You would be able to express yourself in a better way to your partner during this year. Perfect harmony is forecast and you would not encounter any embarrassing situations as far as your relationships are concerned. You need to put in more intimacy and romance in your relationship in order to woo your partner to your track. -findyourfate.com

Cohabitation is very comfortable and enjoyable. You will become more attractive and appealing. People around you as well as your lover want to live with you because they want to be closer to you. This thing will help you solve your problems that make you worry for a long time before.

-newhoroscope2013.com

Neptune is touring through your love sector, and he’s making you wish for a love that has a kharmic, poetic feeling to it. You’re not looking for any Joe-schmoe, you’re looking for your soul mate. You want to feel like you’ve known them for lifetimes, and you’ll continue to be with them again and again in future lives.

-thedarkpixieastrology.com

The Scorpio Theme Song:

TO BE ANGRY OR NOT TO BE?

Q: Is it ever wrong to get angry?

A: No. It's not right either. Feeling anger is nothing you need to judge one way or the other any more than you should judge the way the color blue looks to you. What is up for judgement is how you use it, for anger has its purposes and its misuses can be dangerous.

To drive at my point, whenever you are feeling angry, simply say just that, "I feel anger." Never say "I'm angry." for you are not anger and anger is not who you are. To back it up, what is really going on in your body when you are feeling anger or any sort of emotion for that matter is all chemical. Your brain releases them in accordance with stimuli from the external world. The one for anger is a hormone by the name of epinephrine, more commonly known as adrenaline. When your nerve centers taste these chemicals, they taste angry, or happy or frightened, or lovey-dovey or horny, or sad or any of the full range of emotions your body is capable of experiencing in much the same way your palate is capable of tasting salty, sour, spicey or sweet. Just like tastes in the mouth, emotional feelings in the body can either be pleasant or unpleasant. For most people, anger is an unpleasant emotional experience, so many of us get upset at the fact that we got upset on top of the original upsettedness, which then makes us even more angry at the person or thing we believe caused our anger in the first place. DAMN THEM ALL TO HELL!

I'd like to help change this paradigm for you. No one causes your anger. No one can log into your brain and push the buttons which will release the angry chemicals into your body, as we black folks like to say,"You're working on my nerves." What is really happening is that the circular realm of things of which you are able to peacefully allow and accept has just bumped into a patience boundary you may not have known was there. So like blindly bumping your knee into a wall you didn't see there and then feeling pain, when you bump into your patience boundaries, you in turn feel anger as a natural response. If you bumped your knee and you feel pain, are you wrong for feeling pain? No, it's the wall's fault for being where you didn't expect to be. Well, who put that wall there? (Possible AHA moment). However, if you had not gotten angry or felt the pain of a bruised knee, you might not have known that the wall existed there anyway, and the pain or the anger only caught your attention to it.

So now that anger has helped you discover your own patience boundaries, you can now let that go and then deal with your boundaries with a clear mind. Does it need to be there? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn't. If it doesn't, then knock it down with laughter, because it's silly. If it does need to be there, who or what does it serve by being there? If it serves only you, how does it help you grow as a person? If it doesn't, so you like being small? Being small works for you? I know true personal growth is not comfortable for it comes with its growing pains, but who needs you to be bigger? Maybe your kids, maybe your family, maybe your community or even your nation. Or do you feel that the world is already full enough of big people that it won't matter if you stay at the comfortable level of a 3 yr old? You might very well believe this, but I'll tell you, you're in for a lot more painful knee bangings as you interact with the world. So, unless you enjoy anger, its time to enlarge your boundaries, stretch yourself and give yourself a bigger pen to play in.

Let's say that you enjoy anger. Why? I have heard from a few people that when they get angry, it is the only time they feel alive. So anger for them is a pulse check. So in a sense to sense the world, they go around looking for opportunities to get angry like a drug-fiend. You and I know that in this world, if that's what they're looking for, they don't need to venture far. They don't need to go outside their own house for that matter. You have my sympathies if you are in a relationship with such a person. Their search will come in the form of nagging, drudging up old dramas or picking a fight with you. They'll say things to get you to react to say something that will bump their knees against their patience boundaries and serve them the anger high they were looking for. They'll watch the nightly news if they have to. Yes, people do get addicted to the anger chemicals of their body. It happens to be pleasantly unpleasant for them. They're not much different than thrill seekers. My belief is that these people have not experienced the lasting emotions of joy and happiness in such a long time that they have forgotten what these lighter more, pleasant emotions feel like or have forgotten that these emotional experiences are options for them as well as easily as anger is. If they realized this, why would they ever look for anger? Just as easily as you don't have to venture far for anger, you don't have to venture far for joy and happiness either. All this requires is an attitude of gratitude and things to get happy and joyful about would pop out at you from every turn. Take in a deep breath and be grateful to be able to do that. Get up with the sun and feel the warm beams of its rays on your face. Feel the absence of pain in your body. Taste your good food and be grateful to be eating. Laugh at the squirrels in wirey action. Opportunities for Joy and Happiness are all around you, all the time.

So, to come full circle, if you prefer joy and happiness, acknowledge it and look for it if you have to. You'll find it. Anger and happiness are like oil and water. They don't mix, so choose. Do you want to be angry or do you want to be happy? This is what it all comes down to. If you don't want anger intruding and messing up your happiness, expand your patience boundaries. If it is a matter which you feel that for the greater good, you should not have any patience for like abuse or social injustices, then transmute that anger into some form of constructive action. There is something called righteous indignation or some spiritual people call "holy wrath" which is just as passionate if not more than destructive anger which often gets expressed through violence and damaging words. The difference is that righteous indignation wakes people up to their better consciences and intentions. It is their conscience which then corrects them with guilt. Righteous indignation builds up and does not tear down, it wakes up and enlightens people to the better way things can be and does not justify the darkness of hatred and ignorance. It's called "Love". Just like GOD appeared to Moses as a burning bush which was not consumed by the fire, Love is a powerful force though it may get expressed through fiery passions does not destroy anyone. It only utterly destroys things which are not rooted in truth by glaring its light on its then apparent falsehoods. It makes people feel better about themselves, about life and what it means to be human in this world. It causes people to want to be better, do better and have better in this life. It illuminates and lights up the world in such a way people will gravitate to it like moths to a flame or like flowers to sun rays because your example of forthright justice and loving-kindness have caught fire within them and awakened a truth that had long since been dormant. So even if you need to be impatient or non-accepting of something, choose Love. It will get the job done in a more powerful, meaningful and lasting way. If you're going to get angry, make it worth something.

10 GREAT GEORGIA DATING AND FAMILY OUTING IDEAS FROM LOVE UNDER FIRE: October

1. Go to a Haunted House. Real ones are the best.

2. Visit Fort Pulaski, Tybee Island, GA. Explore the stunning, coastal Fort Pulaski. See the technological surprise that helped Union forces seize the fort from Confederates during the Civil War. It's a tale of how clever thinking trumped old assumptions to influence the course of the battle ... and the war.

3. Visit a Pumpkin Patch, to gather pumpkins to make pumpkin pies and Jackolanterns.

4. Visit Historic Barrington Hall in Roswell, GA, just minutes North of Atlanta. Located on the bluffs overlooking the creeks of the Chattahoochee River, you'll find this quaint, typical pre-Civil War Greek Revival mansion situated at the highest point in Roswell. Travel to a region that the Cherokee Indians once called the Enchanted Land. Located on the northern banks of the Chattahoochee River is historic Roswell, Georgia. Visit stunning antebellum homes, Bulloch Hall, Archibald and Smith Plantation as you learn of Roswell’s rich history.

5. Gather old pictures of each other from childhood to the present and make a scrap book together or video montage.

6. Visit the beautiful Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, GA. Explore the peaceful grounds of this popular tourist destination that charms both history lovers and Hollywood. This beautiful cemetery situated along the scenic bluffs of the Wilmington River in Savannah is the final resting place for many of the region’s most notable residents.

7. Put a love sac (inflatable matress + 1 sleeping bag for two) in the back of a truck and head up a mountain or out in the open under the stars in the middle of nowhere, removed away from city lights or civilization--watch a movie on laptop, or just stare at the stars. Don't have a truck? Rent one. Want some added privacy after you've had enough of the stars and not enough of your partner? Pitch a tent small enough to fit in the bed of the truck.

8. Visit historic Macon, GA. Living History means exactly what it says in Macon. An unmatched presence of ante-bellum homes, mansions and theaters that has presented everyone from Harry Houdini to Little Richard and is home to musicians such as the Allman Brothers and classical violinist Robert McDuffie. Unlike so many other cities that tear down their old buildings, Macon protects and preserves the evidence of its centuries as a center of commerce and culture, on the banks of the Ocmulgee River.

9. Go house or apartment hunting together. Look in the paper for open houses where you can blend in amongst many shopping prospective buyers, and look the part. Realtors can be some of the most judgmental people I've come accross. Everything else I'm about to say next is a CYA for me. Ahem...I do have friends who are realtors who might get upset with me if I put any of you up to house hunting just because. So do this only when you are truly in a position to seriously look for a home within the next 3-6 months. And don't peak mansions which are far outside your budget just to dream. It is not fair to those who are giving you their prescious time in hopes of making a sale. If you've ever been in sales, you know how annoying and a waste of time looky-lous can be. Not ready to buy just yet? Find a friend who is and offer to come along for a second opinion. That could be your date or your excuse to go house-hunting with a date without the guilt of wasting anyone's time or finding yourself under uncomfortable sales pressure when you never intended to buy anything anyway. If the realtor turns on you, you can always say, "I'm with her or him" or whoever it is who is truly shopping as in "Leave me alone, do your job and sell to them and allow me to just dream in peace, why don't you? If you don't piss me off too much, I might just come back to you in 5 years. Humph!"

10. Visit Oktoberfest in Helen, GA. It’s the most genuine Oktoberfest celebration this side of the Atlantic. Visit this Alpine Bavarian village where this 41 year old festival runs from mid-September through October, making it the longest Oktoberfest in the South.

Please send us your Georgia dating ideas. To make clarifications, Love Under Fire is FOR LOVERS ONLY, regardless of your gender, age, sexuality, spirituality, political persuasion or current relationship status.