martedì 9 febbraio 2010

I haven't been up this early without an alarm in God only knows how long...

So, I'll just blog to pass the time until it's time for my morning run.

Guess this first thing on my mind is my nasty habit of picking up the phone, having a 5 minute conversation and not recalling it when I wake up in the morning. I vaguely recall hanging up the phone and wondering why it was up against my ear and wondering why it was there in the first place. Guess the Lunesta people were serious about those side-effects:

"Walking, eating, driving or engaging in other activities while asleep without remembering it the next day have been reported. Other abnormal behaviors include aggressiveness, agitation, hallucinations and confusion."

So..... if any of you have been wondering why I sound so silly in the middle of the night, now you know know why. I'm trying to do something about my insomnia and a prescription sleep aid is one of the things I'm trying. I'm still trying to figure out if it's working for me.

domenica 6 settembre 2009

A letter to the wicked

Leap not into temption. Forget not that others have feelings. ...And, above all else, grow some balls.

thank you. that is all

sabato 27 giugno 2009

Just got this funny email from my aunt and thought I'd share. enjoy!

Especial

para los momentos de Crisis

que vivimos...



El Comité Central Mundial de la salud,

anuncia que para resistir la crisis económica

que nos afecta tanto a nivel nacional

como internacional,

debera aplicarse la dieta del

AJO y AGUA:


AJOderse y AGUAntarse.

giovedì 18 giugno 2009

Something I wrote for the paper right after the supreme court decision

I woke up late that Tuesday morning when the Supreme Court ruling was due.

I knew when I woke that the decision had already come out or was due any minute but I made myself quietly reflect.

I reminded myself that no matter what the ruling or what the rhetoric said, I would always be an American and would, consequently, be owed the same rights as any other American.

After reflecting for what seemed like hours, but was only minutes, I turned on my phone.

There they were: about 20 tweets and another 20 text messages from friends and acquaintances regarding the decision.

Proposition 8 was upheld, defining marriage in the state of California as the union between one man and one woman.

I was disappointed.

By no means, however, was I surprised.

This great country of ours is not without faults.

We have come very far in terms of civil rights, but that road has been rocky, to say the least.

It seems that the electorate has to learn the same lesson over and over again.

At some point, you would think we would get it right and suddenly see all the injustices in this country and fix.

That would be great.

Democracy, however, is never that simple.

Our particular brand of it seems to be innately imbued with conflict.

All the great advancements we have made as a country have come after great struggles on behalf of both sides.

The greatest injustices and inequalities have been righted after much unrest and strife, which begs the questions:

Would we value and honor these advancements so much if we came by them easily?

Would we devote an entire month to African American History if we did not realize that these people had to suffer under codified bondage, discrimination and second-class citizenship?

Would we even bother to mention women’s suffrage if those brave woman had not fought for it?

We probably would not.

Twice Californians have put my rights on a ballot and decided that I am not as good as a heterosexual.

Once, the court upheld equality and gave me the rights afforded even to felons in this country, but this time they have not.

Obviously, the California Supreme Court has lost their judicial cojones.

Instead of interpreting the law of the land as it is written, they allowed themselves to be swayed by the gall of these so-called protectors of traditional marriage.

Maybe the California Supreme Court may have forgotten the equal protections clause or the 14th amendment, but obviously increasing number of Californians have not.

In 2000, 61 percent of the California electorate stood against marriage equality.

Just eight years later, the newer generation passed another law, doing the same thing.

This time, however, only 52 percent voted in favor of it.

To some, this may be depressing.

In my case, it is hope-inspiring.

Forty eight percent stood up for marriage equality and, even though the court upheld the other 52’s discriminatory voting practices, thousands of loving, committed couples get to stay together.

That is the silver lining, but we must also face the truth.

Today, I sit at this desk a California-born, gay, Latino male - A man with dreams, aspirations, faults, secrets and accomplishments.

I am much like any other guy or girl in this state, with one glaring and painful difference:

As it stands now, I have been deemed not good enough to marry.

I want you to know me.

I am not just a statistic or a character in an after-school special.

I am a person, made of flesh and blood, born in this country brave and the mostly free.

I want you to know me so that next time you vote on this you know at least one of the names of the people whose lives your changing with that ballot.

It is not just an idea or a space on a ballot.

It is part of people’s lives.

Californians’ lives.

My life.

There's a reason people watch television

.... and that reason is simple: TV mirrors life. At least good TV does.

I've been watching QaF. First it was just season 1 (I have the box set). Then, I was watching season 2 online and getting george to lend me his season 3 box set. As I was getting ready to watch season 4 online, I realised that my desire to watch this entire series went far beyond just catching up on it. I realised that it was just my own odd form of therapy. I could see myself in the characters because, for once, they were just like me. It's odd how comforting it can be to see a gay drama (especially when I can just head to a bar and watch it live). I watched as they got in and out of relationships, acted like total sluts and were entirely inappropriate. Most of all, I singled in on the remantic aspects of their lives. I'll admit that a small part of me - ok, a big part of me - took comfort in the fact that other people, however fictional they may be, had the same, if not worse, relationship problems. I had one of those epiphanies. I am SUCH a guy. Such a stereotypical man, especially when it comes to romance. I was talking to this about George, and I've been discussing it with various people. I keep on falling into the same traps. I keep on falling for the same guys. I don't just compartmentalize myself. I compartmentalize others. It's like I pick a quality that I've decided to look for. If it isn't just plain looks, it's sense of humor or wit. What's worse is that I've developed a perverse appetite for the chase. The more beautiful or successful or more out of my league a guy seems, the more I want him. It's a fucking aphrodisiac to me these days. That'd be fine if I weren't actually getting what I want, but this D-list romeo's getting too good at the game. The last two wer.... disasters. I still feel guilty about them. He ignored me, I won him over, got bored, he fell "in love" and I broke his heart. AND I thought I liked him, realised WAY too late that I didn't and then was way too much of a coward to talk to him about it till just the other day. That's a little too much guilt for me to cope with. So, why am I telling all (and by all I mean the 5 people that will actually take the time to read this) of you? I don't know. I guess I'm acknowledging that I have a problem. That is the first step, after all. I'm acknowledging my shortcoming and making an effort to improve. Perhaps one of you has a similar problem and will find solace in this:
Hello, My name's Arnold and I've forgotten how to love.

sabato 21 febbraio 2009

WAY overdue

I hadn't been able to post lately because of the stupid finger surgery and then class, etc. So.....

El Día de San Valentín: So, I'm up at 4 in the morning after Vantine's Day. Why, you ask? Sugar high. I've been eating sweets nonstop and that's OK. :-) I went to the movies with the fam this evening and it was great. My sister went off with her boyfriend and my mom, dad and I went to see Taken. Now, I say my dad went with us bet he just slept through the whole movie. So..... I basically spent Valentine's Day with my mommy. You may say sad..... I say perfect. We laughed, we gasped, we cried, we ate tons of popcorn and candy. It was FABULOUS. 

This week was kinda fun. I got my stitches taken out and now I just have to wear a splint most of the time. I can take it off to choser and it's much smaller than the BIG cast I had before. I can wear long sleeve shirts again! Wooo! Class was fun too. Today, I submitted my first article as a staff writer to the school newspaper. Let's see..... what else.... oh! I started working out again. I'm taking a cross country conditioning class in an effort to try to get back into marathon running shape. I'm excited and VERY sore. That, combined with the swim workout class ill be taking from march to june should ensure that I have a rockin' summer bod :-)

venerdì 13 febbraio 2009

Dear Arnoldo,

Anti-equality groups are currently flooding the Capitol with threatening phone calls demanding members of the Senate and Assembly Judiciary committees oppose the two resolutions to overturn Prop 8 when they come up for a vote on Tuesday.

We cannot let their attacks and threats go unanswered! We need to make sure that legislators hear from those who support equality.

Please call key members of the Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committeeswho have supported LGBT equality in the past (sample script and phone numbers are below). Ask them to support the resolutions to overturn Prop 8 to protect all minorities from the risk of losing their rights at the ballot box.

If passed, the two EQCA-sponsored resolutions, SR 7 and HR 5, authored by two of our champions in the Legislature, Senator Mark Leno and Assemblymember Tom Ammiano, will put the California Legislature on record as supporting the invalidation of Prop 8, declaring it an illegal revision to the state constitution.

This is our fourth of five actions leading up to our giant lobby day to overturn Prop 8 on Tuesday, the day of the vote, when over 2,000 activists will come together at the Capitol to urge their lawmakers to support these critical resolutions.

Take Action Today! Call Now!

In solidarity,


Geoff Kors
Executive Director
Equality California

 


Sample Script

Thank you for past support for equality.  My name is [Your Name] and I am calling to ask for you to vote in favor of SR 7 / HR 5 because Prop 8 is a drastic and radical revision to the California Constitution that puts all Californians at risk. I believe in equal protection under the law and do not want a simple majority of voters to be able to take fundamental rights away from any minority.

Thank you. [Your Name]

If you live in Northern California, please call:

Senate Judiciary Committee members (for SR 7)

  • Senator Ellen Corbett, chair(916) 651-4010
  • Senator Dean Florez: (916) 651-4016

Assembly Judiciary Committee members (for HR 5)

  • Assembly Member Noreen Evans: (916) 319-2007

If you like in the Central Valley, please call:

Senate Judiciary Committee members (for SR 7)

  • Senator Ellen Corbett, chair(916) 651-4010
  • Senator Dean Florez: (916) 651-4016

Assembly Judiciary Committee members (for HR 5)

  • Assembly Member Dave Jones(916) 319-2009
  • Assembly Member William W. Monning(916) 319-2027

If you live in Southern California, please call:

Assembly Judiciary Committee members (for HR 5)

  • Assembly Member Mike Feuer, chair: (916) 319-2042
  • Assembly Member Julia Brownley: (916) 319-2041
  • Assembly Member Paul Krekorian(916) 319-2043
  • Assembly Member Ted W. Lieu(916) 319-2053

  



Equality California is dedicated to achieving equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) Californians.

Our work depends on individual financial contributions. Donate now using our secure website or download a donation form to send via fax or mail.

Donations to EQCA support our political work and are therefore not tax-deductible as charitable contributions.



This email was sent to almambulante@gmail.com