Inspiration for a Speech

After over a weekend of writer's block I've finally figured out what I will speak about at tomorrow's luncheon:

It isn't "Fairytale of New York," but it will certainly suffice.

Quick Thoughts: Miss Universe 2007

* I cannot believe I’m watching this under my own volition.

* Nice to see a morphed Hollywood Squares scaffolding on stage during the first hour.

* I got an idea for a new pageant category: the just-got-out-of-bed-without-makeup-at-the-crack-of-dawn competition.

* Hosts on Telemundo > Vanessa Minillo & Mario Lopez > Billy Bush

* RBD: thank goodness for the mute button.

* Schadenfreude: Miss USA falling on her butt during the evening gown segment.

* I wonder who will be the first to comment on the undiplomatic booing against Miss USA– O’Reilly or Colbert?

Update: I’ll make it brief since I'm halfway out the door. I don't mind that Miss Japan won. She looked great and her final answer was spot-on. I would've like to have seen Miss Tanzania in the top 5; I thought she had the most natural beauty of the 15 finalists.

How much would you care to wager that it will be the last time Mexico City hosts the pageant in a long time?

Tidbits: Feliz Cumple, Tia Julia!

Just because - a personal photo of a squirrel on the ramp leading to the apartment building where I live

I just finished having an argument over when is the proper time to phone call someone on the day of their birthday. Ideally, it's best to be one of the first to contact the person who is celebrating his/her birthday on that day. But if that doesn't happen is it proper to contact that person at night or early the next day or should one not bother at all? That was the crux of the quarrel and it's friggin' driving me insane!

(For the record, I argue that it's better to send birthday wishes than not at all).

Ugh. On to the rest of the tidbits.

* Want to learn how to speak en español via podcasts? Metafilter to the rescue!

* Well I'll be damned - Bambi Woods resurfaced for an interview and admitted to never having been a cheerleader in her life. (Hat tip: Fark.com).

* I doubt I could work this into my speech for Wednesday, but I've been really following Bertie Ahern's victory (albeit not without its difficulties) in the Irish general election.

* Mental note: must take a trip (perhaps with Mandi if she visits) to the Water Taxi Beach.

* Learning something new through Wikipedia - the differences in boxing weight classes.

* Juan Pablo Angel: savior.

* Lastly, here's a few tunes I've been listening to that have helped me cope with my speech writer's block as well as calming me from inane quarrels:

Replacements - I'll Be You

Mundialmente - Via Londrina

Stereo Total - Nationale 7

Soda Stereo - Estoy Azulado

(Please note that all MP3 files are only available for a week after each post is published and are meant for temporary enjoyment. Download at your own risk!)

Switching to Decaf

Image via this site

I'm about 48 hours away from being a nervous, twitchy wreck like Tweek.

On Wednesday I might have to give a speech during a charity luncheon. Usually when I have to prepare for speaking in public I think up of a small list of bullet points, memorize them and try to speak naturally with them in mind.

Right now, however, I got nothing. Not a single thing.

The last time I had to give a speech was during a December luncheon for the same charity sponsoring the event on Wednesday- the Physically Challenged Irish and American Youth Team. They are a little-known but fantastic organization that assists disabled youth in the U.S. and Ireland, and they were instrumental in helping pay my undergrad tuition as well as standing by me during my time off from grad school.

During the December luncheon at the apartment of the Irish Consulate General to New York I had memorized a humorous quote by James Joyce that I hoped would break the ice. Via a marvelous stroke of luck, he had another quote by Joyce hang in his living room and that was where I would speak. Hence, I had two great quotes by the same author to work with and it all worked out marvelously.

Unfortunately, at this time I'm not too sure what to speak about and I don't want to rely on luck to bail me out.

Also, I don't wish to repeat content from previous speeches. Hence, no more quotes or retelling of my travails with my physical disability. I won't repeat the discourse I made where I urged people not to see the disabled with pity but rather as individuals with the potential to improve society. No talk on how the song/Liverpool chant "You'll Never Walk Alone" applies to the charity.

Damn.

Actually, there are only two semi-ideas that are stirring around in my mind:

1. Linking my Latin American background to Ireland. With that option the only two things that I could link to could be the Battle of Boyaca where Irish troops fought alongside Simon Bolivar's independence forces or the music of Mexican brother-sister duo (by way of Dublin) Rodrigo y Gabriela.
   
2. Framing the speech around the recent completion of a U.N. treaty for people with disabilities. I believe during one of the working group sessions I attended the E.U. was represented by Ireland.

All I know is that I got to figure something out soon and commit it to memory. The last thing I can afford to do is pull the entire speech out of thin air or be too nervous and blank out.

"It's too late to wash my hands"

Another ho-hum day today. I'm not complaining, mind you. Just that nothing too weird or noteworthy occurred during the past 24 hours.

(Also I'm not in the mood to write a long post. Apathy perhaps?)

Hence, just for the hell of it, the music video for "Forbidden City" by Electronic:

I guess I'm feeling somewhat nostalgic as well!

Feliz cumpelaños, Moz!

Image from a December 2006 concert via BBC

Yes, ladies and germs, Morrissey celebrates his 48^th birthday today! He hasn’t missed much of a beat in the last few years since he’s extensively touring and releasing albums on a near yearly basis. I still enjoy his music now since I first heard him eons ago in my youthful, formative years. Then there was also a very good term paper I wrote a few years back on his cult fan base amongst Chicano youth. Hence, Moz has been beneficial for me on several levels.

Though he will be stopping in NYC for a concert in late June I decided not to get tix for it. One of the main reasons why was the exorbitant ticket prices which is definitely out of my budget. (Aye, it’s one of the consequences of being an unemployed grad student). Mercifully, with the summer coming up there are many free/cheap concerts so that will help. (I’ll get into more detail about this summer’s concerts later this week).

In addition, I was a little turned off by the venue- the arena at Madison Square Garden. Maybe it’s a little too nit-picky, but the last Moz concert I went to was extraordinary partly due to that. The Apollo Theater was the perfect setting due to its intimacy and splendid acoustics. Perhaps I would’ve been more flexible if it had been at MSG’s Theater, which I feel would’ve been far better. So far I’ve only seen him that once two years ago, but I don’t mind keeping it that way for now. No rush, no worries!

I’m off to listen to Strangeways, Here We Come. In the meantime, here are a few MP3 files of the birthday boy:

Morrissey - At Last I Am Born

Morrissey – Last of the Famous International Playboys

Morrissey – We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful (live)

A Blasé Day

Another ho-hum, uneventful day today. That is, except for one small thing.

I found a $20 bill stuck in the pages of my agenda.

So that counts for something.

Ultimately, today for me was what the media would characterize as a "slow news day."

Still, finding the bill reminded me of my favorite sketches from The State. Here it is:

"Aw yeah!"

The Century Mark

Just for the heck of it - Sun in an Empty Room by Edward Hopper (image via WebMuseum)

It's taken approximately one-and-a-quarter years, but I finally did it.

100 posts!

Mind you, I'm not happy that it's taken me so long to arrive at this point. Hell, if I had been more responsible with this blog I would have at least 200 entries. Still, as I look back at the posts I've written that ranged over several different topics. This was my primary aim in creating this blog; finding an outlet for the many distinct thoughts trapped in my mind. That's why I named this blog after a dish with several different ingredients that fuse together to create a unique flavor. In that sense, I can be very proud of this blog and hope that the next hundred posts can be of good quality, if not better.

I decided to choose 5 posts that I feel are representative of the spirit of this blog as well as the personal satisfaction I feel from writing them.

1 - Only Shadows: The first post I ever wrote. Though the notion of creating a blog had been brewing in my mind for many months before that, I wasn't confident enough to go through with that. I felt like I lacked a spark that would serve as the catalyst for this blog. The half-year anniversary of my dad's death was the apt time to start.

2 - Random Thoughts While Drunk: In the days after publishing this post I had many doubts about doing so and even contemplated deleting it. But in my inebriated state I briefly eschewed the usual second thoughts that hinder me. Hence, this post is most likely one of the most honest, sin tapujos things I've ever written.

3 - "Dear Sexy Knickers...": The aftermath of the previous post, only sobered up. More importantly, I've learned to laugh at myself; at my foibles and errors with the opposite sex, to be exact. I used to take my problems with women far too seriously even to the degree where I questioned my own sexual preferences! Nowadays, I prefer to take my mistakes in stride and with a smile.

4 - Lo que Aprendi: I love this post because it was the only one I wrote while I was in Colombia over the winter break, and it shows my appreciation in understanding a culture so distinct to what I'm accustomed to. No matter how much you read and research the place you're heading to, nothing compares to actually being there. Who knows when I'll return there but I eagerly await that time.

5 - Luck is...: Rather than writing long posts every 2-3 weeks like I used to, I've been compelled lately to publish at least one post per day regardless of its length. Hence, most of my recent posts have been little more than a paragraph with either a YouTube video or a music file. Yet this post returned somewhat to the old form by describing a list of 10 fortunate things that occured to me. 9 of them actually happened in the span of 72 hours during that weekend. (No, I won't say which item did happen to me several months previous).

It was very difficult to pick only 5 posts of the previous 99, but there they are. It's what Huevos Pericos is all about, and hopefully will continue to be.

El perro Paraco

Joan Miro's "Dog Barking at the Moon" (Image via Art.com)

Sometimes simplicity is the best answer.

Case in point, the following joke via Adam Isaacson at the Center for International Policy. It's all you need to know about Colombian politics in a nutshell:

"CANINE INTELLIGENCE

An engineer, an accountant, a chemist, an IT specialist and a Colombian senator were bragging about how smart their dogs were.

The engineer told his dog, “Protractor, show what you can do.” The dog gathered some bricks and boards, and built a small doghouse. All agreed that it was incredible.

The accountant said his dog could do better. “Cash Flow, show what you can do.” The dog went to the kitchen, returned with 12 cookies and divided them into 4 piles of three cookies each. That was pretty neat, all agreed.

The chemist said that his dog could do even better. “Oxide, show what you can do.” Oxide walked to the refrigerator, took exactly 500 milliliters of milk, peeled a banana, used the blender and made a smoothie. All agreed that it was impressive.

The IT specialist said he could beat them all. “Megabyte, do it!” Megabyte crossed the room, turned on the computer, checked it for viruses, upgraded the operating system, sent an e-mail and installed an excellent game. All knew that this would be very hard to beat.

They turned to the Colombian politician and asked, “And your dog, what can he do?”

The politician called his dog and said, “Paraco, show what you can do!”

Paraco jumped up, ate all the cookies, drank the smoothie, erased all the files from the computer, “disappeared” the other four dogs, declared himself to be an Uribe supporter, and took over the land title to the doghouse.

Afterward, the politician insisted that he had never met the dog, that he had never even seen it, and that a photograph showing them together was faked..."

Succinct.

To the point.

Gloriously perfect.

Gracias Adam!

"Obligatorio"

You know the cliche about having such a crappy day that you should've stayed in bed?

Today was one of those days.

Yet rather than bitch and complain about the things that went wrong, I would much rather do something positive.

Hence, I'm going to include this fun little MP3 from The Lilys which should augment my recent post on learning German via Trio.

MP3: The Lilys - Solar is Here

A Bloomy Story

Earlier today I found this blog post detailing a possible third-party presidential bid by New York mayor Michael Bloomberg. Aside from bringing up Anthony Downs and the median voter theory, the post also reminded me of the brief moment where I met hizzoner.

In October 2004, the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities helped organize a mentoring day for the disabled which I took part of. Since my choice of employment field was politics/government, I was placed in an office that supposedly would be my career choice.

That office was a Social Security Administration branch located in downtown Manhattan.

I'm not completely anti-SSA since they've helped me out and I would most likely be near homelessness without their financial assistance. However, the humanity of the SSA and its workers makes the DMV look like New Year’s Eve at Times Square. As a child I often attended meetings at SSA over things like cutting off our aid entirely or revaluating our status as “disabled.” (As if the wheelchair and leg braces weren’t enough a giveaway). Sometimes, my mom would engage in shouting matches with these imbeciles whose penny-pinching knew no bounds.

Still, I attended an all-day meeting a SSA and inasmuch as the people there were accommodating I knew very well that I would never pursue a career option with them.

However, I patiently put up with the presentations and platitudes until early evening when there was a gala for mentoring day attendees near City Hall. I went due to two, and only two, reasons:

1- Free booze

2- The chance to meet the mayor

(Trite but true).

After imbibing several glasses of Pinto Noir and Zinfandel we were given the chance to meet the mayor. Luckily I was tipsy enough to avoid saying anything negative at Bloomy (not that I really wanted to since I wasn’t against him as much as Giuliani). Also I wasn’t too tipsy so that I would make a fool of myself when meeting the Grand Poobah.

The wait in line seemed interminable and I even dozed off briefly. But before I knew it up came my chance to meet Mayor Mike. As I approached him, I had a hunch that even though he was accustomed to these types of events he wasn’t in the mood for much

“Hi there” he said diplomatically.

“Good evening, Sir” I replied as I extended my hand for an awkward shake.

“Look at the camera” he whispered.

“Huh” I thought as I turned around and got blinded by the camera flash.

“Thanks for hosting this mentoring day” I muttered as the next wheelchair wheeled its way towards Bloomy.

Since it was nearly time for my Access-A-Ride pickup I went rapidly to the men’s room then outside where I was (miraculously) picked up early.

Don’t remember much after that except for the driver’s kind but futile attempt at small talk as I napped for a half-hour.

Approximately a month later I received the photo of the mayor and me from that evening. It wasn’t too bad; he looked well and I appeared lucid and jovial.

Except that my tie was crooked by a very noticeable inch.

Dammit.

So yes, that’s my tale. I don’t know if I’ll ever meet him again but one thing is for sure in case that occurs.

I’ll wear a bowtie instead.

A goofy German lesson

I've spent all day working and concurrently listening to a music mix of many different artists from the Cocteau Twins to Milton Nascimiento to XTC. However, just to mix things up I included one song. It's silly, it's European, it's not meant to be taken seriously.

And it's utterly brilliant:



In the middle of all the seriousness, stress and hard work in my life it helps to be a goof. Even for just a few brief minutes.

Luck is...

Image via this site

...ordering Italian food from the local pizzeria and accidentally receiving an extra free pie.

...missing the bus when you're running late only to have the next one show up 30 seconds later, not the usual 15 minutes.

...finding enough spare change to pay the bus fare since you can't find your Metrocard in your wallet.

...discovering that your best "friend" has nearly identical musical tastes.

...having friends that you haven't seen in over 3 years greet you by saying "You look so professional" and "You look so thin and healthy".

...seeing an old flame in the street by chance and exchanging phone numbers.

...listening to a song you haven't heard in nearly a decade and still getting goose bumps from its melody.

...feeling bummed out, then laughing your ass off for nearly a half-hour.

...remembering how at the age of ten you insulted a current presidential hopeful by telling him that you would vote for his opponent if you were old enough to.

...surviving yet another day without going crazy-go-nuts.

Tidbits: Back without a venegeance

Drug Store by Edward Hopper (via Artchive)

It’s been ages since I’ve decided to post some tidbits that have caught my attention. So why not do it now that I’ve been feeling very crappy since last night. (Take a good look at the above image and you’ll catch my drift).

And away we go!

* A phenomenal essay from Slate on Edward Hopper, my favorite artist. Bonus points for the brief examination of my favorite painting of his (Automat), which was ingenuously used for this 1995 TIME magazine cover.

* Olivia D’abo sings!

* There is really only one candidate who should be considered for the vacancy of the USMNT and that decision should be made ASAP. Hire Bob Bradley now!

* For a split-second I thought about taking an acquaintance to one of the eateries on this list. However, the gentleman side of my brain quickly kicked in and vanquished the frugal section of my mind. (Hat tip: Newyorkology).

* Intriguing article of the “return” of girl groups. The Pipettes are a lovely bunch of saccharine goodness but methinks I’ll stick to Velocity Girl, thank you. (Hat tip: largehearted boy).

* Hamburger heaven: take the Q44 bus for lunch at to Joe’s Best Burger, then transfer onto the Q20A for early dinner at Five Guys.

* You learn something new every day.

* Mark Kulkis- exploiting racism or marketing genius?

* No thanks.

* Yes it would be fantastic if Reno 911! could go beyond a fifth season, but I’m afraid I’ll agree with Mary Birdsong’s quote in this short article.

* Freddy Rincon- from futbol glory to a possible stint in Panamanian prison.

* Lastly, I really miss Nirmala when she was with Controller.Controller (aside from the fact that she vaguely looks like an ex from eons ago). In the meantime, I’ll have to suffice with vids like these:

“And in your sheets!”

Don Jediondo's bakery

Well ladies and germs, do forgive me but I won't go on a rambling post on the usual minor stuff or my trip to Jamaica yesterday. Quite frankly I'm just not in the mood.

In the meantime, how about a nice bit of bawdy humor en Español? Presenting the inimitable Don Jediondo:



Good times, good times.

Sleepy senses

Today was a busy day for me outside of home which included meeting a pair of friends from high school in Jamaica to watch "Spider-Man 3." I was pleased by the movie despite knowing very little about the story (I'm not a comic book buff and my film likes are skewed towards artsy-fartsy flicks). I will not go into too much detail over the film since I don't wish to spoil it for those who have yet to see it. Yet I will mention these 4 points:

1. The special effects were magnificent and a fantastic visual feast
2. The last ten minutes were easily the best part of the movie
   
3. Superfluous cameos need not belong in films
4. Speaking of superfluous, I sincerely hope that another sequel is not made
   

So yeah, that's how it went. I'll give more details tomorrow (hopefully!) In the meantime, here's some music which may be related to the film:

MP3: Neko Case - Deep Red Bells

I'm drained so I'm off to rest. Good night!

Silver-plated six shooters and a quart of the finest highland scotch

Damn you! (Image via this site)

I hate the lottery.

Yeah, I’ve heard all the arguments; revenue from lottery games helps to fund state programs that would otherwise be spent with taxes, for instance.

But the fact is that you have better odds of being attacked by pygmy midgets while dancing the funky chicken and listening to Kelley Deal interpret folkloric Russian music of the mid-19^th century instead of winning any substantial lottery jackpot.

Yet I reluctantly help my mother check the winning lottery numbers on the Internet.

It’s not a job that I like to do, but it has been one thrust upon me for several years now. And I begrudgingly accept since my brothers are too busy either designing websites, haggling with potential customers, or chatting with acquaintances while playing World of Warcraft.

Every week my mom passes me a small stack of folded lottery tickets neatly bundled by a rubber band. And every week I unfold them in order to see if we’ve won.

No, not this week.

No, not any week.

Not even when I spent an entire weekend checking results my dad had saved for nearly a year before he passed away did we win.

But in the end I let my mom continue to play even though she will inevitably lose. It’s something for her to do that distracts her from the continuing pain of my dad’s death. It allows her to keep dreaming of a better future; that is until “you boys grow up and become famous” as she tells my bros and I. Playing the lottery gives her some comfort and distraction from the tedium that is being a housewife.

So who am I to deprive her of not only playing the lottery but also being designated me as the family's official results checker.

I just hope against my own rational thought that one day she does win something aside from the rare extra play or $1. It would at least give her some joy of winning a few hundred bucks, minimum.

On the bright side she doesn’t spend her money on silly telemarketers or shyster TV evangelists. Compared to those things the lottery is a charitable donation, and checking the results is a dignified occupation.

Not bad.

And now I'm off to check the Pick 10 results.

MP3: Camper Van Beethoven – When I Win the Lottery

Epilogue (15 May): After checking the latest batch of results from the Pick 10, Mega Millions, and Lotto I found that we won $4.

The bad news is that approximately $35 were spent on the losing tickets.

Compared to other weeks we hit the bloody jackpot.

Frankie sings!

Image via this site

Well, it's not really Frankie Foster who sings, but rather the voice behind her: uber-talented voice actress and musician Grey Delisle. According to music blog songs:illinois, Delisle lent her talent to an upcoming tribute album for June Carter Cash. Delisle's rendition of "Big Yellow Peaches" is absolutely moving and will surely leave the listener spellbound. (It reminded me of something sung by Elysian Fields, albeit with a less husky voice).

Here it is for your listening pleasure:

Grey Delisle - Big Yellow Peaches

Cynicism

I'm probably being far to cynical, but this video seems like a well-made parody. It's just a gut feeling, I suppose.