My day off!

So where am I going on Saturday after busting my back all week? Here's a hint - a free concert in Central Park starring the one and only Julieta Venegas! (Along with some primo opening acts, too).

I'm excited not only to listen to some wonderful music in a unique setting but also glad to meet up with some friends and possibly be surprised by those that I haven't seen in a while. (The latter happened when I unexpectedly met C. at the end of the Aterciopelados gig in 2005). Then there's also the mini-picnic we're going to have (including some meat empanadas I've got to buy). All-in-all I'm going to try to enjoy things.

Afterwards, I'm going to catch a bus and be picked up at the Apple Store at 8pm. Why there? No, I'm not giving into the hype over the new iPhone. (At least not until I can afford it, all the bugs get worked out, and there's more flexibility with the service plans). Rather, it's an easy address for the Access-A-Ride to pick me up and the store's bathrooms are decent.

Depending on time constraints and my appetite I may eat at nearby Pop Burger; I have an Achilles heel for sliders.

Lastly, if I'm lucky I can catch Manhattanhenge depending on what time my ride picks me up and if my camera can hold out.

Fin!

Alphabet

Earlier today my Internet connection went out as I was in the middle of doing some important work. After several hours of laying in the corner of the apartment curled in the fetal position and babbling incoherently I decided to try and type up a quasi-poem in the order of the alphabet. It’s a little nonsensical and it doesn’t strictly obey all the laws of English grammar. But it was good enough to kill over an hour today and keep me from going stir crazy:

As a wise man once proclaimed

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Caring words like those often make sense

During times of high esteem and confidence.

Exceptions must be taken into account, nevertheless

For those who aren’t feeling so pleased with the appearance.

Gestures mean more than words

However simple or minor they may seem.

It’s a lesson that at times can be overlooked

Just like so many things in our daily lives.

Kind and generous actions

Love, unselfishness just to name a few

Mean a great deal to those who receive them.

Now and again it may be possible that what we do

Often can provide a dual benefit

Pleasing ourselves and others.

Quick minds can usually ascertain

Reasons why we do what we do.

Still, actions are meaningless if those who receive it cannot appreciate it.

“To err is human;”

Usually that is the case.

Vexed as we may seem with human understanding

We hope that our gestures are not in vain.

“X” person did this or “x” person did that

Yet in the end we interpret things as they happen

Zipping along and living as best we can.

The mayor's wife

After yesterday's downer of a post I was desperately in need of a good, cheap laugh. Thankfully an old favorite- "Reno 911!"- came to the rescue:

Happy birthday dad

To rephrase this song:

Pain, pain fatal pain

It plays hideous tricks on the brain

Today was my fathers’ birthday. Had things gone ideally he would’ve been 62 years old and starting to enjoy retirement. Instead, he’s been dead for nearly three years and his remains are in a cemetery in a small Colombian town.

I want to say so many things; chiefly I wish I could lash out for his passing away and to let go of all the sadness and misery I’ve bottle up regarding his death. Yet for the sake of my family’s unity and progress (especially my mom’s sanity) I continue to look out for them more than me and I try to help them trudge forward.

It is this sacrifice for others which embodied my late father and that followed him to his last moments. (When he died he had been sweeping the floor and doing some light cleaning despite needing the rest after a ridiculously hard week at work. He didn’t have to do it and he was physically beat, but he wanted to neaten things up for us).

A quick anecdote: many years ago I was conversing with my dad. I asked him if he had such such a wonderful job, increased income, and was constantly surrounded by family in Colombia then why did he leave it all behind to start from square one in the U.S. His reply was simple: “I did it for you and your brothers.” Naively I couldn’t comprehend what he was saying; it seemed irrational that he would leave behind the cusp of his youth and so many things that gave him joy and satisfaction. He wanted to provide his future wife and kin with the freedom that he knew they would enjoy. His life in the U.S. was filled with obstacles especially in the first few years but he derived joy from our comfort and well-being. It was a concept that at the time seemed alien to me.

Yet in the many months since his passing I’ve grown to truly appreciate his words and the impetus behind them. His unselfishness and care for others was his legacy and it is something my brothers and I try to carry on. His memory and spirit will continue and hopefully grow in the upcoming years. He deserves it as he rests in peace from the heavens above; pleased, happy, and looking down upon us.

And I'm proud to be an American (wierdo)

I figured I ought to take a head start in celebrating the Fourth of July:

Note the band's diversity. (Sorry, lame quip).

Workout and haggle

I'm trying my best not to be a mopey pessimist today but it's a little difficult.

I haven't been feeling well lately on account that several small things have ganged up on my such as my bursitis and my delicate stomach. I have P.T. which should help my aching shoulders. But I'm also stressed (what else is new!) but over an appointment I have in a few hours at the local Medicaid office.

(Why such a mess with Medicaid? In short, they want to force me to choose between my Access-A-Ride and my health insurance despite my winning a fair hearing decision in the Spring. There are more details though suffice it to say they are being absolutely unfair and I'm going to fight their red tape and incompetence).

Yes ladies and jellyspoons, I'm not at my best right now. Then again, things change and who knows if by the end of the day fortune will shine my way.

Update: Yes, fortune did smile down on me in the sense that P.T. helped reduce some of the aches in my shoulders and my stomach was able to relax. More importantly, the visit to the Medicaid office went without a hitch except for one or two minor misunderstandings and some well-played passive-aggressiveness on my part.

Now I can get some good night's rest (or more specifically, as much as I can before walking up a little dazed at dawn)!

Manu is the man!

It's been a looooooooong time since I've written here. Why such a delay? The usual suspects are to blame (e.g. thesis, "work") though my health has been kind of iffy lately. Thankfully I've been working harder in order not to be swamped and playing catch-up. The toll is that blogging here and even there has taken less of a role. I had to readjust my priorities and in doing so blogging dropped down several rungs of the ladder.

So why am I blogging tonight even though I'm supposed to wake up in five hoursand I could really use the rest? Just to wish a very happy birthday to Manu Chao and because his music has helped pick me up when I need a quick boost late at night or in the pre-dawn hours. Just watch this and perhaps you'll see what I mean:

p.s. Apologies for the terribly corny post title!

Vids, vids, vids!: Interview with Thomas Lennon

"Reno 911!" is one of the most recurring topics on this sad, sad blog of mine (Exhibit A, B, C, D). Naturally I haven't missed an episode and I'm keen on the fifth season; for example, I absolutely love the faux-PSAs in Spanish. Admittedly, there are times that the plots and stories become a little predictable yet the way the cast handles the different siuations remains as quite a sight to behold.

With that said, I found the following video roughly two weeks ago. It's a neat interview with actor/writer/"cop"-in-short-shorts Thomas Lennon where he reveals a few interesting tidbits about the show and other projects past and future.

And yes, he looks tre bien in the Morrissey tee!

A little food, a little dance....

Well, I'm off to the luncheon. I feel confident and I know what to talk about. After thinking it over a zillion times I decided to change the speech significantly and not touch on Dr. Viscardi's legacy. I just thought of something better; that's all.

More to come later...

Update (11:55pm): Perfect. Everything went as close to perfection as possible. The speech was by far the best one I've given in years and the audience- young and old, Irish and American- enjoyed it completely.

Other than that I got to meet some new friends, reacquaint with old pals, enjoy a great meal, take a few snapshots, and more.

What can I say? I'm a lucky blankety-blank!

Update (June 4, 2008): I don't mean to sound vain but I look pretty damned good in this pic!

Five Alive: Janeane Garofalo's HBO Special

(Photo via The Austin Chronicle)

Whenever I'm at home during the mornings I sometimes watch the stand-up comedy hour on Comedy Central from 11 to noon. It's a nice way to get a good laugh during the day and it's a nice break after working over the previous 4 to 5 hours.

Last week I caught a Janeane Garofalo comedy special from 1997. It was interesting and I jotted a few notes down after it was done. Here are five of those points:

1. What a difference 11 years makes with some items that are terribly dated. Case in point - quips on Jack Kemp and "who's your favorite Spice Girl?" (Janeane's answer: Sporty. I always had a small liking to Ginger).
2. Still, some things aged rather well. The use of "Cannonball" as the show's intro song coincides well with The Breeders' return, and Jeneane still looks really nice as evidenced by the 2007 photo above.
3. Her comedic anecdotes were solid, especially those that were non-political. For instance, she told about the time she saw a businessman getting hit by a taxi and, as painful as it sounded, I shared in her humor when retelling the incident and how even the cops laughed about it. Then again there were some stories she told that I unintentionally laughed at such as the concept of a holistic pet store.
4. If excessive muffin eating means that you have an eating disorder (as she jokingly said) then I'm worse than your average bulemic.
5. I can emphatize with her claim that telling someone that you like them is like "the kiss of death." (Mainly since that's happened to many a prospective relationship I've attempted). But being overly distant doesn't work either. Does it?

Oddly enough when the special was done and I was looking for paper to write on I couldn't find anything either big or clean enough. After rummaging through the trash I found a suitable writing surface in the form of an envelope that was used to send a free antacid sample. Mercifully, the paper did its job and I didn't need to pop any antacids after the show was done. It was a damn good special.

The disabled treaty and LatAm and the Caribbean

As a service to the public (so to speak) the following is a list of Latin American and Caribbean countries and what they have done regarding the "Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities". The source comes from this U.N. website and the list is written from least to most action taken by governments:

No action
Bahamas
Belize
Grenada
Haiti
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
United States of America
Venezuela

Signed convention only
Barbados
Colombia
Guyana
Uruguay

Signed convention & optional protocol
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Bolivia
Brazil
Chile
Costa Rica
Dominican Republic
Guatemala
Paraguay

Ratified convention
Cuba
Honduras
Jamaica
Nicaragua

Ratified convention & protocol
Ecuador
El Salvador
Mexico
Panama
Peru

What observations can I draw from this? Here are five quick points:

1. Just over one-quarter of states have yet to sign the convention. I expected a lower figure though I see that most of those countries are small and/or developing.
2. Of that list of countries who haven't signed two stick out: the U.S. and Venezuela. From the get go it was obvious that the U.S. would not sign to the treaty despite participating during several Ad Hoc committee sessions. Venezuela does surprise me since they seemed to be active during Ad Hoc committee sessions and their government has placed such a strong emphasis on social services.
3. The Colombian delegation was one of the most passive ones during the Ad Hoc committee sessions I attended. (I'll explain why another time; all that I will say for now is that I was not proud of their attention to distractions). Thus, imagine my shock when I find that they at least signed the convention.
4. The five countries that ratified the convention & protocol where very active during the Ad Hoc committee meetings not only through their government representatives but also via NGOs.
5. Fun facts: Jamaica was the first country to ratify the treaty in March 2007 while Ecuador's ratification last month allowed the treaty to go into effect.
   

Could more countries from the region ratify the treaty? I honestly don't know though that can certainly change in the upcoming months.

Speech time!

For the third straight year I will be going to an annual luncheon sponsored by the Physically Challenged Irish And American Youth Team in honor of a delegation of disabled children visiting from the emerald isle. Last year I was a nervous wreck preparing and then giving a short speech to give to the event’s attendees but it thankfully turned out very well:

In the end I got a standing ovation (from those who could stand, that is) and it was then that I was filled with pride in accomplishing both what I had been sent out to do as well as to overcome the mistakes I made in previous occasions.

This year I will probably be made to speak again. Honestly, I don’t mind having to talk in front of crowds big or small. My main preoccupation is with saying the right thing in the right way to the right crowd. In retrospect, I nailed the first two parts but I don’t think it resonated well with the kids.

Yet if I’m granted the opportunity to speak at next Tuesday’s affair I anticipate that I will have the kids’ attention. The topic for my speech will be on the late Henry Viscardi Jr. - a visionary who emphasized that disabled people deserve to be empowered in order to be functional members of society. I was lucky enough not only to graduate from the school that bares his name but to also have met him on several occasions. He was truly an inspiration and someone I have never forgotten.

In a small cabinet in my bedroom I have a copy of one of his books: Give Us the Tools. I believe it is in that book where he said:

"Life demands love. Loving means to love that which is unlovable, or it is no virtue at all. Faith means believing the unbelievable, and to hope means hoping when things are hopeless."

I am ready for the luncheon.