It takes two to Tango, and just one to say NO

There is a point in everyone's life when they realize that sometimes grownups say one thing but do something else. Shocking? no, just one of those unavoidable epiphanies of life. I am much more pragmatic and cynical than my younger hirsute self. Having said that, practical does not mean devoid of beliefs and sense of justice.

I have always been a very politically inclined person, I guess you have to be when you have lived almost half of your younger existence in a country that was ruled by a Dictator for 16 years. 1988 was my senior year in high school and also the year of Chile's plebiscite to decide with a Yes or No whether Pinochet could stay for a bunch of more years keeping the "Marxist" at bay. The country was almost evenly divided between those in favor and those who wanted democracy back on the books. My senior class (a small 50-something bunch in a private school), was a pure reflection of the national reality. Lunch breaks would find us arguing why we should vote one way or the other, these discussions would end unequivocally in people not talking to each other and childish epithets thrown around like powdered sugar on this carb unfriendly "Berlín".

  Why I am reminiscing of these days? because both groups eventually turned into these blind cattle-like following fans. Then, people supporting Pinochet could not see any wrongdoing from him or his government, if you supported his removal or questioned the legitimacy of him staying for another 8 years you automatically were a traitor and a child eating communist. On the other side we NO supporters just spewed blind hate towards anything or anyone associated with the government of Pinochet and his persona. If someone pointed out that there were a few positive aspect of the economic uphill of Chile or how allowing private university would create a more educated population, you were labeled a Fascist loving democracy hating Nazi.
A friend of mine posted a note on facebook in relation to Rev. Warren giving the invocation on Inauguration Day that generated some replies from others, this motivated me to go back on memory lane and also start writting in my blog again. One phrase from these replies stuck out to me.

"From the above description this Rick Warren sounds like scum but I doubt Obama chose him to give the invocation for the sake of his homophobic beliefs. For now I urge us all to have some faith in Obama's choices, even if we don't completely agree with them"

Although I am a Catholic Gay Left-Handed Latino (talk about a minority, and other left-handed would agree), I always have had trouble with the word Faith used in a non-religous context. Faith means not asking questions and a blind trust of some idea or entity that works in the spiritual personal realm but in politics and policy-making it just leads to reckless decisions (Hello Bush anyone?) and a sense that you don't need to explain your actions. I don't believe Obama is homophobic or that he plans to send all gay people to Guantamo, but this Warren issue was an unforced error that hurt me as a gay man and as an American. For the secular population this may just be a political move, but understand that half the globe and most Latin America is going to be watching the religious aspect of the ceremony, and what are they going to say? "You know who is giving the "blessing?" it is this "pastor" who by the way, believes gay people are pedophiles, and that anyone who disagrees with him are a bunch "Christophobes". WOW way to set the tone for your goverment and to be a world leader.
I am tired of being the odd family member that is left in the cellar for the official family gatherings, a la Alberto Blest Gana's "El Loco Estero". I am all about inclusion and being the bigger person (and God knows I have fought for it) and waiting for my turn, when is it my time then?

Testing

Testing cellspin for blogging

Some like it hot....

OK here we are in San Diego, after a week of annoying and sticky hot weather ( of course hot in San Diego terms) and I am thinking of how in general as we grow into our ages we get less and less tolerant towards things that happens us.
During the last week I have been recontacting friends and acquaintances through Facebook. These people were a huge part of my life during my recent and not so recent past. One of them is a guy I met in Chile, I was around 25 and my mom had sent me to see a therapist because she was worried I didn't have an emotional life ( obviously she and I still had not admitted to may "gay issue"...that is another blog I should write).
Tolerant or maybe just young and impulsive, I fell in love with a married man... (he had a BF not wife and kids). Life does not warn us when certain events or people will become milestones in our life. He became just that, my emotional life can be divided pre and post HIM. I am sure he doesn't know that and I am not sure if one day I will tell him, I did write various poems about those days, those I may release. The main reason that I pursued this relationship was at the advice of my therapist who had just told me I was " incapable of love". This actually sounds harsher and more definitive than what it really is.
Fear and disappointment was the root of why I was where I was emotionally. Years ago, during my first gay Long Term Relationship, I had caught my boyfriend in bed with another man. I made myself believe that mundane situations like that didn't affect me, I was above jealousy and suffering. All the men who dated me afterward would probably tell you otherwise.
When I reached the turning point in my life when I met this "married" guy and I started my therapy, my therapist counseled me to continue this relationship as a way of him to work through my process of dating and relating with others emotionally. To make a long story short the whole 5 months we were together (with therapy and with my "boyfriend"), was worth 5 years of marriage. To make a long story short I broke up with him 5 months later when I realized that I needed more than the few hours a week he could spare out of his real relationship. I was WORTH more, yes! I have never dated someone with a BF again (knowingly). Crushes on unavailable men, yes... but that is a blog I already wrote months ago. This spiel come to me when I realized all the NOs I have when it comes to dating and how just 12 years ago this laundry list just had one item: Must be a MAN.

Everything COmes Back....Geeorge Michael

With the release of George Michael's new CD and new Tour I just had to rehash my top 3 favorite music videos from this 80s icon.

This is THE SONG I fall in love with...(future BF out there.. if you dedicate this to me, I WILL marry you)


All time best video

I'm to sexy

Wow! sometimes words just are an unnecessary extra. Colton Ford is an ex Porn Star that has "cracked" the singing industry... color me amazed and hooked.


and this extra gay hottie


This one is dedicated to you know who

Arthur C. Clarke RIP

Last March 19, 2008, died one of the masters of Sci-Fi... Arthur C. Clarke who together with Isaac Asimov was one of the authors that made me fall in love with the genre.
2001: A Space Odyssey was the movie that opened my eyes to the amazing world of scientific fantasy, although we are way beyond the years that were depicted in the movie and much of its predictions did not come true ( Sorry Pan Am), it still was riveting and groundbreaking way beyond special effects. It was The Matrix of its time.
Great loss.

AIDA and how theatre is done

Being a musical "queen" and a chorus singer I was very much intrigued and excited this Saturday when I went to see Aida performed by the J*Company, a youth troupe at the La Jolla's Jewish Community Center. These are high school kids between the ages of 14-18 directed by Joey Landwehr who also happens to be the choreographer director of our chorus' next performance... Heart and Soul.
Seeing these kids perform was a moving and fun experience I was not prepared for. All the leads were just stunning, Amneris had a powerhouse voice and a sense of timing hard to find in musical theatre... my only quip would be that wig!!! reminded me of the Facts of Life's Blair worst hair days. Aida was sweet and tender but with the strength you expect from her character. I think she was the best duo/trio performer moving with ease from solo performance to blending without effort when needed.
I am a little biased towards Mereb (played by Andrew Miller), Andrew has helped the chorus in previous chorus productions as he will do in this one. His portrayal of the Egyptian slave was just a joy to watch and hear. Besides his soothing vocal performance I think his stage presence and timing was refreshing and worthy of bigger stages.
Finally, Radames had a very interesting actor filling those shoes. I think his solos where well handled and his onstage chemistry with Aida were his "strongest suit" I have to admit I was missing a sort of TOUGHNESS in his role that we expect in the character, it did not make me unlike him just wished for a little more umph.
Overall I think we paid for a show that was well worth much more.

nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine BC

Why or why,
Sometimes I think movie producers think the average movie goer lives in a bubble world in total disconnect with World History and unable to follow more than one plot line at a time. If they are going to campaign against pirating and promote forking more and more money to sit in a barely comfortable seat for a zillion seconds for just a hint of FX and an extreme suspension from reality, they are going to wake up in a bootleg world very soon.
This flick had the potential to be a fun loosely fact checked movie, á la The Day After Tomorrow. But no, once they start the first 5 minutes explaining to the audience that the whole premise is going to revolve around a pre-historic Love Story (without the cancer) you better have a sure exit plan because you will be going to the bathroom more than once. Between the incredibly sharp goatees these men had before Gillette was founded to the amazing idea that the only tribe that spoke a different language where the white grungy D'les, while all the black tribes spoke the same common language...wow.
A Sabre-Tooth that just because the main character saved him from drowning was now his BFF and at the end only appeared for 2 seconds on the next frame.... waist of crappy CGI.
I have to say the most annoying thing of the movie was the old lady leader of the tribe... she almost died every 5 minutes... OMG 'mam die already... didn't you know that the life expectancy in those days was around 30 not 300.
Geography was lost here tooo... snowy mountains that lead to a desert and a "river" ( I can only assume it was the Nile). Last time I checked the Nubians were to the South of the Egyptians (also considering that the Egyptian culture is from 5000 BC not 10000) and finally DOMESTICATED mammoths????
Guys... only rent this movie if your Netflix queue is empty.

Ben Affleck comes Out!!!

Bitch is the new Black!!!