Got My Couture Fix!

On my way to the market

Out for some drinks with the girls

Because, why the hell not!?
Good people, run and get your fix on! The Spring 2009 Couture shows came to Paris and shot a big, creamy, decadent load all over the masses, and of course it was all done by hand!

Forget the talk of financial woes, and the ugliness of the world. Get yourself clean, comfy and click here to catch the cunty creativity on the catwalk.

Gino Baffled?

In between classes I took Gino out for a walk. He was taken aback because the regular postman did not do the rounds today. Gino and (may she rest in peace)Luna, once had a nasty run in with the regular postman. My four-legged children where on him like white on rice. That guy is lucky he still has ankles.

Till this day, Gino sees this guy coming up the street, he goes into a fit. He wants a piece of him so bad that he can taste it.

Well, today there was someone new delivering the mail, and Gino just looked at him sorta bewildered (see image above). Then Gino looked at me and through our mental bond he said "Yo, where's the prick that normally delivers the mail? I aint done with him."

I telepathetically conveyed to Gino, "Be easy little man, enjoy the day, it's nice outside. Let it go, it's a new year."

Gino snorted into the brisk air and his response was "You're not a dog, you wouldn't understand."

What can I say, the guy pushes mail through the slot and that pushes Gino's buttons.

I Done Heard Somethings Over The Weekend

Honey, I found out some good gossip over the weekend. Let me start sharing:

1. I heard that Robert Verdi of "Fashion Police" fame is an undercover person of partial Puerto Rican ancestry. While it's been noted that his mom is a Portuguese immigrant, it's kept on the down-low that if not one, then both of his parents are Puerto Rican. I heard this straight from the mouth of a woman that worked with his mother. And, according to her, at the age of 16, Robert told her he planned on changing his name and background when he gets older. If this is true, tsk, tsk, to Mr. Verdi. Hating on who you are is never in fashion.

2. I didn't know that our 15th president, James Buchanan, was considered during his time to be queer and had his lover shacked up with him in the White House. According to Wikipedia:

For 15 years in Washington, D.C., prior to his presidency, Buchanan lived with his close friend, Alabama Senator William Rufus King. King became Vice President under Franklin Pierce. He took ill and died shortly after Pierce's inauguration, and four years before Buchanan became President. Buchanan and King's close relationship prompted Andrew Jackson to refer to King as "Miss Nancy" and "Aunt Fancy", while Aaron V. Brown spoke of the two as "Buchanan and his wife". Further, some of the contemporary press also speculated about Buchanan and King's relationship. Buchanan and King's nieces destroyed their uncles' correspondence, leaving some questions as to what relationship the two men had, but the length and intimacy of surviving letters illustrate "the affection of a special friendship" and Buchanan wrote of his "communion" with his housemate. Such expression, however, was not necessarily unusual among men at the time. Circumstances surrounding Buchanan and King's close emotional ties have led to speculation that Buchanan was gay.

Lord, forgive me for gossiping away so early in the year. Tacky? Yeah, maybe, but I needed some bochinche to get me through a cold rough weekend. I'll go back to taking my own inventory tomorrow.

I Knew I Live To See It

At work today a small group of staff and students gathered together to watch President Obama take the oath of office. It was special. I feel like things have a chance of being better than alright. I was very excited and encouraged the students that were in our room to have a seat up front and watch history unfold.

Obama's speech was appropriate. I wasn't moved with emotion, instead I was left with the thought that he is a very capable man. The highlight was when Rev. Lowery delivered the benediction. This old solider for the righteous cause broke it down old school style. We applauded when he said:

"help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right."

We said Amen, each time the good Rev. called out for it.

The only damper on the afternoon was that in our classroom, as the adults and two Latino students watched the TV attentively, four African-American students engaged in idle chatter, at a table away from the television, while ignoring the telecast. In fact one of the advisors had to ask the group to keep it down, so that we could hear what was being said. Good people, there is a lot of work to still do!

13th Annual Dr. King Day @ Yale Peabody

By the way, the event I mentioned in the previous post, is going down again. Events are being held on Sunday, Jan. 18 and Monday, Jan. 19 at the Yale Peabody Museum. Both days will have performances and activities celebrating the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Plus, good people, admission is free!

On Monday there is an Open Mic for the community starting at 11:00 am, followed by the Poetry Slam, which starts at 1:30 pm.

For more information call (203) 432-5050 or visit their website.

I can't think of a better way to get your heart and mind ready for President-Elects Obama's inauguration.

A Pause for Poetry

My collegue Croilot Semexant is pleasure to know and work with. He's tapped into that beautiful energy that goes beyond, race, gender, time and place. He's forever fascinated by ideas, the world and the people within it. I got to see him do his slam poetry thing last year at the event I served as judge (blogged about it). Here is a taste of his poetic truth.

One Island, 2 Languages by Croilot Semexant

My mother sold the panties she had on to
To keep me a live during her pregnancy

My lieutenant father was never present
He thought she was Dominican

Hence why I'm here

Son of a Spanish Romeo
Son of a Haitian Eve that mothered

Twins in her womb
But she said I ate my twin sister at birth
Cause she probably would've betrayed

Us like Jacob

Be a spy for the Dominican
Government
Teach them how to kill another 40,000 Haitians
Cause of their Chaka Zulu color
And so my mother said I ate her in the womb
Because they kept that in silence
In their Rafael Trujillo history books

Some claim their just Spanish
But you can smell the Haitian voodoo
In their Habituala

Some claim their just Haitian
But you can Bachatta in their Konpa

The culture of kidnapped children used
To chop sugarcane so your Starbucks coffee
Can stay sweet in

One Island, 2 languages

Disconnected like the brainwashed
Of the slave's taste for beauty is
Blue eyes and blond hair

And my mother's side of the family said,
Don't marry a Dominican
Their just bitches

And her side of the family said,
He's not light skin enough
Besides he can barely speak Spanish

And I watched them wear the mask
Claiming their Africans, African Americans
But never claim their Haitians

And I watched them claim their Spanish and
Indian but don't know where they got that
Venus Hotten Tot Ass from

While you purchase your
Tickets to flush the resorts toilets
So our people can catch Ecoli

The history professor said,
You divide people
By language and by burning their books

One History, one Africa

Rape by Columbus from the back
While Napoleon get his nut suck
To give birth to us
So we can kill each other

One Island, 2 languages

My mother said she's a mutt too
That's why she can dance mirengue
While stirring up a mean bacaloi
In haitian style

Whatever!

You're cutting into my TV viewing time. Dude, just pack your shit and go!

Gone to the Fantasy Island in the Sky

Ricardo Montalban passed away today at the age of 88. He was Mr. Roarke on Fantasy Island and the evil Khan in the Star Trek movies.

As a little Latino growing up on 70s TV, there weren't many sophisticated Latinos on the tube. Senor Montalban was a favorite of mine as Mr. Roarke. Always dapper, self-assured, and wordly. Plus he was a hottie back in his day. I like the note he wrote on his picture above. It makes me think he had a sense of humor about being the Don Juan of Hollywood during his prime.

In his later years, his foundation built a theatre in Hollywood, with the mission of providing young actors opportunities to perform and develop their craft.

I'm imagining him relaxing on a recliner made of "soft Corinthian leather" up in heaven.

Darling Brianna

Turning Over from manny on Vimeo.
This is Brianna. She is the newest member to the family. Just two months old. I have yet to see her in person, but my special powers tell me she is going to be capable of many amazing things. I need to go pay her a visit and let her know this piece of vital information.

Loving her!

Couture Whore Is Jonesing

Good people, the Spring/Summer 2009 Haute Couture collections will be shown in Paris, France from Monday, January 26th to Wednesday, January 28th, 2009. I have my alarm set! Until then, do salivate over the piece above. It was from last year's Dior collection, courtesy of the genius that is only possible by my future baby's daddy, John Galliano.

People Crack Me Up: 7

Feliks Goldshtein, 24, was arrested minutes after he allegedly robbed a bank in Ohio on Thursday. He may have tipped off the teller by standing in line while wearing a ski mask before staging the holdup, police said. (Source: Stow Police Department/AP)

Y'all know the cops were cracking the fuck up with this one.

How I Intend to Approach 2009

Happy Holy Daze, Pisces! My gift to you is advice about the coming year. First, read this quote from W.H. Auden's book The Dyer's Hand: "A daydream is a meal at which images are eaten. Some of us are gourmets, some gourmands, and a good many take their images precooked out of a can and swallow them down whole, absent-mindedly and with little relish." With this as your touchstone, I urge you to be a gourmet in your approach to daydreaming during 2009. It will be time for you to make your fantasy life into an art form instead of a chaotic, unconscious diversion. If you put more intention into your generation of mental images, you will find yourself better able to create what you really want.

Free Will Astrology: December 17 through 23
By Rob Brezsny

Lazy Lima Bean View

When I'm laid back on my sofa this is what I see. My living room y'all. I ponder thoughts and look at the masks, Devon gave to me and the artwork of Marcos' students. I wonder what they think about the world around me. I imagine conversations and these are some things that have come to light. By the way I am not crazy. I just have a vivid imagination.

> People that don't have children usually become self-absorbed. People that have children often neglect themselves. If you can, mentor a young person to find the balance. If you have children, put them to clean while you do something for yourself.

> A brilliant mind is a terrible thing to waste. Brilliant minds often waste a lot of time.

> I'm brilliant and legendary in my own mind, like most people.

> A person with a lifetime of emotional drama eventually shuts down and just functions. They will on occasion allow themselves to feel something, but with some level of fear in their hearts.

> The natural world is so clever and has a great sense of humor. If you don't believe me learn about male seahorses.

> The divine whispers and the dark has amplifiers turned up to 10.

> If you have a negative relationship with food....get some fucking help. Because you are worth it darling.

> Heavy drinking is bad. Sobriety is difficult and may be a myth. Once a pickle, never a cucumber. People often put one bad thing down and pick up another. With that said, don't drink and go to meetings. What the fuck do I know?

> Are cats really deep, and tuned into something mystical, or just simple minded creatures that benefit from our perception of their aloofness?

> What ancient wisdom have we lost? What ancient alchemy is needed today to cure? What has science removed from our thinking that would've enabled us to still do magic?

> People are beautiful and amazing. I look forward to learning from them and loving them until it's my time to cross over.

Canoas de Platano Amarillo

With the exception of the processed yellow cheese stripe in the picture above, I made this dish tonight. It's a wonderful combination of sweet and savory. Canoas de Platano Amarillo (Yellow Plantain Canoes) is a wonderful dish to tuck into.

Basically you take very ripe yellow plantains (they should have plenty of dark spots on the peel) and you deep fry the whole thing for about 15 minutes or until the plantain is brown and slightly tender. You then drain the plantain on paper towel and cut a slit going lengthwise.

The next step is to stuff it. Tonight I stuffed it with my spicy turkey chili. You can also do it with beef picadillo, even stewed bacalao (salt cod fish). You then stuff each plantain, sprinkle it with your cheese of choice, and place it in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Each bite is a complex combination of contrasting flavors. Enjoy.

Shock and Awe - Revised

If I were there and saw this sight in person, I would think it was the end of the world. Go here for the full story and here for more pics.