Reflections: Sifting Realities

The Expos are moving to D.C.

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Last time I blogged about the Metro police, a woman was arrested for eating a Payday candy. This time the Metro police arrested a 5-month pregnant woman.

Apparently, the Metro police told the woman to lower her voice because she was cursing a bit louder than normal on her cell phone. However, the woman ignored the police twice. So, the police then forced her onto the ground, with his knee on her back and arrested her.
The woman said that when the knee was on her back, she feared that her water would break and the fetus would be harmed. However, a doctor later confirmed that her fetus is unharmed.

You can read the article about the incident here. This incident has gotten international attention.

According to today's Washington Post Express...the head of the Metro Police Transit will be reviewing techniques that could help officers dealing with difficult people more effectively.

Well, luckily the woman's fetus was ok. For sure, if she miscarried or whatever, the Metro Police will be receiving a big fat lawsuit.

Whadda think?

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It felt sooo good to have the car running once again. We discovered that not only we had to replace the battery but the positive (red) cables as well. That was a challenge! We were just about to give up and have the car towed to let the mechanics do it for us. However, thanks to our persistence, we were able to get it fixed, little by little.
Made us realized just how dependent we are on our car! Can't live without it!! Don't get us wrong, the Metro is nice but having your own car is NICE as well.

After that, we decided to rest for the remainder of the day by having a belated celebration of our 4 year anniversary. So, we decided to drive up to Silver Spring and catch a matinee movie, The Forgotten and then have dinner. So, KT ordered the tickets online, so that we won't have to drive up and find out it was sold out. We get up there and got our tickets. I noticed right away that it was in an auditorium that doesn't have RWC (rear window captioning). (The Consolidated Theatre in Silver Spring has RWC in auditorium #3, 6, 8 and 20.) It turned out that the theatre had switched movies around...therefore, messing up the whole thing. So, the manager gave our money back and gave us free tickets to the next showtime, which was 4 hours later.

4 hours to kill. Hmmm...what to do, what to do... We decided to walk around and check out some of the stores in the area. Pretty soon, we had ice cream from Ben & Jerry's. Then, spent the reminder of the time at Barnes & Noble. I decided to pick up a graphic novel of the Ultimate X-Men. (Yes, I know...I'm a dork...but so what!) Ok, I love the X-Men but there are just so many X-titles and I'm like lost. Too many timelines and alternate realities! I was reading one about the Avengers hunting down the X-Men because they had previously hidden Magneto somewhere. So, the whole world is seeking the X-Men and treating them as terrorists because they were "helping out" a terrorist, Magneto. Anyways, I saw some characters in there and I was like...hey! wait a minny! that's not right! For example, Forge. Forge is a Native American and has a "cybernetic" leg and something else (I forgot) and he has the ability to create things or tools, possessing advance technological properties. (It was his creation, tricked by Nick Fury to use it to neutralize Rogue's powers, but instead it was shot at Storm, losing all her powers. It was that time that Storm sported a mohawk.) Anyways, they portrayed Forge as a "bad guy", working for Magneto. Later on the story, when the X-Men landed on Magneto's base and battled his "minions", Storm and Forge faced each other. However, they acted like they didn't know each other. (Storm and Forge had a relationship in the X-Men series.)
Anyways, I found myself not liking the Ultimate X-Men because I was like..."this is wrong. " or "huh!" and other comments. Like I said...too many X-titles! Oh oh...one more thing...Captain America has revealed Wolverine's real name...it's something like James "Jim" Howlett. Hmmm...I think I like the name, Logan, better.

Anyways, boreness aside and a pause on my dorkiness. We decided to grab dinner before returning to the movie theatre. So, we went to Romano's Macaroni Grill. We've never been there but heard good stuff about the restaurants from friends and family. So, we went in, got seated and viewed the menu. Hmmm...for some reason, I thought it was another Chili's, Applebee's or a Bennigan's. Yet, it was more like Olive Garden, with a darker atmosphere. The food was ok, not "wow!" We weren't impressed with the seating arrangements. I was like...what if I had a bigger ass and it'll be rubbing against people's back, while trying to get to my seat? Should've gone to Red Lobster!

After dinner, we headed back to the movie theatre. Well, when the movie started, the captioning wasn't working. I was like...WTF! I told KT to go chew out the manager. It was quite some time before KT returned. Told me to retrieve the panels (to view the captions). I came out and we were being led by the manager to another movie, Resident Evil: Apocalypse.
I was like...what's going on? Well, remember the switching around? Well, it had somehow affected the captioning. So, we got some more free tickets! So, in a way, I can't complain.

Resident Evil was a good movie. There was a couple of scenes that made me jump. KT just love to see me jump and laugh his ass off. (Pffft!) It was interesting with some of the changes and how some characters are connected to another. By the end of the movie, you just know that there will be a Part 3 coming soon.
I was telling KT that we'd have to start on our Silent Hill 3 game. There's already Silent Hill 4 game! If you've never played Resident Evil or Silent Hill games, you have to! These are SCARY games, especially with the lights all turned off! I will play these games but when it comes to the scary parts or when I know something scary is gonna happen, I'd have KT take over so I can scream my head off.

Anyways, that was a brief glimpse of how our weekend went. Now, we're all rested up and ready for school and work. Ta ta...

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Ok, I know this issue will spark some debates.

I'm sure you've heard about Terri Schiavo from time to time. If you don't or not sure...you can go to this site and get your memory refreshed about her.

Abstract Appeal

Basically, Terri Schiavo suffered a potassium imbalance/cardiac arrest in February 1990. Since then, she has never regained consiousness. Over time, her brain has deteriorated, due to the lack of oxygen. She's basically a vegetable...a more correct term is that she's in a persistent vegetative state. She's only alive to this day because she's hooked on a feeding tube. Doctors have said that medicine, at this point, will not, in any way, revive her. It would have to be a miracle from God to bring her out of this vegetative state. (You'll have to read the site above. It's really detailed.)

At some point, her husband, Michael, decided to have the feeding tube removed. (This isn't like pulling the plug, where the patient would die within minutes. Removing the tube would starve Terri to death, which could be a horrible death.) However, Terri's parents have petitioned the courts to have the feeding tube remain...simply because they believe that Terri responds to certain stimulation.

Anyways, Michael and Terri's parents, the Schindlers, have fought each other in the courtrooms. Even Jeb Bush has gotten involved. As stated in the Washington Post Express, by Jackie Hallifax (AP):

"As early as 2000, lower courts had ruled that Michael Schiavo could have his wife's feeding tube removed. But last October, the Legislature passed "Terri's Law" to override the courts, and [Jeb] Bush quickly invoked it to order the tube reinserted, six days after it had been withdrawn."

Anyways, it really isn't so cut and dry. The Schindlers are suspicious about Michael and his motives. In January 1993, Michael sued the doctors for medical malpratice and can collect the reminder of the $1 million dollars, after Terri's death. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

I have read and heard stories about how hard it is to pull the plug on a loved one. I just cannot imagine what I'd do if I was in that situation. Most of us have a hard time to finally accept the fact we'd have to euthanize our beloved pets, due to some medical conditions. Imagine how much harder it is for a human to another human.

Yeah, one thing that would've solved this whole thing is if Terri had made a living will. She was only 26 years old when she had that cardiac arrest. Most of us think...we're young and needless to write up a will or living will. Hey, you just never know when your number is up.

It wasn't until 1998 that Michael decided that it was time to pull the feeding tube from Terri. That's when the parents stepped in. While I can only imagine how hard it is to lose a child, regardless of age, I think the responsibility is solely Michael's to decide what is best for his wife. He claimed that the couple once had a discussion about their life and death situation and that Terri said that she didn't want any life-prolonging procedures.
Like I said earlier, this isn't just pulling the plug, once the feeding tube is removed, Terri will starve to death. So, that's even harder to just stand there and watch her suffer to death. (This really hits a nerve with me because my mother died in a similar way, although she did not need a feeding tube.)

If you were in Michael's situation, what would you do? If you were Terri, what would you hope to be done to you? If you were the Schindlers, what would you do? As for me, I think she should go...regardless of how hard it will be to see her die. It's been over 10 years and she isn't improving. She really doesn't have a brain anymore.

Below are several sites which you can follow up on Terri Schiavo:

Terri Schindler-Schiavo Foundation

A Catholic View on Vegetative State

Pro-Life Group React

Schiavo v. Bush

If anything, be sure to compose a living will to ease the burdens of your family...should anything happen to you.

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Yesterday, after KT and I arrived to Gally for our morning class, I realized that I had left behind my mini-videocassette at home. I needed it because it was a project due for my evening class. On Thursdays, we park our car on campus, go to our morning class, then zoom to work for the remainder of the afternoon. After work, we zoom back to Gally for our night class. So, because I forgot my tape, I had to email work that I wasn't gonna come in. So after class and a lecture about Nicaraguan Sign Language (boring!), I took the car and drove home to retrieve the tape.

Got home and heated up some leftovers for lunch. Checked my email and chatted a bit with KT online. When it was time to head back to Gally, so I could review articles before the night class, I got in the car. What happened? The car would not start! Nothing! Silence. Arrrggghhhhhh! I was thinking...omg, I must've left on a light or something. I'm looking around and I don't detect anything that was left on but should've been off. So, I figured it must be the battery. So, I paged a couple of people to see if they could come and jumpstart the car.
Jon replied and said he could help out. So, he drove up and hooked up the cables. After some time, I turned on the car. NOTHING! I'm like...whatthefuck! Waited a few more minutes and tried again. NOTHING! I told KT, via pager...the car is dead!
I was frustrated and told myself to not get upset and then start annoying someone else, usually KT. Told myself...remain calm and just accept that it happens and that it usally happens at the wrong time! Well, at least Jon was heading to Gallaudet to pick up his daughter from CDC. So, I locked the car and joined him to Gallaudet.
That night, KT and I left class earlier than usual so we could go and buy a new batter and install it ourselves. Well, me just held the flashlight, while KT did the whole thing. After we bought the battery, we headed home. I was like all excited because I was thinking...this is a piece of cake. Thank God that KT knows what the heck he's doing. I'm such a sissy when it comes to cars. Ok, I know how to change a tire, put in gas, check and change oil and jumpstart the car. (Thanks to Dad for dragging me out to the garage to teach me a few stuff, even though I didn't wanna.) But that's all I know! Anything else, I would've brought the car to the mechanics and let them do it. Yeah, I know that I'd be paying extra money for labor but hell-o, I'm a sissy!
Anyways, we popped the hood and got to work. KT was able to remove the bolt that was screwed into the negative (-) side. Yay! Then, he looked at the positive (+) side and noticed that the bolt was corroded. He tried repeatedly to remove it but to no avail. Then, I tried! Nothing. It was too corroded. Bluish powder all over the place. So, tonight or tomorrow we'd be heading back to the auto store and get some new parts.

The point is like something is always coming up and usually require having to spend money. Hmmmph! Best of all, we didn't let this situation get us upset and then throw it on each other. We were like...it happens and it sucks...but that's life. At least, we weren't in the middle of nowhere, under a scorching sun...

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Today is our anniversary of being together for 4 years. Wow! Time sure flew by fast!

KT, I love you so very much! Glad that you are a part of my life and couldn't have asked for a better man!

Woof! Woof! Mwah! *hugs* *kisses*

Yeah, we've had our ups and downs and yet, still have managed to stick together. Last year was a challenging year as many things have popped up and put our love to the test. We've come out stronger and our love has evolved to a deeper level.

Gosh, I remember our first date. KT was late...about 30 minutes. I was waiting outside of Cafe Luna and I was thinking...oh no no no, did he just stood me up?!? Good thing I waited a bit and not give up. Our first date lasted 11 hours and we had such a great time! (No, you perverts, we didn't fuck. You mind!) Since our first date, we knew we'd be together and here we are! I'm definitely looking forward to many more years and memories together.

Well, today is a busy day of school and work so we're postponing our celebration until the weekend.

It is indeed a beautiful day outside! ta ta...

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Thanks to Texas DeafNetwork for letting me know what's going on with Deaf Texans and various events and notifications. One of them was letting me know that NAD has redesigned their website. It looks much better than before! However, I haven't really surf through the site, so I'm not sure if it's user-friendly or not.

Anyways...

I was skimming through some blogs on the side (-->). Wow! Just notice some political-related drama are just now building up. With the election coming up, makes sense. Basically, seems almost everyone is admitting that both Bush and Kerry aren't exactly the best candidates for each party but that's that. One of them is gonna be the President for the next 4 years. I've stolen the following link from Rita's blog:

Kerry-Edwards' Official Blog

Googled for Bush's blog: GeorgeWBush.com

Still dunno whom you will vote for? Maybe this next link will take you through a series of questions. Each question comes with a range of Strongly Opposes to Strongly Agrees on various issues. At the end of the questionnaire, you will be shown the result of which candidate fits best for you.

Anyways, I'm not one of those guys who LOVE to discuss politics at length. Just thought I'd post a quick entry about it and get out of it.

ta ta...

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Guess what?

McDonald's is currently testing customers with food samples, at select locations, to see if they should add a deli line to their current menus. If so, it's possible they'll be added to menus in about 400 stores by the end of the year.

Hmmm, maybe McDonald's should add another branch under the umbrella, along with Chipotle Mexican Grill and Donato's Pizza. I just learned that Boston Market is also owned by McDonald's.

(I just did a little investigation to see if the statement above is accurate. Actually, McDonald's owns a large percentage (at least 75%) of each business, thus falling into the belief that McDonald's owns all of them.) (Wow! Just by doing a little investigation, I've learned that McDonald's also "owns" Pret A Manger, which are set up in NY, UK and Hong Kong. Learned that Chipotle doesn't franchise their stores, unlike the others. The problem with researching is that it leads to further researches, which I will do at a later time.)

Anyways, my point is that maybe McDonald's should set up another branch or acquire another business to sell deli-related food items. Remember that one time that McD's tried to sell fried chicken? They didn't do well and quickly removed it from the menus. Hmm, makes me wonder...does Wendy still sell fried chicken? If so, I'm surprised!

However, who knows if McD's will be successful in selling deli food in their regular stores. It's a big risk that McD's is willing to take.

All this talk of food is making me eye my peanut butter & jelly sandwich that I'm having for lunch.

Anyways, ta ta...

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Hung out a bit with Roe and Cliff on Friday night. Saw them again on Saturday, along with KT. We all went to the National Zoo. Saw only half of it because my foot, the one with heel spur was starting to act up and I didn't want to make it worse.

I took some pictures and will post them on a later date.

Anyways, after the zoo, we went to Tia's for dinner. Then, came home and played Idiot.

Sunday, went out to BJ's to do some price checking before our committee meeting this Wednesday to wrap up before CMRA/RAD 2005 hosts the Fiesta Latina event on October 9th. While I was shopping at BJ's, I was like....whaaa?!? Christmas trees have already been set up for display. Gosh, I already have to start making a list to get Christmas shopping lined up. (Wow. Just had a moment of mixed emotions just thinking of Christmas. A lot happened around that time last year.)

Came home and worked on a project for one of my classes. GRRR! So frustrating! I'm just hoping to get it over with by tonight. Have lots of reading to do for the other classes.

Anyways, simple weekend. ta ta...

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Deaf children reveal how language is born.

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Hmmm...I discovered this by accident and was interested to learn that there is another Deaf college out there, particularly in the UK.

Doncaster College for the Deaf

This news is just hot off the press about 2 hours ago at the time I blogged this:

Deaf Kids in Nicaragua Give Birth to New Language

Awesome, eh?

Other than that, I'm so ready to get outta here at work. Will grab some free slices of pizza and beer before I head out, after work. I'm just so looking forward to plopping my big fat flat ass on the couch and just let the TV entertain me.

Have a good weekend! ta ta...

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Watched Amish in the City. Next week is the season finale. Anyways, the episode that I saw was just unbelieveable. Do we as city people complain and whine when it comes to manual labor?
All of the roommates were flown to Ohio to experience the Amish life. When they were notified by tube mail, the city kids, with the exception of Kevan, immediately were standing their ground that they didn't want to go or declaring that they weren't gonna do shit. I was like...Gaw, y'all are boring!
Anyways, they all eventually left for Ohio. After settling down, they were put to work for 2 days. While with Reese, it's understandable he'd be a sissy...but with Nick...gosh, he really was a baby about manual labor. He's like...I don't mind manual labor but no way in hell am I gonna shovel sheep's manure. So, Reese and Nick went inside the house to help out the women to prepare dinner.
The Amish hold the belief that one should work in order to eat. So, the man of the house went into the house and told Reese and Nick that they need to work or they won't eat. Of course, Reese was like...he's so bossy.

If I were to go into the country, I might react negatively to the smell of barn animals but I know that my nose will get used to it and then I could contribute to helping out. But, it did make me wonder how would other city people react to having to get their "hands dirty" on the farm. Would you join in or would you be like..."oh no no no, I don't do shit like that"?

Of course, the mother of all reality shows, Real World, has just started another season in Philadelphia. Thanks to Rosey who told us about the new season. We were able to record last week and this week's episodes. It looks like it'll be a very interesting season.

But why why why?!?! If you're a regular viewer of the Real World shows, you know that it's BAD NEWS to start a romance or an interest with another roommate in the house. It's bound to cause trouble and emotional dramas. Well, it has already happened...I guess it's just inevitable for romance to develop within the house.
I have a bad vibe about Sarah. She's just all about sex, talks about sex, nudity and her fake boobies. She tells this other roomie, MJ, that she has a crush on him. MJ has been "sorta" seeing this girl back home for 2 months. One night at a bar, she tells MJ that his girl is being totally unreasonable. She like..."I totally respect your relationship with her. But she's being totally unreasonable to you. You should be allowed to see other people. You're a man and we all know that men think about sex every 10 seconds." Ok, she's like...I totally respect your relationship but then later said..."I'm going go for you." She was like right in his face, begging to be french-kissed. Respect? Yeah right!
Landon was so funny when he was drunk, especially in the confessional with MJ.

Hmm... If you had a chance to be in a reality show, such as Real World, would you jump at the chance? Sometimes, I'm like...yeah, I wouldn't mind but then when I see the dramas that are unfurled in the shows, I'm like...nah!

Anyways, gotta get back to work and review an article before class tonight. ta ta...

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I got this blogsite from Deaf Blawg, a blogsite, based in the UK, with a focus on Deafies in the legal field and any legal issues that affect Deafies.

Not too long ago that Kelby (a Deaf lawyer and Director of the Legal Information Center at NAD) and JP suffered a loss. Their house was burned down, which of course, lost all their personal stuff. It was later investigated that arson was the cause.

Anyways, they have set up a blog to inform everyone of their progress and how things have been going for them. If you can help out in any way, I'm sure they will appreciate it.

I just can't imagine losing a house to a fire, especially if the cause was arson. All those memories (such as photos) are gone and irreplaceable. Yeah, we all know that having your loved ones alive are more important than stuff. It's just a matter of starting all over, from scratch.

That arson thing...I wonder if it's that guy who has been setting fire in the DC metro area for almost 2 years and still hasn't been caught.

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The jurors must be enjoying the drama that have ensued in and out of the courtroom. However, I'm sure the jurors aren't satisfied with the amount and quality of evidence presented to them in order to produce a verdict.

Did he do it or not?

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I got an email from my dad yesterday. He said he's gonna sell the house soon. While I knew that he would be selling it after mom's death, I guess I didn't expect him to sell it so soon. I guess there's too many memories of Mom in that house. Plus, probably too big for him. Means I better make sure my stuff are sent to me or else I may have to rent an SUV and drive all the way to Texas and gather up my stuff.

After selling the house, he's gonna move in with Grandma for a short while. I think the bigger news was that he said he's thinking of leaving the country for about 5 years. Okay, that was totally not expected. I can only think of 2 places he would want to live. Germany, where we once live for 5 years while Dad was in the military, or Mexico, where it's relatively cheap to live life. Any other country would be a surprise to me. Unless, he's thinking of becoming a missionary for 5 years, then who knows where he has his mind set on.

KT asked me how I feel about it. Hmmm...right now, I don't have a reaction. Perhaps I'll have a delayed reaction in the near future. Perhaps I'm just too busy to deal with this. Knowing myself, I'll probably have a delayed reaction to this at the wrong time and at the wrong place.

I'll admit that since Mom's death, Dad has been really unpredictable. He's changed as well, which has been noticed by many others around him. While changes are a normal part of life, his changes haven't all been necessarily positive. Hearing from others about his changes here and there...tells me that Mom was the one who put him in line. Without Mom, it's like he has no self-control or self-discipline over some things.

Perhaps we'll have a long talk whenever I fly into Texas.

ta ta for now...

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After downing a couple slices of pizzas and a couple bottle of beer, I headed over to Gally to retrieve the car. Drove over to The Local 16 Bar and Restaurant, which DPHH was being held at. I arrived there and there were only a small handful of Deafies. Right behind me was Billy Windhorn.
It was so good to catch up with some news and stuff. I can't remember the last time that we really hung out and chatted. (Probably ASP, during my undergraduate years.) We decided to get drinks, his treat. However, with the limited choice of beer that they were offering (it was one of those mini-bars), we decided to get a shot of tequila each and Long Island Teas. I got one and he got himself 2. Dang! Very few bartenders know how to make a GOOD LIT, and this one dude made a good one! We were BUZZING really good! (That's why I like LIT 'cuz don't need to spend a lot of money before getting a good buzz.)

Anyways, we chatted for a good time, covering a range of topics before we were interrupted by Maryte. (Forgot her last name but she's one of the executive staff in the President's Office.) Of course, she vaguely remembered me when I used to work there, so I was trying to refresh her memory. Once she remembered, she was like..."you're fatter and balder". Yeah, I know...Deaf thing.

Anyways, KT showed up, followed by Cliff and Roy. I was so happy to see KT because I thought he was gonna go home after work but he decided to come in and hang out for a bit before going home. Awwwwww! Of course, it's always good to see Cliff and putting on various drama shows between me and him. (Girl, we are so silly!)

I had an awesome time chatting with Roy. Then, he was telling me about the last days of Ernie Hoffmann. *heart touch* Wow, that was a sad story and I'm glad that Roy was able to be there for Ernie until his passing. Roy will be going back home to Amsterdam on the 25th this month.
For those of you that are interested, Gallaudet will host a memorial service for Ernie on Friday the 17th at 1pm.

Then, I saw Cookie! My goodness, she looks absolutely good! So so so good to see her. I have to meet up with her again and give her my undivided attention. Too many people were around and others wanted to see Cookie.

Then, after that, KT and I went home, after dropping Cliff off to his place.

We saw a couple of movies and a couple of documentaries. You should check out Good Fences, starring Whoopi Goldberg and Danny Glover. It's a cute movie, however, I'm not so sure that I liked the ending. (What is it these days with movies having a bad ending?!?!?) I found it ironic with Whoopi and Danny acting together once again. The first time was The Color Purple, where Danny played as Whoopi's abusive husband. This time, they're just sweet loving and ambitious. Whoopi is just so cute in this movie as an old-fashioned wife.

Then, ...gosh I can't remember the first documentary that we saw.

Anyways, then we saw Gattaca. Ben Bahan mentioned this movie in class and recommended us to watch it if we hadn't seen it. Seemed that everyone saw it, except me. I have to say that this was a very interesting movie! Imagine the future adopting to this particular way of life. We love this line from Uma Thurman's character, Irene, "You're a God child?"

Then, we watched this....undescribeable documentary that resulted in the death of a journalist Death in Gaza. I said indescribeable because I was shocked to see the way of life among the Palestinian children, particularly in regards to war with the Israelis. If you have not seen it, I suggest you watch it!
If not for the death of the journalist, James Miller, he had planned to make another documentary, filming the Israeli children and their view of the Palestinians.
I believe that by watching this film, you will have a better understanding of what kind of life the Palestinian children have, what kind of future they can glimpse for themselves, and what kind of daily doctrines they're exposed.
All I can say is that some scenes in there were jaw-dropping for me, especially the chilling words from a 4 year old (I think I got the age right) Palestinian girl.

Lastly, watched Godsend. A good suspense movie...however, with a weak ending. (Grrr!! Why?) Basically, if you have a child and died from a freak accident...would you allow your dead child be cloned and start all over?

Anyways, those of you in the DC Metro area. Check out the ad for Fiesta Latina! (Go to www.deafcmra.org and click on Fiesta Latina (October 9th). Hope to see you there!
Oh, my Workshop section for RAD has finally been posted online! So, if you're interested in conducting a workshop for RAD, go to the aforementioned site and click on RAD 2005 and fill out the form and mail it to me, where they'll be subject to approval.

Whenever KT gets back, I'll ask him to refresh my memory of the first documentary and blog about it later.

ta ta...

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The second week of school wasn't so bad. Just reading and more reading of books and articles. Still not used to the new schedules of school and work and I don't think I'd ever be!

Well, I shouldn't be complaning and just be happy it's the weekend! Tonight is DPHH, which will be held at The Local 16 Bar and Restaurant off of U St, NW. So, I'll be there! I doubt that KT will be there. See see...
Rainbow Society (formerly LSGU) will be hosting a welcome party and will be holding an election for their officers. So, who will be the next president?

I brought my camera to take some pictures. ...that's if I ever get around to snapping some pictures.

If you have been reading Tate's blog, you'll see that he's developing a rag/mag, Point What? (Not sure if the ? is part of it or not.) Anyways, basically a medium for people to put in anything they wish to express. The first issue might be out just in time for Homecoming.

I see that Allison and CK are excited about Tate's stuff. While I'm happy about all that, I wish that Allison and CK could continue the magazine that they had started, Capital D. I read the first issue and knew that it had great potential. I'm sure that it's not dead but simply on a long hiatus. So, hopefully soon that they'll be able to get Capital D up and running.

Anyways, I better get back to work and finish up some stuff. ta ta...

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Is anyone currently using Vonage or has used Vonage? I was told that it way cheaper than Verizon and has better features. I'd love to hear your opinion about it.

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Ooooo, la la... I'm just plainly bored! I have work to do but just not in the mood to do anything. Been reading some blogs here and there. I see that very few people blog on a regular basis. Hmmm, do we have nothing to do?

As for me, I have work to do. Homework to do. Letters to write/send. Bills to pay. And what am I doing? Blogging. Tsk! After I post this, I'll definitely take care of some bills. When my lunch hour comes, which is soon, I'll be reading an article for tomorrow night's class.

Last night, when I got home from school/walking, I made myself a chicken pot pie for dinner. Mmmm! I can't remember the last time I had one. It was sooo good!

I watched a documentary about The Cockettes. I didn't watch the whole thing because...well, it was slow and boring. It was the same message the whole time. Everyone was dropping acid and got stoned. They got naked every now and then. They threw free shows and lived in communes. Same thing over and over. However, I finally now know where the famous Miss Divine originated.

Anyways, I guess I better get back to work and get some stuff done. ta ta...

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Friday night, when KT and I got home from work, I had planned to make myself a nice drink after a long week. However, I went upstairs to change and brought up one of the cats with me. I changed clothes and I started to play with BJ, since KT and I had been busy all week, getting used to school and work. None of the cats and the bird got any of our attention. So, I thought I'd start off by giving one of them attention. So, I'm petting BJ repeatedly and feeling him purring in response and I dunno...must've been the repetition of petting him and his purring that I just fell asleep. It was only 10 pm. Those of you who know me....weekends means staying up LATE!

I realized that Thursday and Friday are our heaviest days of the week. On Thursday, we had class from 9am to noon. Then, we zoomed to work from 1 to 5. Back to Gally in time for our evening class from 6:30 to 9:30. (At this time, we found out that a revised reading assignment had been sent out for our Friday AM class. [Our Gally email accounts weren't working and had emailed HelpDesk to fix the problem.] So, we were up til midnight, reading the assigned chapters to prepare ourselves for class.) Then, back to Gally in the morning for our 9 to noon class, which was packed with TONS of information...that our brains were still processing information, after class. Then, after class, to work. 1 to 6 for me and til 8:30 for KT. So, it's just one thing after another. So, Friday night...I was pooped!

Saturday morning, I got up in time to meet with Cliff. We had made plans to get together and just hang out. So, I drove to his place and I had expected that I would have to flash the doorbell repeatedly...as he usually oversleeps. Well, whadda know! I flash the doorbell and there he is! (Good boy!)
So, we discussed plans and then headed to Union Station to eat lunch. We ate at Johnny Rocket. Gosh! I can't remember the last time I've eaten there. Anyways, we just chatted about a lot of stuff. After lunch, we went to the flea market at Eastern Market. I always liked going there...especially during the fall, with colorful leaves all over the ground. Anyways, we went there to find some gifts for a friend of Cliff's. And...I got some flowers for KT. It's always nice to get him something.
After that, we went back to his place to chat some more. Saw Christa R. and Sam Mather outside for a bit. Anyways, the point was that Cliff and I had a wonderful time chatting about stuff from A to Z.

I came home and just lazed around a bit. KT had spent the day (actually, the weekend) playing a video game on XBox, Manhunt. I observed him playing the game and it looked interesting.

Oh, KT and I decided to let the cats outside for the first time, since we moved in. Remember that DC had been getting lots of rain over the summer and therefore, increases the chance for the cats to get fleas. (We learned our lesson from last year summer.) The weekend was relatively cool and we thought, why not let the cats outside. (The cats had been restless recently and have been showing interest to escape outside.) Those of you who know our cats, only Mercy and Tigger go outside. BJ is a real scaredy cat! Any noise, stranger, car that passes by, BJ runs and hides. Surprisingly, all 3 of them went outside. (Where we live now is definitely quieter than where we used to live. And we're only a block up from we used to live!) So, the cats spent the day exploring outside, checking out their new territory and eating selected grass. Then, they decided they wanted to come in. 5 minutes later, they wanna go out. 30 minutes later, back in. 5 minutes later, outside. So, I was like their personal butler, while KT was busy playing the video game.

By night time, I was like...I'm gonna make myself a drink. So, I started off with like 5 shots of tequila. (Tequila!) Then, make myself a frozen drink with vodka. Whoo...got a nice buzz going on. Of course, stayed up late and chatted with a cousin of mine and Grant. Then, off to bed I went.

Got up late on Sunday. Went downstairs. Guess what KT was doing? Yep, video game. *wink* I can't blame him. That game does look like fun! Anyways, KT and I got cleaned up and headed out to Target to get some cards and gifts for some people. So, we got back and headed over to Jon's place for a BBQ. I had made meatballs and put them in a crockpot.
The BBQ at Jon's was actually a suprise party for Melissa but I later found out that I had ruined it. (soooo sowwwwy!) I had thought that by the time Melissa arrived to Jon's place, she would know or would be informed that it's a party for her. So, by the time, we arrived...I went up to Melissa and said "happy birthday". I thought that Sunday was her actual birthday but it's actually on the 7th. (I know! I know! What a dumbfuck Larry is! Geez!)
Well, don't worry. Karma paid me back. The party was a BYOB so KT brought his Diet Coke and I had brought sweet tea (you know...a Southern thing) to drink. So, I was talking to a couple of friends and I was holding my tea in one hand and signing with the other hand. Somehow, my signing hand made contact with the drink and out flying the cup went. I was like...watching it in slow motion and I'm thinking "oh please, don't spill...let the lid stay on the cup." Well, upon impact, the lid popped and the tea was spilled all over. I was like...oh shit! So, I rushed to the kitchen and found some paper towels and came back and dabbed up the tea and ice. I kept telling myself...don't be embarrassed because it happens. But with everyone laughing...hehe, I couldn't help but get red in the cheeks.

A couple of hours later, Rosey drove by. We had been paging back and forth previously about maybe getting together. Anyways, she was attempting to find our new house and somehow couldn't find it and passed by my old residence and found me there. So, she said she would wait at my new house til I was done at the party. However, new plans came up that the party would continue...so I headed back home to meet up with Rosey.
Gosh! The whole night we just chatted about everything, from A to Z. You know how you're really good friends with someone and you have those rare moments where you just chat and chat, like hens, with no silence in between, even though you see each other all the time. So, I had one with Cliff and then with Rosey. Wow, that is a good weekend! I asked Rosey if she wanted to come over to Jon's place and play Idiot. She was like...don't mind but really came to see me. And am glad that we stayed at my place and just catch up on news. We had a tequila shot and strawberry daquiri, along with some other stuff.
Then, someone rang the doorbell, which was a bit scary for me. You see, there's a liquor store like 3 blocks down from our place. That's the one negative about living in our neighborhood. Obviously, these people who stop by our house, will ring our doorbell and beg for money. Even though this was only the second time to happen, it's still scary. I think what ruined it was when I was robbed at gunpoint, with a concealed shotgun, last year. Anyways, I went to the kitchen to see who it is (we need to drill in a peephole!) and it's some stranger. However, this stranger caught me looking out through the blinds and was motioning me to come to the door. No way, Jose! I was like...telling Rosey..."be quiet!" Duh, not like we were making noises in the first place.
Anyways, we were gonna have another tequila shot. I had already poured the tequila into the shotglasses. But, you know, being Deafies we are, Roe and I were just chatting and chatting, while our shots were sitting there, awaiting to be swallowed. Well, somehow, the blinds in the kitchen was partially opened and while I "listening" to Rosey...I see some kind of movement outside. I'm thinking...shit, someone is gonna ring the doorbell again. Only this time, someone is looking in. I thought....OMG! I was ready to freak out! However, I realized it was KT. He was carrying the crockpot and some other stuff and couldn't free a hand to open the door. He said he had been ringing the doorbell, which will make a lamp flash off and on, in the living room. But, Roe and I were in the kitchen.

Anyways, Roe was just as happy to see KT and retold some stuff she told me to him. Then, we had cocksucker shots. (Roe and I never did drink our second tequila shots.) Anyways, after that, the 3 of us were being the hens we are and chatted about even more stuff! Anyways, it was good.

Monday was a relaxing day. Did grocery shopping and caught up on assigned readings for the week. However, some of the readings were a bit dry and so I kept looking at the video game that KT was playing. I was like...stop being distracted and focus on your readings. Did that and rewarded myself by playing some games on Yahoo!

During the day, we had been letting the cats in and out of the house. Well, at night, BJ wanted to go outside. He's been a little more braver each time he goes out. Well, what do you know? KT called him to make him come inside. (We felt at this point, he's not quite ready to stay outside overnight. Well, more of me...) BJ didn't wanna come in. We were surprised at that. Before we went to bed, KT went downstairs to call BJ in. He said that BJ walked up and gave KT an expression like..."what do you want? you mind!" Of course, KT grabbed him and brought him inside. Well, what do you know? BJ turned around and was like...wanna go outside. Well, not now...soon, soon.

KT had originally wanted to go to Hershey Park during Labor Day weekend. We had so much fun there last year. However, with my heel spur problem, we realized it was best to not go and make it worst for my foot. Well, I had a good time, just staying home. I'm sure KT did as well! Now, I'm tempted to start my own game on Manhunt. Hmmm...school, leisurely reading a book and play a game? I dunno...

Anyways, I guess I'm still "henning" with this long blog. Gotta stop and get to work! ta ta...

(Personal note to Cliff: PAH!)

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Wow! The first week of graduate studies was exciting and yet, overloaded with interesting information and lectures. KT has already caught up on most of the reading for next week while I got about 5 articles to catch up and then I'll be all ready for next week.

Thursdays are our heaviest days. Class in the morning and then go to work and then back to Gally for an evening class. Whoa!

Anyways, I'm just practically babbling here. In other words, TGIF! I'm still at work but soon done for the day. I know for this semester, I'll be soooo looking forward to the weekends. And, yes, I'm gonna sleep like the dead on the weekends!

All I can say is that it will be a good semester and I look forward to the challenges. Maybe I'll blog some things here and there of what I've learned in some of the classes.

Anyways, I happened to notice Alan's comments in regards to the blogging drama I had earlier this week. And then, something told me to go check out his blog. He did a "follow up" and of course, he had a good point.
Basically, everyone believes that blogs are public and you're pretty naive if you believe that your blog should be private.

Anyways, I know that I'm really tired because I can't think of much to say. I'm tired. I'm hungry. I just wanna go home and plop my fat, flat ass on the couch and feel the cold air from the a/c blow into my face...with maybe a nice drink in my hand.

Cliff is supposed to come over tomorrow but I haven't seen him online to follow up. (Clitch! Page me!)

I'm so glad that there's no work or school on Monday! Dunno what KT & I will do on that day.

Anyways, I better shut up before I continue my babblings. ta ta...

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Well, yesterday was my first day of graduate studies. It certainly does feel different. I saw all these new people and felt like they were tweens. I dunno...maybe 'cuz I'm just getting old. *laughing*

My first class was with Dr. MJ Bienvenu and it was a good one! Of course, I had taken a class with MJ before and I truly enjoyed it. So, I'm hoping this will be another enjoyable experience.

After class, I bumped into an old friend of mine from elementary school! I was like...omigod, what the fuck are you doing here?!? Honestly, I saw him a year or two ago but we didn't really chat and we were just passing by. But, he's now actually a student at Gally...so I will catch up with him, someday. Maybe we can get together with Julie R. (another elementary friend, now living in Kendall apt.) and catch up.

Anyways, after checking computer and a brief chat with Roe, I met Kekua at the track to go walking. We did two laps before Terese joined us for 2 more laps. Then, Kekua and I did 1 or 2 more before he left to dine with Terese at the cafeteria. That felt good to start walking again. I was kinda concerned because I still have that bothersome heel spur.
Some days I'm just really frustrated by that heel spur because I just felt limited with what I can do. Well, yesterday, I was like...fuck it, I'm gonna walk whether the pain intensify or not. Surprisingly, after the walk, the pain/soreness was the same.

After the walk, I went home and did my reading assignments. Aren't I a good boy? Picked up KT from the Metro. KT went back to work after class, while I had the night off. Yet, KT is off today and I'm here at work. Basically had a relaxing evening as we didn't really do much, except watch a couple of shows before I turned myself to bed.

Today, I got my 2 gift certificate from Barnes & Noble that I had gotten for my birthday and got myself a book. So, I'm currently reading:



It's a thick book...so it would probably take me a whole semester to finish it as I'll be busy with work, school and RAD.

ta ta...

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Oh boy, with the mini-drama yesterday with some of the bloggers, seemed that the fear was someone stalking them or having no respect. It's like...get over it. They claimed that their lives/blogs are private. I got to thinking some things last night and I was like...guys, you just don't know just how public your blogs are.

First of all, those who have blogs with Blogger will know what I'm talking about. If you go to your Dashboard or your personal homepage and scroll to the bottom of the screen. You will see that Blogger list the 10 recently published blogs. So, everytime that you publish an entry, Blogger will randomly select 10 and lets the Blogger community, which is world-wide, know about it. In fact, this is one of the ways that I've found some of your blogs. So...your blogs never were private nor would they ever be private.

Carrie said it best when she said that if you want your "journal" to be private, then get a journal book or a notebook and pencil away your life. When you're done, hide it under the mattress.

Another good point that Beth said was like...hello, this is the Internet. You can just find anyone, anywhere around the world. Go to any search engine and type in your name and maybe add "deaf" (without the quotation marks) and you'd be surprised with the results.

Ridor brought up another good point..."I got your phone number from the Yellow/White Pages." Opps, was that stealing? Those of you that have a videophone or will get a videophone...omg...be careful...someone is gonna stalk you! (That was sarcasm, in case you didn't decipher that.) There is a website that you can easily get phone numbers or IP numbers for videophones. (Out of respect, I'm not gonna publish the website address...but I do know that the majority of you know that website.)

What else? To answer Jaime's question about how did I know she is Deaf. I know it's bad but your English was a big clue. And your "3" in a picture was the ASL way instead of the hearing way. And many other clues... Also, like I said, you came off in a bitchy and threatening attitude and I don't respond to that...that goes for Desi as well (by the way, I'm not your pal).

As for Heather, she was the nicest of them all...although she did admit she was old-fashioned. So, I would be more likely to honor her request to remove her blog from my blog. (However, I still stand by my ground that blogs are public and people do not have to ask prior to adding links to their blogs. That's just the way life is in the wonderful world of the 'net.) However, I do want to address her point about what if I don't want some people to read my blogs and know every details of my life.
If I didn't want anyone to know about my blog/life, I wouldn't have blogged in the first place. There are things that I don't publish in my blogs because there is always a possibility that there are some people, who I totally dislike, could be reading my blog and in fact, may have added me to their blogs, whether I know about it or not. (I'm not gonna raise hell about it.) Friends of mine, who have blogs, sometime IM me asking if they should blog about this or that and give each other feedbacks. I could've told the whole world about so and so and what's been happening but I don't because I don't want the whole world knowing about it or asking me for more details or because I might regret it down the road. (I will admit that my blog, compared with others, is pretty much bland or G-rated. Although, I do have my moments.) While life is scary, it doesn't help to live every minute of your life in paranoia.
Also, let me clarify that adding bloglinks to my blog isn't an attempt to achieve popularity. As you will see on the side, I have my lover's blog. I have my personal and close friends in their own section. Then the rest are Deafies, however, you will notice there are 3 little "mini-sections" within that section. The first 5 or 6 links there are my frat brothers (of course, some that are listed in Friends are also my frat brothers). The next few 12 or 15 are Deafies that I have met in person or are acquaintances. The rest are Deafies that I have never met or have seen them in various Deaf events but have never personally met them...with the exception of Rita, whom I have corresponded in regards to National ASL Poetry Contest and Grant, which I subscribe to his DeafNetwork e-newsletters for Texans (I'm originally from there) (by the way, Grant, if I heard it right, you're the prez of TAD...if so, congrats!). (That reminds me...I should move Rita and Grant to the top of that last mini-section and move someone else from that section to the middle section.) The purpose of adding these links is basically "networking" and letting other Deafies know that there are other Deafies that are blogging as well. There have been Deafies who have come across my blog and found others, such as long lost friends or classmates or whatever. I've gone to other Deafies' blogs and found others and am thankful for such possibilities.
Also, there is a professor, at Gallaudet, who has just begun researching conversations between Deafies via instant messaging and pagers. I'm just giving you a really short version. So, who knows that some day someone will research Deaf bloggers and this would be a wonderful collection to discover. There is always a possibility for everything and anything...
Anyways, like I said...I'm likely to grant Heather's request to remove her bloglink because she was initially nice about it and was just expressing her concerns, even if they were laced with paranoia.

Anyways, I'll stop for now and blog another time. ta ta...

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