Reflections: Sifting Realities

Cruel, isn't it?
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I forgot to mention one thing about the Guest House at Lost River. There are no keys for the room. You just open the door and walk in. To lock, like for the night, you push in the doorknob and give it a slight twist.

When the guy first told me that there is no key for the room, I thought how odd. After he left, I told KT that I could not believe that there was no key. Who has ever heard of a hotel, a motel or an inn with no keys to the rooms?

KT was like...hell-o! We're in West Virginia.

Oh.

I keep forgetting that.

Everytime we go to North Carolina to see KT's mom, I lock everything. Then, I'm always commenting to KT like, I notice your mom didn't lock the door. He's like, yeah, we're in North Carolina, not in DC.

People in the South, or rather in the country, don't freak out over stuff like this. They just don't lock doors to their cars or houses. In the city, leaving doors unlocked is like an invitation, more like begging, to be robbed.

I guess for me, once you've been robbed, you're gonna lock everything regardless where you are. Once is enough for a lifetime.

Anyways, it was odd not having a key to access a room. At first, it was like, what the hell were they thinking? Yet, a day later, I realized that I was relaxed about it. People come here to escape from the city life, not to come looking for things to steal.

Yet, it doesn't hurt to be on the safe side, right? Hmmm, that's just me, the city guy, thinking. I guess I can't make up my mind if I like the idea of not having to worry about stuff like locking doors or if I like the satisfaction that I know that I've locked everything before leaving the area.

Ah well.
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For our 6th anniversary, I took KT on a surprise trip to Lost River, West Virginia. More specifically, I took him to the Guest House at Lost River.

I first heard about this place last month. I was in Dupont Circle, waiting for KT to meet me there. So, I grabbed the newest issue of Metro Weekly and sat in WrapWorks. I came across an advertisement about the Guest House. I thought...hmmm, a gay place in West Virginia. Way out from the city. In the middle of nature. To me, that sounded like something we needed.

So, I called and made the reservations. I found out that the Guest House is actually gay-friendly, rather than gay-owned. So, I was kinda iffy on deciding to go through with it or not. Lots of hotels and other places claim to be gay-friendly when their atmospheres aren't quite receptive, encouraging or even diversed. And to top it off, it's in West Virginia. You never hear that West Virginia is so OPEN to gays. So, what the hell was I thinking?

Thursday night, I did all the laundry.

Friday afternoon, I came home from work, packed like a maniac. The cats were wondering what the hell was wrong with me, going up and down the stairs and cussing.

2 hours later, I picked up KT and we zoomed off for the weekend.

Man, traffic in Virginia was a bitch! I, seriously, do not understand how people can stand to commute, from VA to DC and back, and deal with traffic on a daily basis. I would've ended up in the loony bin!

We had to pull off in Manassas and chill out. We had dinner at Golden Corral. Now, that's a good place to go people-watching!

After about an hour, we resumed driving on 66. Traffic wasn't too bad but there was still traffic! Then, we finally hit 81 which led us to West Virginia.

By the time we got there, it was dark. The roads were steep downhills and high elevated hills with sharp turns. In the middle of the forest. There was this big-assed truck behind me with its lights blinding me. All I kept thinking was that movie, Wrong Turn.

Anyways, we finally made it to the Guest House. Ooooooooo! I have to say that it was beautiful from the outside. We got in to check in. One of the guys gave us a tour of the inn. Omigawd! Bee-yooooo-ti-ful!

First of all, this definitely fit "gay-friendly". We were first led to their own restaurant. You could see gay and straight couples at their own tables, having a romantic evening. Then, to the bar, where people were mingling.

We were led to the public rooms, which were something you would see from a home magazine. The pool room, the TV room, the hot spa, the steam room, the gym were all just aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It was like modern country (or is it country modern?) with woods, everywhere. Wooden floor, wooden ceiling, wooden doors, etc. Rocking chairs were conveniently placed throughout the area. It wasn't country like the rooms were laden with those craft stuff you'd see in small town stores or flea markets. Too much of those could be...well, too much. These people knew how to decorate the place.

We were led to our room. Cute little place with beds that were covered with quilts and there was no TV. That was why they had a TV room (yes, with captions). You're in the country to escape...hello!

Well, I forgot to bring books. Yeah, I know! This guy who loves to read...forgot to bring books?!?! Ok, remember, I said I was packing like a maniac. Obviously, I wasn't thinking about everything. Luckily, KT had some books for me for our anniversary. So, he gave them to me early, so we could both read. It was only for a little while til we both fell asleep.

We got up in time for the "community" country breakfast. No, not one of those continental breakfasts. This was like a real breakfast. It was served at 9. You either had to be up it or miss it. Breakfast was in a country room with about 6 long tables. Gays and straights were just sitting together, chatting and eating breakfast together. I don't think I've ever been more relaxed before in this type of setting. So, we had a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, biscuits, fruit salad and other stuff.

Night and day makes a HUGE difference. Traveling to the Guest House, we couldn't see a thing. In the morning, we were in the midst of beautiful trees, mountain view and sunrise. In the front of the Guest House were 2 horses.

Since this was a surprise for KT, I gave him a list of activities that was provided by the Guest House online. I had printed out these stuff prior our trip. Where we were...no signals. The Guest House had an area where one could bring a laptop with wi-fi capability. You could go swimming, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing, fishing, etc. We decided to go to these small town stores and check out a cavern.

Ok, I know a few days ago, I blogged about the smelly metro. I know that I said I wouldn't ever complain about cows and manure in the country. Ok, I didn't complain. But the chicken factory/coop, I had to complain. It STUNK! Even KT was like...whoo, that smell was just a little overpowering.

Anyways, we drove through these little towns and eventually making our way to Smoke Hole Caverns in Seneca Rocks. Smoke Hole Caverns boasts to have the world's longest ribbon stalactites. Lemme tell you, it was boring. It's a guided tour with this girl that just loved to talk. It wasn't a long tour. Really, you could walk in and out in like 15 minutes. You were lead in for a short distance, with numerous stops by the guide and then lead back on a slightly different path.

After that, we drove back to Moorefield to check out their Heritage Weekend. Ummmmm, maybe for a small-townie, that's a big deal but for us, hailing from big cities, it was like...is that all?!?!

Anyways, we had a good time. It was just nice for the 2 of us be together and just catch up on stuff as well as looking at some of the cute things.

We headed back to the Guest House to relax. Sometimes, that all you need to do. Just relax and do nothing! So, that's what we did. We hung out at the bar, watching some college football games, while I nursed a 7&7. We soaked ourselves in the hot spa. We played games of pool.

Sunday morning, we headed back home.

We definitely wanna come back...but stay longer. We definitely recommend this place to our friends. It's just beautiful and a nice place to escape. Just don't forget to bring books.

I will post pictures later. I had forgotten to bring the digital camera. (Remember, I was packing like a maniac.) So, I got a disposable one. So, I gotta get them developed.

ta ta...
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Tomorrow, KT & I will be celebrating our 6th year anniversary.

September 23, 2000 was our first date, which lasted 11 hours. (No, nothing dirty, you perverts!) We've been together ever since.

We first met at a mutual friend's house on Halloween of 1999. We had heard about each other, through friends on campus but never had the chance to meet. I had just dragged for the first time (and so far, the last) the week before. So, I wasn't in the mood to dress up for Halloween. I was outside in the patio, chatting with friends, when I first laid eyes on Kevin. From there, we chatted all night until one of us had to leave.

I was surprised that he was a friend of Manny's since I had been hanging out at Manny's place quite frequently. From there, KT and I became good friends.

Well, about a year later, friends & I were in a chatroom online. People gradaully left to do other things. Finally, there was 3 of us left...me, KT and a friend. However, before this friend left, he asked why KT and I hadn't gone out on a date and logged off quickly before either of us could reply. After a short moment of awkward silence, KT asked me out.

So, we decided to meet for lunch at Cafe Luna. I was embarrassed to say that I had lived in DC for 2 years and going to Dupont Circle but that I had never heard nor ate at Cafe Luna.

Well, it was a date that almost never happened. Well, at least in my perspective. I arrived at the agreed time and waited...and waited...and waited. I thought I had been stood up. Turned out that KT was late and was riding the bus.

So, we had lunch. And like Deafies do, we stayed in the restaurant for quite some time, even after our plates were picked up. We went to Ben & Jerry's for ice cream. Then, we caught a movie. Then, we had dinner. After that, we strolled around DuCi. Then, I saw KT off to the Metro, while I bused to Gallaudet. That was the longest and the best date I've ever had.

And then from there, we just kept on dating.

Now, 6 years later, here we are...still in love!

It doesn't feel like 6 years. Time goes by too fast. Yet, at the same time, we've gone through a lot in 6 years.

Kevin was really patient with me as I completed my senior year at Gallaudet as he had started his job at the law firm.

We moved in together, which took some adjustments. Hey, moving in together is a big deal!

There was a lot of firsts that were fun and memorable and others were challenging. Our first major purchases. Our first vacation together. Our first holidays with families. Stuff like that.

For a short while, we relied on the bus and the Metro. Then, KT got wheels! It was a blue Pontiac Grand AM. It sure made a difference, having a car.

My mother got stomach cancer. KT was there for me, without hesitation. I flew back and forth to see my mother. At first, she survived the cancer. But then, a year later, the cancer had suddenly reappeared and invaded throughout her body. Mom decided her time was up. So, I flew back and forth during her last days. In her final month, I stayed with her. Being apart from KT, for a long period of time, was hard. Yet, KT never failed to keep in touch with me and gave me words of encouragement and understanding. When Mom died, KT was there during and afterwards. Some days, I have my greiving moments and he's always there. I truly dunno what I'd done if KT hadn't been in my life.

Our first house. We just truly love our home. No more landlords and no more roommates. Thank God! It's just us and the cats.

Unfortunately, we had our first break-in. Nonetheless, we bounced back and moved on.

Then, we got another car...a brand new one! Lovely!

Then, KT and I went back to school for our Master's. Now, that was an interesting experience. We were working nearly full-time and going to school full-time. Since we both had the same major, we saved money on books. However, we had to schedule our times to read so that the other could read as well. The same for our laptop.

And now, we're starting on our dream careers. It's fun to see each other getting excited about our new jobs.

We've experienced a lot of stuff together. Some were fun and memorable. Some were challenging. Some were better left forgotten. Some were hilarious. We've grown alot, both together and individually. We're so comfortable with each other. We often tell each other that we can't imagine life without the other. Yeah, we know that life is precious.

You should see us when we're silly with each other. We come up with some of the silliest comments or actions that are totally alien to others. But to each other, we'd either be trying to hide our smiles or burst out laughing.

We look forward to more wonderful years and memories together.

So, for our anniversary, I'm taking him on a surprise weekend trip. Somewhere. I'll tell you about it when we get back. KT does read my blog. :P

Nonetheless, I totally love this Kevin guy. He's my man and I'm so happy that he's a big part of my life.

I love you, Kevin!
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Ugh!

I don't know if any of you get off at Metro Center for work or whatever. However, recently, Metro Center stinks! Occasionally, you'll encounter a smell of coal. Or a smell of burnt electricity. I don't know how to describe burnt electricity. It's like when I was a kid and I used to dab a 9-volt battery to the tip of my tongue. It's that particular odor from the battery. Whatever it is, it smelled like it was burnt. It was probably still from the coal.

Anyways, I notice the smell becoming more frequent. Yesterday, when I got off the subway car into the station. There was a brief offensive odor like one of the custodians forgot to empty one of the trash receptacles. And because of the oversight, the discarded contents fumigated their odors. That was what it smelled like.

This morning, whoo! It was enough to make someone pass out. Never again will I complain about the cows and their manures when I go driving through the country. That smells heavenly compared to what it smelled like this morning at the Metro Center. Seriously!

This time, I was walking from the subway car to the Metro Sales Office and the odor lingered. It smelled like you were at a landfill. It smelled like the custodians forgot to empty all the trash bins. It reeked like rotting flesh. Now, I've never smelled nor seen rotting flesh but it smelled somthing like that!

Most of the time, when you smell something funky, you can just simply hold your breath for a few seconds. By the time you breathe, the smell is gone. Well, not today, I had to hold my nose. Simply offensive!

I'm already dreading going back when I get off work. I dunno what it is but Metro needs to take care of the odor problem, like yesterday!
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After the welcoming speech was given, the first presentation, at the TLCDHH conference, was focused on racial terminology. (Some information are from the presentation and other information are from what I already knew, read or researched.)

- Hispanic?

- Hispano?

- Latino?

- Chicano?

Which one is appropriate?

Hispanic/Hispano indicates that one's heritage or culture is from Spain. However, its meaning has been blurred over time in which people in America have adopted this terminology to identify themselves. Hispanic is also a political term used by the American government for their own records, censuses and research.

However, there are people who refuse to identify themselves as Hispanic because they are not from Spain.

Latino indicates that one is from Latin America and it can be applied to those from Spanish- or Portuguese-speaking countries. Again, the meaning has also been blurred and some people refused to call themselves Latino because they aren't from a Latin American country.

Chicano is a relatively new term, which has been adopted by some in California, Arizona and a few in New York and Florida.

There are other terms:

- Spanish-American

- Mexican-American

- Tejano (a person of Mexican descent and is from Texas)

- Nuyorican (a person of Puerto Rican descent and is from New York City)

- country identification (Puerto Rican, Columbian, Mexican, etc.)

Spanish- and Mexican-American is still being used. However, I've noticed that these days these terms are used less frequently. Notice how -American is often added to minorities that are non-White. You never see Swedish-American, Dutch-American, European-American, British-American, Irish-American, etc.

However, there is no one correct term to apply to these people, who are from Mexico, Latin and South America, Spain, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, etc. Just like some blacks prefer to be called Blacks and others prefer to be called African-Americans. The same applies to Hispanics/Latinos. Some prefer to be called Hispanics, Latinos, Chicanos, Tejanos, Mexicans, etc. Just ask them what they prefer to be called and respect them. The identity preference they chose for themselves is not wrong.

I take comfort that it wasn't just the Deaf Latinos dealing with this racial terminology. The mainstreamed Latinos are also facing this issue. You'll see magazines, newspapers, television shows, debates, classes and other mediums are facing this issue as well.

Should we even bother trying to find a uniform term that applies to us people? Shouldn't we just accept the fact that we're all from different places, embrace diversity and respect identity preferences? I believe that's the way to go, respecting everyone's preferences, since we're all from lands of rich cultures and interesting histories.

ta ta...
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The Texas Latino Council of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing held a conference in Austin, last weekend. It was the first ever to be done in Texas in regards to Deaf Latinos. New Mexico had theirs the previous year or two. I had caught some people comparing the two and saying that while NM was good, the conference in Texas was far more successful.

Next year, there will be national conference on Deaf Latinos in DC. I believe it'll be somewhere in October.

There was over 100 people there. There were people from Texas, Mexico, New Mexico, Illinois, Wisconsin, Maryland, DC, Virginia and New York. I don't recall anyone from Arizona and there wasn't anyone from California.

Well, Thursday morning, I got up about 4:30 in the morning. I had to catch the MARC to BWI. Cheap tickets = early flights I got to Austin about 1 in the afternoon. Went out and had lunch at Magnolia Cafe South with my good good good friend, Barbie, and her 2 friends, Mae and Rose. Magnolia had one of the best nachoes I've ever had.

Afterwards, Barbie and I went shopping in those little hippie stores downtown, near TSD. She was looking for birthday gifts for her eldest son. Then, we went to her workplace to chill out before I had to meet my family and she had to go to a meeting. While we were relaxing, I saw an old friend of mine, Dan, whom I've met when I was going to SAC. Barbie and Dan were interpreting students when I was going to SAC. It's just amazing to see how time have passed. They're now professional interpreters and have progressed to higher levels of state certification.

Later that night, I went to meet Dad and a cousin of mine, Susan, who had just relocated to Austin from San Antonio, at Matt's El Rancho. Now, this place had some good Mexican food. The only thing I wasn't impressed were their tortillas. I like my tortillas "powdery" from the flour.

Anyways, it was good to see Dad and Susan as well as an old friend of hers, Raven. We had a good time catching up on news and talking about the paranormal and the supernatural stuff. How we got to those topics...I dunno.

After that, I went back to Barbie's place and hung out. I was surprised to see another old friend, Amber, back in my SAC days. Amber drove up from Houston with her Deaf girlfriend, Thea (from Maryland). While I flew in for the conference, Barbie and Amber were preparing to interpret for the Austin City Limits music festival, along with other interpreters.

Anyways, it was good to catch up with Barbie, Amber and Thea. It was just wonderful being there.

Friday was the first day of the conference. I attended workshops by Letty Arellano, Carla Garcia, Alyson EU Sanchez, Maribel Garate, Debbie White, Terri Mittelsteadt, Francisca Rangel and Linda Lugo Hill. Mark Morales gave a wonderful show, reenacting his childhood story about a pinata. The day ended with a round table discussion, held by Melly Serrano.

Overall, it was a pretty good day, filled with interesting and new information about Deaf Latinos and services and needs.

I saw some old friends from Texas as well as from Gallaudet. Ovi, Shay, Lori (and her hubby, Jaime, who is a fellow frat bro), Safeera, Debbie and a few others. Saw plenty of familiar faces from Gallaudet. Met new people and made new friends.

Sammy Ruiz and Manny Hernandez gave a show at TSD. I was too worn out for more mass gatherings. Instead, I went out and had dinner with a good brother of mine, David. It was good catching up on news with him.

Afterwards, I went back to Barbie's place. The interpreters weren't finished with the ACL thing until 10 that night and plus they had to deal with traffic. However, when they came back to the house, the brought along someone else, Bonnie. Bonnie is also the other person I met at SAC. She was an interpreting student. However, she shifted her goals and is now one of those head honchos of the Career Center at UTSA. She is a strong Deaf ally and advocate at UTSA. In fact, she's also a good friend of Marc Rubin. Some of you may remember that I blogged about him, not too long ago. He's the guy that made the news for being the first Deaf person to work for the military overseas.

Anyways, we were just having a great time in the backyard, catching up on news and laughing so hard. We were up til 3 in the morning. We would've kept on going but one of the neighbors came out and complained we were being too loud with our laughters. Opps! So, we were like...I guess we ought to go to bed.

Saturday was also another day of workshops. I attended those by Dr. Jean Andrews, Ovi Valasquez, Dr. Angel Ramos and some other presenters from the previous day.

Again, it was interesting as well as an eye-opener for me and others. I went out to lunch with Julie, Paloma and Jesse Jones, who was in town, recruiting.

For dinner, I didn't go to the banquet. Instead, I hung out with my cousin, Susan. We, somehow, ended up out of town, past Round Rock. When we got on 35, we decided to go to Barnes & Nobles to hang out and drink coffee. However, it turned out that there were no bookstores, in sight by the highway, in north Austin. I was like, do people in the northern area not read? It was confirmed by another person that bookstores are numerous in central and southern Austin. Hmmmm, interesting.

Anyways, we had a good time catching up on family and other stuff. One of the topics was about her being an interpreter. I think she would do a fantastic job since she is a visual person. She surprised me by giving some signs that she had learned from middle school. This is like 20 years ago. And her signs were accurate. She seemed to be interested...so see see.

Afterwards, came back to Barbie's and hung out. I told myself that I wasn't gonna go to sleep. I had an early flight at 6:55am. I was afraid that if I went to bed at 3am, I wouldn't get up in an hour to get ready. So, I stayed up. Everyone went to bed as they had to interpret for the last day of the music festival in a few hours. So, Bonnie and I were up, catching up on our families.

Of course, by the time I was ready to pack and fly out, I was so sleepy. I dropped of the rental car, checked in for the flight, had an early breakfast and plopped my ass down for the plane boarding. As soon as I boarded the plane, I was OUT! I woke up an hour later in Dallas to change planes. Again, once I boarded, I was OUT til I arrived in BWI. I don't think I've ever slept through an entire flight before. Usually, I'll nap for an hour and then I'm up for the rest of the flight, reading a book.

Overall, I enjoyed myself in Austin. The conference was good! I'll definitely return in 2 years. I'll blog more about the specific workshops later.

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I heard that the Deaf GLBT Coffee Social, last week Friday, was also another success. Awesome! Hope y'all will come out for October's. Last year October was our biggest, since we had people coming to DC for Gallaudet's Homecoming and CMRA's Eye Party. See y'all there!!!

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News of the Day:

- The Deaf community has once again been scammed by another college professor. Lawdy! Doesn't anyone know not to give in to these emails that promise to return your financial investment plus more money?!?

- Finally, there is a study (documented research) that 1 out of every 10 "straight" men have gay sex or on the downlow. 70% of these men are married. The bad news is that these men are less likely to practice safe sex or get tested for HIV as compared to gay men.

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Well, have a good day! ta ta...
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This will be my last post for the week. I'm flying out early tomorrow to Austin for a Deaf Latino conference. I'm excited about that as well as staying with a really good friend of mine.

I shall share with you about the conference when I get back.

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A reminder:

This Friday is the monthly Deaf GLBT coffee social.

Starbucks, Dupont Circle
P & 21st Streets, NW
upstairs
7pm to 10pm

Bring along a fellow or two!

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News of the Day:

- Linda Schrneko begins her 8-year sentence in prison. Schrneko bilked more than $600,000, intended for Deaf and honor students, for her political campaign and personal use.

- Heather McGlip, a Scotswoman, becomes the first Deaf director of a professional association of sign language interpreters in the world.

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Well, y'all take care now. ta ta...
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I have to tell you about my good friend, Beth.

I first met Beth, a fellow Texan, in my graduate studies at Gallaudet. We were both Deaf Studies majors but with a different concentration. We hit it off very quickly. She would always cracked me up about different things and I would always try to gross her out or do something silly. Of course, she had to deal with me...and KT. Poor her! :)

However, we'd band together whenever people make fun of our Texas signs. Thick skin we have, right, Beth? ;)

Anyways, we've remained friends and kept in regular touch with each other. She's practically my neighbor, living about a mile or less from me.

Anyways, what I wanted to say was that Beth is training for her first marathon! I'm gonna be calling her the Bionic Woman as she'll be able to run for miles and miles, while the rest of us will be gasping for air or throwing up.

The marathon is a fundraiser for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training® is the world's largest endurance sports training program. The program provides training to run or walk a whole or half marathon or participate in a triathlon or century (100-mile) bike ride. Since 1988, more than 295,000 volunteer participants have helped raise more than $660 million. I think this is a wonderful cause.

Beth's marathon will take place in Phoenix in January. So, let's support her with words and funds. Click here to donate for her marathon!
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Ah, my two favorite things...books and movies.



Homo Art (Icons) is a little book which contains a collection of Greek, Asian and some modern arts of homosexual nature.

The first 2 or 3 pages provided a short history of gay arts and how they were scandalous or not, depending in some cultures and times. The book also admitted that gay arts are less shocking in today's time because of society's gradual acceptance of homosexuality. The introduction was brief and it was repeated in other Romance languages.

Most of the arts shown in the book were already familiar with me. There were some others that I had not seen nor heard before. There were 2 or 3 that were vague and I would've never guess them to be of a gay nature. I do wish that there was a brief biography for each entry.

Interesting book. Would I recommend it for your library? Nah. Just glance through it in a bookstore and then put it back.



The Velocity of Gary was ok-ok. The title is misleading because you would think that the movie centers around Gary when it actually centers around Valentino. Vincent D'Onofrio plays Valentino, who is a bisexual has-been porn star with AIDS. Salma Hayek (as Mary Carmen) and Thomas Jane (as Gary) play as his bickering lovers and taking care of Valentino.

The movie starts off with a Deaf drag queen, imitating Patsy Cline, getting off a bus and getting harrassed by a gang of Latinos. Gary is nearby and doesn't do anything. He waits until the Latinos take off before picking up the Deaf guy off the street. The Deaf guy, Kid Joey, befriends Valentino, Mary Carmen and Gary, whom he later develops a crush on.

One night, Valentino stars in a children's play. After they play, they gather around Valentino to congratulate him. Valentino steps outside for a breather and passes out. From there, Mary Carmen and Gary go back in time recalling the time they first met Valentino and the other lover.

The movie is kinda slow-paced. It was interesting to see Vincent D'Onofrio in a heavy kissing session with Thomas Jane. He doesn't hold back. At the same time, it was bothersome to see Vincent with long hair. It just doesn't agree with him.

Like I said...it's an ok movie. If you see it, good. If not, you're not really missing anything.



I had ordered Mythos, thinking it was a graphic novel. When I got it in the mail, it was actually just a novel. Bummer!

So, I started reading it and I liked it, even though it wasn't the best thing I've read.

Wonder Woman was dispatched from the JLA (Justice League of America) to investigate the disappearance of a diver in the Bermuda Triangle. Wonder Woman was specifically sent because it was also the area of her hidden homeland, Themyscira.

Wonder Woman returns home to her Amazon sisters and her mother, Queen Hippolyta. She discovers that the diver did not turn up on Themyscira. However, from her mother and an oracle, she discovers that there is another island just like Themyscira but its occupants are men instead.

Through an underwater portal, Wonder Woman discovers the other island and the missing diver. However, the diver is in a trance and retrieves a throbbing orb. The orb and attacks their minds with a mission. They capture Wonder Woman with her own golden lasso which has rendered her powerless. The men plan to use Wonder Woman to lead them to Themyscira to kill the Amazons and then capture the rest of the world.

Back in the JLA headquarters, Oracle (formerly Batgirl), Batman, Superman, the Flash and Green Lantern notice frequent seismic activities in the vicinity where Wonder Woman was sent for an investigation. Their investigation eventually lead them to Wonder Woman. Together, they band to battle the orb and the mastermind to save Themyscira and mankind.



Mambo Italiano was a cute gay movie.

Gino and Nino were best friends all their lives in some "little Italy" neighborhood in America. That was until they reached high school. Gino was some sort of a nerd, in his own way. Nino, bowing to peer pressure, dropped him like a hot potato.

Some years later, Gino bumps into Nino, who is now a cop. They fall in love and move in together as "roommates". Eventually, Gino wants to come out but Nino doesn't, due to his job as a cop and as an Italian.

They were accidently discovered, in the middle of their lovemaking, by Gino's sister. Gino eventually comes out to his family. He makes his family swear not to tell anyone. However, Gino's mother accidently tells Nino's mother. From that point on, the 2 families have been on eggshells with each other.

Meanwhile, Nino is pressured by Gino and his mother. He eventually bows to his mother's pressure and dates a woman, behind Gino's back. When all the truths come out, Gino gives Nino an ultimatum that it's either him or the woman. Nino chooses the woman.

Gino is going through the motions, dealing with the breakup while Nino and his fiance are planning a wedding. The parents are dealing with their stances with their son's omosessualità.

You would think that at the wedding, Nino would realize who his true love and go back to Gino. However, it doesn't happen that way. That left me disappointed but then I realized that Gino is better off with another man than with Nino who bows to societal pressures.

Cute movie...funny too.



I was flipping through the channels and came across Mona Lisa Smile. I settled down to watch it, only because Julia Roberts was in it. I thought I'd find myself relaxing with this movie with a feel-good feeling. Instead, I found myself crying with this movie.

Awh, good movie. Julia Roberts was Katherine Watson, who is an art teacher as Wellesley College, a school for women, in the 1950's. Watson was an ardent feminist who veered from the traditional lesson plans and encouraged her class to rethink women's roles in history.

However, Watson did not have it easy. Most of the women in her class (such seen in her class were Kirsten Dunst, Ginnifer Goodwin, Maggie Gyllenhaal) believed that it was their destiny to get married and have children. The most interesting part was Kirsten Dunst who went ahead and got married and challenged Watson. Watson couldn't accept the fact that there were indeed liberal women who chose to simply be married and have children.

Meanwhile, the administration disapproved Watson's methods and conspired to make her confirm to their structures. She was given a choice that she had to follow in order to teach the following year. Instead, Watson left Wellesley.

You could not help but think about Dead Poets Society, which is another movie that made me cried as well. There was just too many similarities. Nonetheless, Mona Lisa Smile was definitely a good movie.
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Today is 9/11. Anytime we see "9/11", we immediately think of the horrible incidents in 2001, with planes crashing into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.

I noticed something common about this particular anniversary. The question, "where were you on 9/11?" has been posted everywhere.

I remembered that day vividly.

First of all, I had just graduated from Gallaudet with my Bachelor's that recent May. I was working for Yes! Organic Foods store in Eastern Market as a cashier. I was looking for a better job, which I eventually found as an SRA at Gallaudet a couple of weeks later.

I was living at the Deaf apartment, across from Gallaudet. However, I was hardly ever there was I was staying over at KT's place instead.

KT and I were nearing our 1 year anniversary of being together.

KT had just started his first day at the law firm the previous day.

So, KT was at work, his second day. I was visiting Gallaudet, grabbing up chances to meet with friends and networking.

I remember leaving HMB and walking home to the Deaf apartment. I remember walking near the revolving door of the library when someone approached me. I think his name was John. Little guy with glasses and thick mustache. I think he used to hang out with Jerome and Billy (from Canada). Anyone else remember him?

Anyways, he came up to me and said that a plane crashed into the WTC. I remember being pissed off with him. I told him, "don't you ever joke about anything like that!" I thought that was just a cruel thing to say. I walked off. I guess I didn't give him a chance to explain. I remember his confused look, now that I look back. We were always friendly with each other. I think it was the first time he ever saw me being in another mood other than friendly.

By the time I got to the Ely area, I started to see everyone talking about the plane crash and everyone walking towards HMB. Curiosity got the best of me and I joined the collective trip to HMB. We congregated in the atrium to watch the TV, posted next to the Laruent Clerc thumbprint portrait.

Along with Ridor and Kekua, we were just floored by what we were seeing before our very eyes. We stood there for a long while. I remember trying to fathom that anything like this could ever happen on American soil.

I remember that we couldn't send nor receive pages and being frustrated.

Somehow, a few hours later, I ended up back to KT's place. KT was already home. Work had closed early due to the chaotic news and the Metro threatening to shut down for security purposes.

Never before had I ever felt so secured in KT's arms. It was just nice to be with someone and realize that we cannot take life for granted. Of course, I had to call my folks, as they would have had a heart attack if they had not heard from me.

After giving my folks the assurance that I was ok and was with KT, we spent the day and night, glued to the tube, replaying horrible images of 9/11.
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Ever since KT & I just got Logo about a month ago, we've been watching and enjoying Noah's Arc. Noah's Arc is like Queer As Folks meets Sex and the City, except all the characters are Blacks.



  


Like QAF and SATC, Noah's Arc centers around 4 people, Noah and his 3 best friends in Los Angeles. Noah (second from left) is a struggling writer and a hopeless romantic. His fashion style is wild and unique like KT's best friend, Manny. Noah was dating Wade but have since been off. Although, the spark is still there whenever they're together. Noah's friends are wary of Wade because he's new to the gay world.

Alex (far right) is one of those guys who will tell it to you in your face like it is. He loves to give advice. Alex currently runs his own HIV prevention center for Blacks and Latinos. He's in a long-term relationship with Trey, who is a light-skinned hulk of a man. Right now, he's suspicious of Trey's friend, Guy, who seems to be taking up all of Trey's time.

Ricky (second from right), like QAF's Brian and SATC's Samantha, is the slut and a Blatino (a Black and Latino fusion). He's undependable when friends need him because he's too busy getting his freak on with guys, especially at his clothing store. However, he seemed to be a changed man when he has fallen for Junito, an HIV+ doctor.

Chance (far left) reminds me of SATC's Miranda and Charlotte. Chance is a college professor who is very proper, yet he does give in to his free-spirited ways...once in a while. Chance is "Vulcan-ish". Whenever Alex gives advice, Chance offers logical explanations. Chance has recently married Eddie, who has a daughter, Kenya, from a previous marriage.

It is really interesting to watch this show because they deal with issues that you would have never seen in an all-white cast. They dealt with effeminacy, thug attraction, the downlow, bisexuality and other issues. Additionally, you will see terminology used by the Gay Blacks that you would have not seen in other shows.

Noah's Arc is in its second season. I'm not sure if they're in the middle or towards the end of the season. Logo had been running reruns of the first season as well as playing the second season.

Anyways, KT and I enjoy the show because it's a breather from the traditional all-white cast. Even though you can tell that Noah's Arc isn't high budget like QAF and SATC, yet the show is still presentable and worth your time.

**********

News of the Day:

- Christian stations will host "ex-Gay" TV show, hosted by David Kyle Foster and Alan Chamber, the current president of Exodus International. Gays voiced their concerns about reparative therapy and the ex-gay movement.
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Deaf:

- New Leader at School for the Deaf. Reginald Redding becomes the new director for Eastern North School for the Deaf in North Carolina.

- HIV/AIDS comic books for the Deaf. HIV/AIDS comic books have been distributed for the Deaf communities in South Africa, which have been warmly accepted.

- Deaf Footballers Stage Protest at Government House. Deaf footballers, in Nigeria, have sparked a protest to release the N2.3 million dollars to facilitate the football championship.

Gay:

- Gay Marriage to be Added in Virginia Ballot. The result of election in November will determine if the ban on gay marriage will be added in the state constitution. Meanwhile, Colorado will add a ballot in regards to gay marriage and domestic partnership.

- Karl Rove's Stepfather was Gay. Authors, Wayne Slater and James Moore, release book, "The Architect: Karl Rove and the Master Plan for Absolute Power", revealed that Karl Rove had a close relationship with gay stepfather. One blogger says "so what!" and asks why gays are obsessed with it.

- Andre Boisclair aims to be Canada's first openly gay premier.

- Daniel Craig, who recently replaced Pierce Brosnan as James Bond, gives a gay kiss in "Infamous".

- Bears Gaining Acknowledgement. Woof! Woof!

Wanna go home now! I is the tired!
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The Baltimore Sun has published an article that mentions some Deaf people, such as Allison Kaftan and Jeff Majors. The article said that cued speech has produced strong academic results, yet it is still disputed. Click below to read the article.

A Different Cue for the Deaf
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Wow! I couldn't believe it when I learned of Steve Irwin's unexpected death.

Steve Irwin was internationally known for his expertise and brave handling with crocodiles and other dangerous animals. He was also well known for saying "crikey!", which made him a likeable personality.

I used to always cringe when he'd be chasing after crocodiles, fearing that a croc might get lucky with Steve. Worse, his wife, Terri, would join in the chase with Steve.

However, over the years, you'd learn that Steve is a wonderful animal advocate and educator. Nothing prevented Steve from exploring an animal, whether it was a crocodile, a shark, a snake, a wombat or whatever.

Steve was filming for an underwater documentary in the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. He was swimming above a stingray. Stingrays, when threatened or frightened, will lash out with their tail. On top of their tail is a barb, which is serrated and loaded with toxins. Apparently, the stingray stabbed its barb into Steve's ribcage and pierced his heart, killing him once he removed the barb.

Death by a stingray is rare. Australia has a record that only 1 other person has died from a stingray and that was in 1945.

Steve truly lived life at its fullest.

Rest in peace.
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Juana (also known as Joan) is the daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferndinand. Juana was sent off to marry Philip the Handsome, son of Emperor Maximilian I, for political reasons. However, as soon as they consummated their relationship, Juana fell in love with him, to the point of madness.

At first, things seemed blissful. Newlyweds just being in love with each other. Soon, they have a child. Then, another one. At this point, you'll start to see that Juana still acts like a newlywed. She's overly affectionate with Philip. She has to know where he is or what he's doing.

Things start to change for the worse when Juana received word that her mother has passed away. Her mother's death has made Juana queen, since her 2 older brothers were dead as well. Upon receiving the news, Juana inquired where was her husband was. No one wanted to volunteer the information. However, with her power, she found her way to her husband, who was having an affair, in the hunting stable, with one of her maids-in-waiting.

Since then, the two have exchanged heated words and conspired to make each other jealous. Despite the martial drama, Juana always open sexually to Philip and then goes right back to conspiring afterwards, including having a sorceress conjure up a spell. Philip would just simply continue to have affairs, whether Juana knew about them or not.

It was at this point that the people, including the noblemen, were noticing Queen Juana's erratic behavior and eccentricities. They wanted to declare her mad. The noblemen were able to convince Philip to have the courts officially declare Juana as mad. By doing this, Juana would lose her powers as queen and Philip would be made king. (In real life, it was actually Philip and Juana's father who conspired to have her declared mad.) However, during this process, Philip's health deteriorated quickly and died.

But before he died, he summoned Juana to his deathbed to beg for her forgiveness. Juana, who was pregnant at the time, begged him to get well. Philip repeatedly asked for her forgiveness. Juana just wouldn't give it to him. When he died, Juana's mental health just skydived for the worst. Philip died at 28 years old.

Juana had Philip buried in a monastery so that she could visit her husband, with the coffin opened. She would be an old lady and would still visit her husband, who was nothing but bones and rotted flesh, and she would shed tears and kiss him.

The movie was pretty good and is worth a watch. I like to watch movies about the royal families because there's all kinds of crazy things going on with them.

You can learn more about real story of Juana the Mad of Castile here.
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11:14 definitely captured my attention. Without giving too much away, it's somewhat like Crash. (No, not the racial issue.)

Jack (Henry Thomas) is ineberated and he's driving and talking to someone on his cellphone. Immediately, when he hangs up, he hits someone. Or did he?

You just gotta watch it!
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Prom Queen is inspired by a true story of a Canadian gay boy, Marc Hall. Marc simply wanted to take his boyfriend to the prom. The problem was that Marc was attending a Catholic school. The school knew of Marc's homosexuality and accepted him. However, they had to draw the line at his desire to bring his boyfriend to the prom.

In comes a lawyer, who did this pro bono, who felt that the school's refusal on Marc's request to bring his boyfriend was a violation of Canada's "bill of rights". The trial has caused more problems for Marc than he bargained for. However, the problems were ironed out.

Prom Queen would have been a great movie if it weren't for some cheesy stuff in there. Occasionally, you'll see a sparkle appear in some people's eyes, which just makes you roll your eyes. There's a trio of girls who try to act like the trio in Clueless. It just didn't work.

It's worth a watch...that is, if you're up for a couple of cheesy scenes.
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"You're too fat to fuck."

Even though Fat Girl is a thin book of 192 pages, it is an angry, yet witty, memoir of Judith Moore's life as a fat girl and woman. The book opens up with Judith telling readers that she isn't gonna sugarcoat fatness. She's gonna tell it like it is.

Oh, Judith describes fatness like it is. She is brutally honest. This isn't for the faint of heart. So, don't read this while you're eating.

Judith retells her childhood, which she was initially a thin girl. She describes her family background, to which almost everyone in the family is fat. When her parents got married, her father began to get fat. Her mother started to resent him and eventually divorced him, taking Judith with her.

From this point on, Judith became a fat girl. I don't care if you're just a little overweight, sorta fat, fat, very fat or super obese, you will totally relate to Judith. I say that because not only does she talk about fatness but she also shares her observations of how people see and treat fat people. You'll find yourself nodding in agreement.

Fat Girl chronicles Judith's fat childhood which dealt with her parents' divorce, her mother's physical abuse, her grandmother's sneers, her peers' tauntings and the men in her life who only want a platonic relationship with her. Be prepared for a right-in-your-face approach, which you'll groan, laugh and maybe cry.
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