2 dudes in the front of the bus:

d1: yeah man, it was my first time at buenos aires last weekend
d2: what do you mean?
d1: it was my first time at this club, buenos aires
d2: oh! i thought you meant the place, i was so confused
d1: yeah, like i had time to go to brazil last weekend


...

I have done what I have wanted to do for at least a year - I got a tattoo to remind me of hope. I tattooed "esperanza" on my forearm. I love it. It feels like me. I have only had one minor freak out since getting it, but I have mostly loved it. It has been healing really well. I already want another tattoo.

Tomorrow will be a better day. I am sure of it.

Tonight was amazing. Erica and I went to see "La Mission" at the SIFF (http://www.siff.net/festival/film/detail.aspx?id=28922&fid=123). It is a film about a Latino community in the Mission District of San Francisco. Its mostly about this one man's journey trying to break a cycle of responding to situations in his life with violence. The catalyst for the change in Che comes from his son coming out as gay. It was great to see Latinos portrayed as real people - good, bad, gray, all of that. The film also highlighted the connections to native culture highly prevalent for Latinos. The most poignant to me was the fact that the movie touched on the intersectionality of culture, race, class, sexuality, gender, disability - basically all the issues real people face every day!

It was this great breath of Latino culture that I miss and honestly feel alienated from a lot in life. I felt at home watching a lot of the scenes - the food, the speech, the vibrant colors and images.

I also got to meet Benjamin Bratt. His brother, Peter Bratt, wrote the movie. Peter and Benjamin co-produced it. They did a Q&A session after the movie, which most people stayed around for. I got Benjamin's autograph and told him how much the movie meant to me. I know I was just another person asking for a celebrity's autograph, but the night felt special to me.

I've randomly been watching the Drew Carey Show lately. I used to watch it a lot, mostly because it came on tv a lot. I am disappointed to find out that there are so many conservative undertones. Rush Limbaugh actually guest starred on an episode. However, there is a really interesting story line about Drew's brother being a cross dresser. He's a straight man who likes to dress as a woman almost full time. In the episodes I have seen so far, I am impressed with how this is handled for a mainstream tv show in the late 1990s/early 2000s. There is still a lot to be desired however.

I have also started watching Living Single again. I used to have a big crush on Max when I was a kid. I think because she was so strong willed, opinionated, and funny. I also had a little crush on Khadijah, there's something about her suits.

I think the best medicine for sorrows is sometimes a crowded bar frequented by older gay men, with a few enclaves of dykes, all happily enjoying bad karaoke. Throw some whiskey and Paul Anka in there and you have a pretty nice night.

Today Ellie and I went to Brighton on a day trip as a late birthday celebration. Brighton is a city on the southern coast of England. And claims to be very queer- they have 2 pride celebrations a year. The beach was beautiful and we found some lovely cafes and shops.

We made a visit to the aquarium there; it claims to be the oldest aquarium in the world. I really liked it. However, I saw something that disturbed me a little, turtles mating. It reminded me of a demon attacking someone, like in Buffy. It was also kind of strange because we were surrounded by French school children throughout the entire journey through the aquarium. I don't really have a point to this story except that mother nature slapped me in the face today at the aquarium.

I always hear people complain about riding the bus. There are assorted stories of people sitting in other people's bodily fluids, being harassed, or generally enduring offensive smells. I have a few stories along this line, but nothing too bad (at least not that I can recall). This morning's bus ride was really annoying, not on the scale of sitting in someone's urine, but still unpleasant. The bus was not even that full, yet the 2 women next to me felt it necessary to press their bodies against my side, and run right into me when passing by to let someone out. I do not understand this. I usually try my hardest to avoid touching others on the bus, even when it is full. The woman who could not get herself off of my side did not seem to adhere to this principle. It was a fairly charmless encounter, wherein my personal space was wholly invaded for no reason I could see.

I can't believe a year went by so fast. It is quite strange to look at posts from a year ago and compare them to how I am feeling now.

I have no idea what I am doing, I am just along for the ride.