Give and Get - 30% off at Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic

As many of you know, I used to work for Teach For America, a wonderful non-profit organization working to close the academic achievement gap by placing strong leaders in low-income classrooms across the nation. 

I taught 6th grade Math and Reading for 2 years in Phoenix, AZ as a part of this program. I taught the most wonderful children - many of whom I still keep in touch with - and my experience, while extremely difficult, was incredibly rewarding and I still have yet to match it. 

Well, it is with this that I invite you - 

readers of my blog - to participate in the Give and Get event. 

The Give and Get event gets you 30% off every purchase you make at Gap, Banana Republic or Old Navy from July 30th to August 2nd. You can feel good shopping 'til you drop because 5% of the amount you spend will go directly to Teach For America. 

All you have to do is go to this link and print out the coupon. You can use it as many times as you like. I've used it before and even passed it down the line to people behind me. 

Who knew shopping for new clothes could be such a good deed?

5 Kilometers Later...

Before I get to all of the details, let me first start off by saying, I did it. I ran the 5k and I finished. Whew.

Despite some poor choices the week leading up to the race, I was still able to conquer the odds and put in what I consider to be a pretty decent effort on my part.

Remember when I posted a few days ago saying I was going to kick it into high gear to make up for lost time? Well, turns out my problems of being disciplined have ventured into other areas of my life as well. Basically, I ran the day after I wrote that post and then not once more the rest of the week. I ate like crap - I made brownies and ate all of them except one and I ordered macaroni and cheese at McMenamin's the day before the race and got super sick from it. Basically, I set myself up for disaster.

When I started the race, I was positive and amped up. (I mean, it was also my half birthday!) Here is a picture of me with my friends Woo and Brian before the race started.

Brian and I did the 5k together and we started off strong. We crossed that START line and even skirted our ways past several crowds of people that were just going way too damn slow. Brian and I got separated after a couple of minutes (to be expected in a race, I suppose), but I was still going strong on my own. I was still passing people and kept nodding my head in agreement with the race-snobs who kept shouting, "Walkers to the right!" since they really were in the way of us 'real runners'.

I was getting pretty tired, but was still hanging in there. I reached the turn-around (half way - 1.55 miles!) and walked for about 2 seconds, pretending that I was just having trouble getting around the cone. Then I picked up the jogging pace again. This is when my brain gave out on me. I was over half way through the race now and my head was telling me to stop (ditto my legs and lungs). However, my inner voice kept saying "You can do it!" and "Go, Michael, go!" And then my inner voice mutated itself into my outer voice causing a tinge of embarrassment to overcome me once I realized I was talking to myself.

Then, out of nowhere, there was board that read, "2 Mile Mark" and that did me in. Now, for most people, this might be a motivator - "2 miles - I'm almost done, I gotta keep pushing!" However, for me and at this point, it totally ruined my chances of running the whole way. I thought to myself "2 miles - Damn! That's a lot/that's enough." So, then I made my way over to the right so I wouldn't piss off the snobs and started to walk. I counted out 60 seconds very slowly (so slowly that it probably amounted to 2 minutes rather than 1). Then I saw an older woman pass me (darn), then a high school boy wearing Converse hi-tops (what?), then a seven-year-old (shit!) and that's when I started running again.

I turned a corner and there was the FINISH line. It seemed so close so I started to sprint. I looked up about 15 seconds later and couldn't believe how far it still was - it looked so close just a moment ago! But I was not about to be that guy who walks his way across the finish line, so I hoofed it and pushed it into high gear. I felt like I was going to trip over my legs, and then I felt like I was going to puke, and then I passed the line and immediately just started walking and trying to catch my breath.

I did it. With a stomach full of macaroni and brownies, I did it.

And here's the proof: 

Song of the Mo

I am all over this track right now and I can't seem to stop moving my shoulders. Dig it.

"Pop Goes the World" by The Gossip

UPDATE: Have replaced old video with this remix. They took down the original one for "terms of violation" or something stupid. I hate laws.

Run, Fatboy, Run!

Two months ago, I eagerly signed up to run the Seattle Torchlight 5K. I was playing softball 2-3 times a week, I was running anywhere from 1-4 miles every other day, and I was excitedly embracing my new healthy eating habits with double doses of broccoli and oranges pretty much daily.

Today, I saw in my calendar that this 5K race I was previously so pumped about is this Saturday. The softball season has been over for 2 weeks, I haven't run in over a month initially due to a painful bruise on my shin and lately due to utter laziness and complete lack of motivation, and although I'm still eating broccoli very often, it's usually just a single dose and most of the time it's on my pizza, covered in sour cream or on the side of my plate next to a grilled cheese sandwich.

The words in my calendar reminding me of this impending race might as well have been written in flames because I fear that is what I will be going down in come Saturday. Unless I take those flames and put them under my ass, I'm in big trouble. Actually, let me rephrase - if I don't put those flames under my ass, I might die.

So, there is really only one thing to do. Well, I suppose there are two things to do. One would be to quit the race and just not show up. This isn't really an option anymore though for a couple of reasons. First, I just told you all about the race and the last thing I want to look like is a quitter in the eyes of everybody I do and do not know. Second, I signed up to run this race with a bunch of friends so there's no way they'll let me no-show. If I did, my Facebook wall would never hear the end of it.

Therefore, the only option is to buck up, pack in some training in the remaining days I have left and eat like a champion so I make it to the finish line as opposed to NOT making it to the toilet in time mid-race.

Basically this could be an extremely humiliating experience or a huge life accomplishment. Predictions?

To be continued... that is, if I make it.

Where the Wild Things Are

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince!

If you haven't seen it, please do. It lives up to the hype and comfortably nestles itself into the exceptional series.

However, that's not really what I am here to write about. It did happen when I saw Harry Potter though. When I was a boy, my favorite book in the world was Where the Wild Things Are. I remember reading it endlessly, each time being disappointed that it always did, in fact, end.

The illustrious world created by Maurice Sendak both fascinated and scared me. The exotic island that nurtured the Wild Things versus the familiar domestic setting from which Max dervies; the initial brutality of the beasts contrasted with their surprisingly friendly attitudes; the hypnotizing illustrations that worked despite an unusual lack of color and sharpness often found in children's literature.

Sitting in my horrifically uncomfortable movie theater chair (is this what we get for $10 now?), I somehow survived previews for G.I. Joe (shame on you, movie moguls, for greenlighting this material-driven monstrosity) and Holmes (somehow, I don't remember Sherlock Holmes being so adventurous and "stunt-y" when I read about him in school). But all was redeemed the moment I recognized Max's white beast outfit. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical about how they could possibly turn this book into a movie, but this movie trailer has sold me. Combined with the knowledge that this was a Spike Jonze project as well as the beautiful and totally appropriate music blaring in the background by one of my favorite bands, Arcade Fire, I got a little teary eyed at the end of the preview and for a moment forgot that I was actually there to see Harry Potter. It all just...resonated.

Song of the Mo

"Lisztomania" by Phoenix

It's so peppy, but I'm not ashamed to like it. I like this song better than their current single, "1901". This one makes me want to jump up and down like a high school emo girl who draws on her hand and wears abnormally large sneakers with neon laces.

AND they're French. Bonus!

ASUnbelievable

Back from California/Mexico! So happy to be in Seattle again. I love this place.

But more on that later. First, some urgent business. I must share with you this hilarious video.

In all reality, it seems that Arizona State University opted out of giving commencement speaker President Obama an honorary degree. Their reason? Pretty much this: we still have yet to see what he can accomplish.

Check out the clip from The Daily Show below.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Arizona State Snubs Obama
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Joke of the Day

Holy Ship!

I will be aboard this monstrosity for the next few days with my family. So, instead of posting on this blog, I'll be falling asleep on the ship deck with a book on my face, drinking cheap liquor out of a silly straw with old people and avoiding the Swine Flu and children selling Chiclets in Ensenada. I'll be back in Seattle on Tuesday.

Is it Tuesday yet?

Well, There Goes My Social Life (An Ode to Softball Season)

Well, it has certainly been an exciting softball season.

For those of you who do not know, I play on an adult softball team in Seattle in a gay league, the Emerald City Softball Association. I joined last year before entering the Peace Corps, and rejoined this year after returning to Seattle in May. I play for the Seattle Buzz (as in get buzzed and buzz like a bee - a double entendre, given that the team used to be sponsored by Budweiser). We are a competitive team in the D division (which is the lowest), but don't let that fool you. We are good and we play hard.

After a series of injuries (blood under fingernail, bruised shin, multiple knee scrapes from sliding, and a wicked scratch from a picnic table), accomplishments (a home run, a couple triples, even more doubles, and several catches in the outfield), and embarrassments (crash collision in the outfield, too many hit pop flies, and a tan line from a sweat band that still won't go away), the season has ended for me.

The Buzz will be playing again this weekend for a chance to go to the World Series in Wisconsin, but I will be out of town. I wish them luck and I encourage all of you to find an outlet such as this in your own communities where you can stay active, form strong friendships and have something to look forward to every week. There's bound to be something similar wherever you live.

I will close by sharing with you some pictures from the season:

Here I am with the sweatband I mentioned earlier. This was last weekend at the Emerald City Classic Tournament for the 4th of July.


My shin bruise: this developed after a collision with another outfielder earlier in the regular season.


Standing at first after hitting a single. Note our team's awesome socks that everyone is jealous of. We probably have some of the better uniforms in the league.


And finally a picture of our whole team (or, most of it at least):

"But I'm Only Human"

I turned on the TV this morning to find that pretty much every channel on network television was airing Michael Jackson's memorial service at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. I checked to see for how long it would be on and was shocked when my remote control's INFO button informed me that this circus would be playing from 8-2. So, I turned off the TV and got on with my life.

Ever since my father's passing in February, I have rapidly developed a new perspective on death and what it means. I won't bore you with those details here. I find it difficult to mourn the death of a man I never personally knew. Although I loved his music and I have some fond memories of albums I got for Christmas when I was a kid, I can't emotionally bring myself to grieve the loss of Michael Jackson, nor do I want to. It seems silly to devote 6 hours of my day to watching the memorial service of a man I never met. Pardon the insensitivity, but it may just stem from my own more personal loss earlier this year. Or it may be attributed to my new found beliefs on what happens to us after death and realizing that it may, in fact, be nothing to grieve about after all.

Either way, I would like to post my favorite Michael Jackson song that has stuck with me for years. I remember seeing "Free Willy" in the theater when I was just a boy and falling in love with "Will You Be There?" I remember looking on a map to find the River Jordan; I remember listening closely to the lyrics and relating to them on such a deep level as an adolescent; I remember getting chills with every key change; I remember just sitting on my bed with my eyes closed and humming along.

So, while I cannot find it within myself to develop any sort of personal connection to the death of Michael Jackson, it has brought about happy memories from my childhood. And I guess that really speaks to the power and influence of Michael Jackson - how amazing that one's death can spur happy memories within a stranger; not sadness. That's powerful; that's a life lived.

Song of the Mo

"Skinny Love" by Bon Iver



Come on skinny love just last the year
Pour a little salt we were never here
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer

I tell my love to wreck it all
Cut out all the ropes and let me fall
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Right in the moment this order's tall

I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind
In the morning I'll be with you
But it will be a different "kind"
I'll be holding all the tickets
And you'll be owning all the fines

Come on skinny love what happened here
Suckle on the hope in lite brassiere
My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my
Sullen load is full; so slow on the split

I told you to be patient
I told you to be fine
I told you to be balanced
I told you to be kind
Now all your love is wasted?
Then who the hell was I?
Now I'm breaking at the britches
And at the end of all your lines

Who will love you?
Who will fight?
Who will fall far behind?

Difficult to Watch, But Important To See

After the Gay Pride festivities in Minneapolis, this man was harassed by children after simply answering a question.

"Are you gay?" a boy asks.
"Yes," the man responds.

What follows is quite difficult to stomach, but it's important to see. For those of us who already support gay rights, this illustrates why it is so crucial to avoid complacency when it comes to homophobia in our country. It exists - and in fact, it's wide and rampant. When we silence ourselves in these situations, we are just as guilty as those chanting slurs.

This brings me back to a time in college when I was hanging out with a few friends at a party. I was the only gay person in the room. Someone (outside of my immediate circle of friends), said something to the effect of (not referring to me), "Well, he's from California - aren't all Californians faggots?" What hurt more than the burn and anger that immediately enters my chest after hearing that word, was the fact that my friends in the situation did absolutely nothing - nobody spoke up. How will any of us ever learn anything if we just keep silent?

Silence and complacency are dangerous when it comes to advancing a broader understanding of gays and lesbians. Living in a progressive city with a large gay population and even larger straight population that supports gay rights, and coming from a very supportive family, I often forget myself the discrimination that exists surrounding gay men and women in America.

Let this video serve as a reminder that prejudice still exists in our country and let it serve more importantly as an educational tool. What questions come to your mind after you watch this and how do we find adequate answers that will massively decrease the likelihood of events like this happening again? Is it the fault of these children or their parents? Why do those 2 cops just pass by without doing anything? What do you think?

Cheeky-Chic! Apartment Decorating

What? It's July? How did that happen? Well, I certainly cannot control time, so I have decided to look at this in a positive way. It's a fresh start. Therefore, July has officially become apartment decorating month for me. (And it's about time!)

Today I bought a couch for my apartment... finally! I am very excited. I got a good deal and it's not overly ugly, just a little bit. Given certain budget constraints, I have been collecting various furniture pieces, knick-knacks and display items from extremely cheap stores like Ikea, Ross and, yes you guessed it, Goodwill. I've amassed quite the bounty, so I am excited to put it all to use once my couch comes tomorrow.

As July progresses, I will certainly update you on how the decorating is coming. I will also take pictures of the end results.

For now, here a few pictures of some things you will soon find hanging around my digs. So far, it seems like I am going for a style I like to call "cheeky-chic" or "iconic-ironic" - hopefully some of these pictures will explain why.