day 18 - i believe.

(full list) - 18 - your beliefs.

"do not kill time because time kills you."

i believe that there are greater beings outside the human race. i believe that there is a god - only mine, doesn't spell their name with a capital "G." i believe the universe works in both weird and magical ways. i believe that same-sex marriage should be legalized and marijuana, de-criminalized. i believe that abortion should and always be available to women who can't find any other way... and i believe that you don't have to share bloodlines to be family. i believe in procrastination and i believe in time. i believe there's more to this life and i believe this life is mine.

day 17 - balance.

(full list) - 17 - your highs and lows of this past year.

west end, negril, jamaica.

i think i had a good year. nothing spectacular, but good things happened. i finally earned stamps in my passport - amongst a plethora of domestic travels. i got to watch my brother get married, and celebrate my niece's first birthday. i was hit with the reality of how precious time is and how to not take the little things for granted (ie., your pinky finger) -- without having to go through any of the (real) pain (mental, emotional and/or physical) myself. another year to get to know my parents, and grand-parents - just a little bit more... and another year to try and make things right.

but, i feel as though i've also had another wasted year. if you take out the days one would consider to be spent "productively" -- i'm almost certain i'd be left with about 297 insignificant twenty-four hour periods. whether things are going to be different this time around, i don't know. hopefully i'll have another solid year to find out.

peace, love & respect.

back from paradise, safe and sound. learned a lot this week, and not just about jamaica. will post pictures soon. but for now... what's jeff doing all the way over there?

"HEY SHELLY"

"THE SCENERY IS HERE..."

"WISH YOU WERE BEAUTIFUL!!!"

yeah, i thought i read it wrong the first time around, too. long story short, our fourth adventurer dipped out last minute and left it to the three of us to make some memories on our own. so, we did.

do's and don'ts.

something i compiled a while ago on my other blog... so, i'm sharing it here...

via google images.

—- AT THE BAR —-

situation: you’re out with a group of friends and all y’all need a drink.

solution: have your drink orders ready. i can’t stress the PLURAL on drink enough. there’s nothing more annoying (actually, there are a lot of things more annoying) than the one person who takes it upon himself to order for the group — and wastes my time by ordering one… drink… at… a… time. (ie. guy says: “hey lemme getta captain and coke…” i make it…“yo yea, lemme get another one of those….” i make it… “ok yea and then a merlot…” yea, no. it’s, “hey, may i please have two captain and cokes, a merlot, vodka/soda and an ipa?” see how much time that saves? don’t worry about your bartender not being able to remember more than one drink at a time, we’re smarter than you think.

situation: the bar is packed and you just got there and want a drink.
solution: have money in your hand. make eye contact… and again, have your drink order ready! don’t snap, don’t whistle, don’t wave your goddamn hand in the air like you’re in second grade ready for show-and-tell and sure as hell don’t yell across the bar. it’s rude, and makes you look like an ass.

situation: there are five people in your group and only four chairs left.
solution: fucking stand. you’re not eating goddamn steak you’re having a drink. you can stand and hold a drink, i promise.

situation: you look young, get carded but you “left your wallet at home” and the bartender refuses service.
solution: go home and get your wallet. don’t argue, don’t beg. it won’t help your cause. i can’t speak for the laws anywhere else but the ones here in good ol’ NYC are pretty damn strict for serving minors - if you look like you’re twelve… and don’t have proper identification to prove otherwise, you ain’t gettin’ no drank. my job isn’t worth your fun. lo siento mi amigo!

situation: you’re not sure what you want to drink.
solution: this should never be a situation. figure it out. we’re not here to hold your hand, we’re not here to take you on an tasting tour. stick with what you know - meaning, quit ordering martinis while throwing words like “dry” “wet” and “dirty” around not knowing what they mean. james bond doesn’t care that you want to be like him, he’s not real.

just a couple more notes before i head off to work — “please” and “thank you” go a long way. as does, “whenever you get a chance.” for me personally, anyone who gives a crap and takes into consideration how busy i am, gets their drinks faster. and even more than that — TIP YOUR GODDAMN SERVICE STAFF. for most of us, it’s all we make, meaning there’s no paycheck for us on friday. and not only that, if we get stiffed, it’s money out of our own pockets to pay our service staff… (ie. food runners, bussers… barbacks…)

frankly, to me, all of this is basic human courtesy. but for whatever reason, there’s a huge group of people out there who feel as though they are far superior to everyone else… and treat people as such. no one is rolling out the red carpet for your ass when you walk through the door so maybe today, you could try being nice - it’s amazing what a lack of negative energy brings, to those around you.

day 16 - pop.

(full list) - 16 - what are your views on mainstream music?

via nataliedee.

anyone who doesn't listen to "pop" music solely because it's mainstream, is a 'tard. shitty artists can write a solid song just the same as a great artist can release a mediocre album. i'll be the first to admit i have a tendency to pass judgment on those with questionable music taste, but - i also know that i can't put my entire itunes library on shuffle when there's an impromptu party at our apartment, because like everyone else, it's chock full of "guilty pleasures."

i've always had a soft spot for the rare breed of artists who actually bother to write their own songs. everything from the bass line to the lyrics. never understanding the concept of simply putting a pretty face to someone else's art - because to me, that's no better than a group of drunkards walking into a karaoke bar and giving their best rendition of "livin' on a prayer," and calling themselves pop-stars.

i still don't get how (or why) britney spears is releasing albums that hoards of people (young and old) go running to the store for, nor do i wait in eager anticipation for lady gaga's next album, BUT... i'd be lying if i said i haven't been jamming out to "paparazzi" for the past couple weeks. fuck you, it's catchy.