Spread the Word to End the Word On March 3rd.

Many people don't realize what they are saying when they use the word 'retarded.' It's offensive, especially to those who have intellectually disabled people who mean a lot to them. The "r-word" was used years ago to diagnose those with mental and intellectual disorders, they used the term "mentally retarded," to be more precise. If you have noticed, many people throw this word around like it is nothing, in fact, I am sure you have before. Even if you are joking with a friend, it truly is not funny. The way that society is using the word is by replacing the word 'stupid' with the word 'retarded.' Those who are intellectually disabled are not stupid, in fact, their minds are probably capable of doing things we could never possibly imagine. All I ask is that you stop throwing this word around as if it has no meaning, and as if it is nothing. Actually, this word is offensive even when one tries to use it in it's correct form. Let's say you said, "I tried to help a retarded man out to his car.." That is offensive. You know why? Because of what society has made of the word 'retarded.' If it were to have never been thrown around the way it has, it probably wouldn't be offensive to use that word in it's 'correct form.' But now, nothing about that word is right. Next time you feel yourself about to say this horrific word, why not try and catch yourself in the act and say, "You're re...diculous," instead of saying "You're retarded." Change this habit, because it not only offends people but it also makes yourself look bad.

With this link, take a pledge to end the word forever, and spread the word to end the word.

END THE WORD.

Thank you.

Red Charlotte

Just because I have a pathetic job where I have to dress like I work at a psycho ward, and serve filthy rich people instead of being served, doesn’t mean I am not a decent guy. I hate watching Charlotte, the woman I have loved for so long, be with another man. They usually come in about three times a week, but tonight they saw a show at the theater across the street, so Charlotte looked especially beautiful. She wore a red pencil dress, black pumps, and her red hair looked perfect—I have always loved her hair. Charlotte’s cheeks were a peachy pink, and her lips were a matte nude color. As she looked up at the menu on the wall, I admired her eyes, which I hadn’t had the chance to really gaze at in a while. I had forgotten how beautiful they are; hazel green with a bit of gold surrounding the pupils.
“We’ll have two martinis on the rocks,” that sleaze, who goes by ‘Ricky,' said. When he said that, Charlotte looked at him with confusion. He didn’t even ask her what she wanted- he ordered for her. I hate those kinds of guys; the kind who think for their women. If Charlotte was with me, I would let her make her own decisions.
Charlotte and I grew up together. We were neighbors from grade school to high school and we have dated each other, we’ve seen each other date other people, and we were always there for each other through heartbreak. Once we graduated high school, she left to California to attend some Ivy League school that her parents paid for while I was, and still am, stuck here in Chicago washing dishes and cleaning up after wealthy people. My parents never had the money to give me everything I wanted, as Charlotte’s parents did, but Charlotte never judged me for that, she accepted me. But when she is with Ricky, it’s as if she doesn’t talk to me because she’s not allowed. Ricky was the jealous and possessive type. Every time I tried to spark a conversation with Charlotte he would interrupt by kissing her neck, which made her laugh, or by loudly telling her something which overpowered what I was saying. Charlotte looked at me like she did when we were kids, with a spark of fascination in her eyes. It makes we wonder, Does she love me like I love her? I wish Ricky would have gone to the Men's Room or something so I could have had a chance to talk to her.
After 30 minutes, Ricky paid the bill without a tip, and possessively said “C’mon babe, let’s go” to Charlotte. As she gathered her purse and coat, Ricky went to the car and, finally, Charlotte and I were alone. She got up, walked to the door to leave, and then she stopped, as if she forgot something. She turned around, and said, “I…I really miss you Wally-Woo.” Wally-Woo is what she called me when we were kids. I wasn’t expecting that… I replied, shocked, “I miss you too.” We both smiled, and she walked out the door.
At that moment, I was happier than I had been in a long time. I turned to the man sitting alone at the bar and said, “That was the woman I love,” and he said back to me, “Well, if you don’t go get her, you are going to end up alone, like me.”
So... I went and got her.

The Life I Will Live

In my future condo I will have blank white walls, vibrant colored lofting furniture, and odd-shaped tables and chairs. I love the idea of wood floors, and maybe a throw-carpet or two. My kitchen will be spacious, with beautiful counters, an island, and a bar with stools. I will not keep alcohol in my house, because to me, alcohol is a social thing, not an “I have had a long day and need a drink” type of thing. I fear ever becoming an alcoholic, so I have made it a goal to never drink alone, ever. I will only drink at social events. I will keep healthy food in my fridge such as fruits, vegetables, yogurt, and organic meat. I will hardly be home to cook a good meal, so I don't think my fridge will ever be completely stocked. Music will always be on when I am home, and a vintage tea pot will always be on the stove, ready to heat water for my night's serving. My bedroom will be large, with those tall windows to wake up to, a large soft bed, artwork that friends have made me, and a walk-in-closet. I want the to wake up to the sun shining on my face every morning, or the snow falling from the sky. I want to watch lights of other buildings go out, and see planes and birds flying around.

I see myself as a hard-working big-time magazine editor, living in New York and loving every minute of my life. I am going to work with many people, help many people, and inspire many people. I can almost see myself as a workaholic, because that's pretty much what I am now, but if I love my job, I don't know if I would care too much. I want to wear beautiful clothing, and have a walk-in-closet with every type of clothing you can think of. I will have half of my closet for vintage clothing and half for name-brand clothing.

I will own a vintage clothing shop which features clothing that is altered by me, my colleagues, and vendors. I will hire young people who were like me as a teenager, ambitious and creative, and who want nothing but to inspire people to be individuals. I want my vintage clothing shop to be located in a big, old Victorian house in New York City. This house will have racks for hangers, shelves, and display cases for all of the vintage clothing, shoes, and jewelery. I would also like to have a sewing area with many sewing machines and materials for sewing so I can hold workshops and show people how to alter clothing to make it look better, or maybe just to tailor clothing so it can fit right. My colleagues and I will sell the vintage clothing we alter, and it will also be open for vendors who would like to sell their work. I would somehow like to intertwine my magazine editing job, and this job of owning an vintage shop, but I'm not quite sure how I would do that yet.

A goal of mine is to someday fly my mom to New York to stay with me for a week. I want to take her to dinner, Broadway shows, shopping, and whatever else she might want to do. That is one of my main goals in life. My mom has never been able to travel, or do anything very fun because she has never had very much money. My dad will most definitely not tag along, but I know that if I convinced my mom to visit me in New York, then she would have the time of her life. I want to make my mom proud, show her my apartment, and show her all the good things I am doing with my life. I will take her to work and introduce her to my colleagues, and I will show her what I do everyday. I will spoil her rotten, because no one has ever done anything like that for her before. This trip will be my treat entirely, actually, it would be an honor to treat my mom to such luxury.

When I have experienced these moments, I will know that I have reached success, but I won't stop there, my goals will only continue to grow.

Super Blow.

I have never, in my life, sat watched an entire football game. I don't get it, in fact, I don't think I like it either. "I am proud to be an American! I watch football while sitting around and eating junk!" Wow. I mean, now I can understand why all the other countries want to be nothing like us. Look what we do in our free time--watch football. I mean, yeah, it's cool that people have hobbies and are passionate about their teams and stuff, but..really? Why all the fuss? It's just a sport! The fact that America is sooo committed to football makes me a little ashamed. Some countries, like France, are committed to dining with their families for the company rather than the food and well-being. But us? Football. Man. It's out culture, it's what we are known for--alongside hamburgers and 'french' fries. Football, hamburgers, and french fries. Those things tie up the American culture. Get me out of here!

Currently listening to: John Mayer

Dance Dance.

Saturday night I went to The Eatery (small venue)  here downtown and it was more fun than I can explain. I don't think I have had that much fun in a long time. Good friends, silliness, dancin' (too much dancin', in fact), and donuts! Ah man. What could be better? The show was was incredible, and the best part was making new friendssss! I always love that. It's not often enough that I get to experience the night life of this town...well, because this town is usually just about as exciting as cleaning toilets. Someday I shall live in a big city and enjoy it's nightlife to the furthest extent, because I have definitely been deprived. I just want to dance dance, everyday and all night. Is there really so much wrong with that?

Somehow (I have a feeling it was from sharing drinks at the The Eatery), I got sick and woke up with the shivers this morning. Yeah, I know. Horrible! You know, that sickness when you are cold, even if you have 3 blankets on you, and then after 2 minutes you are hot from all the blankets. BLAHAHHASG! So, I soaked my immune system in Yerba Mate and Green tea, Ibuprofen, and Orange Juice, and I am feeling much much much better. That is the thing about me, I do know how to take care of myself. Obvioulsy not when I'm having fun at the eatery, but I do know how to cure the consequences of that fun. So, when sick, drink green tea (or Yerba Mate--it has much more antioxidants), because it WILL help you out!




This is Yerba Mate loose-leaf tea. I STRONGLY suggest it. www.guayaki.com
Don't forget your bombilla, it's the easiest way to drink loose-leaf!

Currently listening to: "Plastic Bubble"- Animal Liberation Orchestra (ALO)

Julia and Julia, talent, and more.

Today I watched the movie Julie and Julia and I LOVED every minute of it. In a way, it inspired me. I am not too sure how it inspired me, but I think I might find out soon. The whole I idea of somebody taking what they love and making a success out of it by something as simple as blogging after every meal they cook is fascinating to me. Maybe I can take photos for every bike ride I go on, or maybe I can just take photos of my every day life...or maybe I can just write about my everyday life. All I know is that I want to write and maybe inspire people with the things I write. I mean, I am majoring in Journalism, and that is not only because I want to write, but, mainly, because I want to inspire.

Today I had a conversation with my brother about people and talent. For some reason, football was on in my house (which is odd), and we talked about how football players are nothing like musicians. For example, the NFL will not just take any football player, they will only take TALENTED football players, which is a good thing. As for musicians, there are many 'artists' prancing around that have no talent whatsoever. I mean, c'mon, Miley Cyrus, seriously? My brother is a musician and I believe he has that 'it' factor people talk about. I have heard that only 1 in 1 million get as famous as Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, or even Michael Buble'. I have also heard that 1 million people move to L.A. every MONTH because they want to be famous. ONE MILLION PEOPLE EVERY MONTH! How ridiculous is that? All I know, is that my brother is 1 in a million, and I am not just saying that. He has that 'it' factor and I have no doubts in my mind, at all, that he will be as big as Stevie Ray Vaughn or Joe Satriani. No kid like that, with that much passion, goes undiscovered, especially coming from a background like ours. I am happy to be from the family I am from. It is a bit dysfunctional, but every person in my family, including my parents, are creative and passionate about their views and hobbies in life. My family is not bland and I am very proud of that. In fact, saying this modestly, I think we all have that 'it' factor--when we set our minds to something big, we are nothing short of successful.


My talented, 16 year-old brother, Tieshow. Photo by Micaela S. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/34112947@N08/)

Bike riding and whatnot.

Something about today was wonderful. I haven't had a day this great in a long time. I truly feel a part of the college culture now. I don't know. History of Jazz and Rock class is magical, I love the teacher, the people, everything. I also love my Small Group Communications class, today I had to get up in front of them and tell them about myself, and I felt so powerful after doing it. It has been a long time since I spoke in front of a large group of people and it was wonderful. I really think I will make a lot of new friends this semester.. I am hoping. Today I also met with my counselor who was really impressed with my grades, and she suggested I start tutoring for money. How great is that? Wow.

I also rode bikes around the park area with Tanya and Sou tonight and I had SO much fun. We rode, laughed, got confused, and went out to eat. I can't wait to ride around more..with friends. It is so much better riding bikes with friends than doing it alone, you know.




Me and my 1970s Western Flyer bike. Photos by Tanya T.


I love living and I am, little by little, learning to appreciate myself more, as I said I would do. :)

Currently listening to: "Coming Up Easy"- Paolo Nutini

Love Quilts.

Just recently I discovered an organization called the Wrap Them in Love Foundation (www.wraptheminlove.org), where people can make quilts, mail them to this organization, so the people of this organization can potentially get them to children in need all over the world. I thought, why not? I can quilt, and I want to help people. Why not take something I am moderately good at, and use it to contribute to a needy world? So..I have started cutting squares. I have a stack of them and I am very excited to get started!

.........................................................................................................
AND I have started! Now all that's needed is some good batting, a nice base, and some adhered custom hearts.









Quilt front and back.


Quilt back.

Almost ready to send!
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Update: February 1st, 2010
I HAVE SHIPPED THE QUILT! It was beautiful. I hope the child who gets it feels the love I put into it.

Happy New Year.

I created this blog with the intention of only talking about Fashion, but with my last post about how I helped needy people during the holiday season, I have decided that I don't want to only talk about my opinion on fashion, but everything else I love, think, and believe in too. I just want to talk, and share all of my thoughts with you, not just my thoughts on fashion.

As for the New Year, the first year of the 2nd decade of the 2000s, I have decided that my New Years resolution is to forgive my imperfections, so I can be the one who loves me the most (Also a Brett Dennen song).  I feel that I am too hard on myself and get disappointed easily when I make mistakes, and this is all because I, like everyone else on earth, has maintained their specific images by doing and acting the way that people expect them to. For example, if someone is a stoner, a nerd, a good student, a football player, or anything else, they think about those particular images every second and minute in order to do and act the ways that people of those images act. In order to succeed in life, we must free ourselves from the limited images that we portray, and just GO. This year I am going to forget about all the images and facades, and just live. I do not want to live a limited life, and neither should you. We should all forgive our imperfections, especially if that means trying something new or something others wouldn't expect us to do ( I am not talking about drugs. Just like hobbies, sports, etc.). I do not want to live a life where I would be judged for doing something I wouldn't usually do. We shouldn't judge each other, but instead encourage the fact that we are opening our minds and hearts to what else is out there. I also want to forgive my imperfections by stop worrying so much about the clothes on my back or the makeup I am wearing. Of course, I love clothes and makeup, but life is just fine without it. I am not saying that I am going to stop wearing makeup and nice clothes, but I am saying that I am going to stop thinking that I NEED those things in order to maintain my image. I have many imperfections, as do you, and nothing in the world can make us perfect. There will always be flaws, and the only thing we really can do is love and accept them, which will potentially lead to fully loving ourselves. That is my goal for 2009: to learn to completely love myself. Not such a bad idea, huh?

2009 was by far the most wonderful year I have lived yet. I have made a list of all the most memorable things of 2009 (not in order).

3 David Archuleta concerts. Sacramento, Reno, San Francisco (met him twice)
American Idols tour 2009, Sacramento (With Tanya. got free tickets from a nice woman, met Matt Giraud + Michael Sarver)
Kelly Clarkson concert, San Jose (With Michelle, Court, Tanya, and Angie. absolutely wonderful!)
Brett Dennen concert for NEW YEARS, Oakland (With Tanya. Met him, what a great man)
GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL + SOBER GRAD! (I did it!)
First Roller Coaster + Amusement Park (THE MEDUSA!)
Prom! ( Junior + Senior)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (with Dennis, Laura, Rachel, and Michelle)
Cirque De Dreams with Gabe (AWESOME)
Cinderella SHS musical with Gabe
McConnell Foundation Scholarship
Elk Lodge Scholarship
Newspaper Scholarship
Wrote for The Volcano and The Lance
Started College!
Best grades yet. (Senior year and first semester of College)
John Mayer cake
Last Movie of 2009- AVATAR
Harry Potter and Half Blood Prince midnight show
NEW MOON
First time gambling (Pit River Casino)
Fell in love with ADAM LAMBERT
Camping for Spring Break with friends (Charlie, Vada, Mel, Joe, Nica, Karissa, etc. FUN!)
Attended my first funeral and wedding.
Grandma Janice died.
Kenny turned 10.
PARTIESSS!

There is sooo much more. I will add more as I think about it.