I'm Happy, I'm So Happy

I went to my parents' and sister's to pick up Nicholas.  I love watching my son interact with my family.  It makes me smile and realize that although he lives in Maryland, there is a certain unmistakable family connection.  It's like he's lived here all year round.  Saturday we just hung out, played,  and rented movies.  Sunday my brother-in-law, Adam, his son Jarred (who is Nick's age), Nick and I all went hiking at Wilderness Park in Lake Jackson.  It was a great time.  Two fathers and their sons.  We all had sticks and we looked at all the banana spiders and tried to make out what animal made what tracks.  I use to go there as a boy to camp and what's funny is Adam was always there too.  I've know my brother-in-law since I was in second grade.  The Mata's lived in our neighborhood and the first time we ever meet them my two brothers (Amador and Gabriel) were going to fight Adam and his younger brother Chris but instead decided to play football...and the rest is history.

So back to Wilderness Park...here we (the Dads) are with our Sons doing what we use to do as kids...close to their age.  It was an amazing time.  The kicker...we called my sister and had Jarred and Nick fake cry and we told her we were lost.  She lost it.  It was great!!!!

The drive back to Austin was also memorable.  I introduced Nick to The Beatles.  He doesn't ever remember listening to them in all is 8 years of life.  So we're driving home and the sun is setting and I watch as Nick is rocking his head to "Penny Lane" and then I look pass him to the endless rows of cotton in the fields between Needville and Rosenburg (Texas)... and everything is perfect.  

The Beautiful Eagle Has Landed!!!!

I love The Postal Service.  This sucks...my son Nicholas is in Texas, but at my mother's because he came early and I didn't have day care arranged for this week.  It worked out though because this way he can spend time with my parents and and the rest of my family.  He seems to be enjoying himself.  When I saw him I just melted.  I missed him so much.  My sister came up to take him to my mother's and at one point on Monday we were all in my apartment and I was talking to my sister and happened to look over at him and he motioned hello with only his index finger bending it up and down and holding it close to his face.  He is my heart!!!
 
Next week will be so much fun.  I plan to take him swimming and on HJ's boat and to the Children's Museum and to Dave and Busters and Putt-Putt and to Bookpeople and just basically pick his brain and spend quality time with him.
 
I don't have him for very long this summer because he went to a couple of camps so I need to use the time I have with him wisely!

Below are from OCH's and The Rally at the Capitol

The Rally 

The Rally 

Members of ALLGO before the Rally at 1920's 

L and Me (wearing my "Italians do it better" shirt  

The gang at OCH's 

Here are the Mexico pictures I promised...

Me next to "Man holding Cock" 

DG's Mom, Me, DG, DG's Sister and her Boyfriend at a resturant in Mexico 

DG and I at the open bar, thristy as fuck... 

Me right on the border  

King Kong Drinks Corona? 

DG after a few... 

Me and Don Chima 

DG and Dr. Ike's Don Chima 

Me and Fofo Chico 

DG and Fofo Chico 

My Son Will Be Here Monday!!!

Had to share...I got two wonderful gifts today: my son will be here earlier than originally expected and the Gay Marriage ban failed!!!!

Happy Days!!!! Kiss Gay Jesus!!!

The Rally

I went to a rally at the capitol yesterday. Here's the email I received:

Join ALLGO tonight at the State Capitol as we stand against discriminatory legislation!

Senator Cornyn misrepresents LGBT families.
Join LGRL in front of the Texas Capitol tonight-July 13th- at 7:30 PM.
Our best defense against this attack is to show the world who we are!

(AUSTIN, TX) July 13, 2004: – The Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas (LGRL) condemns Senator John Cornyn’s attack on LGBT Americans during the Senate floor debate on the “federal marriage amendment”.

Statement by Randall Ellis, Executive Director
Lesbian/Gay Rights Lobby of Texas

Once again Senator Cornyn has followed the lead of the religious right and misinterpreted scientific studies to suit his own agenda of intolerance. Mr. Cornyn asserted that the federal marriage amendment is necessary for the welfare of our nation's children. Mr. Cornyn went on to assert that scientific studies show that children fare better when they are raised by a mother and a father and, therefore, children raised in households headed by same-sex couples unduly suffer a long list of societal ills.

Mr. Cornyn’s statements are an inaccurate and irresponsible manipulation of what science has shown us regarding children raised in same-sex households.

Studies consistently show that children do best when they are raised by loving caring parents and that two parents are in a better position in terms of available resources, to raise a child than a single parent household. However, there are no credible studies that show children raised by same-sex parents experience any negative outcomes because of their parents' sexual orientation.

Furthermore, Mr. Cornyn irresponsibly omitted what credible research has shown regarding children raised in same-sex households:


The sexual orientation of parents does not harm the overall psychological well-being of their children.
Brewaeys, A. Ponjaert, I, Van Hall, E.V. & Golombok, S. (1997) Donor Insemination: Child Development and Family Functioning in Lesbian Mother Families. Human Reproduction, Vol. 12, No. 6, 1349-1359.

The sexual orientation of parents does not harm the self-esteem of their children.
Hugins, S.L. (1989) A Comparative Study of Self-Esteem of Adolescent Children of Divorced Lesbian Mothers and Divorced Heterosexual Mothers. Homosexuality and the Family.

The sexual orientation of parents does not harm their children’s ability to form healthy relationships.
Chan, R.W. (1998) Division of Labor Among Lesbian and Heterosexual Parents: Associations with Children’s Adjustment, Journal of Family Psychology, Vol.12 No. 3 (402-419).

The parenting skills of lesbian and gay parents are found to be the same as those of heterosexual parents.
Bigner, J.,Jacobsen, R.B., Miller, J.A. (1981) Journal of Homosexuality, Vol7 No. 1 49- 56.


Gay and Lesbian Parents in the United States are a reality. Because they can not assume the responsibilities and rights associated with marriage, Gay and Lesbian families are in turn left in a legal limbo. Family members in same-sex households are often viewed as legal strangers in the eyes of the law. This fact is precisely why today’s debate on same-sex marriage is completely misguided and irresponsible. Our nation must address and should focus its energies on how we extend rights and pro tections to same-sex households instead of how we should further discriminate against this segment of the American population.


The turn out wasn't so great, but it was well worth going!!!

Please, go out and register to vote. I got ERG to register!!

My Special Vistor(s)

I had a great weekend even though it was spent moving and then unpacking. The reason, my sister was here!!! I hadn’t realized how much I missed her. We have this wonderful bond, I feel so safe telling her anything and just being around her makes me feel warm and fuzzy. The Pretenders have a song and I can’t think of the name of it, but it goes: “If you’re mad, get mad, don’t hold it all inside. Come on and talk to me now.” Anyway, that song is all about us and it came on this weekend. We just had to hug and of course cry. I loved it!! She brought along Gracie (her sister-in-law) and they helped (doing majority of the work) with the move. We had so much fun despite the fact that by Saturday afternoon our butts were dragging.

I took them to OCH’s and Sixth Street on Friday night. They enjoyed themselves.

My apartment is about 95% done. Paintings on the wall, boxes empty, etc. Much, Much more later...

Have a great week.

Ciao Bella

West Campus Living

I'm here, I'm here...Finally found a place to dwell. It's a cute apartment on West Campus. A hop, a skip, and a jump from work or "the Drag" or Dobie, or Little City or Metro.

I’m excited. My sister is in town with “Pussin Boots” and they are ready to “shake it up” as my brother Chino would say.

I promise I will finish the film in my camera and post pics.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend!!!

This is the mascot (Don Chema) from the Dr.Ike's Hardware Store in Laredo (read below). Too fucking funny. Thanks DG! Have a great weekend everyone!!!