it's all so very...



every year around this time, i go through a phase where i walk around feeling like the whole world is gay. seriously. obviously it's all in my head, and i know this. but somehow i just feel really carefree and lose my inhibitions and just feel like i live in a gay world, if only for a weekend. maybe it's because all the pride flags are hanging from stores, balconies, windows and street lamps everywhere and not just in the gay hood. maybe it's because it's the one time of year when you just know you can walk down the street holding hands with your same-sex partner without even so much as a stare. maybe it's because there's just something in the air.. i don't know.. maybe it's just because i'm a fuckin' clown. either way, i absolutely love this time of year!

having said that, i have to say that i'm disappointed with the (non)political aspect of the pride parade as well as the dyke march. this is only my 6th year attending and the more i attend, the more i question the point of it all, at least from an activism point of view. let me explain: the dyke march marches through a neighborhood called andersonville, and it's truly a march.. banners, signs, duct-tape-nippled-dykes, chants, slogans, etc. but andersonville is largely populated by lesbians.. so um.. what's the fucking point? you're gonna march through dykeville preaching to the choir? the same goes for the pride parade.. which isn't so much of a march as it is just a celebration of pride, a big ass party, if you will. but it's always held in boystown and i just don't see the logic. if you want to promote visibility and awareness of the glbt community, why do it in the hood? shouldn't we be venturing out downtown or in other (straight) neighborhoods? c tells me that dc pride is much different than most other cities. it's political. i'd like to see that for a change. and by political, i don't mean hypocritical politicians parading around in their convertibles waving at us to get our votes, all the while whispering "fucking freaks" under their breath. that shit just kills me. maybe next year we'll plan to attend dc pride. assuming it's still on track.

so, we've had some great news this week with respect to the overturning of the texas sodomy laws. great news, indeed. but i shake my head thinking that it's 2003 and texas is just now coming around. then again, it is bush's hometown which explains a lot. nonetheless it's a victory for the community at large. it's a (very small) victory for social change. it's a victory for human rights. it's a victory no matter how you look at it and i am so proud to be a part of the glbt community!

on that note, i hope all of you, gay or straight, black or white, muslim or jewish, short or tall, bengali or not (haha) have a very wonderful, gay and joyous weekend. diversity is the spice of life, it's what keeps things interesting, it's what will eventually bring about peace in this world.. if only everyone could see that we'd all be in a better place mentally, physically and spiritually.

happy gay pride ya'll. party hearty!

only in chicago..

it was so chilly in chicago last thursday that despite 65 degree forecasts, the wind made it seem like it was in the 40's. and of course i couldn't wait to sport my summer clothes so needless to say i was not dressed for the occasion. i ended up stopping in at ol' gravy, as my friend T and i affectionately call it, to buy a sweater, sweatshirt, denim jacket... something! but i realized that a hundred other chicagoans had the same bright idea because the store clerk at ol' gravy said they sold more jackets that day than most winter days! *nodding my head*.. only in chicago.

but wait! there's good news.. it's a whopping 85 degrees out today! and the past weekend was just marvelous. c and i took our respective reading materials to the lake and lay out for a couple of hours to soak up some much needed sun.. thereby restoring my faith in the beauty of chicago summers.

i'm itching to buy a place.. a condo, town house, whatever. personally i'd hate to buy a condo in a highrise. i've had my fair share of high rise apartments and now that we live in a 6-flat, there's just no going back. and buying a house in the city of chicago is no joke.. especially if you want your own private back yard. you're looking at about 300-400K easy. but with interest rates so low, how can i still keep paying rent which to me is like money being thrown away? i'm meeting a real estate agent/friend tomorrow to see what my options are. i'm borderline excited but reminding myself that it may not happen because there's only so much i can afford by way of monthly payments, and i'm not quite ready to sacrifice my entire lifestyle just to be a homeowner. besides, i'm not planning to stay in chicago too much longer. we shall see..

which brings me to another issue.. do i really want to make an investment in real estate if in the near future i want to leave chicago? i've been having dreams lately of getting a job in the caribbean.. any island.. pick one.. just to get away from it all. wouldn't it be lovely to live on an island? to swim in the ocean during my lunch breaks or early in the morning? aah.. the sheer thought of it makes me drool.. it's my new goal in life (short-term, of course).. and i'm trying to talk c into it! shouldn't be too hard, one would think..hehe.

the irony of all this is that i've spent the last several years of my life working towards getting a green card to provide a base of stability for myself.. and now i'm not really sure i even want to live in this country much longer!

sigh.. so much to do/see.. so little time..

ch..ch..ch..ch..changes..

slight change to the layout here.. i've added a "coming up" section to keep me excited about the summer since chicago weather is doing nothing in that regard. you'll notice that i've removed links to other folks' blogs, because, well, it's just so not necessary anymore. everyone knows everyone who knows everyone, and if you don't, well then just click one of the links in one of the comments boxes and you're bound to find someone who knows someone who knows everyone. so there you have it.

c and i are seriously considering michfest this year. it came down to a choice between saving up for fire island or michfest. and while fire island will forever be on my list of places to visit, michfest seemed a lot more interesting and inexpensive at the time. i'm really excited.. i think it'll be a great time and since we're going for two days over the weekend, we won't need to use any vacation days! bonus: toshi reagon and sweet honey in the rock will be playing saturday night..

i have a feeling that michfest will be quite an unforgettable experience... any advice for first-timers?