Days of Dapototi

Quick Update

2006-08-13T00:40:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note from Washington, D.C. My youngest brother Edwin (aka Chino) just became a father again for the second time. His wife had a little girl who they named Sarah. She is so cute... I can't wait to meet her.

Nurse Who?

2006-08-06T00:27:00.000-04:00

I have great news; I finally got my nursing license. I took the NJ State Board of Nursing exam last Thursday and found out this morning (Saturday) that I passed. I am so relieved but nervous because now I have to really be professional and take charge of people's lives. I was at work today thinking about how this new job will affect my life. Don't get me wrong, I am very happy about it, but I just today realized that a small mistake on my behalf can really affect another person's life, possibly even end it. Imagine that?

I have total confidence in my ability to do the job. I went to a good school and received excellent training. It’s just a bit scary because this is for real now! No professor lurking behind me to make sure I don’t make a mistake.

long time coming

2006-07-20T23:56:00.000-04:00

Sorry it has been so long since my last post, but life has been really busy. First, my computer crashed and it has been and out of the repair shop for that last six weeks. Second, Andy and went to Canada for a week three weeks ago and so I was not available to blog. Third, I have been busy studying my ass off (not really) for the State Board of Nursing Licensure Exam. I will be taking the exam in the next few weeks, and starting Saturday I will begin a review class (which cost me $500) to go over everything I learned, or was supposed to learn in nursing school over the past three years.

I know I owe RV3 pictures from Toronto/Niagara Falls. I promise I will get to it soon. Hope all is well with everyone and please saya prayer for me starting in August, I will take my licensing exam in August but I will not tell anyone when exactly. You are just going to have to pray for me everyday until I tell you I passed the exam.

Is there a nurse in the house?

2006-05-27T00:28:00.000-04:00

The International Council of Nurses' Pledge

In full knowledge of the obligations I am undertaking,
I promise to care for the sick,
with all the skills and understanding I posses,
without regard to race, creed, color, politics or social status,
sparing no effort to conserve life, to alleviate suffering,
and to promote health.

I will respect at all times,
the dignity and religious beliefs of the patients under my care,
holding in confidence all personal information entrusted to me,
and refraining from any action that might endanger life or health.

I will endeavor to keep my professional knowledge and skill at the highest level,
and to give loyal support and cooperation,
to all members of the health team.
I will do my utmost to honor the International Code of Nursing Ethics,
and to uphold the integrity of the Professional Nurse.

Family

2006-05-24T00:29:00.000-04:00

This weekend was great, I got to play host to my mother, brother Erik, nephew Erick, sister in law to be Kylie, and good family friend Gladys. They all came out for my graduation. It was really nice to have them here. My mother, Kylie, and Gladys have been to NY before but not Erik or Erick. We spent two days in NYC doing tourist things like going to the Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Central Park, Fifth Avenue, and so on. We had lots of fun and did so much walking that my feet and hips are still hurting. It was great to see the look on my brother’s face when we went to the Empire State Building or Yankee stadium.

Unfortunate, I have come to the realization that Erik and I will never see eye to eye on most things. We did our usual arguing about everything from which side of the street to walk on, and how to treat animals. I’m not sure why we are always disagreeing with each other, but I realized that is just the way it is. I am glad when I move back to California it will be far enough away that don’t have to deal with him on a regular basis, I think we’d eventually kill each other. I must say though, it was great having them here. In the end we both know we love each other, but just too different to always get along. We are like night and day, sometimes it’s hard to believe we grew up in the same house.

Time Goes By So Slowly

2006-05-11T02:16:00.000-04:00

After a long absence, I finally went to the local bar tonight. I felt the urge to dance and what better night to do it than on 80’s night. I had lots of fun, although I must say the crowd was a lot younger than it was the last time I went to a bar/dance club (maybe 1 year ago). I felt a bit out of place and not in my element, even though Feathers is a gay bar (as if that was not obvious). I almost wanted to leave around 11:30, but then the DJ started his usual Madonna marathon, and so I was convinced to stay. I must have danced for at least an hour and a half before I realized I was drenched in sweat and needed a Corona to refresh my senses.

When I tried to return to the dance floor because Paula Abdul’s “Knocked Out” started playing, my poor legs just would not let me. I stayed on the sidelines and gently bounced my head to the beat before I decided it was time to go home. I am glad I went out and had fun, even though my friend Ed did not show up as he said he would, or at least I did not see him.

The End

2006-05-09T13:33:00.000-04:00

After years of anguish and feeling defeated, nursing school has finally come to an end. I took my last final yesterday and scored very well (a 92 if you must know). It was awesome to do so well because after receiving some bad news earlier this year, I failed one of my exams (I got a 71 which in nursing school is failing, passing is 75). I was very nervous because that low score brought my average down and so I had to get at least a 75 on the final just to get a C and pass the course. I ended up with a B- so I feel good that I was able to pull my grade up so much.

All of you should consider yourselves lucky that you were not around me this past week. Considering the stress and anxiety I was feeling, I was not a nice person to be around. I must say that Andy is a saint for putting up with me the last few weeks, and I am sure I will have to make it up somehow. He is an awesome husband and companion for all the shit I have put him through.

So now all there is left is to graduate next week and then I can get my license to practice nursing. We will stay in NJ for a year then we’ll head back to the sunshine state for a new life in Palm Springs. I hope the beagles like the hot weather…
Thank you all for all your support, I am so happy to have you in my life.

FLAWLESS!

2006-04-28T01:14:00.000-04:00

OK, so the show was not the best Broadway show I’ve seen. But I must say Alan and Cyndi really did a great job. They both gave it their best and performed flawlessly. They are wonderful people and it was great to hang out with them backstage. Cyndi is so cool! When I told her that I recently saw her commercial on Logo for PFLAG, she said, "well you know my sista is a lesbian." She is one of the most down to earth people I have ever met. When I told her I met her two years ago when she did the Tony Awards nominations announcements, she pretended to remember (those pics were previously posted) but I know she really didn't. It's OK though, she totally R-O-C-K-S-! I guess that’s why she is my fave!

Weekend Fetivities

2006-04-17T22:08:00.000-04:00

This weekend we celebrated Andy's most recent birthday. His actual birthday was last Monday, but I had to work the previous weekend so we decided to have his party last Saturday. The weather was awesome and I was compelled to wear flip-flops and make the party more summery. Some of my friends made fun of my feet because they thought they were ugly. I don't think I have ugly feet, I actually think they are quite nice, what do you think?

Weekend

2006-03-22T22:27:00.001-05:00

So I just got back from a week of sun, fun, and friends in Key West. We had a really great time as we always do, I highly recommed this tiny island. Some of my top moments:

5. Getting on the plane in NYC and getting the f#@k out of here.

4. Landing at Key West International and immdiately going to the bathroom to change into a pair of shorts, t-shirt, and flip flops because it was 88 degrees.

3. Being the first of six friends to arrive at our guesthouse and getting in the pool.

2. Organizing the "welcoming committee" and greeting each of our six friends from Maine and Washington DC with a cosmopolitan.

1. Meeting really cool new guys like Dough, Larry, Dave, and Stanley.

(pictures will follow soon, but I am too tired to do it right now)

Lucy's Monster!

2006-03-09T17:10:00.000-05:00

Well, you can thank Lucy for creating a monster! I love this picture thing, it's fun, and it keeps me studying (which I should be doing right now). Here are a few more pics, these were taken today. As you may already know, Andy and I bought our home last summer and this is it......

This is a view from the far end of my back deck towards the house. The deck is new, we had to replace the old one when we moved in because it was unsafe and in real bad shape.

This is the view from my back deck to the lake, which is at the end of our property. We are about 100 yards from the lake so we are not really a "lakeside property."

Here is another picture of the lake from the side of the back of our property......

This is the front door. If you're ever here and get lost, just look for the obvious.....

Another view of the back deck.........

This is the front of the house. I am standing across from my road in the sate forest, which is obviously across from my house....

Here is a sideview of the deck our neighbor Terry rebuilt for us. When we moved in it was in really bad shape and unsafe, I wish I had an old picture to show you the difference....

Can you tell I love this deck? It's very nice and spacious, and the dogs don't mind being out there either.
Outside view from the road leading up to the house, as you can see tomorrow is recycling day in these parts...

Hope you enjoy my new house, I will take picture of the inside and post them once I clean up and straighten things out. Since we are both very busy, the housekeeping gets ignored easily...

For Lucy

2006-03-09T16:02:00.000-05:00

Here I am at the 2004 Tony Awards Nominations Announcement. As you can see, my idol was one of the celebreties doing the nominations announcement and so I got to meet her. She was so nice, Andy went up to her and said "Cyndi, will you come say hi to my husband?" She smiled, turned around and walked up me and said hello. She was very cool and I am glad I finally got to meet her because all day I had been satrring at her and I was begining to think she thought I was stalking her (I was a little bit).

This is my baby, Agadore Spartacus. Isn't he the most adorable little creature you've ever laid your eyes on? It was taken his first Christmas with us in 2004. He was only seven weeks old when I got him on the day before Christmas Eve. We were having our usual holiday party and so I felt it would be appropriate for him to dress up and meet all our friends.

Here is Andy. (L)This was taken last year when he was working on the the Tony Memories for the website, which he manages and produces. He was interviewing one of the past years winners, I think Harvey Fierstein. When he asked if he could take his picture, Harvey said in his ugly duckling voice "only if I can take yours." Tadaa... this was the end result. I think Andy looks very handsome in this one. (R) This was taken in Cancun in 2002 or maybe 2003. We asked the waiter, who was also very cute to please take our picture. He seemed annoyed and so I was very suprized when I saw that he did not cut off our heads as I used to do when I was a waiter and tourists asked me to take their pictures.

So there you are Miss Lucy, I hope these are sufficient. Now that I know how to do this I will add pictures to my entries more often.

Days Ahead...

2006-03-03T01:45:00.000-05:00

So I have not blogged for a few reasons: 1) as this is my last semester of nursing school, I rarely have time for anything other than reading about nursing, studying about nursing, or going to school to learn how to be a nurse. 2) If I am not doing school related stuff, then I am either at work or trying to spend some time with Andy… mostly at work though. 3) Since I am about to finish nursing school (nine weeks to be exact) I figured I should start looking for an RN job.

Oh yeah, I got hired as a staff nurse on the Oncology unit of Valley Hospital in Ridgewood N.J. last week (www.valleyhealth.com). I am very excited because that is where I want to work since I work there already. Valley is a good place to start your nursing career, they pay better than most hospitals in the area, they treat their staff VERY well, and RN positions are hard to come by. Getting this job was a great accomplishment for me. My manager actually told the nurse recruiter that she wanted to hold the position for me and to please not fill it. So now all I have to do is actually graduate and pass my NCLEX-RN exam (National Center for Licensure Examinations-Registered Nurse), which should be some time in June/July. For those of you interested, I graduate May 17, that’s when we have our pinning ceremony. I went to last year’s graduation ceremony and it was very cool. First, we have a guest speaker welcome us into the profession, then we actually walk the stage and get our degree and our pin that identifies us as nurses, then we take our nursing oath. The oath is very traditional, and from what I understand, all nursing schools do it exactly the same. We all light a candle from the same flame as our Director of Nursing’s candle, then they dim the lights and we take our oath to heal the sick, care for the dying, comfort the ill, and so on… in front of our friends and family. When we are done, our Director of Nursing introduces us as nurses to the audience (tears, applause, standing ovations, etc…) as real nurses (even though we are not until we pass the licensing exam).

Anyhoot, Andy and I are going away to Key West in two weeks. I cannot wait! I love Key West, we are going to meet the usually crowd there, Jeff and John from Virginia, Dan and Bob from DC, Mark and Mark from Maine, Scott and Tim from Wisconsin, and Vinnie and Scott from San Diego. It’s always a lot of fun being on vacation with friends, we stay at the Coconut Grove/ Oasis guesthouse, which is exclusively all gay men, kinda like our own little bubble of fun and caddyness. In June we are going to Toronto to visit our friends Scott and Phil, who we met in Costa Rica last year. It should be a really fun time because as I may have mentioned, Scott is Scott Thompson from “The Kids in The Hall” and Canada’s premier gay export, sort of the Elton John of England or Pedro Almodovar of Spain (or at least he is in his own mind). Also, in November Andy and I will celebrate our tenth year anniversary so we are planning a trip as I type… perhaps a cruise to the Mexican Riviera, or a Romantic get-a-way to Europe, or maybe that dream Hawaiian vacation we all hope for… stay tuned, I’ll let you know what we decide… BTW, if you have any suggestions, please tell me (and just to make it clear, Austin TX is not an option!).

I Hate L.A.

2006-02-12T01:11:00.000-05:00

While those of you L.A. pals bask in the warmth and sunshine of SoCal, I am stuck at home under three inches of snow. Actually, the reports say we should get about another eight to ten inches before it’s over. My normal commute from work, which normally takes thirty five to forty minutes, took an hour and a half because the roads were not plowed as of 11:30 p.m. Most towns have a stupid rule that there has to be four inches of snow on the ground before they start to plow, needless to say I had to drive at about twenty miles per hour the whole way home. And of course rv3 calls and leaves me a message on my cell telling me about how beautiful the weather is in L.A. around eighty degrees. ARGH!!

Now that I got that out, I think I will call out from work tomorrow and take myself to the slopes. Since I broke my foot and we have not had much snow, I have not been able to get any skiing in this year. I love to go skiing (I know I know… cant you just imagine me in a bunny suit?). I have a friend who likes to join me on the slopes, the only thing is that he believes the only way to warm yourself up is to do shots before heading down the trails. Needless to say, we end up tipsy and quitting around mid-day and heading to the bar in the lodge. Then I have to call Andy to pick us up because we can’t drive and I spend too much of my hard earned cash (actually Andy’s hard earned cash since I only work part-time). Now that I think about it, I will call Ed in the morning and hit the slopes!

Do My Glasses Make Me Look Older?

2006-01-29T00:33:00.000-05:00

I know it’s been a while now since I posted anything. To be honest, I have not had any time to sit and read through blogs, much less post my own thoughts. After my return from Los Angeles, I got really busy as I returned to my final semester of nursing school the following Monday.

Going to Los Angeles is always a bitter/sweet trip for me. It’s great because I get to see my family and hang out with wonderful friends I have known for many years, but sad because I know my time is limited and it will soon end. This last trip was a bit more on the sad side because I went to attend the funeral of my dear friend Tomas’ father. Although I knew his father for many years, my main reason for going was to support Tomas. He has been through so much in the last few months and I thought my presence would make this sad week and bit more tolerable. I was right, Tomas repeatedly told me how much it meant to him that I went out and how much he appreciated me being there.

Hanging out with my mother, grandmother, Wendy, and Raffi was a much-needed escape. It was great to have two of my closest friends share a pitcher of sangria with my mother and her new bo. I sat there watching all of us talk and share memories of the past and it amazed me that my friends were drinking with my mother. It really made me feel like a “grown-up.” Kind of like the time my father and I went to happy hour at Casa Escobar during last years visit. We were joined by one of my fathers oldest friends, a guy I grew up with and always considered a part of the family. We shared margaritas and talked about the old days. I had flashbacks to when I was just a kid watching the adults having a drink while preparing the carne asada. Now, here I was, one of the adults also, having a drink while my nephew watched us. I thought “wow, someday little Erick and I will be having a drink together talking about the time grandpa and uncle Walter took him out for dinner.” Hopefully dad will still be around for that encounter.

For so many years I have managed to convince myself that life outside of Los Angeles is what I want. After all, every time I go there I get annoyed, usually by the third day over the traffic, outrages gas prices, and having to pay sales tax on clothing items (in NJ we don’t pay sales tax on clothing). But the last few trips have been different for me. I have returned to NJ wanting more than ever to be in Los Angeles again. Perhaps it’s because I am getting older and I think about my parents, grandparents and brothers also getting older, or because every time I go out I have to be re-introduced to my nephew and niece who don’t recognize me, or maybe I just lone to be with the friends I have managed to keep for many years. Perhaps it’s because I have not managed to make deep connections with friends out here or because the older I get the more I hate the cold. I do not want to return to Los Angeles as I did when I returned from Colorado; broke, jobless, and without any kind of future. I want those around me to think I made something of myself, that I did something good while I was away, like getting a higher education. In May I will graduate from nursing school and perhaps then I will feel comfortable returning to the City of Angels, with a good career and a wonderful husband by my side.

Wake me when it's over!

2006-01-06T17:53:00.000-05:00

Well, the New Year is only six days old and it already sucks! I had to work on New Years Eve, but came home early so that I could welcome 2006 with Andy. I got home at about 11:30 and sat on the couch to watch the Times Square festivities on T.V. I took my shoes off and laid my feet on Andy’s lap and asked him to rub my feet one last time in 2005. I’m not sure what he did but the next day my foot hurt really bad and I limped around the house as I was getting ready for work. When I got to the hospital, my manager asked me what happened and made me go to the ER. Well, sure enough somehow Andy broke one of my bones in my foot and now I am out of work for the next few weeks.

As if a broken foot was not enough, I went to the eye doctor today only to find out I need glasses. My vision is not horrible, but she did say I am near-sighted. She said I’ll have to wear my glasses at night, especially if I am driving, and for things such as going to the movies and reading what the professors write on the board. I went to LensCrafters thinking they would be cheaper than most other places, but had to spend almost $400. Do you know how may pomegranite martinis I could have had for $400?

And to top things off, my friend Peter who lives in L.A. had been staying with us for a few days. He was out here visiting his parents who live one town over from me, but he is highly allergic to cats and his parents own six cats. He asked if he could stay with us so he didn’t have to suffer all day and night. Since I can’t drive due to a broken foot, he has been using my car to get around. He left today and I got a phone call from him letting me know he just found my car keys in his pocket! His flight leaves in less than half an hour and we are at least 45 minutes from the airport. I am going to have to wait until he gets home and mails them back to me. Luckily I can’t work and we are on winter break from school.

So my year has not been good so far, lets hope it gets better…

This Year's Hottest Men

2005-12-30T02:13:00.000-05:00

Heath Ledger-Actor: Brokeback Mountain/Casanova
Jake Gyllenhaal-Actor: Brokeback Mountain
KanYe West- Musician/Rapper
Brandon Flowers- Musician/The Killers lead singer
Guy Ritchie- Director/Madonna’s hubby
Brad Pitt- Actor/Dumped Jennifer Anniston
Ken Watanabe- Actor/Memoirs of a Geisha
and my favorite... Andrew McGibbon- My husband!

Feel free to add any guys you want…

The End

2005-12-27T13:00:00.000-05:00

So, after weeks of preparation and months of shopping Christmas is over. What are we to do for the next 363 days left before we celebrate again? Should we consider a gym membership to try and shed off some of those holiday/winter pounds that have crept upon us? Should we think long and hard about making resolutions we know we wont keep?

I have an idea! Lets all try and be good to each other. Lets try to be the friends we want to have and make ourselves a little more open to new things. Lets try to see the world from another person’s perspective, and understand there is more out there than just ourself.

Be good, be well, be merry, and most importantly be happy. Love you…

Brokeback Mountain

2005-12-12T19:48:00.000-05:00

I think the last time I witnessed a movie theater empty in such a quiet, respectful manner was when my ex and I went and saw Schindler’s List. Last night I witnessed it again. The story of Ennis and Jack was powerful, filled with raw emotion, and heart wrenching. I won’t give away the ending, but I was surprised at how it ended. I did not read the story this film is based on so I’m not sure if Ang Lee stayed true to the original.

Jack and Ennis shared a deep, emotional bond, which is rarely seen in modern films about gay men. Their story is one to be included amongst the other great love stories Hollywood has told. Don’t believe the hype about how graphic the sex scenes are between Ennis and Jack, there is only one and it’s pretty tame if you compare it to other films like Halle Berry’s performance in Monster Ball. The rest are love scenes, yes I said love scenes. Heath and Jake are able to portray the sentiment and emotion Ennis and Jack felt for each other onto the screen. Ang Lee did a marvelous job at not making one more masculine than the other or labeling either of them as an obvious “top” or “bottom” as other directors feel the need to do.

I admit I am not an avid moviegoer. I did not recognize half the films rv3 mentioned is one of his posts. But this film is a must see, it will take you on a journey most of us prefer did not exist.

NICU

2005-12-08T15:29:00.000-05:00

It's taken me a few days to organize my thoughts on the subject:

Last Friday I went and spent the day at the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) of St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital. It was an emotional roller coaster, to say the least. The unit was filled with newborns that have not left the hospital since birth, and most were born between 20-26 weeks gestation. Some of them weighed less than one pound. Imagine that? That's less than that steak you ate last week. I think two of them were there because of trauma to the mother, an accident and a beating. The rest were all preemies because of drug-addicted mothers. Cocaine, heroine, alcohol, and crack were the some of the drugs used.

I spent 12 hours on the unit and except for one baby, none of the parents came to see their children. I think that's what broke my heart the most. These children had no one to care for them other than the NICU staff, one nurse even told me 90% of the patients end up in foster care for the rest of their life. A boy named "J" was there because his mother went to the ER in labor. She was only 22 weeks and high as a kite. She told the staff that she really did not want to be a mother again, and so after delivering "J" she simply walked out. She has not been seen since, that was 6 weeks ago.

The hospital has a "step-down" unit for the infants who make it off the NICU. They are allowed visitors and have a program where people can volunteer their time to just hold the babies. I have learned one of the most important things for an infant is to be held. Being held provides infants with a sense of security and love. I am going to volunteer my time, as much as I can, to help these children.
Every one of those babies deserves to be loved and there are not nearly enough people volunteering their time. So I ask everyone reading, if they have an hour a week or an hour a month, please look into volunteering at a hospital like St. Joseph’s. I know there is one near you!

The Body Acoustic

2005-12-07T13:42:00.000-05:00

Cyndi Lauper has a new CD out. It's an acoustic version of her hits. It's actually pretty good, and I'm not just saying that because I happen to be a fan. The new version of "Time After Time" is getting some airplay and she is joined by Sarah McLachlan on the track . Vivian Green, Ani DiFranco, and Shaggy are some of the other artists who appear on the record. It's kinda her version of MTV's "Unplugged" but not live. There are samples of the tracks on her website, www.cyndilauper.com.

It's Not Me!

2005-12-01T13:23:00.000-05:00

I know rv3 and spleengrrrl think I am the infamous pjur, but I am not. I think it's one of our old friends who is having fun with them. To be honest, I wish I'd have thought of it first...