Back to work.

Monday, April 11, 2011 - Posted by Intellectual Elegance at 9:19 AM

so true.

Back to work today, the world did not end and an agreement was reached on the 11th hour before the shutdown. This is probably how everyone's cable and phone bill works out too. You wait until they threaten to turn off your your service, then you pay just enough to keep it going.

Well, at least we can continue planning the release of the final report. To be honest, I am so attached to this project, that I was a bit panicked that the shutdown would cost us the release and would also have me without a paycheck before May 5th. Those would both be equally disastrous for me.

I had an incredible and a bit unproductive weekend. Friday we stayed in and relaxed, had Jamaican food for the first time (eh) and then went to bed. I know, we are only in our late 20's and we act like an old married couple. Saturday we woke up late, I worked out while the hubs lounged around, then we went to a women's pop-up shop )arts/crafts sale) then headed out to Philly for an art show with a friend!

Philadelphia is only an hour and a half away so it didn't feel that long, and the ride back was hilarious! The hubs and I learned that in NYC, they think Chick-Fil-A is pronounced Chikafila. We passed one and Armando said, "Look, there's a Chick-fil-a!" And our friend responded by saying, "Is that how you say that?!" I laughed so hard for about 10 minute straight! We took a minor detour through Pennsauken, Pennsylvania so we could get gas, and all 4 of us in the car were a bit scared everytime we passed some police officers. For some reason we imagined that this was the kind of place where latinos and people of color just disappear. Needless to say, we pumped gas and took off towards the highway.

The show was an incredible, and I have never seen anything like it. The artist, Adrian, created an exhibit the chronicles the memories of an elderly puerto rican woman. But his exhibit is exquisite and inspiring. We came to find out that the gallery we were in was actually someone's home! They opened up their home and now it serves as a community/art space as well. It was amazing.

It was the closing night so a few performers closed out the show and one spoken word artist brought me tears.

Her name is Danice MsMisconception Frohman. She read a poem titled "abuela" and dedicated it to her as her abuelita had just passed away two months ago. I knew it would probably be a good poem, but she captured the essence of my relationship with her. From the beginning, I cried and couldn't stop the tears from flowing. Once it was done, I quietly escaped to the bathroom to clean my face and to quietly sob a little bit more. I miss my grandma everyday and at that moment, her words just pierced straight through my heart. Hopefully I can get a copy of her performance, because it was magical for me.

All in all, the weekend was fun. Just exhausting.

I am now 36 days away from preparing for barprep, and I feel excited and nervous.

Hopefully, these next couple of weeks will fly by so I can see my family and friends then head to the beach!

This is the video of the exhibit we went to go see this weekend. Amazing.

Caja De La Memoria Viva II: Constancia Colon Clemente from Viajero on Vimeo.

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No Government Shutdown

Friday, April 8, 2011 - Posted by Intellectual Elegance at 10:20 PM

Well, as you all have heard, the government will not shut down this week. Yeay. I was a bit stressed this week thinking of all the complications I would have if they did such as no pay check, stalling the release of the report, no paycheck, and my appointment running out. ;) I don't even want to know what was compromised and given up by the dems. Thanks boehner. you suck. Happy Weekend to all. :)

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Long Day

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 - Posted by Intellectual Elegance at 7:29 PM

I think I need a day to just sleep all day.

I am so tired today and all I wanted to do was hide under the desk and go to bed.

A great highlight of my day was speaking to 8th grade students via Skype. The students wanted to learn more about college and how I paid for and went to college even though I was an immigrant, and for a long time, undocumented. I hope that I did a good job for them, I couldn't see them but they could see me, so I hope I was at least interesting. :) I think it's hard to impress 8th graders. My boss walked by as I was speaking with students and he told me afterward that he thought it was "super cool" that we can talk video to video across the country.

I did have a weird moment today when I overheard the girl who sits behind me, interview students for intern positions within the Department of the Interior. I saw how they picked candidates and the questions they asked them and how they ended the conversations. For the candidates they liked, they immediately told them they would hear back from HR and a start date will be sent to them. For the ones that were not picked, they would tell them that a decision had yet to be made and they had other people to interview and would get back to them. After applying to fellowships and positions at various jobs, I would hear the last statement vs. the first one. Now I know. I felt bad for the people that received the second statement and not the first. I wondered if they knew they were no longer in the running? If they had false hope that they might have a chance. I think I'd rather have them tell me, "you know, you're not quite what we're looking for, but good job and good luck."

I'm glad tomorrow is Thursday, I am ready to go home and I am super exhausted. I want to take this weekend to rest but there's so much to do. We'll see what the weekend holds.

Buenas noches.
xo

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Live and Let Go

Tuesday, April 5, 2011 - Posted by Intellectual Elegance at 8:09 PM

so racist. lol.

Today was an interesting day. I am in Washington, DC for work again and all is well with the Museum and the project, but I had a moment of clarity and I felt overwhelmed and at ease, all at the same time.

Since 2005 I have been an intern. Yup, a professional intern for the last 6 years and I am over it. I absolutely love the work that I have done with the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior and it has been incredibly rewarding. A year ago I came to NPS to work on the Report to Congress on the potential creation of the National Museum of the American Latino. I've worked on the edits, presentation and final delivery of the report, and if all goes well, I'll end my brief stint with NPS at the Whitehouse delivering the report to President Obama. In one year I was able to meet the most amazing people and I am incredibly grateful to all my directors for allowing me to grow professionally and personally. They went above and beyond to help me every step of the way, even more than I ever imagined. From Denver to New York, the support was there.

But now, as it all comes to an end, I am starting to realize that I don't ever want to be an intern again. I am over it. Not because of my current work, but because I am done with that chapter of my life and now I need to go pursue my goals and a career in the legal field. I've learned so much and I could come back to work for the government, but not as an intern. It's a bittersweet feeling because I've loved this project and the other projects I've had the honor of working on, but I have sacrificed too much to just be an intern for someone. And I feel ok with everything. I am still uneasy about being unemployed in the next couple of weeks but I have to believe that there is a greater plan for me and for all of this. Fate has to be working in a weird way and although I never seem to understand certain events that I am confronted with, when I look back, I see what lessons or opportunities arose from those decisions. For example, last year I joined the National Latino Law Student Association executive board and I had no idea why. I woke up that morning, attended a meeting and someone told me to run for a position and I did. Then I ended up winning a position and I had no idea why I decided to do that since I was in my final year of law school and I really didn't need to complicate my life further, but I did it anyway. Looking back, if it wasn't for the friends I made on the board, I would not have flown out to NYC or New Haven or have anyone to stay with or know in New York City. The friendships I have made are absolutely incredible and we support and motivate each other to succeed and to accomplish our goals. They are incredible human beings and I love the all dearly. But if it wasn't for my position on the board, I would have never met any of them, especially George and Alex.

So as I prepare for the Bar exam and for this new chapter in my life, I go forward with optimism and faith that everything will be ok. I have worked hard in all of my positions and if I continue to work hard, everything will be fine. I feel calm, and although I am sad to leave, I leave knowing that I contributed to the legacy of amazing projects within the Department of the Interior and beyond. It's ok for me to let go.

In the end, I guess we have to continue to be fearless and really push ourselves out of our comfort zones so that we reach our full potential. So we can be better than we ever imagined.

Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself. - Dale Carnegie

I'll leave you with the Farm workers Prayer by Cesar Chavez. I read it today and it really touched my heart, so enjoy.

Prayer of the Farm Workers' Struggle

Show me the suffering of the most miserable;

So I will know my people's plight.

Free me to pray for others;

For you are present in every person.

Help me to take responsibility for my own life;

So that I can be free at last.

Grant me courage to serve others;

For in service there is true life.

Give me honesty and patience;

So that I can work with other workers.

Bring forth song and celebration;

So that the spirit will be alive among us.

Let the spirit flourish and grow;

So we will never tire of the struggle.

Let us remember those who have died for justice;

For they have given us life.

Help us love even those who hate us;

So we can change the world.

Written by Cesar E. Chavez, UFW Founder (1927-1993)

Oracion del Campesino en la Lucha

Ensename el sufrimiento de los mas desafortunados;

Asi conocere el dolor de mi pueblo.

Librame a orar por los demas;

Porque estas presente en cada persona.

Ayudame a tomar responsabilidad de mi propia vida;

Solo asi sere libre al fin.

Concedeme valentia para servir al projimo;

Porque en la entrega hay vida verdadera.

Concedeme honoradez y paciencia;

Para que yo pueda trabajar junto con otros trabajadores.

Alumbranos con el canto y la celebracion;

Para que levanten el Espiritu entre nosotros.

Que el Espiritu florezca y crezca;

Para que no nos cansemos entre la lucha.

Nos acordamos de los que han caido por la justicia;

Porque a nosotros han entregado la vida.

Ayudanos a amar aun a los que nos odian;

Asi podremos cambiar el mundo.

Escrito por Cesar E. Chavez, Fundador de la UFW (1927-1993)

You can download it here.

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Sasnor Awards for April

Posted by Intellectual Elegance at 1:20 PM

Alright you starving foodies! Today is finally the day that I will load more Sasnor Awards! Today, I would like to honor two places that have beautifully, well crafted food items that leave your hands feeling greasy, but your heart and tummy feeling happy and full. Now that I am in New York, I know what great pizza consists of. A few places in Denver boast they have great NY Style pizza and Famous Pizza on Colfax is actually pretty delicious. But if you want to try something similar then you need to drive over to Littleton, Colorado and check out the Old Fashion Italian Deli in Littleton.

Best Pizza Spot

Old Italian Deli

395 W Littleton Boulevard Littleton, CO 80120 (303) 794-1402

oldfashioneditaliandeli.com/

This is a family run business and you can sometime see their little kids running around and trying to help their mom and dad run the restaurant. The pizza slices are huge, the bread is perfectly made to have a slight crunch to it with every bith and the mozzarella cheese literally melts right off of the dough. The tomato sauce isn't fake or overdone, it's just perfect. An entire pizza pie is gigantic and it can be easily shared between 3-4 people. The service is amazing and the products are original and not artificial like the other spots. I've also had their Chicago style hot dogs (which I am not a big fan of in general) but their hotdogs were delicious as well! If you want to venture further into their deliciousness then check out their sandwiches. One word= Amazing.

I must warn you that they only take cash and not credit cards but this business is definitely worth the drive out there. It's a small shop but beyond delicious and so authentic that you will wonder why you ever ate any other kind of pizza before. It's heaven in your mouth!

P.S. They are closed on Sundays.

Next up, something I miss dearly out here in NYC is delicious Mexican food. Everyone thinks that NYC has any kind of food you could possibly want, but that's a lie. I have yet to find mallorcas or a perfect torta. In Denver there are a few spots that have beyond ridiculous tasting tortas such as Las Tortugas and Chely's. But one of my favorite spots for tortas and Mexican food in general is La Mexicana.

Mexican Spot

La Mexicana Taqueria

2538 W 32nd Ave Ste B

Denver, CO 80211

303-477-0300

I have been coming to this restaurant for years and it's near and dear to my heart since I use to live in the neighborhood. This business has also survived the gentrification efforts of the neighborhood and has stood strong by not selling their business or the building to build fancy stupid condos. But, I'm not bitter. J

Everything is delicious at La Mexicana. Tortas, tacos dorados, horchata, chips and salsa, menudo, pozole, you name it. It's delicious, fast and affordable. The owner is there every single day making sure everything runs smoothly. This past year he re-decorated the interior to keep up with the "chic" neighborhood restaurants that were popping off, and I told him that people don't come there because it looks cool, we come because it's delicious! La Mexicana also became a hang out spot after rallies or events in Denver. We would all meet up at La Mexicana for food and drinks whenever we were going to be in the neighborhood.

Happy hour at La Mexicana is also delicious if you are a big fan of La Mighty Michelada. But the real kind of michelada, made out of Worcestershire and Tapatio sauce, and not that pansy clamato juice other places use. They also have the "lemon" michelada, which is just the lime and salt. But that's a regular beer for me.

So, if it's as nice as they say it is Denver this weekend, head over to one of these spots, pick up a pizza or some tortas and head to a park and have a picnic. I hope you enjoy these spots as much as I do.

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Happy Monday?

Monday, April 4, 2011 - Posted by Intellectual Elegance at 10:29 AM

Hi all! I am running on about 2 hours of sleep total. For some reason I could not sleep last night and rolled and tossed and turned in bed, then the couch until 6am. I finally fell asleep when I was supposed to be waking up. :( Needless to say, I arrived to work late but my Director was very understanding and said, "Yeah, I can tell you didn't sleep." So all is well at work at least. I am excited today (tired, but excited) because my first article came out today in Being Latino! You can read it here. Sadly, I wrote the article last week when a decision had yet to be made by USCIS as to whether they were going to follow the NY judge's ruling, but I have faith that with DOMA being defeated, USCIS will have no choice but to honor and recognize same sex marriages. I recently became a contributor to Being Latino this month! I had to apply and submit writing samples and I was finally accepted! Surprisingly, I love writing on this blog, but I have a hard time really putting my other writings and thoughts out in public. But I figured this is a great way to continue working on my writing and analytical skills since I don't really practice my legal writing as much anymore. I will be a legal commentator/contributor for them. :) Last week I showed you a glimpse of my other work in progress, but for now we are restructuring the site and will officially launch justiciahoy.org on Friday! Well, those are the updates I have for now but I will be posting a SASNOR award later today! You will not want to miss the deliciousness that I am about to post. Have a fabulous week folks!

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Feeling Fine...

Friday, April 1, 2011 - Posted by Intellectual Elegance at 10:42 AM

Goodness me oh my, I think I was super tired and cranky and emotional yesterday. Again, I'm sorry for being a debbie downer, but it happens to all of us and I think we all need mental health days. They are just as important as sick days, right?

I am doing better today. As I said yesterday, I went home, ate pizza and went straight to bed. :) At least I stick to my mission. :) Although I woke up at 4am and thought about getting ready and going to work at 6am, but then I got sleepy right around 4:30am and went back to sleep.

I have been working on an exciting secret project of mine that I will now share only with you, whoever you are, that read my blog. I use to think that maybe 1-2 people read it, but some folks hit me up on FB to show love for the blog and it made my heart warm like a brownie coming out of the oven! (Thank you ladies!)

With the helps of the hubs, I have a new site that I will be launching soon: www.justiciahoy.org, that will serve a professional and personal purpose of providing stories, resources and insight into the current immigration debate and other federal and state laws that impact the immigrant community. I have already received an offer to do freelance work for another immigrant rights organization in Long Island and I am looking forward to this venture because it allows me to continue to write, but at a more professional level and because I get to educate folks on resources that are available to them and upcoming events and legislation. There are some minor things that are still missing to the blog and the format and look of the blog might change, but the content will remain the same. :)

Happy Friday to Everyone! Have a fabulous weekend! I will be at a Latino Student Law event all day tomorrow. :( Networking never rests! lol!

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