School Supplies....by pemora

How cute is Emma? I hate her. She's too damn cute.

School is around the corner (yay?) and many classrooms across this country need supplies. We are trying to help a friend to UR with his classroom needs. If you are willing to give any of the following, go HERE for contact info.

World Maps
Posters of Brazil, Nigeria, El Salvador, and Haiti
Pens and Pencils
Document Bins
Milk Crates
College Ruled loose leaf paper
Reams of blank paper
Colored Pencils
Colored Markers
Single subject spiral notebooks
Computer flash drives

Team Kathy....by pemora

....all the way. I love her, her giant cannoli and her crazy eyes. She is awesome.

gif c/o RealityTVGIFs

Olympics: 5 Athletes + WTF?!....by pemora

As promised, I was all excited about the Opening Ceremonies last night. In truth, I was a bit bored at first and ended up focusing on and then buying an amazing pair of shoes while doing some online shopping. But I slowly got caught up in the excitement, despite having to deal with 150 Mary Poppins flying through the air. Cool, I get it. Still lame but I get it.

What really caught my attention was the commentary during the Parade of Nations. I don't really know Bob Costas but some of his comments were, in my opinion, offensive. Several times, he mentioned that a certain country had, "no chance of winning a medal but are just happy to be here"

Huh? WTF?

And then when Djibouti entered the arena...."Djibouti, a country's name that just makes you smile"

Helpmelordjesus.

Whatever. I need to move on because then I start hating people.

Here are the five athletes that I am most excited to watch. Feel free to comment on hotness at your whim.

1. Tim Morehouse (Fencing)

Yes, we went to high school together. Yes, I already mentioned him. But this is, seriously, one of the nicest guys I know. When he returned from China, he even let me wear his medal! How can you not love a dude who shares his medal? (I tried to convince him to let me wear it out drinking but he wasn't down with that. Sadness). Did I mention he's from the Bronx? Yeah, BX represent.



2. Lia Neal (Swimming)

Lia is half-black/half-Chinese and is only the 2nd African American female swimmer to make it to the Olympics. She's only 17....what the? What was I doing at 17? Definitely not competing in the freaking Olympics. And she hails from Brooklyn. Gotta love my NY'ers.

3. John Orozco (Gymnastics)

Another Bronx boy, John is only 19. His parents truly sacrificed for him to compete in gymnastics as a child. I read that John and his brothers got jumped once on their way home from church (church?! seriously, that is just horrendous) and one of his brothers ended up seriously injured. John speaks often of wanting to provide for his family and move them out of the Bronx to his new home in Colorado.








4. Javier Culson (Hurdles)

Several people mentioned Javier on twitter last night, so I had to look him up myself. Javier was the flag bearer for Puerto Rico and is coming into these Olympics undefeated. Apparently, he is THE man to beat for gold. Go 'head, Boricua!

5. Maria Espinoza (Taekwondo)

Another person that was mentioned several times on my TL, Maria was Mexico's flag bearer. She won gold in China, becoming the 2nd woman from her country to do so. Maria is having a shaky year but is still considered to be one of the people to beat for gold. Her whole town is waiting to throw a mega party for her!





Update:
Tim Morehouse - had a great run and made it to the quarterfinals in individual sabre
Lia Neal - won bronze in the freestyle relay
John Orozco - had a great showing in his 1st rotation

Olympics 2012....by pemora

I don't know why I am so excited for this year's Olympics. Usually, I'm slightly bothered to have to deal with a heavy rotation of sports and then find myself enraptured by every US athlete. This year, I am actively excited by the Olympics. I cannot wait to watch the opening ceremonies, I am anxious for Michael Phelps, I love the story about that Bronx gymnast, and I am rooting for high school friend Tim Morehouse.

More than anything, the Olympics is a time to feel quite patriotic. I get teary-eyed hearing the national anthem when someone wins gold (and I also yell, 'in yo face, suckas!' to the TV), I love seeing our flag, I want to know more about those representing our country.

As a person of color (yes, I went there again), it is difficult to always understand our relationship with this country. To put it mildly, it is complicated. But there is something about the Olympics that always makes me feel pride and joy.

Wow, that was oddly mushy. There must be something wrong with me today. Maybe it is time for some chardonnay.

I Got It Made...Special Ed [Throwback Thursday]

Woke up with this song in my head.

I’m your idol, the highest title, numero uno
I’m not a puerto rican, but I’m speakin so that you know

Black Friend Date

Growing up, I was the girl who blasted Bon Jovi in the tiny subsidized apartment I shared with my mother, the one who preferred Friends to Martin and John Hughes to Spike Lee. Is it any wonder, then, why my mother would set me up on a Black Friend Date?

To read more of this piece by friend to UR, Jamie Nesbitt Golden, go to xojane.

All My Exes Live in Texas...by pemora

As some of you may know, I spent the last three weeks in Marfa and Alpine, Texas. Huh? Yeah, it was an adventure of sorts and I ended up liking it much more than I thought I would. Whowouldathunkit? This Bronxite could actually exist in a place that has a total population equal to 1/10 of the population living in NYC public housing. Boom. That's some stats for you, right there.

The coolest part about Marfa is this awesome art installation of a Prada store. I didn't actually get any pics of it, so here is one from wiki.

The other cool thing that happened was Beyonce + Solange visited Marfa while I was there. I didn't get to see her but I heard that she was equal parts nice and cold, depending on which locals told you the story.

Here are my pics from the trip. Hope you enjoy them! (pics after the jump)

This Is How I Start Every Evening Event...by pemora