...1 (project) out of many...

I've got tons of projects on my plate. I've realized that when I was super duper busy, in the past, is when I was most successful. Here's but a few things on the list (& where I'm at in the process):

My side-business >Secured the domain, putting finishing touches on it before it goes live.

My house music site >Don't have a place to host it (properly) yet but it was quick & you can download songs I've created/remixed.

Gather >Social networking site, need to get more of my friends to "see the light."

Linux Group on Gather >Group I created aimed at users of Linux, need to add more content.

My pix >Stay tuned for lots of updates (well, once I get access to a scanner).

MySpace >Pretty empty & like zero priority, at the moment.

I'm currently building 2 websites, a webserver/mp3 server & trying to wrap my brain around coding an ezboard forum so that I can have the fully-functional, lush site I've been striving for. Finishing my book is high on the priority list & joined a couple contests where the prize is a publishing contract so stay tuned.

As if there was any such thing as "free time," I've also been volunteering, what little I can, for a couple of projects, one of which is something that exemplifies something I truly believe in- FOSS (free open-source software).

3-8

So I've lost 38 lbs. since the beginning of March. A couple of you have asked me how I've done it so I decided to just post it here:

1) eliminated fried foods
2) reduced the portions of red meat that I eat
3) increased vegetables/fruits in my daily regimen
4) eliminated just 100 calories a day (just started doing this 2wks ago) which = 2 tortillas daily
5) stayed positive

What led to the change? I saw 2 pix of myself about a year ago & was like "wow, why didn't my friends tell me?!!!" As you can see, exercise isn't on that list. It's because I really haven't exercised but I figure once I get into a good workout/lifting routine, that's how I'll lose the 15-20 lbs. I'd still like to shed. While the pictures were the catalyst, I did it mostly to change bad habits & get into healthy routines. I'll stress that I've always looked @ the mirror & liked myself- maybe i wasn't content or satisfied but I never looked at myself w/disdain. I've always said that it's that FIRST step that's the toughest but once you get past that, there's no turning back.

Wasted

I've got all these talents and I've wasted them up to this point in my life. Young folks out there: don't make my same mistakes. We're all blessed with something...unique, special, remarkable. Put that something to positive use & don't let it stagnate, rotting away until you realize one day you're special. We're born with it but it's up to us to discover & develop it. Start searching.

Yo me digo a mi,
que nunca es muy tarde.
But how grander it would be,
if a lot earlier I'd started.

WIP (work in progress) excerpt #1

For the last couple of years, I've been working on this little side-project which started out as a way for me to get my little brother to like reading. Some of you have been asking for a sneak peek for a while so here 'tis. Needless to say, feedback is welcome.
============================================

She felt so alone, then, kneeling in a dark corner of the cellar as she quietly sobbed, unfazed by the occasional rat that scurried by. While she hated the place, she also knew it was home- straw and twigs roughly strewn together to form a makeshift bed.

The weird, love-hate relationship played out day after day as she found herself in the exact same place as the night before. Marya was young & beautiful but you'd never know it from looking at her. More importantly, she didn't know it. The years of labor under such a fiendish master were most physically evident on her small but heavily calloused hands. Hands too rough to wipe away the tears which flowed. But while they were tears of sadness, of longing to know another life, they were also tears of strength, fortifying her resolve. Each day that passed, her nightly sorrow was less about sad and more about self...preservation. Only recently had she even begun to have visions of what life might be like outside of her world, the only world she'd ever known. Long hours of heavy labor under the sun were followed by cooking and cleaning duties. Keeping her master happy when it came to this was no easy chore- especially where his smithing workshop was involved. She had been punished the most, by far, because of some mistake she'd made in that wretched place. Her master never knew that she spat on its floor every time she stepped on it. If she had to be imprisoned, she preferred being outdoors.

Back-breaking work, she took it all in stride, searching for a positive outlook where there wasn't one to be found. Whether tending to the vast garden's assortment of fruits and vegetables or carrying large, wooden pails filled with water, she revelled in it. Not only was she away from her master but she'd even accidentally found ways to make her tasks easier, completely unaware she possessed a gift. So while she was alone and her situation was bleak, she would not be defeated. That's why she loved her quiet, damp corner in the cellar. It was her lone place of solace. The lone place where she could release her feelings without fear of repercussion. She'd shown weakness in front of the master in the past but like a stalking wolf, smelling fear only drove him into more of a maniacal frenzy. She wiped away the tears with her still muddy forearms, accidentally smudging her cheeks with earth she'd tilled that day. At that very moment, as if strengthened by salty tears and dirt, she quietly vowed to herself that she'd never show weakness again. An insignificant event in a vast world, little did Marya know her fate was slowly...changing.
=====================================================
-Untitled (excerpt), M. H. Morales

Links 101

A brief description of why each link (on the right-hand pane) is there:
MyPix - A little something for everyone.
La Cucaracha - Latino-based political comic strip.
Boondocks - Another political comic strip..also on tv @ Cartoon Network.
Foxtrot - Video game based comic strip.
Anime Info - Great site for searching for info on various anime movies/shows
Strongbad - 1 of the internet's most famous flash-based sites...still going strong & super duper hilarious!
KPFK 90.7FM - Independent radio station here in L.A. & home to thee best conscious hip-hop (fridays 10pm-1am) & reggae (sundays 3pm-5pm) programs on the airwaves.
KCRW 89.9FM - Phat, eclectic beats from around the world & awesome dj's...need I say more?
FutureBoogie - English site dedicated to awesome electronica beats/dj's.
Housemusic.com - This site had way more content back in the day, but it's still the OG.
Firecracker - One of my top 3 favorite clubs in L.A. (it's in Chinatown). Live jazz (downstairs) + phat hip-hop beats (upstairs) = fun night 4 all.
Def Poetry- HBO show hosted by Mos Def (one of my fav. musical artists) showcasing the skill & art involved in the spoken word. Seasons 1-3 should be out on dvd.
Talib Kweli - Mos Def's other half in the group Blackstar. Conscious rhyme-maker extraordinaire.
Aterciopelados - Thee best spanish rock band around. Yea, I said it! Smooth melodies, great lyrics & sweet beats. If you ever have a chance to see 'em live, DO IT!
Domingo7- Saw them @ this coffee shop in Pasadena years ago & loved their vibe. I keep running into them @ various concerts (opened for both Ozomatli & Buena Vista Social Club) & turns out they're playing quite a bit @ Firecracker. Small world.
Barbed Wire Boys - Tom's band. Southern rock? Rockabilly? The best way I can describe them is that EVERY single person I've ever taken to see them, comes back for more.
SC - home of the Trojans, baby!!!
Verbum Dei - A great high school in the heart of L.A. Verb_Pride!
UberGeek TV- All tech, all the time.
DFR - My college buddy's radio show on KPFK 90.7FM (friday nites 10pm-1am). Where conscious hip-hop, phat beats & droppin' knowledge smoothly meld.
Kids In Sports - Wonderful inner-city program which I was fortunate enough to volunteer at for nearly 10 years as a Head Coach.

Upcoming...

Phew...so now that y'all are caught up, here's what's on the docket***:
June -- World Cup (nuff' said)
July -- Camping trip to Laughlin (work permitting)
Bday celebration......don't be trying to hide, RudeDog!
Aug/Dec - More Bday celebrations (don't we do anything else these days? day-yum!)

***PLEASE NOTE: Dave's wedding (TBA) shall be slotted in (I'm working on a calendar feature) once we all know where to crash the wedding...i mean, umm, know the details...yea, that's it. So keep the fellas posted, Dave, unless you want us going all A-Team on yo-azz. =P

Back@Ya

Ok, so it's been a while since I posted. Busy, yadda yadda. Anyway, a brief recap since my last post (in semi-chronological order):
-Work...busy...typical stuff here.
-Jose's bday celebration was mucho fun...Dave coming out & having ALL the guys together (Willy, Rudy, Jose, Carlos, Oscar & Dave) was a nice, rare site.
-My grandma was here visiting from Jalisco & stayed longer than she'd initially planned...talk about a nice bday gift! :)
-Jay (to those of you that know him) got married to Mi-wa. Hope you 2 are having fun in SD! We want pictures!!!
-Tino got married!! When we going inner-tubing down the Salt River again, Mr. SunsFan?
-Memo & Jo had their baby (congrats!!...again)...she's absolutely gorgeous!!!
-Dave & Marie got engaged! (felicitaciones!)...Dave, all the guys keep asking me "where's our invites, darnitt?!!!" =P
-Bday celebrations galore the last couple months-- Ayde, Evelyn, Willy, Oscar, the list keeps goin' & goin'.
-Currently, I'm working on a website, building a small fileserver, having fun w/music production & have a few other projects that occupy my "spare time."
-Everyone's families are in good health, which is always the BEST update... :)

A bit about me...

Well, I realized that I'd made my first post w/out even giving some tidbits about me....

I'm a die-hard Clipper, Dodger, LA Kings, Raiders & Chivas de Guadalajara fan. Now, normally this would be cause for concern (well, minus Chivas, since they've been kicking ass & taking names for like..ever!) but I know what to expect from "my" teams. Having been a Clipper fan since '87 has honestly made me a better person- you learn that while it's nice to have awe-inspiring goals, it's best to have a more realistic grip on life. Sure everyone bags on them but I'm loyal & was sure last year's team had the basis of something special, then, BAM!..the injury bug hit like Bobby Brown upside Whitney's dome & no playoffs (again). Well, enough about my undying love-hate relationship w/my favorite teams.

While I used to think I had a gajillion friends (I tend to easily get along w/all types of people), I've come to realize I'm real guarded w/my friendships. Most of my good friends I've known for 15+ years (heck, my buddy Rudy & I go way back to 1st grade!) w/a couple good peeps I've met at places I've worked at along the way.

Familia is such an important thing, I'm real tight w/my immediate family. Sure, we might not agree on everything but they're familia & I love 'em to death- especially mom. My grandma & I are also real close. I just wish I could see her more often in her later years (though I've been working on that)- but it makes our reunions just that much more special & emotional. I'm a godfather to 3 (niece, nephew & cousin) & uncle to 6 (3 girls & 3 boys). I have no kids of my own (although being the oldest of 6 sure makes me feel like i've been a parent). I still can't believe my "baby" sister is gonna be a senior & "baby" bro a junior in h.s. I still remember buying them cute little USC or Dodger outfits, taking them to my baseball games & warming up their bottles...boy how time flies.