Ven Conmigo A New Mexico (Come With Me to New Mexico)

What? Where? When? WOW! What a whirlwind has spun in front of me. What a chance to deliver such satisfaction to my being. New cultures, new people, new food, a new time zone altogether! This will surely be an adventure of a lifetime.

Today’s Date: January, 16th, 2011. The Departure: February/March.

For those of you who have been previous readers, you have read about my lost excursion to the Big Apple, but the dream has never ended for me, only been slightly removed or altered due to extenuating circumstances. I’ll brief you on all of the ventures of my life, the new Ventures Of My Ambitions.

So the new year has come and while there have been many negatives, it’s only pointless to see one side. So instead, I have embraced the positive and announce that so many adventures have opened up for me. For the past 7 years, I have been friends with a very wonderful family. They have kept me safe, warm, stable, and loved. In previous years, this family had lived out-of-state, a town and state called Albuquerque, New Mexico. They lived there for 15 years and told me of all of the wonders that this area possesses. Now, knowing anything about the state, one can certainly be aware that a boy from Pennsylvania, the wetlands, will be in for a culture shock when traveling to the mid-west, the sand-lands. However, at 26 years old, I believe I’m ready to move on, take the chance, and be explorative. Does this mean I will start wearing shit kickers and sporting a leather cowboy hat? Perhaps! I’m one for change and am sort of the chameleon of sorts. I do find it fascinating of the Spanish heritage that there is there. I found out a few things from the locals, such as the north not thinking so highly of the south. It kind of reminds me of the novel “North& South”, written by Elizabeth Gaskell in 1854 for a magazine called “Household Words”. Many have told me of the sprees of violence that take place in certain areas of the state, which I will be staying away from, while other areas are littered with magnificent beauty, areas I plan to frequent.

One of the greatest spectacles of New Mexico is their Balloon Fiesta, which officially started in 1783, when balloonists would fill their hot air balloons simultaneously and plunge them into the air to create an array of rainbow colors, shapes, and sizes. As you see here to the right, these balloons are none of what our  minds think of when we hear “hot-air balloon”. We see even a cow and a monster truck in the sky. See the people? How tiny they appear! I can’t wait to be standing with them gazing at these magnificent beings. But these monstrosities are not the only wonders of New Mexico. For those of us that like the altered style of rugged housing, there are mud houses called Adobe houses, of which many of the natives live.

As you can see, scattered throughout this paragraph, these houses are quite beautiful. They are made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic materials such as sticks, straw, and/or manure. Lovely right? It makes me wonder if I can smell the manure. Not a very pleasant thought! Of course, not all of them are this spectacular. There are some that leave more to be desired but I have decided to leave those out as they are an eyesore. As you can see, the land here is very dry. There it little in the way of greenery. Yes, it does exist, especially in certain parts of the state, but as for the whole, it’s very much a desert.

The State’s topography consists mainly of high plateaus or mesas, with numerous mountain ranges, canyons, valleys, and normally dry arroyos.  Average elevation is about 4,700 feet above sea level.  The lowest point is just above the Red Bluff Reservoir at 2,817 feet where the Pecos River flows into Texas.  The highest point is Wheeler Peak at 13,161 feet.  The principal sources of moisture for the scant rains and snows that fall on the State are the Pacific Ocean, 500 miles to the west, and the Gulf of Mexico, 500 miles to the southeast.

New Mexico has a mild, arid or semiarid, continental climate characterized by light precipitation totals, abundant sunshine, low relative humidities,and a relatively large annual and diurnal temperature range.  The highest mountains have climate characteristics common to the Rocky Mountains. So wow, now that all of that has been spewed, it reaches over 100 degrees on average, in case any of you were curious! For those of you wondering if this is for you, I’m not one for the heat, but maybe you will be. I will get used to it though. So I’m hoping!

So besides the beautiful balloons, and the houses, what more does the state have to offer besides the heat? FOOD!

For those of you that know me, and now for those of you that don’t, if there’s one thing to know about me, it’s that I’m a human trash can! I have researched the types of food that New Mexico has to offer, and let me tell you, I’m very excited! Of course, one would have to appreciate the fine dining’s of Spanish/Mexican food in order to want to eat these types of dishes.

We see here, the first picture is of Santa Fe’s Flat’s New Mex Grille. This is their version of tacos! Yum! And here are the classic Enchiladas as we see here to our left. Don’t those just look scrumptious? And to the right is the New Mexican Green Chili. Now this is a dish that Pennsylvania does not offer at all!  Of course, I can imagine that most of these foods are deep-fried, so I will be planning on dieting as much as I can. Since I do not have a vehicle, walking will be a necessity for me. But if for whatever reason I do not feel like walking, there is always the train! Wow, something my area of Pennsylvania does not use for public transit. Hell, we don’t even have taxi’s. What a poor, sad commonwealth I live in. I will be very glad to leave.

As so not to bore you with so much information at once, I will say goodbye for now but leave you with this… I will be writing more since there will be much more to talk about – people I meet, places I go, food I try, bars I sing at, pictures of as much as I can take to show you, the animals that I see, and so much more. Please comment and let me know your thoughts and or opinions. I always love hearing from my readers. You all give me hope and inspiration. Well, signing off now! Till next entry…

VERY IMPORTANT – PA, CT, & MD, PLEASE READ!

I am an Independent Power Broker for the North American Power Company. I would honestly appreciate it if everyone and anyone who pays their electric bill, knows someone who pays their bill, has friends and family that has any electric bill that lives in Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Connecticut, to PLEASE READ!!!

FACTS:

* As of the 1st of January, 2011, electricity will increase 43%!

* The cap that the state placed on the electric in 1998 will be removed!

*  EVEN PECO IS ENCOURAGING YOU TO LOWER YOUR RATE NOW!!! “With deregulation, people should be shopping for their electricity. If not, PECO becomes the default provider.” PECO president and CEO Denis O’Brien

*NO START-UP COSTS – Becoming a North American Power customer is FREE and you can return to PECO’s rate at any time without penalty.

* YOU CAN PLUG IN – Millions of residents and businesses are already enjoying deregulated energy rates. You can too!

*LIGHTNING QUICK – Saving with North American Power is fast and easy. Just click or call us, and you’re on your way in a flash.

* YOU CAN GO GREEN – Ask about NAP Green™, and 25%, 50% or 100% of your monthly electric use can support the production of cleaner power resources like wind and water.

Take PECO’s advice. Lower your rate before it goes up.

OUR RATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

PPL = 0.0939

PECO = 0.0899

IF YOU HAVE READ THIS FAR, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF YOU WOULD FOLLOW THIS LINK:

www.napower.com/davidfortin

THE NORTH AMERICAN POWER COMPANY AND MYSELF, DAVID FORTIN, WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING THE RIGHT STEPS IN HELPING YOU IN THE FUTURE!

A New Beginning

Since the inception of this blog to date and at the current time of me writing this, I have 641 hits.  Alarming!  Who knew that a single residual blogger could be held responsible for such a hit counter?  Not I.  Unless of course, he or she were writing something that caught almost every reader’s eye.  I can’t say that I’ve accomplished such a feat, but I can say that what I write apparently falls on interested minds.  Perhaps it’s the soap opera that is my life that others find intriguing, or maybe the gossip they feel they can muster from all of this.  Who knows?!?

Putting all of that aside, I wanted to start with something new and exciting!  A fresh new wave of my life just waiting to be taken out to sea like some gallant sailor coursing through the subtle waves of the ocean on a glorious, sun-filled, seagull interrogating morning.  Lately, I’ve been getting overwhelming sensations for this urge to write.  It’s uncanny really!  Mostly these feelings of wanting to write come from explainable experiences I’m living, however, I find that, instead of verbalizing them to an audience of friends and/or family, they’re more poetic or imaginative when written.  I think any true writer can understand, especially one I know in particular – a great friend of mine.

A brief catching up for those of you who have been following, in this past month, my life has gone from sensational to the abyss of hell, and back to sensational again.  In regards to relationships that is.  On other news, recently,  I was pulled over for a headlight that was out on my truck and a warning for my license that had since had the wrong address on it for the past year.  Apparently, the cop lied to me in telling me I “did not” get a fine and that it was just a “warning” because I now have a fine for $109.00 that I cannot afford.  Also, a possible suspension of my license may occur!  How wonderful!  I don’t know how I’m going to manage this.  I will be contesting it in court should it go that far.  As far as work is considered, I’m still pursuing my mission to be a singer.  I’m still the same musician I’ve always been, and currently coordinating a benefit variety concert for Haiti.  The Hope For Haiti Foundation has given my group, ICE Productions, the go-ahead to do this benefit in Haiti’s honor and raise money for them.  The United Way Foundation will most likely be taking part in this great ordeal as well.  But as far as work itself, no, there has been nothing.  Applications have run rampant from stores to my hands and back to stores again.  Everything from Banks to Child Care, and Customer Service to Veterinary Assistance.  This is an economy filled with nothing and yet, everything!  How blank!

But enough of that rambling!  I’m here to start the beginning of me again.  It seems I am forever dealing with this issue!  New York is not a pipe dream for those of you wondering.  It’s still a goal of mine.  I’m just not sure as to when it will happen.  I have noticed the auditions for GLEE that have pipelined themselves from the creators to Myspace ads.  I was thinking of taking a stab at it and seeing what I can do for myself.  Perhaps something will come of it and on the other hand, I could still be staring into the blank pages of life I’m trying to fill with words until I find something decent to write.  Perhaps some of you readers have some ideas that I can attempt?  Feel free to leave me comments at any time.  I was also thinking about American Idol again this year, and hopefully hearing back from America’s Got Talent, but apparently that is going no where!  How unfortunate…

This time of nothingness has left me plenty of time to think.  In doing so, I have found myself going crazy but also, wanting more out of life.  I have decided more and more that I want to write.  And not just blogs, but journal entries, magazine articles, poetry, and anything and everything that may mean something to someone somewhere.  I have begun doing side jobs for people starting up their businesses and creating articles just to make some cash on the side – currently my only source of income!  How sad to even have been turned down by unemployment until the 12th of April where I can try yet again to apply.  I’m by no means a “low-life” to this world.  I have many things I can do, but where are the outlets and why does the government support those who don’t really need it and are just too lazy?  I don’t understand.  But anyway, I’m not writing this blog to banter about our government, I can save that for another blog!

So, I’m looking for some advice here people!  To all of my current and future readers, what do you suggest someone with writing skills should do?  Have any of you watched Charmed and have seen Alyssa Milano (Phoebe) as the columnist?  Well, that’s what I’ve always wanted to do.  If anyone has any inspirational words of advice, I’d truly appreciate them!  And please don’t state the obvious, and by that I mean telling me to go to college!  I’m already down that road! *Smiles*  I’m an English major with a minor in Journalism, a 3.5 GPA and am on the Dean’s list with Lehigh Carbon Community College!  Just an FYI for some of you who didn’t know!  Well, again, if any of you have any outlet for me to follow, know anyone that might be able to get me connected to something along those lines, please, let me know!

Well, this ends my blog for the day!  I hope to hear back from you all!!!  My best regards…

A Final Fair-well, Friend

When I was a young man of 16, I began working for a company called NTR, National Telephone Research. One day, while carrying out my duties as a phone interviewer, I happen to glance outside and noticed this red-headed, chubby boy with glasses, standing at the front entrance of the building. My supervisor began talking to him, and within a few minutes, he was gone. A few days later, I was introduced to him, “I’m Joey” he announced. “I’m Davy”. I replied. Little did we know, that small introduction would soon turn into years of a loving, caring, and nurturing friendship.

Somewhere in the course of this time, we had lost contact. It was odd to think that two individuals who were so close to each other, could somehow manage to drift apart, and for an entire year. I eventually found him once again, after finding out that he was just recently released from a brace due to a car accident he had endured, and now finding out he was a Type 2 Diabetic. What a catastrophe! However, because of the accident and his new found diabetes, he lost a lot of weight and became a new person. After playing catch-up for the 4 hours on the phone, our friendship, this time around, began to grow stronger than before.

As the years progressed we decided to move in together, and took on the world together. We soon began roles for a show called “The Rocky Horror Picture Show”. Joey always had a way of dressing for the occasion. In fact, he even gave me some pointers as to how to be more outlandish with my outfits and makeup. Anyone who visited and lived during our performance and renowned pre-show days, knew of our dances.

I remember the days of trying to practice our shows in this small shoe-box sized apartment kitchen in Tamaqua, blaring our techno music and choreographing our routines for that next weeks show. Sometimes, we would have our neighbor come over and watch us at times to see what he thought. They were always fun. On our days off, we would just lounge around, or walk through town meeting and greeting others with smiling faces as well as checking people out together. Imitating TV shows like Mad TV, watching movies, doing drugs, throwing crazy parties, and getting into a lot of trouble was all we ever did then. I couldn’t have asked for a better life. But unfortunately, the drugs consumed us for a while until, at some point, I had had enough.

I decided to take up college, quit the drugs and alcohol, and move on. Joey, however, did not. Friends and family began to grow very worried about him. We talked to him, pleaded with him, warned him of his life and how it could end faster than it should.  But he never listened. For a brief moment, he claimed he was better. He had stopped doing it all and we were so proud. But when we later found out he had relapsed, we were, again, saddened.

It was at this time in our lives where Joey and I departed. He with his life, and me with mine. I couldn’t bare to watch my best friend ruin his life. The drugs and diabetes had consumed him, and although he had tremendous willpower and was very strong, they were stronger.

I’m not sure what killed him. Maybe it was from a broken heart of misery and not knowing where to turn after being in and out of rehab and thinking he used up all his friend resources, maybe the drugs or perhaps it was the diabetes. Whatever the case, Joey Bauer is a name that will be remembered by us all. I wish I could have been more involved in his life these past two years, but I know we thought about each other as it was made known through mutual friends, and even though our friendship died down a bit, we still cared for one another on that deep childhood, friendship level that I will never forget. Joey Bauer, you will forever and always be loved.

Love, your best friend – Davy (Lola)

Promiscuity & Embarrassment. The Language of Facebook.

The constant persiflage of a feeble mind has left me tired. I have decided to devote this down-spiraling emotion upward. Recently, I was introduced to a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time. Embarrassment. This cause to alarm was sent in e-mail form when I was informed of whom I had portrayed. Not one single person, no, but a multitude of people who are so apt to share their bodies with the world. Now, considering the sexual nature of pornographers, I didn’t feel my shirtless picture were to be ashamed of, but in retrospect, why would I have done this at all? I came to the conclusion that nudity is a beautiful sight to behold, but for both ends of the spectrum. Statement A, nudity in pornography, provides of sense of self-gratification in the aspect of having the world look at nudity as a form of unscrupulous sexual pleasure and in all that it entails. Statement  B, allows us to see nudity as beauty, but sacred. This too is self gratifying in a way that shows a body is more than just a bank for sperm and an organ of which to indulge.

All in all, I find promiscuity a talent that not everyone can master. Promiscuity is called by many names I.E. whore, slut, skank, dirt bag, etc. While some may see this as a grotesque abomination to the hierarchy that is their moral standards, others see it as a way of life. I find it intriguing. I think the mental process for some of which would be the catalyst to their half-naked bodies on websites such as Facebook and Myspace which deems their nudist structure, is simply a process of acceptance.

Acceptance by any other name is still acceptance. Whether is be a march of Gay Activists proclaiming that homosexuality is not a sin, the blacks coming forth and announcing their freedom, or the early 60′s where women gained their liberties, we all, in one way or another, have come to terms with these people and actions. Today, in the year 2010, people are still trying to find new forms of self-expression, and for those of them most unaccepted, rebuttal comes in many silhouettes.

The reason I started this segment on “Promiscuity & Embarrassment. The Language of Facebook.” was to prove to myself what I was thinking. And although I claim self-expression, I also salute morality. As I grow older, I find my sense of self more apt to change. The thought process I once believed so strongly in began to change. I watch as the people around me remain the same, yet unchanged by their ages or knowledge and I think, “it will happen”. So, to place my half-naked self on a website such as Facebook where the world is connected at a click, I have been made to realize, beauty lies within, and clothes on can still make a person more beautiful than one with clothes covering the bedroom floor. This is not to say I have changed completely in all my mannerisms, but just a hint of what I’ve been feeling and how as one gets older we change.

So, will I perform like some circus poodle flaunting my body around, dangling through hoops of my undeveloped morality, or will I succumb to a more mature fashion and keep myself at bay? Well, I will say this with slight sarcasm and yet a slight tilt of head and smile to show my more devious side, I suppose a few half-naked shots won’t hurt to real in the next cute guy! After all, it is my life that I’m living. *WINK*

A Rampant Mind

Life has a very interesting way of putting things. Sometimes one can think everything is fine and in the next moment, a mind can run and cause unnecessary thoughts that can get you into trouble. A heart can beat at a normal pace until you think that someone may not exactly be telling the whole truth. Sometimes comments are made to bypass what is really going on behind closed doors, behind the voice of a phone call or the keys of a text. The only thing to go on is trust and faith. Sometimes that doesn’t seem enough. What more can be done about it?

Once upon I time, I thought the world could grant me the strength, the courage, the serenity, and wisdom to make a difference, to acknowledge the things that I could change, and yet, here I sit. If anyone is reading this, know that I have tried my best to do all things right that I could. I tried to be the perfect boyfriend, the perfect friend, and yet, I’m stranded, stuck in a world that lets me escape to nowhere. I’ve lost it all again. Andrew has left me, I lost my job, unemployment denied me, applications are thrown everywhere and all I can do it wait.

I want to be somebody special, I want to do great things with my life, but I don’t know how to get there. All of these failed attempts are so painful and tedious. I’ve had so much time to ponder what to do with my life and still nothing has been done. I’m 25 years old and not getting any younger. I wonder if I’ll ever be at peace with myself or those around me. I’m sick of this facade that cascades my being, these mountains that once the top has been reached, only lead to a cliff that ends my journey. I fall every time. I hear hope and positive things from so many people, and I strive to do what they tell me, take the path of most and least resistance to get to where I need to be, but I’m always sitting at the bottom looking up. I see people around me struggling too, but in this world, I still feel all alone. I don’t mind it so much at times; it gives me time to think. But what do I think about now? Another journey I want to take and fall victim to misery again?

When I was a child, I dreamed of being a famous singer, a writer, a lawyer, and as I grew older, I strove to make my dreams reality. I dedicated myself to whatever was at hand and maybe, just maybe, I did it to myself. The loss of everything I mean. I know life has a way of turning itself around, but why do I have to wait for that to happen? It seems all I do is wait. New York was a failure, Cruise ships seemed like a good idea until I found it harder to get into there then trying to break into Fort Knox. Singing is still a passion, as well as writing, but I need something now, not something to wait for to happen in the future.

It’s there, I can feel it.  The warmth of the Sun, the smell of air.

Beneath the sky there lays a boy lying in bed.

And out the dirty window he glares, shattered in misery.

Tears fall from eye to cheek, to lips and sop the pillow beneath.

His life it passes, from dusk till dawn then till dusk again.

What caused this pain inside his heart that keep him here to rest?

A multitude of memories, shattered dreams, unspoken words.

It tears him from heart to skin. Emotional. Coward. Angry. Feeble. Lost. Torn.

It’s true. I was never like this before. Where is that happiness I once knew?

Where is the stability I once bore from the veins of my existence?

I need it back. Sentiments you may feel for me, but none that will deal me the royal flush of life.

I need a trip, a vacation, a journey that will clear my mind.

I take them all the time though, in my thoughts that is.

The covers feel so warm when the Sun holds me.

I can’t help but bask in them. They knead my body, keeping me comforted.

I will find happiness again. I know I’ll make it through. I always do.

I don’t know where to end this mental and emotional chaos, or how it will even end.

I suppose I can just stop.

Chapter 2 – Men

While men seemed to rank high on my to-do list, they also found me with many a heartache. Don’t get me wrong, they had their positive moments, but mostly they did nothing but hurt me. I will say though that some were very romantic, charming, sweet, and would do anything for me, but it seemed short-lived. I guess their do-good-feel-good nature only lasted for as long as their genitalia could stay erect. I don’t know that I did anything wrong to endure the heartache that they soon presented me.

Being the romantic that I am, I’m big on poetry and songwriting. I remember when I had written a poem for this guy to ask him out on Valentine’s Day and he turned me down, only to ask me out to my own poem three days later. What sense that made I’ll never know. He claimed he had wanted to ask me out and I beat him to the punch so I suppose I emasculated him. That’s the only thing I could have attributed it to. All in all, he was a very sweet guy though, until he broke up with me. He claimed it was because after we had had sex for the first time, three months into our relationship, he felt closer to me and couldn’t see me as often as he had wanted. I felt that his whole relationship was just a ploy to get sex out of me then dump me just as fast. However, he’s either a pathological liar or was telling the truth because to this day, whenever I run into him, it’s the same story. Who knows!

Another guy was bisexual. Ouch! These are always hard ones to deal with for many reasons. One, they’re not only interested in men, but also women. So, now it just opens a floodgate for more competition. It’s hard for a gay man to be with a bisexual because there are obvious attributes to both sexes that neither one can provide the other. For instance, if a bisexual wanted a vagina and I have a penis, well, who do you think they’re going after? Not me! And it sucks because I wouldn’t be able to provide a real vagina, and conversely, she wouldn’t be able to provide a penis. I have found they are more prone to cheating, lying, and backstabbing; however, some of them are legitimate.  A true definition of a bisexual is one that can be with a man or a woman and be happy either way, and I’m talking the long haul people; boy meets boy, boys gets engaged, boys gets married and have the white-picket fenced in dream with a dog or cat, not just ephemerally during the sexual act. These honest creatures do exist but they’re a rare breed. Every now and again you will run across one. I will say though, they make for great lovers as long as they’re thinking with the right head, which I can’t even say most men do in general, but again, a rare breed. Relationships with these men are not easy, but I think they make for the strongest relationships once you both can see that you’re made for each other and the jealousy ends.

Let’s see, what’s next? Ah, kids. Quickly, whether you and your man decide you want them, always think of where your relationship is at that point,where you two see it going, what the expenses will be, and if you’re truly ready. Kids are no easy task, but they’re a joy of this world. Personally, I would love to have children. Do I see it in my future? Absolutely! When? I don’t know, but a few years most likely unless extenuating circumstances ensue, which could happen to anyone.

Do you think there will ever be a book that truly describes every aspect of every man? Well, many have tried, but none have succeeded. Many have come extremely close, enough to the point that we can relate all too well, but honestly, I don’t know that one can ever be created to describe us all. We’re all way too different to handle. We are a wide variety; gay manly men, gay girly men, bi men, straight men, average gay men, straight girly men, straight butchy men, bi girly men, bi butchy men, dragqueens, impersonators, hippies, metrosexuals, metro’s who pretend to be gay, metro’s who pretend to be straight, and many, many more combinations. I don’t know of one book that has covered all aspects of us, so I say, just live and learn.

Men! Yeah, I just don’t know. Some of us are fortunate enough to not find the pig-headed, stubborn, egotistical, sex-craving, maniacs. But then again, some of us are those men. These are my words of advice, learn your type and go from there, and if you don’t have one, well, you’re probably the more emotional kind of man who’s willing to grab on to the man based on actual personality and attention they give you. Just be careful. The heart is nothing to be messed with.