A simple thought

I wanted to comment on Annette's blog on this subject but I felt that it would be better to post it on my blog since I wanted to tackle so many issues. Since I wanted to say so much on the subject, leaving a really long comment on someone else's blog would not fit right. It has been in the works since June and I just put the finishing touch on it. Enjoy!

*Warning: This post is not meant to offend, or criticize, or present a counter argument to Annette's blog. It is merely to present more perspective on the same subject.

I think it is true that it seems that there is a sizeable gap between the young male and female constituents in the Church. From the outset you can see and talk about how the guys and girls in the Church are on different wavelengths so to speak. I think partly that is due to how both sexes mature at a different pace but the argument cannot be simplified like that. There has to be and there is more to it than just "maturity".

It has been my experience talking with both guys and girls in the Church that on many levels, the girls in the 18-25 years old range seem to have the right set of priorities. They are more serious about God, the Church, life, and all the things that sometimes guys do not begin to think about until taking a few bumps in the road or experimenting with life's pleasures. Of course this argument generalizes way too much but it is the prevailing opinion and/or fact.

I have said it myself to some of the girls whom I consider good friends. I think that because of their example it has helped out some of us guys to start taking God and all other things in life more seriously. When you see people your age grow and achieve wonderful things it inspires you to do the same. Of course this is too rosy of a picture and a lot of other things occur underneath the surface that need to be said.

I don't want to pit this post as a "guy vs. girl" perspective but it undoubtably seems that the guys get an unfair rap as to how far we are from truly committing to something as serious as a relationship and/or marriage. Things cannot be simplified to the point where "guys aren't preparing themselves, aren't ready to commit while girls are taking the right steps." There is some truth to that but I wouldn't say it is as far reaching as one would think. I'm all for people (both men and women) educating themselves and improving their overall knowledge but it does not necessarily mean you've got everything clicking in the right direction. It just means you're receiving an education.

Yes you do learn how to organize, prioritize, develop responsibility, and all that jazz but I think we're being a little bit too dreamy with what college is really like. Are we all really that responsible, goal oriented, and organized as we attend(ed) college? I think we like to think so but if we really analyze ourselves we would know for certain that we are definitely lacking in those respective areas, as males and females. It is more than just the material preparation though, relationships are hard work and require dedication, sacrifice, forgiveness, and a LOT of understanding.

It is fair to say that the guys and girls want to eventually settle down and have radiantly joyful marriages. It seems though that people are afraid of taking a chance on developing a relationship. It is often said that "marriage is a leap of faith" but I would like to add that love in and of itself is a leap of faith. It seems that there is a fear to enter in a relationship because we are afraid of getting hurt. You never know how it might end up but you can never find out unless you try. I was having this conversation with a good friend of mine before I left for DC this summer and she seemed to agree. We want the satisfaction and happiness of a wonderful relationship without giving people a chance.

It goes along with Josh Kerr's post regarding the myth that there are not good guys around. If the guy does not fit the girl's frame of view (i.e. is not flashy, etc.) then he goes unnoticed. We all need to grow and look beyond what we WANT in someone else and look for what we NEED. This is the part where God would come in and provide that partner that complements us the best. Of course we would have to do our part in giving that person the time of day. In order to reach that fulfillment we need to take a risk, a calculated risk but a noble one.

P.s. I know it has been a while since I updated my blog but I will be posting some stories about the summer and what I've been up to since getting back from DC.

Awesome night on the town

I figure I should give an update as to some of the things I've been up to since my first week here. I've been feeling in the dancing mood so my purpose was to go out and have a grandiose time. This town has so many things to do all over the place, and it is culturally rich with many places serving different types of people from different background. Of course, this spells that my weekends will now be spent out on the town :)

I went out Saturday night with a friend of mine for a night on the town. It was actually precipitated by the fact that I confronted Bobby (the Oklahoman) about eating all the food that me and Andrew (the Canadian) had bought. The 3 of us had bought massive groceries 2 weeks ago but of course food disappears and is eaten, which is perfectly normal. The thing is that me and Andrew would go to the small market next door to buy chips, snacks, bread, etc and Bobby would flat out eat it all without asking or paying for anything. He's vegetarian so apparently that gives him the right to eat the rest of the food that we have. I was quite ticked off that the cereal that I had bought was almost all gone and I hadn't even had a bowl of it at that time. So I confronted him about it that if he hasn't bought the food, he doesn't need to look at it, touch it, open it, much less eat it. He didn't like that but Andrew agreed with me and Carlos (the Ecuadorian always buys his own stuff). Oh well, minor spat that got me ticked off but it resulted in making me want to leave the apartment and go out.

I hadn't been feeling in the mood to go out during the day because: 1) morning services on the Sabbath are killer, and 2) I didn't know which place to go. After the spat I showered and Carlos had told us about this Latin club called "Sesto Senso" so that's where Christina and I headed to. We found the place pretty quickly but I wanted to hit a bar first to get my head straight. I tell ya man, going out in DC is expensive. Christina and I had a couple of beers at $5 a pop. I had 2 beers and she had only one so there goes my first $15 of the night.

After that I decide I'm ready to hit the Latin club we had been told of. A big black guy is the bouncer and we hand him our ID's and he tells us, "You guys are coming from far away." I tell him that we're interning in DC for the summer. Of course he noticed that my last name is "Martinez" so he tells me how I should come on Friday nights because it's Latin night and all they play is Latin music. He doesn't even notice Christina is there since I'm yappin' it up with him and we're talking about music and such. Too bad Latin night is on Fridays but Christina thought it was cool that the guy wasn't checking her out. I told her that's what happens when people hang out with me, I deflect attention from the people around me :) Oh and the guy gave me the best news of the night: they played r&b, hip hop, reggaeton, latin music, dancehall, etc..everything but techno. I was happy until I proceeded to pay the $10 cover for each person. There goes $20 and bumps the night's expenditure to $35 so far.

We get into the club and I'm feeling it man. The people, the music, the culture, the vibe...I felt at home. I kept telling that to Christina throughout the night because they were playing the music I grew up listening to. First thing we do is try to order 2 beers but the bartenders are horrible. She was going to do the ordering and I was paying but since the bartenders were girls, they were only serving the guys. After about a 15 minute wait we finally get our beer (I ordered and signaled in Spanish for 2 Coronas and she brought 4). I paid for the 2 beers and no tip for the girl since she was terrible. There went another $10 and now I'm up to $45 for the night.

For the next 3-4 hours we danced to everything that was played. Lemme tell you, it was a great selection of music. They played everything from Top 40 to Miami Sound Machine to Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, to T.I. to old Michael Jackson...everything that is danceable. The cool thing about the night is that we were actually dancing the entire time. No bumpin' n' grindin' or anything questionable like that. I was a dancing machine with my unorthodox/Latin style that cannot be reproduced. I kept twirlin' and spinnin' the girl and was teaching her some of the basic steps. Christina said she had a great time and that I was a good date :) She even paid for a round of beer and I paid for the last one which put my total at $55 for the entire night. Crazy stuff I tell you.

Thanks to the fact that the Metro runs till about 3am (and not the usual midnight hours) on Fridays and Saturdays we left the club at about 1:30ish and headed back to the apartment complex. Overall one of the most fun nights I have been able to experience. I told my boss about it and she suggested some places where they play awesome music AND there's no cover charge. Yep, I'm hitting those places this weekend. And instead of going to the bar I'm bringing the bar to my place. I'm loading for the weekend by taking advantage of the specials on beer cases. Bring on the weekend! And yes, I have an amazingly cool boss who knows what places are cool hangouts :)

Did I mention already that I love this town? :)

P.s. I have to take advantage of the $12.49 12 pack of Corona special that the shop next to where I work has. The only problem I can think of is trying to travel on the Metro with a case of beer. Doesn't look too good but who cares when beer is that cheap. I'm sure I'll figure it out.

Not ready to make nice

I didn't know posting Zarqawi's picture would cause such a fuss. I just thought that after all the days, weeks, months, and years of a difficult struggle, a victory in the War on Terror should be acknowledged. If you feel grossed out about a truly evil man getting what he deserves, that's your problem. I've seen grosser and worse things in my life. If you think his death is not a significant event then you should ask the families of those who were victimized by his reign of terror. U.S. soldiers, Iraqis, Kurds, foreign nationals, press corps members, men, fathers, women, mothers, children have all suffered because of his actions. Being here in Washington, DC has shown me how the morale of the people can be boosted by such news. Yeah, things are murky and it's going to be a struggle but at least for those fighting in Iraq FOR US and for the FREEDOMS we enjoy, it is a morale booster. It shows that the US can bring justice to the enemy and that the hard work of those soldiers is paid off in this case. It didn't matter who I talked to about this piece of news, people were feeling upbeat about this because it was significant. The job's not done, but at least it's a step in the right direction.

A week of adventures

My fellow bloggers, here I am after my first week in DC and I will start off by stating the obvious: I love it. After living in Puerto Rico for 18 years and being in a city for that amount of time, having everything no more than a half-hour away and then living in the farmland of Iowa, being in DC is a refreshing experience. I love going into the city, seeing the amazing architecture and design exemplified by its buildings and the urban planning that shaped the city. It is simply amazing and a sight to behold. Plus, for a political and history junkie like myself, being immmersed in the city where it all originates from is a cool experience.

I think I left off the last blog with all the stories up to last Friday and there's been plenty that has gone on since then. On the Sabbath I was picked up by Mrs. Clore and Brittney bright and early at 9:15am so there was no sleeping in for me :( I have to say that the Clores are an amazing family, full of life, joy, and great stories :) Mr. Clore was going to be arriving with his son Ray because they wanted to hang out and spend some time together so Mrs. Clore proceeded to introduce me to just about everyone. I have to say she's a pretty big deal, always smiling and optimistic...amazing qualities. The entire family is a blast and have so many amazing stories and interesting insights on so many issues. I enjoy the talks on the way to and from Church. I've learned a lot and it's only been 2 Sabbaths :)

Last Sunday, after working out and running in the morning, Andrew (the Canadian), Bobby (the Oklahoma guy), and I went to the Federal Mall to do some sightseeing. It was pretty packed on the way there because it was Memorial Day weekend and the entire town was full of people from all over the place. We went to the Air and Space Museum, the Washington Monument, the World War II Memorial (incredibly touching), and the White House. Andrew took plenty of pictures on his digital camera, I took a bunch with my disposable one (still waiting for my digital one to come in the mail) and my cell phone and we walked a couple of miles throughout. It was really hot and humid, no wind whatsoever...a bit of a problem but it's ok.

After the adventureous day on Sunday we came back and basically did nothing the rest of the day. Of course after all the walking I didn't feel like doing anything. I came up with the idea of making dinner on Monday and invite people over for some socializing. We needed to do some massive grocery shopping so we went and got all the things that we needed and got back with plenty of time to be able to cook some spaghetti. I bought some sauce but I added all the good, yummy ingredients to make it taste really, really good. I made enough food for 7-8 people but there were only 5 of us so there was plenty of food leftover for the rest of the week. Yay for me! :)

Tuesday came and I anxiously awaited for the phone call from NHCSL that would let me know whether I would receive the job I had interviewed for. I had an interview set up for Wednesday with SER National Program and I was going to honor it regardless of whether I had received an offer or not but as the afternoon hours kept passing by I became very nervous. I started thinking, "Well, it seems like I'm going to have to blow them away on Wednesday since it seems like I'm getting nowhere." Thankfully I got a call from the Executive Director from NHCSL and she told me they decided to go with me for the internship and of course I was ecstatic to receive such news and it also included a cool surprise. My boss told me that they would also extend a stipend at the end of the summer to help fray for the costs of the traveling and such. It's not a lot but at least it's enough to help pay for some things. That's God for you, working in so many ways that you can't see at the moment. I don't deserve any of this but it still works out in some way. Simply amazing. That's all I've got to say.

I went to my interview on Wednesday and I felt pretty comfortable but I was already leaning towards NHCSL because I could start working, making myself feel productive, and finally get out of the apartment. I started my job on Thursday and as I was taking my lunch break I ran into Vice President Dick Cheney's motorcade. The SUV's were barely a couple of feet away from me and I looked as to see who was inside of the car and much to my surprise I see Dick Cheney and his wife!!! It was pretty cool sight to see, all on my first day on the job. I love it already :)

I was taking this crazy Foreign Policy class in which two other people from my building were attending as well but they went AWOL for the second session. I was left without my two friends and after I got back from class I decided to drop it and switch to something easier. Something about receiving 200+ pages of readings after every class made it very unattractive and I have plenty of work with my internship and the TWC stuff. I switched it to Homeland Security which will apparently lead to some better opportunities and a "lighter" courseload. I have a friend in that class so it's all good there too :)

Oh I met a cool girl named Christina Barton. Think "The O.C.'s" Mischa Barton but only cuter :) She's awesome AND politically conservative. A rare thing to find nowadays in DC. She's originally from Annapolis, MD but has been living in Cedar Rapids, IA the past 9-10 years. I asked her which school she went to and she said "Central College" and I was like..."oh, Pella, Iowa. I had 3 friends graduate from there the past couple of years. Why would you move from Maryland to Iowa?" It was due to her dad's job, which would be the only acceptable excuse. She was surprised that someone would know where Pella was and that I knew it was basically a little Dutch colony in the middle of Iowa. She vaguely remembers Cathy, since they went to school together and all. I don't think she knew Ann (I had to ask if she knew the notorious Rankin girls :)). To my astoundment there are a bunch of people from Iowa with TWC this summer. I think I've run into at least 15 or so of them. And I thought I had left Iowa in the midwest this summer.

On Friday I went into work at 9 and proceeded to make some phone calls for information our organization needed for a conference in South Carolina in the month of June. I took initiative during the day and decided to translate the biography of one of the senators attending such conference. She's a state senator from Puerto Rico and her bio was only available in Spanish so I decided to take it upon myself to do the work. My supervisor said I didn't have to do that but I wanted to start contributing right away. Plus, it makes me feel like I am actually doing for the organization. Here's the link to the organization: http://www.nhcsl.org/about.html

That just about sums up the week in DC. Sabbath and Pentecost services were wonderful, inspiring messages all around. This should be my first full week of my job so this one should dictate how the rest of the summer goes. Not a whole lot going on other than work, class, roommate adventures (a long story by itself). Oh, I almost forgot to mention something the Kerrman would definitely appreciate. Of course it revolves around food. Some of the girls we know from the 8th floor came over Saturday night and brought us brownies. Oh so yummy. Now we have good stuff to eat for a couple of nights :)

Ya'll have a good week and stay out of trouble...I'll try my best to stay out of it :)