GABFEST

The Lost Perfect Picture Moment

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dog

Why I should have carried my camera with me!

Just as I have decided to carry a small notebook – after countless of tore ‘memorable’ stripped pieces of paper (I once used bathroom tissue) and post-it note stickies, to catalog my ever so intrusive thoughts that come racing at every moment; I decided after this enthralling occurrence to at least attempt to carry a camera with me at all times; just in case. One never knows when the ever million-dollar opportunity presents itself. Lol. Keep dreaming!

Anyway, last Saturday, I was on my way to the shopping center when the traffic became a tad too heavy, unhurried for my taste. It wasn’t Sunday, so I could not understand why everybody was on their way to the church.

It was drizzling a bit, so I incurred the thought that it might have been the architect as I saw no other source for “where is everyone going” aspect. To conciliate my flustered soul, I decided to take a shortcut as always do whenever I stumble upon these occurrences. (I have yet to come across anyone who enjoys traffic jam).

Just as I turn right onto a familiar street, neighboring residential communities, leading to the shop, I spotted this figure on the sidewalk to my left, strolling hastily, as if in a hurry.

The lady was approximately 5’7” tall, skinny and exhausted, in her 50’s, wearing nerdy like big eyeglasses, pasty sneakers with blue stripes, long skirt and long sleeveless shirt – she came across like sixty’s groupie – and a plastic scarf covering her locks.

She was pulling a Labrador in her left hand and a stroller on her right. However, the thing that stroked me the most and caught my interest – it could have made one heck of a picture; there is if I was allowed to take it – was what was on the stroller. It was not a baby or perhaps groceries like some debilitated people use it for but a cute, cuddly dog. I can’t pin point the breed but it looked like a Chihuahua from a far and wait, it was wearing sunglasses. How cool!

It was amusing; the picture looked perfect. The little creature just sat there without a care in the world, as if it was a queen, enjoying the journey and whatever it was taking it. I loved it. I thought about stopping and use my cell’s camera but chose to drive away instead. It was one amazing sight, one that could have made the front page had I been able to take the picture.

No Title Worthy Mentioning

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publix

I live in the suburbia, like many of us, in a relatively quiet town where cows still room the neighborhood, in designated areas off course, and the usual suspects, residents, often run into each other in the supermarket.

There are Senators and Mayors amongst the population and by all accounts it seems to be, well, secure. Yeah, but now a days one never knows as I am sure Madoff’s neighbors thought he was all that until he turned out to be a crook.

This is really one of these things that rattle me.

I run to Publix – our newly renovated and refurbished local supermarket after church yesterday to pick up some groceries, when I run into a situation that made me feel like I was on one of the episodes of the ABC show “Primetime: What Would You Do?”.

For those of you not familiar with the show, the series looks at what people will do in sticky situations. It is not about what they will say but what they will do; how they will act in the face of dilemmas testing their character and values. Using hidden cameras, the show sets up everyday scenarios and then captures people’s reactions. It is fair to say that most of those portraying the act are off course actors who are posing to unsuspected people like me but yesterday, to me, it was not an act or entertainment; it was real.

As I picked some fruits and was on my way to the cereal shelf and was going by the fish and meat section when I noticed two man, friends I suppose; bulky like, shanty looking, rusty, unshaved, hard drinker look and liquor smelly (I am not stereotyping this is just the way they look) dudes. One was buying fish while the other waited on the opposite side of the aisle.

The passageway is long enough for three carts; so even though, one of them was just standing there blocking part of it, there is enough space for extra carts to navigate.

I happened to be walking behind two beautiful young girls as they naively strolled by. I say girls (believed to be sisters; they resembled each other) because they could not have been no more then 15, going on 18 and 10 years old respectively.

As the girls appeared on his radar, the guy’s face – the one waiting for his friend – lit up as they approached. He intensely begun to piercingly and starvingly looking at them, as his head followed them each step of the way, as if he wanted to devour them, sexually pleasure himself and could not wait to have the older one on his arms. He was so fixated on the girls that he did not even notice that I was also engrossedly looking at his conduct as he unceremoniously pored over them. Once through with his make-believe voyage, he turned to his partner and they both quipped some off the cuff remarks. I could not hear the exchange frankly not because I could not but because I choose not to hear; I was not interested in learning about their weightless and sickening thoughts.

I know this look; I am familiar with this look; I have seen this look before.

I was so flabbergasted that I could not help but shake my head. I made sure they saw me hoping my action would embarrass them. But that did not work, so I spoke up. I told him that “You know, it was not right what you just did Mr.”

“What”, he replied!

“You know what you were doing; they are just kids!”, I said.

“Oh, they will grow older one day anyway?”, he hastily answered. I swear, I am not kidding; he said that to me.

Wait a minute; did he just say that to me? Did he just shove me down? I was expecting a different answer, like “I apologize madam” or “I was just joking”, something around the realm or not one at all. But to tell me, that they will grow older one day anyway; is he kidding me?

His answer perforated my soul with angst. I was so infuriated that fumes began to annihilate my brain instead of going through my nasals. At that point, to me at least, until he gave me that repugnant answer, it was no longer casual but of sexual intend. They both had “that” smirk in their faces. Granted, the older girl had on short shorts (we live in a tropical climate) and her rear-end resembles that of J-Lo, and the younger girl had on pants but none warranted that behavior.

I felt like confronting the man but decided to walk away instead; I could not afford a scene. I felt like complaining to the management and say what?

Let’s be honest, no one else heard him but me, how could I then justify my battle? They were not doing anything visibly inappropriate; nothing obviously that merited being forceful. It was however, the matter of how he glared at them; it was his response that disturbed me. It may have been the case of “boys will be boys” but nothing justified they not establishing the fact that they were two little girls. It made me pause and I still can’t shake that out.

I was still enraged when I turned left to the next aisle and bared my anger with the first lady I saw. She too could not believe it but had the best choice of words for them – “perverts”, she called them to later “it makes you wonder about people”, she added. Yet, the two of us did not summon enough courage to take that information any further. We both sat on it and went or marry ways. We made our silent noises, murmured around and that was it.

I was exasperated. It is not like he was making a pass at the little girl but he just as well could have. I remember being young once and feeling humiliated by the unflattering behavior when the “guys were being guys”. I know the feeling. It is worth mentioning that I run into the girls a few aisles down; they thanked me but I could not shake the feeling that they did not grasp the depth of the situation.

Pontifice Pope Benedict XVI, please!

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pope_benedict_xviFirstly, I would like to indicate that this piece is not intended to offend anyone but to illustrate the pretense, absurdity and implication of a statement.

Who better than me to address this issue? In earnest, my upbringing and propinquity propels me to and under the circumstances, it is academic; I speak with authority when I say: Mr. Pope what’s up; yeah, what’s up?

Perhaps, this is not the moment (it is Easter season after all) to thump my religion, yes I am a practicing catholic, and it is not my goal either but when I heard the latest from Pope Benedict XVI, I was left speechless and to ask, with all due respect Sir where is your sense of responsibility?

By virtue you are the leader of a religion, the Roman Catholic Church, an institution of specific core beliefs and values, idealized and followed and revered by many whom by all accounts sees you as man of great statue; hence, with the moral obligation to be choosy and parsimonious considering that your words, carries a lot of clout and weight.

My blood rose up and my head spun and I clung when I heard about the Pope’s latest toss; this time about AIDS and condoms.

Did I hear him right? Can someone please shoot me a pill if I am equivoqued, because I may need to be sterilized; no, not like that. I mean, the beat has been drumming for a while and the libretto traveling along, hand in hand, in concert raging the pot of doubters, rolling slowly, carving the mountain and band aiding the cracks of ignorance; a slew of work much fermented to the level where the world is today with this malady, and there he was.

Did he just say that the “use of condom actually will not solve AIDS?” C’mon Mr. Pope. This is me, your prodigal kid, born and raised, baptized and first, second and third communion completed; this is me, the daughter of a die-hard catholic couple – my mom attends church every single day; this is me, the one and only who until yesterday thought you were it; this is me, who still fasts prior to attending mass and this your response.

C’mon Mr. Pope, sorry, no insult here but you can’t know better; how could you but where is your sense of responsibility?

To be honest with you, I am confused; really I am confused because in one hand you advocate that all life are created equal; that life is precious and important and we should always value it regardless of its stages – hint, hint no abortion and no contraception; yet, you are telling millions not to give much credence to life after all by abstaining from using condoms. I mean how else can I file your statement or should I see you as one  mastermind grandstander and promoter of a brand, yourself. I mean whatever else is there to decipher?

Here you are pointing to the suffering humans that the biggest sin they committed was to have sex and worst gift they gave themselves, was to wear condoms. The fact that was even suggested and implied makes me pause.

This is really the message being disseminated to the world that the so-called plastic device they have been using to protect their wellbeing; that many have been advocating and professing to reduce the spread of the infectious disease, will not in any way, shape or form solve AIDS, I don’t know. Hum, it may not solve it but it may help right? Basically and with all due respect, you are indicating that people have the carte blanche to make a down payment or a lay-a-way plan on a burial plot. I mean, (I really love this word, I am meaning a lot) what in the world Mr. Pope!

On your way to Africa this week, a continent where manhood is measured by how they “have to feel” their mate; how a man is considered a man by how many women he can bang and how many children he can produce; this is a continent where a man is considered “supreme” virile by the power of his manhood; this is a continent where casual sex is considered a hobby, an activity; this is a continent where you do not make love, you have sex with as many random partners as you can obtain; this is a continent that has been immensely ravaged by the disease where daughters and sons are not being raised by mommies and daddies but grandmas, a disseminated generation totally obliterate but you unceremoniously put down the much advancements that have sustained the same policy you are deploring; it is besides me.

It is bad enough that organizations are fighting, promising anything and everything possible to convince the doubters and worriers that condom will protect them, and just now that they are breaking down barriers, making inroads, you throw them a lollipop. How irresponsible!

‘”You can’t resolve it with the distribution of condoms,” the pope told reporters aboard the Alitalia plane heading to Yaoundé. “On the contrary, it increases the problem.”’ Speaking with authority of one who knows best and has a handle on the situation, his answer to the equation that “the responsible and moral attitude toward sex would help fight the disease.” You are joking right? Mr. Pope, don’t get me started. Why doesn’t he inject all the money that has been paid out to victims of sexual molestation into aiding his cause? I mean, we would have enough money to buy out a country and make it wholesome.

Obviously, you really do not understand, you have no idea what it means to have a combustive reaction Pontifice. This is what feels like when two sexual insatiated bodies’ fluids fuse and catch on fire; they burst out.

It is bad enough that all come to a screeching halt when the bell rings in the middle of one good tango (%$*&6$) and you are reminded to pull up the goods; now you decry us with one more slogan; have an honest attitude towards sex – reject the use of condoms against artificial contraception and fidelity in marriage and abstinence from premarital sex as key weapons in the fight against AIDS. Yeah, I can just see it, starving souls waiting in line to get a dose of an antidote of moral value; lifeless souls on a moribund marriages abstaining from infidelity; ok, whatever you say Mr. Pope, try that elsewhere. I guess you really haven’t been living in the 21st century. God if only my mother could hear me. As Bristol Palin said, preaching abstinence does not work. We all have physiological needs; it is how we approach it that can be the subject of individual discussion.