wrestling my homeland

i’ve always been proud of where i come from.

puerto rico is the most beautiful place i’ve been. the reason why i love new orleans so much is because it reminds me of home. the people and the culture… these are the things that make my island so wonderful, and i can catch glimpses of these when i visit new orleans.

i love to show people where i’m from. when i’m away, i gush about my love affair with puerto rico until it makes me so homesick i need to plan my next trip back. when friends visit, i plan out their trips so that i can show them every place that — and every person who — has made me who i am.

but, there’s something to be said for all the lonely nights i’ve spent staring at the stars outside my window, listening to the coquí frogs. visiting home is like revisiting a quiet depression that slowly sinks into my skin. being home makes me feel small. and, the longer i stay, the smaller i feel until, suddenly, there is no place left for me in the world.

people don’t get why i’m never entirely excited about coming home. they can’t understand how a person could be upset to visit paradise. i know it’s difficult to grasp, especially when the people who ask come from places that they believe to be uninteresting. but there is a sadness i associate with being home, and it hits me like a punch to the stomach every time i’m here.

i love you, puerto rico. you are the most amazing place i know. but wrestling with you in my mind will always be a part of me, and the most difficult thing i will ever have to struggle with.

cape cod kwassa kwassa // vampire weekend

straight chillin’. beach, sun, avoiding the DC heat alerts. no internet for days. grilling. lobstah.

feels nice to be unplugged.

glittarazzi interviews tim pawlenty in ames, iowa

“been a long time, now i’m back in town.” - lady gaga

in case you haven’t seen, i’m internet-famous now.

one of our videos blew up yesterday. it’s been on WaPo, the LA Times, Politico, Perez Hilton, Jezebel, NY Mag, and MSNBC, among others.

who could have imagined the power of talking about lady gaga in an interview? people have gone crazy about it. hopefully, this is only the beginning.

watch out, internet! here i come.

edu-tainment

we visited iowa campaign headquarters today. we saw michele bachmann’s, rick santorum’s, tim pawlenty’s, and ron paul’s.

now, i won’t say who, but one particular staff member straight up laughed in our faces when we explained what we do. he tried to explain that the person he represents is serious and doesn’t need to resort to things like fashion or pop culture to make his candidate popular.

which made me want to say: listen, buddy. even if your candidate won the GOP race, they could never beat obama. sorry, bro.

the truth is, we do write silly things sometimes. but it’s those silly things that get people interested in what’s happening. as one of my bosses said, he might be fortunate enough to represent the 25% of america that is educated and interested in politics. but, guess what? there is an entire majority of americans, especially the youth, that just doesn’t give a shit.

and if getting to them means having to talk about who’s wearing what, then so be at. at least people are getting something. at least when they’re asked “do you know who michele bachmann is?” they can say “oh, yeah. one of the GOP candidates. the one who wears a lot of navy blue.” instead of just, “uhh, no? is she on tv or something?”

and, if any of these people are like me, that will get them interested. it’ll start a conversation. when people bring up politics, they can participate. then maybe they’ll want to know what the candidates stand for, and what they believe in.

i didn’t care one bit about politics, mr. staff member, until i started looking into this pop stuff. and now i read the news every day. i can tell you what the candidates are up to, and i can tell you some of their positions.

good luck getting your candidate to win, when you don’t care one bit about your voters!

jed doesn’t know his camera model: whiney tuesday continues.

this is jed today. jed is whiney today.

stuck in an iowan hotel room with jed on whiney tuesday.

casey anthony is not guilty, jed wants to slit his wrists, there is nothing. on. tv.

scratch that — the fashion police is on. oh, wait, that still means there is nothing on tv. nevermind.

went to the clear water downtown for deep-fried milky ways (and twinkies!) and sat on the dock with jed to watch the fireworks, which lasted at least a good half hour.

as much as i hate to admit it, clear lake fireworks are pretty damned nice. they’re right over the water and look so close, not like dc fireworks, where you’re watching them happening around the city.

oh, clear water. i wish i could love you, but there’s no 3G network, so we can never be friends.

so. much. fun.