Back in The States

Managed to smuggle in some cigars!!! Okay, in my 3 hour layover I ate burger king, got a venti skim latte, hit Borders so I can get the last Twilight book (really can NOT handle reading another book about la revolucion. Christ. I got a 30 minute massage, 15 minute teeth whitening, and a 10 minute pedicure. They just don't move fast enough in Cuba for my taste. I went thru all my email, all my calls, texts, facebook messages. I called my parents, my girlfriend, and texted all of my friends to say I'm home. I like globalization and technology. I love The States!!! And toilet seats, and bug spray, and wifi, and nail salons, and women who wear makeup. I love good hair days and low humidity. I love not smelling armpit when men raise their arms. I like not having to carry my own toilet paper. I like not saying cafe con leche anymore!!!! I'm back and I need my next vacation to have a mcdonald. Not that I will go there but it's my new barometer for whether I'll like it there. Mcdonald and starbucks.

Day 9....what i wouldnt give or take for a Q-Tip

So we are back in Havana...Old Havana...the really NICE part of Cuba with beautiful museums and hotels and restaurant and flamengo (spelling?) dancers...our group is staying at the fucking convent....

Actually...its very nice to be honest but still....so...i've once again ventured out (with a friend this time...geez) to the 5 star down the street. Will be lounging by the pool and sipping my cafe con leches. I really don't care about the history or sites or the movement anymore...i want a Q-Tip for my ears and a gym, some food that doesnt include rice, and my iPhone...

All in all its been a great trip...despite my bumps. These are some really cool people, many in the clergy, many in academia, many just gay men looking to get laid by Cuban men (at least that's my assessment) with whom I have traveled and met. Of course, I was most friendly with the fags here looking to get laid...they were soooooo much fun..and wheels is my new buddy too. I think he even got some....but seriously, the spiritual component to the trip, the ministry, the prayer, the devotion to cause has been amazing to witness and to participate. I've reconnected with the idea of serving others as a way to gain your own spiritual centeredness. Okay...enough of THAT.

See you all tomorrow. Anyone want to take Spanish in the fall? Or perhaps this other class on human evolution at the college? Just throwing it randomly out there...

Day 8

So last night were panel discussions. I spoke on gay adolescents, identity formation, and the need to not supress OR over-identify with one`s own homosexuality. Then I discussed anxiety, depression, alcoholism among the LBGT community....then of course came to sob stories from the others...everyone has one you know. We are doing more work today on what to do to help the LGBT movement in Cuba once we are in America. I`m not really sure they need help tho...they have Mariela Castro leading the whole damn thing. And the government will pay for a genger reassignment surgery. So politically and legally, they are more advanced than us but socially, well, the gays are still getting their asses kicked by police. They need a good Stonewall Riot to get things moving..but i`m not going to suggest that.

I have been eaten from head to tie my bugs. I look like I have a disease on my arms....ugghhh...calamine...take me away!!!

So....(in no specific order)

Natalie...I miss you mucho, mucho, mucho...thanks for taking care of things at home for me and being so supportive...love you

Fran...thank you for taking care of my pops so well while he was in the hospital...i´m excited to hear about how the gran tarino showing goes...you the best...say hi to my sexy bitch and Eric too

Gibler...can´t wait to see you this weekend!! And Sam and Jenn too

Nell....really? really? you are worried about me when you are the one hobbling with a cast? did you have to get surgery? thank you for your posts

Paul...how are you feeling??? are you back to work? say hi to Tony...don´t worry you wont have to come to Cuba to get me...maybe Miama tho when they bust me for smuggling in your cigars

Joey Felangi...you know you could post a little more often to your baby sister who misses you...you could also tell our jackass of a brother to say hello to me too...LOL...how is your family? Give the boys kisses for me

Pati...my dingo....such a disappointment that I haven´t heard from you...grrrr....teasing...how is your new baby dingo??? Are you okay? Thanks again for setting this up for me

Mom....could someone please show my mom how to set up an account so she can post to me...miss you a ton!!! Thank for helping with Loki. You must have your hands full with Dad and Gran...give them both kisses for me

DiMo...have you read my blog and also just have no idea how to post? I know you only check your email about once a year but you know...you could say hi jerky....say hi to the family for me...miss you much

Lots of love to you all....be home in a few days!!!

Night 7.....i´m such a jackass!!!

So I awoke to the overpowering smell of gas at 11:30pm. I woke some of my amigos, who are traveling with their 4 year old, they agreed....gas leak..we needed to evacuate our hotel.

On the street, waiting for someone, I took some charge. There were more amigos upstairs who did not hear the banging on the exterior doors. They could be trapped. So I ran to the adjoining center down the street, managed to eek out enough spanish to get keys. I raced back to the hotel, with the impending explosion on my mind. I tore up the stairs, feeling much like what i imaged a 9/11 firefighter felt on that awful morning. I unlocked the exterior, banged down interior doors, woke my friends, yelling...gas leak, we have to evacuate. Everyone gathered their passports, visas, money, and ran....down to the adjoining center. Then I recalled many in our group went out to the bar...their passports and visas locked in their rooms. How would they get home after the fire? I raced back into the hotel, dashing thru rooms, rummaging and searching, gathering precious items that people would be grateful I saved...I sort of got a rush out of feeling like a hero for the first time in my life...i have to admit...so i proudly sat with belongings and visas in the center, awaiting the news from the òfficials. People started staggering home from the bar, I met them in the streets to explain our dilemna, assured them help was on the way, and proudly gave them their belongings. They were too drunk to give me the hero´s welcome I felt assured i would receive in the morning when the awoke, sober. Until...

....the officials came to the center. They reported that there was no gas leak, in fact no gas supply even in the building...only a small propane tank in the kitchen that was closed. Long story....but the smell had to do with something completely different...some natural gas thing going on ten miles away....that occured often...its even in Frommer´s Guide To Cuba (I checked). My amigos grumbled and took their shit and went to bed. I stirred the rest of the night. LMAO at myself

Days 5 and 6

Spent yesterday in Santa Clara, a very conservation, Pentocostal (no spell check here...please forgive) area. Interestingly, the whole gay and lesbian movement is run by the more liberal churches, and by Mariela Castro, the niece of Fidel and daughter to the current President Raul. So...they fought to get a NationalDay Against Homophobia, sponsored by the churches and Mariela. The conservatives agreed to leave the gays alone. So everyone marched, cheered, drank....and then everyone got laid....great f<&$king message from the gay community, I say. They think we are all a bunch of sex freaks and what do you...put on a display of inappropriate sexual behavior in the streets...kudos...gays are the same everywhere. The LBGT community needs to get its shit together. Worldwide. LOL.

Anyway...I left (without getting laid Natalie) and wondered the streets and got lost. I wondered in the hot sun for over 2 hours thinking I would never again return to America...finally, in the distance, I found our tour bus and i was saved!!!

So now we are in Veradero...all the hotels, clubs, shopping centers live here....ahhh..civilization...we are supposed to be doing our workshops and panel discussions...we did that all morning but the beach kept calling my name so i left at noon. Will return tonight.

Hello to everyone. Could someone post me on how my dad is doing. Love you and miss you!!

Day 4----the novelty is waning

Okay...supposed to be at church service but hurried out early back to "my" hotel....they have a beautiful pool here but no time for a swim...have to get back before our departure to Santa Clara.

This morning they did not serve breakfast until 9am. Which meant no coffee until 9am. My headache is just starting to go away from the withdrawal of not having it at 6am. Amazing though. People here earn about 10 CUCs a month---translation $11 per month. You give someone 1 little CUC and they will make you coffee early. So I got it at 8:00am.

Went to "China Town" yesterday with my little group. So sad. No Chinese people. They all fled to Puerto Rico after the revolution and they have tried to maintain it but it was just delapidated shacks serving a combo of Latin/Chinese food. And so many stray animals....so you know what that means. I drank bottled water instead.

This whole city needs a coat of paint. It is as if after the revolution, maintenance just ceased and progress halted. Beautiful structures and images of what must have been are in my head. Interestingly...the theory is that if America lifted the embargo, tourism could save this place and make it the world's playground again. But then you would have it...Communism....surviving only because of Capitalism...not exactly factored into the idealism of a socialist society. Makes you wonder. Makes me wonder. Actually, I'm tired of wondering and just want to go live it up in the resorts for tourists. With coffee. And toilet seats. And the SPCA. Okay...gotta run.

Miss everyone mucho!!!!

Day 3 in Havana

Okay....got here Thursday...have a great time...great travel companions. This is a weird place. Such poverty yet everyone is happy. The country is literally jimmy rigged and held together with duct tape. But the strangest thing of all...forget the culture, the communism, the social revolutions...the oddest thing is that the toilets don't have toilet seats. And its not like they are designed without seats. The all have holes where seats belong...but its as if there was some conspiracy to remove them all from the country...go figure.

So we are staying a some Martin Luther King Center...a place for missionaries and such. Food is great. Accomodations....not so much. A lovely rooster has been kind enough to perch outside my window and wake me at 5am though, so no need for a pesky alarm clock.

So today I broke away from the group. I truly am evil. There is a man in a wheel chair and he couldnt get to our 2nd story activity (not very handicapped accessible country). So I offered to accompany him, away from the rest of the group, for the afternoon. I found us a lovely 5 star hotel where we had a gourmet lunch and now he is lounging by the beautiful bar in front of the water. I may get a massage as there is a lovely spa here as well. Perhaps touch up my mani/pedi? The streets are not friendly to pedicures. We need to make up some good story about what we did. I stole 3 others from the group who are fun to accompany us on this adventure. I feel tension in the group building.....by Monday we will be at our beach "accomodations" for the rest of the trip. Perhaps is things get too tense I will have to stay at my own luxury hotel.....hehehe...

One thing I never realized when I opted to do this trip.....itss really hard to concentrate on social issues and participate in panel discussions when you are on a carribean island. The beach is just calling too loudly.

Okay...have to get back to my amigos! They practically give away mojitos on this island so i hope i havent left them too long...i can't bring them back drunk...i'll definately been ousted from the group....hhmmm...

Leaving for Havana in 5 hours.

This could be my last opportunit to communicate with the civilized, well technological, world. What am I thinking? I am crazy. Thats it. I'm staying in Miami for two weeks instead. I can just hang in key west and talk to the refugees about the culture. Screw it. Anyone want to come to Miami?? We can do South Beach, the beaches, fishing, lounging. Ok. Regroup. You can do this. I will find a way to get online and to get cell service. Florida is only 90 miles away right?? Ok. I'm off the ledge. Talked myself down. I'm going.