Morning

Morning. Good morning to you my day. My today.

Today, I listen and with an open heart I read the sentences in front of me

Sentences telling me one story

Hurting the open heart, and wondering about today

Continuation of a constant battle for who we are and our color

Skin and eyes, hair and curves keep telling us how different we are

Many simply hates those facts, and close door

The sign reads “CLOSED”

But, it’s time to turn the ugly page.

Their ugly page.

Let me tell you this, today and tomorrow we’ll be here with our colors, and whittles, and cantos y bailes

In front of bodegas and corners of the ghettos

Our space can be seeing in the space

Have no doubt, and it looks beautiful, but, also feels hurt

The page about today writes songs, and actions toward spaces and corner full of us

The blacks and browns, yellows and pinks, because we are

Numbers continue to climb. Every day, and every night

Good weather and bad weather, we continue our climbing

Stepping up latters, opening the doors of cages, writing simple notes to say

We are here.

There is no place to go, or wanting to go, but here with you

In front of you, next to you, touching you, smelling you and enjoying you, because you are, I am, and we are.

One, 2, 3, 4 and like the numbers, infinite and not going anywhere

Today, another page we write together for those here who are not here

We know who they are.

The brothers, the sisters behind bars, inside cages we have created and encouraged to fill in with you and I

Let us be. Sincerely. Let us be.

POEMA A LA MUERTA?

La muerta esta. Si, porque asumo y lo escribo como la muerta.

Lo hago para liberarme, no para perdonar

Liberarme del peso y del llanto, del dolor y de la miseria que causastes

A nadie se hablo…se dijo palabra, porque solo era un Nino

Virginia cuanto dolor espero hayas sufrido

Muerta debes estar, como muerto me senti cuando era Nino, y solo queria ser Yo

La tierra esta ofendida, de tener de acobijarte

De recibirte, de alimentarte, de vivir para destruir

Lo unico que mereces, La Nada.

Aunque la nada ya seria algo.

El nino que buscaba guia, y aprendizaje, seguridad y amor

Solo encontro la burla de la maestra

Si, la maestra.

La que enfrente se paraba y decia

 y sabia, y decia que sabia, y tenia la ultima palabra,

Pero tambien tenia la ultima ofensa. La ultima burla.

Afeminado, mariquita, “hablando como ninita”, asi solia decir-me

No puedo perdornar, y si quiero verte muerta, buscando asi una redempcion

Para mi mismo, y quizas, para muchos otros.

Lo escribo, lo escribo y lo escribo, porque me ha tomado 48 anios para decirte a voz alta y sin miedo a decirlo

Espero que estes muerta y que hayas sufrido como me hicistes sufrir.

Y si no lo estas, espero que tu vida sea de miseria y miedos, tristezas y maldiciones.

Su nombre fue Virginia Urdaneta. Mi maestro de 6to grado en el Instituto Educational Negra Matea.

No creo ni en Dios ni en el Diablo, asi que no puedo esperar que este en el cielo o el infierno.

Pero si que seas nada

Set, ready, go!!! The competition is ON

Competition. Uhm, who doesn’t like competition? And, whether it is to get the win, or to say that the “important thing is to compete”, which I agree, it could be fun and challenging to compete and see what happens more than who wins all.

We already know that technically in a competition someone has to win, and someone has to lose. Now, what about from a resolution for 2015 to a competition between 2 very good friends?  In this case, it is going to take 12 months to “declare the winner”. I’m sure there are going to be more than one winner in this competition.

Everything started with me spending my New Year in Bogota, Colombia and celebrating with family. I asked to ask everyone to share a resolution for the New Year 2015. In circle we went through one by one, and when it was my turn, I simply say that I wanted to read 1 book per month and to write 23 pages of something. Why 23 pages? Well, I am going to celebrate 23 years of living in the USA. Not the greatest country in the world, but yes, the GREATEST country to me, and for me. I will write about that another time.

Next thing, I am writing “one of my pages” as an email to my family and my best friend in the world. There, I reclaimed my resolution of 2015: 1 book per month and 23 pages of writing.

My dear and adorable Maryalejandra (best friend) said that she loved my resolution, and she was to copycat the resolution, and talk-discuss-chat-debate about the books we read. And, she also mentioned that it is also the same resolution of Mark Zuckerberg (he doesn’t need introduction), to read 1 book per month, and that the first book he picked (now, this sounds like Oprah’s book club) was “El Fin del Poder” (The End of Power) by Moises Naim, a Venezuelan author. We’re originally from Venezuela, so it was kind of interesting to hear Zuckerberg picking up this book. (I think I like him a little bit more now. No that he cares anyway).

But, back to the competition and the resolution…this is going to be a great competition where I hope to keep “bringing” one book to the table by the end of the month and to have some fun enjoying the “tertutlia” (a “classic” and special Spanish word for conversation) about the books.

The competition has begun, and I’m going to finish reading the wonderful book “The New Jim Crow” by Michelle Alexander for the month of January. Although, it is focused in the USA judicial system, it got universal value, and certainly, people like my friend Maryalejandra will appreciate the discussion.

I got to be honest, and now this is related to my other resolution: writing 23 pages. I said in my email to my family and Maryalejandra that I’m going to write in Spanish and English (since I “dominate” both languages), and now, I’m realizing that the challenge of continuing writing in English is making me a winner, because, it is not my first language, but I love writing, and expressing myself in my second language that I keep listening, exploring, reading and enjoying passionately.

Now, this is the end of this page. Yes!!!

How many more to go? I can’t remember, but I’ll be sure to save it in my January 2015 folder. ;-)

Entre resoluciones y dias de Enero.

De verdad que me pongo a pensar y pensar y pensar en la resolucion del anio 2015 que conversamos en la casa de Miguel.

Hoy fue un dia particular porque lo cierto es que sigo pensando en tantas cosas de las cuales escribir, y sin embargo, no  sentarme a escribir. Pensar y pensar y pensar y nunca escribir (Bueno no nunca, obviamente).

La resolucion, por si acaso algunos no lo saben, es leer por lo menos 1 libro cada mes y escribir 23 paginas de algo. Por que 23? Sencillamente porque este anio cumplo 23 anios de vivir aqui en los Estados Unidos. Casi ya, la mitad de mi vida la he vivido en este pais, que por cierto no es tan perfecto como Yo pensaba cuando era pequeno, adolescente o mis primeros anios de adultez. Por cierto adultez es con Z o con S? No me acuerdo, y a veces me pregunto si el Espanol se esta yendo. (Yendo si lo escribe bien)

Lo cierto es que me pregunto “que escribo, que escribo, que escribo????” Como si no hubiera nada de que escribir, o como si hubiera mucho. Y lo cierto es que puedo escribir acerca de la nada, y tambien de lo mucho que tengo. Desde salud hasta optimismo…ideas y sonrisas, amigos y amigas, familia y familio (Ah no, no hay cosa tal como “familio”)

Al final me doy cuenta de que me estoy saboteando. Manana. “Si, manana lo hago. Mannaa si me pongo a escribir”, me digo. Y lo cierto es que mi resolucion es muy concreta y facil de alcanzar, pero solo necesito decidirme a hacerlo con intencion y energia, passion y amor. Punto.

El dia de hoy fue peculiar…y no estoy seguro si la palabra peculiar es la “mejor” palabra a usar. Pero he aqui lo sucedido: Primero escuche un CD de Ana Torroja (se acuerdan de ella? Mecano), y sencillamente me “eleve” especialmente con una cancion que dice algo asi,

Y ahora tiene una hoja en blanco

Y espera una cancion

Y veinte Mariposas

en el Corazon…

Caminando a la oficina no pude evitar caminar y dejar mi brazos navegar con el pensamiento de tener una hoja en blanco, esperando que una “cancion” me baje de alguna parte, pero quizas, sobre todo, de mi Corazon.

Pense en La Negra. Cuanto a ella le gustaba Mecano, y quizas diciendome, “escribe”.

Despues durante el dia recibi la “visita” de mi querida Maryalejandra. Sus visitas para mi son oxigeno puro que me llenan con la gracia y la dicha de ser Yo mas que nunca. De que hablamos? De cualquier cosa, y de todas las cosas, pero siempre con temas diferentes. Inspiracion pura, para escribir mas, porque a veces las conversaciones mas frivolas pueden ser las mas reveladoras de quienes somos.

Cuando hablaba con La Gorda (esta gorda es Maryalejandra, no La Gordita Joselyn, asi que de ahora en adelante sera la manera en que las puedo diferenciar a una con la otra, La Gorda y La Gordita), le comente algo que le dije a mi querido amigo Marc, “Yo no quiero estar en el ‘What’sup’ porque no quiero estar conectado con todo el mundo. No necesito estar conectado con todo el mundo, y creo que no quiero estar conectado con todo el mundo, porque con quienes quiero estar conectado ya tengo un email, o el numero telefonico de la casa o el celular.”

Es cierto, no quiero ni necesito estar en contacto con todos, o todo el tiempo, pero si quiero estar. Una vez, o dos veces o cuantas veces quiera al mes, pero cuando lo quiera, porque quiero disfrutar de cada minute de mi vida con quienes quiero, adoro, amo. No todo el tiempo, pero si, por un tiempo que pueden 10 minutos, 10 horas, 10 dias, y ahora, sobre todo, quiero compartir parte de mi resolucion, porque 23 paginas de escrituras pueden ser muchas o no, pero entre Ingles y Espanol tengo mas opciones. Verdad?

Siento que no puedo dejar que el saboteo a mi mismo me detenga de alcanzar algo tan concreto como escribir 23 paginas al mes y leer (que goce) un libro por mes. Veremos.

Estoy creando ahora mismo el “file/archivo” de Enero/January donde guadare/save estas 23 paginas del mes.

Estas son las primeras 2. Casi dos…una y media.

 

 

Following Up on American Airlines

Sometimes you give up on certain things. But, I’m not there yet with American Airlines and its lack of empathy towards the customers: You, she, he, we, and I. All of us limited to what they say and we have to take it quietly.

This is a follow up of a recent complaint I sent to American Airlines about my recent trip to Bogota, Colombia, and specifically my flight back from Bogota to Miami (flight AA 916) on Tuesday January 6, 2015.

Here is the response I received this week from a gentleman named Richard Urby of the “Customer Relations” department at American Airlines.

 

“January 15, 2015
Dear Mr. Pinedo:
On behalf of American Airlines and US Airways, thank you for contacting us.  Your comfort is important to us, and we are sorry the reading light and call button didn't work on your recent flight. I have documented your concern and reported the issue to our Maintenance Department so the issue can be addressed. I am sorry for the frustration and inconvenience this caused. I am not able to honor your request for compensation for this type of situation. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you aboard again soon.
Sincerely,
Richard Urby
Customer Relations
American Airlines” And here is my response to Mr. Urby, which by the way, I’m still waiting how he is going to address it. Dear Richard,   Thanks for your email, but I'm terribly upset with your very plain "I am not able to honor your request for compensation for this type of situation." How dare! I did pay a full price for the ticket, and American Airlines did not provide the service promised when I bought it. Do you understand that?    I paid ($1,00.00) for a round trip ticket to take me from point A to pint B but that also included amenities like reading over head lights, and, they did not work. Misleading type of situation, in my opinion. So, please don't tell me that you can't reward me with, let's say, 5,000 miles for this inconvenience. Because, yes, it was an inconvenience and American Airlines must fix it.   Richard, if you can't honor my request (only miles, no money back), well, you find somebody who can do it, because I'm sure there is someone at American Airlines who can do it.   I honor my clients when I make a mistake. That's not only good business; it is a matter of real “honor" your loyal customer. Not just empty verbiage you're giving me.   I'm certainly going to post your response as part as my next blog and my next Twitter update, because it is wrong Mr. Urby. Very wrong.   I really hope the next time you communicate with me or any your customer you are kinder, and have more empathy, because right now it seems that you and American Airlines lack of it.   Sincerely,   Juan Carlos Pinedo We’ll see what American Airlines has to say. Big corporations are treating us (the customer) like trash, without respect and consideration, empathy or sympathy, and simply taking our money and they do not take any responsibilities for their actions when they fail to deliver the services and/or product they promote and sale. We must complain LOUDLY when we DO NOT RECEIVE what we pay for it, and we should receive a reward for the trouble they cause on us.

Need to ask in order to get something back. I hope AA (American Airlines).

Finally I can seat down and write about this experience.

January 6, 2015. Aeropuerto Internacional El Dorado in Bogota, Colombia. American Airlines flight # 916 leaving Bogota at around 3 pm arriving in Miami, FL at around 6:30 pm.

The aircraft for this particular flight is a Boeing 767-300 which is wide-body type of aircraft. A lot of people in that flight. Actually, I’d think the flight was completely sold out: First Class, Business Class and, of course, the one I can afford, Coach class (Economy as airlines call them), and for almost $1,000.00 I got my round-trip ticket from Boston to Bogota to spend the New Year with my family.

Anyway, a thousand dollars that takes you from point A to point C (because there is a point B called Miami in between), which  includes free meal (dinner) for the international portions of the trip, but also includes 2 free bags that you can check, free water, sodas, juices, and coffee, a free movie. Also, you can use the lavatories for free (don’t use the ones located in the first class section), and finally, if you don’t like any of those “amenities”, you still can turn on the reading light over your head, pull out your issue of “The Atlantic” from your carry on (free, of course…although I paid $ 1,000 round-trip ticket) or the newest novel from Paulo Coelho you bought in Bogota, and enjoy your flight (over 3 hours) by reading great writing.

Then, I tried to turn the reading light once, twice, 3 times, 4 times, 5 times, until I realized the try were not doing anything. So, I called the flight-attendant by pressing the “call flight-attendant) button and nothing happened. And, guess what? The button wasn’t working either.

I decided to get up and ask for assistance. Ultimately, the captain said something like this “please, do not hesitate to ask anything in order to make your flight more pleasant and enjoyable.”

So, I asked to have the reading light worked, ON, illuminating my magazine and book.

The crew was surprised. “Isn’t the reading light working?” one of the flight attendants said to me, as I am going to leave my seat, go to the back of the airplane and interrupt their dinner and chatting to ask for something that should be working in the first place.

After waiting for about 30 minutes, and basically having to call the flight attendants several times, they finally came over my seat (31 C), and first, they tried to turn the reading light on (maybe because they thought I was lying), then “reset”, and “reset” again (the captain supposedly did it), and nothing worked. The middle section of this wide-body Boeing 767-300 wasn’t working properly, and still, American Airlines deployed this aircraft to provide “a full service” flight from Bogota to Miami.

I can only afford an economy class ticket (I call it Coach), but this price ($1,000.00) included having the overhead reading light worked properly, so I could enjoy my book and magazine. The airline must provide this. Otherwise, give me some credit, or give me some extra miles for this inconvenience.

And now, this is the part where I am going to publicly and LOUDLY ask American Airlines to give me something for this failed service/feature/commodity/amenity on my flight AA 916 from Bogota to Miami on Tuesday January 6, 2015.

I want to receive a credit, or a few thousand miles for your incompetency to deliver what you promised, and I hope you do reward my unpleasant experience on this flight. We are your customer, and we’re paying good money for the airfare ticket.

The industry is finally making money by charging us (the consumer) anything they can, and we deserve some kind of reward when you fail to provide the service you promise.

My name is Juan Carlos Pinedo and I really hope to hear from you, American Airlines, and to know that you care about small details and your consumers. Of course, this note I will post as part of my blog, and Twitter, because I believe the more we demand the more we’ll get back when you fail to deliver, and the better servercie we will receive.

Sincerely,

Juan Carlos Pinedo

What about Christmas? What about Facebook? What about friends? What about 2014?

Another Christmas party. Another celebration of family and friends? I suppose, although I remember last year I told my partner Shaun I didn’t want to have the party. I said, ‘it is too much work, and by the end, I feel that I don’t enjoy anything”. But, by the end, it was a great celebration.

This year, again, we’re going to have a Christmas party. Today. One good thing about this year is the fact that not many friends and family are coming, and I believe that is already a plus.

Now, is that fact a sign of good love or bad love? There is such thing as bad love? Maybe in the Mexican and Venezuelan soap operas.

I think about this year, and I have seen, lived a great year in every possible angle. However, I must admit that one “good thing” was the bad depression I went through in May and June, and how the words of my very dear friend Marc made disappear from Facebook.

Since the moment I left the popular “social network”, I have not missed an update, photograph, or “news” presented as the greatest event at every second of existence.

I haven’t missed any of my 450 “friends”, and I had about 500 by the time I quitted. Of course, it forced me to stay in touch with the real 50 that means something to me. My real friends and my real love ones.

I said “quitted”, because Facebook slowly and smoothly became a bad drug. Like crystal meth or cocaine interrupted my life for a good time, Facebook was doing the same exact thing to me, and giving me nothing in return, except very temporary rush of importance, happiness and “celebrity status” completely fake for most people, and completely fake to me.

From the moment I quitted Facebook, I felt I regained control of my life, by being more productive at work, facing my demons in my personal life and relationship, and now, being able to say that I am living and feeling a great rush. Through the year, I have lived constant rushes coming from every angle of my existence, and it feels…real. I’m accomplishing things for myself and for others, and ultimately, trying to get into the group Mark Twain said to be part of, “There are basically two types of people. People who accomplish things, and people who claim to have accomplished things. The first group is less crowded.

Christmas party is tonight, and I will live another time to remember, and to be part of the year 2014. One of the greatest years in my life.