Birthdays are either amazing or terrible, but for me I try to just enjoy the part that I am still living. I do a lot of reflecting when it comes to birthdays especially now that I am a bit older. My birthday is on 11/20 and it's been on that day every since 1987, it is one of those days that I celebrate with my thoughts and memories of those that I have been able to surround myself with and the experiences I lived through and if anyone is wondering what to get me for my birthday, just listening to this podcast is more than enough. Thank you and happy birthday to me. Thanks for letting me explains.

Officially the internet started in 1983, but it didn't get popular until after the 2000s. There is a lot of things that the internet helped and assisted the world, but there are also terrible and damaging things that the internet has brought to the world. To truly explain it, would take as much time as finding the bottom of a rabbit hole.

Halloween has always had a special place in my heart. I love Halloween costumes, dressing up for Halloween parties, and especially Halloween movies. Horror movies is such a huge part of Halloween without them it wouldn't be Halloween.

Coffee changed my life and in many ways was the turning point into adulthood. Throughout the many years of people telling me about the effects of coffee, it never changed the effects on me. I drink it in the morning and I drink it at night. To say I'm a fan of coffee is an understatement. 

Writing makes me very happy and I do it every day. I write in some form to make sure that I stay in practice. One of the ways I do that is by writing a blog called "Smirk Fiction" It is also in podcast form with an automated reader under "Smirk Fiction Podcast". I started writing at a young age once my family was able to get a hold of a computer. This helped me learn how to type in full QWERTY ability before I was taught how to in high school. In order to be a good writer one must read and re-write. It takes a lot of time and patience to be able to sit down and get thoughts out, but that is what makes writing so therapeutic. Words hold honesty and beauty that forces everyone to take a step back and look at the situation using another set of eyes.

Growing up the news was the best part of my night. It was a level of being an adult that everyone accepted in conversation no matter what age I was as long as I was aware of the things that were going on in the world. Listening, watching, and participating in the news over the years shaped my understanding of not only the world, but myself. Subscribe to my Youtube channel Hear Some News and like and share my videos on Instagram and TikTok.

Vegans live a different life style. People think that veganism only pertains to food, but it really means a pursuit to living without the conception or use of animal products. This means a lot of things to vegans. It creates a path of division on topics such as how to affect the environment best, sustainable clothing, and honey. But, for me being vegan meant I lost a lot of weight and kept it off by simply respecting not only myself more, but what I put into my body, and even more importantly what I decided to not put into my body.

Abortion recently found itself in another legal battle in Texas where women who choose to get one will be subjected to criminal charges. The limitations on the ability to choose an abortion in America makes women vulnerable to obtaining dangerous options on how to handle an unwanted pregnancy. Women since the beginning of time have been told what to do with their body, what to say, and how much they are worth. Women only recently got the power to vote, divorce, and be seen as capable to live without a man as a provider. Abortion is a pinnacle of liberation and independence. The fear mongering of abortion constantly makes it seem like the only way to protect the children is to control the mother. Controlling the mother does not protect the child though, it puts that child in much more dangerous situations which then puts both the mother and the child in a dangerous life. That makes it clear these laws only want to control women, because if children's safety was a priority all men would be on hormone treatments to make their sperm useless until 25. Nobody is prepared for a child until they are 25, that's the same age to rent a car in most states and it should be the same age to start reproducing. Equal rights needs equality to work.

This explanation dives into the understanding of Mexicans from an American perspective. Being 3rd generation American Mexican provided me with an outlook on both the identity of being Mexican and the identity of being Mexican-American and the identity of being American. This is why it is so hard for Mexicans to unit in America, we have a lot of identities and only one understand of the story. Growing up the amount of times that someone asked about the place I was "from" made me realized they were trying to identify me as something other than American give it that being their purpose or not because in America, Americans are taught that Mexicans live the life of the "other." Feeling like a minorities in cities like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Antonio makes no sense since those are cities our ancestors named. 

Marriage is a lot of things to people, but mostly it means that a partnership so strong the government needs to break it up. Being raised in a two parent household and having them both being pastors that often officiated weddings put a different attitude about marriage in me. The worst and best parts about marriage constantly remind me of the work that marriage need in order to survive. At least divorce makes all this possible to end and start up over again and again.