here

Dog Pictures

Cutest Dog Ever.

Season Finale

I need basic grocery essentials for the week. But I am not going to do that today. Tonight I will be sitting in front of my tv blocking out the real world and watching the season one ending of one of the best shows on TV right now.

More Congrats

From the City of Houston website: source
Officer of the Year:
Officer Emma Y. Rodriguez,
Juvenile Division

Houston Police Officer Emma Rodriguez of the Juvenile Division’s Juvenile Sex Crimes Unit has been so successful in working with child victims that she was named to the FBI’s Innocence Lost Task Force as the main interviewer of child prostitutes. The task force was formed to address the growing problem of children forced into prostitution.

Approximately 600 child prostitutes are currently working on the streets of Houston with a history of physical or sexual abuse. These children are usually runaways, and often come from dysfunctional homes. Most child prostitutes begin at the ages of 13 or 14 years old and become totally dependent upon their abusive pimps. Their stories are repetitious of unimaginable abuse, control and struggle for survival. As a result, the children are scared and reluctant to cooperate with authorities. Officer Rodriguez patiently and skillfully overcomes these barriers, and is able to gain their trust and confidence. Her professionalism and dedication as an investigator, and her talent in communicating with child victims, resulted in the identification of children subjected to sexual exploitation.

In 2006, in addition to working 197 juvenile sex crime cases and serving as a primary trainer for the Juvenile Sex Crimes Unit, Officer Rodriguez identified 15 victims of child prostitution. One victim was a 13-year-old who was taken from Dallas to California, then to Houston within a month’s time and used by four different pimps. Having worked for hours to build the frightened child’s trust, the 13-year-old disclosed that during her four days in Houston, she had made $3,000 for prostitution that went entirely to her pimp. In November of 2006, Officer Rodriguez interviewed a 15-year-old child prostitute who had left home after being molested by a family member. The child ended up under the control of a pimp who had burned and stabbed her. Because of Officer Rodriguez’ ability to extract critical information, eight pimps are facing 17 charges inclusive of sexual assault of a child, aggravated sexual assault of a child, promotion of prostitution and compelling prostitution.

In recognition of her initiative, professionalism and investigative abilities, the Houston Police Department is proud to award her as 2007 Police Week “Officer of the Year.”

Congratulations

Carolina Monsivais graduated from New Mexico State University with a Master's in Fine Arts - Creative Writing. We are very proud of her accomplishment. And it was her birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! CARO.


pictured with her aunt and mother.

Robin

My Friend Robin, she looks like J-Lo in this shot.

2007 Houston Palestine Film Festival

Voices Breaking Boundaries

Check out the first annual Houston Palestine Film Festival brings an honest and independent view of Palestine and its diaspora’s society, culture, and political travails through the art of film. This group of groundbreaking cinematic texts rise above the degrading stereotypes or reductively politicized depictions that are so familiar to Houstonians. A major goal of the Festival is to directly expose our local community to the perspective of artists as a first step toward circumventing the many government and media filters that pollute our understanding of Palestine and the wider region.

Song Lists

Itunes has this celebrity song list section, where famous people list songs they are listening to or songs that really inspired them, which I hate, cause like I care. Okay, I’ve looked a just a few of the lists.

So I decided to come up with my own song lists.

Dig by Incubus, from Light Grenades supposedly a sensitive love song, but the line I like is “we all have something that digs at us. At least we dig each other. So when weakness turns my ego up, I know you’ll count on the me from yesterday.” To me that says even though you’ve known me I am not the same person I was. or at least that is my interpretation.

Lazy Eye by the Silversun Pickups, just because they sound like the Smashing Pumpkins.

Hang Me Up to Dry by the Cold War Kids, it is a little campy but I love that it’s a relationship being compared to the wash.

Sunday Morning by K-OS, who doesn’t love a song about Sunday mornings?

Naïve by the Kooks.

Killing Loneliness by H.I.M, which for some reason reminds me of that song I’m Not in Love by 10cc, which was redone by Ms. Tori Amos.

Not Ready to Make Nice by the Dixie Chicks, just cause it is cool song.

And the Killers, who doesn’t like the Killers?

Proud of my Cousin

HPD Officer Receives the 2006 Lynn B. Clooney Memorial Award

April 22, 2007 - Houston Police Officer Emma Rodriguez was named “Officer of the Year” by the Houston Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association in a ceremony held on April 5, 2007 at the Houston Police Academy.

Officer Emma Rodriguez joined the Houston Police Department 10 years ago when she began her career at the Southeast Patrol Division. For the past six years she has been a member of the Sex Crimes Unit. She is being recognized for an arrest made on November 26, 2006 of a suspect wanted in the assault of a child in December 1992. The victim refused to speak about the incident and recanted her statement given to Child Protective Services because her mother threatened her. The case was cleared unfounded in March 1993. Officer Rodriguez located the victim again and then gained her trust and confidence. The victim put aside her fears and pursued charges against the suspect. Officer Rodriguez presented the case to the Harris County District Attorney’s Office and charges were accepted. Because Officer Rodriguez took a closer look at this once closed case, a predator was taken off the street and is now in the Harris County Jail awaiting trial.

Lynn Clooney was a founding member of the Houston Citizens Police Academy formed in 1989. Although she died in 1993, she spent many years serving the men and women of the Houston Police Department in her role as president of the Positive Interaction Program (P.I.P.). The Lynn Clooney Memorial Award was established in honor of Ms. Clooney’s contributions to the Houston Police Department and to recognize those officers who “go the extra mile” to serve the citizens of Houston.

Houston Arts

I was recently introduced to this theater company, they take classical plays and update them in various ways. I have yet to see a performance from them but it seems really cool. Check out their website Nova Arts Project. This was the poster that caught my eye:

I like this T-Shirt

I know a few people I could buy this for:
Found at perezhilton.com

Arts in Houston

This is a really great Houston Arts Calendar. It is maintained by Houston Arts Alliance where I am employed. Check it out support the arts by attending some great events. artshound.com

life casting

This is from justin.tv
He is broadcasting live video of his life 24/7 to the internet. He started Justin.tv because he thought it would be awesome for people to see what it was like to be Justin.

He convinced three of his friends (Emmett, Michael, and Kyle) to join him out in San Francisco. Now, they're starting a company to make broadcasting live video on the web easy.

Gifts I would buy

From Paper Source, this site was made for me. Link here

I found this to be cute:

This would make a good mother's day gift filled with flowers, also at Paper Source.

Favorite way to waste time

I know the skill level isn't very high but this is one of the only crossword puzzles I can complete:

USA Today