miscellaneous tejano

wow, que weekend!

I had the incredible opportunity to hang with Tejanos this weekend for a fundraiser for work which was a huge dance called The Tejano Dance. I realized you have to move your arms a lot more in dancing cumbias than in dancing salsa but it was fun.

I also felt so much like an outsider to Tejano (queer) culture - where the women are strong and the men are pretty. I tried to avoid going to the dance with Cliffy because we aren't working within any typical model of a relationship of any kind but we do like each other. Despite my every quiet denial, we ended up going together and I was happy about it. Cliffy clung to me until she felt a little looser (thanks to the free Bud Lights). And everyone asked us, separately and together, what we were up to. The best answer, and the way we both answered, was "I don't know" with a half shoulder shrug and a smile.

Overall, it was a well-organized evening and I cannot thank the Tejano committee enough for the great work they put into this event. Though an outsider, I felt so proud of them. They did this so smoothly every nonprofit should be begging them to take on their cause.

It was great to spend time with Cliffy and a double bonus that Little Lion was visiting Nana. I was able to get some writing done and the JAMS (my writing group) met on Saturday. I always feel recharged whenever we meet, even if they give me a hard time about knowing what's going on in my love life by the poems I submit.

I still remember the first couple of meetings Maggie and I had. She is an incredibly accessible writer (once you corner her!) and gave me the insight to give myself the permission to not hint at what's going on in my life but just put it on the page. She's like St. Michael's big sister, that mujer.