Quick Takes

As threatened, new fatherhood has sapped my time and energy to the point that I am barely able to rant and rave effectively. I have no doubt that this will change as my son gains maturity and I gain perspective, but for now my updates will be succinct (which is a nice way of saying that they’ll be really short).

First, as I’m sure you know, President Obama is at long last finished with attempting to compromise with conservatives who would gladly push him into a wood chipper if they could get away with it. The president is moving forward on immigration reform, joined by a few Republicans who insist that they never ever referred to a pathway to citizenship as “amnesty.” Of course, we could have had all this progress years ago, but as I’ve written before, some people always need to scream and fight and threaten to overthrow the government before we just go ahead and adopt the progressive idea. I have no idea why this is the route to reform, but it just is.

Second, I noticed that my infant son is part of yet another growing trend. Apparently, the state he was born in (California) now has more Latinos than white people for the first time since statehood. This was a surprise to some.

This news came out just about the time my son was born. Is it coincidence, or was he the tipping point?

What do you think?

 


The Eagle Has Landed

Yes, there’s been a bit of a gap since I updated the site, but as you can guess from the tenor and tone of the last few posts, there is an obvious reason why I haven’t gotten to the computer for a couple of weeks now.

That’s right. I became a father recently, and the past few days have been a pleasant and perplexing miasma of joy, exhaustion, and adrenalized activity.

Soon, I will get back to writing regularly. But until then, almost all of my attention will be focused on a certain young Latino who spends most of his time wailing nonstop.

And I’m pretty damned thrilled about that.

 


And No Religion Too

One of my fondest memories of childhood is attending Christmas Midnight Mass at my family’s Catholic Church. My cousins and I would bask in the glittering pageantry, well aware that as soon as we got home, all the presents beneath the tree would be vanquished under our attacking hands.

I’m about to become a father. Naturally, I should look forward to taking my own son to Midnight Mass.

Well, I’m not. Because he will not be raised Catholic. In fact, he will not be raised with any religion at all.

To continue reading this post, please click here.

 


Like a Ticking Time Bomb

Recently, I wrote that I am about to become a father. And when I say, “about to,” I mean it. The baby is due in a few days, and he can arrive literally any minute — maybe even before I finish typing this sentence… what was that?

Oh, sorry, I thought I heard my wife going into labor. Never mind. Carry on.

But you may have noticed that I used the pronoun “he” to refer to the baby. Previously, I said the baby was a girl. Well, my wife and I received the ultimate changeup when the doctors announced that they had read the original ultrasound wrong.

That’s right. They got the wrong gender. So we’re having a boy now.

The doctors must have had a good laugh about that one.

We’re happy either way, although it definitely rocked our world to have the genders switch like that.

Regardless of his XY makeup, our baby will, as I’ve written before, be part of the fast-growing multiethnic generation.

Interestingly, his arrival comes at a time when birthrates in America are declining, especially among Latinas and immigrants. Apparently, Hispanics are learning that the Pope is not the ultimate authority on what they do with their bodies, and that they can use birth control just like everybody else.

This is great news, of course, and it can only help Hispanics improve their economic standing and educational levels.

Now, I would like to analyze this issue further, but you see, I’m too jittery to spend more than seven minutes on any one task, because the baby… wait, what? Sorry, another false alarm.

Check back with me in a few days.

 


See You Next Year

It’s the end of the year, and according to blogger tradition, I am supposed to list the top ten greatest Latino moments or the top five worst Hispanic travesties or the top sixteen weirdo stories involving Latinos.

But honestly, who has the time to accumulate all that data?

So instead I’m posting the trailer for Mama, a new movie from Guillermo del Toro, the creator of the amazing Pan’s Labyrinth. The trailer is bilingual (sort of), and as I’ve stated many times, if there is one thing that Hispanics love (other than Jan Brewer, of course), it’s horror movies.

The film opens in January and looks like an appropriately creepy way to start the new year.

 


We’re Still Here

OK, so my Mayan ancestors pulled a fast one.

But for if you’re disappointed that the world didn’t end today, keep this in mind: In just five billion years, the sun will deplete its energy, and the Earth will become a barren husk devoid of all life.

So you’ve got that to look forward to.

In the meantime, let me just say Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays and all that good stuff.


You Shall Not Pass!

Actually, two people shall pass. Ana in Miami and Janee in Los Angeles won the contest for tickets to see The Hobbit.

I hope Ana and Janee enjoy the flick. I plan to catch the movie myself soon, probably sometime between second and third breakfasts.

 


Payback

As we all know, President Obama won reelection only because he promised Hispanics unspecified “gifts,” and we responded by casting more than 70% of our votes for him.

Yet I have not received even a thank-you note. Hmm…

To continue reading this post, please click here.

 


Precious…

I recently announced that I would not be updating this site as often, due to the impending arrival of a certain infant Latina.

But don’t worry. I’m still doing the movie contests.

In fact, the last giveaway for 2012 is a big one. I’m offering you the chance to win passes to Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit, which will be screened in the following cities:

Chicago, IL

Dallas, TX

El Paso, TX

Houston, TX

Los Angeles, CA

Miami, FL

 

Yes, The Hobbit is Jackson’s return to Middle Earth, with dragons and sorcerers and goblins and… well, come on, you don’t need me to tell you how fantastically awesome The Lord of the Rings was.

All you have to do is comment on one of my posts (including this one) about anything you please. Just make sure to tell me what city you plan to see the movie in, so I can allocate the passes.

If you win, I’ll email you the tickets. By the way, I won’t make your contact info public, so don’t worry about that.

I’ll announce the contest winners in the next week or so.

In the meantime, I’ll be here, sharpening my orc-killing blade.

 


Not Quite Adios

With the impending arrival of my first child, I have to face an unpleasant truth: I may no longer have the time and energy to update this website as frequently as I have in the past.

I’ve been writing the Hispanic Fanatic for over four years now, and I still have no shortage of subjects that I’d like to address. That’s not because I’m so brilliant. It’s a consequence of living in a time and place where Latino culture has become both red-hot trend and the object of hatred. It’s a never-ending source of material.

But while I still intend to write as much as I can, I have to be at least somewhat realistic. I know I won’t be hyped up to analyze the latest trending topic regarding Hispanics when I’m on three hours sleep and wondering if we’re low on diapers.

Still, my promise is to update the site as often as I can, so I am positively not quitting. My posts may become more sporadic, and at times I may just link to interesting stories without comment (which I don’t like doing), and of course you may have to put up with multiple references to my presumably perfect offspring, but I’m going to keep going.

Now if you’ll excuse me, my wife and I are late for Lamaze class.

 


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