The long overdue post about Avi has arrived!

The trip was amazing –– despite minor dramz with windstorms, drunken idiots with opinions, and a wee sandstorm –– and life is back to normal.

I tried gambling, and I can see how people get addicted; it's so easy to lose money, but somehow I was able to win like ten dollars to give back to Karen, the President and CEO of the Flecky Family Trip to Avi.

She's the stellar beauty three from the left in this picture. By the grace of God I was positioned next to her in the shot.

I love her. This picture is missing Shannon –– she wasn't feeling well . . . –– and was taken outside of Feathers, where I ate the cheesiest omelette ever made.

The next picture was taken during the float-down on our second day there. Seriously –– all exaggeration and silliness aside –– watching the sky and the clouds as we floated down the Colorado River was truly mesmerizing. Despite the drunkenness surrounding me, I felt humbled by the size of the world and the vastness of the infinite blue sky. We had a damn good time too. Just look at Ali, front and center; She really epitomizes the Avi attitude. Avitude.
Although we didn't know everyone on the float-down, we had a great time. I barely knew anyone, actually. It was so fun; we just sat in our own little group, talking and getting sillay. The trip really reminds me how much I love my friends. Every time we hang out, it feels as though no time has passed since we were in high school. We have different stories to tell and our libraries of experience have grown, but the cores of who we are and how we relate haven't changed at all. Even if Bri drinks now, she's still the sober, responsible mom that makes sure we stay on schedule; even if Tawnee is on a strict gym regimen and doesn't smoke anymore, she's still the carefree crack-up that reacts hilariously to every situation; even if Holly is working as a teacher and living on her own, she still knows how to get silly and pose masterfully in front of random portraits; and even if Ali is on her way to becoming a Paragon graduate and executive chef, she is still absolutely immature, sparkling, and witty –– absolutely my bffl.
The cocktail party was awkward as always, but this year we dressed up. Two notes: Check out Ali's bootylicious bootay, and check out my insanely long toga. Ali wins; I fail.
Avi was, and will always continue to be, an escape from reality and an adhesive for friendships I know will never end.

Excuse me, what the fuck?

Today I received a dose of sobering reality.

As many people already know, Governor Schwarzenegger used his line-item veto power to cut a few things from California's budget. Included in those vetoes was a lot of AIDS money. At work today I witnessed the effects of these cuts as our Executive Director was forced to meet individually with each employee to terminate some and add to the responsibilities –– dramatically –– of others.

When one of my coworkers said, "this is just fucked up," it really hit me how fucked up this actually is.

Since I am younger and moving to New York soon, this doesn't affect me very much in the sense that my job stability in Santa Barbara was only temporary anyway. For other employees, they have lost the foundation we have all been taking for granted. After all, who really thought that programs supporting people with HIV/AIDS and preventing the spread of the disease would be lost? I guess I'm being idealistic, but I thought this was a pretty important priority.

Which brings the discussion to the individuals served by these programs. Where will they turn?The purposes of these programs are to save lives, preserve lives, and enrich lives; without the funding, there will be no one for these people to turn to.

And fucking Cash for Clunkers.

You might die from AIDS, but you can turn in that old car of yours for big bucks!

AIDS, who cares; Jalopies, BINGO!