The “Real” Victim in the Trayvon Martin Tragedy
According to Fox News, the National Rifle Association is the “real victim” in the Trayvon Martin tragedy. On America Live, Trace Gallagher reported that anti-gun advocates are using George Zimmerman’s alleged self-defense claim to attack the NRA. Towards the end of the segment, Gallagher also added, “It’s important to point out that gun sales in this country have never been higher and the crime rate, says the FBI, is very low.”
Thanks for pointing that out, Trace. Where would America be without your insightful commentary? How would hate, racism, and ignorance thrive in America without the leadership and guidance of Fox News?
Surely, the real victim in the Trayvon Martin tragedy couldn’t possibly be Trayvon himself. It couldn’t be the unarmed boy who was shot for looking “suspicious” with a bag of candy in his pocket. It couldn’t be the child whose life was taken away for chancing upon a gun-toting, vigilante psycho.
How can people be so flippant, so unapologetically dismissive about human life?
Demand justice for Trayvon Martin. Start by signing his family’s petition to prosecute George Zimmerman.
UPDATE
This morning on Fox and Friends, Geraldo Rivera stated that minorities who wear hoodies are just “asking to be shot.” Seriously, the only qualification you need to work at Fox News is that you have to be an idiot. Even Rivera’s son says he is ashamed of him. Rivera’s ideas are in no way original – Fox News has been blaming the victim for as long as they’ve been around. According to them, women ask to be raped.
Our Chinese Fiesta – Rehearsal Lunch at Papacito’s
Because we chose a traditional Chinese banquet for our wedding reception, I wanted Mexican food for our rehearsal dinner. This was tricky because most Mexican food in NYC does not meet ST’s high standards. In addition to ST’s pickiness, about 35 people were expected to attend so not only did the food have to be delicious, it had to be budget-friendly.
Thankfully, ST found Papacito’s in Greenpoint and our rehearsal lunch conundrum was solved.
We loved everything about Papacito’s – their food, casual ambiance, prices, and friendly staff. They delivered Mexican street food that satisfied even ST. The cost per person was $15 (after tax and tip) for guacamole and chips, rice and beans, a variety of tacos, quesadillas, and drinks in their outdoor area, which we had to ourselves. Their manager, Kat, was so accommodating and helpful – she even insisted that we take some celebratory shots with her and gave us our very own Papacito’s shot glasses! So nice.
Maid of honor Melody was our very own paparazzo that day. I really appreciate that she captured all these details I would have otherwise forgotten.
People enjoying the food, weather, and company.
Me and my ladies. I read on wedding blogs that I’m supposed to get a fancy outfit for the rehearsal. Well, I didn’t. Thankfully, maid of honor Kim stepped in and bought me this pretty dress from H&M on sale. Paired with an old pair of sandals borrowed from Mel I was good to go. I finished the look with a sweaty side pony tail – classy, I know.
We had A LOT of kids at our wedding! They’re all so grown up now.
After the food, it was time to hand out the presents we’d spent months collecting.
Check out the loot -
- The groomsmen received engraved flasks and money clips that I got from an eBay seller and a red tie.
- The dads received red ties and engraved money clips from Things Remembered.
- All other male helpers received red ties. We purchased all red ties from Century 21. I think we ended up buying 18!
- Our ring bearer Chris received a 3D drawing book. Our flower girls Liana and Carmina were each gifted headbands, pearl bracelets, and coloring books.
- The junior bridesmaids received custom skull earrings from Etsy, their dresses, and Toki Doki lip glosses.
- I kind of went a bit nuts with the bridesmaids’ gifts – they each received a gold BCBG clutch, custom earrings and necklace from Etsy, a Toki Doki lip gloss, and sassy panties.
- We chose jewelry for the moms and I had messages embroidered on handkerchiefs for each of them.
- Female helpers received $20 gift cards from Sephora. My creative juices were running low at this point.
This is Liana’s “Dang, tía, you hooked a girl up!” face. The gift bags were intended for coloring too. They came with a little packet of crayons – how cute is that?
My mom purchased a whole bunch of red gift bags from target on sale. I got some gold tissue paper (that I still use to this day) and tied on a letterpressed tag to make it fancy. The double-faced satin ribbon was purchased from eBay for a fraction of the cost and we tied that stuff on everything.
Funny story about those tags. They were actually part of our wedding invitations. When we received our first batch of invitations, they had a horrendous typo! We were prepared to fork over another couple hundred bucks to redo them when Kristin at Twin Ravens Press realized it was her mistake and redid them all for free. So I cut up the typo ones and made them into gift tags.
Look at our crowd. We roll deep.
I am so in love with this man.
I loved our informal rehearsal lunch. I remember being really stressed out and emotional on that day but looking back on it, I can’t say one negative thing about it.
If you’re on the fence about having a rehearsal lunch versus a dinner, pull the trigger! It’s affordable, gives people ample time to eat, talk, and relax without worrying about getting home. ST and I are also very casual people who simply enjoy good food and company – fancy stuff makes us nervous.
On the other hand, a few friends couldn’t make it because they had to work. I don’t think they lost any sleep over it though. 
PrelovedNYC at Artists and Fleas
Early yesterday morning, ST, Helene, and I rolled out to Williamsburg with our car stuffed to the brim with inventory.
The front seat was reserved for people who were over six feet tall…
While the lone back seat was occupied by the smallest person in the car.
Artists and Fleas is located in a residential neighborhood, inside a large industrial building that houses all kinds of goods.
Putting together a booth is a lot harder than it seems; I was a ball of nerves during the first hour.
Despite some setbacks, it all got done. ST was our handyman – he hung up the stuff on the wall and assembled our garment racks.
Ready, set, go!
I didn’t expect retail to be so hard. We were on our feet from 8 am to 7 pm, smiling, hello-ing, and trying to make sales. Julia (left) was one of our favorite customers of the day – she was so adorable and unique. She walked away with some great pieces. Helene’s sister, Evelyn, tried on vintage leather pants and men’s shirt and owned the look.
Fashion bloggers Candace Belle of The Style Climber and Lauren of Kurvayshus B came out to support us and picked up some goodies. These ladies are delightful.
My sisters also picked up some stuff and helped us clean up at the end of the day. Thanks hermanas!
I learned many important lessons yesterday, the foremost being that I don’t have a passion for vintage; I have a passion for sustainable fashion. I simply want to decrease the amount of crap I send to landfills and increase my personal awareness of mass consumerism.
I did meet a few great people with such enthusiasm for vintage treasures that it was practically contagious. I talked shop with Ricky and admired Wizetta’s prized horse. The management at Artists and Fleas has created such a positive, encouraging, and inspiring community of vendors. We were sad to leave them at the end of the day!
I’m so thankful that we were welcomed into Artists and Fleas and given the opportunity to be a part of it. Rock on, Artists and Fleas! I look forward to returning – I’m just not sure if it will be as a vendor or customer.
Oh, and a note about mixing friendship and business. I know many people advise against starting a business with friends, and wisely so. Going into this, Helene and I were a bit naive. This project really challenged our friendship. We laughed, cried, and screamed – but we made it. And our friendship is all the better for it.