Hey guys!

Hey there, Kahlo here. This past week has been pretty exciting- where to start?!

Last weekend, the Adventure Out! team hosted a spa day at SFMC. It was a great day- we all learned how to make our own man-beauty products from all natural ingredients that can be bought at almost any grocery store. I promised the guys that I would post the links for the websites I used, so here they are:

http://www.spa-living-for-health.com/

http://allnaturalbeauty.us/hbr_mainpage.htm

We all had an awesome time- we basically hung out together, socialized, and pampered our skin and bodies. I really enjoyed myself, and I hope to have another one in the future! Here are some pics:

So that's what has been going on with work. Martin and Stephen have been in the office getting ready for the birdwatching trip down to the Bosque del Apache. meanwhile, I was driving my brother out to school in San Francisco.

The trip was ridiculously fast- I left Santa Fe on Tuesday at 5am, and arrived in Bakersfield Tuesday night at around 9. The next morning we left at five again, and made it to San Fran by about 10:00. I hung out with my brother while he got his housing assignment and his student ID and all that other stuff that goes with going to school.

He's attending the Academy of Art University, located in downtown San Francisco, right on the edge of the financial district. The University's buildings are spread out throughout downtown- most of the administration and all of his classes are south of Market Street, and all the dorms are north.

It's cool to see my little brother getting out of Las Cruces, and just going for it. He's been talking about leaving for art school for years, but now he's actually there. The girl he's seeing who happens to live about an hour away might also be a factor in his sudden motivation...

Anyway, after he got moved in, I drove him to the Financial Aid office before leaving. I was driving away when I noticed him running down the sidewalk- he had left his room keys in my car. I gave him one last quick hug, and we parted ways. Looking over my shoulder while getting into the car, I watched my brother walk back across the street. He looked different, maybe prouder, or more confident, or even happier than I normal see him. I really hope that this works out for him- I love you, Bert!

So then I drove back to Bakersfield that day (wednesday.) I left later yesterday, around nine or so, and didn't get home until just past midnight. Being in San Francisco was exciting- I loved the energy of the city, the constant flux of people, and the architecture was pretty cool. Every block had gargoyles and intricate molding, and arches and brick- much more detailed than adobe. Eventually I plan on moving, but nothing is set in stone. Maybe Toronto? Chicago? Portland? Maybe next year.. or five years after that. Who knows?

For now though, I'm happy where I'm at. My job is great, and Santa Fe, though boring at times, really isn't so bad. When it gets time to leave, I'll know, but right now I'm just fine where I'm at.

I did have one thought when I was in SF- that if I lived there, I would miss the outdoors. I would miss the massive pines, and the streams and valleys. I would miss being able to drive right up to the wilderness and then venture in to explore it... I guess where ever I finally end up, it'll have to be a big city, with nature right next door.

Catch you guys later!

Kahlo

PS- tons of events coming up next month, so check the calendar (which I moved to the bottom for readability- is that a real word??) And don't forget to subscribe to us- if you subscribe, you'll get an automated e-mail everytime the blog is updated, so you know when something changes. Later!

My very first blog ever!!

Hey! Martin here...

So Kahlo created this new webpage for Adventure Out! I think that it is fantastic! But I didn't realize that I would be blogging too... This is a new experience for me.

Things have been very very busy for the Adventure Out! Team. We are adding a few new events this year including Movie Nights, more Cooking School, Wellness Workshops,and a trip to the Bosque del Apache. This webpage is new (thanks to Kahlo), and our MySpace page is reaching more people than ever. We are providing more programs and events than Adventure Out! has ever done in the past.

I've been thinking about some of the stuff that we all talked about after watching "Milk", and reflecting on the things that Kahlo put into his most recent blog about Gay Heros... I have been trying to think about who I would consider a hero. Who do I look up to as a Gay Man? Who inspires me? Who leads by example? Who has made significant change in the Human Rights Movement?

I know that there are probably many people who fit into these categories, but I just do not know who they are... We have done a miserable job of passing on information about Gay History and Gay Icons to the younger generations. Many young gay guys have told me that they didn't even know who Harvey Milk was until the movie came out. I am concerned by this. How do we face this problem?

I do not know...

But, I think that a good first step is to spend time thinking about the issue. Ask yourself those questions. Discuss it with a close friend or your Partner. Google "Gay History" and do some research on powerful Gay Figures. But above all, spend some time thinking about the issue!

I have spent a lot of time thinking about this since Sunday and have come to an important realization about heros in general and who I would consider my hero. I need to have a better definition of what a Hero is. Is it really necessary for a hero to be someone who has made significant change? I think that if someone has done this then they would most definitely qualify, but is it really necessary? Are the other qualities I am looking for more important?

To me, a hero is someone who is an inspiration to me and others, someone who leads by example, and perhaps most importantly, someone that I look up to.

With this shift in definition for heros, I have found that I do in fact have many heros. Many of you reading this right now are people I consider a hero. I work in the same office with many of my heros. My partner is one of my heros. There are heros in almost every aspect of my life, I have just never thought of them in that way. They inspire me, advocate for those in need, counsel me, mentor the next generation, teach valuable life-lessons, listen, and face tremendous challenges every day.

I feel better now that I have come to this conclusion. I am surrounded by heros. I look up to them all. Thanks for reading this, I hope that it helps you find the heros in your life!

I'm BACK!

Hey Everyone!

Stephen from Adventure Out! here!

Well, the past 3 weeks have been an adventure for me. As most of you may or may not know, I moved to Santa Fe about 7 months ago from Boston, MA. Having never been to the South West before I had no idea what to expect and it has been a huge adjustment but totally worth it.
I was pretty homesick around the holidays but my Grandmother came to visit me for Christmas which was freaking fantastic! She is an amazing Woman and at 75 years old she is still doing everything for herself.....like flying across the country to see me! Christmas was quiet and relaxing. We had a great time sight seeing around Santa Fe and we both rode the Tram up to Sandia Peak the day before she left! It's so beautiful up there!!!!

After Nana left I had a week free and I frantically tried to get all of my work done before my 3 closest friends arrived from NYC to visit. They arrived last Tuesday and we had a full week of laughs, good food and adventures! While they were here we went camping in White Sands National Monument, I think that beautiful is too common a word to describe what White Sands is like. I would describe it as awe inspiring! It was about 70 degrees when we hiked to our camp and although it got cold at night it was still pretty warm for being January! Obviously 70 degrees in January was pretty exciting for 4 people from the North East!



Anyway, my friends left yesterday and although I was sad to see them go they filled a place in my heart that I didn't even realize was missing. I can't say that I am 100% cured of my homesickness but it has been relieved tremendously by being around my family and friends. Today is my first day back from vacation and I feel a sense of renewal and love for what I do here at the Santa Fe Mountain Center and I believe it will show in the upcoming events that Adventure Out! is hosting!

Oh, I included a video that is pretty ridiculous but hysterical (in my opinion)! Check it out!

Harvey Milk

Hey guys, Kahlo here. On Sunday we took Adventure Out! to the movies, where we watched Milk, the story of Harvey Milk's life and death. Afterwards, we treated the group to coffee and dessert at the Santa Fe Bar and Grill. There we had a pretty good discussion. We let the conversation sort of drift into any subject anyone wanted to talk about.

What really stuck with me was the fact that I felt like there are no major gay heroes, no major figures in history that I can look to for inspiration. Where is my Martin Luther King? The truth isn't that they don't exist, but that I don't know about them. As a community, we've forgotten to immortalize our heroes, we've forgotten to pass on their legacy. I feel inspired to find those gay heroes, pull them back out of the closet of history and share them with everyone. These are just my thoughts, I know that my coworkers may disagree with me (and hopefully they'll post their thoughts as well.) What I do know for sure is that Harvey Milk is now one of my heroes.

A few people thought that it would be cool if they could hear one of his actual speeches. I found a short speech, and the tape he recorded before he died. They are embedded below.

Prop 8- The Musical

Hey guys, you have to check this out!

I found it online a few minutes ago. It has Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris, and tons of others. (Is that Margaret Cho?)

Check it out!

-Kahlo

"Prop 8 - The Musical" starring Jack Black, John C. Reilly, and many more... by Jack Black

I tell ya'...

Whew! Kahlo here-I just got done setting up this blog page for Adventure Out! and it was a headache. I'm finally done(ish)and now that this page is up and running, I'm stoked. The rest of the team will be posting here and there as well, so drop by once in a while to see what's new with the staff and the program.
We wanted to give everyone a way to check in on Adventure Out! and see what the deal is with events, staff, and each other. We will be posting monthly newsletters here, as well as random updates about what we've got going on.
I start thinking about all the other stuff I need to add, like photo albums, videos, staff pictures... another day, I suppose. Anyway, thanks for checking out our page, and as always, don't be afraid to be amazing!