Greeting a new year and a new Decade

"Now everyone is talking about this new decade

Like you say the magic numbers
then just say goodbye to the stupid mistakes you made,
but my memory serves me far too well."

New Years Eve is here, and along with it comes a heap of expectations. Finally, with the start of a new decade, I can start afresh and "say goodbye to the stupid mistakes I made". 2010 promises to be a good year and I brand new decade for me, for this blog, for Laredo in general.

I recall how 10 years ago, with the Y2k scare, right about this time I was loading up on bottled water and Cheetos. With all the hype I though it would be wise to stock up on on essentials, for, "just in case". That was 1999. I was a kid, surfing the web on my WebTV, going to LCC and and eating Dunkin Donuts. But, there is no looking back. The 00's are over. They were not kind to me at all, so now it's time to start over again in the 10's. This will be my decade. Watch and see.

Super S Foods on Santa Maria

Very few stores are as fun as Super S Foods. Here, you can find the total "Laredo experience", especially on Sunday afternoons, when it seems as if the entire west side congregates here to snatch up the required essentials for the obligatory Sunday carne asada reverent feast.

I ventured out to this supermarket, not so long ago, and took some snapshots, just for you my eager and faithful audience. What I found, and what I suspect that half the west side projects are already aware of, is the vast superiority of Super S over other chains such as HEB and Narvaez. Before you begin to throw tomatoes at me and spit out your Bud Light in a bitter rage, take a peek at the evidence below.

Super S has it all: (picture above)
1) Obligatory west side residents giving you hard stares: Check
2) Obligatory Mexican Cd's for sale outside store: Check
3) Obligatory pirated DVD's for sale outside store: Check

Great store, ample parking. Friendly locals. Fast checkouts. Looks like I will be dumping HEB soon.

Guy with big onions (above)

Another great point about Super S Foods is their fresh produce section. This store has no peers when it comes to fruits and vegetables. Consumers from all over the county are well aware that this store is unparalleled in its freshness and authentic selection of exotic fruits and veggies. Just look at the customer above. He has two gi-normous onions found only at the Super S.

Cotton Candy in a Bag (above)

Super S Rocks. They have all the essential groceries. Cotton Candy in a bag. Genius. Fluffy stuff on the go.



Awesome beer selection (picture above)

Super S has all your favorite beer. Their variety is so extensive it's almost scary. Bud Light for everyone. As well all know, Bud is Laredo's favorite and official beer, and Super S is eager to comply to our great thirsts for the good stuff. Some people love to drink piss water. To each their own, I guess.

Awesome beer selection part 2 (picture above)

Besides Bud Light, Super S also carries an extensive amount of the other 'official' Laredo beer, Natural Light. God forbid they run out of this beer; they have a complete refrigerator well-stocked and bursting at the seems, with this drink from the Gods themselves. For your next carne asada, Super S Foods is the place to go to gather the essentials. Don't believe me? Head down there yourself this weekend. But hurry, before they run out of Natural Light!!

Stryper Sucks!

Stryper sucks, but apparently the guy that wrote this in this bathroom stall style didn't get the memo.

Gas station near Laredo, TX

I found this priceless picture on flickr. It has every stereotype in the book. Old junked cars on the side. Check. Mangy dog on porch. Check. Obligatory car seat as porch furniture. Check. The place is priceless.

(note: Go here for original picture as found on flickr)

Shopping Downtown (en el centro)

Its been a while since I have gone shopping downtown. I'm not too sure why I haven't gone either. When I was in my teens, I used to enjoy going to the downtown shops and browsing around, or just hanging out and enjoying the sights and sounds. At the time, I used to ride the Metro. Now that I drive, it's harder to go downtown. Parking sucks. Nonetheless, I made it a point to go downtown this Saturday afternoon and take some snapshots. I'll catch the locals in all their glory. Come back on Sunday for some good pictures of downtown Laredo.

(note: the picture above was found on Flickr)

Iglesia Bautista, Nueva Vida

A couple of weeks ago, I blogged about a church that I spotted over by Malinche and Guadalupe, behind la pulga. The church, Pare de Sufrir, has faced all sorts of criticism and has been called everything from 'charlatans' to outright 'liars and heretics' by other, more conservative groups (read a quick article here, in Spanish).

I had meant to visit this particular church, just out of sheer curiosity, but I thought twice about it after reading some articles on this particular religious group, labeling them a 'dangerous sect'. They belong to a larger group that calls itself, La Iglesia Universal del Reino de Dios, and are based out of Brazil. The more I began to read on this group, the more interested I became in visiting their temple and seeing first hand, just what they are all about.

Now, I believe myself to be a 'freethinker' and I think I have a 'to each his own' mentality. I'm not trying to knock this particular group. I am, however, intrigued, by their infomercials and commercialism. So, I hope to be able to witness one of their 'services' soon.

Across the street from Pare de Sufrir Church, is another church, with a different set of beliefs altogether: La Iglesia Bautista Nueva Vida en Jesus. Its located on Corpus Christi and down the block from the competitive, Pare de Sufrir. I've never been in this one either, but maybe soon I'll get a chance to visit. Maybe they have free sweetbread after service?? I'll keep you posted.

Wings and Mas

I hadn't noticed it, but Wings and Mas is no mas. Sorry to see them go. Let's see what opens there this time.

Laredosun.Us

I stumbled upon El Manana's blog, www.laredosun.us and even though it has lots of shortcomings, I guess its better than not having an online newspaper at all. The blog does leave a lot to be desired, but as El Manana editors state on their site, the blog is "still a work in progress and although we try to bring the latest breaking news from our local frontier, and around the global, we are still working out a few bugs."


I guess then, that I will remain patiently waiting for those bugs to get creased out, as LMT abandoned their online format months ago, and are now on a pay basis only for local articles. In the mean time, I will try to put up with Nuevo Laredo's English version blog. Seems that they are trying to fill that niche of readers that LMT lost when they went to pay-only format. There are a lot of us out there, that are looking for Laredo news online. Maybe in the future, LaredoSun will be that source we seek. Until then, I wait.

Random Laredenses pt. 5

BorderTown Blunder

I was redesigning the blog a week ago and several things were accidentally deleted. Therefore I had to start again on several blog gadgets, and I still haven't been able to fully correct them.

Also, I hadn't noticed that one of my compadre blogs was linked incorrectly. It seems that I somehow goofed on the link for Bordertown Blues blog and it was directing to another page which seems like it belongs to some sort of musical starlet. Oops. In any case, the correction has been made...but hmm, this other page does look interesting. Maybe there is a connection between the two sites. Anyone know of it?


I'm sure this blonde bombshell is also an intellectual. You might be surprised.

Chelas Original Fried Pies

I found the following flyer waiting for me at my doorstep when I got home from work today. It seems a new business, over on the Loop by Century City, with the name of Chela's Original Fried Pies has just opened up. The place sounds promising. I might just go check it out and report back to you here, as to just how good those pies are. I'll keep you posted.

Burlington Carnival Time

Happy Thanksmas: Paisanos, Posadas and Party People

(from the archives)The following article was first found on the now defunct DeLaredo.Net, but its subject matter is still relevant today. Initially, I wrote it several days after Thanksgiving 2007. Please keep that in mind as you read the short opinion piece.

Happy ThanksMas: Paisanos, Posadas and Party People
by DeLaredo

Another holiday season is here upon us, and with it have arrived the long lines at the international bridges and the jam-packed crowds at the mall that makes shopping unbearable. Also, it's the season of endless posadas and a flooding of champurrado that brings smiles to even the most hardened Scrooges. Still, as much as I love this season of joy and giving, it seems that every year the Christmas season is extended and exploited further and combined into a two month extravaganza.

All around my subdivision, some of my eager neighbors have already put up their Christmas decorations right after Halloween. Turkey Day has not even passed and they are already looking forward to Santa. To them, it seems as if Thanksgiving and Christmas have been combined and intertwined into one mega-sized holiday that I call "Thanksmas". Even retail stores, in their greed and savvy business tactics begin to push all their Christmas items in mid-November. But what is all the hurry? Why don't we take it one holiday at a time? That way we can savor each holiday for what it is. They are not interchangeable and both have wonderful elements within themselves.

Still, things such as "Black Friday" and "Cyber Monday" seem to turn the season into nothing more than an empty and soulless materialistic grab-bag in which we, as consumers, seem to be bamboozled by the big media, into robotically attacking the malls in hordes like the zombies in Romero's Dawn of the Dead. Surely there is more to the holidays than buying senseless gadgets and spending hours of dead time in a mall and running around like ants in a rainstorm. But, don't get me wrong, I understand fully the need of buying and selling for our economy to remain robust and healthy, still, it seems that in the process we have to sell our souls to corporate giants that turn the importance of Christmas (xmas?) into sales, receipts, gift cards and mark-down prices.

Missouri-Pacific Station circa 1978

Looking on Google, for old Laredo pics, I ran across this sweet gem of a picture, of the Missouri Pacific station, taken sometime in 1978. The scene just looks so tranquil, even with the locomotive zooming by, noisily in the background. What I would give to have experienced Laredo, in all its glory, that year. TooBad.com

Pare de Sufrir

(photo: Church on Guadalupe and Bartlett)

Faith can sometimes be expensive and in these trouble times, remedies to all our ills are just a couple of bucks away. This church, Pare de Sufir, called a quasi-Christian sect by a Baptist friend of mine, has always captured my attention. I've never belittled someone else's beliefs, but the 'infomercials' done by this particular denomination are quite intriguing. I've been meaning to walk in to a service, just to experience the place. Maybe one of these days I just will. I don't frequent 'maquinitas', but these days church is even a bigger gamble.

West Express Video

One of the last remaining local video stores, West Express, located on Guadalupe St, has an excellent selection of movie titles available. Check out their great selection next time you are staying in for a movie night.

TAMIU

Karmic Law Gone Awry: Sport Column

Karmic Law Gone Awry
by Clark Kent
for DeLaredo Blog

Green Bay’s favorite son, Brett Favre, returned to the Packers Lambeau Field this past Sunday as a member of the dreaded rival Minnesota Vikings. The equivalent to Cowboy fans, as Troy Aikman returning to Texas Stadium in a hated Redskins uniform.
Green Bay is by far the smallest market in the NFL, with a population of a little over 100,000 and this traditional old fashion mid-western city was a community torn on Sunday. Torn between their loyalty to a Brett Favre that helped to bring back the Green Bay Packers from complete NFL obscurity, that had existed since the era of Vince Lambardi in the 60’s and a Brett Favre that had, in the eyes of some Packers fans, turned his back on Green Bay.
Now whether Favre turned his back on Green Bay by his own accord or he was run off by the front office, is still uncertain. What is for sure is that Favre plays this game with a boyish charm and passion not seen in many of today’s modern athletes. Favre plays the game to have fun and that’s the way it should be, playing the game for the simple reason of enjoying it. Much like the town he played in for 16 years, Favre is a throwback quarterback to simpler times. So it is for this reason that it was odd that he appears to have used his current stint with the Minnesota Vikings as a form of revenge on his former team, better said against his former front office personnel for losing faith in the now 40 year old quarterback, a move that has now come back to haunt Packer management and consequently their very own fan base. A white haired Brett Favre marched onto Lambeau field this past Sunday and convincingly beat the team that had lost confidence in him, placing the Packer fans in quite a loyalty conundrum.
They say revenge is a plate best served cold, but in a world ruled by karmic law, this recent turn of events in the Favre saga seemed inappropriate for the everyday, simple, down to earth and loyal mid-western Packer fan to have to endure.

"un besito pa' todas las haters"

I first saw this video about two months ago after it became something of a mini, local viral hit among the high school teen crowd. I didn't really see a point to it, other than the two protagonists in the video, show a strong command of local Spanglish street talk. My younger cousins, in their teens, love to imitate the young ladies in this video. I offer no judgement on their behavior or their free use of profanity. To each his own. The video caused such a stir, it was parodied by several local kids. Watch below: "Dale shine"

This is the original video



This is a short parody




Another short parody



The video parodies aren't really SNL like quality, but you have to admire their creative output.

Soon we won't have a bookstore but...

I don't mean to sound like a yuppie, go green, tree hugging, Starsucks drinking, anti-gun, liberal, snobby elitist, BUT...


Laredo has something like 5 gun shops, 8 Liquor stores, 2 porn shops, 5 beer runs, over 25 "maquinitas" but...

pretty soon we won't have a bookstore in this town. I'm just saying.

Laredo has never really been a place for culture and knowledge. We prize our carne asada, Bud Light drinking, Little Joe listening pastimes (not that it's necessarily wrong). Reading is not really our forte. I'm just saying...we won't have a bookstore pretty soon in this city. But, honestly, looking around me and glancing around at the population, I'm not that surprised. I'm just saying...

Are you surprised? Leave your comments regarding the pending closure of our only true bookstore.

South Side boy in Box

Driving around Laredo, I spotted a little boy playing carelessly in a box, having the time of his life. I drove by, just wishing, that I could have as much fun with something as simple as a cardboard box.

South Side View

I took these pics from outside of a friend's house somewhere in the south side.

The Spurs-Lakers Dominance

DeLaredo Sports Columnist: Clark Kent

"The Spurs Lakers Dominance"

The Spurs and the Lakers have combined to win 8 of the last 11 NBA championships. Even a casual observer can easily see that these two NBA franchises have dominated the Larry O’Brien Trophy for the past decade; even more impressive is that these two teams do not show any signs of fading. This year the Spurs have their deepest team to date, even more so than in their championship years. With the main additions of Jefferson, McDyess and Blair “The Beast”, the Spurs are sporting their toughest team to date. This is a group of new additions, to go with a healthy and rested big 3 of Duncan, Parker and Ginobli looks to be a team that even the defending Lakers could have difficulty overcoming in a 7 game series.

The Lakers were not dormant in the off season either. As if the “Black Mamba” Kobe Bryant needed anymore help on the court, the Lakers added Ron Artest a player straight out of the mold of the Detroit Pistons “Bad Boys” era. This Bad boy addition along with the further maturation of their big man Andrew Bynum the Lakers look equally as improved as the Spurs and both look primed to dominate this year yet again.

The Lakers have historically had championship teams as the lure of L.A., movie stars cheering in the stands, along with the rest of the glitz of Hollywood has attracted top NBA players for many years. A trend that will likely continue as the legacy of the Lakers continues to grow. The Spurs on the other hand have had recent success under the coaching of Greg Popovich and the Keen eye for talent of R.C. Bufford, which have combined to catapult the Spurs to the Lakers level as one of the upper echelon franchises in the NBA. Their success does not halt in the NBA; ESPN currently rated the San Antonio Spurs as the best Sports Franchise of all the major sports teams, a franchise known for adding not only talented players, but more importantly character players, much like the “character formula” followed by the New England Patriots in the NFL. The Spurs have used this “character formula” successfully to the tune of 4 world championships to date.

Can anybody from the east compete with these two western forces? The Shaq experiment in Cleveland looks like it will fail and the Magic are a very good team, but not quite championship caliber. The Celtics might be the only team capable of keeping these two western forces from continuing their championship dominance. The main question for the Celtics lies around Kevin Garnet’s knee and if it can hold up through 82 regular season games and through the post season. The rest of the Celtics team seems intact, but they cannot win without a healthy Garnett. So will the Celtics roar back into the championship? Will the Lakers win back to back championships like the Magic Johnson team of the late 1980’s and the three-peat of the Shaq-Kobe era or will the Spurs win their 5^th Championship in 10 years? Or will the sports world be completely shocked by this years champ? Tune in……

South Side Traffic

I was driving home yesterday afternoon and I saw this mess. South Side Traffic sucks. It gets backed up pretty bad on the Zapata "Ay Wuey" (Hwy. 83). Everywhere in town now, traffic is growing. I miss the Laredo of 1990. Sigh.

Miles Austin: The Simple Man

DeLaredo Sports Columnist: Eduardo "Sam Adams" Light

Miles Austin: The Simple Man

The savior is here cheered the adoring crowds, the savior is here! Terrell Owens is a Dallas Cowboy! The missing piece of the Super Bowl puzzle is complete cried the crowds! As the press conference unveiled, next to Jerry Jones sat a man that would make Adonis himself envious, a freaky specimen of a man that would surely take the Boys back to the Promised Land. The season came and as Adonis stood on the sidelines, he sure did look good in his uniform and he sounded smooth and debonair when talking to the quote hungry media. A fan pleaser he surely was, well at least off the field that is. Once the games started, the controversy that followed him around the league was not far behind. Just throw me the ball Adonis would whine, but when they threw him the ball, he would drop it! So many times he dropped the ball that he actually led the entire league in dropped passes. Despite paying millions of dollars for his butter fingers Adonis, Jerry Jones stood behind him until he became so much of a big scene annoyance and distraction that it could no longer be ignored. So off Adonis went to put on a good show for his new popcorn eating mind numbed audience.

Enter Miles Austin, the simple man’s man.

A player that went undrafted in the 2006 NFL draft, from a small unknown to the BCS college of Monmouth. A simple man in the shadows of the Adonis show for 3 years, so much in the shadows that even after the exit stage right from Adonis, Austin was still only the #3 wide receiver on the team, in other words he was still riding the bench. It was not until an injury to the supposed Adonis replacement of Roy Williams and the disappointing performance from Crayton that Austin finally got his opportunity to shine and man did he ever shine! In his first opportunity in Kansas City he absolutely torched the KC defense for 250 yards and 2 touchdowns (including the game winning TD). Austin immediately broke the single game Cowboys record for receiving yards. He broke Bob Hayes old record of 246 yards set in 1966 against the Washington Redskins. “One game fluke” people screamed, “One game fluke!” Austin immediately shut up his vicious critics when he annihilated the Falcons defense the very following game for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns. Beyond these crazy stats he is putting up, is the manner in which he is doing it in. He is showing steady hands, playing extremely physical after catching the ball and showing blinding speed. In other words catch him if you can defense and if you happen to be fortunate enough to catch him, good luck tackling the man. Additionally, Austin is a team player; he paid his dues to climb up to the starting position and has a likable personality in a team that has looked harmonious for the first time in many years. The team is looking so in tune that Tony Romo and Miles Austin are clicking on and off the field like Romo and Adonis never did, leading me to say Terrell who?

Laredo Jack-o-lantern

It seems as if Laredo is ready for the Halloween season. This one house that you see above has kept it simple but effective. The pumpkins are out and all sort of delicious treats are being prepared to be served this weekend as one of the best days of the year approaches. No fancy-smanchy ghosts and goblins are necessary to truly have fun this Halloween. Just remember kiddos, to check your candy and don't bite into an apple that has those pesky razors twinkling up your mouth. There will be plenty of trick-or-treating. I especially love the Nvo. Laredo crowd that crosses yearly to ask for candy. Gotta love this town.

The Asylum Haunted House

As most of you have seen, there is a haunted house over at the old Circuit City at Mall del Norte. The place has been getting rave reviews from everyone I've spoken with. I'll be there this weekend for sure. Here is a short video from CineDeLaredo that showcases the place. BTW, no I'm not on CineDeLaredo's payroll (jaja). For some reason, I've just been highlighting a lot of their work.

A-Rod: The Stud and the Dud

DeLaredo is pleased to announce the arrival of our very own sports columnist, Eddie Light. You can look forward to reading his weekly sports columns where he will share his take on the sports world as seen through his espn-ish eyes. His very first entry can be read below.

A-Rod: The Stud and the Dud

It is easy for the casual observer to see what outstanding accomplishments A-Rod has attained on the baseball field. The youngest player in baseball history to reach the 500 homeruns, 12 time All-Star, 3 time MVP, 2 time Gold Glove winner and is widely considered the best all around player in the Majors. Despite all of these accomplishments A Rod has had his struggles. Mainly mental struggles that have caused him to seek professional therapy, added to his marriage problems that ended up causing him to divorce his wife and mother of his 2 children.

Although most notably for the sports fan is his psychological struggles that have been the most prevalent, especially in the MLB post season. A Rod the stud, in years past, would quickly turn into the dud once the playoffs came around, but not this postseason. A Rod has been crushing the ball as well as his critics. In a mere 9 post season games he has 5 home runs, 12 RBI’s, Has scored 10 runs, 2 Doubles and batting for a whopping .438 batting average. It appears that A Rod has finally overcome his postseason demons and appears to be “Jordanesque” at the plate and on the field, in other words the man is unstoppable.

The post season sleeping giant has awoken and found himself in his first World Series of his career. Having conquered his October Blues, nothing seems to be able prevent this once in a generation super star from breaking the all time home run record, being in the MLB hall of fame and winning his elusive World Series championship. History will look back upon this phenomenal athlete as the greatest baseball player to ever play the game and nothing, not even the insignificant steroid scandal, will tarnish his legacy. So tune this World Series, so you can mesmerize your grand children with stories of watching the great Alex Rodriguez play baseball.

By Eduardo Light

(Editor's note: I'm full aware that A-rod is a Yankee now, but there is no way I would ever put up on my blog, anyone wearing a Yankee uniform. Go Rangers!)

Random Laredenses pt. 4

Pretty faces around Laredo. Look at the guy in the background, "Hey, you talking to me?" In any case, looks like everyone in town is having more fun than I am. Nimodo.com

CineDeLaredo.com video shoot

Ok, I am now officially, profesionally jealous. These guys have some neat toys and equipment. I'm still stuck with my polaroid circa 1981. Damn.

Laredo Bridge 1950s

The 1950's, I'm sure, were a simpler time. Laredo was just a cozy city on the Tex-Mex border. People wouldn't lock their doors at night and vehicles wouldn't get stolen from the parking lot at Chilis. The above picture tells me so. No traffic at the bridge. You can come and go with ease. Try doing that today. Two hour bridge-line waits are common. Oh, to be in the 50's.

Feel the Magic

This is the same exact face and feeling my siblings and I would have each time we were dragged to visit our "abuelita". A feeling of absolute dread and boredom would engulf us. Sunday morning and abuelita visits were synonymous with each other. Now that I'm older, I have a different view on life. At least now I don't kick and scream each time I go visit my grandmother. Yeay for me.

Raspa Time (part 3)

It's October and summer is still here. Autumn doesn't really rear its head in Laredo until December. And when it does, it lasts for about two whole months. I'm not complaining either; I would hate to drive in snow. Raspas are still good this time of year. Other than donuts, what else is there to bring a smile to my face? Its still hot out there, so keep enjoying raspas.

Mako Rayo music video

I'm not a big fan of reagetton music at all, but someone sent me this Mako Rayo (from Nuevo Laredo) music video and it was filmed by local videographers over at CineDeLaredo.Com and I totally dig the editing...not so much the "music". I'm not trying to hate; its all good. When I was a kid I used to believe that "Dont be Cruel" by Bobby Brown was the best song eeeever, so as you can see I'm no music scholar.

Still, the video is nicely done, so big props to the people over at cinedelaredo..catchy name too.

Amor del Bueno

Que padre la foto, eh. Este si es amor del bueno.

I ran across the website CineDeLaredo.com and they do a pretty neat job. Stop by and check out their pics and videos. Awesome editing. I'm soooo jealous. That's what I get for having no talent.

LaredoBuzz Coupon

I ran across some coupons/ads that look like they were compiled by a local website by the name of LaredoBuzz. Most of the coupons aren't really all that special. For example, on one you have to buy three tacos to get half off for the drink. Whoopee. But one of the coupons is actually pretty good and it caught my attention.


The coupon is from Perla's Snack Drive thru, a local south side place. It reads:

Totally Free Mexican Hotdog. No purchase necessary.

Sweet! Needless to say, I live around the area and we have already hit the place up for 5 free hot dogs. Jaja. Yes I'm a freeloader and I love me my coupons. During these times of economic distress, anything helps. Thanks Perla!!!

Play-More (and other Urban Legends)

I have a friend who swears on his 1988 Fleer baseball card set, that way back, sometime in the mid 80s, there existed something called the Play-more. According to his vivid imagination, the Playmore was a cross between Putt-Putt golf and Disney's Epcott Center. Every time he starts to rant about how good things were in the 80s in Laredo (minus the unpaved streets), his eyes light up and a goofy smile fills his face (a goofier smile than usual).

Go carts, arcades, a skating rink, a movie theater, according to my buddy, this place was Laredo's version of Astroworld. However, apparently, you have to be over 33 to remember this lost haven of yesteryear. I only arrived in 1992 to Laredo, years after this place apparently vanished. So if anyone out there remembers this place, drop by and leave some comments. Pictures of this lost city would be great appreciated. I think its just a crazy sugar induced illusion that my buddy concocted in between his imaginary friends.

Someone out there prove me wrong. Did the Playmore really exist? Was it really one of the wonders of the world? Why did it disappear? Where was it located? Whatever happen to Jimmy Hoffa? So many questions, so little answers. Drop me a line if you got some info!

Viernes Social en el Desperado Bar

Por fin llego el Viernes despues de una larga semana y todo mundo a la parranda. And where else in Laredo is better to dance and drink some chelas frias, then over at the all new Desperado Bar.


Forget those other trendy places with their questionable drinks and totally insane happy hour specials. The Desperado Bar is a true Laredo cantina. Here the cold beer flows daily and happy senoritas drink to their liver's content as they forget all their problems. After all, not being able to pay your mortgage and having your house repo'ed, can be a real drag. Better to pop open a twelve pack of Schlitz and drown your worries until your senses give out. Over at the Desperado Bar, they can gladly help you do that.

While I've never frequented this fine establishment located on the outskirts of town on HWY 359, I'm certain that the regulars are friendly people and the bartenders are giddy with delight in spreading their knowledge and good-will.

On a side note, I had a friend that once went for a beer at The Desperado. I never heard from him again.

El Metro

I haven't gotten on the Metro in a while, but it would be fun to just get on randomly and ride it all afternoon. It would be cool to just hop on the Cedar bus and see where it takes me (duh) and see the route it takes. Anyone want to ride the bus, with me just let me know. We can blog while in transit. As you can see I'm a wild and crazy guy! Someone call the cops to shut me down now.

Phonebooths in Laredo

You might be asking yourself, "Phone booths? What a lame-o topic". And, hell, you might be right. Its not a very a interesting blog post. Where it not for the fact that last Thursday I needed to locate a pay phone, and I couldn't for the life of me, find one that actually worked. Here is how things went.

You see, I wont lie to you. I'm a very careless person. I lose things quite easily. Its a gift from above. I also have a terrible memory; I lose track of names, numbers and sometimes of the subject of what I'm talking about. Like right now, ...what was the subject of this useless rant???..oh yeah, phone booths. Well, I lost my cell phone after carelessly leaving it at a friend's house, but I need to urgently make a phone call.



Well, I had a quarter in my pocket, and being that I live my life like its 1995, I thought I could just find a public phone really quick and make a phone call. Little that I know that a couple of things have changed since 95'. Much to my chagrin, phone calls now cost $.50 and it's getting harder and harder to spot a good, working public phone, preferably in an area where one is not likely to get mugged.

After driving around for for a good 20 minutes, I finally found a good phone and made my phone call. Later that day, I also got back my own cell phone. I think I am single-handily keeping T-Mobile in business for I have lost about 7 cell phones in a short span of 2 years. But, lesson learned. Don't lose my cell phone and always carry two quarters in my glove compartment. Just good luck in finding a good working phone booth for ET to phone home.

Kiko comes to Laredo

It seems I missed el Chavo del Ocho, but Kiko was in the house downtown. He cracks me up.

Dirty windshield while driving down Arkansas

Driving around Laredo is my official hobby. With gas so cheap and the days so cool and breezy, can you blame me? I got tired of the west side so now im cruising the dangerous streets of east Laredo. Look for me to be snapping pics of random things around your neighborhood.