Ranger's Opening Day

Texas Rangers came so close last year to winning it all, but it was just beyond our grasp. Nonetheless it was a fun ride and they won their first ever AL Pennant and reached the World Series.

On Friday April 1st, we open the season against Adrian Gonzalez and the Boston RedSox. Even though I was unable to score opening day tickets, I have front row seats in my living room. Come over if you want to watch with me, just bring a six pack of Pepsi (The choice of a new generation).

Go Rangers!

OMG Loteria Chicana is getting married

Sometime in 2003 I stumbled upon the blog of CindyLu over at Loteria Chicana and I fell in love with her charms and writing style. Over time, I developed a mini-internet crush on her. Today I read she is engaged and I was like-OMG-it cant be.It's not like I know her in person or anything, I'm just a casual reader with a crush for her wits. We wish her the best and a sincere congrats to her and her beloved. I'm going to go cry in a dark corner now...

Giving up Lent

Giving up Lent

by BG

The season of Lent has returned and Laredo is once again flooded with capirotada, seafood and the silly practice of denying one-self Cheetos.

Inexplicably, for Lent, some people actually “give up” Cheetos. I’m not trying to mock someone else’s spirituality, but I have always failed to see how sacrificing such a trivial thing such as “Cheetos” could be interpreted as an act of self-denial. For the past several weeks, I have heard from friends and relatives how they have “given-up” one thing or another. Some have vowed to abstain from all sorts of things such as bread to soda pop, to red meat, and even chocolate bars.

(I’ve never fully understood why red meat is such a big no-no during Lent, while fish is seen as acceptable. Giving up red-meat, like dieting, is a luxury that not everyone can partake. But I guess it gives an economic boost to fish and seafood eateries so I will get off the topic before the good people over at El Pescador Restaurant send their goons to silence me.)

Maybe it’s just me, and maybe I’m totally wrong but is that what Christianity has come down to now? Has Lent been reduced to something as nonsensical as refusing to eat Cheetos in the vain hopes of becoming a better person?

I’m certain that quitting high sugary drinks like soda pop has its health benefits, and eating less red meat during Lent might be easier on your cholesterol, but some of us seem to have taken it to an absurd level.

My point is not to sound too pompous (too late) or self-righteous, especially since I’m not a dedicated believer and I don’t sacrifice a thing for the Lent season. However, the past several weeks I have heard from decent people that they are practicing repentance and self-denial by abstaining from a plethora of non-important foods and practices. If that makes them a better person, then great who am I to judge, right? But maybe we are going about this all wrong. There are many ways to becoming a better person and being an asset to society. However, abstaining from junk foods doesn't seem like one of 'em.

The Reen "Disposable Boyfriend"

Video of local artist, the Reen. We recorded this sometime back in 2007. I like the acoustic song; I can sing along to it. Check it out and leave some positive comments.



Yes I'm re-posting this again, so deal with it.

Viernes Social

Es Viernes asi que todos a pasear y bailar! Here is a video to put you in the
dancing boots mood.

Backyardigans play Norteno

Lyrics of the week

We going old school with this one. Let's see can get it out there. No googling either!

"Are they still getting down where we used to go and dance

will our ballclub win the pennant,

do you think they have a chance?

And tell me friend, how in the world, have you been?"

Worship Time

Some corporations seem to have a soul

Furniture in Life

Maria, over at furniture in life, has been having some really neat posts lately, that it's making me a wee-bit jealous. Stop by her blog and and check it out.

The West Side in better days

Slow

Things are slow around here the last couple of days. Just give me time; it's going to be a rough week for me.

"Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit amphetamines."

New Technology

Over at LCC, it seems that they have the newest technology for student use. Case in point:

Budget cuts suck!

BadFinger (live in Laredo, TX, 1979)

Great song by a neat band. Too bad Mariah Carey ruined this one.

This video might have been posted in another blog already, but I want to know if anyone
can tell me what venue this band is playing in the video. It is supposed to be in 1979. Maybe some of
the old-timers can tell us!

Waiting on love and waiting on my tacos

Love is difficult thing to find in Laredo. Also, Cheers is not the best place to find it.  The last time I found love in that place, I had to go to the doctor and get three vaccines weekly for several months. But, anyways....

 I was going out with someone (let's call her Sandy) several months ago and things were going well, but we did have several differences that finally put an abrupt end to what we had. She did not like chocolate ice cream, hated horror movies, was a root beer drinker, had not clue who Bob Dylan is, and insisted on wearing her Jeff Bagwell Astros jersey in my presence. But I was able to overcome all that due to her warm smile, soft hands and hair that I loved to caress.

We ended our thing and went our separate ways back in December. Today I saw her with her new beau. She greeted me and introduced me to her boyfriend...now fiance, and proudly flashed her shiny new engagement ring. My face was trying to hide my WTF look, but I'm sure I did a terrible job at it. How can someone get engaged in less than two months time? Well, I told her I was glad for her, and for the most part, I meant it, if only a small part of me felt a wee bit jealous. However, there is the great part of this stupid short entry. I felt jealous, actually jealous. I had not felt that way in a while. Yeay for me and having a heart again.

That's all I have to say about that... for my tacos just arrived.

The Hand goes for donuts

Every now and then, The Hand enjoys getting out of Laredo and touring far away and exotic locales to cities such as Vienna, Bangkok, Lisbon, Cuzco, Freer. All great places to visit and meet the locals.

This past weekend though, I had the chance to visit our neighbor city to the north, San Antonio. Lots of things to do and lots of things to see with many cultural and educational places to grow and learn. I did none of that however, for I went to the Dunkin Donuts, my own cathedral and place of worship.

 

 

Give me 7 dozen plis

Wish you were here. Next time, I think I'll do the Louvre...or maybe River City Donuts.

Why are there no cheerleaders in baseball?

Why are there no Cheerleaders in baseball?

And other 4am questions

Recently, I went about four months without premium TV; that is without cable or dish, and mostly I survived on Netflix and by reading my rarely used copies of my college textbooks.

With so much free time on my hands, I took a wild stab and reading, and more importantly understanding, Michael Foucault and Edward Said. However, I soon arrived at inevitable conclusion that I’m just a dumb American and a sorry excuse for a Chicano*.

As for Netflix, well, there is only so many times one can watch Return of the Zombie Hookers with Chainsaws before the brain begins to melt like Velveeta cheese.

It was then that I decided to return to the idiot box and overpay for awful programming from the likes of VH1 and their endless array of “reality TV” bullshit.

However, the main reason I decided to return to a basic dish package (other than the fact I didn’t understand a goddam thing Foucault was saying) was to be able to view the MLB Network and specifically my Texas Ranger’s games.

This is why, a few days ago, while channel surfing at 4am, like an insomniac on a bender, I began to ask myself why baseball did not employ the lovely services of “barely-clad” cheerleaders, strutting their goods, much to the delight of hot-dog eating spectators  The NBA, the NFL and even soccer leagues** employ cheerleaders. So then, why doesn’t baseball use them? How lame-o! Even worser, why hadn’t I ever noticed this glaring omission before? I’ve been watching TX Rangers baseball since 1986 and I had never noticed the lack of lovely ladies before now.

Call it an epiphany, an awakening or just your basic WTFB moment. Just imagine how much more exciting a foul ball would be, if only the 3^rd baseman had to maneuver passed the pom-pom girls in order to track down the ball by the dugout. I’m just saying. Traditionalists might say it would ruin the game, and it prolly would, but still…

On another note, Chum-Lee from Pawn Stars has quickly bolted to the top of my “favorite goofy people on TV” list. He and Delfino from Auction Kings should definitely go head to head in the quirky sidekicks category.

In the end, I’m back to the boob tube, at least till my brain finishes rotting. 

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* I had a friend in HS that insisted we be called Chicanos and reject the "latino" or "hispanic" label

** My brother refuses to call it soccer and demands I say "futbol". Screw that; its soccer!

*** Pawn Stars is a show on History Channel and Auction Kings is a show on Discovery Channel

Movie quote of the Week

Quote from one of my all-time favorite flicks (Can John Cusack ever fail?)

"What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?" 

Go ahead and try your luck and guess. No cheating by copying and pasting in Google!