LareDon't do this to me

For reasons that are not too clear to me at the moment, I haven't stopped by this blog and shared my thoughts with my public lately. There are few things worse in life than letting down all 11 of my loyal readers.

Maybe I was too busy running for office. Maybe I just could not be dragged away from those spinning maquinitas that line every corner of this creepy city. Or maybe I was just too sick from all the carne-asada ingesting, Dallas Cowboys orgy-loving that seems to once again wrapped its kinky arms around this god-forsaken city.

Truth is I have been indulging myself in endless re-runs of shitty TV shows that have made it difficult to drag my fingers from off my remote control onto this aging laptop, with keyboards so sticky you'd think I ate toast with jam over it. Alas, the stickiness is not due to strawberry jam.

Which brings me to my point. One such show that seems to have hit a little too close for comfort is Californication. You might know the show or its premise. If you don't, its cool, I wont bore you with the details. Suffice it to say that, some of the gritty, over-the-top, disgusting moments from that show seem to bare some strange resemblance to the last three years of my life. But as that old disclaimer says, any resemblance to real people is clearly coincidental. I'm not saying I'm David Duchovny, in fact I've been told I look like Paul Rodriguez' ugly younger brother. The point is, I've been busy not blogging due to so discrepancies within my own twisted life.

However, there comes a time in a man's life, even a man like me, a poor schmuck from Santo Baby, TX to grow the hell up. There comes a time to look past the instant gratifications of the flesh, throw caution to the wind and immerse oneself in a good-old fashion, south-Laredo monogamous relationship that even Ricky Ricardo would approve.

Having been married several times already, I figured what the heck, why not again? Maybe because I've had so much practice at being married, I could actually do it right this time. That's what I figured. How many times can a man mess up? Isn't redemption always just around the corner? Having driven around all the the major points of this city throughout this Sunday afternoon, from Meadow to Saunders to Pita Mangana Road, I've come to the conclusion that it's definitely OK to accept my past, but its much more important  to mold a better future for myself. Having said that and having invited a band of cliches to take a seat upon my couch, I decided mucho more than just that.

We all make minor changes within our lives, at one point or another. This blog has always been therapuetic for me and, heck, I can honestly say it has been instrumental in keeping me in touch with who I am and where I come from. And I'm ok with that. Even though I neglect the blog, I know I can always come back to its waiting arms, ever so desperate for my warm embrace. And I know what I am, now. I'm a 30-something year old man from south Laredo with big dreams, no money, zero talent but all the ambition in the world to correct the wrongs and make them right. And I'm OK with that. All it took was a quiet Sunday drive from Meadow to Pita Mangana Road to make understand the obvious.

I'm definitely OK with that.

Chalu Burgers

No one will ever confuse me with a Laredo historian. I can't seem to recall anything pre-Betty Flores days.

One thing I get asked often by friends and relatives is, "Hey DeLaredo, you 'member the Playmore right? That place was awesome?".

To which I snap my reply, "I have no bugging clue about the Playmore, or Roxy's, or Wimpys or the freaking Royal. So leave me alone!" That usually  drives them off and they stop asking me questions.

Soooo..it's no great surprise that I have never heard of Chalu's Burgers. You see, I was doing some gift shopping over at the pulga when I came across a neat coffee mug.

CHALU Burger? Chale, I've never heard of that. Maybe some of you out there can enlighten me as to when and where this place existed. Perhaps preeminent historian Keyrose can use his keen insight and tell us more about this local burger shrine that is no more.

How can a place exist in Laredo for 30 years and I not heard of it at all? It goes to show you once again what a bad Laredoan I am.

Burgers from the past

Problems with the header

For the next several days, expect some issues with our header. The problems should be revised within a week or two as we try new ideas. The blog is  undergoing a bit of a makeover. Don't mind our mess too much.

Summer 2014

Well, as you might have notice, I have been neglecting my blogging duties due to mostly my own gleeful laziness. But, having a week off for summer vacation finally gave me time to stop by and inform you about what has been going on with my life (not that it's any even remotely interesting).

1) This week off has given me some time to read. I was able to get a copy of Alan M Klein's book, "Baseball on the Border", and I have been finding the book quite interesting. This summer, with the TX Rangers having such an awful season, it's giving me more time than normal to dedicate to reading. Hopefully I can let you know what I think of the book in a couple of weeks after I'm done with it.

Picked it up on Ebay for 5 Bucks

2) I've also been catching up on my list of films to watch. It's great to sit back in the morning, drink a hot cup of coffee, kick my feet up and enjoy a quality movie. My GF seems to think that my taste in movies is *shit*, but I disregard her opinion, since she enjoys Mexican telenovelas, so that shows how much she knows. Some of the titles I've had to pleasure of watching include "The Mad Bomber", 1980's classic "Tuff Turf" and 1979's "The Boogeyman", all fine quality films. 

Feel free to borrow my VHS copy

3) Besides work, Grad school, the GF, my lovely Kid, and paying for stupid bills, my life has been pretty laid back.  I've renewed my interest in making my film, "CarrotHead 2", so you might actually see something from that this month (you have been warned).

4) I did some driving around with a buddy of mine, and we took plenty of pics of random things I found around town, but I figured I'd leave that for my weekend update. This town is just too funny!

Raspas and Snacks Never go out of Style

The latest entry in the long line of local snack and raspas is is meat-market-turned-ice-treats, Ruiz Meat market. It seems everywhere I look, a new snack joint opens up around town. With such brutally scorching summers, and Laredoans heavy desire for all types of late night snacks, it makes sense for Ruiz to enter the tough raspa market. Still, I don't think I can get my mind off the brisket meat while ordering my strawberry raspa and frito pie....

Finger News

Must have been a slow news day.  But still . . . wildly fascinating stuff.

Local Beauty Queen Arrest

The Laredo Morning Times seems to want a little web traffic on their ol' web page.  At least that's what I think when the arrest of a local "beauty queen" made it to the front page.  Oh, it was not on page 4-5, where the local arrests are usually noted, but on the top right hand corner.

A few months ago the local organ of publicity started publishing weekly mugshots on their webpage.  Generally speaking their more attractive women usually garner the most "web hits."  So, once Ms. Prieto-Falcon's mugshot (seen above) makes it to the album, I expect a new record.

Just saying.

High and Dry

La raza en Laredo nunca para...

Making the rounds in the LMT and in social media was something straight out of Hollywood, a police car on cinder blocks sans stolen rims and tires. Don't fret, though, the Strong Arm of the Law soon found the perpetrator and they broke out the floodlights and the rubber hoses to bring him to justice.
Enjoy.

Jingle at the H.E.B.

It was that time of the year once more--braving the crowds of angry paisanos and disgruntled Laredoans at our local H.E.B.'s.  Naturally with so much savings at stake, it was expected to be a harsh and difficult endevour, one which could result in bloodshed if something went wrong.

Naturally, all went well for your faithful narrator as he made his way to the HEB El Mercado in the midst of the holiday rush.  I stood in awe of the HEB efforts to capitalize on the Christmas craze, particularly their heavy use of Christmas iconography.  But, it was not surprising to be sure.

There were bargains aplenty throughout the store.  DVDs at low, low prices or the traditional fare to make tamales.  

Some of us bloggers have fallen on harder times and thus required a little help to convert our spare change into something tangible.

My number one fan

We all have our own personal Nurse Annie, a number one fan. Even my lowly blog has admirers and a long list of rabbit fans (at Tacos Ravi the other day I had to wave away several autograph seekers.)

Here is just one example of how much love I get from the my many fans across the internet. We are starting the year off with so much love. Since 2008 and still kicking, this blog continues.

Apparently I have my share of fans. It seems as if I'm starting my own cult following. keep the gifts and praise coming my way. I might have to start my own fan club now.