The Ribcage

  Most of the time, whenever a new restaurant opens in Laredo, all the buzz is centered around the northern part of the city. For example, you have chains like Dunkin Donuts and Alamo DraftHouse that have created a local anticipation for months now since their initial announcements.

 Not one to be blinded by that bias, I must give mention a new local restaurant, the Ribcage, that quietly opened up several months ago now. Having frequented the place several times, I must admit I did enjoy the flavor of their BBQ. Who needs Rudy's when the Ribcage in south Laredo offers better choice and flavor, and all without having to drive across the city. In fact, its just around the corner from this blogger's house in Santo Baby, TX. So next time you take a wrong turn on Loop 20 and get lost in south Laredo, give 'em a try, see what you think.

No se fia (ni preguntes)

I work all over Laredo, sometimes picking up merchandise sometimes delivering it (I will leave out the specifics, just in case the good ol' boys at the DA's office are reading this lowly blog). Nonetheless, I found myself far away from the cozy comforts of Santo Nino, TX in the unknown parts of west Laredo.

Having toiled all day under the unforgiving sun and having driven around in search of product, I became a thirsty traveler with an unending thirst. I usually do not find myself west of Santa Maria, but on this particular, odd Sunday morning, I stumbled across an oasis, amidst rumbling locomotives.

Much to my disappointment, this oasis of love and beer, this Mecca of liquid from the gods, had yet to swing open its doors for business, and being it was God's day of rest, and a non-Dallas Cowboys Sunday, I was rejected the opportunity to guzzle down a cold, domestic beer.

No matter how much I kicked at the door, yelled through the windows, or pumped my  fist in an Eddie Macon-fury way, the doors simply did not open for this disenchanted south Laredoan. It was probably all for the best, for all I had in my pocket were 4 varos, not enough for even a 6 pack of Bud, and having learned from their signage, they are not to keen on credit. Oh well, off I go to el Hevito then.

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.

Fight at the International Bridge

Whoah.  Things got heated at the ol' International Bridge today.  Just to tell you, Egg Nog and long lines at the CBP checkpoint are not conducive to harmony and good cheer.

According to reports in the LMT, a little road rage led to an all out fist fight worthy of Laredo Fights videos (see above).  But, in this case, it brought out the Feds and orders for these hooligans to get on the floor and to get down quickly.

Personally, if I had a gun drawn on me by law enforcement, I'd be eating dirt quickly and efficiently.  Yes, self-preservation and all that.  Either way, just wait till those Paisanos hit the bridges.  Yikes!

Freebie Monday! (part 1) The Bottle Returns

There was a time in my life where I was a Cow-sheep and I gave my money blindly over to Jerry Jones. I loved me some football and some Dallas Cowboys. However, somewhere along the way, for many reasons that I don't wish to write about, I lost all interest in the NFL and especially in Jerry's team. Because of that, I am giving away all my Cowboys memorabilia (not that I have much left).

I first tried to give this bottle away in a Twitter contest I held about two years ago. However, the winner of that contest, a man from Zapata, never came by to collect his prize. After repeated calls and emails went unanswered, I am putting up again for some lucky Jerry Jones disciple to add to their collection.

The bottle itself goes for about 15 maybe 25 dollars on Ebay. It's actually a fairly common Coke bottle, nonetheless, it would still be a great gift with the holidays coming up. At one point in my life, I loved me the Dallas Cowboys brand, and I because of that I want this bottle to go to a good home, one that Randy White would approve.

Playing for a chance to win this delicious collectible is easy. First, you must be a follower of mine on Twitter. Then, write to me telling me why you are the world's best Cowboys' fan. You must use the hastag #delaredoblog in your tweet. That's it. I will choose a winner and a runner up, just in case the 1st place winner is a no show! So go ahead and try your luck. You know you want to. Jay Novacek wants you to!!!

Times Story

The Laredo Morning Times continued its no-holds-barred approach to dealing with the criminal element by publishing a story on 10 delinquent dads who have not paid child-support.  Que gacho.  You add this to the "Johns" who have been caught on San Bernardo, the DWI arrests that number the city, and just about every other crime in Laredo and you have the recipe for public shaming.

Not everyone is happy though.  A few days ago, I heard my friend's dad, a retired government employee, rail against the LMT publishing only stories on crime and the criminal element.  I just sat there listening to him and nodding.  Yes, I wasn't listening as closely as I could have, but he was a little animated, to say the least.

I just wanted to go home.

Regardless, the Times will do what the Times does and continue to publish the names and faces of these perpetrators.  Even the pics with hickeys, no less.

In other Laredo news, I didn't know that Domino's delivered to 18-wheeler trucks.  Now that's service, folks.  Thumbs up to Domino's.

KGNS News 1980

This video you have to watch!

Vintage KGNS Laredo, TX circa 1980 and boy is it fun viewing.



 Featuring: Mayor Tatangelo looking perplexed

Residents of Colonia Guadalupe battling gangs of youths

A young and robust Heatwave Burler rockin a beard and being the spitting image of Robert England!!

John Keck pleading for you not to get up to go to the refrigerator!

La Migra working on cutbacks and with used parts  :(

Sames car dealership in better days

The best Coors beer commerical EVER!

Elizabeth Sorrel of the Laredo Citizens Society

The Watsons giving a party in 'their beautiful home in Del Mar'!

The Alpine Car Stereo of my dreams from Audio Systems in the Gateway Shopping Center

Car Decals

At times I am taken back by the tastes and hobbies of others throughout this city. That is the beauty of the wonderful place we call Webb County.

 The car above is a good example of what I am talking about. Why anyone would place a decal such as this on their back window is beyond my understanding.

 Cada quien.

Llanta Ordinance

Say it isn't so.  I read in the LMT this morning that Laredo's favorite pasttime--dumping old tires by the curbside--is now going to be targeted?

What will they do next, aim an ordinance against the folks who open boxes of diapers at the local Wal-Marts?  Big government at its finest.

While I wish the folks in City Hall the best of luck, I also know the reality of trying to curb peoples' behaviors in this capacity.

Pokes Update

Blogging has been inconsistent.  I have no real excuses other than to say life is always in the way now, sadly.

Either way, to quote Madonna, "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina."  That's not what this is about.  Instead, how about a little Laredo-themed Cowboys love?  Yes, it never fails, despite the 5-5 record and a bye week, Laredoans love their Pokes.

Around Laredo 7 (I lost count)

As a blogger, I never know when I will have to bust out my camera at a moment's notice. Most of the time I carry a specific camera that I use to take pictures because my smart phone camera just never cuts it well enough. It turns out that I had about 20 pictures on that digital camera that I wanted to share with you fellow readers.

 However, as it often happens in this city, my truck was vandalized, broken into and I had many personal things stolen. Among those things was my favorite digital camera along with an array of images that I had taken in the past three months, since the last time I posted anything on here.

Barbacoa Sunday

It's Sunday.  For the most part folks around town will either go to church or buy some barbacoa.  I am in the latter group, preferring to stand in line in the heat of Laredo's late morning rather than in the air-conditioned comfort of some church building.  Maybe the long-term reward is not quite what it could be, but I am sure pleased with the short-term reward of the carne I find at Raul's.

The folks in line with me may not agree, but that is a typical Sunday in el canton.

Mugshot Parade

Que gacho, Nacho.

I guess there was a police crackdown on DUI offenders a few days ago.  And while that is nothing new or out of the ordinary, the publicizing of all 50+ mugshots was something that I don't remember seeing.

Seriously.

Now, the LMT has a link (click here) of all mugshots and you can even "LIKE" them on Facebook and share them with your friends as well as comment on them.

Wow.

One thing I noticed too was how some photos have a "Counter" to see how many people enlarge a particular pic.  Ms. Lauren Reyes (see the pic above) is leading the ladies while on the upper left hand corner, Mr. Roel Ramirez is leading the men.  Naturally some folks have "0" hits.  I dare not speculate as to why that is, though.  I'll let you be the judge.

***Update:  Apparently one of the accused was Mr. TAMIU, a ceremonial position for a member of the school's student body.  He resigned yesterday.

Football Coming

 The dog days of summer are coming to a close and the faint whiff of the Fall is upon the great city of Laredo.  For residents of this Metropolis, the fall means another year hoping that the Dallas Cowboys fare a bit better than the year before.  Your faithful narrator was a young little blogger the last time the Pokes were any semblance of a threat to the NFL hierarchy.  And these last few years the Laredo faithful have remained a bit disenchanted with the activities in North Texas.

But, don't be dismayed.  As you walk or drive through the barrios of Laredo, you'll notice that the carne asadas will be going strong--if not stronger--now that the NFL preseason has started in earnest.  Don't worry about the Cowboys' last miserable preseason game against the Cardinals because Jerry Jones says there is nothing to worry about.  So, stay tuned.

Meanwhile, paint your casas blue and draw a Cowboys star on the sidewalk.  It's the Laredo way.

Early Morning School Visit

It is mid August and the smell of school is already in the morning air.  I walked over to TAMIU and was mildly surprised how much it's grown over the years.

Obviously DeLaredo was there in the early morning hours and that's why you don't see a lot of people around there.

Front Page News

A few weeks ago, the Laredo Morning Times posted this pic of some sort of LISD safety drill on its front page.  De Laredo HQ meant to publish it at that time, but as with most things, life got busy in the form of beer and carne asadas.

So, here we go with the commentary that was meant when the picture first graced the pages of the local paper:  Are You Serious?

OK.  Carry on.

TV Reality

The DeLaredo crew was sitting around watching TV, desperately trying to stave off the typical August heat, when someone mentioned that The National Geographic Channel was airing an episode of "Border Wars."

Of course, ever since the end of the Al Roker inspired Bordertown: Laredo on A&E the city has been in a funk, unable to find itself without a reality show demonstrating the power of law enforcement in this fair city.

Well, fear and funk no more, "Border Wars" had a little bit of Laredo this morning.

By the time I broke out the camera, the end of the show was near.  But there are still a few riveting highlights of football.  In this case, it is the Border Patrol vs. Customs and people turned out in droves (allegedly).  So view for yourself and see if you can spot someone you know.



In my humble opinion, Knute Rockne would be proud.

Andres Mora 1984 Commemorative Glass

I was perusing the aisles at local antique shop and after walking past several tempting Schlitz beer mugs, my eyes spotted something I could not walk away from.

As you may know, I happen to enjoy a good game of baseball, and besides my beloved Texas Rangers, I have also been known to catch a game of Los Tecolotes de Los Dos Laredos every now and then. My knowledge of the team does not go too far back, other than what my dad and tios ramble about at every carne asada, especially with regards to the golden era of the 70s and 80s.

Andres Mora, ex-Teco great

In any case, I saw an awesome Tecolotes commemorative glass of ex-Teco great, Andres Mora. It seems as if it was originally either a give-away or a promotional item by the team. It's dated from 1984, and although I really did not watch the Tecos during that time, it seemed like a great gift for my dad, so I had to pick it up.

Sorry its hard to read

Almost 30 years ago

By the way, besides collecting VHS, I also now collect Tecolotes memorabilia. If you have any that you are willing to sell, please get in contact with me. Also, if you have any more information on this glass, go ahead and leave a comment.

Beer Run Change

Laredo Beer Runs are a mainstay in the sleepy little hamlet we call home.  Some of us even view them as local institutions.  But, we also recognize that they are not permanent.  Take for instance, the recent changes to the beer run on the corner of San Bernardo and LaFayette.

I saw them painting the building just a few days ago and as I stopped by to take a closer look from the trusty vantage of the Exxon across the street, I noticed that the slogan seems to be missing a letter "L."

At least, that's what I think.  I believe it should be "Papi Chulos."  Even though there is a little artistic freedom in how the heart takes place of the  letter "O" I can't seem to find the "L."

Besides, for all I know, it might not be a true, authentic beer run any further.

Stay tuned.

Summer 1992

There are summers that a person can never forget. Maybe they changed your life or altered your destiny in some unimaginable way, similar to the magical summer of 1962 that changed The Sandlot kids forever. Well, as we know, Laredo summers can be brutal and there is no escaping the sun or its death rays. For me, there was no escaping the Summer of 1992. It will forever be the line of demarcation that transcended my life into adolescence.

I was 13 yrs old in 1992 and I believed myself to be like Benny The Jet

A recent tweet from Keyrose sent me down to memory lane. He tweeted how it had been the 21 years since a Gonzalez-Bath had gunned down three people at the intersection of San Dario and Mann Road. Instantly after reading his tweet, I traveled back in time and I could see myself and everything I was doing in the summer of that glorious year.

The reason why that year is so clearly etched upon my mind was because it was the same year that my life was forever changed. My parents moved our family down from Dallas to Laredo and the change of scenery could not have been any worse. I had no friends and it seemed to me, a young boy of 13, as if the entire world had turned inside out.

We moved down here a few days after the Gonzalez-Bath slayings and this triple murder was all over the TV, family gossip, and the newspaper.

Nino Brown from violent New Jack City

"Did we move down to New Jack City?" I pondered to myself after first arriving to Laredo. There was no hip-hop (rap) station in 1992, I could not watch the TX Rangers on Paragon Cable and my mother kept buying some heidious chicken from Golden Chicken ("Pollito caliente, sabor diferente. Dime adonde vas? A Golden Chicken!") In short, 1992 was hell.

I cannot stress enough how unhappy I was that summer. The bowling alley was too far, the baseball Tecos team was having a lousy year, and it seemed to me that Laredo was a violent city right out of a Mexican Mario Almada movie.

It was 21 yeas ago but I can see see it clearly. My favorite show was Married with Children; my favorite Ranger was Ruben Sierra; Shortstop Burger filled my belly; Movie Palace was my favorite store, I rocked my UNLV cap everywhere I went, and I all heard on my cassette tape singles was Pete Rock and CL Smooth along with A Tribe Called Quest

It's strange how one little tweet by Keyrose can open the floodgates to a thousand memories. Memories to a time that will never return. Memories of a time when I was growing up and learning about the strange curves life can hurl at a person. The year 1992 was a tough one, and that summer surely did suck greasy Golden Chicken balls, but with time I began to adjust and acclimate to beautiful Laredo. Now, I can't imagine a time when I did not live in this slice of paradise we call Webb County. It's funny how some things work out.

Updates (Summer 2013)

People ask me all the time why I don't update as often as I once did. Honestly, I don't know. Maybe it's the heat. A person is liable to get a sunstroke blogging so often. Sunstroke, yeah, let's go with that. It's possible right?

Well, I have been doing lots traveling around lately. That's no joke either! Even DeLaredo finds it necessary to venture beyond the friendly confines of Webb County every now and then.  I hit Pearsall and San Ignacio, TX in the past two weeks. Both are great towns with lots of hidden treasures. Not only that, I plan to do more traveling this upcoming week (Carrizo Springs). I do promise to keep the updates coming fast and furious so be on the look out.

Don't  forget to keep stopping by our sister site, From Laredo. You'll find some pix of my trip to Zapata and San Ignacio, TX.

Also, I introduce to you our newest blog, VHS Horrors. With that blog we hope to document our growing VHS and movie library. As you have read here before, I personally detest RedBox and I yearn for the days of video stores. Stop by that blog and leave your comments. Also, if you have old VHS movies that you no longer want, feel free to write to me. I'll take them off your hands and give them a home.

The Hand goes on vacation

"A man needs to get out and experience the world," my dad would always say when I was a kid. Now that I'm a grown man I try to get out and view the sights in order to experience everything that the outside world had to offer. However,  it's hard leaving Santo Baby, TX, but since I had a few days off for vacation, I gathered the courage to venture out beyond Webb County.

Friends and relatives waste no time in gloating about their summer excursions. Co-workers always mention to me their trips to Vegas, Europe, and the Caribbean as if I should be melting with envy. Nonetheless, I too took a weekend getaway trip, but being that I have a limited budget, I could not afford to visit Amsterdam, so I took the next best thing, a trip to Pearsall, TX.

You see, every now and then, even DeLaredo needs to periodically travel beyond the city limits of beautiful Laredo, TX. As luck would have it, destiny and circumstances swept me to Pearsall, TX, a city about 100 miles north of Laredo. Here I present to you just a small sample of my Saturday afternoon in this hidden gem of a town.

I thought of just swiping the washing machine, but....

Every great town has a Radio Shack!



Awesome name. See you at "The Point".

Great place for lunch!

Who needs 3D?

 

With a new HEB on I-35, the old building sits vacant


 Sometimes it's great to just sit back and enjoy the scenery. I had an opportunity to do that in Pearsall, TX, a place I had never given much time of day. Most times I skip the town and avoid the business district. I was glad however, that I took the time to see this city and walk the downtown area. For some reason I figured this is what Laredo looked like circa 1977.

Lesson learned: Pearsall, TX has some awesome people, great places to have lunch and a brand new HEB! Also, next year, I need to save my money and take a "real" summer vacation. Asi se aprende.

Goodbye Super S

Changes are inevitable. They happen all the time. Laredo is quickly headed into the 21st century and along the way some things will be lost. For example The Play-more, gone forever, Narvaez on Saunders, just a memory, Cotulla Restaurant, faded like a presidential mandate.

New colors, new name

 

 

Setting up new sign

 

Now, my favorite store on Santa Maria has changed names and it feels like I've been backstabbed. While I had not been inside this particular Super S store since my 2009 blog post, I have passed by it countless times and the large Super S Store sign hanging out front of the store always brought me the type of comfort that only 1988 could bring.

Now that the store has changed its name, it seems as if the entire world is being ushered into a new era. And here I go kicking and screaming into the 2000s. But, it seems to be more than just a name change that makes me ponder of those days gone by. Maybe its my old age or maybe its my lack of Shlitz these days, but things just aren't what they used to be.