Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Eddie Macon's Run


"You didn't know that," my friend yells at me in a flabbergasted shock. "I'm sorry! I didn't live here in the 80s" I respond annoyed like always. It turns out that there was a certain movie by the name of Eddie Macon's Run that was, according to my friend, partly filmed here in the early 1980s. The movie starred John Schneider (from Dukes of Hazzard) and Kirk Douglas, and from what I understand there are certain scenes that were filmed downtown and at the lake. I wanted to at least check the movie out, so I looked for a VHS copy on Ebay and lo and behold, there were several copies on VHS, but they were on sale for a whopping $20.00! Ouch! I don't think that movie is out on DVD yet, but I could be mistaken. Anyone our there alive when this movie was shot in town? Share the memories! Or at least pass me a copy of the movie!

"Hoy no hicimos cook en class"

Spanglish in Laredo is sometimes just a matter-of-fact, everyday thing. I overheard some h.s. students the other as they were walking from school and one of them said this little nugget. "Hoy no hicimos cook en class." It's golden. Laredo doesn't get any better than that.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Laredo Broncos and Tecos



I'm not much a sports follower anymore. Pro sports just doesn't do it for me much these days. I especially don't follow the Dallas Cowboys anymore for reasons to insignificant to list here. Baseball, however, is still something that I at least half-way enjoy. So when my dad invited me to go watch the Tecos vs. Broncos all-stars, I jumped at the chance. We had a good time, and the game was great, in especially the Bronco's right fielder. He has a cannon of an arm. What I did not expect to see there, though, was Laredo's dignitaries: everyone from Mayor Salinas to Judge Danny Valdez and Sheriff Cuellar (even Shariaffa was in the house). It was a good game and a decent turnout. Maybe the stadium won't be such a bad idea after all.

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Free Hugs in Laredo

Spread the love Laredo. I first ran across this video on youtube several months ago. A bunch of highschool kids go to mall del norte and give 'free hugs'. Its such a simple concept. In a town with such violence and bloodshed (especially across the border in Nuevo Laredo) lets give more hugs, less drugs. Come on people! Let's give peace a chance.

Monday, March 9, 2009

Mexico's Drug War to Spill to US?

Everyone seems to be talking about it now. It's just a matter of when. Mexico's drug war seems to be creeping closer and closer to the US side. It seems inevitable that it will reach our doorsteps soon. El Paso seems to have it the worst (read article here). Many people don't even go and venture into Nuevo Laredo for they fear the danger. Let's continue to hope that things get much better soon. Viva la paz!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Spanglish in Laredo

Dialogue overheard at the IHOP:

"When I see him, me pongo bien red."

Freaking golden! Just so sweet. Everywhere you go in this town, this is the way people speak. It's just the inevitable of living on the border and having a clash of two cultures. Over at the blog of Laredo Speaks, they seem to be doing a fun job of chronicling overheard conversations where the speakers intermingle and mix both languages in such a skillfill way. Its great! It is, depending on whom you ask, Laredo at is best or at its worst. I personally think its just plain genius.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Milk in Vienna

I first met the local band Milk in Vienna back in 2007 when their EP was about to be released. At the time, I was trying to get a a now defunct website (DeLaredo.Net) up and off the ground with a business partner. I recalled that I was really impressed by the music of MIV and their electrifying vibe. After an interview and a short music set at their practice place, we posted the videos on youtube for all to see. Unfortunetly, those videos and that interview was lost in the translation after delaredo.net ceased operations. I didn't much keep up with that scene, so I lost track of them. I do remember one of their songs quite fondly, "It ain't love". It says "swallow my love, drink it slowly". For some reason, that song stayed in my mind. Hear more from Milk In Vienna at their myspace page.

BorderTown Laredo

It has been over 10 years since the show aired, and its high time it got a bit of coverage on this old blog. But first I have to watch it. N...