Raspa Man 2 (revisited)

No way! Laredo is still a small dusty town. Turns out I took this picture of an unknown raspero several weeks ago. I had no idea who he was. Somehow (don't ask how) my father saw my blog and he recognized the raspero as a friend of his compadre. Next thing I know, he calls the guy up and tells the raspero that his picture is up on my blog. The raspero thinks he is going to be famous and tells half the city. Just goes to show that in Laredo you can't hide. Everyone knows everyone. That's just the way it goes here.

Upcoming short film project: 'The Purpose'

Its been a long time coming and a long time in production, but ,now very soon, my first amteur short film will begin production. The short is titled, "The Purpose" and it will be written, produced and directed by me. I'm still looking for some more cast members and crew as well so if you are interested drop me a line. I hope to finish the project around New Years time. The plot of the short film is about a man that is attempting to find himself in a sea of tempations. Stick around and I will keep you informed on the latest news.

Loop 20 Beauty Salon

Over by Loop 20 and Ejido St. is this golden beauty salon where for $5.00 dollars you can get the best fade ever. No kidding; I was a customer here for years being that I just lived down the street. The parking is ample, the scissors are efficient, the price is economical, and even though it doesn't look like much, the place is always filled with eager long-haired bushy customers. So if you find yourself in the south side and you need an express haircut, this is the place to go. In these troubled economic times, $5.00 is a steal worth saving.

Elotes Mexicanos

Driving around the south side of Laredo, I saw something really neat and peculiar: street vendors were hawking corn on a stick to passing motorists. Naturally, I pulled over to try one out, and much to my surpise they were quite tasty. Surely, the Laredo Health Dept. would object to this type of food selling tactics, but from what I saw, they seem to have a large clientele. Cars came and went and their corn seems to be selling nicely (at least its just only corn, but im sure other things get sold as well, but I didnt observe that). So, hey, its all good. Two dollar 'elotes Mexicanos', in today's economy, that's not a bad deal at all.

Store Closing and the bad economy

Laredo is also feeling the pains of the recession and the bad economy that has gripped the country. Mervyns at the mall is closing down, apparently they have declared bankcruptcy and we shall see if another store opens up once Mervyns has moved out.

On a similar note, I came across a very useful, informative and fun site dealing with malls, closings and wasted space. Its deadmalls.com and I really recommend you spin by the site and check it out.

But back to the topic at hand, driving down by the river's edge over by LCC, I spotted an abandoned neighborhood grocery store and it reminded me of when I was a kid. I would run down to the corner and buy sodas, snacks and more from small stores like this one here in the picture. Too bad there are less and less authentic neighborhood 'tienditas' everyday. I miss that side of Laredo.

Drunk while Blogging

Every now and then, I take a break from driving around like crazy looking for dumb things to take a picture of around town. Blogging can be hard work, and looking for 'bloggable' material is time consuming. So, after a long day at work, its sometimes necesary to unwind, relax, kick back and drink a cold one. However, not just any old beer will do. In order to blog correctly and with the necessary passion, the right beverage must be consumed, if not it all goes to waste. Only Schlitz can get me in the right mindset to get blogging on the right foot, however, I can only drink it incognito. So, next time that you see me around town, offer me a cold Shlitz and I might even put you on my blog (aint it great.)

Mexican Shoppers

Mexican shoppers can be rude! Every time I go to Best Buy or Mall del Norte, the place is inundated by Mexican nationals gona amuk, hogging all the parking space, being rude and obnoxious, and they beat me to all the best early bird deals. Why cant they stay in Monterrey so that I can shop at my hometown stores in peace and quiet? Yeah, yeah I know our economy needs them, but they dont even pay taxes on the products they buy, never mind that they use our roads and services. It just seems unfair. And they irk me in everywhich way. Go to the parking lot of Best Buy or Academy and 4 out of 5 cars will have Mexican plates! Mall del Norte is worse; they should rename it Mall del Norte de Mexico! If I see another damn Nuevo Leon license plate, im gonna cut in front of them and point him to his 'cerro de la silla' with my middle finger. Haha. No I prolly won't do that, but am I the only one fed up with their driving and careless disregard for decency while shopping? BTW, dont even attempt to go the WalMart on SanBer. Not only is that place one rung below hell, you need a passport to go in and come out. That ain't no BS either.