Monday, June 27, 2011

Follow me Around Laredo

BluePimpnChick, a video blogger and budding movie director, has apparently watched one too many "Jersey Shore" episodes and decided to chronicle her life on the digital landscape. She takes her camera phone, POV style, and films everything she encounters around her city as she drives " her tia and her Grandma's sisters" to the store.

Along the way, we are treated to some informative nuggets as BluePimpn and her 'lil sis share their insights as they make their way down the busy streets of Laredo.

Sample dialogue from the video is found below.

Things I learned while watching this video:
1)      “Walking down stairs, this is where my grandma fell.
She fell all the way downstairs”
2)      “its payday, but we aren’t allowed to cash our checks till Monday”
3)      “For all your Mother’s out there, happy late Mother’s day”
4)      “You know how they say we Mexicans have big families..well everything is bigger in Texas”
5)      “Oh my God, my ex BF works at HEB”
6)      “Look Tony’s truck, que aguite en el bank”
7)      “In a little bit more, I’ll take you guys to your favorite section, the makeup section. Holla!”



BluePimpnChick may be on to something here. Watch her follow-up video, here. She ventures downtown and even encounters some prostitutes walking the West Side.

In her words, "Im not kidding there's sometimes  prostitutes here. I don't even know if I'm supposed to be saying that or not".

Wow, gutsy! Good for you BluePimpn, keep saying it like it is y no te aguites. Someone had to say it.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

The Jolly Ranchers

Everyone's favorite local cover band, The Jolly Ranchers, did a nice photo layout with the good people at TheNightScene. Stop by their site and check out some of the pics.


Monday, June 20, 2011

Disconnected

The last several days have been torturous for me. Several days ago, or what seems like eight blue moons ago, I inexplicably lost my 'smart phone'. Apparently, while my phone is "smart", I still remain the same-ol' clumsy and forgetful person of always.

I did not know just how much I depended on my phone, how addicted I am to it, or how my life is intertwined to it to such a degree, that I feel lost without it.

Since I misplaced my phone last Friday, I have been "out of touch" with the "outside world". I have missed texts, forwards, tweets and Facebook updates. I'm always on it checking scores and highlights, especially during boring dinner conversations. Heck, I have even missed several important phone calls and have needed to resort to making calls from a dreaded payphone outside seedy convenient stores, like some third rate pimp circa 1991.

Not only do I have to make calls from a payphone, but I have to be fumbling around, looking everywhere for phone numbers of my contacts. Since all my contacts' phone numbers are stored on my cellphone, I don't have to dial anymore, hence I don't have anyone's phone number memorized, except for my mother's house because she's had the same number since the dbc*.

I've been feeling disconnected without my cellphone. I haven't even been able to take pictures of silly things around town to post up on this blog.  I use my cell phone camera for that. What's worse, I been forced to listen to local radio instead of my TuneIn Radio App on my webOS phone. That is just cruel punishment.

For now, I still don't have a cell and can't really get one until about a week from now.  Until then, I will remain disconnected from reality and might even have to resign myself to actually make pleasant conversation during dinner.


*dbc = days before cellphones

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Imposter hands

Imposter hand does alambritos
 
I had me a carne asada recently with a compadre. We blazed some alambritos over a scorching hot fire and heard sad Cornelio Reyna songs. Good times in the bordertown. BTW, that is his hand over the fire. He wanted to be an imposter and I was afraid I'd burn my hand.

Mr. Sushi

Mr. Sushi, are they primos of Mr. Corn?

Mr. Sushi (on North Arkansas Av.) is the latest sushi place to be opening up in our smelly city. As we all know, sushi is long considered a food staple in this border city, so adding another sushi restaurant, to an already crowded field, was considered a no-brainer. (sushi breakfast tacos anyone?)

So now with Mr. Sushi opening its doors soon, Sushi Madre better watch its back!

Cindylu and fiance drop by my blog

Blogger 
I felt honored recently, when my blog crush, CindyLu from Loteria Chicana, dropped by and left some comments on my blog. It was a total OMG-like moment for me. 

I had written a short entry, some time back, on her impending marriage, and I guess it carried across the internets. It was a too cool moment for me. At least now she knows I exist. Yeay. 
BTW, congrats to her and her fiance again. Weddings make me cry.
  (read their comments below)
 
cindylu said...
Thanks for the well wishes! *blushes*
May 27, 2011 6:07 PM
Delete
Anonymous Seanathan (a.k.a. Cindylu's fiancèe) said...
May that be a lesson to you: pursue your Internet (and physical) crushes no matter how far away they are.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

Raspa Time

Con tanto calor, se antoja una raspa de fresa. Los invito.






Don't worry about the spelling. The raspas are still good.

Saturday, May 28, 2011

The Revolution will not be Televised

A personal hero of mine, Gil-Scott Heron, passed away yesterday. His lyrics to his
spoken word poem/song are on my Zune favorite playlist since forever. Read the lyrics
here.

You will not be able to stay home, brother.
You will not be able to plug in, turn on and cop out.
You will not be able to lose yourself on skag and skip,
Skip out for beer during commercials,
Because the revolution will not be televised.

The revolution will not be televised.
The revolution will not be brought to you by Xerox
In 4 parts without commercial interruptions.
The revolution will not show you pictures of Nixon
blowing a bugle and leading a charge by John
Mitchell, General Abrams and Spiro Agnew to eat
hog maws confiscated from a Harlem sanctuary.
The revolution will not be televised.


(update. I also recommend the song, "Home is Where the Hatred Is". Careful with the needle marks, though.)




Friday, May 27, 2011

Mr. Tweety's Snack Bar

Tweety's Snack Shack on the southside

Obviously,  this fine local snack shack was able to receive special written permission from the WB corporation in order to be able to use the image and likeness of the trademark Tweety character. As we know, copyright infringement is not a cool thing. Worse than that however, is having a spelling brain freeze when making your business signs. Check out the sign below.

Tweey's? Is it misspelled on purpose?

Am I missing something? Maybe it's just genius advertising? It did catch my attention, right?

 These guys are brilliant.
 

Nada que Ver (NQV) video of the week

Our first installment of the NQV video of the week:

If you are ever having a dilemma as to what to get me for my B-day, then break your head no more. I'm itching to get my hands on a vintage cassette tape Walkman, similar to the one in the video.

The video is my favorite scene from one of coolest movies I've seen in the past two years. Check out the video and the dancing babysitter in peril. Reminds me of my sister actually.

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Vamos a Laredo

Back in the days when visiting Nuevo Laredo was a care-free activity, I had an older brother that would take me along with him cruising every section of that city. I had just moved to Laredo, TX and I was already an ardent fan of the scorching Laredo sun. In those days, we drove around Nvo. Laredo, especially on Saturday and Sunday nights, bumping his music over his loud speakers and proclaiming our youthful exuberance with the tackiest music my ears had ever had to withstand.

One such song we always heard, for whatever ungodly reason, was a pissy little cumbia tune by a crappy local Nuevo Laredo grupo, "Vamos a Laredo". I'm not sure I understand what would ever possess my older brother to blast this song endlessly over his stereo.

This was sometime in late 1992. Maybe it was all the dirty Nuevo Laredo tap water we had drank that entire summer or maybe it was our lack of music appreciation. Whatever the case, we heard that song so much, I cringe to recall those days of destruction.

Coming back from a very quick trip to downtown Nuevo Laredo this past week (against my better judgement), and while waiting in the long line at bridge, a good cousin of mine popped in a CD that contained that vile song my brother used to play so loud and proud that it would scare the dead six feet deeper underground. I immediately recognized the wacky keyboard and jingly guitar. My feet began tapping and my hands started clapping and I could barely resist the overpowering urge to get off his truck and dance with whoever had the courage to stand with me.

I blame the scorching Laredo sun on this. Damn it's hot out there!

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...