Some LA Dodger fans want Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks owner) to purchase the bankrupt team. Imagine if that happened? A great and storied franchise such as the Dodgers would be ruined. Sometimes wishes can go haywire and careful what you wish for, as the old-cliche goes.
Hopefully this time next year, I can be watching a good local ball game at our new baseball stadium.
I wish the Tecolotes would return to our city. Maybe Mark Cuban can buy them and return them back to us? Just an idea. I'll print up some t-shirts too.
At every boda, quincenera or pachanga that I have ever attended in this city, there has been at least one obligatory Fito Olivares song. It never fails. Every single party I've ever been to in Laredo*. Worse, it usually comes on after everyone has had one too many Schaeffer Lights, and everyone thinks they've turned into John Travolta on the dancefloor.
I must include myself in this sad, sad bunch. I'm a horrible two-left feet dancer, but Fito Olivares has a way of putting hot coals under my feet and I begin to move with the grace of a 100 swans.
"Yo tengo un caballito que sabe bailar y mueve sus patitas al ritmo compas. Yo tengo un caballito que sabe bailer, igual que los caballos de Tony Aguilar."
Those are the lyrics to "Mi Caballito" by Fito Olivares. Sure, they aren't the deepest songs out there and most of them can be easily discarded, like empty Schlitz cans, but they sure do make me move. A la pista de baile todos.
I'm working on a few things for the blog. I have not been updating lately, but I have my digicam this weekend so look for new pics of "Around Town" by Monday. Have a good weekend gente and easy on the Schlitz.
Some people just say it like it is. They have no time or desire to sugar-coat the truth. The guy in this picture fits that description perfectly. He's a ruco old-school and they ain't no denying it.
My prima sent me this pic several days ago. According to her, she saw this man at a local eatery and had to snap a a picture of him, no doubt thinking of the raw beauty that old school has.
Nonetheless, "Old-school" is great, but "Puro Pinche Old-school", wow that is golden.
I'm staying home tonite and I'm going to enjoy the Giants vs. Mets game being called by Bob Costas and Al Michaels on the MLB network. You're invited. Drinks (Pepsi) are on me! Spin by.
Doing some simple searching on Youtube for local Laredo videos, I somehow stumbled upon Makeupjunkie18’s blog and Youtube channel. Jennifer is the person responsible for some interesting makeup and fashion videos that she has posted on her channel for the others to view and take note.
The thing that caught my attention about her videos is how at ease and carefree she seems in front of her webcam. I would like to be that comfortable in front of the camera myself, but the only thing I ever show on online is my hairy hand. :)
Back to Jennifer and her Makeupjunkie18 alter ego. A quick visit to her blog reveals her love for creams, nail polish and even cotton swabs. Her blog has a clean, smooth layout and it even had me reading some of the reviews for the various skin creams. (Yes, I use skin creams. The hot sun damages my skin OK!)
After poking around her blog and viewing several of her video reviews for a while, I shot her a quick email to see if she would be willing to answer some questions for a written interview. I had seen that her channel had over 3,000 subscribers so it was a little bit of intrigue and jealousy that drove me to learn some more about this local girl producing her own makeup reviews for the web. I asked her some questions to learn about her hobby.
Questions and answers are found below the page break.
It looks like my favorite snack shack upgraded to a brand-spanking new sign to lure customers zooming by on Loop 20. They even spelled Tweety's right this time. Yeay!
Some days are just death to your heart. They splatter your soul over the scorching concrete with the hatred of a thousand Confederate soldiers.
I lived through one such day just several days ago when I learned that my personal Mecca of movie mayhem, West Coast Video, had officially shut down its doors after more than two decades of proudly serving Laredo. With the advent of Netflix, Redbox and rampant pirated dvds, it was only a matter of time before most video stores were forced to shut down due to dwindling traffic and business. Locally,
both Movie Palace and Hollywood Video closed down several years ago, and now with the passing of another video great, only Blockbuster and the automated Video-Matic are left standing.
Throughout the 90s, West Express Video was my second home. It was a place where I could aimlessly wander the aisles for an hour on Friday nights in a futile attempt to choose between the latest Wesley Snipes action flick or the absurd acting found in a Stevan Segal film. Other than my other main temple, MoviePalace Video, West Express was my go to place to rent the latest comedy releases or choose from their extensive selection of 70s slasher horror.
The best thing about West Express is that for a long time they were located adjacent to the Mr. Donuts/Dunkin Donuts on Guadalupe. How closer to heaven could it have been?
It was the perfect combination: videos and donuts. Many times, my brother and I went down and bought us a dozen donuts and rented several flicks to enjoy at home. The 90s were a great time and West Express Video was the perfect spot to rent a good time or two.
Now, I ‘m saddened to see it go the way of the VHS. Nonetheless, thanks for the memories, West Express Video. It's just too bad we can't rewind the years.
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.
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.
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 (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!
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.
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.
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?
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.
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!
I have been seriously neglecting my blog for the past two weeks and I don't have a good excuse for it, other than to say I did believe the world was coming to a screeching end this past Saturday. Nonetheless, since humanity did not bite the dust as expected, I am here once again bringing you the latest news of my sad little corner of Laredo (shout out to all my Calton Rd. peeps!).
Things are coming and going and Laredo is whizzing by me in every twisted direction. I'm having some trouble finding my boots. No, JK I don't wear boots, only when I dream of my myself at the annual Rattlesnake Roundup. In my dream I'm battling snakes with my bare hands and then I run them over with my Ford 350 4 x 4. After, I make belts for all the neighborhood children (What up Santo Nino neighborhood). I always wanted a large brass belt buckle. They'd go great with my British Knight shoes.
Sometimes there is a perfectly good reason to just drink a cold one. Sadness comes and goes, but bad hangovers last forever. Cheers. I'll take a cold glass of milk though.
There are some people that come and go in one's life. At one point, my friend M*** meant the world to me. She saved me from so many mistakes and bad decisions. In fact, at one point she saved my life. I will always be grateful for her friendship, her attention and all the good things she gave me. I however, was not the one for her. Goodbyes are always sad and even more when they are permanent. Nonetheless, I'm going to truly miss M**a. Her wedding and her new life await her in the near future. I wish her the best at everything.
Sometimes life has a funny way of working things out. Everyone around me is getting married and having happy lives. Look for me in my dark corner of my bedroom if you need me.
I'm a liar and a jerk. Or so women tell me. Forgive me.
I promised you Easter pics and I meant to take a ton of them and upload them up on here. However, this Easter was so ho-hum. I did not want to let you down. No really, I didn't want to be like that boyfriend you had sophomore year that had his hands up your skirt one day and promised that he loved you, but then by the following week he was going out with Judy Galvan and everyone saw them making out behind the bleachers and it made you cry so much you vowed never to drink another Pepsi again. No, see, I'm not that guy. I let you down for my own selfish reasons of which I am not at liberty to discuss, due to certain contractual obligations.
Nonetheless, my fellow blogger, Furniture in Life, has posted a pretty neat entry about her eggs-ellent Easter. So hop on over there and read it. Just don't tell her I sent you.
Some of you might have noticed that our sister blog, the Rad 80's, has been deleted. Unfortunetly, I was unable to provide constant updates and I simply fell behind schedule, so I did away with it. Also, it lets me focus on more pressing projects that I have scheduled for later on this month. I'll keep you posted.
I did not want to let go of my 80's blog, but it had to be done. So sad. Don't worry though, Theo Huxtable still loves you. : )
Recently, I spent the better half of an afternoon going over my father's LP records. His eclectic tastes range from your standard Tin Tan and Pedro Infante material to The Platters, Los Hooligans and Ray Coniff.
When I was a child, I always knew when he had drank one too many cold Shlitz's because he would get home and slam his vintage records on our Sears brand turntable and crank the volume up loud enough to scare away his buzz. On nights when he was really loaded, "Smoke gets in your Eyes" by the Platters, was his song of choice.
On other nights, especially on payday Fridays, he would spin Los Apson Records and drink Miller HighLife, leaving behind Schltiz for days of despair. My dad was an elitist. I especially liked Los Apson because they played some sweet rock and roll covers, my favorite being their take of "Satisfaction" by the Rolling Stones.
But it was on mellow nights, after coming home from a Texas Ranger's win, that he would play Rene y Rene. He spoke endlessly about them so much, that I used to think he was traveling with them as a groupie or something. That was sometime in the late 80s, in days so far and long ago that my mother still made flour tortillas by hand (damn you Sandy's!).
So it was, several days ago that I came across an old LP of Rene y Rene and spun it on my Technics turntable and heard that music from long ago, that music from cold,rainy Dallas winters, when my childhood home smelled of freshly made flour tortillas and my half-finished homework was spread across the table.
It's strange how a simple song can take you traveling through time, like a musical Marty McFly DeLorean, complete with enough nostalgic images to fulfill a Ken Burns documentary.
So I leave you with this song off a classic Rene y Rene record. I transferred it from LP to Mp3 myself, so pardon me for the bad quality. I dedicate this one for the good times, the un-finished homework from my 5th grade year, the sweetness of 1989 and my father's warm, un-drank Schlitz beer still sitting upon that old Sears turntable lost somewhere in time.
time and the universe have been conspiraring against me lately. Everything has been out of whack. However, don't fret I will be back in the Milky Way soon.
Texas Rangers came so close last year to winning it all, but it was just beyond our grasp. Nonetheless it was a fun ride and they won their first ever AL Pennant and reached the World Series.
On Friday April 1st, we open the season against Adrian Gonzalez and the Boston RedSox. Even though I was unable to score opening day tickets, I have front row seats in my living room. Come over if you want to watch with me, just bring a six pack of Pepsi (The choice of a new generation).
Sometime in 2003 I stumbled upon the blog of CindyLu over at Loteria Chicana and I fell in love with her charms and writing style. Over time, I developed a mini-internet crush on her. Today I read she is engaged and I was like-OMG-it cant be.It's not like I know her in person or anything, I'm just a casual reader with a crush for her wits. We wish her the best and a sincere congrats to her and her beloved. I'm going to go cry in a dark corner now...
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