Thursday, April 11, 2013
Obits
Por que es asi mi pueblo?
I know it ain't right to question those who have left this earth to enter another plane, but Laredo's obituary section is always fascinating. Whether it's the odd nicknames that people stick on the last testament (like "La Naranja" Lopez) to their loved ones, or whether it's the choice of attire (or lack thereof) that really makes me wonder about my fellow Laredoans.
Take, for instance, the photo above. It has now become my wish that when I pass on, I also want to appear shirtless in my obituary.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
The Death of Video Stores
One common theme of DeLaredo Blog has been the acknowledgment of the slow, painful death of Laredo's video stores. I have to admit--it often brings a tear to my eye to realize that the video stores are dying.
Why?
Because I am a nostalgic at heart.
I like things to stay the same. I fondly recall driving towards the Calton Road H.E.B. and checking out the dozens of VHS (!) tapes on the shelves of the Hollywood Video store right next door. Then, later, as I grew older, I recall going to the many Blockbusters throughout the mighty city of Laredo, whether it be on McPherson or elsewhere.
And now there only remains a Redbox machine here, or a Redbox machine there. It's so sad.
It's been a couple of years since the disappearance of these video stores and more. But there are still some reminders of an era gone by out there in Laredo. Oh, they may not have had VHS like the old days. But, they did have DVDs. And, more importantly, "Exotic" View videos too. Orale.
Monday, April 1, 2013
Carne, Cruda and Cascarones
In the end, it does not really matter why I haven't updated; I just haven't.
But yesterday, Easter Sunday, while munching on my carne asada tacos and dodging cascarones and water balloons, I came to a realization and one that I will share with you very soon.
Resurrecting my personal life, and by extension this blog, has not being easy, but I'm certain that I have found a blueprint, and now I'm ready to use it.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Waiting for the parade to begin
Standing by the Coffee Dolce and still waiting for the floats to appear. I should have stayed in bed. #Laredodowner
Thursday, February 7, 2013
The Future
Rather, it comes from inside the soul.
Maturity finally strikes full force and it makes men jump into the arms of eternal commitment. I know it for certain that my time has arrived. That's all I was waiting for.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Hal Holbrook in Laredo
For those of you who might be unaware, Hal Holbrook will once again reprise his role as Mark Twain at the TAMIU Fine Arts Hall as part of the Sanchez Lecture series. No doubt, Mr. Holbrook is known for his role as Mark Twain as well as a long list of credits in countless other films, but I could hardly care less about any of those.
To me, Hal Holbrook is that old guy that appears in one of my favorite awful slasher films from the 1980s', "Girls Nite Out" (originally titled "The Scaremaker").
Girls Nite out is not just a horrible movie, it's a terrible slasher film with a confusing plot, ineffective acting and quite possibly some of the dullest kills ever imagined. One almost has to ask: What the hell is Hall Holbrook doing in a movie like this?
And that is just what I plan on asking him, if I get the chance to go. That is a big IF. How can I pass up the chance to meet a horror/slasher legend (Creepshow, The Fog)?
So, just in case, I plan on taking my VHS copy of Girls Nite Out in the hope of getting it signed by Hal. Well, still not convinced in the awesome-badness of this film, check out Final Girl's review here.
Friday, January 11, 2013
The Legend of Billy Jean (movie)
Growing up, we hardly ever had HBO. Come to think of it, regular cable was a luxury hard to come by as well. However, every now and then, HBO would offer those free weekend promotions where they featured their programming in an attempt to sucker people into subscribing
It was on one of those magical Saturday mornings, when my older brother and I, lounging around the house and having the time of our lives watching the movie "The Legend of Billy Jean", made one of the most important discoveries of our then-young lives; the movie actually mentioned "Laredo"!
You might have seen this movie 1,000 times back in the day, and to be completely honest, one of the only reasons to ever watch this movie is not only for to cool pop 80s soundtrack, but also for the cool way that Laredo is briefly mentioned in the film.
Supposedly, many scenes from the movie where filmed in and around the Corpus Christi area, and every now and then I still get a kick watching it on late night cable (yeah, I can afford cable now, Thanks Obama).
Nonetheless, if you have never enjoyed the 80s fromage that is The Legend of Billy Jean, click the YouTube link below. It's uttered at minute 59:50.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Walking through Laredo
However, it was during this move to my new "home" that I came across something that once meant the world to me: my Sony Walkman with MegaBass.
similar to my trusty Walkman, but in better condition |
Sometime in the late 1999, I lost track of my battery draining Walkman and it did not resurface until 2009. I was at my parent's house going through an old box of mine when I spotted my closest friend since the time of Zack Morris and Kelly Kapowski. Time was not kind on my trusty Walkman, but after putting in fresh batteries and sliding in my old copy Grupo Mazz's "No te Olvidare", the Megabass shook my body, like a visit from Monica Lewinsky.
I slapped on my warm-ups, grabbed my Walkman and trotted out into the stray-dog filled south Laredo night, as if the the past decade had never happened.
I just now this is going to be a great new year, even if it's not 1995.
Monday, December 24, 2012
December in Laredo
Paisanos clogging up traffic in Laredo |
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
La Carcel de Laredo
One of the good things about Youtube is that users can upload full movies for others to enjoy. That is a sweet thing, although many movies get taken down due to copyright infringement, yada yada yada.
One such movie, that will probably not get taken down by its lawful owners, is called "La Carcel de Laredo". I'd honestly never heard of this title, but it was referred to me by an online contact.
After doing some basic research, I was able to conclude that it was filmed in Durango with several scenes supposedly done in our sister city, Nuevo Laredo. However, I was unable to spot any scenes to verify that, so I will have to accept IMDB's word for it.
I tried my best to sit through the movie, but after 30 minutes of complete overacting, ludicrous plot, and atrocious set-design with awful costumes, I had to skip to the good parts. But the good parts never arrived.
As a fan of the golden age of Mexican cinema, I can only imagine the grave turning being done by the Fernando Solers of the after-world.
"La Carcel de Laredo" has a Tigres-del-norte-corrido-song-title sound to it, but from the lousy 30 minutes I saw of this movie, I heard not such sounds.
Bummer.
I was even expecting to have Valentin Trujillo, Mario Almada or a nude Lina Santos scene to come and save the day. But, no, it was not to be.
I only watched the movie because of its title, and I was hoping to see some cool scenes of Nuevo Laredo circa the mid 80s, but like everything else in Los Dos Laredos, it just disappointed.
New southside eateries
Whenever I see a new eatery open up in the south-side, I tend to run out and give the place a try. In this part of town, its mostly locally-owned restaurants and fast-food joints that set-up shop. We will gladly take them, too.
Recently, I saw that two old favorites, Guely's and Pino Burger, were either opening up a new location or moving to a better spot on Loop 20, close to the Century City neighborhood.
Pino-Burger in the south side |
I remember the Guely's location on SanBer really well. I always thought that they had great, greasy menudo.
As for Pino Burger, I can't speak too well of their "north side" location on Del Mar, but their Nuevo Laredo version was my second home back in the mid 90s. I must have single-handedly kept them in business back in 1997. Of course, those were the days when a regular person could venture out into Nuevo Laredo for some dining and wining.
Nonetheless, its good to see two new choices opening up in my part of town.
Monday, November 12, 2012
Laredo Hot Box Session
In fact, it was while searching for clips of our famed reality TV show, Bordertown Laredo, that I spotted this gem, made by what looks like Cheech and Chongs' fan club for the under 17 crowd. Apparently, this type of video, known as "hot-boxing" seems to be fairly popular among this particular demographic.
To each their own. Enjoy the video.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Vote for the Worst HEB in Laredo
"Stampede on aisle 3" |
I have no other options. HEB is the only grocery store in this city. With no competitors, HEB can just gouge our eyes and we have to take it up the can because we have no alternatives. There is no Tom Thumb, Fiesta, Kroger's, Minyard's, or any of the countless other national, big-box grocery chains.
What are my options? Super S Foods and Narvaez. Please! Narvaez should not even count because they have closed down several of their locations. As for Super S, well, unless you are paying with the state-assisted Lonestar Card, a hard-working person has no business even wondering unto their parking lot to score pirated DVD's, much less shop for food.
By the way, I know what you're thinking. What about Wal-mart? They don't count for they aren't a true grocery store. Unfortunately, HEB is the only game in town. As has been pointed out before by many others, they have an unhealthy local monopoly on the grocery store industry and I think it's time we all pushed our HEB-carts in unison, make some noise and clamor for at least a Fiesta!
HEB Bumper Carts |
This is not Laredo circa 1989. We are definitely ready for a new regional food chain.
Every HEB is always crowded. It does not matter the day or the time, there is always 10,000 people at any given moment. Some HEB's are worse than others (I'm looking at you HEB Zapata Hwy.) Others are mostly filled with families buying 2,000 lbs. of Cheetos and 100 gallons of Pepsi and all on their Lonestar Card.
But what do you think Laredo? What is the worst HEB to shop in Laredo? Which local HEB is the most crowded, loudest, chook-filled with Lonestar Card, buying- in our city?
Monday, September 10, 2012
La Hechicera
Back in the day, my cousins always played this song everytime we got together or every time we went to a Quincenera or boda. Now thinking back to those days, I often wonder where time has gone and why I no longer attend as many weddings as I did in 1990.
Do people not get married as often? Have weddings gone passe? Why can't I go to a nice boda at Roli's and dance the night away as if it was 1989?
Oh, sorry for the reminiscing. It's just the Monday evening blues.
Baseball and Elena
" What are you doing?" I asked as she was about to flip the channel.
"I'm going to look for the football. Pre-season started." Her response irritated me.
"Pre-season?" I quipped getting annoyed at her changing the channel during the 7th inning of the Ranger's game.
"Calm down, Gabito. I'll put it back in a minute," Elena smirked, noticing I was becoming visibly upset. If it wasn't for her 36c's, I would have gladly found a reason to show her the door.
"You're the only boyfriend I've ever had that prefers baseball over football," she continued as she splashed open a cold can of Pepsi. At this, I couldn't help but roll me eyes. I was beginning to regret inviting her over to my place during such a crucial game with a divisional foe.
After witnessing my obvious discomfort, Elena finally changed the channel back to the Ranger's game. "There, you happy now?" she groaned. We sat quietly on the sofa watching the baseball game for a few minutes, but she quickly began to grow fidgety and impatient.
Elena finally suggested, "How bout we watch wrestling instead?"
"Wrestling? Really, Elena? What is this, 1989?" I asked incredulously.
She bursts out with laughter, no doubt recalling some Ultimate Warrior wrestling bit from back in the day. At this point, I can see that this relationship is going to have its bumps along the road.
Then, she looked at me with a serious face and uttered, "All you have to do is learn to watch football and wrestling and we can get along just fine."
I took the remote control from the coffee table and flipped the channel to the wrestling program.
"There," I told her, "we can get along just fine."
"She finally smiled at and placed her head on my shoulder. On TV, grown men acted like fools, bodily slammed each other, and yelled fabricated dialogue.
"The things I do for a fine pair of 36c's" I thought to myself. Maybe wrestling isn't so bad.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Lalo's Sportsman Club "El Pozo"
How come I'd never seen this place before? |
With a name like "El Pozo", how can I pass that up? |
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Lupe Ontiveros RIP
Monday, July 23, 2012
Blockbuster Video Closing
The last place to rent a movie is closing down |
The sign that brought tears to my eyes |
Unnatural way to rent a movie |
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Lemurs Tshirt
Nice shirt! Go Lemurs. The front of the t-shirt is nice enuff. |
WTFB! Too bad the back is spoiled by a BadNewsBears moment |
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Friday Freebies: Cowboys Coke Bottle
I had promised many of you, that follow me on Twitter, some free items that I had planned on giving away. You see, I have boxes full of things / memorabilia that I no longer need, and some of those items I plan to give away on here during "Friday Freebies" to anyone that wishes to participate.
First item up for a giveaway is a vintage Dallas Cowboys, 1984, 25 year anniversary Coca-Cola Bottle, unopened and a nice collectible. I bought this bottle as a kid, way back in 1985 at a garage sale. It would really be a nice addition to any of Uncle Jerry's followers.
Friday Freebie (Episode 1) |
1) Email me and state your reason why you should be the one to win this cool bottle. Email me at gbfilms@ymail.com
2) Follow me on Twitter and tell us why you should win.
3) Follow us on our Facebook page and give us your reason to why you should be the winner.
That is all. If you already follow us on either of those, just give us your reason. A winner will be chosen at random and they will be notified that they are the winner. You can use the buttons on the top right hand corner of our blog to follow us on Twitter and Facebook. One winner will be chosen. Thanks for your interest in our silly giveaway and look for other items soon. :)
Contest ends on July 25, 2012
Good Luck!
DeLaredo
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Celebrating cuatro de Julio
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Friday Freebies
Saturday, June 30, 2012
San antonio
The hand is currently in san antonio. Free stuff fridays will be in when I return. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
El Mejor Pan
Who needs actual parking spaces anyway? |
Don't mind the glare, pic taking incognito |
Donuts were surprisingly good |
These must be the colors of heaven and paradise |
Everyone knows that when it comes to bakeries, I am partial to Quickies. However, every now and then, the 'pan dulce' from El Mejor Pan draws my interest and my weak-minded hands drive me over to Lafayette, down by the west side, for some warm-right-out-of the oven goodness.
Aesthetically this might not be the most pleasing place, but their bread sure does come through, and the drive to the opposite side of town is well worth it.
One thing about this business is that it has no real parking space to it. One just pulls up to the front of the store and runs down to make fast purchases, like something from Nvo. Laredo, but I'm guessing that this adds charm and local flavor. And that is always, lo Mejor.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Lafayette Bride
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Monday, June 18, 2012
Dos Indios en una Cantina
Alfonso Valdez Ain't Shit
Several years, I wrote a short story, loosely based, on a autobiographical event that occurred to me years ago. I had completely forgotten about ever having written this silly story, until last week when I came across it as I was cleaning out my hard drive. It made me chuckle to remember the stupid things we do as kids. Feel free to read the story hear, titled, "Alfonso Valdez Ain't Shit." Just make sure your British Knights are laced up and ready to go.
Alfonso Valdez aint Shit
J. O. TV service.
Catastrophe hit my apartment last week. My television, that I just bought about two years ago, decided to take an early trip to heaven. Disconcerted, I tried calling the manufacturer in the vain hope of having the warranty cover the tv, but alas Dynex did a dance number on me.
I tried taking my tv to a local repairman, to see if he could resurrect the set but it turned out to be too expensive and not worth the repair. Needless to say, my tv did not make a Lazurus like return. So now I'm in the market for a new tv especially one that goes with my 1986 magnavox VCR.
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
A Late look at the #Lemurs
The Lemurs seem to be having a rough start, but it's a long season. I have to say that I liked the stadium itself, in all its unfinished glory. We do hope to see you out at the game before the end of summer, especially on dollar beer night!
Neat screen in centerfield |
Sexy dancers |
Pancho posing for pictures |
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Pizza in Laredo circa 1980
However, this was not always the case. Back in 1980, Laredenses could choose from a variety of different pizzerias, both local and national chains. Unfortunately, I have no idea how any of these tasted or whether they were around for a long time. At least the ads in the phonebook look pretty neat and enticing. Take a look at some of the pizza choices we had 30 years ago.
Rustic Cedar atmosphere? How quaint.. |
2) Another pizza choice we had in 1980 was a place called Shakey's. By the looks of it, this was a pizza chain that had games, movies as well as the "world's greatest pizza". Pretty bold statement, I know. I've never heard of this place either, for it seems to have been long gone by 1989 (that's as far back as I remember). Watch a video of a TV commercial here.
3) Sal's Pizza of course is a local landmark that according to a buddy of mine, had some pretty neat bands play live there back in the day. Is Sal's still open? Not sure if it is, but I think I'll call the number on the phonebook Ad (727-4600), just to see who answers. I feel like having a pizza anyway. I hope they deliver...
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Monday, March 26, 2012
Pino Burger
Although I loved their burritos and tacos, I had to admit that their burgers were delicious as well. I have yet to eat at their Laredo, TX branch, located on Del Mar Ave, but it is definitely on my list of things to do. Especially because the good folks over at DrinkLaredo seemed to have given the restaurant their much coveted seal of approval. I hope to go Pino Burger sometime this week, if nothing else than to relive the 90s in my taste buds.
Lemurs
Since I cancelled DirectTV last week, I will no longer be able to watch my beloved Texas Rangers on television. Because of that, I am looking forward to the start of the Lemurs baseball season in order to entertain myself during the long summer nights. According to their website, the season begins in 1 month and 3 weeks from today. I have my glove ready to go for the opening day. Can we just play ball now?
Sunday, March 25, 2012
Depeche Mode
Thursday, March 22, 2012
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...
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How come I'd never seen this place before? Sometimes I find myself driving aimlessly around town and I come across a building that I ...
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Whatever happened to....? The Unicorn was a good place..with "fluent English". Laredo has come a long way since 1987....
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Que padre la foto, eh. Este si es amor del bueno. I ran across the website CineDeLaredo.com and they do a pretty neat job. Stop by and ch...