Pepsi, choice of the new generation

All over town, I have seen old soda can vending machines just sitting outside of homes and decorating the lawns. Here yet, is another one. This one is over by Arkansas and Market right outside a business. I myself prefer Pepsi over Coke, so I'm rather amused by the picture here. If only the owner would be willing to sell the old vending machine. Oh well....

Nothing new

It has been really slow around my blog lately, I know. I have been slacking off and with some many wonderful tidbits happening around the border city. But don't fret too much, I will return soon. Keep the faith.

The Prodigal sons returns back home

After years away from the Rangers, Ivan Rodriguez returns back to his old team. Wow, now it truly does feel like its 1998 for me. More on that soon.

"Oh My Laredo" essay by Linda Mabry

Back in 2007 I was one of the persons responsible for the now defunct website, DeLaredo.net. One of our contributors went by the name of Linda Mabry and she wrote several great articles and essays about living and growing up in Laredo. One of them is found below. It is titled "Oh my Laredo" from the DeLaredo.Net archives. Enjoy.

What’s wrong with Laredo? , everything and nothing is my first thought regarding this intricate yet ever evolving question. Most people were not surprised when that now infamous story came out about 3 years ago which literally proclaimed Laredo, Texas the city with the poorest “quality of life” in all of the United States! I have always believed that Laredo, like most cities, could improve in more ways than one but personally thought the title of “Worst City” was a bit harsh, unjust and wrong. Amazingly, for days I wondered how all of those towns with nothing but dirt roads and a Dairy Queen had escaped the list, and how these so called “journalists” didn’t choose one of the many cities in Texas that seem to come straight out of a Quentin Tarantino film, but yet are functioning “cities” even though they look like the typical ghost towns. (continue reading it here)

More Random Laredenses (part 4)

Lingerie?? WTFB! What bar is that at? This sure ain't at the TKO!!!

Following C. J. Wilson

I have finally done it. I decided to follow a 'celebrity' on Twitter. I have gone to the dark side I know. I have gone down the slippery road that leads to destruction. Next thing I know, I will be standing at the check out line at Super S Foods and reading People Magazine and that Mexican rag TV Noticias. How lame-o is that!

But I digress, back to the subject of this rant. I've been on Twitter for a while but the only people I do follow on there are people I actually know in the real “offline” world. I don't follow celebrities or other like minded fools that believe themselves to be important. For all I know, these celebs prolly have some handler, errand boy-gopher write the tweets for them. What do I know. But today I finally did it. I added a celebrity (somewhat) and I feel like that first time I finished a can of Tecate beer. Accomplished.

I decided to follow Ranger's pitching reliever CJ Wilson. He claims to tweet from the bullpen right before he is shoved into the game (and usually blows the lead by giving up three runs). Sure enough, I was watching on TV and as he was about to be brought into the game, he sent out a tweet. Sweetbread! I guess now I can see now how some losers can follow Ashton Kutcher on Twitter. I guess....mmm no, maybe not. Sorry.

My date: Update as promised

I hadn't had time to give you the adequate update regarding my “date” about a week and a half ago. I really had some high hopes for it, but things went south (taco bell) really fast. Here is a Quicky Bakery version of the nights' events.

**** (Names have been changed to protect the guilty) ****

I picked up Sandra close to nine o'clock and I knew from the very beginning that it was going to be a long night. As she opened the door to my truck she flashed her nice warm smile that had appealed to me from the start. Unfortunately that was the last time she would smile that entire night. While she was climbing into the passengers seat I noticed she was wearing a Yankees t-shirt with blue jeans and a cute Adidas baseball cap. I like baseball but I'm no fan of the Yankees. Regular readers of my blog will surely know where my heart is regarding the boys of summer.

“I take it your a Yankees fan” I ask as I pull out of her drive way.

“Yeah” she responds. “I'm the biggest Derek Jeter fan in south Texas” she adds with glee.

I cringe with nausea and as I hear this. “A Derek Jeter fan!” I think to myself. Say it ain't so Yogi. A Yankees fan, specifically a Derek Jeter fan riding in MY truck and I have to take this lame-o to dinner and pay for her too! What the fudge brownies!!!

Surely enough, Sandra saw my cringe as she revealed her dirty little secret crush on one of baseball's worst pretty-boy losers.

“Why? Whose your favorite team?” she asks expecting me to say the Red Sox or some other east coast sissy team. “Let me guess”, she adds, “you're an Astros type of guy”.

I let out a chuckle at her suggestion and tightened my grip on the steering wheel as I turned onto Corpus Christi Ave on our way down to the Evelyn Cafe on Sanber.

“I've been a Texas Rangers fan since 1986” I finally admit in a soft and serious tone that sounded as if I had just fessed up to having been caught doing cocaine with Michael Irvin. “I don't really follow sports anymore. Just baseball.” I add at the end, almost apologetically.

Her soft mocking giggles filled the truck. “Oh my god, your a Rangers fan? The Yankees always beat the Rangers in the playoffs!” she informed me as if I was a moron. “Thanks for the update” I say with a just a hint of bitter attitude. “Hey its no biggie” she continues, “my last boyfriend played for the Laredo Broncos. Now they really suck” she says shaking her head as if she is trying to get that mental image out of her soul. With those words having being uttered, I looked at her and smiled and we finally reached to our destination and I knew from that moment this wasn't going to work out.

I don't really recall much more from the date other than that. She was a very yada-yada-yada type of chick. I recall something about her being a nurse, her wanting to watch Transformers 2 and her dream of getting an autograph from Jeter, A-Rod and Big Tex. I didn't really eat my food. I was afraid I would blow chunks. Needless to say we went to go watch the movie after dinner but I couldn't wait to drop her off at her apartment. People say there's different strokes for different folks and that opposites attract. Bullshit I say. I don't share my food or my bed with Derek Jeter fans or Yankee followers. That's just how I roll.

I should have stayed home and watched my just-arrived vhs copy of Night of the Comet. Live and learn.

On a side note: Rangers are 3 1/2 games behind first place Angels and are tied for the wild card spot. This is our year... I can smell the cracker jacks.

Milk in Vienna to appear on CarrotHead soundtrack

The local Laredo band, Milk in Vienna, has agreed to have one of their songs appear on our short film. The song that will appear during the final credits is titled, "It ain't love" and it can be found on their debut EP, "Open Fire!".

MIV jumped on the chance of having their awesome music heard by countless hundreds of people who will watch and enjoy (maybe even vomit) our much anticipated short flick. CarrotHead promises to be the best movie since Rosemary's Baby (or at least the best movie since The Pod People from Idaho). Production is still underway and key film sequences are currently undergoing redesigns that have pushed back the film's debut to sometime around early September. But don't fret. The world-class cast that we have assembled is pouring out their heart into the project and it will be extremely evident in the final finished product.

Once complete, we will be hosting a red-carpet, invitation only, fancy smanshy, rented-tux only premier, complete with Presidente brandy for everyone. Cuz hey, that's just how no-name Laredo film makers roll. So keep your eyes shut and your ears folded in anticipation of more news from the movie that is sure to have all of Laredo shaking their heads in embarrassment and 'unbelief'.

There is even talk of having 80's B-movie scream queen Linnea Quigley do a cameo appearance because after all she is the best actress of her generation (Her movie, 1981's Don't Go Near the Park, was the best movie eeveer!) Curiously, her agent has not returned our phone calls, but we won't sweat the small stuff, for we have plan B in case Miss Quigley is "unavailable due to previous contract agreements". If she fails to come through, then Lina Santos, the 80's Mexican C-movie hottie star can fill in just nicely. So, changuitos and keep your eyes shut.

What should the new baseball stadium be named?

Over at the official Broncos website, there is a poll to determine what the fans hope the name of the upcoming stadium should be. Here are some of the interesting choices:

Aldo Tatangelo Field

12%

387

Laredo Sports Complex

51%

168

Broncos Field

22%

115

Corporate Sponsor Field


Some interesting choices! I would opt for the Aldo Tantagelo name myself, with all that he meant/means to this town. The worst choice would be to give the field some faceless, soul less corporate name. Ugh! What are your thoughts on this? Share with us.

Casablanca Lake Pool Abandoned

Recently, I was invited to a 'carne asada' over at Casablanca Lake on some random hot Tuesday afternoon. It had been a while since I visited our treasured local lake and a scene caught my attention. I had never noticed that there is an abandoned pool located by the main entrance, off toward the left behind the tennis courts.

By the looks of it, it has been left to decay for years now, but I'm not too sure what the reason for this tragedy might be. Did someone mysteriously and sadly drown here back in 85'? Was the high cost of pool maintenance no longer cost-effective? Do people prefer to swim in the dirty lake than in the dirty pool? What gives? Why let the pool rot? With the high cost of lake admission, one would think that there would be enough resources to keep the place properly maintained. Next time you go to the lake and you hand them your $4.00 per person admission fee, ask why the pool was shut down, or maybe someone out there in Laredo land knows.

Obama drinks Bud Light

No one can be perfect and we all have our downfalls. In President Obama's case it's his choice of beer. For the meeting with Police Officer James Crowley and Professor Henry Louis Gates, Obama chose to order himself a Bud Light while the officer had a Blue Moon and Mr. Gates a Red Stripe. It seems that both of these men have better taste in beer than the president and his chafa beer. Oh, well. It could have been worse. He could have ordered a Natural Light.

Danny's vs. Taco Palenque

What do you think Laredo? Which has the better food in the Gateway City? Danny's or Taco Palenque? Both are good and both have their dedicated and loyal clientele. I want to hear from you, some good late night stories of visiting these fine eating establishments.

Random lyric of the day

I Don't Care What You Talkin' 'Bout Baby
I Don't Care What You Say
Don't You Come Walkin'
Beggin' Back Mama
I Don't Care Anyway


Cinco pesos to whomever guesses artist, record and year.

Hot Laredo Days

It's scorching out there in the dry Laredo heat. We advise you to stay in the shade and drink plenty of cold water. But, please, make sure you don't break down your refrigerator like this unfortunate family in the picture above. Somebody call the Maytag man to get it fixed. Stay cool Laredo.

HideOut Grocery

Is the migra on your tail ready to toss you back across the Rio Grande? The sheriff's dept. or the DEA on your case about some pesky kilos? Then come out to the the HideOut Grocery and besides buying your case of Schlitz Beer, we can also hide you from all sorts of law enforcing agency bad guys. Sweet deal right.

Nuevo Laredo, Tamps

Un cordial saludo y bonito abrazo a toda la gente de nuestra "ciudad hermana" de Nuevo Laredo. Gracias por visitarnos.

CarrotHead: The Movie

This is the 'official' intro to my amateur, very low-budget, horror, short film. You can view it here below. If your a fan of bad and shaky camera work, terrible dialogue, questionable plot, inane actors, then drop by and watch my film. View the intro below. Look for the complete short film by the end of August.

Another Laredo Downtown Postcard

As you've prolly seen, I have a thing for vintage Laredo postcards. Too bad I wasn't around during the "golden age". Oh well! Nimodo.com

Jenny was a friend of mine

Jenny was a friend of mine, until she to told me the cold, hard truth.

“What’s your blog about?” she asks with a puzzled face. “Is it about you or about Laredo? You talk about this, you talk about that. Sometimes, it seems to be all about your own personal life. It seems like your blog doesn’t have a focus.”

As she talks she moves her hands incessantly. Every so often she picks at her plate with her fork as she avoids eye contact. She sits across the table from me at the TKO tapping her fingers annoyingly on the table, as if awaiting an answer.

“I guess your not a fan of my blog” I finally answer trying to suppress a grin. “Not too many people are, and I don’t mind if it stays that way.”

I’m a bit hurt inside, but I’m not going to let Jenny see that.

“You’re right”, I continue, “my blog is unfocused. I want it to be about me. I happened to be from Laredo. Soy de Laredo and I write things that I encounter as I live in this city. My life is unfocused, hence my blog is just the same..”

“Oh come on…that‘s such a canned answer”, she cuts me off. “But, well, maybe you are right”, she says almost apologetically. “Hey its your blog; do what you want with it. Too bad its not as good as the BorderTown one” she says at the end.

I turn away in inner pain as if someone has just given me ten paper cuts simultaneously.

“I can’t compete with BorderTown”, I utter as I began to look for the waitress and ask for my check. “No dessert for her” I whisper to myself.

“All you need is to focus and decide. Is it going to be about you or about the city of Laredo”, she goes on and on like Elaine from Seinfeld. Her lips continue to move and I began to see that she is a littler chatterbox. “But your blog has potential” she tells me as she finally looks straight into my eyes.

I smile wide. Maybe Jenny is right. Maybe the blog does have potential. But the only thing I know for certain is that I won’t be seeing Jenny again. I don’t like the truth being so brutal. I prefer it in small doses.

“What does Jenny know anyway”, I think to myself as I leave TKO and walk out into the hot Laredo night. I turn up my Zune to some random 80’s beat as I drive down San Bernardo looking for trouble.

Laredo Chat

There are several local chat rooms, some better than others. Today I ran across MyLaredoChat.Net and it has a few regular chatters in there that keep the page interesting. Stop by if you get a chance and say hi.

Jay St. John

Love him or hate him, Jay St. John is back on the radio. The controversial, but always entertaining radio personality, has bounced from station to station, but now you can catch him at 4pm on 1550 AM. Or you can follow his twitter here.

This is why I don't smoke.

Great anti-tobacco ad. I saw it when I was a kid back in 85' and I never picked up a cigarette because of it. It still haunts me to this day.

Random lyric del dia

Por el amor a mi madre
voy a dejar la parranda
aunque me digan cobarde,
a mi no me importa nada.

Aldo Tatangelo Parkway

Anytime I speak with someone that can recall the late 70's and early 80's in Laredo, the name of Aldo Tatangelo always brings a big, warm smile to their face. He is touted by many as the "chosen one", a golden and heroic figure that "brought Laredo into the twentieth century". His local legacy is that of a hard-working man that helped to modernize Laredo and break up the stronghold of the "Old patron Party". To really understand how backwards Laredo was in the mid 70's, one simple tidbit can suffice. According to Time Magazine and a Wiki Article, up to 75% of Laredo's streets were unpaved, dusty mudroads as recently as the early 80s. Talk about WTF moments! It makes you wonder how the citizens of this city put up with the bullshlitz and shenanigans of Mayor Martin and his poltical croonies.

Hanging out downtown by St. Agustine Cathedral this morning, I spotted the parkway named in Mr. Tatangelo's honor and it made me realize that I do not know much about the history of my fair city, so I decided to do some reading and learn as much about the "Old Patron" party and the events that led to their mayoral defeat in 1978. I began to try and track down a book by Fernando Pinon titled, "Patron Democracy" and I want to also get a video copy of CBS News Reports 30 minute segment by Bill Moyers on the scandal of JC Martin. It is sad but interesting learning so much about the history of my border city. As long as we keep going forward Laredo, progress is just around the corner.

IronGates in Laredo

Need an irongate or windowbars to keep all those darn thieves out from taking off with your VCR and bigscreen TV? Then call the good people up over at FF Ironworks. They can give you a free estimate on all your iron needs. Security is a good thing in these times of need. Give them a buzz at (956) 791-6021. Iron gates, style and grace to protect your place!

LMT focuses on local blogs

Our blog was on LMT a little over a week ago. An article focusing on local blogs gave us some neat publicity. Thanks to BordertownBlues for the newspaper image. As you can see from the pic, there we are in all the ink-hard copy glory. Sweetbread! I just want to thank all the little people that made this possible....

Dowtown Laredo, Three Sisters

Downtown Laredo in better days. Anyone have any idea of the time period this picture was taken. I'd say 1974. What you think? The store Three Sisters was still around.

CarrotHead (update)

As you regular readers of my useless blog might already know, I am knee deep in the production of my first ever amateur film, "CarrotHead". I know you are prolly dying for an update regarding the status to my cinema de merde production (you know you are so stop kidding yourself please. Just drink your diet Tab and keep reading). My cast has been quietly putting together several scenes and its all starting to come-together rather incompetently nice. My horrendous script is finally coming to life and my cast, that proclaim themselves to be actors and actresses, are doing a spectacular job at being truly awful.



I dug up my Casio keyboard and I have began to compose the musical score, but I just realized that that might take more work than I previously anticipated.I might have to leave that to someone more musically inclined.

The difficult scenes are the only ones left to film, but I'm waiting on a shipment of Ragu tomato sauce to shoot the unrealistic special effects death sequences. I don't need no bleeping CGI bull Schlitz either. I'm still in need of some willing actresses (casting couch warning in effect) so if you've got the goods, drop me a line to hook up! CarrotHead should be completed by the beginning of August and it will have a limited regionally-local online only distribution. Look for it soon. See, that wasn't so bad. Thanks for reading all the way to the end. You must be really bored. Now go do something productive with your life please.

Random lyric of the day

there's a liar in my head
there's a thief upon my bed
and the strangest thing
is I cannot seem to get
my eyes open .

BorderTown Pulga

This is a shot of one of the three local flea markets (pulgas) that are found in Laredo. Bordertown is located on Hwy. 359 just across from the city landfill. In my humble opinion, its the best of the three pulgas for they really have all sorts of junk and gems intermingled together. I believe that its on Wed. afternoons when they open and have vendors come in from as far away as San Antonio to hawk their wares. Check it out if you've never been there.

Take a rest

I know some of you out there are working hard in these dog days of summer and I applaud you for it. There is much work that needs to be done for progress to fully settle in our border town. However, rest is good and vital at times. So take a seat with us on our front-porch sofa, take a swig of beer and ponder the future. Scrutiny of one's self is always helpful.

LMT charges for online content

Laredo Morning Times is now charging for its online content! WTF! We now have to pay money to read fictional worm stories. Gosh darn. I guess I'll have to pony up the pesos.



Not everyone took the news as lightly as I did. When I mentioned this news to my bro, he made the shocked and stunned face below.

Plaza Theater in 1950s

Isn't this the greatest picture you've ever seen? Wow! That's downtown Laredo? It seems like a scene out of Back to the Future or a Hollywood set. I would love to walk down the street of that Laredo. For some reason, Laredo seems like a better and bigger city, in that postcard.

LISD's new superintendant

Maybe progress has finally hit Laredo. Dr. Marcus Nelson is the new super at LISD and hopefully he can get things straightened out over there. Seems like a good step in the right direction.

Random lyric of the day

Cooter schooled me to the game,
now I know my duty
Stay humble stay low
blow like Hootie

Lasanbe.com goes mainstream

Congrats to my colleagues at Lasanbe.com and Laredospeaks among others for their frontpage publicity in the Laredo Morning Times' article on local blogs. Keyrose, of Lasanbe.com, has gone mainstream. Next month you will see him on the cover of GQ and RollingStone. He has hit the bigtime like George Jefferson. In all seriousness, sweet bread! I'm glad that the hard work of the local bloggers is getting noticed.

Keyrose and others were present at the screening of 80's movie, Eddie Macon's Run, over at Candela's Restuarant, this past Saturday. Due to urgent business matters, I was unable to be present, however, I heard the turnout was really good. Next time we have another screening I hope to be there for sure. I'll take a 12 pack of Schlitz. Any ideas for another Blogger's event?? I'm open to suggestions (I'm also open to donations jejeje.)

Laredo Broncos in last place

Don't look now Laredo baseball fans, but your local team is in last place. As of June 28, their record of 4 wins and 12 losses is dismal. They have lost nine straight road games. Is it time to call for the head of Ricardo Cuevas? Something's got to give. Their next home stand starts on July 2nd, so let's all go out there and support the home team. If you see me, go ahead and buy me a beer. Support your local blog too!

Random Laredense pics

(photos courtesy of thenightscene.net, even though I just took em without permission. Y Que!)

Lame 80s movie of the week review (Invasion USA)

With North Korea ready to go all ballistic on us, it reminded me of a braindead movie I saw in the 80's featuring Chuck Norris at the height of 80s Cold War Hollywoodish cinema (Red Dawn, Rocky 4, Born American etc)titled Invasion USA. The movie is violent, cold, senseless and downright silly. In short, its my sort of movie. Here below is a movie review. If you care to see, again, I can lend you my vhs copy, sweet.

(note: If you really want to enjoy this film, drink a six pack of Schlitz beer first. Then sit back and laugh.)

Think Chuck Norris, think Invasion USA. Well, I do anyway. Perhaps it’s the snappy, rhythmical catchiness of the title that makes it so memorable. Perhaps it’s because it came out when Chuck was top of his game, fully graduated with a Master’s Degree in 80’s mindless, gung-ho action gibberish following his Batchelor of (Martial) Arts days of the late 70’s-early 80’s chop-socky action thriller fare. The interesting thing about The Norris is his credibility. You may think he doesn’t have any, but he does. Anyone who trains with Bruce Lee, befriends Bruce Lee, and then cast by Lee to be his ultimate opponent in Way of the Dragon, deserves some credibility. And then of course there’s his numerous kung fu qualifications, one of which is being the first ever Westerner to be awarded an eighth-degree black belt in Tae Kwan Do. Steve McQueen was blown away by Norris’ skills and famously said to him “If you can’t do anything else, there’s always acting”, after which Norris went on to incorporate his martial arts skills in much the same way that Bruce Lee (who had a hell of a lot more to prove) had done before him; the world of fight-based thriller motion pictures.



Unfortunately however, by the time of Invasion USA, something different had happened. Norris picked up guns and shot the baddies instead of bashing them about with his karate skills. That’s the mid 80’s for you. Invasion USA is big, bad, and brainless. I can imagine the producers and screenwriters in a pre-production meeting: “Ok, let’s not make this too complicated, ok? This isn’t about plot, it’s about action, violence, revenge, heroism and we want LOADS of explosions and Chuck Norris with guns.” That’s exactly what you get. The movie starts with a boat full of Cubans trying to make it to the Florida coast until obvious impostor / bad guy Mikhail Rostov, pulls up alongside with the coastguard, says “Welcome to America”, then proceeds to gun down every last one of them, running off with all their Charlie. He then goes to sell the coke to a very dangerous looking man whose ladyfreind is snorting away at it, than is until Rostov bashes her face of the surface she is snorting from, puts his gun down the dealer’s pants, pulls the trigger and throws him out the window. He’s badass, this guy, and he has nightmares about when Matt Hunter (yeah, that’s Chuck Norris, in case you hadn’t guessed) caught him, said “It’s time to die” and then let him get away. He hates Norris and vice versa, but Norris will only kill him if he’s asked too, because he’s a good guy you know, just like one of us. When Rostov isn’t hating Norris, he’s hatching a plan to invade USA with his army of extras landing on the beaches off Miami, piling into trucks bound for Chicago, Las Vegas, etc, to wage war on ordinary America.



What follows is a full-scale (well in Miami anyway) attack on ordinary folk as Rostov’s troops take to the streets with guns aplenty, while their favoured choice of human destruction is the trusty take-no-prisoners rocket launcher. Chaos ensues, as the National Guard take over to bring some kind of control to the civil unrest that sees police officers staying at home to protect families and armed citizens take to the streets. Matt Hunter is no ordinary civilian though – he’s an agent, asked by the “agency” to take Rostov and his men down following a routine “We really need you this time” scene. No one else, just one man against hundreds, but that’s fine because this is 1985 - the time of Stallone, the time of Schwarzenegger, the time of the one-man army, because dontcha know that’s all it took back in 1985. One man, one truck, attitude, two Uzis and optional beard.



A prerequisite of the one-man army is a hero who remains not only calm and confident under pressure, but one who must be careful not to demonstrate a confusing array of facial expressions. One will do nicely, and two at a push. The only times Norris smiles in Invasion USA is 1) when he sees his pet armadillo acting stupid, and 2) when he’s watching an old B&W sci-fi movie on TV which is, I should point out, a 1953 movie called…wait for it...Invasion USA! The rest of the time he exemplifies the Charles Bronson portfolio of facial expression, which is to say that it never really changes – one expression fits all situations. Steve McQueen had a lot to answer to. Strange as it is to find myself thinking this, I believe that there is a place for lame, shortsighted action movies like this. They’re reminders of a time when the intellectual appetites and expectations for Hollywood action films was at an all-time low, while forecasting how bigger, better and louder would eventually rule the roost. There really isn’t any plot here at all: a bad Russian guy is killing Americans, and then Norris is sent on assignment to kill him. They are arch enemies. Cue explosions, dumb-ass dialogue, and the token nosey female journalist (who is not only incredibly annoying but seems to have clairvoyance skills for every single attack because she’s ALWAYS there), and then wrap it all up with a massive yet dull gun battle while our hero offs the villain by firing a rocket launcher at him point blank, sending him out the window and all over the street.



The plot’s straightforwardness is mirrored by Norris’s wardrobe. Picture this: A bearded Norris, dressed in tight blue jeans, low-buttoned denim shirt, double brown leather shoulder holsters, black leather gloves and, most important of all, an Uzi for each hand, pumping out bullets faster than thrash metallers Slayer. He’s a nice regular guy, just don’t push him – you know the sort. Norris is actually a Christian in real life and apparently refused to play characters who were morally unsound. That’s why you have to push him before he pushes you but when he does you’ll feel liked Jesus himself has booted you in the face. Ouch. And there you have it. Not the greatest action flick ever made. Not a complete waste of time if you’re in the mood for what it offers.



Now, where did I put my denim shirt...

The Ram Inn

Apparently, subtlety has gone out of fashion in Laredo. In this town we say it like it is with no reason to hide behind a false facade of dumbness. I normally try to keep my blog PG family rated, but I just couldn't pass up this picture of a sleazy motel out by Mines Rd. area. The place is called the "Ram Inn" where I guess for $29 dollars a night, a person can 'ram it in' all night along, at their own leisure. Am I reading too much into it? Is it my own twisted mentality? You decide. Better yet, go down to SanBer pick up a lady of the evening and take her down to the Ram Inn to ram it in. On second thought, don't do that. That's immoral and illegal. Better yet, stay home and watch the ballgame.

Hard Work

My father always told me that with a little hard work I could accomplish almost anything. By and large, most people in Laredo are honest, hard-working, law-abiding citizens. Most of us are not like the media portray us; deceitful, uneducated, lazy drug lords. Unfortunately, the hard-working people of this city will have to keep toiling hard under the sun to try and erase that negative image.

It reminds me of the picture below. I took it several years ago as I caught construction worker taking a smoking break after a long day. He seems to want a better future and his eyes seem to scream with hope that that 'better future' is just around the corner and within grasp. That's the way it is with Laredo. Better days are definitely up ahead. Don't despair. Keep the faith Laredo.

Random Lyric of the week

Alone between the sheets
Only brings exasperation
Its time to walk the streets
Smell the desperation

Drunk and dragged

Sometimes people in in this town drink too much. This here is one sweet, short video a partygoer shot outside of some silly nightclub. Notice the drunk woman almost getting run over as she tries to, undoubtedly, continue the party at someone's house. Lesson learned, Laredo people can't drive and they don't know when to say when. View the youtube video.

(posted by BB)

Picture of the blogger as a young kid

Feast your eyes on this. The year was 1993 and I felt as if I was on top of the freaking world. Life was alot more fun at 14, and Laredo seemed to be just so much more innocent. Of course, it was all just my own naive perspective. In the upcoming week I shall tell you the twisted story behind this picture. So come back and read it, if you dare....

Laredo de lejitos

The best view of Laredo, is the one in my rear-view mirror.

Maquinitas and Texas Lotto

Recently, local maquinintas establishments have made the news once again and equipment has been seized from certain places. According to local law enforcement, laws and regulations were being broken so these places had to be shut down. To me, that's all fine and dandy for the reason that I'm not much of a gambler. However, my question is this. How are maquinitas and their gambling nature different from the state sponsored lottery? Both seem to prey on the elderly and the least economically-viable. Both seem to be impulsive and addictive. Both seem to be a tremendous waste of money to be person playing, but a great source of revenue for the person selling. If we go after maquinitas, why not go after the Texas Lottery as well. Someone please enlighten me. I'm such an ignoramus.

(Update: Comment found on forum at LMT. Copy and pasted on here.)

1stepforward2stepsback wrote on Jun 17, 2009 5:01 PM:
" 1970's Las Vegas in Laredo. Crime has infiltrated our City. 8-liners are breeding grounds for crime. Money laundering comes to mind. Get rid of them. They are sucking the retirees money away. Let's tell the 8-lners owners that the taxpayer owns Laredo. Send a strong message to our elected officials. Vote them all out in the next election. We don't want maquinitas. Remember the 1970's and early 80's. The mob nearly destroyed Vegas. The mob will destroy Laredo because Laredo is no Vegas. "

Maybe this person is on to something here. Maybe.

Laredo Broncos Baseball

*Correction* (thanks for my new "Editor")


According to their website, opening day at Veteran's Field for the Laredo Broncos will be on Monday the 15th of June at 7pm. Hopefully some of us can make it out to the ballgame. If I make it out, I will surely post some pics and comments before the weekend.

On another note, here are some comments I found online by a baseball follower that has an annual roadtrip and goes from town to town watching independent baseball teams. Here is what he had to say. His comments are more about Veterans Field than the Broncos team.

Disclaimer: These comments and opinions are not my own.


Veterans Field, and the team playing there in 2007, epitomize the often negative attitude some fans have toward independent baseball.
On the day I showed up for a 7:30 game, the start was not until 8:20 because the ground crew had failed to cover the field with even the small mound and plate tarps when a sudden rainstorm came through in mid-afternoon. Field maintenance pushed the start back by nearly an hour, and then both pitchers complained about the mound as the game went on, resulting in further delays.
The Laredo Broncos failed to provide a line-up board. An attempt to buy a program resulted in no visiting team roster and an outdated home team roster. The public address system was clear for music, but the microphone was muffled, so announcements, such as they are, were difficult to decipher.
On top of that, the stadium is nothing great. There is one main grandstand, set far back from the playing field, with seven rows of �box seats� in front of it. Aluminum grandstands flank the main stand. The view of the game isn�t horrible, but it would be improved if the grandstand were closer to the field.
Finally, when I went to complain about the lack of consideration for the true baseball fan, the person I spoke with concluded the conversation with, "I hope you enjoy the show." Excuse me, sir, but I didn't come for the show, I came for a baseball game.
This was by far the worst baseball experience of my annual road trip in 2007.


Ouch! Eso duele. Be back soon with more on the Broncos.
Ouch! That hurts. Nimodo.com

Laredo Downtown 1940-50s

Cool picture I came across of downtown back in the late 1940s, maybe early 50s. This town must have been cool back then.

La Sanbe and Mexican imports

San Bernardo used to attract a heavy traffic of outside tourists for both the legal and illegal trades. Now however, Sanber is pretty much dead. A quick drive down that road will reveal that business has been suffering for the past few years now. Many stores that used to cater to people from other states and cities, and that would specialize in Mexican imports, have now closed down or seriously downsized. It's a tough business world out there. Maybe soon the imports business will make a comeback. Maybe not.

Mall del Norte at Sunset

The mall can be one neat place, especially at sunset. This lady, in the picture above, was having too much fun at the mall. In any case, its one neat picture.