Pachucoville

Changes

2011-10-09T23:18:00.000-07:00

The world is going through major shifts politically and economically.
People are questioning power structures and challenging them.
There are so many layers to the problems that simple solutions can not apply.
It is an exciting time to be alive.

Haven't been writing here much for a variety of reasons including feeling like there are so many new things happening each and everyday, and people are so connected to their own social media, how could my words matter or even register? I also feel blogging is kind of over. I saw the film "Contagion" and in it a character said, "Blogging is like graffiti with punctuation."

With that said, here I am sorting through my thoughts after CicLAvia, Occupy LA, my dad's 71st bday, DJing with old friends, connecting with colleagues outside of CSUN, witnessing so much bad ass Chicano/a art (via Pacific Standard Time) including the amazing ASCO show at LACMA, the deaths of two raiders: Al Davis and Steve Jobs, and wondering what else I can bring to my classes to help my students to love to learn.

some good things don't change

oh yeah and happy colonizer day

Food: Guisados

2011-06-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

Guisados is one of the latest food joints in BH. Sitting on the corner of Chavez and St. Louis it is in a primo location. Passing by it for the last few months I noticed the tacos were $2.50, and a drink $3, kind of high for this area. Thus, I never saw too many locals sitting in there eating. I usually saw peeps that don't look like BH residents running from their cars into Guisados and back.
Finally I decided to try it out.

The taco sample plate at $6.50 offers 6 mini tacos and is the best deal. All the tacos are very different and you can taste the care that went into finding the perfect blend of spices with the meats, down to the black beans and fresh made corn tortillas.

The owner of Guisados is related to the carniceria next door, so they get fresh corn masa, grounded and mixed, fresh every 30 min.

I also tried a tamale de mole. The mole sat on top of the tamale but was very tasty. Reminded me of how my mom made hers.
Overall it is very tasty and homemade-ish. Give it a try.

I don't know if they will survive on just outsiders and the occasional local that wants to spend that much on a taco, but we'll see.

June 3, 1943

2011-06-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

Sixty eight years ago today, the Sailor Riots began. Another race based riot started by whites fueled by the LA Times, the police and ignorance. The US had locked up the Japanese in concentration camps, but not people of German lineage, so they needed someone else to hate on and as usual Mexicans were targeted.

None of the sailors or members of the white mobs that joined were arrested. Mexicans and blacks were beaten, striped in the streets, arrested and women were raped.
(at 2:30 a scene about the riots begins)

This is a very clear example of how the white population would often attack communities of color based on misinformation from media, fear, lies and racism. All race riots up until the 1965 Watts riots were led by white people and targeted barrios, ghettos and other areas where people of color lived. In some cases entire towns were burned to the ground.
For more information go here.

Finals

2011-05-23T00:57:00.000-07:00

Another semester in the can. It was a good one. Six classes altogether making me drive from the 405 to the 605. Lots to read still and grade, but the hardest part is over.
My culture classes had final projects. I gave extra points if they did videos and posted them on Youtube. So here are some of the best so far. I have another batch coming in this week.
I had them view lots of videos from Hennessy Youngman, ASCO, Harry Gamboa Jr., Guillermo Gomez Pe~a and former students videos from other semesters. This semester yielded the most video so far.

- funny

- funnier and great camera work

- a star is born

- most creative

I hope they leave them up for awhile. I am very proud of them.

Fight Back

2011-04-27T15:10:00.000-07:00

This is how to take over a school board meeting

another one...

2011-03-07T23:33:00.000-08:00

Last night my uncle Mike, Miguel Estrada joined my mother, his big sister, in the afterlife.
At 3:30 in the morning he had a third and final heart attack.
This is all my father told me over the phone earlier today.
He also told me there would be no services.

A month after my mom passed two years ago this August, my tio Chayo and month later my tia Rosa both on my father's side passed.
My dad had a rough year in '09.

I barely knew Chayo and Rosa, but I grew up going to Mike's house in the hills of El Sereno. Up there I rode my bike with my cousins Micheal and Francis as their sisters Linda and Lulu played inside. I don't have their numbers to give them my condolences. We are not a close family.
I haven't seen them in years. Their mom, Mike's wife, passed three years ago after a long hard battle with diabetes.

Readers here know I try to make sense of my life in writing about these things of life.

I looked up to my uncle Mike as I look up to my other uncle Kiko, both on my mom's side.
I also look up to my uncles on my dad's side, in particular Chelo, Manuel, Adolfo and Abelardo. Even though I know Adolfo and Abelardo less, the few times I have met them and the stories my dad tells me, for better or worse, have left an impression.

Miguel was the second to youngest of four. My mom, Kiko, Miguel and Leli, grew up in the Loma of Elysian Park/Chavez Ravine. They were displaced from the house their father had built, over the proposed building of public housing that never came to be. I grew up hearing them speak about their animals, trees, friends, games they would play, and the ghosts in those hills.

My earliest memory of Mike was his big BMW motorcycle that looked like a cop bike. My mom said they never had problems in their south central neighborhood, where I grew up, because of that bike. He also had a cool dark blue MG. He worked for Lockheed in the Valley. He was married to my aunt Kitty, don't know if that is her real name. I grew up knowing her as Kitty. Lulu, Linda and Micheal were older than me, but his youngest Francis was born one day after me. We were tight as kids.

Mike grew up in an LA where you had to hide your Mexicaness to get ahead. Even though they were all born here, their accents and burritos in their lunch pails announced they were not "American." Both Mike and Kiko served in the Korean War. Kiko actually went to Korea. In an issue of Stars and Stripes, there is a picture of Kiko standing next to a chalk drawing he did on a large stone of La Virgen de Guadalupe. I didn't know he was artistic. Mike got to serve in a local desert working on radios and other communication devices for the military. I didn't know he was techy like that.

Mike was good man. Loyal. Family man. He took care of his wife til her last days going up and down the long flight of stone stairs that lead from the street down to his hillside home. I loved that house.

He was always interested in what I was doing and learning. The last few times we talked we debated his newly found right wing politics that he picked up via AM radio. I was supposed to go to his house and bring him books and such that he could read and see my point of view. He said I worked at that radical hippy campus. LOL. I was going to take him a copy of "Addicted To War." I would always tell him "Just follow the money. Who benefits from the fear, the wars, the criminalization of people with no power?" It would make him think and he wanted to know more, but then he would get back to repeating the sound bites he heard on the radio. He was cool. I will miss his big hand shakes. His nose that looks like mine. The way he just was. He was my uncle.

I hope my mom, grandma and grandpa are showing him around the spirit world. Maybe he can find some time to stop by and visit me. Check out my books. I will leave some out for him. I hope I get to see my cousins and just tell them he will always be there, just remember and feel.

Mujeres de Maize Annual Month Long Celebration of Women

2011-02-28T20:40:00.000-08:00

For the last 14 years Mujeres de Maize, an Eastside Xicana collective of artivistas, has organized a month of events that celebrate the power, creativity and beauty of being women. Each year more and newer faces respond to the call and share in many of the variety of planned activities. This is not just for women, men should be at these events to bare witness, listen and learn.

I've been a fan for many years. I hope you can make it to any of these amazing events.

One of Brisenia Flores' KIllers Gets Death Penalty, accomplices still at large, in office and on the radio

2011-02-24T09:35:00.001-08:00

This week Shawna Forde, was sentenced to die at the hands of the State of AZ for the brutal cold blooded murder of 9 yr old Brisenia Flores and her father Raul Flores Jr. Fordes accomplices that night Jason Bush and Albert Gaxiola will have their trials in the Spring. Who is not going to trial is the politicians and their AM radio dimwits who spew hate and fear about Mexicans, and are just as guilty even if they were not physically there killing a family for being Mexican.

Forde, along with the two other dimwits, posed as law enforcement and attacked the Flores home in May 2009 to rob and to kill them for being Mexican. They shot and killed the father, they shot the mother Gina leaving her thinking she dead and when Brisenia came out and asked why they shot her father, they shot her in the face at point blank range sending her flying across the room. The dimwits left and Gina called the police. She could hear Forde telling her fellow dimwits that they left her alive, to go back in to finish the job. Gina had by then found her dead husband's gun and when they came back she was able to turn them back.

During the trial Forde's defense attorney tried to use Forde's history of being sexually and physically abused as an excuse. Attorney "Jill Thorpe, told jurors that as a child Forde was abused physically and sexually. Before she was five years old Forde had lived in seven different households. She was molested by her uncle at the age of four, and later by another man until she was 12-years-old. Thorpe also explained Forde has been diagnosed with a personality disorder where she tries to make herself look like an important leader although she's not. Mental illness keeps Shawna Forde from saying she’s sorry."

Like Loghner who shot and killed a Federal Judge, another 9 year old girl and injured others, Forde's mental stability was fertile ground for the hate a spewed by right wing politicians and their legions of dimwits throughout the country on AM radio and mainstream media.

Forde tried to be a member of the Minutemen but even they said she was too unstable. In any case the Minutemen, and anyone else Forde looked up, followed, or listened to, that promote the vigilante persecution of Mexicans, should be put on trial as accomplices. They spew hate and fear knowing very well that their message is heard by (and followed by) the drop outs, abused and low IQs, who will eventually act out. They get the fan mail, they see them at their rallies and hear their gibberish as they call in to the talk shows. They know people are on drugs or damaged in some way and yet they still have the gall to claim they are not responsible for actions based on their rhetoric.

If you are on out there calling for changes in extreme ways, and someone from your flock acts out, take responsibility whether or not that sheeple of yours is stable or not. You put those thoughts in their head, they obviously needed love not more hate in their life.

must see: Even The Rain (2010)

2011-02-22T01:22:00.000-08:00

Saw this the other night and just have to let you know to go see it. I assigned in all my classes, it is that good. It is one of those films we should all be talking about and being inspired by in these times of growing revolutions against capitalism run amok.

It's about a film crew of Spaniards out to make a film about Columbus' early colonization of the Tainos, but they are shooting in Bolivia (to save money) during the "Cochabamba Water Wars" of 1999 and 2000. The crew hires local Quechuas to play the Tainos and cast Juan as the lead indigenous rebel who is also deeply involved in protesting the privatization of his people's water. The Spaniards believe themselves to be so liberal and kind doing this film, but their actions in making the film ("it's always about the money") is more akin to their ancestor Columbus. It is a beautifully very layered film, with every shot and line exposing a nuance that opens doors to more ideas and questions of whose side are YOU on?

munchies: T.V. Cafe

2011-02-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

The T.V. Cafe, open 24 hours, on the corner of Olympic Blvd. and Alameda has been a truck stop diner for many, many years. When I was a kid it was one of the last "Sambo's" restaurants before they went bankrupt. For the last twenty years as T.V. Cafe it has served all types of Pachucoville residents, but the majority is mostly working class Raza who during the day have lunch, or at night are stopping in on the way home from a club.

Growing up in So. Central, I would pass that corner on my way to my aunt's in Boyle Heights or my uncle's in El Sereno. I remember when I was like 6 or 7 seven years old asking my mom about it when I saw the little kid as the logo when it was part of the "Sambo's Restaurant" chain. She told me that people were mad because it made fun of black people by calling them "Sambo" and showing a little kid with pancakes and syrup, and something about Aunt Jemima. At that age I didn't get it completely, but I knew peeps could get upset about stuff that others thought was ok to make fun of. We never stopped to eat there, even when it briefly turned into a Denny's.

In my late teens my friend Manglor, a photographer, moved into some lofts on Molino off of 4th street. This was during the Al's Bar era of the area. After one night of partying at Manglor's he suggested we go try the best vegetarian burrito in the world. So we piled in to the Fox and rolled up on T.V. Cafe. I have not stopped going there for the #31 veggie burrito since then.

Manglor was also a fan of the "Works Burger." Over the years friends of mine like Johnny Blaze, love the breakfast that is served most of time at anytime. I have also tried their cocido and it's pretty damn good. What seals the deal with T.V Cafe is their hot sauce. It is hot and tasty. Not for the weak.

As the gentrification of downtown continues to ooze east, we'll see how T.V. Cafe handles the changes. During the day the corner is bustling with semi trucks and all sorts of commercial traffic. The Los Angeles Produce and Flower Marts are just two of the large industries orbiting Olympic and Alameda. There is also large swap meet/insta food court growing up down Olympic. In the last ten years, American Apparel opened their main factory and Farmer Boy's opened up down Alameda, and also open 24 hours, has given T.V. Cafe a higher profile.

I go there to get away from B.H. There is always a family there eating when I get there. I sit alone and watch TV or listen in on conversations. I was once there for a small earthquake that made the lights sway above our heads. We all looked around and after a few Chingaos! Agus! and an Aye Carey! we all went back to our food.

82

2011-01-31T11:15:00.001-08:00

Today my mother would have been 82 years old. Yesterday I wondered what I would do to commemorate her birthday. I tried reaching my father but no luck. He called me later at night but I missed his call. Most likely I will go to her loma and have some silence. After that probably go have dinner with my father at a place my mom would have liked.

My mom liked going to 'nice places' on her birthday. She never had a big birthday party. One year I did manage to get all her siblings together and some of her friends to come over, but pretty much we kept her birthdays pretty low profile. My dad had one big blow with over half of his 10 brothers and sisters, mariachi and all for his 60th bday. My mom never liked the spotlight. She preferred just us, a nice meal, maybe a movie for her and I and that was it.

I've missed her in new ways these last few months. I wondered what she would have thought of the new people in and out of my life, my friend's upcoming wedding in Hawaii, and recently my 24 hour battle with a 103 degree fever. It was weird to realize that I hadn't been really sick since my mom passed. I had my wisdom teeth pulled out which put me out for a day or so, but having fever that high (hallucinations and headaches) really brought back a lot of memories of my mom caring for me. I remembered my back going out on my about 2.5 years ago. I couldn't walk and with the help of good friends and my acupuncturist I made it home from the Valley. My mom heard from my neighbor how I crawled out of my car and was at my place within 25 minutes. Her and my dad brought a faja for me to wrap my back in and then went and got various salves and herbs from the local pharmacies. She was always a great mom.

Happy Birthday Mommy I hope you are having a big giant party wherever you are at : )

Pachucoville Icon: Lysa Flores

2011-01-26T09:48:00.000-08:00

Lysa Flores has been a staple and a major voice in the Eastside music scene since the early 90's. Her popularity as a musician and voice for Chicana artists hit a zenith after her scene stealing turn as the sister in the controversial film (for its time) "Star Maps." She was also the music supervisor for the film which helped set the groundwork for the emerging Latin Rock explosion of the 90's.

Her exposure to the global music scene was in part due to her touring with El Vez, the Mexican Elvis, as an El Vette. Spending months overseas, and opening for David Bowie at one point, taught Flores much about the music business.

Throughout the years, upon returning from, and in between touring the world, she started her own label "Bring Your Love," played at various causa events for La Raza and even painted collector editions paintings at Self Help Graphics. The respect she earned as a talented singer, song writer and guitarist opened doors for her to work with X front man John Doe and drummer DJ Bonebrake, as well as Flaco Jimenez, Jonathan Richman, Bill Frisell, and David Hidalgo to list just a few.

In other words this woman works non stop!

Having been involved in the Eastside scene, behind the scenes mostly, I was at many events where Flores would be performing at. BUT being the DJ dance music snob that I am, I barely paid much attention to her, or most anyone with a guitar on a stage. That's just me. I'm a DJ, raver, so?

Nonetheless I would hear folks talk about how great she was and how cool she was. I would see her on stage and see a beautiful, powerful woman doing her thing, and her thing was beauty, passion, pain and rock. Cool. At the time I was splitting my time between the underground rave world and the Zapatista movement in the Eastside, where Flores would often perform at. I didn't hang out with many of the Eastside activists because I also was at CSUN and had the academic activists to hang with, and after hanging with them all day, I didn't necessarily want to go home and go out and talk more about (r)evolution. I would go and support and volunteer at events, but my fun and homies were in the DJ world. Often times when an event to raise money and awareness about the latest Zapatista need was over, I was hopping in my car and going to an underground, I wasn't going to the after party with the Zapatistas at one of their houses. So I never got to officially meet Lysa Flores. I kind of remember shaking her hand a fund raising party I was DJing at my friend's house.

The first time I saw her perform and paid attention was at the art show Vexing: Female Voices of East LA Punk. Flores was performing with Alice Bags, and Teresa Covarrubias of The Brat. Flores played a big part in assembling the show and performers since she grew up around these women's stories and music. The curators, not being LA natives, were lucky to find Flores who was able to navigate the various histories, conflicts, chismes and broncas y pedos between that generation of musicians and artists. Flores influence was all over that space. She had her art work up and various memorabilia that really struck me. Alas I didn't meet her that night either. Even though she looked super cute in a cowboy hat.

In May of 2010, at a friend's wedding I finally got to meet the world famous Lysa Flores. She was very nice and liked to laugh. We danced a little bit and got a long rather well. We became good friends. I learned a lot about the Eastside scene that I had never heard about, and her stories about touring, films and such never ceased to fascinate me. She invited me to a series of shows she did around the city including Art Walk where she performed as a trio (w/ drummer Fredo Ortiz and various bass players) or just solo. In either case she was amazing. She has this presence that makes people stop and listen and when they hear her voice they know it is coming from somewhere real, experienced, and alive. She told me before one solo show how she didn't feel like doing a solo show, but none of her musicians could make it. I expected her to be not as on point as when I heard her with others, but to my amazement, by herself she seemed even more powerful. She was playing inside a gallery. It was darkened and the door was closed to keep the noise level from the street to a minimum, but people walking by would hear her, stop, see her, and make their way in. She is a natural performer.

In November she was a part of an all Latina art show in Cairo, Egypt. The other artists were installation, conceptual, etc. she was the only music artist on the bill. She came back with lots of stories such as how Egypt sent 20,000 troops to Mexico in the 1860's to help Mexico boot out Maximilano and none of those Egyptians returned. They all chose to stay in Mexico. They often thought she was Egyptian. It was the first all woman show to be had in Cairo. At one point the local government was about to stop the show, and only through the national government interceding were they allowed to proceed. Unfortunately video of her performing at the opening night gala (on a roof top no less!) and on the street having a one song-for-one song exchange between school children and herself were lost.

Currently Flores is getting ready for the release of a new album and two documentaries. If you follow the first link to her new site you can read more about what she has been doing and keep abreast of her upcoming work.

Loughner Got His Target, or Conspiracy #2: Another Media Whitewash

2011-01-25T22:24:00.000-08:00

So the media is gushing over Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and the little girl that was killed. They push to the side that FIVE others were killed, including a Federal U.S. District Judge John M. Roll. The shooting of Federal judges is very rare.

Sure Giffords may have pissed off right wingers, and half brains by voting for health care, but Judge Roll had been under Secret Service protection after he ruled in favor of undocumented workers who sued a AZ rancher in 2009. Roll, and his family, were threatened after his ruling was discussed on right wing radio shows. All that hate from his fellow conservatives despite making the rancher pay some of the plaintiffs $75,000 versus the $32 million they were asking for. Over 200 phone calls were made surrounding this issue. Even though Roll was a Republican, and he had previously said the Brady Bill was unconstitutional, the new Right being led by Tea Partiers and Palin, leave no room for their own to make a sane decision of their own that doesn't tow their hateful line of thinking.

Another bone to pick (or fear) that the Right had with Roll that he was the presiding judge on the Arizona case over the future of La Raza and ethnic studies.

Makes me wonder if Loughner got his target and Giffords was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.

MLK Day 2011

2011-01-17T19:17:00.001-08:00

Disgrasian and Field Negro have great MLK Day coverage. They cover the struggle to even get MLK Day, how some struggle still with it, how some school used the day to make up for snow days and how another didn't close because as the head of the school said, "It is ridiculous to take the day off when our students are so far behind."

We all should know how our schools are more segregated today than in 1968. Drop out rates are the same. In fact there are a lot more problems today than back in the days when people marching changed (some) things.

Today, the U.S. (and the world) puts millions in the streets to stop war(s) and to treat Latinos (immigrants) as humans, and today the U.S. is still at war with all brown people at home and abroad.

Worst of all, today our right wing wackos have been given the center of our attention by a corporate owned, and controlled media, that is either in support of their illogical arguments (for monetary and/or ideological reasons) or are simply too dumb to know better.

The Right wing's recent denial that their rhetoric of hate and fear had no influence on the Arizona shooter, has reached a sad new level. Their constant blaming of the weakest and most powerless as the root of all problems is typical for this xenophobic nation. They have not the brains or guts to see how their cable company, as a member of a global corporation, has more to do with their foreclosure, meth addiction, Jr. having ADD, no job, and the diabetes -than an immigrant looking to feed their family.

And there it is, we are still not discussing the big issues. When King, and Malcolm, both began to talk about the big issues they got shot. The big issues of class warfare in this global capitalist world.

Palin's followers need to wake up to the fact that the corporations they are hoping will make more jobs are not looking to make more jobs. Those corporations now own a part of the growing prison industrial complex and they need bodies with no jobs, no education, no use to fill those cells. It's not the immigrants stupid.

oh yeah, Happy New Year or My First Conspiracy of 2011

2011-01-16T23:35:00.000-08:00

By now you should have read about the massive amounts of dead fish, and birds all over the world right?

From Sweden to Brazil large numbers of dead fish and birds have been found with no concrete explanation. Much like how most beached whales and dolphins also unexplained.

Apparently in Bali this is increasing. Pariama Hutasoit, an activist with the Beached Mammals Rescue Network (JPMT), said beached dolphins and whales were found on Bali’s southern coast all year round. “In 2010, more than 100 of these mammals were beached on Bali shores,” he said.

Now with very little science in my education, I still know dolphins, whales, fish and birds use a type of "radar" to migrate all over the planet. This radar can be effected just like any radar, with magnetic fields and if the planet's magnetic field is shifting, well we are in for major changes.

"The movement of the Earth's north magnetic pole towards Siberia are caused by rapid changes in the magnetism of the planet's core. The latest changes are the most dramatic in a century - the pole had been begun moving to the northeast at about 9 miles per year in 1904 but since 2007 has been racing towards Siberia by at least 35 miles each year."

These animals mass deaths may be the first signs of disorientation, lack of balance, direction - our senses. Maybe our emotions can be affected. Our actions? hmmmmmmmm

Harry Gamboa Jr. to speak at Smithsonian in D.C.

2011-01-14T15:19:00.001-08:00

Harry Gamboa Jr. will be speaking about his body of work as an urban Chicano artist.

"I Am Joaquin" added to The National Film Registry in Library of Congress

2011-01-14T14:09:00.000-08:00

"I Am Joaquin" the film produced by Teatro Campesino in 1969, based on the epic poem written by Rodolfo Corky Gonzalez in 1967, was selected to 2010 National Film Registry of the Library of Congress.

From the website: Under the terms of the National Film Preservation Act, each year the Librarian of Congress names 25 films to the National Film Registry that are "culturally, historically or aesthetically" significant, to be preserved for all time. These films are not selected as the "best" American films of all time, but rather as works of enduring significance to American culture.

The selection process is kind of democratic, "...the Librarian after reviewing hundreds of titles nominated by the public (this year 2,112 films were nominated) and having extensive discussions with the distinguished members of the National Film Preservation Board, as well as the Library’s motion-picture staff. The Librarian urges the public to make nominations for next year’s registry at the Film Board’s website.

Other films added this year included: Malcolm X (1992), Empire Strikes Back (1980), Saturday Night Fever (1977), Airplane! (1980), and Let Their Be Light (1946) which was banned by the War Department for 35 years because it shows the psychological trauma of soldiers without hiding their identities. One of the first films ever made in America by folks at the Edison company (and you heard he was Chicano) Newark Athlete (1891)

Roberto Sifuentes, Presente!!!

2010-11-10T23:50:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite professors died today after years of battling various maladies.

Sifue, as many would call him, came to CSUN in the early 90's. He was very debonair, he wore a suit and tie everyday.

He was from Mexico, but was a devout Chicano. He had a thick accent that made his reciting of poetry, from memory, or reading of passages from books enthralling. He was too cool.

He was always hanging out with the students in the Chicano Lobby, always dropping stories, jokes, dichos, one liners and up for a little party. He came over to a couple of bar b ques and hang outs that we would have in our apartments around campus. Never drank with us, health issues he claimed, just smoked his cigs and once played some dice with us. Maybe some cards.

I had him for several classes as an undergrad and grad student. My cohorts through BAs and MAs loved his passion and love for life and knowledge. He would always want to know what we were into and doing outside of school. Everything he did, or said, or asked was with passion. One of my co horts was so moved by his description of Guanajuanto while reading a Carlos Fuentes novel, she packed up and left for Guanajuato at the end of that week.

He was a tough and loving professor. If you didn't read or come prepared to speak up in class he would kick you out of the class. If the whole class was lagging, he would just walk out and say "Don't waste my time and yours." He was always available to us. Anyone who met him, was a new friend.

He never told us anything about jobs and the future, he wanted us to learn our stories, culture and to dream. He was a man in love with knowledge and loved getting his students turned on to learning and to love life.

He was a painter and poet. He helped students find these talents within themselves, walking along with them.

He had lived his life like baller. He told me about all the jobs he had in his life from glamorous to menial, but at each one, he had a great time. That is living.

One of my favorite Sifue moments was in La Paz, Baja Cal. Mex. A lot of us from the dept went there to present at a conference. Sifue was presenting a paper on his Chicano identity. All of his students, about 5 of us and other profs, rolled in with him. We knew what was about to happen and we needed to be there. See, the Mexican academics don't really 'get' Chicano. They are very Euro centric and parochial. When Sifue ended his presentation the Mexican academics threw a fit. "How can you be born in Mexico and now call yourself a, a, Chicano!" He simply said, "Didn't you pay attention to my presentation?" and laughed!!!! They were so pissed off. He let them stew for a couple minutes and then said "Chicanos are down to fight for the underdog, anywhere. I see myself and my revolutionary spirit in that attitude, that consciousness, so I am a Chicano. If you aren't down to fight for your people or people who are oppressed you can't be a Chicano. You almost can't be a human if you aren't down to fight oppression of humans." He said this in the most eloquent Spanish I had ever heard him speak. He left them silent. Like on cue all of us from CSUN began to stand up and applaud. He then walked towards us and said, "Let's get out of here."

They don't make men like him anymore.

He was our profe.
Un chingon de aquellos.
Suave, smart, hip, passionate, intelligent, and inspiring.

They don't make men like him anymore.

I'm so glad and honored I knew this man.

(Sifue, Frank Colon & Harry Gamboa Jr.)
*all photos taken from FB CSUN heads who have posted his pic. All rights reserved to each and all.

Letting music speak...

2010-11-09T18:22:00.000-08:00

keeping the dream alive

like a dream,

2010-11-08T19:11:00.000-08:00

Showed me colors where theres none to see...

I'm glad I didn't die before meeting you...

Days of the Dead

2010-11-07T10:33:00.000-08:00

Two years ago on Day of the Dead I had been asked the day of to come and be the MC for the bands from sundown to the end. I had done stage managing in years past, so introducing each band would be no problem.

That morning I took my mother to the hospital because she was having trouble breathing. It was the beginning of her final fight with cancer.

My dad was out of town and she called me telling me she wasn't feeling well. I asked if she wanted to go to the doctor. She said "Yes." Leaving BH to pick her up was a long ride. My mind wandered to possibilities I wasn't ready for. At the hospital she checked out 'fine.' but they wanted to keep her overnight for observation. She told me to go and do what I had to do.
(all images from DoD 2010)
I will never forget the fear and loneliness I carried that beautiful Sunday afternoon. I had planned on resting most of the day then going to pick up my gf in the valley and back to the Eastside for my 5 p.m. call time at SGH. I told my gf I couldn't pick her up because of my mom.

Getting to SHG was a blur. I don't remember parking or most of the bands. I know I interviewed each of them before they went on to give out info. during their intro. I wanted to keep my head in the work and not back to mom. My gf showed up with her two friends and that was great, and hard. It was good that she was there to support me, but also hard cuz I just wanted to just break down on her. Keep it together, keep it together.

It was the Sunday night before the election of Obama and people were excited about voting and hope. I would mention the election, to make sure to vote, and the crowd would erupt. It got me excited and took my mind far from mom. I had this high before and it sucks cuz you can be on stage and all this great energy is there, but then you have to go home all alone and don't know what to do. I knew it was going to be a long night. My gf left with her friends after a long good bye, telling me that all would be ok. Fortunately she surprised me by getting dropped off at my place and she was there for me when I got home. The next day we were able to go to the hospital together to get my mom and learn about the upcoming battle.

Within that year Obama would become Prez and hope would be lost on him and my mom passed in August.

Day of the Dead 09 was the third month anniversary of her passing. I went to the site where I scattered her ashes before going to be the MC for that year's SHG event. I was still in deep mourning. I fluctuated between relief for her passing and end of suffering, crying, numbness, heartbreak, loss, fear, anger etc and so forth. It was a lot. My gf and I had broken up a month or two before my mom passed, so I was dealing with this all by myself. I kept busy with work, and being asked to co-host the DoD event with Lalo Alcaraz helped to keep my mind busy during the first day of the dead without mom.

It was the first year SHG did DoD at the East LA civic. It was an awesome show. Eight thousand people came. I rented a mariachi suit and had my face painted. People took my picture anytime I left the backstage area. It was a long evening. By the time I was done around 11:30 p.m. my feet were killing me. The boots I wore were super pointy. I came home showered and just knocked out from exhaustion. I woke up in the middle of the night feeling not alone. I felt my mom's presence and fell back to sleep.

I didn't do an altar for my mom that year, nor this year. Last year, it was just three months since she passed and I was told that she was going to be near me for about a year checking in and also checking out Mictlan, getting her bearings. I did feel her around me a lot. When I needed to make decisions I could hear her voice telling me what to do. When I would get scared or lonely I would hear a noise and snap out of it, knowing it was her. This year I didn't do an altar for her because she didn't believe or practice such things.

My mom's mom, my grandma, Nana, passed five years ago. She lived in the same house as my parents. I would often ask my mom if she felt her mom near, and she would say "Always. Sometimes I can even hear her upstairs walking around." Both of them, my mom and grandma, were hard core Catholics. Church every Sunday until they were too sick to go anymore. They didn't do altars in the house or the cemetery, and hardly went to visit graves. They did believe and I helped them bless their house by dipping yerba buena in holy water, praying and sprinkling the corners of each room, but this Day of the Dead thing was me, from what I learned at SHG and school.

So I felt a little weird about doing an altar for my mom when she didn't practice it. My gf mentioned building an altar for our loved ones, but we never got around to it. It was a small relief. As is, I have a place where I keep my sacreds. Power stones, sage, cedar, candles, etc. I didn't know if we were just going to add some pics to this or build something entirely new. She left out of the country just before DoD this year. I would be doing another DoD alone.

The first night she was gone, I heard a lot of different noises in the house. I walked around checking windows and doors. We had gone to see "Paranormal Activity 2" a couple days before she left, so that was in the back of mind somewhat. We saw it at the Highland Theater for $3 with a bunch of young rocker types who talked and laughed through most of the movie, making it seem like a pretty lame 'horror' movie. Nonetheless here I was alone at home during the time of the year when the veil between the living and the dead is thinnest. I poured out a shot of my good Cuban rum and put it where I keep my sacreds. The noises stopped and all was calm. A couple of days back I cooked for myself and made a taco that I placed next to the shot glass for any visitors. Maybe I'm on my way to making a proper altar.

This year SHG had Felipe Esparza, winner of the Last Comic Standing on NBC, a local BH homeboy that is getting his 15 minutes - to be the host of DoD. I was helping him and the bands backstage. It was another great show. I came home around midnight with that high. Sat down to calm my mind down, played some video game and before I knew it was 2 a.m. on a work night.

This year I didn't even have time to visit where I scattered my mom's ashes. I will go in the next couple of days. My dad has been out of town as well. Hopefully he can go with me when he gets back. Haven't heard from the gf since the morning of DoD; based on her fb she is having an amazing time. I feel my mom still pops in to check in on me, especially when I get scared and lonely. I know loss and death are something everyone goes through in their own way. My way, even as an only child is not unique by far. I did have a moment when a friend asked me if I meditated. I replied "As an only child, I think I have meditated my whole life. No one is there." I stopped myself, because there is always someone there. Or at least it makes me feel a little better to think that when I looked around and see no one is there, but I know someone is There.

Are Friends Electric?

2010-09-20T22:09:00.000-07:00

Gary Numan was the soundtrack to my teen angst. Along with Ultravox, Adam and the Ants, The Police and various punk rock bands I drummed along or laid underneath furniture with headphones on, eyes closed, escaping.
Today, when things, or friends break down I wish it was as easy to escape as it used to be.
Today's escapes are self exile, and I'm the broken friend.
Or am I going through another form of puberty?
I told my students today, in order to grow sometimes you need to go through some fertilizer, just like the grass. Shit makes you grow.

Unconditional

2010-08-31T17:27:00.000-07:00

Most of us know the unconditional love between a parent and child.
Most of us strive for unconditional love in our other relationships.
It looks and acts unselfish and self sacrificing.
It is also soul enriching.
The highs and lows of this love are the most profound.
You look forward to every day because every day makes you closer.
Each day, each one gains some for their Self.
Each day, each one loses some of their self.
It is the love that consumes.

Friday rides

2010-08-09T19:15:00.000-07:00

Riding my bike with a group of people I do not know adds to my practice of animosity.
In South Central we ride pass a large parking lot filled with cars despite none of the stores being open.
Next to the cars were groups of people hanging out, listening to their car radios, talking, and checking each other out.
One of the riders hears me yelling at the people near their cars "Come on grab your bike!"
He then says to me, or to anyone within earshot, "How sad is that? Just standing around their cars in a parking lot."
I reply, "They are just like us, a bunch of people riding to nowhere."

weeks...

2010-07-16T10:33:00.000-07:00

in a week my daughter will be 14
in weeks it will be a year since my mom passed
in weeks you can go from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows
in weeks my father will find out if it is cancer again
in weeks my students will be full university students
in weeks life changes

Staycation

2010-05-27T00:47:00.000-07:00

End of the semester head spins fall into headstands at 24 hr fitness where Rudy, Kozmica y Ruben also stretch, run, sweat.

End of semester softball vs students, faculty wins, again.

End of semester F's, A's and "I was in your class but I hardly ever came, can I get a C?"

End of sanity in Arizona, apartheid returns to Amerikkka.

End of reacting to insanity masked in big lies, media repetition and myth makers/followers.

I got my own myths to tell, repeat and twist over and over again.

Looking at ideas/words like: immigrant, economic refugee, illegal, conspiracy, repetition, erasure, censor, myth maker, idea editor, dignity, racism, patience, fertility, desert, death, next gen, mex gen, bilingual, single, education, stolen, borrowed, renting, fading, reclaiming, can't deport us all (or kill), we didn't cross the borders, the borders crossed us, Machete, Shakira, stepping up, hiding out like Olmos et al. nada on Az., kissing up to whitey, eugenics, biological determinism, ghosts of lies and truths, hyperbole, honesty, honor, history, Rudy Acu~a, Nazis burn books, literacy rates in Amerikkka, die with dignity, or screaming about being under attack by the most powerless?, culture evolves, that means large parts of it die, deal with it.

one cup

2010-04-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

just a cup of ashes
just a cup of time
just a cup of memories
just a cup of mind

8 months seems so long ago
water washed hills
sun = green fields
soil wet from tears

just one cup of coffee
just one cup of lies
just one cup of forgiveness/unforgiveness
just one cup not mine

pray each day
me, mine, them, n those
healing quick
there are still mental blows

How Many More Hoods Before One Murrieta?

2010-04-26T20:38:00.000-07:00

Every time I see a trailer or ad for the retreaded Russell Crow "Robin Hood" it pisses me off!
I mean this story has been told at least 15 times!!!!! We get it.

When are we going to get the Joaquin Murrieta story?!?!?! Come on Robin Hood had to ditch arrows but Joaquin was dodging bullets and the largest man hunt of that era. This poet breaks it down pretty good. Like all good legends there are slight variations in the story that add to the myth of this man who died "because somethings are worth fighting for."

In this era of racist States, we need some Joaquin's to remind people what is worth fighting for.

back to the path...

2010-04-23T01:05:00.000-07:00

Revisiting my old books. "Tao Te Ching," "A Separate Reality," "My Wicked, Wicked Ways." "Emplumada," and "The Path To Love."

Looking at old ghosts between the lines. I can't even remember how I felt when I first read some of those words. I was lost many times and still am in many ways. I remember who gave me a certain book, who read to or was read a poem, who recommended, who reenacted, and why I might have returned other times. It was so long ago in such a short time.

March/April Madness

2010-04-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

Its been a tripped out two months within and without.

Earthquakes, deaths of friend's family member, eruptions of egos and ashes, more earthquakes, polar shifts in emotional cartography, lucid dreams, found great music, possibilities never imagined, texting replacing talking, riding across town, rolling up the coast, new levels of beauty and viciousness, rewiring old friendships, erotic art that lingers, fairy dust, confessions, relinquishing, moving on, ...

I wish I had the energy to write it all out nice and neat for you to understand, but things are moving so fast these days. One day I will look back at this and remember this time. How will I feel about it? Will I laugh, cry or sigh? Regret, forgot or misunderstood it all?

To sum it all up:

Jaime Escalantes School Proposed

2010-04-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

Ron Unz announced that he was planning on opening an elementary school in the MacArthur park area to be named after his good friend and fellow Republican Jaime Escalante.

An Unz spokesman Will Garglio, stated that this will be called Jaime Escalante Westside Elementary School (JEWES). Unz plans to open a similar school on the Eastside.

JEWES curriculum will be total English immersion with a focus on media manipulation. Plans include having a student run television station just like professional Latino TV stations. They plan to staff the station with the lightest and blondest of the community, even if they have to import them all the way from Miami to do so. Will Garglio said, “We want these youth to feel like they are in the real world and that world doesn’t look or speak like them, so they need to get used to it now.”

Textbook orders have already been filed and include texts that exclude Sal Castro, Che Guevarra, Rudy Acu~a and other Chicano/Latino heroes that might instill pride in the students, something that must be avoided, according to textbook publisher: Bendover for Texas Press.

Chicano-Jewish Conversion Classes in Boyle Hts.

2010-04-01T13:24:00.001-07:00

The Breed Street Shul in Boyle Hts. has announced that they will soon begin classes for local residents to convert to Judaism. The goal is to tie Latinos to Judaism so that when Latinos have more political power they will continue America's support for Isreal.

Ricardo Montoyiswich a recently converted Chicano Jew said, "This will help re-establish the Jewish presence in Boyle Hts. and hopefully lure Canters back to the heights!" Montoyiswich, who will be teaching several classes at the Shul, said his life has changed for the better since he made the switch. "As an actor I was having a hard time getting work, but out of no where, once I converted, I started getting all these cool gigs."

Some of the classes that will be offered include: "Putting Down Those Whiny Santos," "How To Leave La Virgen and still Love Your Mom," "Circumcising The Chile: Grin and Bare It," "Menorah and Dradle Care for Chicanos (Don't smoke it and it's NOT Pon)," and "How To Trace Your Distant Jewish Roots."

Sleepy Tonatiuh, a next door neighbor to the Shul and proud Aztec dancer said, "This ain't right. They should be teaching people about the people on this land and how this land was stolen, just like the Isreali's stole Palestine." He plans to protest the classes once they open by having his danza group do ceremonies during class time. When asked for a response, Montoyiswich said, "Sounds like that indio needs to see the play "Palestine New Mexico" and learn how Indians are Jewish."

Will there ever be peace in the mid Eastside?

These times....

2010-03-18T08:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy year so far.

Major earthquakes in Haiti, Chile and a little one this week in LA.
People are talking about the end of times.
2012 is out on DVD, apparently the end of humans will be available on Netflix

Students are waking up and protesting, yet 2,000 people protesting in suburban streets don't get the media's attention until cops push and are pushed back.
So who knows how many other protests are going on that aren't reported because they were peaceful and didn't push back.

If we listen, we can hear the grumbling
If we stop and smell the air, the hunger is rising
If we open our eyes, the light is dim at the end of the tunnel

On the flip side people are reaching
Seeking out new forms and systems to replace this crumbling joke
These thoughts will be actions, words, intentions, and yes hope, but one based on the real, not the kind funded by the same corporate devils who created it and benefit from it.
------------

I learned this week to relinquish when I give something away or lose it.
Many times we give something up but we don't relinquish it. We hold on. Psychically, in memories, in hope.
When we relinquish we really let it go.

Wolf explained it like this: Imagine I gave you a sacred object that had been in my family for generations. I wanted you to have it because we had a good moment. Now I see you one day going into the pawn shop with the necklace. You come out with money and no necklace. If I really gave it to you, I shouldn't care what you did with it. I relinquished it. I don't hold it in any way with me. Relinquishing is tough to swallow but that is what giving and losing is.

CSUN Protest

2010-03-04T23:32:00.000-08:00

In the end, 6 students were arrested and one 72 yr old professor was pushed by police, and fell on her arm, breaking it.

We had a month build up on campus for this day. Chicana/o Studies had a teach in on Feb. 3 and began telling our students that today, March 4th the whole State was going to protest.

I couldn't have paid anyone to make this happen. During my 11 am class I just finished showing them the 10 minute version of "Storm At Valley State" the 1985 documentary that looks at student activism on our campus 41 years ago. I was explaining how many in that generation protested because they demanded more from their country. They expected more for offering their lives and bodies in wars. They expect America to live up to its promise.s And they loved themselves. They felt they deserved more and asked for it. They loved themselves and were moved by love for a better future, like true revolutionaries always are. Moved to act out of love. I asked my students how many loved themselves? How many of you feel you deserve better than what they are offering and cutting away? I asked them if they were ready to start demanding satisfaction.
And like it was a sign from the Goddess, protesting students kicked open the doors out in the hallway and were yelling "Walkout!!!
I looked back at my students and said "They are calling you. Are you going to act? Or be like a good slave and not piss off the master, not rock the boat?"
"WALK OUT" you could hear the students coming closer to our door.
"They are calling you, what u going to do?"
One of my students put his fist in the air and yelled "Walkout" and boom they all jumped up and out the door.
Like I said, I couldn't have paid for that to be more perfectly timed.

The wait for the big meet up in the quad had various groups walking campus asking other students to 'walkout.'

One scene that was an 'only at CSUN' moment was when a small group of marchers came upon one of the CSUN choir's impromtu performances they hold in the breezeway of Jerome Richfield. I walked over to see if the choir was really doing their singing thing today, a day of protest. I was hoping they would be doing protest songs.

When the marchers came up on them I half expected the marchers were going to get up in the face of the choir and ask them to join the march and stop the singing. It was the "american idol" generation facing its burgeoning activist other half, would they clash? No.

The choir said "We are singing this one for you."

The marchers stopped their chanting and listened for a few minutes then, while the choir kept singing, just turned around kept on recruiting other students to join them with another chant and marched away.

When 2pm finally came around there were about a core of 300-400 students throughout the quad in front of our library. Speeches were made, people inspired. We lined up on Matador Way and it looked like the 3-400 swelled a little more. Teachers and students from local schools came to join the march. By the time the march hit Prairie we had at least 2,000 people.

At Prairie and Reseda we went south to Nordhoff. Cars were stopped and honking in support. People got out of their cars and were taking pictures and video. There were no negative Nellies to be seen or heard.

As we went East on Nordhoff the long line of protesters was split in half by CFA 'march leaders.' These were the adults in charge. As faculty we tend to hang back and support our students, but not take any leadership or guiding roles. We advise before hand and if anything gets crazy, but its the students who are doing this, its theirs. CFA did play a major role in organizing this day of protest on a State level and they obviously did a great job of getting people out. At one point they cut the protest in half by letting half the column proceed down Nordhoff to Zelzah and turning the other half back in to campus at Lindley. I stayed with the front half knowing this was going to be a long walk.

We kept going down Zelzah and stopped briefly at Plummer. Some students tried to sit -down there, but the mass wanted to keep moving. At this point I got my homey Nelson's djembe from him. He said he was tired and I love drums. I carried and banged that sucker all the way around campus back to Reseda and Prairie where we had Thee Sit Down, you see in the news.

As you can see in these videos, all the numbers that the media reported are under counted.

(video is from iphone using an app.)

Happy Birthday Pachucoville!!!!

2010-02-08T10:32:00.002-08:00

Yes today three years ago I began this blog and its been one great time.

My first blog is here and the one that followed was about the Super Bowl.

I want to thank my readers for the comments and support and my fellow bloggero/as. You have all made my world richer and more full of chisme.

In reading my Super Bowl post I see how I have changed. For one I became a Colts 'fan.' At the start of the season that year my homeboys who are big sports fans said I had to have a team. They said I couldn't just show up to hang out without adding to the shit talking and in order to shit talk I needed to have a team that I would support no matter what. My home Emi said your team will be the Colts and that was it. So with yesterday's humiliating loss I still write here as a Colt fan.

This year's Super Bowl sucked, not only did I miss the pre show (did they even have one?) but The Who at halftime sucked, the commercials were not funny or creative, and my team lost the game due to divine intervention.

How could the Colts lose? The spiritualist in me thinks it was because EVERYONE wanted the Saints to win for so many non football reasons. They wanted the Saints to win for history's sake, the city's sake, everything but that they were a great team. So with that I hope that our collective hopes and dreams take us to a better future in light of whack leadership and a system that consistently sides with the rich, powerful and few.

So that is my bday wish, that if we can all pull for the Saints to win, lets all pull for all underdogs out there, near us, and far and hope that their day in sun is today or tomorrow but soon for sure.

Happy Birthday Pachucoville!!!!

2010-02-08T10:32:00.001-08:00

Sampling is NOT a Crime, its an art.

2010-01-20T22:28:00.000-08:00

The title of Benjamin Franzen and Kembrew McLeod's documentary airing on PBS stations implies that sampledelia is a crime.
Copyright Criminals asks DJs, producers, label heads, lawyers and music critics, how sampling music and using it to make new music became a crime.

Sampling as we know it today began in the late 80's as early hip hop and house music producers used various samplers to take snippets of records, and combined them to make music which would eventually dominate music charts and dance floors around the world.

The doc does show a little about how musicians are 'influenced' by other musicians to the point of mimicking and how the Beatles (viciously anti sampling) sampled stuff for their White Album.

I've always championed electronic music artists and their sampling ways. I believe the main reasons record labels and artists took such a hard stance against this new form of music making was because of course money and good old discrimination. The majority of early sampledelia artists were black and brown and some were gay. Many had kept gay disco and their clubs open through the musical drought that preceded them where 'the best' at the top of the charts at that time were Bruce Springstein and Fleetwood Mac (sp?). When these new generation producers began making sounds out of other sounds, labels (their lawyers) and artists saw a way to make money and give some innovative, creative artists that were making sound scapes never heard before, a hard time.

I admit that some folks who sample and simply loop a part of a popular song over and over with out changing its pitch, or adding any of the various effects available, are lazy and not very creative. They are just using the sample for its popularity. See: MC Hammer "Can't Touch This" (samples Rick James' "Super Freak") and anything by Puffy who blatantly rips off Bowie and The Police.

The majority of artists that utilize samplers often spend days digging through music for the perfect beat or chromatic scales. They reverse, speed up or slow down, delay, reverb, pan, split, make stereo into mono, and many other tricks to change the sample to make it work in their piece.

Many often employ complicated mathematic algorithms to make sure they are not clashing frequencies and some to intentionally clash frequencies in order to produce never before heard frequencies. A lot of dedication and work goes into a lot of production, but many stuck in the 'musician with a traditional instrument can only make music- mindset, don't see (or hear) the revolution happening in their ears.

Check the website for future air dates. The doc is worth viewing much like Scratch and Maestro are essential in understanding music forms made from the margins.

Feliz Nu Decade

2010-01-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

I'm back from a mental and physical break. Skipped December cuz it was just too much to spew here and didn't want to shoot out the energy I was holding at the time.

Now, what are we going to do this new year and decade?
Well I might slow down some on posting cuz I'm writing other stuff I want to make some feria on so I won't give so much free reads, sabes?
I'm also exploring the invisible world more with meditation using various techniques that just keep finding me.
I'm still going to post at LA Eastside.com as well, I know I need to do more there too. That blog is blowing up!!!
One blog that I recently read over there was about a Thai restaurant and it got me thinking about my experience with Thai food.

Growing up the only Asian food I had was Chinese and my folks weren't very experimental at that. It was always the dinner specials with the basics: egg flower soup, fried shrimp, sweet pork, fried rice, some veggies and noodles. Never did I hear of Thai or Vietnamese for that matter.

The first time I thought of even trying Thai was driving through K-Town on Vermont and seeing a line of people for a place with a red awning that said Thai Bar B Que in big bold letters. Later I would learn it was called Ocha. I remember driving by there all the time coming from Hollywood heading home in South Central at the time. One day rolling with mom, we were hungry but didn't know what to eat so I said let's stop there, "they always have a line so it must be good."

We parked right in front and got in line. It was a trip they had so many people working. One person sat you, another brought water, another took your order, others stood in between tables ready for you to ask for anything, the food came out quick and the customers were mostly Raza. WOW. Never seen anything like this. All the people working had headsets and they would rattle off your order or request for more water or tea and boom someone was there with what you asked. Efficient and fast. I learned about their 'caldo de siete mares,' pad thai, and garlic chicken. It was the only place I would go to for minute.

One day while attending CSUN my homie Hugo came to the apt. and was telling Oscar, Ernie, Manny and Me about this amazing soup in this cool restaurant that had Coronas for $2.50. So we piled into Oscar's ride and went to Aruni on Western. It was a lighter siete mares soup than what they had at Ocha, but very good. This place was also packed with Raza who were pounding beers with their soup. Everyone only came for the soup! Later I would try something else on their menu and realized I should stick with the soup there. That was my second Thai restaurant.

My next experience with Thai food came from Michelle D. who brought me some Bar-b-que chicken from Chao Praya (sp?). It was a much nicer Thai restaurant than Ocha and Aruni. They had table cloths! All their servers were super model looking Thai women that spoke in soft tones. Muy cool. I learned about coconut milk soup, and other dishes here. I would sometime just ask the super models what was good that day and trust them. It was that good all around. They were on Yucca near Vine, no longer there, but will always be remembered.

Since then I have gotten bolder and braver and now have a variety of Thai spots for the variety of peeps and tastes I or my peeps need.

My favorites these days are:

Palms in Hollywood for Thai Elvis and basic Thai.

Daisy Mint, thanks to Yanini, this is very special, very tasty, its French fusion brings squashes into dishes like I never knew could be done. They are for those ready for flavor bombs to go off.

Saladang is also muy flavorful and consistent with their quality. Its also in a very modern nice locale with a sweet patio.

Vics is in the Valley (omg) thanks to Fabi for this one too. This is Thai fast food style but very good. Its like the many burger joints in the Eastside but with Thai. They make everything by the order.

Now I also have Korean spots, Japanese houses and Vietnamese joints that I love.

The other day I was driving with my father going to eat in Chinatown and he took a phone call. His friend on the other end asked where are you? and pops said (in spanish) "We are in the barrio Chino for lunch." The friend probably asked "Oh you like THAT food?" and pops answered "Oh yes, I'm international like that."
I love that.

Happy Nu Year and Decade, eat well, treat yourself and yours well...

This time...

2009-11-25T11:45:00.001-08:00

This time I don't have to plan when to get over there

This time I don't have to go at all

Last time I made them come here, she barely made it, and hardly ate

Last time was the last time

This time nothing will be cooked by our hands

This time not planning anything

Dad and I will eat, less one

Dad and I will do something new

The next three months will be hard

Holiday, holiday, bday, bday

She won't call, hug, or say 'Que dios te bendiga'

This time I will miss my mom

Aztlan Underground:Sacred Circle Remix 2009

2009-11-24T16:12:00.001-08:00

One of my all time favorite AUG tracks.
I consider it The Prayer of Los Xicanos
Perfect to reflect on this Thankstaking week

November pics n tales

2009-11-24T12:51:00.000-08:00

After the DoD festivities and winding down a lil bit there was work and play to be had.

One last DoD event was the Tropico de Nopal annual fashion show. These two were my favorite not just because I know them but both had subtle political and personal statements within the intricacy of the fashion.

The following week was the monthly LA Art Walk. These were found at Crewest.

The opening of the Eastside Gold Line extension was reason for a good block party around Mariachi Plaza.

This past weekend I hit San Francisco with a fun crew of peeps. We got to Chinatown, Plump DJs @ Mighty, Ferry Building, Blue Bottle Coffee, Saulsalito, Jeno @ Mars Bar, The End Up, Lime, Lembic (sp?) in Haight, and back on planes, trains, and automobiles.

On Monday I went in to get my last wisdom teeth pulled. It was nasty. Dr. had to break one of them because it was weird.

Dia de los Muertos by Wendy Carillo

2009-11-07T14:01:00.001-08:00

Chingona Chicana Wendy captures the beauty and poetry of DoD.

Mil Gracias

LA Day of Dead weekend...

2009-11-04T09:22:00.001-08:00

I haven't done a weekend recap in a while and since I'm in a quiet but sharing mood here you go:

Thursday I went to my homie Rueben Mendoza's Contemporary Chicano Issues class at ELAC to participate in a discussion on Blogotitlan with Cindylu and Random Hero. The students were very cool and I think they like the idea of blogging and how we as Raza are making a mark in cyberlandia. We went to eat at Ordonez after and then I went home to do some quick emails.

Later I hit the streets to check out Brooklyn n Boyle's new installation about dead soldiers. I don't agree with celebrating dead soldiers. I know its to heal the families of those who went off to kill in the name of the USofA but I can't shake the feeling that it is glorifying war and supporting our killing machine. I let Abel know this when I got there. We get along that way. After this we all rolled over to Eastside Love.

It was $5 at the door and I was ready to turn around and walk to the bar next door for a drink, cause I ain't paying $5 for bar. To my surprise the generous Rueben Mendoza paid the entry fee for 5 of us. Gracias! Once inside the El Conjunto Los Pochos was hitting the stage. It perplexed me even more to hear these guys after a $5 cover charge because on any given morning or afternoon, heck even in the evening in Boyle Heights, if you are in a decent restaurant there is usually a strolling conjunto that plays the same songs that these guys on stage were doing, and in most cases with less off key notes. I asked one of my homies what was the difference between these guys and the conjuntos I've heard at Chispa de Oro and he quickly replied, "These guys are Pochos its harder for them to hit the notes and sing in Spanish, I guess." LOL

I bailed out of there at 12:25am in order to get home to watch "Star Trek: The Next Generation." It's on at 12:30 am on Ch. 5 in case any fellow Trekies didn't know.

Friday: I got up and did some laundry, ran some errands and then met V.V in Burbank to get on our way for a night in Valley. We met up with some homies at Claim Jumper for drinks. Yeah I know but we're in the Valley what else is there? Acapulco? El Torito? Flavor and funk is in short supply out there. Anyway, its about the company not about having a watering hole with style and good drinks. We had a good time and then we left to rendevous at Pierce College for the Corn Maze. I try do this every year, it's the little hillbilly in me I suppose. We had a blast running around scarrying each other and getting lost.

After this we went back to CSUN for MEChA's Day of the Dead party which is always great. This year was no exception. Lots of people, great bands including Very Be Careful and Quinto Sol, teatro from Las Ramonas and tasty food. One side trip on campus we did was to try and 'hear' the ghost of the Asian House. Apparently it is afraid of or doesn't like Mexicans because it didn't come out while we were there, but as soon as we left Mamma M called and said it made all kinds of noise. I wouldn't come into a room if I knew Mexicans were sitting in the dark waiting for me.

Later I got a ride back with Soul Rebel Miguel because he wanted to go on a taco hunt in NoHo. I had my doubts. After driving around and watching all the trucks shut down and drive down Vineland at 1:00 am we ended up at a stand somewhere on Vineland. It was ok. Nothing memorable.

Saturday: Very simple, Lili and I picked up the Noodles and hit Monster Massive, then Deeper Moods where Noodie Suli was spinning at 2 am. It was Noodie Lana's b-day earlier in the week so we were celebrating! HAPPY BIRTHDAY LANITA! All love to my girl. MM was crazy, thanks to Reza for getting me tix ahead of time we were able to get in with little drama. It was super packed and even though we hung out in VIP getting from one VIP to another was hellish. Sometimes the crowd would just move you in another direction. Total mob rule.

The shuttle for Deeper Moods was on Santa Fe and the space was on the Boyle Hts./Vernon border. Very cool. I had heard of this place for months, so glad I got to see it in full swing. Of course Suli rocked it. We crawled out of there at sun up.

Sunday: chill out. Good food at Hecho en Mexico, thanks to Gumby for posting it on FB. Gumby was still there when I got there and he sent over some michiladas and a bucket of beer. What a great and generous guy. Thanks homes always.

Monday: came to work and right back to Los. I made a stop at the site where we scattered my mom's ashes for a quiet moment. Got a quickie car wash, got some last minute stuff at Ozzie Dots and home to get ready for my MC gig at Self Help Graphics Day of the Dead. I had to be on site by 4 pm. I got there without my calvera makeup wearing my rented Mariachi suit. My goal was to be a vampiro mariachi this year. I got my bite marks on my neck but my calvera makeup didn't imply anything about me being vampire-ish.

Lalo Alcaraz was co-MCing with me so it was sure to be a great time.
The new location, full moon and thick spirit of Eastside DoD celebration made it all magical. The bands all impressed. The Camino de Calaca Coutoure was awesome! We had anyone who wanted to strut their calaca wear walk on stage after I read their description and dedication. The big hits were Lilifor's tribute to migrant workers that had here flossing huge angel wings made of fence and barbed wire. When I read her description at the end it said "Because we didn't cross the borders, the borders crossed us!" I used that opportunity to get the audience to cheer that and boy did they! Like five times I went "We didn't cross the borders!" and they would cheer back "The Borders crossed us!!!" louder and louder, it was beautiful.
Bunny Martha was also a hit in her ensemble called "The Death of Higher Education" the scariest of all the ensembles. People really reacted to it. Education, as all Raza knows, is the only way for us to change things for the better and one of the better ways to reach our highest potential.

By the end of the night my toes were killing me. I had to wear botines that were very pointed. I now understand what women go through for fashion's sake.

And that's how I did it this DoD weekend.

semester's horizon

2009-11-04T08:26:00.001-08:00

One month and half to go til we break for the winter, ending the Fall semester.
Some students have left, some have fallen off and are trying to get back on, others are clueless, some are cruising through focused and determined. Pressure is building as term papers and final project deadlines are approaching fast.
With Thankstaking break being a week long break in many cases, students need to plan these final days with clarity in order to fulfill school, family and work needs.
I'm writing this in class as we do a peer review of an essay due this weekend. They are reading each others papers making notes on how to improve or what they liked about them. I've seen these students grow since this summer. Some really have blossomed and get it others are still dealing with the fog of teen needs like boyfriends and other commitments they believe right now are so important. One from this class is out taking care of their new born baby boy. She will have to do without peer reviews.
Some don't see the approaching end and will freak out on the last week wondering where did all the time they thought they had go. And so it is with life, no?

Dia de los Muertos

2009-11-02T10:16:00.000-08:00

Today, three months ago, almost to the minute, my mom took her last breaths in this plain of reality. I have been grieving in my own way. I feel her with me, helping me make decisions and pushing me sometimes to step out of my comfort zones. Her voice in a whisper tells me its ok to just go for it.
I've been told that in the Lakota tradition the dead stick around retracing their life path, figuring out their new reality, while still being able to see this one and their loved ones. After a year of going between the worlds of the living and of the dead they move on and stay in the next world.
I guess this has stuck me and I don't feel the need to build an altar or be all DoD about my mom. She is with me still. I don't have to invite her to visit me.
Last night a friend let me watch her set up her altar in her house for her loved ones. I went home and made a small one for all those I know who are beyond our realm of senses.
In the middle of the night there were quite a few noises in my house. Bumps, creaks, steps and claps. I didn't get scared. They are welcome. All who come to help me reach my highest potential are welcome in my house. Those who lost their way and are not working with the light know they cannot enter my house. I can destroy them. I let all of them know this: be with the light, bring it, share it or go back to where you came and find it within.
I miss my mom. I have a long ride back to LA today, I take that alone time to reflect. I will remember, to never forget.
To all our relations.

Happy Halloween

2009-10-31T15:54:00.000-07:00

Growing up my family used to decorate our old Victorian with cob webs, fake spiders, rats, ghosts, and make of dummies with old clothes stuffed with older clothes. Everyone would get into it. Dad would be at the door which led to the walkway to our house. He would let only small groups of kids in at a time. Some kids would be too scared to come in. I would be on the roof with a speaker next to me blasting screams and moans from a special effects record and dropping a basketball wrapped in a sheet on top of people who came to the porch where the candy was. My mom and cousin would be there dressed up giving out candy to the brave one who made it. Sometimes one of them would pretend to be one of the mannequins and lay still until a group of kids would get close then just move an arm or make a noise. Grandma would be on the sides in a white dress waving her arms 'ghost' like.
We made a kid pee in his pants once!
When the numbers would die down I would get to play my music loud from the roof top and do a little dance in south central.

96,000

2009-10-27T00:18:00.000-07:00

U2 sold out the Rose Bowl and showed it all on Youtube.

As you know here in Pachucoville U2 rules. I've been going to see them since the Joshua Tree tour. I did miss the last two tours but not for want. I did go see the 3D movie last year. Anyhow this time I wasn't going to miss them.

I rolled with the homies: Lili and the Bunnies. We met up on the Gold Line and walked it from Memorial Station to the Rose Bowl, according to my phone 1.8 miles. We got in just in time for Black Eyed Peas' third song. Heard Will.I.AM say he was raised in Boyle Hts. Fergie got down singing Guns n Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine" with Slash playing lead. Dope. They were super hyped to be opening for U2. I never thought they had it in them to open like that, but the BBPs really can put on a show.

Lili and Bunny Greg had never been to a U2 concert, while Bunny Martha and I are veterans. It was cool to see them enter the U2 collective orgasm.

One of the best moments for me was when they did "Unforgettable Fire" a song they hadn't performed in over ten years!

This is a live version of "Unforgettable Fire" (not from my camera) from this tour:

This is the video for "Where the Streets Have No Name" which was shot in downtown LA in the summer of 1987. It was the first day of school for me at LACC and I had to miss this. All I did was listen to KROQ as they told peeps to get down there. My aunt worked in a sweat shop in the building next door. I used to eat at Vivian's a greasy spoon kitty corner to the building where U2 performed. I like to think this song is about LA or maybe Mexico, because we tell directions by landmark. For example: "go straight til you see a bank and the turn left, go down to the 7/11 then right and look for the house with the swings." Hence, Streets With No Name.

Love U2. They are the litmus test to know if you are part of Generation X. I don't know any Gen X'ers who don't like U2. The younger ones seem to think Radiohead is just as good, HA!

Here is the set list:

U2 @ Rose Bowl, 10/25/09 Pasadena, CA
-set list-

Breathe
Get On Your Boots
Magnificent
Mysterious Ways
Beautiful Day "God Only Knows" snippet
I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For "Stand By Me" snippet
Stuck In A Moment You Can't Get Out Of
No Line on the Horizon
Elevation
In A Little While
Unknown Caller
Until The End Of The World
The Unforgettable Fire
City Of Blinding Lights
Vertigo "It's Only Rock 'n' Roll (but I like it)" snippet
I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight "Two Tribes" snippet
MLK
Walk On / You'll Never Walk Alone
Encore:
One "Amazing Grace" snippet
Where The Streets Have No Name
Encore 2:
Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
With Or Without You
Moment of Surrender

Here is the full show from Youtube

Guanajuato 2009 Festival Internacional Cerventino CLETA

2009-10-21T10:27:00.000-07:00

It was a last minute decision to go to Guanajuato for the Festival Internacional Cervantino . Alberto and Lea stopped by my place to pick up some music and invited me to come with their teatro group: CHUSMA. It was three weeks away, I needed to get my passport updated, find a flight and hopefully a place to stay. Alberto had said we would all be sleeping on the floor of a communal house where all the teatros stay at. That didn't sound enticing to me. I like a bed when I travel to nice cities.

I heard it was a "Mexican Burning Man." The website made it look very bourgie. Others said it was cool. When I doubted going a dear friend just said "You have everything you need to go, friends, a place to stay, a festival to see, a city you haven't seen in a long time, a little bit of time to go, so what is stopping you?" So I went.

I got to Leon at 6:15 am local time on the 15th, the second day of this 36 year old festival. I met Lea at Vips, at 8:15 after being a little lost and waiting around for nearly an hour. The last time I was in GTO I also arrived in the morn and waited around for hours for a woman. That was 14 years ago.

The Festival Internacional Cervantino (FIC) began in 1972. The Festival Internacional Cervantino of CLETA (FICC) began in 1975. FIC is sponsored by the Mexican government and features world renown artists with ticket prices starting at $30 (US) and up to $100+. The FICC is about providing an option to the "elitism" of the FIC and features artists from all over the world who perform in the various plazas, alleys, shopping malls, tourist spots, and street corners throughout the 3 week festival. Chusma was there for the CLETA and it was dope.

Funded in part by the European Union, the CLETA had a base camp at the Jardin San Pedro. We ended up finding a room a block and half away. We had a short walk to get to meetings, workshops, have rehearsals, meals, and entertainment every night from 8-midnight.

Chusma was scheduled to perform Friday at La Plaza de Los Angeles (how appropriate), Saturday at Plaza Pozuelos (an indoor mall) and Sunday at the Jardin San Pedro the base camp where a lot of the CLETA participants came to at night to see teatro, dance, bands, singers and performance art.

The first day (Thursday) Lea, Alberto and Eddie were there, so we took off to San Miguel de Allende (SMA) since it was the only day they didn't have rehearsal or a performance. SMA has been in a couple of Robert Rodriguez films and is known as an international artist colony. It is very beautiful. You can see the horizon in SMA versus the hillsides of the bowl where GTO sits. We came back that night and were tired, so we just kicked it at the Jardin chatting it up with beers for $1!!!

In the morning DJ Papalotl aka Diana, Gustavo, Goretti & Sander arrived. Goretti & Sander had their own place around the corner from ours. We were six in a room at the Canta Ranas Hotel. The place was clean but the owner was more of mother superior, telling us how loud we were and to keep it down. What did she expect from a teatro group filled with fun, loud people?

The teatro was complete now and they had a performance at Plaza Los Angeles at 6pm. They would have rehearsal at the Jardin while Eddie and I ran around town taking it all in and making flyers announcing all the upcoming shows from the Chicano Teatro from Los Angeles, Califaztlan. We met them later at the Jardin and helped move props and costumes to the Plaza.

Most mornings we would have breakfast at the Mercado Hidalgo. We would have fresh fruit and vegetable juices and then either tacos, cocktails or soups of various seafood, tortas, huevos con chorizo, chilaquiles or something else that was hearty and would get us through to lunch.

The first performance was delayed due to clown activities and setting up a makeshift dressing in strong winds. Either way the show was good. That night at the Jardin we saw a group of 30 dancers and musicians from Venezuela and dancers from Austria.

We walked around a lot watching the city fill with more and more people. By Friday night it was in full swing and the locals told us it was basically a young people's getaway. Everyone looked around 18-23 yrs. old. Their energy filled the air.

Saturday I got left behind and had to visit Diego Rivera's museum alone. It was cool. I also went to the underground mercado that was filled with razteca, rock, psycheldelic, goth and indigenous items. I got lost in the hills trying to find a short cut and ended up going around in circles. I noticed there were a lot of single women walking around alone, traveling alone. They all had the same look. Cautious, constantly moving, curious, and dressed to run. Didn't see or notice single men walking alone. I guess it may be a woman thing to travel alone?

The show on Saturday was inside a shopping mall. It was very typical and in a way off putting but we had a good time. They gave me a mask and Eddie a costume and we joined them on stage in the final acto.

That night we hit the town in costumes and masks in the spirit of Cervantino. We had a shot of Cazadores in the oldest bar in GTO El Incendio. When we walked in wearing masks everyone kind of stopped and tripped for a second, that was cool. Dinner this night was a little nicer than other nights and I got to order a Chile en nogada, a very special treat. We strolled around taking pics and having our pic taken. We ended up dancing in the main square, El Jardin de la Union, which is actually a triangle, to strolling bandas that played cumbias. I stayed up til 4:30 am smoking and drinking on our terrace sharing good laughs, stories, and giving thanks. The city hummed along, people singing in the streets, up until the sun came up and the church bells began to ring.

Sunday we got a late start but we bumped into a plaza with Pippo and the Pirates, a teatro from Switzerland. They were a riot. Overall most of the performers had at least one or two members who spoke Spanish, but others would just say their lines in their native language. After they were done, Enrique Cisneros, the founder of CLETA, spoke about the history of the Festival and how he had been arrested during the first one, but after international pressure on the Mexican government for arresting students who were simply doing art in the streets, the government decided to fund the festival. He gave a shout out to Chusma, "with their Chicano themes that speak to the core of the major issues of our day, immigration, economic decline of the US, and land." We tripped out!!! He recognized. He went on to say that Mexico with its upcoming celebrations of the the revolutions of 1810 and 1910 have nothing to celebrate, instead "we need to be prepared to be rebeldes once again, because what is happening cannot stand anymore." This man is just too cool.

That night's performance was amazing. I also got to speak on the history of Chusma and Chicano teatro in between a major costume change. I think I tripped the crowd out when I mentioned how they "...may view us as pochos or as Americanos, but we are viewed as illegal, gangsters, foreign and suspect in our own land, that is if and when we are considered."

After the show we just hung out and caught the rest of night's performances which included a Costa Rican band called Dub Experimental. They could have been from LA.

Overall it was a great time and I am planning on going next year. I hope to get more Chicano/as there to represent and connect.

Capitalism: A Love Story

2009-09-29T13:17:00.000-07:00

The new Michael Moore film Capitalism: A Love Story. playing in two LA area theaters the Landmark & Arclight in Hollywood, is just what we need at this time when none of us really know where we are headed as workers, a nation and globe.

Moore outlines how evil capitalism is by having thinkers explain its faults, morality (of lack of), and its unsustainability, while also featuring people getting kicked out of the home, people squatting in their home, the "bottom feeders" that are making money off the sad state of foreclosures and the successful strike by door and window factory workers in Chicago. He takes us down the path of 'derivatives' which Wall St. invented to make themselves even richer, yet no one can really explain what they are. The saddest evils of capitalistic greed involved major corps taking out life insurance policies on their workers and how one judge and private youth prison herded youth into prison for profits.

You don't have to tell me how crazy and immoral people can get in the pursuit of money, but Moore's film is necessary today as much as his other films which poke at our issues just before they reach even Joe the Plumber and his ilk. I highly recommend you go see this film. You may know some if not all of the issues and questions raised but nonetheless we need to have these conversations with all of us and this film is perfect for launching into these topics.

Vasquez Rocks

2009-09-23T09:55:00.001-07:00

I finally made it out to Vasquez Rocks. It was a last minute trip, just like I always imagined how I would find myself up there.
I have seen those rocks in Star Trek and other movies and always wanted to go there and climb, run, sit and see them for myself.
It was a 25 min ride from work. The place was not as impressive as I imagined but it offered other little treats I didn't expect. Not many people were there when I went so it was perfect for feeling alone on a distant planet with out a worry or concern.

Next stop Joshua Tree, another place I still haven't been to.

One Month

2009-09-02T09:40:00.000-07:00

Today is one month since the passing of my mother.

Life and work have been very busy for me. Teaching at both CSUN and GCC overlapped for week and so prepping for a new semester and giving a final have kept my head on. Now I am back in my CSUN groove and so things are beginning to rise up that I must have kept buried deep inside or just kept pushing to the side for later.

Overall it is all good. I know I will be stronger in the end.

Today at 10:30 am if you can take a moment and think about those you may have lost or think about my mom if you knew her. That is the time she left one month ago today.

LA summer

2009-08-31T15:42:00.001-07:00

The Doors are LA.
Considered psychedelic, jazz, rock and blues, their lyrics and music have stood the test of time.
Last weekend while walking in Venice beach, I remembered the Doors and how Manzarek and Morrison met on that very beach. Morrison read "Moonlight Drive" and the rest is history. Morrison's poetry fits so nice in LA summer days...

"Beat It" - Mariachi Style

2009-08-31T01:22:00.001-07:00

Enjoy

Mad World

2009-08-28T16:21:00.001-07:00

Hearing this takes the edge off the heat. I hope it does the same for you.

mini movie reviews: District 9 & Inglorious Basterds

2009-08-23T20:16:00.001-07:00

D9 shows the epitome of neo-colonialism and its different shades and possibilities. True racism, humans v non human, shows how bad humans can be to other races. Stylistically follows the "Cloverfield" verite flavor that many don't like, get or feel sick after watching. It works here for immediacy and tension.

IB is QTs play with languages and counter narratives. QT stages several high tension scenes with the usual brilliant camera work scanning great actors at play. It does just feel like it is all a game to all which only adds to our collective numbing in the face of violence. Beautiful, rich and satisfying. Like the strudel they eat in one scene, we need to wait for the cream, and QT delivers

Go see them my friend

game above (inside) my head

2009-08-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

anoche me visito

no le llame

no la esperaba

no contaba

trono en mis oidos

la senti en mis huesos

veil of distance

static of emotions

polarities shifting

bodies and minds not inline

she never entered the house

the message didn't come through

en sue˜o estaba escondida

de tras de tanta accion

siempre viendo de cerca

ni un attempto de hablar

hay nueva vida alla

separar es duro

tanto good

so mal

lo good

was de otro nivel

Rick James - Ghetto Life

2009-08-19T16:16:00.001-07:00

Rick James (February 1, 1948 – August 6, 2004)
It wouldn't be ass funky if Rick James had been here.

Summer pics in between the rest

2009-08-18T23:59:00.000-07:00

Cal Tech Turtles

EOP picture day

Q bday

Art Walk LA

good party

Good people

Tech-ila

Flower

2009-08-13T15:51:00.000-07:00

She was born on a kitchen table there
she cried and laughed for the first time there
was hurt and comforted
bled and healed
walked and ran
jumped and skipped
fought and loved
She lived her first 14 years there

She told many stories of living in La Loma
many visits with her and without her
but never to the exact spot
where her house once sat

Today we took her remains up the road
along the ridge
through some bends
and onto where the house once sat

I poured out some for my father
I poured some for my aunt
Then my daughter and I walked down
Where the house once sat
We saw some old stairs under brush
The earth was soft and giving

We began shaking ashes out onto the ground
in circle over where the living room was
the kitchen
the bedrooms, we think

The grass was dry
The only life was this single flower facing West
towards where the sun sets
where the spirits leap off to
we knew it was there for her and us

Driving off I thought of death as hopefully being able to visit and be at anytime, any place you want. Being able to re-live, seeing what you did. I could think of no other joy for my mother than for her to be able to run in that Loma barefoot and free as she once was and will always be.

To all our relations...

Post

2009-08-13T11:07:00.000-07:00

It has been a week and four days since my mom passed to the other side.

I went to a sweat lodge the following day. It was perfect. Powerful. Healing. Clarifying. There were others there to say good bye to theirs who had also left that week. One man lost his 30 hour old child and days later his mother. The sweat leader said what we needed to say better than we could. We got to say our words too, but somehow we knew more was at work in there. Best of all I really felt my mother showed up, saw us, thanked us, heard me thank her, was met by our ancestors and they took her to the new lands. She left in good hands with good guides. Her perfume came into the lodge at one point. I will never forget that moment.

I have seen and felt how blessed I am to have the people I have in my life. Good people just showed up at my door, some waited for me to come home just to see how I was doing, share a drink, toast to all our dead and offer gifts. Other good people called and I heard in their voices true concern and corazon. They will forever be in my heart.

I must admit I never knew how to deal with the death of my friend's loved ones. I had never lost anyone in my family that was very close. I didn't know what to say, how they felt, or what to do. I'm sorry today for not knowing and not being able to reach out to some of my friends who lost someone. I didn't know what to do or say to them. Now I know, I think. I just hope I can be as good a friend as I have seen some of mine be to me.

I had to take some days off from work. Still haven't caught up in grading. Some of my students shared their experiences with loss and it really helped a lot. This group is very special.

Never do business with Groman Funeral home on Washington Blvd. on the corner of Norwood in Downtown LA. They suck. Long messy story. We just got my mother's ashes yesterday. A week and three days after they took her body.

Today we are going up to where my mom grew up to spread her ashes. It's a small hike into shrubs and bushes. If you are reading this burn some sage or copal for us. I don't want to take any fire up there, too dangerous.

8/2/09 Thanks Mom, Goodbye

2009-08-02T18:29:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid I would have dreams where I would come home and my parents were gone and new people lived in my house. I would be told that my parents had moved and forgot to tell me. Other times I would be told my mom had died and my dad was on one of his yearly trips to Mexico to take care of lands he holds there. I would wake up crying. A heaviness on my chest scared me because it would be sitting there making breathing n swallowing hard. I would get up and look for my mom.

Yesterday she barely spoke. The last thing I heard from her was telling my daughter "I love you too." We knew it would happen any day, but she had surprised us for so long. It would have been a week without eating on Monday. For an 80 yr old full of cancer that is impressive.

This morning I felt a shock in the middle of my chest. Seconds later my father called and said it was getting real bad. He hadn't slept all night, she was throwing up most of the night. She was losing her voice and sight. I jumped up and jumped in the shower. It's like a reflex to shower in the morning. Half asleep, sick, hungover, tired, I just end up in my shower. It heals me and readies me.

When I got out of the shower my father called and said she had left us. I went to tell Q who was still asleep. 13 yr olds need at least 12hrs of sleep and she really takes advantage of that when she stays with me ever since I told that little bit of science. I was dressed n ready to go. She decided to stay at my place, her great grandma and uncle live next door, she would be fine.

I have made the drive from the Eastside to my parents house thousands of times in every possible state of mind and sometimes out of my mind. It's very easy, the far right lane on that 5 to the 10 west takes me straight off the freeway at Los Angeles street. Two lights, left onto Main, to 28th and I'm home. This time the tears were like none before. I remembered those dreams of my childhood. This time I knew my mom wouldn't be there but my dad would and we would be starting a new way of life. He as a widower me as a son without a living mom. Is there a term for people like me?

I burned the sage I had rubbed on her the day before. The smoke filled the room and rose up as her soul did just minutes earlier. I imagined my grandma, her mom, was here to help her in the end. The smoke followed them up, or over, or on to wherever they are now, which is definitely better than here where they had both had rough final days.

We called hospice care, a funeral home and my cousin Lucy who had cared for mom like she was her mom. She is like my distant sister. My father called the comadre and people started arriving. I texted work and friends who had helped me. Told work I needed at least a day. Haven't taken any calls.

Everyone is gone now. They picked up her body. My dad is finally getting some sleep. He says he maybe got an hour in last night. I gotta wake him in two hours. He doesn't want to sleep more, he wants to sleep at night. Lucy is here, we are listening to the Platters that my mom would play for me when I was a kid.

The comadre wants to host a rosario at her house. Mom didn't want anything. No one to see her, no funeral, no services. Others have said services are for the living. I see that, but at the same time why pray for someone you know was good and went to a good place? I can see if the dead were jerks and needed people to pray/put in a good word to get them to a good place.

I'm writing to process. I tell my students if u can't say it, u can't write it. For me if I can't write it, I can't handle it. I've been told all week to stay strong. Can I be weak now?

Of course there is some relief in knowing my mom is no longer hating life. Good memories hurt to remember. Pictures bring those memories. The music playing reminds me of dancing with her. I couldn't dance with her no more in the end.

My dad's first words to me when I got here were "Ahora estamos solitos." He has ten brothers n sisters. I have none.
This is my life. I'm grateful for it. For the parents I had/have. Gracias por la vida y las vidas que crusan la mia. Ojala que tenemos mucho mas a~os. Healthy n happy.

Tomorrow my father and I will go to a sweat ceremony together for the first time. New life.

2009-08-01T16:50:00.001-07:00

Of all the people you meet throughout your life, on the various paths you have walked, the good times n bad, passing strangers in the night, the long term pals, the short terms flings, those you call only on holidays, those u see only in the dark hot dancefloor, friends you rely on for gossip, comfort and laughs, people who knew u n remeber u only how they last saw u, work friends, people u used and those who used you, text friends, online friends, never seen them in person friends, one cup of coffee shared, people u know u can call anytime n they will be there, but u never call.
Who will u like to see on your last days?
Who can see u as skin and bones? In a diaper, unable to sit up alone. Can't speak more than a few words. Can't stay awake longer than 15 min at a time. Who would u let see u like this?

Passing

2009-07-29T22:39:00.000-07:00

She will be passing any day now.
Since April she has refused anymore treatments.
Signed off on not resuscitating.
This is the fourth day she has not eaten any food.
She says she doesn't feel like eating.
Her stomach doesn't want food.
She is skin and bones and big bloated stomach.
On the plus side she is not in any pain or discomfort, just weak.

It started last November, she was having trouble breathing.
She had fluid in one lung.
A form of breast cancer.
They would stick a long needle in to drain out fluid.
Eventually fluid would accumulate also in her stomach.
This was repeated.
Pulling several liters each time.

Chemo A, failed
Chemo B, failed
Back in hospital in March because she would throw everything up
Now was too weak to drain fluid.
No food for a week and she bounced back.
Fluid left and was able to eat.
Then they offered another chemo and she said "No more."
It would now be a countdown.

She is the strongest woman I know.
Her mom, my grandma, lived to 98.
I remember seeing my grandma pick up one of those old bathtubs alone.
My mom has that strength too.
When I see her I try to maintain my composure. When I think I'm going to break
I get near her and its not so bad. Like her strength carries me.
She shouts orders to my dad all day.
My poor dad has really stepped up and serves her every wish,
following her overly detailed requests.
If she hadn't moved the bed into the living room, and laid around all day,
you wouldn't know she was dieing.
Even today her voice is still strong.
She told me that some people would always think she was mad because of her strong tone.

Most of my days I am sad and in tears.
I have seen this coming.
Have made peace with it, to some degree.
She didn't want my alternative medicines, ever.
I know I need to respect her wishes.
But its still hard.
If I get out at night, I can be normal.
Its like a routine among my peeps and beats.
When I go to work, I should get an Academy Award for the acting I do in there.
The mornings are the hardest.
I don't know if my father is going to call me and tell me...
I don't know if I'm going to call and hear...
So driving to work is rough til I make that call and even then its hard to hear, its another day of waiting.
I don't know if I will get that call during class and wonder if I will just walk out.
What would I say? Who would I tell?
I've been driving up instead of taking the train because if I need to leave I don't want ask anyone for a ride.

my mom introduced me to this song when I was 3 or 4, its the earliest song I remember

Today she asked me to call the priests for her last rites.
They came within the hour. Nice guys.
She cracked a little bit and we both shared a moment.
I asked if she wants to see her brothers and sister and she said NO.
According to her they are in almost as bad shape as she is.
One is fighting a losing battle sliding into Alzheimer's. Another can't stand for too long because his legs and shoulders hurt from carrying his now deceased wife up and down several flights of stairs of their hillside El Sereno home. She died of a bad case of diabetes. Her other brother is just tired, he lost his wife 4 months ago.
She doesn't want anything.
She wants to be cremated and that is all.
No memorial, nada.
I don't think it's fair, but I need to grant her final wishes, even after her passing.
I will most likely take her ashes to where she was most happy, her childhood home in Chavez Ravine. Well the home is not there anymore, but the hills are still there.

I want to thank my friends who have knowingly or not been good distractions for me.
My students who keep my mind flying to places to take them and show them how many paths this life can offer. My co-workers who are understanding about my mood swings, care for me, entertain me, feed me and are just great people. My inipe brothers and sisters, Wolf and Lisa thank you for praying with me and having that space for all our relations.

This is all passing.
We are all just passing.
See you on the other side, someday.
I love you mommy.

(love and blessings to the Rodriguez family who is also saying bye to their Papachus, lo siento mucho)

for Random Hero & Jane Mess, Happy B-day R.H.

2009-07-21T14:15:00.000-07:00

'Absolute Beginners' (1986)
David Bowie

I've nothing much to offer
There's nothing much to take
I'm an absolute beginner
And I'm absolutely sane
As long as we're together
The rest can go to hell
I absolutely love you
But we're absolute beginners
With eyes completely open
But nervous all the same

If our love song
Could fly over mountains
Could laugh at the ocean
Just like the films
There's no reason
To feel all the hard times
To lay down the hard lines
It's absolutely true

Nothing much could happen
Nothing we can't shake
Oh we're absolute beginners
With nothing much at stake
As long as you're still smiling
There's nothing more I need
I absolutely love you
But we're absolute beginners
But if my love is your love
We're certain to succeed

If our love song
Could fly over mountains
Sail over heartaches
Just like the films
There's no reason
To feel all the hard times
To lay down the hard lines
It's absolutely true

Summer 2009

2009-07-16T22:55:00.001-07:00

Summer is always a lot of stuff to do. Here are some pics I took with my phone of what I have been doing.

I kicked it off riding the Marathon route with Random & Softwind.

I bought tortillas at Cinco Puntos where they hand make 'em

I made this at a blogger b que. It's a chile relleno, with guacamole, hot salsa, salvadorian chorizo, topped with pico de gallo.

I rode off freaky food like that with these good people, the Eastside Bike Club.

I went to the DREAM Graduation at City Hall. That's Wendy Carrillo giving one kick ass speech in a day filled with kick ass speeches on why we need the DREAM ACT NOW.
(check out her keynote grad speech)

This bad boy belongs to Doc Martin

LA's very own.

Then I would make fun food.

Ride some more...

Go to my drumming circle and this time we had hula hoopers!!!

Swedish Egil at The Standard Hotel dwntwn

Good times : )

The One Percent Part 2 of 8

2009-06-20T00:10:00.001-07:00

The last minute explains how gentrification happens "first you build a bog police station..." (10:10)
Boyle Hts. now has the biggest neighborhood police station.
"...if there is a local public school where poor people attend, you tear down the school."
Gee is Roosevelt in good shape? Can it pass a good inspection?

I want my latte in East LA

2009-06-01T00:55:00.000-07:00

Recently I popped into a conversation that basically pointed out how we only have Mexican food, some Asian, and corporate chains like McCaca in the areas surrounding East LA. They wanted good French Toast and coffee.

I felt their need.

I ran through my head and checked my "Around Me" app. and yes we don't have any bar b que joints, a soul food spot, a Peruvian restaurant, French (nouveau or otherwise), or good old American food (biscuits n gravy? eggs benedict?) in the barrio within walking distance.

At the same time walking distance for who?

I could walk to Chinatown, which I have done several times, but can and will my friends further from the river be down to hike it?

I remember hearing years ago that Starbucks didn't think they would do well in East LA or heavily populated Latino areas. Well the one in Monterey Park is usually packed, the one on 3 rd isn't hurting and the one in South Gate has a line in its drive thru all the time. I know the IHOPs near the barrio are always packed with families. So it would seem fair to believe that a non Mexican restaurant would do very well in the barrio, but who will take that chance?

My friends in that conversation and I obviously don't want more corporate fare but a good cafe like Antigua was (they could have used a bigger menu) awesome and desired on those Sunday mornings when good coffee and some pancakes would hit the spot. Of course I would want some cafe de olla and pan dulce on the menu as well.

Punk Rock G

2009-05-28T13:25:00.000-07:00

Being a child in the 80's allowed me to experience some of the craziest music. Synthesizers and punk rock changed the sonic landscape pissing off the old guard and cutting a new sonic trail.

Yes I started with the pop Flock of Seagulls, Devo, Blondie, but eventually got into GBH, FEAR, Sin 34, and other punk groups of the era and area.

I would often go to the shows at the Olympic auditorium where you heard line ups like: The Exploited, Dead Kennedy's, The Addicts, X, Red Hot Chili Peppers and more.

I would roll with my cousin Steven and our friend David. We would sometimes put egg whites in our hair to make it stand up. I wore a dog chain around my neck. Trench coats if the weather wasn't too hot.

My dad was cool and would drop us off and pick us up. Sometimes he would go before the show ended and would sneak in. We would be waiting by the car and wondering where he was. He would come back and laugh at us saying we sure knew how to have a good time.

Many girls would often go in fishnet or topless and wear black electrical tape to cover nipples. They would ride on top of boyfriend's shoulders and scream and spit on people who stared too long. There were often at least three slam pits. The major one in the center where it was really crazy and people doing stage dives would often land on you. And one on each side of the stage where the younger kids like me could practice and not get too hurt and bruised. Punks cared, somewhat. I remember falling down and getting picked up by big dudes, who would ask if I was good, then throw me back in it. I only felt scared once when at a GBH and FEAR concert the lights went completly out during FEAR's opening number and they kept playing even louder. Lee Ving screaming "FUCK YOUUUUUU" for three minutes. You could just feel the fear and engery shoot through the place, and the pits got crazier. I jumped into the seats and tried to keep an eye on anyone coming at me.

The rockeros weren't welcome. Any long hair was not welcome. They would come three or four in a group. They would get beat in the pit. Usually they ended up watching the show from the seats where they were relatively safe. That was punk rock in LA.

To be honest I never made it to the Vex. Steven and David went and said it was very controlled and artsy. We liked it wild and a little dangerous. We loved it if our clothes got torn. Not if people liked what we were wearing. We liked the places that let you wear you spikes, but that eventually got banned from all places, too much blood.

I got my pants, belt, straps and t-shirt in the pic above at a place called Poseur on Melrose. We would ditch and make our way over their on the #10. Eventually we would end up at the Beverly Center and get free food and movies because David's sister worked on the top floor food court. She was fine so she got whatever she wanted, even if it was for her brother and his punk friend.

Good times.

Those who...

2009-05-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

Those who know, don't say (or can't)
Those who say, don't know.
- Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

On vacation, trying to input final grades but my online grade book is giving me problems. Hopefully it will be resolved by the end of the day.

Been laying low online, at least in blogotitlan, because I don't have much to say. I guess my brain has shut down, probably like my student's once that last paper is submitted and it is in the hands of fate. Of course there is always a lot to talk about and share, but nothing seems to compel me to sit here and write.

Compel. I like that word in context ; )

The good kind of context. Like I'm compelled to write right now about how I don't have anything to write. Maybe it's to shake the brain cells and get them to write about something good?

Oh here is a good one, I was taken to what I think is the best Thai restaurant I've ever been to, and I've had a lot of Thai, Daisy Mint in Pasadena. From there I went on a nice walk through Cal Tech and found out that Jackson Katz was going to be there the following Tuesday. That meant another meal at Daisy Mint and another walk onto Cal Tech. Cal Tech is so beautiful. I love that place. I want to bring Katz to CSUN next semester as well as organize a panel on Latinos in the new era of media.

Ah Malcolm X's b-day is today. Who doesn't love Malcolm X?

Yes the parties are always there for me. Last Sunday Marques Wyatt rocked his DEEP like only he can. Tonight is Richard's B-day party at Ecco, which will like always be huge (Will I Am DJing?); Saturday Raul Campos and Tony Largo welcome Tony Powell to Flow; Doc Martin is doing the Doc Martin thing which is always tops w/ Luke Solomon; Sunday of a Memorial Day weekend in LA is always special and this time we got The Heist (the biggest 18+ party) teaming up with Solmatic Records (21+ party pros) for a big shingdig at the legendary Florentine Gardens AND right next door DEEP has the Shelter's Timmy Regisford in the main room and Paul T. and Harvey in the side room. Haven't heard Paul and Harvey in a minute and let me tell you those vatos got records that will make you go 'dannnnng that is good stuff.' And of course the random party or bar b que that pops up is always welcomed and appreciated. ooops I forgot about the pool side parties that are lining up too!

So I guess when I don't have anything to write about I can always write about what my friends are doing and invite you. See you on the dancefloor...

I Got My U2 tix today...

2009-05-01T23:48:00.001-07:00

My homegirl La Bruja Mafufa was kind enough to pick up a pair for me when the pre sale were released.
This is one of my favorite videos and songs. I hope they perform this at the Rose Bowl this October.

A song of reflection and redemption...just wandering/wondering

2009-05-01T23:41:00.001-07:00

"The Wanderer" by U2 and Johnny Cash, when I first heard it I replayed it at least 3 times.

This is from the Tao Te Ching on Wandering:

What is the difference between assent and denial?
What is the difference between beautiful and ugly?
What is the difference between fearsome and afraid?

The people are merry as if at a magnificent party
Or playing in the park at springtime,
But I am tranquil and wandering,
Like a newborn before it learns to smile,
Alone, with no true home.

The people have enough and to spare,
Where I have nothing,
And my heart is foolish,
Muddled and cloudy.

The people are bright and certain,
Where I am dim and confused;
The people are clever and wise,
Where I am dull and ignorant;
Aimless as a wave drifting over the sea,
Attached to nothing.

The people are busy with purpose,
Where I am impractical and rough;
I do not share the peoples' cares
But I am fed at nature's breast.

"A Future with a Past, if we are Connected and Fight"

2009-04-28T23:29:00.000-07:00

Finally saw SLEEP DEALER and it was all that and a Jumbo Jack.

I got to see the first prototype of this film in 1996 when it was called "Animaquiladora" where the term "Cyberbracero," was coined by Alex Rivera and Lalo Lopez. Rivera was a cool guy with sci fi dreams, just like me! We never connected even though we know the same people, nonetheless I always would hear how he was always one step closer to making his dream film come true. It was well worth the wait. Thanks for not giving up.

For those who have not gone to see it, expect to see a not too distant future where corporations have developed technology to outsource manual labor. Imagine being wired up in a warehouse in Mexico, and able to drive a cab in London. Si se unfortunately Puede, in the near future. The lead protagonist walks us through this world, and along the way meets a beautiful woman who makes her money selling her memories online. Kind of like blogs but more intense.

I don't want to give too much away, just watch the trailer below, I'll just say there is a great story and visuals to trip your mind. I feel it has a very 1970's sci fi vibe like "Soylent Green" or "Omega Man." It is not flashy nor slashy, it's more of a thinking man's sci fi.

I hope that Rivera takes this into other platforms like webisodes, animation, manga or even photo novela. The world he presents is rich and full of so many possibilities to comment on our current state that it would be a waste to just leave that SLEEP DEALER world with just one chapter. He already has the cool website about Cyberbracero that I linked above. Very much like the Hanso Foundation website that works with thee TV show LOST. I hope he gets a TV series, or more films. It is that rich. Now go see it!!!

Chief Seattle's Response

2009-04-22T23:20:00.001-07:00

"The Earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the Earth."

On Earth Day remember, live today for the 7th generation of tomorrow.

Woody Guthrie- This Land Is Your Land

2009-04-22T23:15:00.001-07:00

includes the line:
"There was a big high wall that tried to stop me, sign was painted, said Private Property, but on the back side it didn't say nothing, this side was made for you and me."

Tierra de la Culebra

2009-04-13T00:40:00.000-07:00

Over ten years ago I was at the right place at the right time to help set up the Tierra de la Culebra. We would go move out rocks, pull weeds and practice danza Azteca there. One day when it really wasn't that cloudy, the danza leader said we were going to dance until it rained. It rained within 5 minutes of us dancing hard. I will never forget that day and the magical place it happened. The other day I re-visited and these are some pics I took.

read for 30 then for 1, now for all

2009-04-11T00:29:00.000-07:00

1)

Maybe if we could live in another place
surrounded by everything new
where no one knew who we were before
or where we came from
If we could appear in this place
free of all the scents, mental contusions and scars of the past
Maybe it could happen the way we imagine it for us

2)

we are done
when we are done

with unresolved issues
with holding in words
wishing we can say them
better than the way we hear them in our head

we are done
when we are done

when the good memories fade away
or when the bad memories out number the good
or when the good out number the bad we are done being mad
when we are done we can start the new
and then be done with that

The April Air...

2009-04-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

Springing to new life, cleaning, pollen, dust, last year's cob webs.
Looked back at my blog and March - April are full of ups and downs for me.
Spring Break is fun.
As I let go of the old and get ready for the new its good that thru this blog I can see I will be alright.

I do get into my moods as I move forward, like taking a scab off you know fresh skin is there, but it still stings a little to let go. This is one of my favorite Bowie songs. I want to feel this again.

I know with that level of high you risk feeling opposite end of that emotional spectrum when it's time to move on. But to have tasted, been there and felt that much is what it is all about.

Off to Vegas now to shake it up, cut some scabs, clean out old cob webs, gamble, laugh, eat, drink and be in adult Disneyland with good peeps. If you dare come and meet up with us, we got room.

April Fool's Day

2009-04-01T10:45:00.000-07:00

For some fun reading go to LA Eastside as we poke fun at so much we love/hate.

Sample:

Spotted on the streets of Silver Lake, the hottest trend in fashion today, the humble huarache. Long used on the Eastside as fly swatters, rear end spankers and regular old house slippers, the huarache has been promoted to high fashion due to it’s green pedigree.

Moby I Feel It (Synthe Mix)

2009-03-27T14:16:00.001-07:00

LOOOOVE this Moby classc. Going home and making a mix with this and other goodies

Elyisian Park

2009-03-24T14:23:00.000-07:00

I grew up in Elysian Park. My mom's family had a home there and were forced out for development that never happened.

Then Dodger stadium came and took out others from the hills surrounding the park. I would be told stories of living there, the ghosts, the fun, the freedom, the people and animals.

I rode my bike as a kid all over that park. Hiked all its trails. Would have beers at the top above the reservoir or on the bridge high over the 110. It's a refuge full of memories, an escape where I can let my mind wander, and empty out what I don't need, sharpen what I'm looking for clarity on, and a good work out area when I need to get my heart and lungs pumping.

I have shared many great times alone, with friends and family there. These are pics from one path I recently walked. To all the people who've shared time with me there and others who know what I'm talking about, these little sights are for you. The park never lets me down.

The start or bottom of this path.

You can see a snow capped mountain, past the grass and trees

Wide trails and thin ones

The top and the flowers

Watching "Watchmen"

2009-03-06T21:01:00.001-08:00

It was a premonition that I was defending my Star Trek love to Fran over at the Brooklyn and Boyle offices, hours before El Random Hero and I went to catch the 12:31 am screening of "Watchmen." Fran was picking on us for being such geeks and I said "You have no I idea how deep the geek hole I go." I admitted I had a Star Trek shirt and mentioned that I should go home and get it to wear tonight, just to up the geekiness of the night.

After eating at El Gran Burritto we got to the Arclight a 1/2 before our show to take in the sights of the opening of this much anticipated film.

As soon as we walked in my homie Brent came up said "Hi" and told me that Zachary Quinto was there to watch the movie. Ofcourse I told EHR that Sylar / Spock was in the house and too keep an eye out.

Near the cafe / bar they had on display three minature models of the USS Enterprise which are a part of an art show celebrating Star Trek. The art show will have some 40 different models from different artist interpreting the Enterprise. This one said it had Aztec influence. I don't see it, but it's dope nonetheless.

Next we took in some of the costumes from the "Watchmen" and some of the peeps dressed like characters from the film.

We still had some time so we posted up where we could get a view of the room and soon enough Zachary Quinto was right in front of us.

I noticed next to Quinto was JJ Abrams, the creator of LOST. OMG
I immediately sent ERH to ask for his photo too and then I saw that Quinto was kickin it with some other pretty peeps. I asked Abrams if that was is Kirk, he said "Yes that it is my Spock, Kirk and Uhura." WOW the new Star Trek crew was in the house!

I stood there mentally kicking myself for not having put on my Star Trek shirt. I could have gone up to them and said something like "Hey I know we are undercover here, you know prime directive and all, but just letting you know, I'm with you." Then I could have flash them my shirt!

I once crashed a Midnight Ridazz ride dedicated to Star Wars while wearing my Star Trek shirt. A lot of people were mad at me. I would just respond with "When you guys figure out how to time travel, mess with the space time continuum and figure out transporters, talk to me. Til then I have restrictions on how much I can interact with primitive societies." Geek on ese.

Oh yeah the "Watchmen" movie. I liked it. I expected a lil more. The fans will like it. I don't know how many peeps who like a decent detective story with super hero costumes are out there. I hope there are a lot and that they come out and see the film.

Frank Del Rio 50 th B-day

2009-03-03T19:07:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I went to Circus for an invite only b-day dinner party for legendary LA DJ Frank Del Rio.

Del Rio's DJ sets in the mid 1980's to 1990's at Circus Disco where he was the resident, as well as many other locations, were what helped shape DJ mixing styles and programming for many DJs.

He was one of the big name DJs that was both illusive and ubiquitous as only the best DJs are.

In high school I would hear about how he blended this song or that. After school I would run home to try to do the mix myself, if I even had the records. All us high school DJs, at that time, were in awe of him. To run into him, at Exodus Records in Montebello or at his record Cut Above Records on Melrose, was like bumping into a celebrity. Any record he said was cool, we would buy two copies. He was also one of the first remixers to come out of L.A. and was one of the first Latino names we got to see on the records us DJs were buying up in stacks. He let us know how far this DJ thing could go.

Of course there were other DJs we looked up to like Poison and Nemesis, but Del Rio was a resident at Circus and only the best DJs played there. Martin Rodriguez, Victor Flores, Henry De La Pe~a and Del Rio were the big four in our parlay. They set the standard for what a good DJ sounded like from spinning at Circus. To be honest us youngsters only heard mixed tapes or heard stories from people who were old enough to go to Circus.

The first time I heard Del Rio was at a 'Rock of the 80's' at Pico Rivera Sports Arena. He plugged in a reel to reel and started off with the theme from "The Twilight Zone." The rest was a seamless mix of pieces of songs I knew mixed with a lot stuff I didn't. Mind blowing, but I didn't know what the reel to reel was for.

Years later I heard him at The Red Onion in West Covina on two turntables. The night was going ok, the earlier DJ couldn't gel the crowd. As soon as Del Rio got on the sound got better, louder and the floor erupted. He had two copies of "Knock On Wood" and was looping the opening drums going back and forth between the copies. Flawless.

Years later Richard and I invited him to judge our annual Power Tools DJ contest. We hadn't seen or heard about Del Rio in a while and were so stoked that he showed up. We were more nervous than the contestants. I don't even remember who won that year.

Then Frank Del Rio disappeared.

Rumors of him living in Tijuana, going Christian, dieing, hiding out, selling cars; spread and changed over the years.

He actually got a bad case of diabetes, lost a leg from it and at one point was in a coma.
With the growth of the retro disco parties thanks to Back to Disco and other websites, Del Rio has come back and hosted his own parties with his girlfriend Annie.

When I got invited to his 50th B-day party was like being invited to the big kid's table.

As I sat there and listened to people speak on mic for all to hear about their memories with Del Rio at Circus and as a friend, while he sat on the stage surrounded by his family it really was an LA history moment. This man with the help of so many other players, promoters, DJs, lightmen, and others had really touched a generation of disco dancers from mostly the Eastside of L.A.
He is our Larry Levan, our David Mancuso, our Nicky Siano. Those guys shaped NYC DJ culture, we got ours.
Thanks Frank.

Taking Over

2009-02-23T01:22:00.000-08:00

I saw Danny Hoch's "Jails, Hospitals & Hip Hop" back in 1997 and was totally impressed. He left a great memory of a great performer with a keen ear for voices and dialects. Something I like to do when I travel is to pick up on the accents and cadences of people, Hoch is a master at this.

Walking up to the theatre I ran into Richard Montoya of Culture Clash who also have done great work capturing moments in a localized area with their works: "Radio Mambo: Culture Clash Invades Miami," and "Bordertown." Like Hoch, Culture Clash got the characters, accents and flow of the residents of their chosen locales.

Many people and reviews pumped up this show and being a Hoch fan I was ready to be impressed, again.

The issue of gentrification has been a running theme in my life in general, so I was ready to hear his spin on it to gather some more verbal artillery in my debates and maybe some insights into what else may lay ahead in the near future.

"Taking Over" focused on the people on the victim side of gentrification. Kiko was one of my favorites because he is like my real friend Henry, supper humble and cautious around people he sees as having more than himself. When Kiko goes to calling a production assistant 'sir,' who is working on a film on his block, to get his attention it struck a chord in me on how racial hierarchies are embedded in us and how easy some of us slip into the 'si senor' or 'yes massa' mode to gain favor. Another point that was verbalized by Kiko, and several other characters, was the issue of being invisible to the gentrifying hoards. One black female character says she was able to go into one of their bakeries and walk out with two almond croissants and no one even noticed.

The most impressive monologue was the Dominican taxi dispatcher. Within this Hoch played on Puerto Rican, Mexican and Dominican issues of assimilation, the American dream, language, and tensions. Calling his compatriots 'hicks' for not knowing the city or for being afraid of picking up drunk, gay, white clients was one side of this character who would later scold his son for speaking Spanish to him. He didn't want his kid to be perceived as an immigrant. Deep if you know what I mean. I busted up on his play on the Mexican accent while scolding a cab driver for supposedly selling tacos out of his cab.

Other impressive monologues for me were the French realtor, the Jewish developer and the white girl selling Mexican handbags on the street. Forgot their names, but that is of course not the point. The point is all of them see where they are as something to be changed into what they want or need. They don't want to just be, they want to colonize. The French guy was already looking for the new lands to change, the developer had the plan (including free rent to desirable clients) to create 'the real world' where people are only happy when there is shopping to be had, and the white girl who came for authenticity, but loved the changes she was a part of more than the people already there.

The Williamsburg of "Taking Over" is much like our downtown LA. The development is at the luxury condo level. In the Eastside, we are at the letting 'desirable' businesses have free or cheap rents. We still aren't hosting overpriced cafes, although we do have an overpriced bar.

My hope and my dream is that the Eastside and Los Angeles in general, like it has usually done, will break the mold of what the powers that be have in mind and shape a new model. Mother nature helps us with her earthquakes that shake off those with shallow roots. Our history that is in the air, smeared on the walls and runs invisible to non native eyes always raises its clenched fist of rebellion, or our open hand of "come in, we know you won't last long." We will outlive them. Out-last them by over populating them. Out-funk them and out they will go, to Portland most likely. We aren't an island. Yes many have been pushed out to the Inland Empire, but I believe many will be back. Its like the waves on our coast, there are small waves, then there are big ones. Our numbers on one level and our roots in another cannot be ignored. WE won't be 'si senor' -ing nor will we be invisible.

At the end Hoch summed it, "Stay home." Although he can't stay home, because they don't pay him in New York to tell New York stories, he knows that it really is better at home.

On one level it IS an immigrant story as twisted as it may seem. Latinos leave their homes to get job opportunities or avoid death. Midwestern kids migrate to leave right wing politics and religion, or maybe just boredom. We can't seem to stay home and fix our problems in our own homes. Sometimes the problems are not of our making, and some are just annoyances we build up. Either way we pick up and leave and go somewhere else where we can be who want to be, not who we are. Sometimes we forget the difference, and come up with something new and good, and other times into something bad and destructive.

I heard these words recently and I think they apply: Despite our best efforts, nothing will get done. Despite our worst efforts, what is needed gets done.

It Began With...

2009-02-10T09:13:00.003-08:00

It ended with

2009-02-10T09:13:00.001-08:00

Gung Hay Fat Choy!

2009-02-02T17:32:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday Q and I walked down to Chinatown for the Golden Dragon Parade

We thought were running late, but we actually got there right on time. They were running on CPT.

This is the first of many dragons.

The Queen and her court.

Next Dragon. I love them.

These guys got up close and would take red envelopes from peeps.

A group of dragons. Note the giant chicken in the background.

Commerce Casino princesses

Taipei's float. If you can zoom in you can see her cell phone in her hand.

Tijuana's Drum Line Los Lobos

The first group of API's for equal marriage rights. They had the largest group of marchers.

More of the equal marriage rights folks.

They were followed by Danzantes

The Ox float!!!

I missed a lot of peeps and no marching bands and drill teams. I was using my iPhone camera for the first time.
The parade is something me and Q have gone to on and off since she was a baby. We have a good time always.
These girls were helping to promo their sale and were just so out of place at the parade happening right in front of them. It's so L.A.

We walked back over the bridge. It felt shorter walking home than going.

Rourke and Eastwood

2009-01-15T12:24:00.000-08:00

Last night after G Lo and part of So. Park I switched over and caught Mickey Rourke on Jimmy Kimmel and I found myself smiling throughout the whole interview. I grew up with Mickey Rourke. One of my first girlfriends brought over a video and said we need to watch this. It was "9 1/2 Weeks" and for the next few girlfriends after that one it was required viewing. Then came "Angel Heart" and "Barfly." I then looked back at his earlier work and saw how this bad ass developed. "The Wrestler" his latest film is lyrical.

Rourke is in top physical form for a man who lived the wild life he did and is well into his 50s. He plays a pro-wrestler, 20 years past his prime. He lives in a trailer, works in an ACME market, uses a hearing aid, and puts on wrestling shows at Veterans of Foreign Wars halls. On his days off he lusts after a stripper played by the incredibly fine Marisa Tomei. After a particularly bloody and violent match, he has a heart attack which makes him see his mortality and forces him to reach out to his estranged daughter, who is rightfully very angry with daddy.

The film begins by shooting Rourke's character Randy 'The Ram' Robinson from an over the shoulder shot, giving it an almost documentary feel. The trick is used throughout the film to keep us at arms length from this caricature of man. Before we know it the film eases into a full on family drama / love story with Rourke as our flawless guide. The Ram can be a bit of 'tard but it is part of his charm as well as his weakness. All along the feelings that The Ram has to change, he deserves better, he has paid for his mistakes, he needs to be forgiven, he needs real love now are presented to us. We don't know his fate. He could just as easily walk off into the sunset with his daughter and stripper girlfriend, than crash his van and die while driving to one last wrestling match. We are cheering for him but know life is not always easy. Every dog has his day, and this dog had his days.

Rourke is doing the media rounds now that he won a Golden Globe, and I really hope he wins the Oscar. He is the type of movie star that are fewer these days. He has real talent, not just box office draw.

A week before I saw "The Wrestler" I saw a somewhat similar movie that is just as good "Gran Torino." Directed and starring another true movie star Clint Eastwood, "Gran Torino" is a slice of old Hollywood. I don't think I need to state how much I like Eastwood's Westerns and his directing. I believe I've mentioned his works here before.

When we hear Eastwood's character spew out his racial slurs, you don't know if its cute because he is an old man whose generation will all soon be gone or if its just plain ole angry white man crap. These other blog reviews say pretty much what I feel and you should check them out for a summary of what the film is about if you don't. I want focus on how Eastwood's film is similar to "The Wrestler."

Both films show the end of a man's life and the end of an era. The world changes and for the characters in both films the present and future looks like alien territory. When The Ram says "The 90's sucked" and when Eastwood realizes he has more in common with Hmong immigrants, with their old school ways, than with his own kids, both men signal that they are done living and are only surviving. They don't understand the new. They know they need to reinvent themselves but don't know how, or won't be allowed to change, or lack the energy to change. Much like in The Atlantic's "The End of White America?" by Hua Hsu (reviewed below) these white men are stuck in a moment where they are not on top and none of us know what will happen with them.

The flawed heroes of both films are only flawed because of the times we are living in. In an earlier era they would be seen just as heroes living out the last days of glorious lives. Today with our PC eyes and ears, we can see how change is good and that being a dick gets you nowhere fast.

I loved both films and plan on watching them both again and maybe again and again. They are good stories, full of rich characters, good acting and make me think that there is hope for us all. We can all change, we can break cycles within ourselves, even if we can't change the world and we can go out balls to the wall and do some good for the fans or just our neighbors. I don't want to spoil either film, so if you get it good. If not go see them.

The End of White America

2009-01-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

According to Census data, about 50% of Latinos identify themselves as white. How one identifies themselves is shaped by tons of factors both personal and social. This is why some first generation, de-indianized immigrants check off 'white' in the Census when they get the chance. Claiming white was a step closer to being a real American, even if in reality your brown skin and almond eyes signaled non-white and thus non "American."

This is all changing according to The Atlantic's "The End of White America?" by Hua Hsu. In the article Hsu looks at how white is and will be perceived in this new era of Obama-landia. He is very good at identifing the 'real' America of McCain/Palin, who love their NASCAR and how they are a shrinking population; the white America that is reacting in blogs such as Stuff White People Like and how they suffer for being white and need to beat us to the punch line about their idiosyncracies; and mentions how studying whitness in universities is signaling a fear of what it really means to be white in a world that is more and more non-white and the result is whites hating being white. Hip Hop is given a lot of credit for helping to create this world where non-whites can move on up. Diversity and multi-culturalism is examined as well in the usual form of how will we sell junk to people who are not white.

My initial reaction to the article was that it was good, but ofcourse typical in maintaining the black / white paradgimn of looking at the world. Hsu does good research but misses the fact that Latinos have been the majority in 7 of the 10 biggest US cities since the last Census. Those numbers will have increased and will continue to change the US more than hip hop and a black looking but white by culture president. The fear, debates, distribution of resources and legislation that often punishes Latinos are at the center of what is America today. Since 9/11 Brown has been the new Black.

Perceptions of what an American is will change. Hsu wrote how advertising companies herded consumers to the middle, which was white. And that was as we know wrong. What are they now proposing? Will the new center be some 'beige' non identifiable, mestizo, with more whiter features than blacker or browner features? Will that be accurate? As manufactured as the fading white mainstream, will the new multi culti mainstream be as manufactured and false? Will it leave out the jalape~o, the chicharones and banda music? Will Latinos still check off 'white' when white is a minority?

I have little hope. Just turn your t.v. to a Spanish language station. The faces are all white despite having vast Indian and mestizo majorities in all those countries. Obama may be the first step, but we got hundreds of years of slavery and mind f*&^s to get over bending over for whitey.

(for another review of this article go here, thanks Roker)

The Brown Hands of Gentrification

2009-01-07T13:09:00.000-08:00

I haven't been blogging much, nor reading blogs as much as before because there has been this conversation in my head and with my peeps about what are we really doing with the blogs and most recently a new magazine/newspaper called Brooklyn and Boyle.

The conversation basically goes like this: What is our point in writing about Boyle Hts or our Eastside in general? To counter the false hipster Eastside? To tell people to come and visit/gentrify/move into our areas because we live here, we can write blogs, went to school and so now it is safe?

It really got me thinking that we are helping to gentrify and alter the fabric of our communities. Ooops there is the buzz word "community."

We live in this community, it has been here before us and we came to be a part of it.

Many have begun to write and think that we need to create a community because it's not here. Only when there are others who write, went to school, like the same art and music and we take up a space and hang out will we have a community. How colonizer is that???!!!

Some of the spaces are like forts, art outposts, so to say where the natives aren't welcome, kept out by big gates or overpriced beer I can get for $2 next door.

I read in the first Brooklyn and Boyle a piece by a woman saying to come 'discover' Boyle Hts. WTF??? DISCOVER!!! We have been here, just cuz you just got here we are discovered? How colonizer is that?

We seem to have a lot of colonizer thinking in us. I know I do.

Even Luis Rodriguez's piece in the same issue struck me as an Ethno tourist map. I love Luis Rodriguez but when you write about a living and breathing place in the past tense as if people can now feel safe and its ok to go there because he was there, it felt like yuck.

BH has been here doing fine without the art spaces, the galleries, the cafes, the hipster-o newspapers, as a community for Raza who work, raise kids, have parties on the weekends, eat at the great restaurants and go to the beautiful parks. Why do we feel we need to let the world know we are here? Do we need their approval? Are we lacking tourist dollars?

I'm at home here. I don't tell peeps what is in my kitchen, the art I have up, the people that visit me. Well maybe in a way that is what this blog has been.

I'm thinking instead of selling our area to fit into some idea of community, what we as writers from areas like BH need to do is start telling the world how we see the world around us. No one ever asks us what we think about Palestine's fight; Obama-landia, or right wing Christians. No one ever asked us if it was now safe to come and visit our home, yet we can't stop selling it.

(I'm going to visit some exotic area like Reseda and write about the cool stuff I discovered like the Vietnamese Vegan Pho spot on Sherman Way and how straight their streets are.)

I guess I'm repenting for writing in this blog about Al and Bea's and other spots I love around here, they are doing just fine without my pimping them.

The other day I went to a spot and the owner's son was chatting with me. I told him about the changes that are coming due to the trains and gentrification. He didn't even blink. He just looked around at his packed restaurant full of families with kids, viejitos and mariachis taking a break and said, "I'm not worried about it. We got our regulars."

Indeed maybe us writers/artists/community builders (more like blind to community) are making this bigger than it needs to be. The regulars will be here, all visitors will come and eventually go.

As Anzaldua wrote: "This land was Mexican once, Indian always and will be again." I guess I can say this land was/is colonized Chuppy once, Raza always and will be again.

Che movie review

2009-01-03T02:14:00.000-08:00

I went to see the new Soderbergh "Che" movie at the Nuart, all 5 hours of it with a 20 minute intermission. It is two films, part one is about Che meeting Castro and the fight for Cuba for los Cubanos and part two is about Che attempting to assist rallying peeps in Bolivia to make Bolivia for Bolivians.
The pacing of the film might lose some peeps unfamiliar with the history as it jumps from pre revolution, to fighting in the mountains, to Che's NYC visit to the U.N. Aside from some corny cameos from Lou Diamond Philips and Matt Damon, the film runs with a smooth intensity equal to Guevara's speeches. Actually LDP fits his role very well as an all talk wishy washy communist leader that double crosses. Damon has a quick scene as a German priest. Ofcourse this is Del Toro's show and he keeps all eyes on him, except when Demian Bichir's Castro is in the scene or nearby, but that is how it seems it was. Castro was the MAN, the leader, etc. and so when he came around he was the center. Soderbergh helps you feel the stress, dissapointment, achievement, pride, loss and gains, pain and stench of living a revolutionary life in the mountains trying to get peasants on your side of a fight that they know is for their own good, but may be either too afraid to join or have no other choice but to join. Each scene says something, no shot is taken without having a tale to tell. The film moves and breathes as the life of Che, with beauty, class, asthma attacks, patience, detail, a faith in mankind and ofcourse love. When the two films come out later this year (very soon), part one will definately be welcomed as it has the Hollywood ending of liberating Cuba for Cubanos, the second film will be a hard sell since it seems obvious from the start that the Bolivians were not ready to fight and we all know Che will die in the end. I recommend you go see the two parts together while you still can.

Russian predicts Cali will become a part of China

2008-12-29T23:32:00.000-08:00

Found this story thanks to Raymond Roker and just loved this part:

"California will form the nucleus of what he calls "The Californian Republic," and will be part of China or under Chinese influence. Texas will be the heart of "The Texas Republic," a cluster of states that will go to Mexico or fall under Mexican influence. Washington, D.C., and New York will be part of an "Atlantic America" that may join the European Union. Canada will grab a group of Northern states Prof. Panarin calls "The Central North American Republic." Hawaii, he suggests, will be a protectorate of Japan or China, and Alaska will be subsumed into Russia."
read whole story

Q-Vo?

2008-12-16T14:48:00.000-08:00

It has been a while. Haven't been feeling too open figuratively and time wise especially. End of the year, sabes? Finals, papers to correct, being a son, being a father can put writing into cyberlandia farther in my mind.

- Some students pull it together in the end, right on time, some too late and some sadly just lose it.
- I need to get them their papers back so they know what they need to work on, my eyes hurt sometimes from the screen light.
- Mom is fighting a new cancer and praying, calling, and checking in can make me lock myself inside only to peek out when I have to.
- Q got busted with her first millennial pre-teen issue and she needs to know changes do suck sometimes, but it will all be alright.

But life is good also.
Always

I got good peeps around me. All year good people have supported me in many ways, helped me grow and be better. I don't starve in any sense of the word: love, food, health, wealth, etc.
Gracias to mi Roci n my Q, mis curanderas/os, and my jale.
I made my first Thankstaking turkey in my house. Q called him Bob. Thanks to Chef Bubba for his excellent cooking advice.

This week the holiday parties are hitting hard:
Thurs. RV @ the Heist at Florentine's
Fri. Ugly X-mas Sweater Party at ELA Mkt. #3
Sat. Tree Trimming and Mole at Casa de la Bruja Mafufa
Sun. Annual Factory Party
plus the various holiday sales like the Anti Mall. If you don't know you better ask someone.

Tune into Groove Radio .com and listen to the Holiday Groove an annual mix of over 40 DJs recorded live a couple of weeks ago at an amazing party. CLICK on LISTEN NOW

I want my bailout...

2008-11-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

I want to buy myself a big ole TV
Travel with my gf and mi hija
Buy my mom and dad a house
Fix the building I live in
Pay artists to paint my walls
Feed some family-less peeps
Get me a new PS2 and an Xbox too
New shoes and clothes would be nice
Fix and detail my car
Heck, sell it and get a hybrid
Get wall to wall carpet
Solar panels on the roof
Double pane windows
Some tix to see G. Lopez
Native desert plants around the house
Some new CDJs and Technics would be great
Dodger and Laker tickets
Donate to Self Help Graphics and KPFK
Buy some Chicano/a art

Charge it all, and say "ooops I messed up, I over spent, can I get a bailout? I need one 'cause I have to pay my artists, my mechanic, the stores I owe, the workers I hired, the bills I owe, or people will be out of work! I need to pay my debts with your help Uncle Sam 'cause I messed up."

Do I need to send someone to DC to speak on my behalf?
I would need to pay them too. I would be creating jobs and helping the economy by doing that.
Do I need to contribute to politicos campaigns so I can get a bailout?
Give me some tax payer money, I will give it to the politicos, they will give me my bailout, and I can pay all the people I owe and keep people employed, businesses open, and the economy humming.

Am I being too idealistic? Unrealistic?

Well if the government can help the big guys, they should be able to help me. I won't cost them $700 billion. A couple million would do.

I want my bailout.

Let's go shopping!

Aftermath...

2008-11-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

A Black President Elect is in effect
Thanks to years of Black faces making us laugh, cry, dance, sing, think, feel, love
Top ticket/box office heroes: Will Smith, Micheal Jordan, Muhammad Ali, Oprah, Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, etc. etc. etc.
the activists, the fighters, the writers
the daily faces and voices on the frequencies
so many to name, leaving a wide wake for yesterday to happen.

This country came to terms, to some degree.
Amen.

Yet, here in California, and in other states, we oppressed and denied rights to our relatives who fall in love with the same sex.
We came far, but not far enough.

REALITY BITES

How long will the honeymoon last? How long will we keep knocking on doors to tell people what they should be doing to make this country better? Telling them how they should choose to live their life. Telling them to turn off the lights when they leave a room, don't take such long showers, buy organic, walk or ride a bike rather than drive, go bio diesel, bring their own bag to the market, avoid plastics, plant a tree, plant desert plants, do this, do that, stop this, try that, start this, choose this, give up this, take that.

We were so ready to hop on planes and buses to get a man into office, but will we keep doing the work? Is he really going to solve it all? Did he get into office on his own? Or do we still have to go knocking and calling people?

Hope is good, it is great in fact.

Personally I prefer Truth to know what the fight really looks like, so I voted proudly for Ralph Nader. Some say he is old and out of date, irrelevant even, a blowhard that uses shock to get attention, but he tells the truth with research to back himself, even if we don't know how to deal with the truth. Even if the truth will REALLY change the world into something we don't know and thus fear.

Real change is loaded with fear. Little changes are easy and painless and usually don't last very long. Real change is hard, scary and sometimes painful. In this stage of the game we need real change and that comes with a cup of real truth.

Nader said this about Obama. It is very rough but it is a question Obama is facing, not a statement or judgement. Will he really serve those who knocked on doors for him, or those corporations that have run Washington for so many years?

I wonder if Palin and her fans know there is even a book called "Uncle Tom's Cabin?"
FYI: The historic term Uncle Tom refers to a black man who is subservient to whites. In this case subservient to corporate power.

Nader @ 2:28: "I said, that's the question he has to answer. He can become a great President or he can become a toady for the corporate powers that have brought both parties to their knees against working people in this country. And have allowed our country to be high jacked by global corporations who have no allegiance to this country other than to ship its jobs and industries to fascist and communist dictators abroad who know how to keep their workers in their place. This is reality, not show business..."

We are expecting a great President from Obama.
I hope our expectations are met and we get real change.

undaground...

2008-10-13T10:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I hit "The Heist" at Florentine Gardens. I hadn't been there in about 13 years, since the days of "The Dome." It was trip to be there and see Kenny McKenzie, the owner and some of the bouncers from back then still at the door. I got there with Swedish Egil and Outer around 11:25 pm. We were meeting up with Paul Oakenfold, whom Egil has been working with on remixing classics from Oakey's collection. This night we were all there to hear David Delano drop his remix of "Don't Want To Hold You" by Bad Apples during his set. Joseph Wham (aka JC Dakota/Joseph Christopher) was there also checking out this huge night put together by Hyphe Crunk (Mark Rodriguez), DJ Score, Eric Neutron and The Spys. Later in the evening Richard Vission rolled in with LMFAO and DJ Syphe.

This is the hot spot to be. There are usually 1,100 peeps in the place on a Thursday night. Its been a while that the 18 & over scene has been into house music or techno, with these numbers and consistency, outside of the rave scene. Talking to peeps, Steve Aoki had a lot to do with this new generation feeling the vibe, and you can see it in the fashions, mix styles and attitudes in the heads that fill The Heist. Pure energy is what is there. Its quite refreshing after all these years of 21&over clubbing where peeps are busy buying drinks or smoking instead of dancing their tight jean asses off.

Friday night I did the Midnight Ridazz DISCORDIAN RIDE, as usual spokes and beats on the streets of LA fun.

Saturday night I went to Robotech in a warehouse in So. Central and caught a back to back set by DJ Dan and Ron D. Core on vinyl spinning classic techno. WOW. The numbers were a little low.
I'm guessing peeps are saving their money for all the huge upcoming Halloween parties like Monster Massive, or they all lost money on the stock market LOL.

Either way things are looking very healthy in the underground. But that always happens in times of economic downturns, loss of jobs and insecurity of the future. Escapism rules. It makes many more be creative, other peeps make babies, and some do a lot more drugs. Be cool foo'

Sum Summer's End pics

2008-10-02T16:57:00.000-07:00

Ozomatli entering Hollywood Bowl

Grand Av. Fest. afro beat band with City Hall

Grand Av. w. Disney Hall looking ghostly

inside Disney Hall with Daka Hip Hop Orchestra

Drum Circle

Trying to catch up...

2008-09-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Its been whirlwind like in Pachucoville, the 3 D version, and have missed blogging, missed some important events, had some great moments and of course fun.

I miss blogging only in so far as writing. I like it. I know I am not the best, or even good by some standards, but it is a form of meditation for me. Carlos Castaneda wrote in one of his books about how we all need to recapitulate or remember our life day by day to see ourselves and understand how we interact with the world. This is to help us reach our highest potential. He recommended we do this in an enclosed space where our energy would not go out too far and outside energies could not swoop in on us and cause us harm in our open state. I don't know how this blogging affects my energy but so far, so good.

Last Friday I drove to work because we missed the late train. At 4:30 pm I got the first call letting me know about the Metrolink crash. It was followed by several text messages hoping I was OK. Thanks to my peeps for the love and care. I was not and would not have been on that train. We did lose a CSUN student and two staff members were banged up. Our department is raising money for her funeral costs.

Later that night we went salsa dancing. I felt a little weird about it because I really thought about what had happened, but at the same time we need to celebrate and enjoy the time we have.

The next day was a full schedule: Harry Gamboa Jr. was having an art opening at Patricia Correia; our last chance to catch Raul Campos at Moonshadows before the weather gets too cold to go to Malibu, and the Soul Rebel Radio fundraiser.

The best part of Saturday was getting to mix for 4 hours at home, something I haven't been able to do since the Featuring The Lights and Sounds show started. On another musical tip, another highlight, was that I took my djembe to the Soul Rebel Radio fundraiser and participated in the jam session which featured Will Dog of Ozomatli on bass. I played along for two hours and I didn't even feel it. It was so good.

Sunday we did breakfast with my parents at my new favorite spot Casa de Moles La Tia. They are in the old Tamales Lilliana's space on Chavez east of Ford. I kept my eye on them, but never saw a crowd in there so I figured it might not be that good. Then I read this post and Adrian of G727 wanted to go there after a meeting we had, and it was the BOMB! To be honest I went three times in one week!

-pictured is the chilaquiles plates and the enfrijoladas plate.