So far, so fast...

Life is at this speed that makes me feel like I can split into a bunch of pieces, and that would be a good thing since I got to be doing so many things.

-DoD was great. Q n I did go to the cemetary to see grandma and grandpa. Grandma I grew up with, Grandpa died in 1945, so all I knew was the stories I heard about him from my mom and grandma. We bought them cookies, laid out my yoga mat and ate tortas, as we cleaned their tombstones and laid flowers on them. I told her stories of how strong my grandma was bing able to lift old bathtubs and how amazing her beans were. An elder came by us o visit his wife who had passed 15 years ago. He talked to us about the saint on my grandparents tombs and told us he was the Santo Ni~a de la torcha (sp?), the patron saint of Zacatecas and of miners. My grandpa was a miner! And they were both from Zacatecas! I was impressed with him. He got on his cell phone and called one of his sons telling him "Don't forget to come to the cemetary today, es el dia del panteon, Mexican style." My daughter paid close attention to him despite not really understanding him.

-Later that night we were at DoD at SHG here are some pics:


























-I've been re-working my thesis on DJ Culture of East L.A. because lately I've been having a lot of talks with different people on this subject of Chicano DJs, music, art, space and how we fit in the global DJ culture. When I have a good edited copy I'll pass it on to you if you ask.

-A couple of Saturdays ago I was quoted in Agustin Gurza's LA Times column commenting on my homeboy DJ Raul Campos or try copy and paste this:http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-et-culture20oct20,1,5852472.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

-It is almost the end of the semester and papers are piled up. I am confident in all my students, so its been good reading not just because they are bright, but because I gave them good ideas and fodder to fill their brains with before letting spew on the keyboard. I've had a great semester despite a rough beginning due to some health issues.

-Looking forward to two great rides this coming weekend:
http://www.midnightridazz.com/forums.php?topicId=944
and
http://www.midnightridazz.com/viewStory.php?storyId=760

I just hope my stack of papers is smaller by then.

Day of the Dead, burnout or ...

This year I'm feeling a lil burned out on the whole Day of the Dead thing.
This year I have also been witness to a couple of friends who lost family this year and all they went through including rosaries every Sunday, the few visits a week to the cemetary, the no parties- no drinking promises, the wearing of black clothes. This made grief, loss, and remembering the dead come into a new focus for me.

Last year I began to look DoD celebrations as mostly a day for local artists to sell stuff with calaveras. The year before a compa~era pulled out a 'Day of the Dead: In a Box' novelty gift she found online. It was designed by two non- Chicanas and all the pieces including tiny skulls, altar, serapes and such were made in China.

I was not raised with a lot death around me. The deaths in my family were not too close and my immediate family was never about all the rituals many other families do when death visits a loved one. We mourn, bury, miss, remember and then forget in a sense.

DoD was cool when I first started going to them at the beginning of the 1990's. I saw it as a big middle finger to Catholicism and the Western views of death. We Chicano/as were bringing up one of our ancient rituals to show everyone (including ourselves) just how complex and deep we are. I liked going to see the altars that some of the artists I read about and some that I knew would design with such detail and care.

When I finally saw what greiving and mourning looked like in a more real way, I began to question what these DoD were really about. Were they just another excuse for a party? Ain't nothing wrong with that, we need to come together and clebrate any chance we get. Were they just a chance for artists to make a lot of money selling kitschy art that wouldn't normally sell? Nothing wrong with that, artists need to make money. Yet I am feeling burned on it. I do think the soul of coming together to share, create, and grow together around an ancient system of beliefs is fading away and being replaced more with trinket collecting and sales.

I take my daughter EVERY year to DoD at SHG. This year will be no different. But this year we might just add a trip to the cemetary to see grandma before we go to SHG.

running out of '07

October, Halloween, corn mazes, searching for the right accesories for the best costume, making sure I got love for the best parties. Looking forward to getting back on the bike for the Midnight Ridazz Heavy Metal Ride this weekend, after what seemed like too long a break; Chumpy's b-day on the 19th in Fullerton; Hollywood Roosevelt and Sports Arena, maybe Sublevel.
Novemeber diving deep into the Chicana/o psychosis, socialization, and expressions in my 100 class; Day of the Dead's various locations, champurado and tamales on street corners in the A.M., cool Scorpio b-day parties, and Thankstaking food and hopefully a get away.
December's end of the semester, party after party, food and drinks, dang I gotta workout more.

They say '08 is going to be BIG.

DJ Culture pt. 1

I hosted my radio show's 15th anniversary this Sunday. 15 years of what I think is the best music mixed by the best DJs in the world. I need to vent.

I love DJing, DJs, talking about DJing, and all that DJs have done; shown us that beauty is in the mix. Most of the DJs that I have met over the years have been great people. All of them turn into hyper kids when we talk about music and DJing as only DJs with other DJs can talk.

My journey with DJing started in backyard parties in ELA. Later, I DJed halls, restaurants and banquet rooms. I eventually went into the warehouses, sports arenas, forests, beaches, and the Queen Mary! I dream about DJing more than anything else. I am addicted.

I wrote my Master's thesis on DJs of East L.A.

Can't wait to get home today and spin for an hour or so.

This coming weekend, also on the Queen Mary, DJs older than me, that inspired and taught me the tricks of DJing are doing their own party, celebrating their era of DJing. All respect, I know how they feel about it.

Once a DJ always a DJ. Anyone I have met who was once a DJ and quit it all together is one sad vato. Once you are hooked by the mix you need to do it every now and then to feel it, hear it, bump to it, and share it.

DJing is existential, when you are riding two records and they are totally synched on beat, key, and structure you are in a space that will only exist for that moment. When you are digging through the crate for the next record you are in space in the future, imagining what record will sound best with the one that is currently playing. You are predicting (or knowing) exactly how your dancefloor is going to react. You are in the moment and a little ahead of it, pushing it, raising the volume, moving a group into another space.

Today, with your I-pod, everyone can make their own playlist. Everyone is a DJ, to a degree. amen...

Horchata vs. Tamarindo, who drinks what?

The other day at La Parilla in BH, Y ordered her usual tamarindo and I my usual horchata.
As she left me to wash her hands I had an epiphany as I sneaked a sip of her drink. It was so sweet! Too sweet in fact.
In my head I flashbacked to all the times I have ordered horchata as other friends ordered tamarindo. As I ran in my head through all those moments I realized that my fellow US born pocho pals usually ordered horchata (or jaimaica) while my non- US born pals usually order tamarindo.
Is this true?

So please answer me this you Pachucoville cruisers: DO US born Chicano/as prefer Horchata to Tamarindo and non US born Chicanoa/s prefer Tamarindo to Horchata.

And why?

La Buena Vida...

Maybe it is the remaining shards of Catholic guilt that have me feeling a lil guilty for having it so good these days.
Then the other lil voice says "you manifested this, the universe provides."
Then the other lil voice says, "well you know, after the good comes the bad, enjoy it now."
And finally the last of my schizophrenia based vocies chimes in with "Only a person with lil imagination lives within their means, and homes you got an imagination!"

Its been one non stop party since last week.

Friday we wrapped up Summer Bridge with few tears but lots of love and hope. Had a beer with the other profs after we sent the kids home. Got hm, got the Q and dug into two days of Wii.
By Saturday I was almost pro level in tennis and boxing. Q wants to train more and then go toe to toe again.

Sunday I hosted a lil party on the Queen Mary for my radio show. Y and I got there about 1:30pm, got our room, met with the sound peeps, and Nina, one of our good friends and performers. Y and I ran off to pick up supplies for our room and a day's length of partying. Got back in time to drop my set and run the system for Nina. After that. Party time. I took most of my DJs down to the room, set them up and got them on the decks on time. Pics and vids at here, here
and there. Beautiful people, great music, all love for the radio show, great friends, absolutely dope! That night crashed in the room and was visited by various sounds, feelings and scares, that place is freaking haunted!!!
(We'll be having another party on 9/16 come out if you think you can handle)

Monday, I woke up stiff. My back was all messed up. Either way made it to the famous El Rodeo and then had day one of luxurious lounging. Picked up "Reno 911" and some Thai film that was long and dissapointing.

Tuesday: Ragin Waters. The hottest day of the week and I'm at a water park. What? Don't hate.

Wednesday: Pretty much chilled out with good peeps, and more good music all day, into the night, in different spaces.
It's called vacation.

Thursday: Glen Ivy Hot Springs for Y's b-day!!!! WOW. We took an ice chest full of great munchies. Met up with some great friends. Word of the day: MUD. ahhhh. Later came home to dig into more munchies and homie MP brought by the Baskin Robbins Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake.

Today: hey, I hope you are feeling it like I'm feeling it.

Yes shit is bad around the world, in the back yard even, but you need to appreciate the days with the great friends you are given.
Thanks! All love.

Summer Bridge '07

This is what has kept me from writing in my blog.

It is the Education Opportuniy Program Summer Bridge where we bring in 120 students who are first generation college studets, are members of an underepresented group or something like that.

I got a great group of 27 students. They all commute here everyday, some as far as Watts, getting up at 4 am in those cases to hop on buses & trains to get here by 8:30am. I've had very little absences and few tardies. This alone is impressive for students who had just been in high school hearing bells and dodging tardy cops.

Tommorrow is the last day of the program. Today was their final exam, pot luck and we watched "Idiocracy" by Mike Judge.

I will have them in the Fall semester which starts in about two weeks.

These 6 weeks were all warm up to being a college student. They just had one professor, all day in one room, one tutor per room, computer labs open just for them, they were fed every week after watching a film and discussing it, and sometimes they got more food on Wednesdays after pitching in $2 to learn about collective shopping. They basically had the campus to themselves. What happens to them after the first week of seeing the other 35,000 students will be the real test if their little community will keep together. I hope so.

They are all very bright and hopeful. They want to help each other succeed. I really hope they live this the next 4-6 yrs some may be here.