It's Daaaaaaamn Hot!!

Summer is almost over...almost, right? Nights like these make me forget that I live in Laredo and that there are only two seasons in this town. Hot as hell and not that hot. I should be used to this by now, having lived here for most of my life, but I'm just not.

I've lived three hours South and it's not as hot as here. In the evening, you can feel a breeze no matter where you might find yourself in the Valley. I've also lived in Idaho. Seasons actually exist there! Even during the summer, there will be some nights when you have to wear a sweater cuz it can get kinda nippy. It's been a while since my last visit over there. Things might have changed, what with this global warming going around, but Laredo is freakin' hot.

According to my dad, we've gotten used to the luxury of having air conditioners readily available. Back in the hay-day, the temperature wasn't much different between the inside a house and outside. I guess your body would get used to the weather and going outside wouldn't be as much of a shock as it is now. I disagree with dear ol' dad, though. I say it's hotter today than it was back when we were little. I haven't researched it but I'm pretty sure there's some science out there that proves me right.

A while back, La Guera del Norte, wrote a piece about how she started using a sun visor in her car. I too shared her sentiment that visors were more often used by an older generation and weren't really necessary by the younger crowd. Uh, I've recently started using that thing too. It's amazing the change in temp when that thing's in place. Now I don't burn my hands on the steering wheel. Don't get me wrong, it's still scalding hot, it's just not that scalding hot. Like Ms. del Norte, I too have gotten burned by the belt buckle thing. The sun visor is now my friend.


Oh well, I ain't complaining, I'm just saying. I'm looking forward to the fall and winter. Well, whatever fall and winter is in Laredo. Until then, I'm gonna make sure not to leave anymore unopened soda cans in my car. Recently, I had left one in my cup holder. Well, this is what I found when I returned to my car after a full day's work.

it didn't stand a chance against the Laredo heat

I've heard of cans exploding in the freezer but cans popping from the heat? Hasta eso, it didn't really burst cuz there was no splatter anywhere. I dunno, just might have to research it, but now I know: use the sun visor and don't leave anymore soda cans in the car.

Hang in there Laredoans...the worst is almost over.

Home Sweet Home

There are few places in this world where I feel safe. I'm the kinda person that seeks familiarity; a sanctuary where I can center myself. For me, my reprieve comes at my dad's house.

We moved into that house back when I was starting the fourth grade. It was big back then, and it's even bigger now due to the fact that only my dad and youngest brother live there. Even though my dad has never liked it (even though it was built the way he asked for), it's been home base for over seventeen years.

Recently, he's been prepping it to put it on the market. Because of the fact that he's never felt comfortable in the house, and most of us have moved out, he wants a smaller house. My brother is helping him paint the rooms, one at a time. My room (well old room) was no exception.

work in progress, but it's not mine anymore

My haven had been painted Pepto-Bismal pink since the time I moved in. I had glow in the dark stars that decorated my ceiling. I remember nights when I'd lay in my bed and stare at those stars for hours until they dimmed and disappeared. Well, it all went away and my room went back to being sterile, bland, and white. The only imprints of my existence are the thumb tack holes on the walls. I can't deny that a feeling of panic set in knowing that I really can't go back home. But then again, knowing my dad, he'll make space for me somewhere.

Every other day, I'll go to my dad's seeking a break. Being a single parent leaves you with almost no breathing room. Work and my daughter are both full-time jobs, so I go to my dad's to let mija play outside and visit with her 'dad', tio, and tia. While she's running around at full speed, I'm allowed time to sit down and visit with people that understand me better than I understand myself.

love love love the conchas

There's another sneaky reason why I love to visit my dad. He already knows more or less what days I visit so he makes sure to have pan dulce at the ready. Our favorite bakery has always been El Mejor Pan so as soon as he's outta work, he'll jet over to the bakery, buy our favs, and head home before I get there. He always makes it seem like it was just my luck that he went to buy bread. Dad just has that kinda heart.

who needs Whataburger?

Second part to that reason, my dad makes some awesome food. Since we were kids, my dad never liked eating out. We were allowed to eat out one day outta the week and that was usually Fridays. Other than that, it was home-cooked meals all the way. So there will often be times when I get to his house and he's made carñe guisada, picadillo, fideo, arrozo, or pollo en el orno. His frijoles are the number requested food at all family gatherings; they really are delicious. When I get there, he'll always say "Mija, sirvete pa que comas. There's more than enough." Believe me, there hasn't been a time when I resist.

Going to my dad's is my connection to sanity and to the way things were before. For example, last weekend, my brothers and I got together there to re-live a Friday from back when we were kids. We ordered Pizza Hut (the only fast food luxury allowed back then), crowded around the TV in the living room, and watched The Thing (1982 version). That's definitely our definition of a perfect weekend evening.

Dad's evolved over the years. He's become softer, even though he'll deny it till the bitter end. My lil girl has him wrapped around her pinkie. They both adore each other. He was beyond strict with us but I guess that's what we needed. My mom's in the picture but things are different with her. She's still my absolute best friend, but divorce is a nasty, nasty thing. That's a topic for another day and time.

my barrio has been home for my entire life

If you ever wonder, where F in L is spending her weekend, I'll be at my daddy's house...trying to find answers in the past. I haven't had much success but the search has been fun.

Late Night Blogging

It's been kinda slow around here lately. There ain't really much to write about so I've been kinda grasping at straws. I've also been dealing with a series of headaches that I've been trying to fight by going to sleep early so it doesn't leave much of a chance for writing.

See, I blog at night; after my baby finally goes to sleep. Blogging while my kiddo is awake is nearly impossible and I really don't feel right not giving her my full attention. So often times, it'll be way after midnight when I finally start posting things.

Therefore, please, please excuse my grammar mistakes. Most of the time (at least, I think) I'm able to catch the mistakes before I publish. But there have been a few times when I re-read entries and mistakes will litter the page. Since I'm kinda a perfectionist, I will go back and correct them, but since now you know what the deal is, I won't freak out and feel the need to go back and edit.

I minored in English but that really don't matter much since I don't really use it on a daily basis. So my sincerest apologies. Hope you understand.

Oh, and I know the Spanish is horrendous....mil disculpas.

Current Playlist

Music makes me happy. It makes me reminisce about the good times, the not so-good times, and makes me optimistic about what possibilities tomorrow can breed. Contrary to popular belief, I’m not really a pessimistic person. I really am not, I swear. Sure I don’t embrace the rose-tinted glasses as often as I should, but I try to remain upbeat and music makes that goal a little bit more attainable.

As told in prior entries, I grew up listening to whatever my father liked. He always listened to the oldies: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, The Bee Gees, Moody Blues, and Elton John. My mother’s taste of music left one huge dent : Juan Gabriel. I was so in love with him. I’d listen to his cassettes and sing my heart out. I’d imagine that he was crooning those words to me. Of course I had no idea what he was saying and didn’t have a clue that I would never be his type. What a cruel world it is…..anyways…my childhood was ruled by the 60s. There was a teeny, tiny period when the 70s captured my fascination. Donna Summers, KC and the Sunshine Band, ‘take me down to funky town’….come on, the dancing episodes were spectacular!

I’ve already spoken about my tejano habit back in the 90s, so I won’t dwell much on that. My early teenage years were driven by what La Mafia, La Fiebre, Los Palominos, and Selena’s lyrics dictated to me. I was cool, with my outlandish Jamaican inspired get-up (I vividly remember that particular outfit…it probably would’ve gotten me beat up in school if I wore it now), my huge Walkman attached to my hip, and those monstrous headphones that embraced my ears in a sweaty hug. There was none of those discreet ear pieces that I now own…nnnambre, I was happy with those giant ear muffs. As long as I had my musica, I was doing goooood. 

I used to own a shirt like this....you can imagine the comments I'd get

During my rebellious teen years, alternative rock was my thing. My fav store was Hot Topic and any article of clothing that had tons of chains, zippers, glitter, and the happy bunny were my staples. My rebellion was also spelled out on my backpack with safety pins and liquid paper writing on it. I had tiny pins that stated ‘you suck’, ‘bite me’, and some that declared my homage to various bands like Linkin Park, Matchbox 20, NIN, and my all time favorite group, Bush. I think Glycerine was the theme song to my teenage angst-ridden years. Gavin just seemed to understand my situation.

I belonged to that group of emo kids before it was considered cool. The only bad thing about my awesome attire was that I’d always get the chains on my pants hooked on the bus seats when I’d try to get down at the VMT (magnet school). People would also steal my pins which, although they were small, were freakin' expensive. Let me tell you, being a goth/punk kid wasn’t easy. Oh, and don’t forget the blue bangs. Yup, I was rockin' it.

My college years were filled with the classical stuff: Chopin, Mozart, Bach, Beethoven; I especially loved the piano sonatas. It wasn’t because I was a nerd (ok, I am, but that’s beside the point) but because I had read research that had found that studying while listening to classical music helped you retain information better. Well, it was either the music or my nerdy tendencies that helped me breeze through college. Also during that time period…it’s my deep, dark secret….I was a huge (BIG) reggaeton fan. Yes, it was kinda a 180 from the classics, it was what it was. I even managed to go to a couple of concerts headlining some of reggaeton’s heavy hitters: Don Omar, Daddy Yankee, Rakin y Ken-Y, and even Tito El Bambino for good measure. 

 Ah yes, my fling with reggaeton made me do some weird things. No, I ain’t referring to those weird things. I’d constantly venture to that club (rhymes with beers) cuz the atmosphere lent itself to reggaeton dancing. But that phase was just that, a phase, a fad, which eventually fizzled out. Now my taste in music has, somewhat, matured.

I’m not saying I have, or ever had, any taste in music, but I thoroughly enjoy what I listen to, obviously. One day I can cheerfully be listening to The Beatles, the next day The Cars , other weeks The Smiths, the following month Breaking Benjamin, and the next I’ll be tuned in to the 90s pop station on Pandora. Yes, my tastes are quite varied but there are two genres I won't touch: tejano and country. For some reason, I just can’t make myself listen to them. La Mafia and La Fiebre make me want to start drinking and country makes me want to cry from all the heartache.

I wanted to work on a top five all-time favorite song list but that would be extremely hard cuz there’s so much to choose from so I’m gonna list the top five songs that I currently have on repeat. So, in no particular order:

Gang of Four: Damaged Goods- To be honest, I’d never heard of them before but I ran into this song on YouTube and liked it.

Tonic: Mean to Me-A friend introduced me to this song. By the lyrics, I figured he was complaining about my being mean to him; but that’s his fault cuz he continues to stick around.

Erasure: A Little Respect- There’s a special place in my heart for their other popular song, Always, but for some odd reason this song was playing in my brain all last week. Don’t read too much into it…I guess I must’ve heard it somewhere.

Breaking Benjamin: Crawl-Sometimes I need to hear a little rock to make the day go by faster. The lyrics to this particular song also hit close to home.

The Smiths: Half A Person- There are a whole bunch of songs I could list here but this one is the one I’ve been playing often this week. My love affair with The Smiths is a fairly new thing. I gotta give it up to Pandora’s The Cure station, otherwise I’d never know of them.

There ya go, these are the canciones that make me smile.

Tire-d Tuesday

I'm back from my last mini-break of the summer. I kinda share the same sentiments the kiddos are having about the summer being over and going back to school. Y eso que I'm not attending school.

I didn't have summer vacations like they did, but work did slow down a bit. Now that the school year has taken off, so will my work load. I ain't really complaining because as it's been said before: idle hands are the cucuy's play things.

But I noticed a couple of things upon my arrival from my trip up-state. Time passes by super fast, my lil girl can survive without me, and my dad's neighborhood has acquired some, um, decorations.

adds a certain je ne sais pas to the barrio

Alright, alright, so I saw all the other blogs posting tire pics so I jumped on the band wagon. It just so happens I didn't have to go far to find random llantas littering the streets. What's even sadder is that if I had turned a little to the left, there would've been two additional tires in front of another house. Seems like the neighbors did a lil summer cleaning, except they didn't bother to pick up their mugrero.

Thanks to BT Blues, a tire on the street will never be just a tire on the street. Now it's a photo opportunity and a way to showcase Laredoan's landscaping abilities. Also as a chance to poke fun at Laredo.

Then again, those opportunities are readily available.  

Pick My Brain

Borrowing a page from a fellow blogger (imitation is the best form of flattery, right?) but lacking his finesse at this type of thing, I wanted to share two things that are currently fluttering around in my head.

Song of the moment:

If you need a friend,
don't look to a stranger.
You know in the end,
I'll always be there.

And when you're in doubt,
and when you're in danger,
Take a look around,
and I'll be there.

Movie quote that struck a chord:

"Did anyone ever tell you you're too good to be true?"

"No only that I'm too truthful to be good."



Annnnd I'm off to explore the world....I'll be in touch.

Angelito

As I embark on yet another road trip (don't worry, this one's not for pleasure), I will again be taking a brief recess from my lil blog. I promise I'll be on the lookout for awesome pics and I will work tirelessly on coming back with fantastic pieces (please, don't hold your breath).

But before I depart, I wanted to introduce you to the newest member of mi familia. By the way, don't worry about my putting his identity at risk. He doesn't look like this anymore. He's changed quite a bit since his introduction into the world a couple of months ago....so please, read on knowing that he's very safe wherever he is.



ain't he adorable!!



I have now officially joined the ranks of tia-hood. It was about damn time! Now my parents have two grand kids, a boy and a girl. Mija now has to share her throne which she doesn't really seem to mind. Then again, she probably won't feel it for another couple of years. 

It's interesting to see one of my brothers take on the role of daddy. I'm used to seeing him as the immature kid who would annoy the heck outta me when we were younger. Hmm...strike that. He hasn't changed at all, except now he has a lil boy.

Finally our family is starting to expand but at a very slow pace. See, I don't plan on having any other children and my other two brothers are not quite ready (huge understatement) to set aside their own wants and needs in order to fit in another human being; aside, of course, from their wives...ahem...sure.

Having my daughter and this lil bundle of joy around makes me realize two things:

1. It'd be nice to have another baby.

2. My daughter brings me back to reality.

But one thing I have definitely learned is to never say never. Who knows what the future may hold. For now I'll worry about raising my lil girl and helping my bro and sis-in-law with their parenting skills. Yes, cuz I'm such an excellent parent....ahem...sure.

Hairy Situations

I've been battling my hair since I was a kid. I really don't know how to describe my hair. It's not curly where I have those nice, bouncy curls. It's not wavy cuz it has more curl than it should. It sure ain't straight. Best word to describe it would be quebrado...which is fitting because for a long time it looked like it was broken.

A couple of years ago, I learned of this invention that made my hair a bit more manageable: the flat iron. Yes, that baby has helped me quite a bit. I've learned, more or less, what style is best for my hair but don't think for a second that the faithful chongo is out of the picture. It's my go-to guy when I'm way to lazy to spend an hour ironing my hair; which I'm sorry to say it more often than not.

My mother, brothers, and daughter were all graced with straight hair. My dad, who passed his coif to me, has had to fight a whole different type of battle with his locks. You see, some while back (years and years ago) my dad started losing his hair. He wasn't ready to accept that reality so he tried to find ways to salvage his hair. He tried the more normal ways of fighting the war: Rogaine, special shampoos, changing his diet. None of them worked which lead him to try some, uh, unconventional methods.

There was some special jojoba shampoo he would go across to get, but there was a special ingredient that had to be added. My mom would crush birth control pills and add them to that shampoo. Apparently that was supposed to help his hair grow. Mmm, it didn't. Then my dad got really desperate and tried another weapon: cow manure. Yup, that's right, my dad rubbed cow poop on his head to combat his balding situation. Well that didn't work either. Since nothing really made much of a difference, my dad admitted defeat and stated that he was going to age gracefully. I, on the other hand, wasn't on that same mind frame....yet.

My personal hair issues had calmed down since my introduction to the flat iron, but they weren't over. Back in high school, I had convinced my mom to allow me to dye my bangs blue, just because. She agreed and I went around school with a blue 'copete' for about a month before my senior prom came along. Then that's when my mom made me dye my hair black cuz she wasn't gonna allow me to go to the big dance with blue hair.

My first hair-dying experience went smoothly, except I did have some residual scalp itchiness, which I thought was normal. After that, I never thought of coloring my hair again until the Fall of last year. I decided on a reddish brown (my hair is a very dark brown) to try and change things up a bit. After I colored it I realized two things: one, that I didn't like the color and two, there a bit more itch this time than last but it was still bearable.

A week after that, I dyed my hair, again, this time black. That night I realized very quickly that the scalp itch was beyond what I had ever experienced. It got to the point where I wished I had a freakin wire brush to scratch my head. It was really, really bad. The next morning, my face looked a bit weird but I still went to work. As the day continued, my face started to slowly but surely swell. By the following day, my face was huge. It was a very sad day for me because not only did my face look scary...it was my birthday and I knew I wasn't going to be celebrating at all.



this is not me but the effects were basically the same

Dicho y hecho, I ended up spending most of the day at the clinic. My one and only birthday gift was a shot, and not the kind you drink. There was no cake, candles, gifts, or even singing...nada. At least the swelling did go down. It went all went away, very, very slowly. That was my last adventure with hair dye...and the start to my 28th year on this planet.

Now you can understand why my heart sank a couple of days ago. I had been having a lot of scalp itch and I asked my mom to comb through my hair. I wanted to make sure that piojos were not an issue. It wouldn't be outta the question considering my daughter's in school and I deal with children on a fairly regular basis. So there my mom went in search and found nothing. Except for some canas (grey hair). Mom then went on to explain that when the dreaded canas start coming in, they can cause some itching. Great, just freakin great.

Since I, apparently, am allergic to hair dye, there is no other choice, but for me to accept my father's 'age gracefully' state of mind. That is, until either an all natural hair dye is made or when Kool-Aid makes a black-colored flavor (no one ever tried to color their hair with Kool-Aid?!).

I understand 'the beauty is pain' motto but yea right. I'll just embrace my unruly, cana-filled cabello.

Daily Living

Recently I spent the evening at my tia's house. The following is a snippet of our conversation:

"Mija, I was thinking about something a couple of days ago." She pauses and looks at me, I guess expecting me to read her mind.

"What about, tia?" I smile cause by the look on her face, I knew she was gonna come up with something from left field.

"You were in the sixth grade and I was wearing a t-shirt that said 'My IQ test came back negative' and you looked at it and said 'I know!'"

I laughed and started to apologize but she wasn't done yet. "No sabia porque dijiste eso...yo andaba bien proud con mi shirt. Yo pense que my test coming back negative was a good thing. I just found out a couple of months ago what IQ means, eres bien mala!"

By this time, I was cracking up big time. "Ya ves, tia, I was right!"

they still sell the shirts online

Some people are academically smart, some are street smart. You can guess where my tia falls.

Gotta give it up for the family; they give me my best material.

Que Onda en Laredo

It seems like my lil blog is getting left behind in the dust, what with other mainstream blogs spotlighting the circus that is the city government. It's all good and probably necessary, because as sad as it sounds, I get most of my information on what's happening in this fair city from these blogs. Yes, I know, I should be ashamed of sharing such a fact but unfortunately that's the way it is. Most of the time I don't even get a chance to watch the news (I could DVR it but then, it wouldn't be up-to-date if I saw it a week later, huh?). At least I don't complain about my dear ol' town....well not that much.

In all honesty, all these blogs are fantastic. La Sanbe, Que Fregados, Laredotejas, hasta DeLaredo has shared his chagrin about the city not embracing local beer runs (not at all surprised). I gotta say though, the newest blog, La Guera del Norte, has some totally cool stuff. She, for sure, has some hard-hitting writing and I like her blunt approach to basically everything.

I will probably never join such ranks. I'd most likely come off sounding like an idiot and piss people off. I'll happily stick to what I know best...gibberish.

So to these heavy-hitters, continue posting up those awesome entries that keep me in touch with this fabulous city and I'll be here to play the court jester, providing the comedic relief in between the serious talk.

There always needs to be a balance, right?

Facebook Rarity

About a year and a half ago, I decided to join an Internet social community in order to get in touch with my past. After a couple of years spent living in a cave, I wanted to see how old friends and estranged family members were doing and decided to use Facebook.

Facebook doesn't serve much of a purpose but to help me keep in touch with my brothers (one lives outta town) and battle my bouts with boredom. It's always been entertaining to see what other people are doing and thinking and it got a lot more interesting when someone had the bright idea to start a particular page.

You know you grew up in Laredo if/when... is a cool group that started the memories stirring. People have started posting about things they remember from their years in good ol' Laredo. There are some stuff that I thought had only happened in my dreams and there's even evidence that the Play-Mor did exist. 

There are tons of awesome posts that I really wish I could share but they're way too many. You can check them out yourself; just sign in with ur FB account and search for the group. 

A couple of things that I remember when I was a youngster:

-Going to Perry's (used to be where the Family Dollar is now on Clark next to Super S) with the family. My dad loved that store cuz he could find cheap, awesome Halloween decorations. My grandmother would go shopping for material in order to make her aprons. My brothers and I were fascinated with the fish tanks they had at the back of the store, behind the toy section. We also used to rent our movies from there. When we'd head out of the store, my dad would make us run up and down some stairs that were located right next to the entrance. I still remember standing at the top of that 'hill' and catching a glimpse of all of Laredo. I felt like I was on top of the world.

-The playground at Leyendecker Elem was our personal amusement park. There were some massive swings that were in the shapes of an elephant, frog, pig, and I think there was even an ostrich. They were super fun to ride cuz they never really went in a straight back and forth path. They'd always end up rocking sideways and we'd end up going to war with whoever was next to us. All the while, my father, uncles, and cousins would be dueling it out on the basketball court. During breaks, we'd all gather around the school manguera and quench our thirst. We also used to play baseball games at the baseball diamond that existed on the campus grounds.

-We used to go and eat at Margarita's Restaurant (used to be on Santa Maria). When we'd get out of church, or any random morning, that was our stop. They had the best mariachis in the world. Everyone knew us there. It was, back then, what Danny's is now...except the food was better. It was a small place and it never expanded into a chain and so it never lost that homely feeling. It was sad to see it close.

-When I was in middle school, I remember being insanely jealous of kids that had the sacred triangle on their butts. The triangle symbol stood for so many things other than the brand name. It meant that they were too expensive for me to own and that I wasn't part of the 'cool' crowd. I never did end up owning a pair of those Guess jeans, hasta la fecha y ahora menos. It was/is too steep of a price to pay for popularity or fashion. I'm just fine with the Levi's I find at Wal-Mart.

The memories are endless. This random group on Facebook embraced a really fantastic idea. Some people have even added pics. Here are some...and no, none of them are mine.

I lived by what these things told me

easiest cable box to use...ever!



the logo that caused me such turmoil in school





the only thing that made me feel cool:  Caboodles box





a bit more buttons but the cable box was still easy to use





my mom referred to this H-E-B as Madonna's bra...



Give it a glance if you have a chance. It's well worth the time. I loved growing up in Laredo; it was fun and care-free. Now times are different in so many ways but at least we get the chance to reminisce. It's also nice to see that I'm not the only one who misses the past.

P.S. As with any other Laredo entity, there are gonna be some unruly individuals (so what else is new) but try to ignore them....there really are some nice posts on there.

Trashy Love

Laredoans are one of a kind when it comes to decorating their barrios....and expressing their love for one another.



a street corner in the South side



pic taken by Thing 2 (she's not fond of the Musketeer deal)

Daily Living

"So I asked him last night whether he'd ever date me and he took fifteen minutes to answer me. It was a simple question. Besides, I'd never date him. It wouldn't even cross my mind. I just wanted to see what his response would be," I tell my friend as we're sitting in his office.

My friend looks at him, "She's a softy, you know. Underneath, way, way, underneath all that stuff, she really does have a soft heart." She gives me a smirk as she waits for his reply.

"I think a rock would be softer. Besides, I don't know why she wouldn't date me." He looks at me expecting some answer.

I smile sweetly at him, "You know you can't handle my sarcasm and I don't want to spend my days apologizing for hurting your feelings. You're more of a girl than I am."

"Ugh! No wonder you're still single," as he turns away in disgust.

I laugh as I give pat him on the back and leave him to sulk in his office.

**Surprisingly, it's not the first time I've gotten that reaction.**

Eyes On Laredo

It's nice to know I have people constantly on the lookout for blogging material. Instead of referring to them as co-conspirators or accomplices, I should've called them Thing 1 and Thing 2 (Cat in the Hat...member?). But since a third set of eyes has joined the pack, I can't use that anymore. Perhaps I can use The Three Musketeers?

I promise I'll work on a proper name for my scouts. Meanwhile, here's a pic one of them took.



SE VENDEN HUEVOS FRESCOS

Had this flyer been posted in a grocery store, I'm sure it'd still get a chuckle from some people but it would make sense. The thing is, this flyer was found in a local automotive store. Yes, that's correct, like an Auto Zone, O'Reily's, Gonzalez...those kinda stores.

It's just a little bit outta place. And then for six bucks? One of the musketeers stated that the only huevos that would be found there would probably be 'huevos jediondos' (smelly eggs).

Enough said.

Laredo Doesn't Disappoint

The Laredo Lemurs, huh?...hmm. Usually mascots are chosen because they have something to do with the group, community, city, or whatever it is that they're representing. In this case, really? Lemurs?

I know what the animal is (I didn't have to go searching for my dictionary) but I know what they are because of the cartoon that came out a couple of years ago (if you have kids, you understand). That's the image Laredoans are gonna have when they think of the team mascot. They're gonna have that song on a constant loop in their head,  les puesto todo lo que quieran. But it's fitting, I think, cuz of King Julien's personality. He's so full of himself. Yea, yea, it's just a cartoon and it wasn't chosen cuz of the caricatura....pero could it be have been done unconsciously?

Oh well, I agree with another blogger's post that the target audience for this mascot son los niños. Mija was having a blast dancing to the tune when the story was released on Pro 8 News.

Don't worry, I'll probably be going to a game or two; I'll do my best to support local sports. Still, I know I ain't gonna be buying any merchandise.

It's Laredo, people, que mas esperan? Go Lemurs Go. Ya que.

intimidating...no?

My Nights with the Rangers

Sports have been a main staple in my life, especially growing up in a predominantly male family. Playing and watching games have been a family tradition since back before I was even in the picture. Unfortunately, I had never had the opportunity to actually attend a professional game; whether it be football, soccer, basketball, or baseball (unless you count the Tecolotes...no?) nunca se me hico. Finally, this past week, I got to attend not one, but TWO Texas Rangers games. Oooooh yea, my coolness factor went up a couple of degrees. 

Walking into the stadium was amazing. I do get out of Laredo, not as often as I’d like, but never to go anywhere like the Rangers Ballpark. The seats we got for the first game were eighteen rows away from first base. The possibility of catching a foul ball existed, I was able to see the players up close, and I had a great view of the entire sports grounds. For it being my first visit, I feel in love immediately. Of course, the names Hamilton, Harrison, Kinsler, Cruz, and Lewis didn’t mean anything to me; I had no idea who played what and whether they were famous. To be honest, I’d only seen a handful of games on TV before my Arlington visit. By the end of the game, I knew that Kinsler played second base, Hamilton was out on left field, and Torrealba was the catcher. The other players were important too but one game wasn’t gonna make an expert; but it definitely was a good start.

For the first game, the stadium was freakin’ hot. It was 6pm and the temp was 101F; the wind was no where to be found. Sweating bullets and having to remind myself that I wasn’t in Laredo anymore, still didn’t take away from the fact that I was there. I could feel the electricity in the air, the audience sat patiently waiting for the game to begin, the cheers and jeers erupted when the game started, the vendors going up and down the aisles selling their obscenely expensive goods fascinated me…it was spectacular.

After the first home run by the Minnesota Twins’ Mauer, I promised my companions that should any ball from the Twins happen to fall near me, I sure as hell wasn’t going to be throwing it back in. I didn’t care if the audience booed me until kingdom come, I was gonna be taking that ball home. This was probably gonna be one of the few times I’d ever attend a game and taking a game ball home as a souvenir would be beyond awesome.  But alas, I didn’t end up catching anything but the anticipation made the wait worthwhile. It was fun.

I envied the people wearing their Rangers apparel; I hadn’t bought anything before the game cuz I didn’t wanna seem fake. I mean, I hadn’t been following the team and the only reason I was there was cuz I needed a break from Laredo living. I also wasn’t familiar with the deer with hands for antlers that everyone had on their shirts. It wasn’t until the end of the first game that I realized it stood for Hamilton’s hands (right?). Now I have my own Rangers attire and I don’t feel like a fraud cuz I genuinely like them. The first game I went to, the Rangers ended up losing to the Twins. Again, that didn’t have any negative impact on the experience at all.

The following day, we were still lounging around Arlington and the question of ‘what to do next’ came up. I instantly offered the idea of attending another game. My companions agreed cuz attending a MLB game is not an everyday thing for us Laredoans .

There we went, this time without tickets, and with a lil uncertainly about whether we’d be able to get good seats. Our seats ended up being in the shady, third concourse (aka hasta la fregada). Walking up to the ‘nose bleed’ section was a bit tiring, the climb to the seats was a bit unnerving, but getting to sit behind home base was sooo cool. Given the choice between the first or second game seats, I’d totally choose the second. Yea, it’s cool to sit so close to the field but the view from section 326 was incredible. Now I got see whether the umpire was actually getting the calls right (like he’d listen to me anyways). Temperature wise, it was way breezier up there as well. The audience also started the wave and chanted ‘go Rangers go’ a whole bunch of times. It was fun to join in the commotion; of course they were all drinking their Bud Light while I happily sat with my Dr. Pepper.

During the second game, we also won a free taco from Taco Bueno cuz the Rangers scored a run during a ‘taco’ inning. We didn’t get to redeem our coupons during our visit to the north, but I think I’m gonna frame it and put on my wall. It’s all about the memories, baby.

This poor description of my first Rangers games doesn’t fully grasp what the experience was like for me. I wish I could find the right words to express the feeling and emotion (I should get out more, huh). Well, it’s a trip that I won’t soon forget and what’s even ‘awesomer’ is that I’ve become a fan. I sure ain’t gonna be subscribing to Direct TV anytime soon but whenever I can catch the games on TV I’ll make sure to tune in and check in with their scores often. I’m even looking into another trip up to Arlington for my birthday. I've even gotten my lil girl into the spirit; on random occasions, she'll start clapping and chanting 'go Rangers!'.  I think this the beginning to a beautiful relationship with the Texas Rangers.

BUUUUUUUT, there will always be a numero uno in my heart and that spot’s reserved for the team I follow religiously. There’s no one that’s gonna come between me y los tascados….I mean, the Dallas Cowboys. Sure, they don’t have the best track record but that don’t matter much. I also have a feeling that a visit to a Cowboys game is coming up soon. It’s gonna be a pretty busy fall season. It’s gonna be totally perpendicular.