Sunday, January 30, 2011

El Gallo

This past Christmas, my dad and brother ran into this lil fellow. Yea, roosters are very common in Laredo, so I wasn't all that surprised to see that he was roaming the streets. What I found rather odd is that he's become part of the family. My dad loves animals and when I was a baby, he had ducks, geese, chickens, cats and dogs. He could've easily had his own farm. When we got older, he got rid of them due to other more important obligations (i.e. his expensive kids). When I hit my mid-teens, he bought some chickens and kept them for a while and got rid of them again. He didn't bother to buy anymore and just kept a couple of dogs. Until this 'Christmas Rooster' strolled into the family. My dad even went and bought him his own bag of feed, just to make sure el gallo felt at home. I tell you, life is never boring.
He just might think he's a flamingo...

Hung out to Dry

     I do something that is so absurd nowadays. I didn't think it was too unheard of, but a friend recently was extremely surprised at the thought that I still practiced this out-of-date chore. I do it partly because I don't mind it, partly due to necessity, and partly due to the fact that I don't want to dish out the cash for an easier option. This ancient method of completing an everyday chore is: hanging clothes out on a clothesline.
     Yes, believe it or not, I still do it. I hadn't really thought much of it until that friend almost choked on her Diet Coke when I told her I did that. What's wrong with it? Perhaps it might be that she thought I was too lazy to do such a thing. Perhaps it might be that everyone in the world has access to a dryer. Whatever the case may be, I didn't expect that reaction. I like to go and hang my laundry out to dry. I don't mind it at all. I much rather do that than go and visit a crowded laundromat and spend the whole freakin day listening to other people's children cry, to the random gossip of other people lives, or the craziest phone conversations ever. Nah, I choose the orquillas, el lasso, y el sol any day of the week. I apologize if you drive by my grandma's house and see my chones on the line getting their fill of sunshine pero nimodo, asi me gusta.
Hooray for the simple life

Lazy Sundays

I took a trip back to the late 80s, perhaps even the early 90s, and spent the day at my grandma's house. My dad was the one that initiated the flashback by cleaning up grandma's house. I went to check on what my daughter was doing and I found her and my dad watching a cartoon on a TV that, unbelievably, still worked. When the cartoon finished, we put on The Blob, the 1958 version, so that we could watch it the way it should be seen.

Beware of the blob...awesome TV huh?
 There's just something so special about watching a movie on a 19" TV that came from Montgomery Ward back when it was still open. My dad was constantly trying to adjust the tracking in order to see if the squiggly lines would go away. He even brought out the tape cleaner (the one with the drops y todo el pedo) and that helped a little bit. I had forgotten how fast you would get used to the squiggly lines. After a while, I didn't even notice they were there. Now, I had seen The Blob as a kid when it still scared the crap outta me. Seeing it today was bittersweet because I now realize that if the characters had just run a lil faster, they would have gotten away from that ball of slime. I also saw that trying to pass Steve McQueen as a teenager was really, really far-fetched. But, hey, it had worked for me back in the day. The things that escape a child...

The day was well-spent. Had a great time with the family, watched a great movie, and was kept cool by a Galaxy fan that is probably older than my youngest brother. There was no hassling with the AC temp, no cell/house phone ringing, no satellite tv, no nintendos/xbox/playstation crap...it was a day that was created back when life was simple. Yes, today was definitely an awesome day.

Who needs AC? Just get a Galaxy and open the windows.

Thursday, January 27, 2011

My Darkest Hour

I never thought the day would arrive. Never before had I ever been faced with a situation like this. I can't concentrate and come up with entertaining posts because I'm so fixated on this particular issue. How will I ever be able to overcome this obstacle? Is there really a way out? Is there really a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow? Oh woe is me.

I am sick of Danny's. No more please. Maybe not ever again. Boo-hoo-hoo.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Dad's Teachings

My sister-in-law, my father, and I were recently sitting in the family room watching TV. Some commercial about a beauty product came on. My sis and I didn't say anything because we knew better. Sure enough, he comes up with, "Women bring about their own failure." I smile and look at my sis and sure enough she's wearing the same amused expression as mine. Just to humor my dad, I asked him what he meant by that comment. His rant went something like this:
    
     Women no longer value themselves as unique individuals but want to fit into societal norms. Beauty is not what is shown on the outside but what's held within. Women have lost touch with who they are and now prefer to go on with what everyone says is beautiful. There's so many women (he almost pointed at us) that spend so much money buying products to look younger but that will never make them happy. Women try hard to make themselves look attractive but at the end of the day, end up feeling worse because they will never be able to be what everyone expects them to be.

My sis and I listen intently to his speech until finally he gets up and goes to the kitchen. Then my sis and I burst out laughing. I love my father but he was made for another time period. I am his one and only daughter and I've heard the 'beauty comes from the inside' lecture most of my life. He means well, I can respect that, but times have changed and it's not so simple to go around being au natural. My sisters-in-law have gotten used to it by now. But I know I'm not buying into the beauty hype. I am my own person.

Nope, no beauty-hype-buying here. 



Sunday, January 16, 2011

Just Another Day in Laredo

Whenever I see other sites with pictures about random things they run into in our amazing city, I feel a tinge of jealously because I rarely, if ever, pay close attention to what I'm surrounded by. I'm usually occupied with other issues and often don't see any of the interesting quirks that are presented to us in everyday life. Except for today. Today was finally my day. While I was shopping at a local retail store, I was in my car getting ready to take off to my other destination, when I noticed a group of guys gather outside of the store. As first I thought they were tourists taking pics of the store (which was weird already) but then I saw the guy that was going to be photographed start opening his shirt and unbuckling his pants. Well, I'm no voyeur so I turned away in order to give him some privacy...but I couldn't help a second glance. I dunno what was the purpose of the 'shoot' but it was damn entertaining. Just goes to show that I have to take a look around every once in a while, I never know what I'm gonna see.
I'm all for artistic expression....pero esto?

Ah si, while this was going on, a black truck passed by. I wouldn't have given this truck a second glance except it had white wording on his driver side window and back window. I say 'his' because the lettering on the driver side window said "BIG DICK" with a circle on the window. The back window stated "HONK IF YOU WANT MY DICK ALL NIGHT LONG". I'm guessing it was one of two things: a birthday joke for the driver or he got involved with the wrong girl. Either way, I hate myself for not grabbing my camera quick enough to snap a pic but sometimes the imagination is better. So imagine away...te digo, it's never boring in Laredo.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Daily Living

"I just don't understand why it has to be that way," she sighed while completing her paperwork.

"I don't know but that's the way it is. C'est la vie," I replied while settling into one of her office chairs.

"What?! A quien se la viste!!!" She turned to look at me with complete shock in her eyes.

"What? What do u mean?" I replied, thinking that maybe she had finally snapped.

"Well you said que se la viste. I'm just wondering who."

"Oh wow..."

Priceless. No need for explanations.

Friday, January 14, 2011

So What Am I?

STOP THE PRESSES!!!! THE ZODIAC SIGNS HAVE CHANGED??!!!

I've been living under a rock recently but I heard that zodiac signs had shifted or changed or something of the kind. Spacebook has been going postal with sobbing statuses of "How can I possibly be a Taurus now?" and "I'm not an Aquarius, I've always been an Aries!!" According to the 'old' zodiac signs, I was a Libra.
     
     Libra: easygoing, sociable, romantic, diplomatic, peaceable, gullible, flirtatious, and indecisive

To be honest, every morning I read my horoscope not so much to see how my day will go, but just for kicks. I find it funny to see what people will fall for. Sure, looking at these characteristics, a couple fit my personality but then again, a bunch of characteristics do. But now that the signs have changed, my 'new' sign would be Virgo.

     Virgo: compassionate, devoted, imaginative, accepting, indecisive, lazy, escapist, and oversensitive

Now this here sounds like me too. I don't really see the difference but I'd rather be a Virgo since it doesn't involve all that romantic crap that Libra has. Still, I read an article that explained that the signs had not changed at all. Good thing cuz it means that I won't look so dumb having my Libra sign tattoo. Whew, I dodged a bullet.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

My Acquaintance

A woman who can't forgive should never have more than a nodding acquaintance with a man
I recently had dinner with an acquaintance of mine. I brought up the issue that I was having difficulty coming up with material for this here blog of mine. He immediately perked up and said "Write about me!" I looked at him and gave a blunt "No." He smiled and said "Why not? You should." I again rejected such an idea and turned the conversation to another topic. We parted ways after dinner and while I was roaming the streets of Laredo on that cold night, I was trying to think about stuff to write about and my mind went back to the topic offered by my acquaintance. As much as I tried to conjure up other ideas, I just couldn't do it and so here is my entry about my dear ol' acquaintance.

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Daily Living-Part 3

"You're like an M&M."

I looked at him and asked, "How in the world am I like an M&M?"

He smiles and says, "You're hard on the outside but soft on the inside."

"You're so stupid."

He laughs and adds, "But you're the kind with nuts."


The biggest compliment I've received in my life.

The Acres


The year was 1991. My youngest brother was a year old. We were still living on Flores street in a home that to this day I still have dreams of. Why my father ever tore down that house on Flores to make apartments, I will never understand. There's a deep, throbbing pain knowing that I can't even drive by the house to remember the fun times my siblings and I had. Anyways, that's another issue altogether. What I want to focus on now is this here little house on the out skirts of Laredo. At some point, this was my father's pride and joy. He, along with another man, built this house with their own hands. They didn't get any help from anyone else and they did it during the summer. Can you imagine? Summer out in the desert? Yea, my father bragged about the days he spent tolling out in the sweltering heat to built this here house. The funny thing is, we never even lived in it. This was our 'weekend' home. I guess it was as luxurious as we could get, or as much as our father would allow us. As kids, we spent many a weekend there. We saw it as an absolute bore because we didn't have TV, phones, or worse AC. Lack of the AC alone made us beg and cry for our parents to leave us at home. Those tears and whiny cries fell on deaf ears; we were always made to go. Now as adults, we appreciate what my father was trying to do for his children. He set aside 20 acres of land for us somewhere in this world. Unfortunately, with life being so hectic, we don't find the time too often to go and spent time at the 'family ranch' but we know that it's there. Recently we went and gave the good ol' house a visit. Fun times. I wish it was '91 again and my parents still had to drag us everywhere. Damn.

Post Holiday Realizations

Now that things have settled down a little bit, I sit here with my tea and my thoughts looking back at the season that just flew by. It all happened so darn fast, it was hard to take it all in. It was even harder to appreciate it all. So, I'm going to take a couple of minutes and look back at the holiday season of 2010. I learned a couple of things.

1. My dad was on to something with his 'less is more' rant.
    I came upon this understanding as I stood outside tearing up all the cardboard boxed that had contained my daughter's gifts. There were a billion of them. after she had opened up her fifth gift, it got kinda boring seeing her open yet another and then another gift. At last count, from uncles, aunts, grandparents, her father, and Santa (me) she ended up with eighteen gifts. Eighteen. The most I ever received when I was a little girl was four, and that was my having been an extremely good girl that year. I guess my dad's right: I got caught up with the whole season of gift buying. Tie that in with a bit of guilt, what with her father not being around, and I ended with a truckload of toys that I will eventually end up throwing out. Evidence being that the threat of throwing away her toys doesn't even phase her. She'll shrug and say "it's okay". What! So I learned that less really is more and that in order to appreciate what it is that you have, you have to have less of it. Next year, I won't make the same mistake again. The limit will be three, I don't care how much of a good girl she is.

2. New Year's resolutions are for the birds.
    For the past couple of years, since I understood the concept of resolutions, I've been coming up with a list of hard-thought-out goals. Come February and I won't even remember what was on the list. In reality, if I really wanted to make a change, I should've just come out and done it the day I thought of making a change. If I were to wait until the 'new year' to make a change, then that would just give me license to misbehave all that time until then. Right? Changes can be made everyday, it's just a question of how much do you really want to do it. That's why, for this new year, I didn't come up with any. I'm going to live life the way it should be lived: to the fullest. Sure, the new year constitutes a new beginning for all, I agree, but not when it comes to resolutions. Then again, this is really just my opinion.