Pepe the Bad One

Just the other day I was at the thrift store and I ran across this book:
Pepe the Bad One.




I had to have it. I love the illustrations by H. Tom Hall but more importantly, it was just such a strong reminder of what's been going on around El paso lately, and I can't help but think of that kid who was shot by Border Patrol earlier this month. Pepe the bad one...well I think that rock throwing boy was Sergio the bad one, although the media is gonna allow people to try to paint him as a saint.

I haven't read the story yet, but I'm sure we will find out that Pepe ain't so bad after all. I can't help but wonder if Pepe is going to throw rocks or run into trouble with the law, or have a fight with gringos in this book. It was published in 1966, and the authors Frank and Agnes Johnston Dazey lived many years in Mexico. It states on the flap of the dust jacket that these authors wrote many screenplays and wrote more than half of the Mickey Rooney Andy Hardy series. I'll bet they spin a great yarn.

Yeah, I'm pre-judgung this thing, but I'll be sure to let you know just how bad Pepe turns out to be.

24-7 Nothing but BP Twenty Four Seven

Damn it to hell, what's up with this country?

We've got BP spewing oil all over the Gulf of Mexico
killing wildlife and industry, and people's spirit.

We've got BP killing illegals along the Mexican Border
causing spewing of opinion left and right
no end in sight.
Human rights, human rights?
Doesn't a Border Patrol Agent
have human rights?

The country needs a change.
A big change, with cojones to follow through.

I'm really sick of what big business
manages to do to our political process
with all that money they use
to sway and coerce our elected officials
with the greasing of the palms
and the sliming of our shores.
Our country has become
a stagnant parody of itself.
The political "we" scoffs at our own laws?
Scoffs at protecting our own,
to the detriment of our land
our resources and our people?

No way should we be drilling in the oceans.
There are too many alternative energy technologies available
to continue on this current path of self-destruction.
What has happened with the British Petroleum fiasco
is shameful, harmful, and outright pathetic.

Enough is enough.

No way should illegals enter our country
and not be deported immediately on discovery.
These illegal trespassing criminals
deserve nothing more than any other criminal deserves.
No way should a BP agent be chastised
for attempting to uphold our federal laws
in regard to patrolling our border!

I'm sick of the rhetoric,
I'm sick of the posturing,
I'm sick of the Mexican President's opinion
on matters of US policy.
Take care of your own for once
and stop trying to be the stepchild
of a United States who will not claim you, Mexico.
You are an orphan, and you must find your own way.
American citizens, and legal immigrants
should not have to foot the bill
for your inadequacies.

Isn't a secure border
a matter of National Security?


Damn it to hell,
No justice.
I'm sick of it all.

How to Break Free of the 2010 Tiger Curse

I'm not exactly positive the above title is appropriate,
but I want to break out of 2010 and go right on to 2011.

This year has been trying on many levels.
I blame it on the Chinese Horoscope I read in January...
it basically spelled out for me 9 months of bad luck
and 3 fairly decent months this year.
Who believes in such hooey?

Well, I'm sorry to say
that I'm right on track for those predictions.
I'm a Tiger and this is the year of the Tiger.
I guess that causes some major clash
in the psyche of the netherworlds
and ruins my year.

Not everything has gone wrong,
maybe because my husband is not also
a Tiger, but a Dragon--
and his good Karma is squashing my bad.
Yeah, he's destined for 9 good months and 3 bad.

Do I know how to pick 'em or what?
Wait, who believes in such hooey?
Not I!
Nope, no karma, no fate,
all odds of 50/50
no gods.

Astrology...
hmmm, I may just have to pay closer attention.
Really, Reesa.
How stupid can you get?

Wait, did I just say all odds of 50/50?
That's some wisdom from my Sister-in-Law.
The more often I hear it
the more I agree with it.
Something either happens or it doesn't.
50/50.

You want to redo the tile in your shower?
50/50 chance that there will be
some plumbing problem to go along with that.
I was on the losing end of this scenario last month.
And it ain't over yet.
Now I've also found a cracked drainpipe and
some major repair work ahead.
That skews the 50/50
or does it?

Need to go to Juarez for some dental work?
50/50 chance that you'll get shot down in the streets.
I will not be testing this one
but I sorely need some dental work
and this is the year for Tiger pain
according to that damned horoscope.
Oh hell, I'm getting depressed.

My swamp cooler looked like it was ready
to spring a leak when I looked at it in February.
It was so coated with hard water deposits
all gunked up and rusting.
50/50 chance it would be serviceable.
A lot of elbow grease in March and
a little can of marine coating for the pan
and some minor fixture replacement in April.
I dodged the bullet of a huge expense
and she started beautifully in May.
Hopefully I can eke out another full summer
on that maintenance, hey...50/50 chance
of getting this thing to give me
another full summer in 2011 too.

Yeah, I'm an optimist
when I'm not a pessimist.
See, there's that 50/50 again.
My Sister-In-Law is Brilliant!
That Chinese Horoscope is a bunch of hooey!

50/50 chance it is wrong!

A Mighty Wind

An Easter Story from 2009.
I vow not to repeat this scenario on Sunday...
damn the winds,
I'm going to get my confetti head this year!



On this Easter Sunday I have foregone the tradition
of having children crack cascarones upon my head.
I normally derive exquisite pleasure from this ancient ritual.
That look, as they “sneak up” to attack you with forceful,
tiny blows…their little faces ejecting peals of laughter
as you stare at them indignantly for having done you wrong.

Today I am lost,
with no stew of colored bits of paper to surround me.
I mourn for those confetti eggs my nephews so lovingly designated for me
by writing my name on them.
They may still sit in the carton,
inevitably settling on some other, less-appreciative, head.

Scent of 7-bone wafting from the grill
cannot entice me to venture outside.
I am all about the womb-like safety of my home.
Untold disasters could befall me here,
but I try not to think of my natural graceless fumblings
and their ability to wreak havoc in my life.
No, today I think only of infernal wind
and the sensation of air blowing at me—
static, cold, dry, and volatile.
I can still hear it out there, horribly gusting and surging.
Incongruously, my husband thinks it is a beautiful day.
Foolish soul that he is,
he has left me here to face my demons alone.
Secretly envious, I sit here sipping hot tea.

This irrational sensation has followed me
to the beautiful beaches of California,
the icy frigidity of Indiana and Alaska,
and here in my favorite desert oasis.
It literally creeps me out.
Oh yes, I have always known,
there is the Devil in that wind.

Through blasts of sand
stinging my eyes and skin
as I attempted to walk home from school,
the dirt-deviled tumbleweeds swirling about me,
forcing my small self: 1 step forward, 2 steps back.
Boulders tumbling down the Franklins at break-neck speed,
pushed along with awful force towards the 54
as I dodge them in my father’s Trans-Am.
Bent remains of a massive billboard, steel-beams twisted
and tortured by this freak of nature
will forever be embedded in my mind.
My broken and bent garden, plants with tattered leaves,
and chewed-up blooms suffering in their silent screams.
I am sickened to think they may not survive its force.
I hate the wind.

What is it that makes it so?
It has always been this way for me; a deep-seated fear
of the almighty El Paso wind.
Keeping me indoors yet again,
the thought of it on my skin instilling some ill feeling....
an impending sense of doom.

It may have something to do with Marilyn Monroe
standing over a heating grate in that all-too-famous photograph,
holding down her skirt for dear life.
As girls we always wore shorts beneath our dresses
to avoid such embarrassment, forcing us
to be embarrassed anyway by our grandmothers
who disapproved of such ill-mannered dressing.
More than likely the root of all my hatred for wind
could stem from my first memory
of bursting from my mother’s loins
on a blustery, thunderstruck evening,
meeting the world with my shock of black hair,
my non-stop shrieking at the horror of it all.


April is the cruelest month....

Kenny Hansmire apologizes...Cook? (mum's the word)

Mr. Hansmire seems to have realized his mistake
in talking smack about El Pasoans,
and I am willing to accept his apology.

Apologizing was the right thing for him to do,
and it's only right for me to forgive him his indiscretion.

I am really sorry I didn't stick around
long enough to witness the final quarter
of Texas vs the Nation.
I missed the finale, and missed our own UTEP alum
Cornelius Brown winning the MVP award.

After hearing the comments made by mayor Cook,
and the rest of the trash talking
that ensued on the radio broadcast
about my great city and my paisanos,
I just couldn't take it...I was freaking pissed off!
I almost threw my 8 dollar beer on the ground
before I stomped outta there,
but slightly calmer and thirstier brain cells prevailed.

Maybe it isn't too late to save face.
Maybe it's not too late for this game....

I am ashamed of our Mayor...
John Cook, you should recuse yourself from office.
Spare yourself the embarrassment of
so-called "leadership" of my city.

Ah, I've been looking for this all day--
here it is: Raul Martinez of KVIA 7 and
Raul's Rant

Mayor John Cook, Where's my Apology? Texas vs the Nation?

Texas vs the Nation?
Who cares, who cares?
Well, I'll admit I did care.
I cared a lot!
I cared enough to go out and purchase a ticket
to watch this college showcase game
and root for our Texas boys.

Now?
Well, let's just say...
I'm all about this:
The City of El Paso vs Mayor John Cook!


Mr. Cook, this butt's for you.....

As I sat there in the Sun Bowl stadium, doing my part for this cause, I heard the disparaging comments on radio 600 coming from our disgraceful politico head honcho yet again. Mayor Cook should be ashamed at how poorly his tourism development works. He should be ashamed that his head is so far up his rear he cannot look himself in the mirror and see that this event should have been hyped by those who are paid to do so. Who dropped the ball? Really?

So, the mayor spends the evening before the game discussing the future of this event, only to find that he is the individual who is severely lacking when it comes to supporting our city. How much time did he spend previous to February 5 discussing advertising, hype, tourism and the like with Hansmire etal? Talk about epic fail...John Cook, you owe me and the other people who supported this game a huge apology. I saw so little about this game in Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, or ESPN magazines, not to mention the lack of hype online. The EP Times managed to get some hype going during the week of the game, but where's the year round advertising? Where's the blurb in the AAA Texas guide for events in El Paso? Where do we see El Paso Tourism doing the job it is paid to do?

I was so ticked off by Cook's and other's comments on the radio, that I left the game during the 3rd quarter. My husband was hard pressed to calm me down after that. I'm still fuming mad about this

...and another thing!
When UTEP prevents us from parking on their property to attend sporting events held on their property, what are they saying to us? When tickets are advertised at one price, and $5.00 surcharges are added to that price, what are they saying to us? Service charge for me to drive over to the box office on campus and stand in line to buy a ticket? That really chaps my hide!

UTEP is notorious for double booking or overlapping events at the Sun Bowl and the Don, or having sporting and concert events occuring on the same days. It never works out well, and some aspect is going to suffer for it. Of all the idiotic moves, scheduling this event on a UTEP basketball game day is injurious to UTEP basketball and to the city, as seen in this fiasco.

To schedule it the day before the Super Bowl is adding insult to injury. Planning a Super Bowl party is a highlight of the year for many folks in the USA, and it costs money! Discretionary funds to see a game like Texas vs the Nation won't come so easily at a time like this, when there's beer, sodas, smorgasbords, snacks and betting pools to contribute to.

As to the comments about this town not having what's needed to attract an NFL team...Just look at how many families sport their $100 football jerseys every Sunday. From the littlest kids to the adults, they're all sporting their colors for the NFL.
Texas vs the Nation is not the NFL.

I was really looking forward to see Trindon Holliday run like the wind, and glad to see his abilities were not hampered by the Nation's defense. Having UTEP's Cornelius "Cornbread" Brown named MVP was icing on the cake.


Maybe this game won't be back in El Paso next year, and I will be sad to see it go. Certainly, Mayor Cook will not be back again when his term is over, and that's a change I'll embrace with open arms.

Centennial of the Mexican Revolution

For events scheduled January 2010--May 2010
City of El Paso Museums and Cultural Affairs

Pass of the North (Juarez/El Paso) History
GET A FREE EDUCATION

Ask anyone today about what they know of the Mexican Revolution, and you'll find a lot of misinformation, speculation, and or dumbfounded stares. Seriously, ignorance runs the gamut. Ignorance on the subject runs through my own brain, and I have been fighting to get it out of there. It is too much to take in at once, this Mexican Revolution. I did attempt to read the Katz book on just the subject of Pancho Villa, but I fell at least a thousand pages short. I'll have to get back on that one when I have a year to kill. Sometimes when discussing this Revolution I'll hear comments about how there is a need for another Mexican Revolution. Right now. Others will tell you it is actually going to happen some time in this 100th Anniversary year.

An uprising of the oppressed people right here along our border? Again? What did the first one really accomplish if indeed there is to be a second? The more I've read, the more interested I become in this history of ours, yet it is often felt as a sore which I cannot nurture. What has passed is done, and tomorrow is another day, not meant for me to dwell on. I decide now, in this moment, to cease thinking of that perilous past in relation to the perilous future, instead listing some local history events for your own consideration. Learn something. I hope I can.

These are ongoing free events at El Paso Museum of History, UTEP, El Paso Downtown Public Library Border Heritage Center, with more to come.

Welcome


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Lectures


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LECTURES
The Mexican Revolution in the Greater El Paso Borderlands

The El Paso Museum of History, with funding from Humanities Texas, presents the second in a series of lectures that will highlight events of the Mexican Revolution.

The Significance of the Borderlands in the Mexican Revolution: A General Overview--January 21, 2010, 7:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. Oscar Martinez, University of Texas at El Paso.

Booker T. Washington in El Paso during the Mexican Revolution--February 18, 2020, 7:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. maceo Dailey, University of Texas at El Paso.

The Experiences of Children during the Mexican Revolution--March 25, 2010, 7:00 p.m. Presented by Dr. Yolanda Leyva, University of Texas at El Paso.

Each lecture is held at the El Paso Museum of History located at: 510 N. Santa Fe, El Paso, TX 79901. An R.S.V.P. is suggested for each event. Cost to attend the series is free. For more information contact Sue Taylor (915) 351-3588, taylorsl@elpasotexas.gov

Exhibits


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EXHIBITS

Pancho Villa and his involvement with the Mexican Revolution--
February 2010. The Border Heritage Center of the El Paso Public Library will display its rare book collections and periodicals from the Cleofas Calleros Collection: Cabalgando con Villa: Illustraciones de Luis Sanchez; Historia Grafica de la revolucion, among other Spanish titles. The exhibit is open to the public during library hours and is free. The Border Heritage Center is located in the Main Library at 501 N. Oregon St., El Paso, TX 79901. For more information contact Marta Estrada at (915) 543-5440.


Children of the Revolution--
March 2010. The Border Heritage Center of the El Paso Public Library will have on exhibit a Soldadera in costume along with photographs from the Mexican Revolution. The exhibit is open to the public during library hours and is free. The Border Heritage Center is located in the Main Library at 501 N. Oregon St., El Paso, TX 79901. For more information contact Marta Estrada at (915) 543-5440.

¡Viva la Revolucion! The Money of the Mexican Revolution--
March 18, 2010. The El Paso Museum of History hosts a traveling exhibition from the American Numismatic Association Money Museum. The bilingual exhibit features actual coins and currency produced across the Mexican States during this tumultuous time period. The exhibit is open to the public during library hours and is free. The El Paso Museum of History is located at 510 N. Santa Fe Street. This exhibit is free. Visit the Museum's website at www.elpasotexas.gov/history. For more information contact Barbara Angus, Curator at (915) 351-3588 ext. 7009.

The Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts Presents:

Up Against The Wall: Posters of Social Protest*
April 15--August 7, 2010. Rubin and L Galleries: Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at UTEP. An invitational exhibition that features a group of international graphic designers who use posters to engage important contemporary and social issues. The exhibition raises awareness about the role of graphic design in spreading the ideals of the Mexican Revolution. This bold and colorful display of 100 posters from a group of 12 high-profile graphic designers highlights the power of design to engage people in creative thinking about world problems.

Solidarity and Struggle: The Politics of Graphic Design in Mexico during and after the Revolution*
April 15--August 7, 2010. Project Space: Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts at UTEP. The exhibit showcases historic posters from Mexico's foremost political workshop, Taller Grafico Popular borrowed from the collection of the University of New Mexico Art Museum. These will be on display alongside several copies from 1911-12 of the illustrated political magazine El Hijo Ahuizote from Special Collections at the Library of The University of Texas at El Paso.

*Opening Reception for Up Against the Wall and Solidarity and Struggle
Thursday, April 15, 2010, 5:00--7:30 p.m.

For more information contact the Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, The University of Texas at El Paso at (915) 747-6151or via email: rubincenter@utep.edu. Visit their website at: http://rubincenter.utep.edu


Educational Events


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EDUCATIONAL EVENTS

The XV Contemporary Mexican Literature Conference (2010): "The Mexican Revolution in Contemporary Literature"
March 4--6, 2010. This annual event will focus on the impact of the Mexican Revolution on diverse literary and cultural manifestations produced in contemporary Mexico. cholars from the U.S., Mexico, and other parts of the world will meet at the University of Texas at El Paso to present papers on these issues. Panel discusiions will take place at the Thomas Rivers Conference and will be open to the public. The XV Contemporary Mexican Literature Conference is sponsored by BorderSenses, the Revista de Literatura Mexicana Contemporánea, and the Department of Language and Linguistics at UTEP. For additiional information please contact: Willivaldo Delgadillo at wdelgadillo@utep.miners.edu. (915) 747-7043 or visit www.utep.edu/rlmc

5th Annual Teacher Institute--Teaching the Mexican Revolution
June 25--26, 2010. The two-day teacher workshop will feature workshops with experts and tours of local sites significant to the Mexican Revolution. The Center for History Teaching & Learning at The University of Texas at El Paso invites all grade K-12 educators, including teachers, librarians and media specialists, and technology coordinators in public, public charter, private, or religiously affiliated schools, as well as home schooling parents. The Institute will take place at the El Paso Museum of History and is free. For more information contact (915) 747-5878 or visit www.utep.edu/chtl


Films


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FILMS

100th Anniversay of the Mexican Revolution Film Series

The El Paso Public Library presents the special film series. All films begin at 6:00 p.m. and are held at the Main Library located at 501 N. Oregon St., El Paso, TX 79901. Admission is free. For more information please contact Mike Payan at (915) 543-5446 or Gloria Aguilar at (915) 543-5412.

Old Gringo (1989)
January 13, 2010. A famous aging and dying American writer goes into Mexico to capture some of the anarchy that was revolutionary Mexico. (119 min.)

And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself (2003)
February 3, 2010. Hollywood makes a deal with Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa to film his war and recreate his life, but he is rather shrewd and manipulates the media instead. (112 min.)

Zapata: Amor en Rebeldia (2003; in Spanish; 1st half of mini-series)
March 3, 2010.
Zapata: Amor en Rebeldia (2003; in Spanish; 2nd half of mini-series)
March 4, 2010.
Features the life of Mexico's revolutionary hero Emiliano Zapata who works for the son-in-law of the dictator Porfirio Daz. He is in love with the daughter of a wealthy land owner and Zapata realizes that their relationship cannot be a lasting one as they face many problems. (258 mins.)

The Frozen Revolution (1973)
April 7, 2010. Mexico: Documentary presents a comprehensive socio-historical analysis of Mexico, and of the government's failure to live up to the promises of the revolution. (65 min.)

Mexico: Revolution and Rebirth (1999)
May 12, 2010. Tells the story of the Mexican Revolution that was waged by Pancho Villa, Emiliano Zapata and others, and the modern nation that was born plus the problems that face the nation today. (50 min.)

Museum of History screening:

Mexico Revolution Sites in El Paso, Volume 1
Saturday, March 6, 2010, 2:00 p.m. The El Paso Museum of History in cooperation with Jackson Polk will present a free screening of Capstone Production's video Mexico Revolution Sites in El Paso, Volume 1. The video features a walking tour with historians Leon Metz and Fred Morales of sites in El Paso that figured prominently in the Mexican Revolution. This event is free and open to the public. The El Paso Museum of History is located at 510 N. Santa Fe Street. For more information please contact Sue Taylor at (915) 351-3588 or taylorsl@elpasotexas.gov



Stakeholders


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Team Coco

Conan O'Brien image by Mike Mitchell.

Coco Pops (notice the eerie resemblance?)stolen from this site: The Start of Something

Female Coco de mer seed stolen from this site: wikimedia commons

Coco Monkey stolen from this site: darkhorse

Coco Krispies stolen from this site: The Retroist>

Go, go Coco!
Jay Leno sucks!
I'm With Coco

Artistic Endeavors

I've got 2 brothers with artistic talent up the ying yang.
Their artistic styles are actually like ying and yang.
Art is subjective, but artistic prowess runs in their genes.

My father earned his first award in art for a painting he did
called "Evening Chores" outside Spartan Mill in S.C.
but he never pursued a career in art, though he dabbled in it
over many years. I wish he had done more.
I was told that my mother also had artistic abilities.
Hell, maybe I've got the same genes lurking within,
but I didn't practice the craft my entire life as my brothers have.

The elder

My oldest brother Stan Turner resides in Las Cruces, New Mexico
and has been working as a graphic artist for too many years for me to count.
He's created designs for so many major companies it boggles my mind
(well, yes my mind is easily boggled, but pay that no never mind!)


I adore this painting he created of his lovely pit bull Heddy.
She was a loving and devoted family member for 11 years.
We all miss that pretty pooch.


Most recently I've seen his work for the Las Cruces
"Whole Enchilada Fiesta"
t-shirts and fiesta branding.
He also designed
High Desert Brewing Company's
new t-shirts and their website.
Stan has a knack for capturing puppy whimsy.
"Bloo & Earl" are a fine example of this.
For more about Stan's work and his freelance rates go here: Stan Turner

The younger

My youngest brother Sam Turner has a knack for hiding out,
being extremely difficult to track down,
and creating some wild and sick designs.
His claim to fame: "2008 NACCC champion of Foot Down"
Sam has been seen drinking from an artificial leg
riding a stuffed pink pony,
and being a cycle jerk all over the mile high city.

Here's Sam doing his infamous "Superman"

Last I heard he was working on some new art
and will have another gallery showing in Denver.
This may be one of my favorite works by Sam
although I do still have some early comic cats
he drew in 7th grade.



Sam spends most of his time on a bicycle, or sleeping.
It's a wonder he manages to get any work done,
but he did manage to create the "Fire up the Blades" cover,

and has done several poster and t-shirt designs for
Canadian metal heads 3 Inches of Blood.

Sam also creates designs for Never Summer
Snowboards, skateboards and apparel,
as well as his varying original designs with very limited print runs.
Sam and a couple of his buddies run
Denver's Track Shack @ 1338 Tremont.
The Plastisol Free For All is a yearly t-shirt design contest
run by Indy Ink.
Sam won the People's Choice Award for his overly sick
"Black 100" design in 2008.



I claim bragging rights.
Way to go bro's!

Taking a Bite out of Philly

Dallas managed to take a bite out of Philly on Sunday. 24 bites, if you're counting..and I'm counting! Those among our circle of friends who are Cowboys fans took several bites...delicious bites of cheese steak sandwiches.

When we gather to root for our team, it often becomes more about the food, and less about the outcomes. Ha ha...who am I kidding? It's ALWAYS about the outcome! Our friends Paul and Maria have an ongoing invitation to watch the Cowboys in their home. They are gracious hosts, week in and week out, for almost every game. We have a blast. Sometimes it's a potluck affair, others it's a pizza party experiment, or ribs are on sale and we smoke large slabs of 'em. You name it, we try to mix it up and sometimes the party starts at a different home, but we all manage to gather together and yell for our team.

This week with the Cowboys clan taking on the Eagles we decided to make some Texas style Cheese Steaks and take a bite out of Philly. Yeah, baby...I love a good cheese steak sandwich. No Philly green bell peppers for us, but we did use red peppers and plenty of jalapenos, onions, mushrooms, and 2 kinds of cheese.

Many years ago I worked at a little hole-in-the-wall joint called The Back Door Lounge. It was on Rio Grande at Mesa and it boasted an original cheese steak sandwich as created by Ala Haney and Dennis Calabrese. I learned to make some delish cheese steaks when I worked there; ask just about any local and they remember just how good that sandwich was. That's the place I actually got to play pool with Don Haskins (yeah he was merely placating me, but still...I'll never forget that). After 5 years of being away from El Paso, and returning in 2000 I found the Back Door beckoning again. Imagine my surprise when I found the restaurant had moved and was getting ready to re-open in downtown El Paso! I needed a job, and was right on time to start anew right where I had left off. This story is not so much about the Back Door Lounge as it is about good food...and specifically that cheese steak sandwich.

So Maria was worried about how to go about making cheese steaks for our Cowboy crowd this weekend. To make it easy, she wanted to make one huge sandwich and cut it up. No way, Jose! I told her in the typical George Lopez fashion "I got this!" Kids hate everything, some among us don't like onions, or peppers, or jalapenos, or they are allergic to mushrooms, etc., and etc., infinitum! I was willing to do individual order taking (short order cooking sticks with you once it's in your blood), but luckily there were plenty who wanted "the works" and others who wanted almost all the works without the hot jalapenos...then there's my uncle who cannot eat the mushrooms, and lastly the kids, who wanted meat, meat and nothing but meat. I was able to make several sandwiches in batches, and the rolls were real small and snack size...which made it easier to feed a bunch of us at once. Dang, I so enjoyed doing this. Imagine my surprise when everyone crowed about how good these sandwiches are! The kids? Them cute little brats liked 'em? LOL. That was truly shocking!

I had such a good time cooking, I forgot to take pictures! The ingredients I used to make our cheese steaks yesterday were not the same recipe as I knew from The Back Door Lounge, but without that prior knowledge to go on, I'd have never known really how to go about it. So here's to good people, good sportsmanship, good food, and a great recipe from a place I once worked at in El Paso, Texas.

Today I Took a Tumble

I am not a gymnast, nor am I a motorcycle daredevil...but today I pretended I was Evel Knievel and attempted to jump the gorge. Actually it was just a small hole in the ground, and I was really trying to avoid falling into it. Hey, a girl can exaggerate, can't she? Down I went, and I'm gonna be sore tomorrow. Hell, I'm already sore.

For a few years my husband and my brother have been talking about the dirt bikes they wanted to buy, and they finally started the hunt and actually bought a few last year. Next thing you know there's a slew of us with bikes and we've been tearing up the desert on 'em. There's nothing quite like flying across sand and hard pack with the wide open blue skies and mountains all around. Watching my nephews start out pretty scared and getting to the point of wanting to ride all day has been an experience. I'm very lucky to have family that gets along and enjoys one another's company. El Paso is just a fantastic place to live for all year outdoor fun. It was chilly and sunny out there, the best type of riding weather.


At one time I was very irresponsible (young, dumb and drunk) and I flipped off a 3 wheeled ATV right smack into my face. Damn near tore my bottom lip off. Of course I wasn't wearing a helmet, and I was tanked up on Budweiser. I told you- DUMBASS--that was me, and pretty much every other person riding that day with us some 25 years ago. The fact that I ended up in the hospital was a pretty compelling reason to not want to get on motorcycles again, except I know how much fun it can be.

Today we still see families out with their very small children riding with absolutely no protection for themselves or their kids. I want to scream at them all and show them that photo of my H.R. Pufnstuf, head which I forced my sister-in-law to take of me when I was battered and bruised in that hospital bed. It's one scary image, like some grotesque Halloween mask, but it was so real. I know, I lived it.

It's no fun having gravel scraped out of your tongue with a wire brush, or watching your breast skin get peeled off with your hospital gown from the weeping road burns that have adhered to the cloth. I spent the rest of my days in hospital with my perky boobs hanging out for all the world to see, cuz I was just not having that fire-ant sensation of skin removal again! I'm lucky I didn't break any bones in that wreck. I flew through the air like superman, but my arms never had a chance to break my fall; I landed on the backs of my wrists, then my lower lip hit gravel and began to peel and tear the skin at the edges of my mouth. I looked like a ventriloquist's dummy, (dummy being the operative word). My chest and shoulders were burned raw. Luckily my nipples were not scraped completely off. Are you getting the picture? Good.

Now I wear full gear. Helmet, goggles, riding boots, gloves, body armor, sunscreen, and lip balm! I do not drink any alcohol out there, and I have just about the most legal fun I've ever experienced. Sure, I fell today, and my arm hurts a little bit, but I got back up, got back on that little Yamaha and sped back around to see where I had made my mistake. Ah, that's the problem...I was following Brett, and he's a freaking maniac! No, it really wasn't like that at all, but this teaches me to be more wary on certain approaches, and try to improve my skills as a dirt-biking daredevil.



Life is good!

New Year, New Attitude?

Here's wishing a joyous and prosperous New Year to all!

Now to the meat of this message...what is it about a new year that invokes the desire to begin anew? As if we can stop being that undesirable individual, with all our flaws, extra pounds, procrastination, and any of the litany of our past faux pas, to become a new and improved us? What, indeed? As if by some miracle we can take this day and turn it into a fresh start. Eat some collards and black-eyed peas for luck, set goals and resolutions to not be us any longer, since we are obviously lacking, and need to improve! Do we find nothing but disdain for self, so much so that we are compelled to become something which we are not?

At what cost, this striving to be perfect? To have the bodies we and others can admire; to be healthy and fit? To have the minds we want; sane and unencumbered by stress? To give more, to exercise more, to eat better foods....It's obviously unattainable, this search for betterment, since year in and year out, we seek this "truth" only to find that we are utter failures, and in the end, we are what we are.

You've heard it a million times, you cannot change people, they have to want to change themselves. So true, and even when an individual deigns to attempt change within himself, her old habits will come creeping back in, the hard fought weight loss creeps back on and you are fat again! An ode to niceness becomes a glimmer of a ghost of that altruist within us, and our demeanor reflects what we have always known...nice is as nice does, though crab apples are hard and bitter until they ripen. Really, a new year does not give me any indication that I have ripened...so why bother with resolutions that will fail? When do we know when the time has come....when we are ripe enough to find success at resolutions?

With this in mind, I have resolved to make an effort to write in this blog, day in and day out. Something, anything, just for my own peace of mind. Writing is catharsis, and a way to de-stress and a way to stress myself out beyond belief. I will love grandly as I can, and will make no excuses for being me. I'm absolutely wonderful, in case you don't know it, and if you look deep inside yourself, you will find that you too are an awesome and wonderful person. I have no aims to lose 5 pounds, nor to get up and exercise, or attempt to change my evil ways. I will not pretend to stop looking on with disdain towards many of my fellow human beings. No, I have no such delusions set for today.

Today is my day to write. That I can do...and if I fail to keep up the charade, who will stand up and take notice?

Mexican Revolution: El Paso History in Song

photo stolen from riowang blog

The El Paso region is rich in history and drama.
As an epicenter of the Wild West,
the Mexican Revolution,
a massive military contingency
our Chihuahuan desert;
this Pass of the North--
our international border
is unlike any other place.

I aim to learn more about this city...
a place I have called home for many years...
alas, with both eyes barely open.
I hope to find a little more of myself
as I experience our historic culture....

'Corridos of the Mexican Revolution 1910-1920 and Beyond'

Tonight:
Thursday Sept. 17
Museum of History, 510 N. Santa Fe,
6:30-8 p.m., free, 351-3588

Free lecture on the popular lyric-narrative folkloric music.
The presentation will offer historical recordings of ballads
made between 1904 and 1974 in the United States and Mexico.

Guest speakers include Local Historians:
Elias Bonilla, Leon Metz, and Miguel Juarez.

Part of the 100th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution ongoing events.
Countdown to the 100th Anniversary of the Mexican Revolution



image stolen from mexicowoods.com

Do You Have a Story or Memento of the Mexican Revolution?

I have become involved in the efforts of this committee
to document and archive stories and mementos of the Mexican Revolution.

Do any of you know people who have first-hand knowledge
of the events that occurred during this tumultuous era?
If you do, we would like to hear from you.

This committee has a goal:
To archive a vast collection of interviews, photographs,
bibliographies, writings, films, advertisements, etc.
pertaining to the Mexican Revolution.

Any items or stories you might have to share
In English or Spanish language
in El Paso or in Juarez....
would be captured on hi-def dvd
and entered into the archive or time-capsule
to be revisited at a date some 60 years from today.
The committee will provide all contributors
with their own disc of what they have shared
immediately after it has been documented.
We will come to you, film your story
and or mementos, and give you a dvd copy.

Please consider sharing your knowledge
so that future generations will have access
to the important details of their heritage.

Are You Ready for Some ....

Pizza?



I mentioned a few months ago
that I have been slowly working on this project
since I first read about it back in December.
Sunday was the day.
We fired up that portable pizza oven,
and here is what happened:

I scrambled Saturday night to create a Neopolitan style dough.
Having never made one, I was a bit nervous,
and waited until the last minute to go and purchase flour.
By 11 pm I had managed to throw together
2 double batches using a mix of all purpose,
whole wheat, and bread flours.
I tried to keep the hydration high,
as this is essential for this type of pizza
to be cooked at high temps.
I wasn't too sure about the amount of yeast needed
but I did document the exact weights for each ingredient
and set the doughs aside to rise.

Brett and I took off to drink a few brews
and throw darts at my cousin's house.
Well, not at her house
but we did throw them at a dart board inside her house.
By 2 am I was home witnessing with alarm
the blob that ate my kitchen....
2 extremely full bowls of dough.
I needed to transfer these into larger receptacles,
so out came the really big bowls.
The growth of this dough really surprised me,
and I was sure I had erred somewhere in my calculations.
Well, that's okay...this is a learning process
which I intend to master over time.
Maybe a little less yeast...who knows?

8 am and I hear Brett's concerned voice in my ear--
the bowl you stuck in the microwave for safe-keeping has
overflown.
Oh hell, I don't care...let me go back to sleep...
3 minutes later and I was jumping up to view the chaos.
I spent about 5 seconds pondering
over whether to take a picture of that mess.
We had just purchased a new camera
and I hadn't taken it out of the box yet.
In the end, I decided it just didn't matter.
I was surprised this dough had expanded
almost beyond control;
although it was messy, it was not a disaster.
Grabbing all that dough, punching it down
and giving it a gentle few kneads
transformed it from a bubbling experiment into
a gorgeous silky orb of sweet-smelling succulence.
Whooooo baby!
I got my game face back on!
I separated it into 200 gram portions,
placing each blob into a sandwich bag; setting them aside
to begin that incredible bulking process once again.
27 dough balls later, and we were ready!

We had planned for this day at the Raisch home,
with their refreshing pool and hottub
available to relieve stress if needed.
We had the Dallas Cowboys to divert our attention,
and 17 witnesses to the mayhem that would ensue.


I am seldom nervous, but I began flailing my arms
and causing my friends to wonder if this was a good idea.
Here we were in unknown territory,
and I had no idea how it would all turn out.
Brett had cautioned me several times,
(damn why does he do that?)
to just try this at home first,
but I wanted to see all the reactions, good or bad.
I am not afraid of failure.
It was gonna be interesting no matter what,
and we had back up food plans if needed.

At halftime, Dallas led the game and we lit up the grill.
While Paul and Brett monitored the heat,
Jon declared it was never going to get hot enough
due to lack of oxygen. Yeah, thanks, bro.


I nervously went inside and tried my hand
at rolling out the pizza dough.
Not the simplest thing to do with that wet stretchiness,
but I could see that I may actually have a decent mix
since the dough was acting just like it should.
I managed to build the first pizza onto the heavily floured peel.

We were beginning to get real heat on the pizza stones,
the top stone was getting over 500 degrees,
and the bottom stone had just hit over 400.
Once we acheived 500 on the bottom stone,
I opted to get that first pizza on,
knowing the top stone would be much hotter.
It looked good after just 90 seconds of baking,

but it was burning on one side--
too much flame coming up around the fire brick on that side,
and no charring on the bottom yet.
I panicked and took off that first pizza at just over 2 minutes.
Everyone was amazed because this really looked promising.
Jon stayed off to the side, with his doubtful eye on things.

Virginia wanted to try her hand at tossing the next pie
(she worked at Domino's when she was a teenager)
and it was her skills that literally saved the day for me.
She's a pro, I tell you.
We began to crank them out, and began calling out
to each kid and kid-at-heart for their "special orders"...
The stones began to smoke and burn red (exaggeration),
we were beginning to get into the high 600's and the hot spot was hotter!
We tried spinning the lid every 30 seconds to force the overdraft
but the hot spot was caused from my not cutting that firebrick to fit.
I'll fix that and eliminate the problem.

The pizzas were cooking beautifully
with a decent rise to the crust edge,
beautiful charring (leoparding) on the bottom,
and nice browning on the top.
The pies were cooking through within 2 to 2-1/2 minutes.

Wow!



After about the 6th pie, I sensed we had lost heat,
and sure enough the flame had gone out.
We thought it might have been the wind's fault,
but it turned out to be....
the lack of oxygen my brother kept warning me about.

I'll need to modify the cutout on the bottom of the grill
where the flame element enters, and leave a larger gap around there.
At the moment it has maybe a 1/4" gap all around
and most of that is taken up by the foil liner.

I also need to cut the firebricks so they set flat,
and hopefully eliminate that hot spot flaming up around one edge.

We had to get the heat back up, so we had a lull at this time.
Enter my cousin the "Michilada Queen".
With our tasty red spicy beers in hand
we resumed the process and lifted the lid
sporadically to keep the flow of oxygen going.

By now, Virginia was literally tossing and spinning dough!
The look on her face was magic.

I was maneuvering the peel and sometimes fighting
to release the pizzas onto the stone
without flopping everything right off the dough.
I did fold one before it got all the way off the peel
but we just made that one into a calzone.
Some of those pizzas were literally flying off the grill.

We had many toppings to choose from.
Pepperoni, canadian bacon, cheap red sauce,
mushrooms, black olives, sausage, jalapenos,
green chiles, onions, pineapple, mozarella...
I was going to bring some other toppings:
roasted red peppers, fresh basil from my garden,
white or garlic sauces, a variety of cheeses (feta, parmesan, asadero)....
but this day was sort of overwhelming already.

I've got to give kudos!
Props to all those who inspired me at Pizzamaking.com.
If it weren't for all their modifications,
and their exuberance and helpful tips
I would not have reaped the reward
of high fives, broad smiles,
and the virtual shock and awe
of fantastic made-to-order personal pizza
anywhere we want to make it!

This one is a keeper.

Hatch Chile and The Whole Enchilada!

In all the years I've lived in El Paso,
I had heard from everyone who had gone before
that the Hatch Chile Festival was not worth attending.
I should have ignored them, and I finally did ignore them.
In 2006, the year of the great and devastating floods,
Brett and I drove out to Hatch
along with my brother and his family
who had recently moved to Las Cruces.
The festival had to be moved to a different location
due to the city being mostly flooded out
and partially destroyed by all the big rains that summer.
We did not really know what to expect,
but we made the most of what we found there.

I won't lie;
a major disappointment for us was the lack of a beer garden.
The change of venue had created a glitch
in their ability to obtain a license
to serve up that particular brand of "cold ones."
Chile without beer, a travesty, I tell ya!

When we attended the fest in 2007 the beer tent was up
and Diana earned her Designated Driver Badge.
This year the beer garden was missing again,
and we could only speculate that something nefarious had occurred.
Perhaps a father had gone too far
as we witnessed in the parking lot this year,
The elder man slapping down his son
while the family goaded him
and the small children looked on with fear;
their mother screaming all the while.

The deep fried green chile chips
all but made up for the lack of cerveza
(okay, now I really am lying).
This year there was not a fried chile chip to be had.
Typical fair fare was consumed en masse by our little group.
We tried almost everything, all the while noticing...
there weren't really a lot of chile-specific types of foods.
This festival is annoyingly inconsistent.

Why was nobody serving chiles rellenos?
Where's the chile ice cream?

Aha! This year a very cool display of chile ice cream making,
and the sensation was almost perfect; hot and cold, spicy and sweet.
We stressed to this entrepreneur that he should roast the chiles
for that perfect chile flavor,
but he expressed worry about charred bits in the ice cream.
Obviously, the man does not know chile consumers,
but he's got a cool John Deere set-up churning the cream.

While I spoke to the gentleman about his ice cream
Brett managed to break the camera,
so that was the end of photos for today.
We've decided he will be getting a disposable camera
for use on Labor day from here on in.
He broke our last camera on Labor day last year
by driving full bore through a stream in the Gila Wilderness,
soaking me in the process and flooding the camera to its death.

Somebody needs to make a roasted-chile scented candle!
Wait, I read later that someone did just that
but we never noticed, because they weren't allowed to burn it.
Fire laws won't allow them to burn a candle
even while chiles are being roasted non-stop.

We have speculated each year on how we could create
our own chile concoctions and get in
on our own slice of the chile fest pie.
With our collective ideas we'd have the longest line;
we'll slay 'em with our chile-cookin' prowess!
Just you wait and see!


My nieces enjoyed the carnival rides
loads of laughter and whooping it up
these jubilant joy-riders...
spinning in bright silly machines.
Their teenage sensibilities kick in--
finding this festival to be a collosal bore
gives them leave to stay home from now on.
Killjoys, the lot of them!



I gotta say this:
Hatch's Chile Festival leaves something to be desired.
It's such a puny festival in a podunk town.


The town of Hatch is at once beautiful and a little sad.
Oddly, this quiet beauty is exactly what makes it so charming.
Hatch's Chile Festival delivers something
not to be found anywhere else in this great country.

Why do we keep going back?
For the chile, silly.



The Whole Enchilada Fiesta
runs September 25 thru 27 this year.
It's a much larger scale event
with Los Lobos playing on Saturday night
and many bands throughout the days and evenings;
and multitudes of rides and booths to choose from.
We especially enjoy watching the process
of cooking up the World's largest enchilada.
This year, we hope to have Brett's Alaskan nephews
here to enjoy the festivities.
My brother Stan did the T-shirt art again this year.

Inglourious Basterds

I am fortunate that I have a husband who tends to enjoy the same movies I do.
We find comfort, fear, and a somewhat joyful disgust
in the same sorts of celluloid dreams and nightmares.
He also likes to attend sporting events,
and I have a love/hate relationship with that concept
of sitting in the stadium, gymnasium, etc.
and watching others duke it out.
I find it utterly frustrating,
especially when my team ain't winning.

Today I've got 2 sets of "Inglourious Basterds" to discuss,
so I think I'll start with UTEP's inglorious football team.


photo stolen from www.mill1on.com

We've got a history here.
A history of dashed hopes and broken dreams.
It goes back many decades and I lost interest long ago.
It's just too freakin' painful.

Several years back, when Mike Price was gonna convert our team
into something respectable, I was reluctant to jump in
and try to be a supportive UTEP football viewer.
Still, I went along with Brett's desire to get season tickets.
I regretted it almost immediately and feel that regret more today.
Half the battle is getting through the tailgating
without wanting to throttle somebody who has indulged too much.


image stolen from Fox tv

Then there's the other dilemma
of wanting to throttle players, referees or coaches
for all the bone-headed plays and poor calls.
Saturday's showing by UTEP against Buffalo was excruciating to watch.
I'm not going to say that our team is weak.
I don't really think they are.
The Miners showed great promise in what they were able to execute.
What they also exhibited was a severe lack of discipline.
Some of the most ridiculous mistakes were made over and over and over again.
All those yellow flags declaring incompetence.
I can only sum it up in one way:
Pathetic.
My husband can find somebody else to go to the games with.
I've had my fill of wasted days and wasted nights.

Adios to Mike Price, and hasta la vista Paydirt Pete.


Image stolen from art.com

I feel calmer already.

And now for part 2 of my observations on how I spent my Saturday:

Despite many flaws in the Quentin Tarantino film,
I'd definitely recommend it.
I'd take in 3 movies like this over 1 UTEP football game any day.
For most who know me, that should be taken as a resounding
"No, don't waste your money, you will hate it"...
unless you like Tarantino's films.
This guy knows how to weave magic.
His ability to make you laugh
while trying to choke back the bile
after seeing someone get their head bashed in
...pure and simple film harmony.
It is all about the details
and it is all about the lack of details...
Taking great liberty with history
casting Brad Pitt in this redneck character
the absolute brilliance of Christoph Waltz


image stolen from hollywoodreporter.com

...a truly mesmerizing performance by Waltz
...that weepy close-up sadness in the eyes of LaPadite
...the fantastic imagery of Shoshonna's fiery face on the big screen.

Every nuance cleverly calculated by the director
and I'm sure I missed out on a lot of it.
A second and third viewing is in order to catch each one
and I aim to see this one again very soon.

It was bold and brash, and almost excruciating to watch
but there was no worry about this film's final score.
2 thumbs up and no sign of yellow flags on that battlefield.

image stolen from fotosearch.com

Tis the Season...

In El Paso there is one thing
to cause me to rejoice each year
more than any other thing.
The end of summer.
Don't get me wrong,
I enjoy the summers
with the incredible heat,
and sometimes torrential rains.
Hailstorms are always a special treat as well.

Festival season and UTEP football,
cooling breezes,
motorcycle riding weather,
my favorite fall fever in El Paso finally has arrived.
This time of year has always made me giddy.
I'm no spring fever chicken,
what with all the spring cleaning,
and the ugly windstorms here.
April is the cruelest month.
Give me autumn.

Yesterday I got a call from my brother.
You still going to the chile festival?
Sure, it's on the 26th.
No, it's tomorrow, it's always on Labor Day weekend.
Huh? I looked it up, it's on the 26th.
No, that's the Whole Enchilada Fiesta.
You mean the Hatch Chile Festival,
I thought that was in October...
Nope, tomorrow and Sunday.
Oh, gee, thanks bro, for calling me up at the last minute.
No, really, thanks for calling me.
Now, I won't have to miss it!

Today is the season opener for UTEP football.
My husband and I have already made plans
to check out the movie Inglorious Basterds,
and then to the Sun Bowl for some Miner Football.
Hatch will have to wait until tomorrow,
but rest assured,
I'll be getting my fill of Chile Verde and beer.

I'll be back in a few hours
and attempt to critique the movie,
which I am sure I will thoroughly enjoy.

What's better than rednecks and Nazis
trapped in Tarantino land?
I'd venture a guess...
NOTHING!

The Temple of my Familiar

For whatever reason,
Alice Walker's book resounded deeply with me
when I read it 10 years ago.
I may need to read it again,
but there was something strikingly familiar
about the way she wove the character of Miss Lissie.
I especially latched on to Miss Lissie's idea
of seeing a different person
within the many photographs taken of her
through the years
(appearing older when she was young,
and child-like in later years,
boyish in some, sultry in others).
I have witnessed a parallel
in the photos taken of myself
over the years
captured looking so unlike myself,
but seldom on purpose
or with any forethought on my part.
Many images in which few who know me
can believe what they are seeing.

I'm not talking glamour shots
in some studio, garishly made up
like those poor girls on America's Top Model
or whatever it's called.
I never knew how truly funny and harsh this show is.
It's all about the edge,
being a poseur for the big superstar model payoff,
and catering to any whim the advertiser might whip up.
Seeing a model wannabe
crying about her recently made-over short shorn hair
and then being reprimanded by Tyra Banks
for the inevitable tears in her eyes.
Too sweet for words.
It's evil mean in a very materialistic way.
Yeah. I guess you could say I liked it.
If anyone is dumb enough to hook up with a reality show
and not know they will be propped up for ridicule,
they deserve my laughter at their expense.

So anyway, I was trying to write about Alice Walker,
and this particular photo aspect of her book,
when I decided to download the pictures from our recent vacation.
I'm a multi-tasker, dontcha know?
These reminder pictures of July 2009,
coupled with a memory of watching a television show
about models trying to win a career posing for pictures,
and the beginning premise for this blog today
about the photographic aspect in Walker's book
it's just too much coincidence.
trouble is, I don't believe in coincidence
or karma or anything like that.
So what the heck am I talking about, huh?
This must be my age of Sternonation,
which of course you have no idea
what I'm further rambling on about now.
Sternonation is on the comeback, I tell ya!
You'll see.

So in this novel, The Temple of my Familiar,
I also read with interest the feelings of this character
about having lived many lives before,
and a knowledge that she would continue to travel
through time and gender.
Not that I really believe in reincarnation,
but it is a subject I have studied
since I was in high school.
I find the many aspects of it intriguing
and confusing, and rather ridiculous.
I want to know what happens to those images,
those faces who aren't really you
but some pixelated product of electricity.
Do they become pixel dust?
Do we?

Photographers always scared me.
My earliest "studio photo" when I was 4
shows an intense face,
non-smiling with a slight hint of frown.
It looks just like me!
My father informed me
I sat there under threat of spanking
if I didn't stop fidgeting, complaining or crying.
Almost all earlier photos of me show a screaming,
terrorized, deer in the headlights face.
Maybe it was the flashbulb with that bright explosion
of light that so terrified me.
Maybe my father's threats worked to a degree,
as I didn't see many more crying visages in print afterwards.
Still, I don't like to have my picture taken.
Invariably, there I am looking like I'm chewing cud,
my eyes half open, looking like I'm 80 when I was 25!
Yowzers!

Is the camera the temple of my familiar?
Does it hold all of the secrets to who I am?
Is it stealing my soul with every click?

Que Barrio?

So, there I was in San Dimas, California, enjoying a few brews (not with Bill & Ted) and practicing my Spanish with Ricardo Mares (an illegal immigrant dishwasher) from Arizpe, Mexico. We had just finished our shifts (I was the cook and he was the new dishwasher) at the Old West Steakhouse, a stone's throw away from Zendejas' restaurant.

(player card image from insidesocal.com)

We were drinking a 6 pack of Beck's Dark in the parking lot, like all good working-class peons do after an evening of toil.

One of the first questions he asks me is "Que Barrio?" I laugh. "La Loma," I tell him. La Loma? He has no idea...I then tell him about my life in El Paso, and he says El Chuco? Oddly, I had never heard the term outside of El Paso, and here was this young kid, telling me how his uncles had all emigrated to El Chuco, or to Los Angeles via Tijuana and Juarez.

Mares told me how they would struggle to get into the USA and infiltrate the restaurant industry.


(photo from worth 1000)
They'd become cooks, waiters and dishwashers, and skirt La Migra as best they could; constantly saving their money to bring yet another cousin or brother in. They avoided the coyote traders, and did it all themselves to save money and avoid being ripped off. He mentioned that some coyotes would take their money and then turn them in to the officials.

(photo from www.internationalist.org)

After years and years of working in the U.S., and saving what they could after sending money home, they might try to bring in their female family members: wives, girlfriends, mothers, and sisters.

I asked him about his traditional name, which I knew had to include at least 5 surnames, and he delivered a very long and rhythmic identity that I cannot possibly recall with about a dozen surnames attached. He commented on how far his family was from an ocean or sea, to be given the name Mares and living so far from water was too ironic even for him, the bearer of that name.

I liked this kid, and the vibrance in his actions and manner of speaking. There was a spark about him which I found to be very intriguing. He was just there struggling to survive with his on-again, off-again 6th grade education, a huge amount of humorous street-sense, and a determination to make a better life for himself and his extended family. His strongest wish was to bring his girlfriend to California and make her his wife; to settle down and have a family. I was curious as to why he wanted to marry at such a young age. Amor! He missed his girlfriend of 3 years, she was pregnant, and they had been planning their matrimony for a year before his uncles secreted him across the border.

Was he worried about being caught? No. He knew from experience that it was a simple matter to come back. He laughed about this. I felt a bit betrayed, knowing that our lack of enforcing illegal immigrant laws provided this freedom for those who were willing to abuse them. I could not fault the boy for his actions, though I did ask him about going through legal channels. He told me it wasn't needed, all that paperwork and waiting years when he could just pay some guy for his counterfeit papers. He showed me his California Driver's License.


(photo at photobucket)
Okay that is not it, but his id looked legit to my untrained eye, although it showed him to be 5 years older than his 17 years, so he could get into the bars. I admit, I sympathized with him, even as I became angry at his mocking tone. Que onda cabrón?

I have thought often about Ricky Mares over the years. I always wondered if he got married, brought his mother across, or got caught. I worked with Ricky near 17 years ago. Did he bring his girlfriend across quickly enough to have an anchor baby? One more kid to drain our system?

Our immigration laws need to be enforced. I have written to President Obama. I will continue to write to him and I will continue to write to Silvestre Reyes. Our country is dying in the most agonizing way, and allowing illegal immigration to continue in the manner it has does not behoove us. Putting up that atrocious fence is not the solution. Amnesty is not the solution. Enforcing the law is the only viable way towards reformation, and harsh penalties for those who hire illegals is a must.

Please write to your President and to your State Representatives.
They are your voice, and they need to hear you, loud and clear.

(presidential seal found at idea champions)