FAITHLESS...

Last Sunday, while I was in the old neighborhood, my son and I walked up to Mission Street to go to the bank. On the way, we stopped by my old Parish, St. Peter's. I took a few photos of my old school and gave my son a brief tour of the place where his old man learned to read, write, count and respect authority... well I know that last one is somewhat debatable.

The 10:30 mass was just beginning when we stopped at the church. While standing in the rear of the church, I took two photos. The choir was singing and my son was tugging on my arm to get outof there. The whole scene scared him as I have kept religion out of his life so he isn't accustomed to church or anything like that. As he we walked out, he said, "Daddy...what is all that? What are they doing in church? I don't get it." All I could tell him was that I didn't get it either and that's why I stopped going a long time ago.

HERE'S TO ALCOHOL...

the cause of, and the solution to, all of life's problems.
-Homer Simpson

Salud!

LOS VIEJOS

So the primary reason that I headed up to the Bay Area was to attend my niece's communion reception and my uncle's retirement dinner. Both were celebrated concurrently at Mount Hamilton Grandview restaurant, which overlooks the entire city of San Jose.

It was great to see my family that I hadn't seen in such a long time. It was a surprise for my uncle who had no idea that it was going to be a dinner honoring him. I could tell he was truly touched. My cousin did amazing job.

My uncle has worked for AT&T since God knows when and I think he is looking forward to some time off. My own father is about to retire soon from Macy's and I can't help but wonder what it will be like for me when I am their age. They both worked for the same companies most of their lives, and that just doesn't happen anymore. Oh where has the stability gone?!

Los viejos in the photo from right to left, my dad and uncle's cousin, my dad, and my uncle.

LAST GAS-P!

So one of the first things that I noticed when getting into The City, was the price of gas. It's just unbelievable. I know this will reach San Diego soon. It's the beginning of the end. My business is down 35% from last year and this is just another nail in the coffin. I just got back on Sunday night. I'll have more to say later. I've been too fucking miserable to write and I don't want my blog to be too depressing. Not sure how much longer we'll be in business. It may just be another month or so now...

TWO FAVORITES: JULIETA Y LILY

I'm sure it was just a coincidence but my two most favorite singer-song writers released new songs on MySpace this past Thursday:

Julieta Venegas just released, "El Presente" from her upcoming MTV Unplugged that was recorded last March in Mexico D.F. It's performed amazingly and if I didn't hear the applause at the end, I would've never known it was live. Also, there is "Algo Fue Mio", another great track.

Lily Allen also released two tracks: "I Don't Know" and "I Could Say". The first being my favorite. It's got nice retro-eighties sound and of course her always pointed lyrics. This time about being a young woman in the twenty first century...in an age of mass consumption and Paris Hilton.

Listening to these tracks is probably the only reason I have for having a MySpace page. I'm too old for this shit...really!!!!

PRELUDE TO A HOMECOMING

Even though Los Angeles still feels like the center of the known universe to me (I know you all think I'm absolutely gone nutters), I still feel like The City* is my home and tomorrow, I will be flying up with my son to visit for a short stay. My wife will be staying behind to mind the store and subsequently get a brief reprieve from all the snoring, burping, farting and other horribles. Oh yes and a well deserved break from my son as well.

There'll be a family function, that I'll write more about later, that will allow me to see relatives I haven't seen in eons. I'll also try to catch up with some friends. Sadly, my old college buddy Marcos, won't be there as he picked up his shit and went to Miami, FL for a change of scene. Always having his finger on the pulse, he would always find a good dive bar in the Mission or some underground club to hang out at, nearly every time I went back to The City.

Never-the-less, it's always good to go home for a bit. I think it will be just fine...

*Locals from the Bay Area refer to San Francisco as "The City". Call it 'Frisco' only to watch us cringe, like fingernails across a chalkboard.

YET ANOTHER BRITISH SOUL SIREN:DUFFY

I'll admit that I'm a sucker for trends and lately it's been these 60s style soul singers from the UK that have been doing it for me. Not since the glory days of Dusty Springfield have there seemed to be so many.

Last month I posted two videos from Gabriella Cilmi (pronounced Chill-me), the teen-age Aussie singer currently living in the UK. This time the new soul singer/songwriter hails from Wales. Her name is Aimee Anne Duffy but has apparently decided just to go by the moniker, Duffy. Fine by me. I hate to rush to judgment and say that she's the hottest thing based on hearing one track, but after hearing and seeing this video, I'm sold - bought and paid for, with a little ribbon tied around me. She's hot, her voice is massive, I dig her style and I gotta say...I got the chills when I first heard her. I love it and I'm considering ordering the CD from Amazon.co.uk since as of now, there's no domestic release. The guero says check her out!

Duffy - Mercy (2007)

FORGOTTEN FAVORITES: Skateaway-Dire Straits

Even before MTV finally reached San Francisco on Viacom Cable in 1982, I was already excited about music videos. I would religiously tune into a music video program on Viacom Cable channel 6 called "The California Music Channel" that started up around 1981. Interestingly, after some cursory Googling, I learned that it's still around today!!

One music video they played that I really dug was Skateaway from the Dire Straits. The song is about a girl who skates through the streets and life freely and exuberantly - unconcerned about anything else in the world except the music that's the soundtrack of her life. Needless to say, I was fascinated with the girl. To me, her movements, enhanced with the slow motion effects, were a expression of freedom and beauty that belonged to no one but herself.

The skater was Jay Curley/Jayzik Azikiwe, who later became a famous Dub poet and just recently passed away last February in Gambia. She had lived there for some time and was a well known benefactor of childrens' schools and artists.

Of course the song itself is great. Mark Knopfler's distinctive, jazzy guitar twang sounds as great as ever and evokes the perfect mood along with his Dylan-esque style vocals.

Dire Straits - "Skateaway"(1980)

L.A. TACO WARS

Everyone knows, the guero loves tacos, so I feel it's my duty to report or relay any pertinent taco news. Here is an article from today's LA Times about the growing tensions in Los Angeles between the taco truck vendors, restaurant owners and the taco/torta/quesadilla consumers caught in the crossfire!

Putting the brakes on East L.A.'s taco trucks
By Jean-Paul Renaud, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
April 14, 2008

Business was brisk one recent night as the smell of sizzling carne asada floated from an East Los Angeles taco truck. A row of customers sat on folding chairs, tacos and quesadillas in hand.

Two blocks down Cesar Chavez Avenue, Jesus Huerta's La Tia Tamale restaurant stood empty. (continue...)

COSAS QE ME HACEN FELIZ: TACOS

Yes. I know that lately I have been worse than Debbie Downer at a Holocaust film festival but it's hard man! It's hard! But in these trying times we have to find the things, big or small, that make us happy. For me, that means tacos. The best tacos come from the street vendors in TJ but it's not always convenient to make a skirmish across the border, so you just gotta get them where you can.

Today, that was at this taqueria in a tiny nondescript shopping center in Anaheim that I discovered accidentally about a year ago. Anytime that I'm driving up or down the 5, to or fro LA, I always find an excuse to drift off the Lincoln Ave. Exit to Tacos El Rey and have some tacos, burrito or a sope. When you are tired, beat-down and hungry, this plate of tacos looks like an arrangement of beautiful flowers. The magnificent yet simple combination of scents : tortillas, onions, cilantro, chile and grilled carne overwhelms me with comfort and pleasure. Ahhhhh Tacos. They make me happy!

JUST LIKE THAT...

Today, We went to see an attorney in downtown San Diego. This particular attorney specializes in business and that other dreaded b-word, bankruptcy. So this guy is a friend and attorney of an acquaintance of ours, who also happens to a business owner.

Supposedly, this was going to be a "free" consultation and I was little wary of that but on we went. I think we were there for a little over an hour. During this time, we didn't learn anything new and/or insightful. In fact, as I sat there, I just started feeling more angry, hopeless and sad. For over an hour, this attorney just summarized and reiterated how fucked we are, albeit in a more legalistic, methodical and formalized fashion, admitting he had no "magic-bullet" solutions.

I couldn't wait to get the fuck out of there and finally, at what amounted to be quite an awkward conclusion - I had just finished telling him that we didn't have any money to pay our rent and out bank loan, he then asks for 375 fucking dollars!! I looked at my wife. What the hell had just happened? So there we were:I didn't bring any checks so we handed over the cash we just picked up from the store. That, was a almost a whole day's earnings...gone...just like that... for what? I don't need to pay some one 375 dollars to tell me that we're floating in the toilet and about to be flushed. I ALREADY KNOW!!

So now here I am. On top of being pitifully despondent, I'm now seething with an almost uncontrollable rage...goddamnit!!!

HELP ME JESUS! HELP ME OPRAH!

So this week, while Bear Stearns is in the process of "NOT" being bailed out by the government, I am presented with two equally fantastic choices: Behind Curtain number One : I can pay the rent for my house by Tuesday or face eviction (I've already received my 3 day notice) OR choose what's behind Curtain number 2: Pay the Bank for a past due amount and default on the loan. We all need a roof over our heads, especially when you have a small child, so you can guess which Curtain I will choose.

The last four years have been quite a learning experience for me. The number one lesson: Don't double-down with everything you have to go into a business partnership with a relative.

I have a lot of family that are praying for me but unless,Jesus, himself, can return to Earth yet again, make a quick pit stop in Mission Valley, and cut me a check from His Holiness' bank account for the sum of $520 grand, then I'm afraid it's all in vain.

In addition to all the prayers and well wishes, my sister-in-law (to whom I owe much thanks for supporting us), sent an e-mail to Oprah to help us out (seriously) but I don't know if she's quite as powerful as Jesus, but she certainly seems close.

Have a great weekend folks! And by they way, doesn't that Oprah look fabulous!

MY SON...CRAZY EIGHTS

This last Monday, on March 31, my son, Alec, turned eight years old. Time has gone by so quickly and continues to do so at an accelerated rate. In another eight years, he'll be driving!! I will never forget holding him in the delivery room and wondering what kind of man he will turn out to be and every year and every day, more of this man-to-be is revealed to me. It hasn't always been easy but he is an affectionate, inquisitive fellow who likes the White Stripes, The Ramones and playing soccer. He's a good boy who likes to drive his parents crazy. Happy Birthday Dude!