Blogs I read| Thank you to all the Bloggers| Feliz Año.

I read alot of blogs.

It all Started with Loteria Chicana...I was looking online for stuff on East Los Angeles and found Cindylu's blog....

Her Stories are very informative, I see alot of my culture in her...I mean that in the most positive way possible...I know that If I would of stayed in school I would of ended up like her and reading her post makes me feel like I can make it..

From Her blog I found Hello World...Pear Mama...

Her blog inspires me , Her and her Husband and Kids are so Artistic and I know that If I would of Followed that Path in my life I would of been just like that or I wish I would of ended up just like that....they are very resiliant and an inspiration.

Then there is Swapmeet Chronicles....Doña Junta...I like her pics and stories they always make me take a second look and make me think, she has a really good blog roll that I like.

I really don't know how I found Alice Bag's (Armendariz) blog but she is the most punk rock chicana ...I remember seeing her in Decline and Fall of the Western Civilization and thinking that that is the most punk rock person on this video...I remember wishing they would of put more of her in the video......anyways....She has an awesome.....Awesome....Official Website with lots of stories from her punk rock years and many of the people that were involved in that scene in those days.

She also has a Blog ...Dairy of a Bad House Wife where she posts about her Family Life and a new blog with stories from her youth.....Violence Girl : The Autobiography of a punk.

I like her writting cause she grew up in the same enviroment that I grew up in and I always learn about new stuff from her writting about the area that I was raised in.....we grew up in the same place....and are just seperated by about 10 years from what I can tell....she overcame our enviroment and thrived in a whole other enviroment but if I would of taken that path , who knows what I could of been.

I also read Chanfles...My Tocallos blog....his stories are good and always make me think and he always finds the money shot....that makes me wonder how he did it....I always try and take pictures of people as they are doing things and can't ever get it done the correct way...but he does......he captures life.....and then there are all the food posts...that make me miss Los Angeles even more.

I also read LA Eastside and The Eastsider La....both rock , both have awesome stories and both have great pictures...

I recently found...Under the Alexandria.....has great stories and a really good blogroll.....also DowntownLaislooking up....has a great series called Why do you sleep on the streets...where she interviews people that she encounters in Downtown La that live on the streets....

I appreciate the people that read my blog ....I started this blog to get my thoughts out...to make a record of who I am and what I think.....I just hope that I can make others feel and think the way I feel and think after reading some of the blogs that I read.All blogs Mentioned in this post are on the side column under the heading "Good Reading"

Just found some food blogs on Swapmeet Chronicles....Doña Junta's website...called A Little Cup Of Mexican Hot Chocolate & More and Doña Lupe's Kitchen...gotta go see what that's all about :)

Happy New Year to all the bloggers and readers.....I hope this new year brings lots of inspiration and well being to you and your family and to those of you that have stumbled upon this blog thank you for visiting and Hope you have a great year also.

Evilchavo Out.

Working hard for a living

I used to sell electronics door to door in City Terrace.

Pelon (One of my stepdads friends) came around one day and asked me for a ride to pick up some electronics.

I was bored at home and gave him a ride....I thought it will be a bunch of crap.

When we got to the shop I discovered that I was also going to be the translator...Pelon did not speak english and needed my assistance.

I talked to the guy at a tv repair shop and asked him what they had available....I found out they got their electronics cheap and just needed to sell them (Now I realize that they probably fell off a truck)

They asked me why the other guy was not there with Pelon and Pelon said the other guy did not know about him being there and that he was going to be using his own money and the other guys to make so money of his own.

We negotiated a price and I loaded up my Audi 5000 with a few boxes of electronics.

We got back to the house and I asked Pelon if he wanted me to help him sort out the stuff.

He asked me what certain things were for and I explained...since I was the one doing all the explaining I asked him if he wanted to leave the stuff at our house so I could find out what worked....what did not work and what we could sell...I told him I needed to see how much profit we could make from the stuff that he bought.

He left the stuff behind and the next day came over to see what pricing I had come up with.

I told him and he was shocked....he said that he and the other guy were selling the stuff for alot less....actually he said that the other guys was telling him that stuff was selling for less so that he could keep the unreported money.

I did my research and found out by visiting the electronic stores the day before that he has some pretty good stuff and that he was getting screwed by his partner.

He had Cd players, vacuums, dvd players....etc...etc...

So he asked me to help him sell the stuff....I was working at Thrifty on the weekends and did not mind having the extra money since my mom and stepdad were in Mexico.

I started knocking on the neighbors doors, talking to them about what I had and I made a few sales.....I made most sales because of my trustworthiness and knowledge of the product.

Sold a few vacuum cleaner and portable cd players and got tired of know so went back home to see what we had sold together....Pelon...sold nothing..I sold most of what I had.

We split the money....(I made more from a few hours of door knocking that from working 12 hours at Thrifty)....I learned some valuable lessons that day....

1) Always have a partner that is trustworthy if you have to have a partner

2) Never be afraid to ask for the sale

3) Learn as much as possible about the product that you are selling.


Needless to say , I quit my job at Thrifty scooping Ice Cream and started selling electronics door to door....We started making good money together...When we would buy our electronics I would do the research....teach Pelon about the product.. and go out to make some sales.

I started wearing my nice pants and shirt while selling and Pelon did too...we both worked hard....we started buying the electronics between both of us.

We made some pretty good money, but then my stepdad came back from Mexico and started taking Pelon with him to run "Errands"

Sold l the rest of my part of the stuff and retired from the selling electronics business.

Pelon would come around once in a while to get a ride of something but something was different about him now....he did not seem right...he smelled of alcohol and was not someone that I wanted to be around that often.

Then he finally CONnvinced me to take him on one last ride to to buy some electronics....we had the car filled up with vacuums and as I was making a right turn the axle on the Audi broke.

We called my stepdad , he came and picked up the vacuum cleaners and gave us both a ride home and that was the last time I did business with Pelon. He bought all the vacuums so he and my stepdad started selling them together and I got out of the electronic business for good.

Pelon was one of my stepdads many friends that would live with us from time to time, my stepdad is from the DF...all his friends had nicknames....

Pelon was nicknamed Pelon...but he was not a Pelon....he was missing and Eye and I think they called him Pelon from Childhood because his family made him keep his hair really short.

I will write about the different people that would come and stay with us from time to time....the little details that I can remember....Under the label boarders..

Evilchavo Out.

Merry Christmas and Where is the tequila?

I was just thinking about Chritmas and just like every other holiday and every other family we had alot of problems on that day.

My stepdad had a severe drinking problem and everytime a holiday came around he would disappear for a week at a time.

It was really weird because my stepdad was very quiet and did not talk to anyone about his problems he would always hide under a shy persons smile and when he was all happy during the holiday we knew but did not want to admit it to ourselves that he was drinking again.

He would go out for a soda and not come back gor 3 or 4 days and after I learned how to drive we would go find him at some dirty bar in the middle of nowhere or asleep in his car in a parking lot of dirty old bar.

Sad , Sad Sad.

My real dad he was never around and I would always see him a week before Chritmas down the street at the Mercado Hidalgo and tell him about the stuff that I wanted for Christmas and he would always say that he would get it for me and then on the 24th I would walk down to the Mercado Hidalgo to see my dad and he would always be gone....he was always on his way or at Mexico during Christmas (I never figured out why he would always tell me that he would get me things also not sure why I kept going to see him)

Sad. Sad. Sad. Sad.

But you know, there were some benefits from my stepdad being a drunk.

1) Learned how to drive at 12 (ON my way back from Mexico in the middle of nowhere)

2) Had lots and lots of alcohol in the house for ditching parties and get togethers

3) Learned about conflict resolution and last but not least.

4) Learned that I can't trust anyone no matter how genuine and honest they seem.

So now I don't drink....if I do...I never get drunk and disappear....and I always keep my promises....I always do what I say I will do and keep my word.

Merry Christmas and know this: things always change...sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.....but that is the one thing that you can count on CHANGE.

also if you drink Tequila make sure its Don Julio (accept no substitute)

Evilchavo Out.

Cutting the fan cord| Learning to stand up for myself

Got in an argument with a coworker or mine over his shaddy business and his inability to understand that I will not compromise my morals by allowing him to take what is not his , just because he says so.

I learned this lesson long ago in my neighborhood of City Terrace....when I was younger before I lost the weight I was big chubby boy that did not like to comb his hair and carried large amount of candy in his pockets (Mostly Now and Laters) , I wore husky cords or jeans and swapmeet mismatched sneakers and pens in my pockets and (if I would of found one I would of also worn a pocket protector for all those pens)

So not to go into much more detail than that but I got picked on alot when I was a kid cause I was a big old NERD.

As i grew up (Puberty) and lost all the weight (when I started skating )I started to develop a sense of worth and learned to not back down ....I have always been kind and gentle and did not realize as a kid that many people would perceive it as weakness but once I figured it out I never had problems with bullies or anyone else for that matter.

And when I see it starting as an adult I put an end to it as soon as possible.

So this guy pissed me off, and I told him off...no mercy...no backing down.....but this guy is the kind of guy that has done this all his life and feels that no one is better than him....so It is taking a little bit more that usual to get him to back/shut the f*ck up.

I would like to dedicate this song to him Performed by the Master: Alice Bag.



He is just old and does not realize that I chose to be good and not shaddy a long time ago when I was young and that where I am from you can't take two paths....one is good...the other is not so good....but once you make your decision you have to stick to it and there is no backing down.

There is no inbeetween...you are either going to be a rock star(Live a regular life) or a bum on the street.

I call it cutting the fan cord when I have to regulate.....

Comes from and incident that happened to me in the bay area....my newly appointed boss made the decision that we could not have fans out our cubicles and I needed the fan to drown out the sound of all the other people that I worked with....I told him that I would take in down but I had to move some stuff around in my desk and would get to it after work so that I did not have interrupt my workflow with his stupid request.

So he talks to a newly appointed supervisor which was my friend and she keeps nagging me all day about taking the fan down..(Like a small 3 inch fan) and I trying to work and just don't want to be bothered with her and her fan request......after the fifth time in the same day ...I get angry and take a pair of Metal scissors and say " You want me to take this fan down?" Here is your fan! as I cut the (still plugged in fan) a huge spark like 6ft high comes out from where I cut the fan cord and everyone is looking at me like I am a crazy person.....I give her the fan and tell her to let me keep working.

Everyone had meeting with me that day....Manager....Asst Manager....a few different supervisors .....and they all apologized but from that day on ....they left me alone and let me do my work.....they let me keep my fan (because they realized that the reason for the initial request was for a really dumb reason) .

So I have some work issues to sort out but have been feeling really inspired to draw and write....I use to draw and write as a kid and teenager to let the demons out in high stress situations so everytime things like this happen I always feel inspired :)I thrive in chaos and destruction.

This album like on a loop in my head lately ...not sure why....Warren G. Regulate G. Funk Era.

Evilchavo Out.

Being an A-hole

I never say that I am sorry I consider it a sign of weakness.

I don't feel good about it, but that is the way the I am.

I have learned to not take anything for granted and therefore don't like to give out respect as is it was something everyone deserves.

Respect is earned and in my lifetime only a few have heard me say that I am sorry.

I am sometimes considered an asshole....because I seem to not feel.

But people don't understand that showing weakness where I was raised meant attracting undo attention to myself ( that would usually mean a beatdown)

I was not beat up often but I know that uncomfortable situations were usually created because of my friends who did something to someone and because my friends could not be found I was the victim of their mistakes.

I feel and sometimes I think more that others will ever know...

Evilchavo Out.

Looking for a deal on Rockband 2 Special Edition for xbox 360 or PS3 at a really good price..?

We would like to interrupt that really depressing Rata story with an important deal Announcement. (From now on these deals will be under the IDA label) I figure why not hook it up...if someone can benefit like I do from these deals...then so be it.

Here is a deal for that special someone that loves Rockband.

(This Deal is only good until the ad expires which is on 12/20/08 Saturday for the West Coasters)

If you can find it. update: they just got new shipment today by UPS at Toys R Us

This deal is only available for us West Coasters now.

Toys R us has the Special Edition Rockband 2 (The new one) with drums and mic and guitar for $109.99 and when you buy it they give you a $25 dollar Toys R Us gift card that can be used right away...card says can't be used until 12 hours later but people have been using it right away.

The hard part of this deal is finding the product in stock for the system that it is needed for.....their seems to be alot of PS3 Rockband 2's SE's left out there but all stores are running out of the XBOX 360 right away.

The really cool part is that if you don't want to deal with the Toys R Us crowd especially at this time of year...

You can pricematch it.....Walmart has done it and Circuit City....Best Buy is not pricematching this deal.

So what you do is take the Toys R Us ad (That was in last Sundays newspaper) or prinout of the ad..(Go to the Toys r Us website for that) you show it to the person that is ringing up your Rockband 2 Special Edition box and you make them pricematch.

I always make them get the product first then when we get to the register I bring out my ad and ask for the Pricematch.(That way they don't shoot you down before hand because they don't want to go thru the approval hassle) No cashier wants a long line behind them so they usually expedite the process if you are holding up the line.

Walmart is suppose to match all printed ads to 100% and Circuit City is suppose to match it to 110%...some people have used the print out from the Toys r Us website and other have used the real ad....really up to the person approving it and how much they don't want to give you the price.

Some people have been able to get the Rockband 2 Se for $84.99 which is the $109.99 Price - the $25 dollars for the gift card.And some people have been able to pricematch the Rockband 2 Special Edition for the Wii that just came out a few days ago. (Not even on the ad!)

But people that have been able to do Wii Rockband 2 Se have been minimal....this deal is good without the $25 dollar gift card pricematch (If you get the extra $25 off than that is really good) but don't push your luck...so if you get it for $109.99 that is a really good price....it is $189 regularly .

But Toys r Us is honoring their ad and that is by far the simplest way to go about it....no need to pricematch and have to go back and forth with the Cashier and Manager and whoever else needs to give the approval for the pricematch.

The Toys R Us is a really good way of buying it ..if they have it because....

$109.99_$25=$84.99 When you buy one and then you can use the $25 for something else at Toys R Us.

I used to be really shy about Pricematching but have learned that the best way to do it is to stand your ground and show them the proof...because you are doing nothing wrong and their the ones that want to pricematch and have a pricematch policy because they would rather sell their product to you than have someone else product sold. Also they might want to call the Toys R Us to see if they have anymore in stock....so depends on who answers the phone at the Toys R Us.

And if you get a Pricematch Nazi(Some Huevon that no matter what proof you give denies your pricematch) ....move on to the next department or store and someone will do the pricematch...sometimes it takes a little bit of legwork. And remember "El que se enoja pierde!"...He who gets angry loses....so be patient and don't be angry if you can't get the deal....just move on to the next cashier.....no sense if losing your soul over a deal.

Happy Hunting.

(This is what the box looks like) double check because some people have been getting the drumset only or the RockBand 1 Special Edition and what you want is the newest one...ROCKBAND 2 Special Edition for the xbox 360 or PS3...comes with game,drums,mike and guitar)



Included in the box
· Wireless Guitar
· Wireless Drum set
· Microphone
· Game Software
· 6 AA Batteries

This Deal is Only good Until Tomorrow 12/20/08


Evilchavo Out.

Rat Hunting in the Neighborhood|Bonding with the extended family

Before the divorce, My parents and my brother and I lived in a 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment above two single car garages.

It was a really old apartment, well really more like a room.

I think I was about 10 when this happened.

One day while getting some no brand cereal that we bought at Best Buy at Soto and Cesar Chavez.

I took the box out of the kitchen cabinet and all the cereal fell out the back.

We had Rats.

Shortly thereafter my mom saw one...HUGE

So when we told my dad , he and his brothers and my older cousins went rat hunting.

We got bats and sticks and told my mom to stay at our aunts while the men did the hunting.

What we would do is poke the bottom of the cabinets for rats and if none were found then we would move on to under the sofa or under the bed or under the clothes.

When we found one...we would all make it come out in the open and then we would all bash it to death.

Pretty cruel, but my dad and most of the cousins were Ranch folk so they did not have any issues with killing and animal especial if it was messing up clothes and food.

Funny how I remember this as one of the few bonding moments I had with my Dads family.

After that we started buying rat poison and I had the awesome duty of picking up the rats and throwing them in the trash can.

When our neighbor saw me doing this she said that if I picked up a rat for her she would give me a dollar....so I did it...everytime a rat was found the kids would come to me and I would pick up the rat...I never touched it....I would always use a plastic bag to pick it up.

I would collect my dollar and go down to the store and buy myself some Chee-tos :) ahh what great memories.

Evilchavo Out.

Moving out of City Terrace|Taking City Terrace with me wherever I go

I lived in City Terrace since I was a baby boy.
It was my neighborhood, I knew all the alleyways and shortcuts.
Where to get good food for cheap.
Where to skate when I was happy, Sad and angry.
I knew where to go when I had money and also when I had none.
Where to go with friends and where to go when by myself.
where to go to write and were to go to read.
I knew everything about the place. Everything.

Where to go and where not to go..How to be and how not to be.

I am much older now and you would think different, but I am still the same.

I am just farther away.

I miss the sense of community, the knowing that my neighbors would back me up....
The knowing that I would back them up also.

Reminds me of a story,

When I was a teenager....my neighbors were having fun with guns.

My neighbor happened to look and have the same name as me.

So the Cops came knocking on my door...looking for me.

They put my stepdad in handcuffs and drew their weapons while searching the home for me.

I was at "Phantom of the Opera" in downtown with my girlfriend.

Came home and my mom was freaking out and asked me if I had shot a gun.

I told her I did not have a gun and was at the opera.

Then she told me about what happened and that they needed to take me to the police station.

I had long bangs in the front with the rest of my head shaved and had blue and black streaks in my hair.

I entered the sheriffs station and my stepdad talked to the guy at the counter and he asked me to enter the door ....when I did he threw me up against the wall and tried to handcuff me (he could not get the 1 set of handcuffs so he had to use two) He freaked out when he realized that one was not going to work (It messed up his perfect handcuff manuever) the other cop at the counter realized what was going on (I guess they really can smell fear) so the other cop gave him another pair of cuffs and he was able to complete his awesome handcuff manuever.

I was just up against the wall telling them that I did Not shoot the gun and that they did not need to arrest me...I told them that I was at the "Phantom of the Opera" and I could show them the tickets and I had witnesses.

They told me to be quiet....Be quiet "Blue Streak" I then realized that I should not have blue hair going into jail....Just did not seem like a good idea for being in jail......I told them that I did not know who did the shooting (But I did) I was not a rat.

I had just turned 18 and knew that I would not go to Juvenile hall...so I was not happy about possibly going to Real jail as a youngster.

They kept on bringing in different detectives to "Talk" to me....they did good cop , bad cop.....we are just trying to keep you from going to jail....tell us who did it....my partner wants to just send you to jail...blah...blah...blah..."Bluestreak"

Do you know what happens to blue haired guys in real jail? blah..blah...blah.

My neighbors were not very friendly but they were my people....we all grew up together and even though we took different paths...I knew that I could of easily been them....I could of easily been shooting a gun in the sky to celebrate something.

So I gave the cops the tickets and they made a report....after hours of not getting anything out of me...they let me go.

I came home that night tired, angry, I keep thinking about the person that called the cops....

Next day while me and my brother were trimming the bushes in the front yard and picking up the leaves at our house....My neighbor (Who was making some carne asada) asked us if we wanted some....he hooked us up.

We were tired and dirty and our neighbors never hooked us up....never.

That day they thanked us for not turning in the person that really shot the gun....since that day....everytime they had a bbq we were hooked up....they always said "Hello" to us and showed us respect.

I know that shooting gun up in the air is dangerous, I know I could of turned in my neighbor...but what would of been gained...My neighbor thanked us without thanking us every single time we saw him after that.....

I learned alot in City Terrace...and I miss it everyday...even if City Terrace was not so good to me sometimes....

Evilchavo Out.

Buying my brother a wind up toy for his birthday

My brother and I have alot of similarities,but are completely different.

I remember when he was born, I was so happy to have some company.

I was seven when he was born.

When he got a little bit older ...maybe 2 or 3 I bought him a wind up toy from Don Pablitos on City Terrace Drive for one of his birthdays.

I saved up for my brother...I was about 9...I had never saved up for anything.

It was made of tin and was of a kid riding a tricycle.

I went to Don Pablitos with a bag full of coin and then after we counted it all, he showed me what my options were......Just the one wind up tricycle thing.


(Like the one above it has been a while so I don't remember exactly what it looked like, just the way it looked but none of the details)

It came in a colorful box! I wrapped it in Newspaper(Which is still how I prefer to wrap things,then I just draw all over the newspaper)

Then I got a string from my mom and wrapped it around the gift and gave it to my little brother.......he tore it open and just put it aside....I did not understand why he did not play with it......

My brother has never liked toys.....never....I have been obsessed with toys ever since I can remember...I still collect toys....

He was into Nintendo and Arcade Games.....but just for like a month

Never any cartoons (Which I love) or Transformers (Rock!) or GI Joe's (were way too expensive for me) , He did like the Power Rangers (but for like a week)......

We have such different brains, but we have one connection....we both were raised in the same place and know all the same people...even though he did not hang out with all my friends he knew them and I knew his friends.....he was my witness.....he lived most of these times with me....

When we got older.....Before I started working at a Movie Theatre I had a car and we would all pack into it to go to the Dodger Games or Eat(Jack in Crack) or Just go to the Mall (Montebello) or Movies( Commerce or Monterey park Mall)

They were good times,

Now we are both far apart, being grown up is keeping us apart.

They can't leave work to come see us and we can't leave work to see them.

Time to save for my brother again, and this time for something he actually wants.

Hard to believe that My brother is getting married , but he has always been the type of person to do what he wants when he wants.....no one can keep him down when he sets his mind to it.

I like to believe that Ihad a hand in raising him to be different than me, so that he could not face the same obstacles as me....but I think he did it all.......I just witnessed it.

Happy Birthday Brother.

Evilchavo Out.