I am from City Terrace California 90063 in ela
I was born and have lived most of my life there.
I wear it like a badge of honor.
Most of my stories and things I talk about when it comes to city terrace in East Los Angeles are within the years of 1980-2000
Remember, remember it was October 16 2016 and I had a stroke.
I remember this...I was having sex with her and I finished my business.
I asked her for a cup of water, then fell to one knee I told her I was not kidding that I could not get up, to call a ambulance.
I was in the floor, I heard call the ambulance, I saw and heard them going back and forth with her.
They were taking about the way that they were going to get out...it was a difficult job,I let myself grow to a ripe 385lbs... anyways they were trying to get me on the gurney when I passed out.
I remember some , more like a dream or nightmare...this is how I will start a beginning to write about everything that has happened to me...
Pictures I took in December, I was out of this world Oct - December , but that's another story for a different day. Evilchavo out...
She wore skull buckle boots
And hush puppies
And smelled of expensive perfume baby powder and clove cigarettes,
Her hair was black as my soul
And her lips were red like the blood that flows thru my veins.
Her fingers long and elegant and cigarette stained and she was always cold like a vampire.
She was my english rose ..a rose in a world of weeds and ugly things and I fought to get her, I showed her the charming man and was always on best behavior.
Her name is Sheri Rome and is from new orleans or england and lives in la??
She had an accent that would go away when she got comfortable
She would take the bus to cal state to come see me from Pasadena
I ran away from home with her because my mom didn't want her to sleep over because her mom said if it's past a certain hour don't come back until the next day.
It was a innocent love , nothing physical and our connection was all mental but my traditional mother did not agree so I went with her.
She probably has kids now that are full grown and she has her hair blond and an ex and new husband that never will know her the way I knew her for such a short time.
Our connection is eternal but we were both goth kids running away from the bullies and assholes of woodrow wilson high school.
I hope she is well and that all her wishes come thru and that most important of all she is happy.
Or I can sleep, but every few hours I wake up because of horrible nightmares that jar me awake.
After one of those as I was coming back from the land of the dreams.
I was walking in a parking lot along side a woman, she said "Sal,you need a hug?" And I embraced her and it just made all my emotions come out,like water from a faucet.
I woke up crying and still am. And I realize that in all this time I am completely alone,but I will be good...I don't have a choice.
Just grateful that my sub conscious or whatever that hug was from happened and grateful for it.
I being newly single and with time on my hands made a decision to go to a show.
On my mind was the concert I went to at the greek theater in la in the 90's, now that I remember also having severed ties with an ex but only a few years in.
Peter Murphy was a lot more chatty than I remember,still awesome.
The crowd was mostly 40 and over with a few well raised youngsters scattered about.
Did not play cuts you up but everything else, the crowd was fun and only annoying thing that comes with today's society is the pinche cell phone screen lights.
Any holiday meant my stepfather would peace out forth next few days...like for example this past weekend...Sat , Sun and Monday off meant Friday he was off and would disappear til we found him passed out in a bar or car or asleep somewhere Monday late or early Tuesday morning.
He would say nothing...why you drinking? My stepdads response...I don't know...why didn't you call us to pick you up?...I don't know....what happened to your paycheck? I don't know...
That's why for many years my favorite holiday...Halloween!
Nothing bad ever happened ...no drinking ...nothing...I'd have my Happy Halloween gig and all was well with the world :)
Now I'm getting older I love Christmas...my lil pumpkin takes care of me....I don't need a gift to be happy...just a minimal amount of easy to manage problems if any.
The best gift ever.
Happy Christmas. Happy new year! Happy life!
I grew in a not so good neighborhood with lots if hard working neighbors and friends.
I would not change anything...even the hard to swallow and sad parts...it made me who,where..what I am today.
For those that take the time to visit my blog from time to time Thank you ....for visiting...been feeling inspired lately working on some things...so 2012 will be a posting year....:)
I learned from a very young age about the right gear to wear.
My mom dressed me up in suits until I was 4, crazy.
So as soon as I could dress myself I chose to wear jeans or when I got bigger cords and t-shirts.
Then Dickies, skate shirts, vans high tops and dickies jacket when dressed up.
As I got older I started wearing suits again.
It's funny how everything comes around full circle.
In my work life, I always wear the correct gear.
When I got my first job as an Ice Cream Scooper, I made my mom buy me a black suit from JC Penny ,white button up shirt from the clearance section and some wingtips from sears.
Cheap gear , nothing expensive....I was the only one at the interview with a suit.
I think I still have the suit and tie by the way.Needless to say, I got the Job, did not wear the suit for scooping Ice Cream just a white button up shirt with a tie and black dickies.
My second job, at Monterey Mall Cinemas in Monterey park ...went to the job interview in a suit....only one there with a suit and got the job.....
It has been the case for every job I have had, always getting better jobs always upgrading my gear.
Always working my ass off...always staying later that anyone else...always there no matter what...even if I hated the job.
Now being on time, thats a whole different story (Will write about that later) It is my one last things to fix....I just can't seem to get past the fact that I always end up 10-15 minutes later to jobs....there always seems to be something I need to go back for....something that I will need and not have and kick myself for not bringing. Crazy...I know.
Anyways back to what I was writting about, I wear wingtips to work....I have worn them ever since I started working...wether they be docs or cheapies....does not feel like work unless I have some form of wingtips on....square toe, traditional, black ,Brown, oxblood,Black and white (what I wear currently) all except for Square toe wingtip boots (More like botines) they don't seem normal to me....not sure why.
I have always been very carefull with my shoes...I learned early on...Because once I started wanting to wear docs I had to make them last....they were expensive ...usually about $125,Which meant that I had to make my docs last about 2 years at a minimum...which meant....no getting them wet....not letting them get dull....My mom worked but did not have that kind of money to waste....but when they had to get dirty, they had to get dirty and there was nothing that could be done about it.
I would shine my shoes...the way it said on the kiwi polish...but when I started working at the movie theatre...I was taught how to shine them the right way.
I would shine my shoes with parade gloss or black kiwi or kiwi depending on the color of the shoe every week and especially for meetings or interviews.......(Now that I think about it, I will post a tutorial on how to shine your shoes) Now I shine only when needed.
I was taught by my friend Mike and he would make it a point to shine his shoes often and that is where I picked up the habit.
Gear is very important to me, Don't misunderstand me ...I don't wear suits daily....I am a short sleeved checker shirt and jeans kinda guy most of the time...Just Like every other guy out there.
But there is just something about throwing on my suit , with shiny wingtips and tie and sometimes even hat that just makes me feel like am the king of all I see .
October is my birthday month, when a teenager I used to have great big gigs in my backayard to celebrate my birthday.
Since I can't do that anymore.
I am enjoying my old age and wanted to go to one of the places I always wanted to visit when I was teenager, New Orleans.
So we rented a full size car (which ended up being a mini van) and packed our guidebooks and gear along with our two puppies...The Boy and the Mickey Doodle.
Headed out on the 10 East to New Orleans, of course we thought leaving on Saturday in the morning early after picking up the car...we would get there by Sunday in the Evening the latest.
Or that is what we figured, went to pick up the car and the lady said there were none. We had a reservation for a full size car since forever and were not going to go back home with our tails between our legs in defeat especially after needed to get on the road A.S.A.P.
So after about three hours of explaning our situation to as many different people as possible, we got ourselves a mini van...which I thought was cool due to the space but the little pumpkin was like boo! cause it was a mini van.
Got on the road, made our way out of Arizona, stopped in New Mexico to get a name tag for one of our boys and headed to Texas.
Wanted to make our way all the way to Midland Texas due to was actually in the middle of where we needed to be and where we left from.
In case you are needing to book accomodations for you and your pups , I highly recommend doing your homework first.....We stayed at the Marriot and they charge $150 per stay, which is cool if you are going to stay for more than a few nights, but we only stayed one night (we got there at about 2am) and left early the next day.
Taking the side roads, down to Houston, which was lots of fun..old school roads....that made me feel like taking some pictures on the road (I did not take any before then)
Made our way into Houston at about 9P.M. and stayed at the Sheraton and there was no dog fee and it was a suite.....it was really nice, we ordered in , has some steaks from the restaurant on site Omaha Steak House and had an awesome meal.
Woke up the next day took a drive across the remainder of Texas and drove into Louisianna, when you get back onto the 10 East past Houston, the road changes, things turn alot more rustic...there are malls and Targets and Walmart like any other place.
(driving into Louisianna) (Our Road warrior)( Chingon Bridge)
But the feeling is totally different, people start saying Hello to you as you walk into the stores and it just seems like things are a whole load more pleasant.
So did some research and made a decision to stay in La Quinta (no puppy fee)in the French Quarter..there is something awesome about the road over there ... Driving over swamps, looking at dead racoons , and old trees full of spanish moss.
Drove into New Orleans, settled into our room. I did not realize how awesome a spot we chose to stay at , having been to Madrid...last year for my bday...I did not realize how European it would be. The Old messed up streets, the old buildings, the dust.
We walked down the street (two blocks down) to the Palace Cafe...had one of the most extraordinary meals of my life...I ordered the pork shank...it was just like someone was pumping happy juice into me..like heaven was being injected into my veins...was so rich...so good...that I understood with that one meal why New Orleans was what it was...it was like the good and the bad were both sitting on my shoulder and beating each other up trying to get me to be good or stay bad.
They also had some of the most awesome french bread i have eaten, lets not get crazy it was not as good as the french bread in Madrid or the bolillos in City Terrace that used to cost 6 for a dollar and were baked fresh everyday.
So, that's part 1, more on the vaca and what else happened in New Orleans......to come
Went to Madrid in Spain as mentioned in my previous post .
My first trip over seas!!
I am the first in my family to travel overseas!
After taking a Delta flight from Phx to Atlanta on a boeing 747_300er. (4 hours approx) and the a boeing 767 400er to Madrid( about an 8 hour flight)
We arrived at the Barajas airport,
I did alot of research before the trip and when we arrived I was still not sure if the Metro would be the way we would get to our rented apartment or if we would end up taking a taxi.
Thankfully that decision was made for us by the cab drivers due to a protest that they were having from 10am-12pm ... We were forced to take the Metro (which was the way I was hopeing to get around in while in Madrid)
After we picked up our bags at baggage claim , we walked by a both with a lady that was selling international sim cards, but us figuring this would not work for us and that it could not be that easy skipped her and instead paid 20 euros for a calling card on a machine that did not have any calling cards , we called the # and they gave me some code # that never worked and so I recommend that you don't buy a calling card because on the 3rd day we discovered that you could just use the payphones with euro coins and it was relatively cheap compared to what we thought it would cost.
Walked to the metro in terminals 1/2/3 and bought our 10 trip tickets and added the required airport supplements needed when traveling to or from any of the aiport terminals in Barajas in the automated machine.
There we were with our backpacks and carryon and 1 check in, ready for our Madrid adventure.
We did a lot of research and knew that our only point of vulnerability would be on the way to our rented apartment in the Metro (because we would have our passports, money and cameras)
So , we made sure to have our stuff put away securely before getting on and as they say" you are only as strong as your weakest player" we knew that there would be issues with my sis in law since she kept acting like she knew what she was doing and ignoring our suggestions because of that we had to take extra precautions to make sure we did not look like marks.
We took the pink line to the light blue line to the dark blue line , making changes for each different line and going thru the labyrinth of up and down stairwells and using the few but always appreciated escalators and a rare elevator. We each had a bag or backpack and each a rolling suitcase.I would help whoever was tired with the ups and downs in the staircases and the sis in law gave her bag to her mom and I knew that this would cause some kind of issue.We get off the metro, walk up the hill to our rental and check in with the neighbor which has our keys and takes the rental fee for a 3 br 1 bath apartment on the 12floor (thankfully with an elevator)
It was a really cool rental , kitchen had a fridge , microwave and washer for our clothes and then living room with lcd tv and dining room table, all the windows opened up and we backed up to the beautifull retiro park. We all go use the bathroom, settle in and find out that the sis in laws passport has gone missing.Surprise , Surprise.
The first night in Madrid:
That night after our siesta we made our way( 3 of us cause the sis in law was tired or more like ashamed for the passport being lost) to Atocha Renfe station (which was just a short walk down from our apartment) to see where we could buy our tickets to Toledo , one of our must sees and went into the metro station which was huge it had alleyways full of shops that sold everything you could ever need.
Got our info, found a really cool pond with 100's of happy swimming and thriving turtles and there we had our first Madrid meal.
How many turtles can you find in these pictures?
I read about all this awesome food and was so prepared to get my grub on...I thought some tapas the first night followed by some churros and chocolate and guess what my first meal was :
Burger King ;) whopper with cheese and Coca cola( which is how you ask for a coke in Madrid if not they politely correct you when you say coke) Diet coke is Coca Cola lite in case that's how you roll and of course you can buy a beer at burger king to go with your burger if that's how you roll.
It was about 9pm when we slowly walked back to our apartment, we could see that the night was just starting to get exciting but after our fun filled flight and Metro excursion to our apartment , our siesta and short tip to Atocha Renfe,we knew we should hit the hay , wake up with the Madrilenos and Make the most our days and time left.The plan was spend the next day at Retiro park,soak in the atmosphere and instead the next day was going to have to be to the US embassy to replace the stolen but most likely dropped passport. Boo ;(
Replacing the passport:
Having done my research I knew the address to the US embassy and found it on the metro map , walked down to the light blue metro and made our way to the embassy , after 5 hours including travel time she got her temp passport and this time made sure to give it to us for safe keeping : )
We got back to our apartment , tired and took a nice siesta in the afternoon before heading out to El Prado for the 6-8pm free entry time.
Dude, all we did...was walk down the hill to El Prado.
If you ever get a chance, got to El Prado...it rocks
We took lots of cheezy pictures by the fountains and cool statues that we found on the way to the entrance and then made our way in to see my favorite painting of all time "the garden of earthly delights" which was just as awesome as I remember seeing it in the books at the City Terrace library but in person it has this whole other level and its a 3 panel and the back and front have something painted on it....made my soul happy.
Spent lots of time walking and looking at the great works of art at the Prado and also looked at all the different tourists from other countries enjoying the art as well as the Madrilenos that I imagined had been there many times but just loved the art , Which I could totally understand where they would want to spend as much time as possible there.
Then we had our Second Madrid meal : Burger King , cause it was right by the bus stop on the way back to our apartment.
Safety Measures:
While in Madrid we only carried small amounts of euro in our fake wallet and used it to buy drinks or Metro tickets and hid larger but not much euro in our secret wallet....mine was a small leather pocket with an eyelet that I used with a camera strap to tie on to and inside my pants, the lil pumkin used the inside of her luggage strap that she would tie to her beltloop and tuck inside her pants also for security (she also carried a fake wallet in her front pocket).
Just a short post today, been away for some time, trying not to let go of the rollercoster that we have been going on for the last few months.
But that is how we roll lately, all of us.
or should I say most of us?
Went to the bay area, saw my little brother get married to the coolest woman with the most awesome family.
On the wedding: Was awesome , fun but don't ever leave to change without making sure all your party goes with you or is at least supervised while trying to win a tequila drinking contest with herself.
Went to Madrid in Spain for a bit and loved every minute of it.
On Madrid:
We rented a small flat by El Retiro Park up the hill from the Metro.
El Retiro Park is the coolest park, so much stuff going on.
Had Great views in our rented flat and emjoyed the use of public transportation while there....Metro, Bus and Walking...mostly bus and metro.
Los gatos de madrid are cool , up all nite and seem to live for non work related activities.
No one is out in the morning time unless you are are out because you are coming home from the night before.
Everyone walks, they love their doggies and always said Hello.
I blended in real good, all proper gear, but on our way to the airport on our way back home to Arizona, packed down with gear: a rollaway and a big old backpack...I must of seemed like the perfect target....for some kids that made the mistake of trying to open up my backpack...I felt the pull and could tell by the reaction of the people in front of me that I should turn around and I did.....these little kids freaked out...I chose to just stare them down ( I purposely did not put anything of value in those front pockets for this same reason) they got off at the next stop.
My battle ready little pumpkin wanted to smash them to bits and was mad because I did not tell her or do anything as it was happening.
But I knew that it was not worth being late for our plane or the damage that we both would of caused if we chose to fight.
Overall Madrid Rocked!! can't wait to go back to see all the spots we did not have time for, go back for the food we did not have time for.
Madrid is safe, you just have to make sure you don't look like a mark and take safety precautions with your money, I had a fake wallet where I would keep a small amount of euros (Under 10) that I would use openly for Coca Cola or snacks or the metro...big money was in a hidden pocket.
I will write a more detailed account of the activities and spots visited while in Spain.
But inside a giant lingers waiting in the shadows for his return.
There was a time in my life where all I did was walk the streets angry looking for trouble.
My mom practically abandoned me and the rent was due and no matter what I did all of it would go to sh*t.
I remember my stepgrandma bringing me bolillos from the bakery and a carton of those little .25 cent fruit punches and a carton of eggs to last me a month.
I was so angry, Broke, Alone, there was no money for getting drunk or for anything else.
I would go walking and looking for my friends but they were all gone, it seemed like everyone just up and left.
The ones that were left , I could not face...I did not feel worthy.
Finally after some time , I managed to get my life in a pretty good place and made the decision to look up one of those friends but I was still not worthy.
I was still not a man, I wanted to be more and to do that I had to work harder.....I worked and worked and then all these years passed then and now they are all gone.
Should of just faced them, then I wouldnt have all these regrets.
I feel not worthy again like when I was a kid, I think I am at crossroads in my life.
What to do? How to play it? Which road to take?
My Brother is getting married next week , which is really cool and maybe seeing him happy with his wife will make me feel better about life in general.
Been away for a while trying to figure some stuff out....but here is a post.....ThANks for reading.
I was 12 when my mom and dad got divorced.
That is when it happened, My first white hairs.
My dad had black and gray hair but his did not start until he got older.
I started getting white hairs at 12 and the older I get the more my hair turns black and white.
It rocks! I like getting older.
I like seeing ahead and figuring out the end result but sometimes I am still surprised and that is what makes life good. The little things , the little surprises.
I have always been the responsible one, the quiet one, the angry one, the one that has to take care of things and make things better .
We are going thru some rough times, the economy is not what it should be but everything in life is on a curve...has its ups and downs.
Sometimes all you have to do is hold on and then you will make it thru.
I regret nothing.
My life has been hard but I have stood by all my decisions , never doing something that I did not want to do.
That night turned out to be one of the weirdest nights of my life.
After the kid got hit by his uncle and we being kids did not know how to deal with, we chose to do what most kids do and we ignored the situation.
When we got to the main cabin the uncle played our voicemails so that all the younger kids could listen to us and laugh , all the little kids had no idea that we were all dealing with a person that was a little off or maybe a lot .
The kid got sent out to a part of the cabin that we did not have access to...(really weird now that I think of it)
We were sent to out cabin were all the older teenagers would sleep.
And the uncle stood with the younger kids uphill at the main cabin.
An hour into our supposed to sleeping time the uncle came in ,we were all messing around trying our hardest to settle down because the long and crazy day that we had so far.
He told us that we were punished and because we were punished we had to give him all our blankets,pillows,jackets and stuff and that we were not allowed to have any comforts because of the trouble that we had been to him and that we should of never called him to come get us and that it was the only rule that he made for us and how could we not even follow that rule, he even took the phone.
We just wanted him out of the room so we agreed to his terms and he left. We had a rough night that night trying to keep warm in the middle of a mountain with only the mattresses to keep us warm....we built a fort made of the beds and laid in between them and tried our hardest to keep warm.
In the morning we were all angry and could not believe that we were made to survive in the cold like that.
So some of us, skated down the mountain to a store that we found and called our parents to come pick us up.
My parents came to get me and some of the other kids got rides back but there were still a few kids that were left behind that either did not want to call their parents or were not able to get their parents to come and give them a ride.
It was a really weird experience, we all just told our parents that we just did not want to be there anymore but I am pretty sure none of us gave our parents any details for fear that they would never let us out unsupervised again or at least thats why I did not tell my parents about it.
The skate team continued to form and I would see the truck full of kids heading out to the cabin every weekend and then one day they all came by to pick me up saying that the uncle bought a really big property in 29 palms and they were going to build a half pipe there for the skate team.
But I never went with them again, I knew things were not the way they were suppose to be with that kids uncle and made sure to keep my distance.
This survival skill kept me safe from alot of things in City Terrace and it is a tool that I still use in my everyday life to keep me well away from trouble.
If my gut says no then it Means "Hell NO!!" and stay away far, far away.
Always wondered who that guy really was and if he really was that kids uncle and I also wonder why this guy kept buying far away places to take all these kids to.
That's it , Thanks for reading...now to post some not so sour stuff if you know what I mean...
So the kid called his uncle and told him around where we were....
The kid was frightened, we could tell and this did not seem normal to me...the amount of fear that this kid was showing made it seemed like he knew that he should not of called and that by him calling he had just something terribly, terribly wrong.
We could hear the truck before we saw it and we knew that it was not driving at a safe speed we all ducked out of the way when the truck came around the bend to pick us up.
He told us all to get in the back of the truck and yelled at him to get in the front, when he tried to explain that he got lost he was told to shut up.
As we drove off, The uncle hit the kid straight across the face...hard....this guy was big, not fat just thick like a bear. We all scattered across the back trying to figure out what happened and why the kid got hit so hard.
We were all from the neighborhood and all knew about violence, we grew up in it..but it was different this time...something was wrong...we knew that this was not the fantastic journey that it had started out as.
So , all the teenager got geared up and after listening to some Violent Femmes for inspiration, we headed down the paths to the center of town with the kid that knew his way around.
He was a teenager also so he was allowed to go with us , he took us down a path by a lake that we all skated down.
On our way down the path that is bordered with pine trees and air that smelled so clean and was so cold , we all realized that we in our cargo shorts and skate t-shirts were not properly dressed for Big Bear but did not care and our sense of adventure was the only thing on our mind.
We headed down the way to the center of town walking up to it and past all the weird houses with confederate flags and us flags flying high in the sky.
We felt like the only Mexican kids and did not feel weird about it , in fact we were glad that we were the only ones there that seemed Mexican and enjoyed what seemed like alot of attention.
As we walked into town with our skateboards in our arms the local police man drove by to say hello and we all said hello and laughed at the fact that he was so weird looking and weak compared to the bad ass La cops that we had to stare down on a daily basis.
We walked past all the tourists looking in the stores at stuff that we could not afford and wondering where the best spot to skate in this town would be and found basically nothing.
Nothing except for some other kids that were super excited that there were other kids in town their age that skated and they introduced us to the only two skate bettys (Chicks that dig skaters) the holy grail of girlfriends for us in those days.
We skated around for a while and then they all gave us a ride down to their house so we could party...was like 5 or 6 of us from City Terrace riding on the hood, trunk and crammed into this kids tiny little car.
We drank and had fun and I think one of the guys made good friend with one of the skate girls.....the kid got drunk and we did not know our way back to the cabin.
It was like 3 in the morning and we were all cold and tired and the buzz was fading and the kid with the car was gone and we had no idea where we were but did not want to go and wander around in town or the woods so we forced the kid to call his uncle, we called several times and left messages and he finally got a hold of his uncle.
We knew that this was something we were not suppose to do but did not see what the big deal was, The kid after talking his uncle sobered up real fast....He was scared , really scared..he turned really pale and told us his uncle was on his way.we did not know what he had been told but we assumed that he got yelled at and that his uncle would just come and pick us up.
He did, but that is not all that happened......To be continued
I was a pretty good skater in my teens and I always skated at Robert F. Kennedy Elementary school in City Terrace it was my skate spot.
It had fiberglass benches and stairs and tables that we could skate all day and was always the place we would meet at before heading out to look for skate spots.
One of the guys that lived in the hills came by with a kid , kinda shy that had never been there before and was learning how to ollie so was not very good yet.
But as always if you could keep up ,you could go on the long trips with the more experienced skaters.
This kid was o.k. and could keep up but did not want to go anywhere with us and would always meet us at the school and would always leave when who we thought was his dad would come by in a pick up truck to pick him up but he said it was his uncle.
This kid always had money though and would always buy us soda or chips or whatever we wanted....he never went to the store with us...he would just give us the money and we would go and get him whatever he wanted....Mercado Hidalgo was just down the street so it was no big deal.
One day (When I was not around) they all went to the house of the kid and talked to the uncle who I thought was the dad and he said that he would sponsor them and that day they formed a skate team.
I don't rememder the name of the skate team anymore it was only a short time that I was in that skate team due to our trip to Big Bear.
So one day all the guys came over and told me that we were all going to Big Bear and that we were going to sleep over and be over there for three days .
My mom never let me sleep over anyones house , she always would say ..."I don't care what time you come home but come home"
We all got together and talked to my mom and stepdad and after lots of promises to clean the yard and the house and the car I was allowed to go but only after they met the kids uncle.
The uncle came to our house and talked to my parents and they deemed him trustworthy after he told them he would keep a close eye on us and make sure that none of us got into any trouble.
I was so excited, I had only gone back and forth to Mexico and never anywhere out of Los Angeles for anything and thought that this was an awesome thing to do....we of course convinced ourselves that we were and awesome skate team and that we deserved to be going on tour to have a demo and that no one in Big Bear skated and that we would be bringing skateboarding to a new place.
We all loaded up the truck with skateboards and parts for the skateboard and backpacks with clothes and got picked up by this kids uncle.
He drove and the kid sat right next to him for all of the trip and a few of the other friends but the rest of us sat in the back anticipating the awesome things that we were about to experience in this mountain lake area most of us had never been to.
We got there and it was a big parcel of Land with a main house by the roadway and another down the hill of what looked like a forest.
We were all gathered at the main house and told that we were going to have a meeting and that the kids uncle needed to talk to all of us at once.
He told us the rules.....basically I stay here with all the young kids cause they need supervision and all the teenagers stay at the house down the hill and could do whatever they want...there was one rule for us teenagers and that was if you go into town...you can't call up for a ride and if you do everyone will be in really big trouble.
It did not make much sense to us but we did not care all we wanted to do was skate down to the center or town and have fun. So we agreed and went on our way.
I have been in fantasy land these last few weeks....ah sweet fantasy land.
Life is good but sometimes when it is bad ,it is good to get your mind away from it all by reading or doing something productive....I read alot...but lately I have been sucked in by the internet and all I read is stuff that is posted online.....just me and the monitor.
But lately I have been getting bored , not of what people write but of the day to day ritual that I developed of turning on the computer and going to read off of some of my favorite websites.
The Little pumpkin forced me and I do mean FORCED me to read the Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.
I reluctantly took the book from her and promised that I would read and I tried but was not fully into it(For the fist few chapters)....then one day I realized that I could not wait to read and that I was slowly putting the book in front of my face instead of the monitor and that I was enjoying what I read, I could not wait to get to the next book and the next book and the next.
I started reading at the City Terrace Library from an early age(I wrote about somewhere in the City Terrace Label on the side bar) The Anne Rice Interview with a Vampire book and because of it I read all the Anne Rice books , I kept reading all thru my teenage years and when I read the books from the Twilight series I was reminded of those days .
Yes Twilight is different that any of the Anne Rice vampire books and the vampires are totally different, the concept way different.
but ,The Cullens are really Similar to the way Louis is, does not like to drink human blood and that is one of the things that I really thought was original....also the story is really good.
The love story also reminded me of Louis and of how he would would probably be if we was the one to fall in love with a Human but there are other things there that attracted me to the books....The sense of family....the total loyalty that they have for each other...and their need of each other.
Yes I liked the books so much that I was kinda sad when I got to the last book because I felt that I had to go back to reality and deal with the everyday challenges that can't be solved by fighting or standing your ground with the ones that you love.....because real life does not work that way...in real life.....the bad guys win and the honorable things are not considered honorable but weak....and what happens when people misinterpret honor or kindness for weakness , they use against you to destroy you.
But that is how life goes, I am working on some good stuff for this blog and will hopefully post it online within the next week or two.
Don Pablitos was located at the corner or City Terrace Drive and Carmelita.
Don Pablito the owner was a older man that wore a hard hat and a lab coat to tend to his store and always chatted up whomever came in to buy something.
Don Pablitos wife....scared me.
She looked like she would beat me up if I asked for the wrong thing.
I went to Don Pablitos since I was a little kid and thru little kid eyes she did not look like she liked kids.....(weird how we think when we are young)
They had so many things.
Don Pablitos was a corner store with a long walkway that had to large diplay windows down a narrow corridor that you walked thru to get the the door of the store and it contained..arcade games...a bunch display cased and shelves lots of shelves with a bunch of hidden treasures . The shelves were everywhere and extended all the way to the ceiling (or that is what I remember)
Don Pablitos had toys...from Mexico...Piñatas,candy,....all kinds of stuff.
I bought my little brother his first birthday present there...a wind up tin tricycle that I saved up for(see the City Terrace Label for the story) .
When you went into the store you were greeted by Don Pablito or his wife...they would ask you what you were looking for and in what price range and they would sort thru all their stuff and get it for you if they had it.
They even developed film...(probably sent it out) I was into taking pictures and would always be the one designated to go to Don Pablitos to get the film developed and pick it up when it was ready......
One day I forgot that I took the film in and about three weeks later my brother came running in the house to tell me that I had to go get the film from Don Pablitos...he was so upset and embarrased...
He said that Don Pablito posted one of our pictures on the display window of his shop and everyone could see that we did not pay for the pictures and that they were available for pick up.
I skated down the hill to Don Pablitos and looked at the picture that he had displayed and it was a picture of my cousins and my mom shaking hands with our relative that lived in TJ,.....My mom was sporting a I just woke up Fro and my aunts was also....it was a really funny picture....but not something I wanted displayed like a scarlet letter for everyone to see.
Don Pablitos is no longer there.....not sure what happened to Don Pablito and his wife...but his sons started BJ Brothers on Ford and Cesar Chavez street by the freeway(it is now called Party Planet) not sure if still owned by Don Pablitos family.
For those of you that have not been there it is a set of (What looks like) warehouses that are all on one huge lot and they sell party supplies....rent out brinca brincas and all kinds of other stuff...they even have a private investigator service in case you are looking for that long lost love.
Don pablitos was exactly like that but enclosed in a corner store that was about 40x10.
Funny how the things that you remember from your childhood are things that seemed so trivial , funny how all you want to do when you are young is get away to see new things and all you do when you get older is remember those little things that made that period of your life special.
My Step uncle Largo was the second oldest brother of 12 and I am guessing that he was the way he was because he was the second born.
My Stepdad was the first born and the serious more lethal one and I am assuming that he helped raise his brother Largo.
I say this because they have always been really close but really different.
Towards the end of our runs to the border my stepdad started drinking and doing other stuff that none of us found out about until we were all much older and he no longer was able to hide his secrets...or most likely just did not want to hide them anymore.
So , what happened was they were starting to make it more and more difficult to sneak people across...asking more complicated questions, ,making it harder to get documents....and such....(Again this is more that 20 years ago or thereabout) so around this time they installed the big concrete barriers you see on the freeways in a zig zag formation behind the place where the immigration officers sit.
So prices were going up and because of my stepdads extra curricular activities we did not have any money for more than a month and my uncle that was living with us got tired of waiting for money and said that he would take care of it and go get our stepaunt that had been at our aunts house for more that 2 months now.
He did not understand that the reason most our adventures were succesful was because of careful planning and understanding of how the system that was in place worked...but now it was a totally different animal and we needed to understand in order to assist....(well I needed to understand in order to assist cause everyone was always wanting to jump the gun and say f-it)....no one understood that it was not a game and that their would be some serious consequences if we did things the wrong way.
So we got word that Largo was going to take care of it....I asked what he was going to do and he said he was not going to do anything.....I asked my Stepdad to find out what he was going to do and he told my Stepdad he was going to wait for him to get the money so we could do things the way we always did them.
I knew better, I knew that my Stepuncle always felt that we were too cautious and did too much thinking....he always felt that because of my age I did not know what I was talking about(This has been the story of all my life, people always thinking that because I look so young I can't think)....but I did and more importantly I did not want anyone to go to jail so I was overly cautious.
Another weekend went by and my stepuncle that did not live with us was nowhere to be found....a day later we get a call from our stepaunt saying that he was in jail...and that she wanted to go back to Mexico.
We asked her what happened and she said that they tried to cross the border and did not make it thru.....they arrested my stepuncle and let her go back across the border to Mexico.
We asked her what they did and my Stepaunt reluctantly said that he got there in the morning on his motorcycle and they went for a ride....they saw the way things were being run and he said that they were going to ride over the border to the U.S.
He told her that my stepdad had no money and that he checked in on pricing and they were charging too much and that he was not going to let her go thru the cerro(The hills...bad stuff happens to girls in the hills) without him (Way too dangerous)
They made their way down the line and went they got to the booth he gunned his motorcycle....he was almost past the concrete barriers but was not able to make it past the last one before all the immigration officers were upon them and putting them in hangcuffs.
He went to Jail for a good amount of time and we took care of his wife and kids while he was in jail, my stepdad sent money to my stepaunt so she could go back to MExico and was really dissapointed in the fact that he could not help to bring her over..not in the fact that it was a stupid idea and they should of waited for things to be done as usual without risk or not done at all.
This is one of the last times that I participated in this type of activity over 20 years ago.
I learned alot from these adventures, especially not to mess up my life and too cherish the good times cause you never know when they will end or change.
(If you are interested in some of these stories from all the boarders that lived with us and some of their stories see the label Boarders on the right hand side)
I still remember it vividly, that Mini Vision psycho Stick.
When I started skating I would admire all the kids at The elementary and their skating of the school, I was happy just skating....no tricks needed.
But this was in the 80's were we were transitioning from old style skating to street skating and during this time launch ramps were very popular, everyone was just learning how to ollie.
They were about 2 1/2 feet tall and 4 feet x 8 feet...cause that is the size of a sheet plywood and most of the time these ramps were built with whatever scraps of wood could be found and then everyone would pitch in and buy a sheet of plywood for the top to make a smooth transition.
On this day I took my brand new Vision Psycho stick with awesome neon color cut up grip tape, tracker trucks,sawblade wheels, Rib bone, tail bone , coppers and side rails... that my mom bought for me after I taught myself how to skate (see sk8 label for that story) I rode on up to the school by the kindergarden area that had an incline that they would roll down then launch of the ramp into the grass.
I completely stood out...I did not look like any of the skaters...with my cords and irregular converse....I was also riding a brand new board which meant I was new, while everyone else was riding Powell and G & S skateboards that were well worn from constant use.
Superchicken, (which I have written about before just click on the superchicken tab for those stories) anyways, superchicken and I were not friends yet and he was really good at launching of the launch ramp and so were all his friends(Doing method airs and landing on the grass)...they were all older that me and the younger kids like me were just looking which is still the case when you are around someone that skates better than you.
It was an initiation of sorts...if you skated down the incline you were o.k. cause at the bottom of the incline right before the ramp was a 3 inch seam in the concrete that if you could survive and still keep going on meant you could skate around at least, if you made it past the bump and at least rolled fakie onto the ramp of turned on the middle of top of the ramp then you were really good and if you were really brave and went past the bump onto the ramp and then jumped off the board as you were in the air...then you would be considered part of them....and you could ride with them.
I rolled down the incline and fell , but tried it again and made it and to me that was a great achivement....Supechicken saw that I was scared to do the ramp and in an effort to encourage me to no be afraid made me bet that If I did not try the ramp then I had to give him my new Vision Psycho stick.....
I said I would do it , to be cool and fit in....hoping that I would have the huevos to do it and not lose my board....after trying to get over my fears and rolling down the incline several times and jumping off my board right before the ramp....I finally had to admit to being defeated......I could not give my board up.
I did the most cowardly thing that my 12 year old mind felt was the best way to salvage my reputation as a man of my word and not have to give up skating which was the most important thing in my life (Until I started dating :)
I gave Superchicken my brothers brand new Vision Mini Psycho stick with thunder trucks and powell wheels and cut up neon grip tape, set up was pretty much like mine except for the trucks and wheels...I did !!, I felt bad for what I did to my little brother and have carried that shame with me until recently.
My little brother would always bring it up when he wanted to hurt me and I had recently I started skating again and bought a second board of Ebay for myself....it was an awesome board, great deal on Ebay.
Brand new Steve Caballero Orange Dragon reissue with custom grip tape (Has a 1964 Lincoln cut into the grip tape) that I did because I have a 64 Lincoln, Independent Trucks and sector Nine wheels with Swiss Powell bearings.....and I gave it to him for Christmas...It was the perfect setup and I loved that board. What happened was that one day, when I was skating on it thinking about how awesome my new set up was...it struck me...this board needs to go to my brother....it is what I have to do.
He was very grateful , when I gave it to him....we drove over there to visit ( He lives in San Jose Ca. and I live in Phoenix Arizona)....He instantly got on it and started skating down the street around the block and did not come back until after a while......he still uses it everyday.
It is never to late to mend the wrongs ...sometimes it takes a little bit longer( It took me more that 20 years!!) for some of us to understand the impact that our actions cause..
Evilchavo Out.
(This video below kinda shows what that enviroment was like (FOund it on Youtube, pink border cause neon colors were in! :)
I worked at a movie theatre for a very long time and was a certified projectionist so I have a fondness for movies and like to read the movie scripts to catch those little things that did not make it on the screen or where hard to understand, Grosse Pointe Blank is one of my favorite movies....here is one of my favorite scenes...
Some of whats happened before this scene.
So Martin is back in town to kill someone and not go to his 10 year high school reunion and needs to fix some things in his life that were left unfixed before he took off and left Grosse Pointe Behind...
if you have not seen this movie it is really good and alot of the back and forth is really great....I am trying to keep this post short so I found one of the short back and forths to give you and example of the cool stuff that goes on in this movie.
(This movie is one of the most underated movies of all time)
Martin walks in, not looking half bad, considering. Debi looks up from some reading. "Naïve Melody" by the Talking Heads plays in the studio.
MARTIN Are you going to the reunion?
DEBI No. I'm not going. Is that why you're here?
MARTIN That's part of it.
DEBI Well, you'll have a ball. You seem to have everything everybody wants when they go back. The car, the suit, the watch. The look. That just leaves the little things, like happiness, character, point of view....
MARTIN It's always the little things.
DEBI Yep.
Beat.
MARTIN I'm wondering how you've been. How you are. I'd like to catch up with you. If it's possible.
Beat as Debi considers. She spins her seat to face him.
DEBI Okay. Let's catch up. You go first.
MARTIN Well, there's not much to tell.
DEBI I'm sure you've done worthwhile things in the last ten years. You've had experiences.
MARTIN Bad experiences.
DEBI You met people.
MARTIN Bad people.
DEBI Watched television?
MARTIN Bad television.
DEBI (amused) Jesus. Marty. You're pathetic. It sounds like you need a Shockabuku.
MARTIN What's that?
DEBI It's a swift spiritual kick to the head that alters your reality forever.
MARTIN That'd be good.
Beat.
DEBI What do you want?
The question is open.
MARTIN I figured I could pick you up tomorrow around seven o'clock.
DEBI Let me get this straight, are you asking me out?
MARTIN Yes.
DEBI Unbelievable.
MARTIN Seven it is.
DEBI I'll think about it.
(Have you heard the soundtrack for this movie, was on a loop in my car for many years!)
Evilchavo Out.
(Here is another scene from the movie, it happens before the scene from the script above, Martin just drops in on his girl that he abandoned 10 years ago)
Been a long time since I heard this song, Brings back alot of memories.
The Lyrics
Beautiful girl lovely dress High school smiles oh yes Beautiful girl lovely dress Where she is now I can only guess Cause its gone daddy gone Your love is gone Gone daddy gone The love is gone away When I see you Eyes will turn blue When I see you Thousand eyes turnin blue Tell by the way you that you switch and walk I can see by the way that you baby talk I can know by the way you treat your man I can love you baby til its a cryin Beatiful girl lovely dress 15 smiles oh yes Beautiful girl lovely dress Where she is now I can only guess
Se referiere a alguien de corazón muy blando, que se conmueve muy fácilmente.
osea cuando uno es muy sentido....or when someone is very sensitive...
Its refers to someone with a soft heart, someone that is susceptible to impressionable things easily.
My mom was talking to me today...cause she is feeling sentimental.
Just like I felt yesterday...and she always comes up with some weird sayings.
She said that she will leave me as an inheritance her "Corazón de pollo" = heart of a chicken.
She said that no matter how hard we try to act we always give in and can't help but love those that we love.
I Never heard of "Corazón de pollo" it is a weird saying but....I guess when I think about it I do have one just like hers and my brother has the same one as us also.
and I guess my kids will have a chicken heart and so will their chickies....
weird saying but I totally am sentimental, when you get thru my black encrusted scarred up heart , all you get is feeling....100% emotion
Anger, Love or Sadness or a combination of the three.
But maybe I should not of posted this cause now you will know a little too much about me.
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