Big Bear|29 palms|Teenager in a skate team|Part 4

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...


Evilchavo Out.

Big Bear|29 palms|Teenager in a skate team|Part 3

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.

To Be continued...

Evilchavo Out.

Big Bear|29 palms|Teenager in a skate team|Part 2

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

Evilchavo Out.

Big Bear|29 palms|Teenager in a skate team|Part 1

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.

To be continued....


Evilchavo Out.

Fantasy Land| Twilight (forced upon)

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.

If you are still around , I appreciate it.

Evilchavo Out.

Great Moments in Music|The Chelsea Girls

I dig me some Duane Peters & Corey Parks....

So while looking for cool skate videos of them or the band on youtube ,I came upon "The Chelsea Girls"

All woman cover band....they f+ckin Rock!

Drummer Sam Maloney from Hole on Drums
Guitar player Allison Robertson from the Donnas on Guitar
Corey Parks on Bass
and singing Tuesdae ?

I wish I still lived in LA so I could go hear this Ladies rock out.


They put some guy bands to shame.

They named themselves after this movie by Andy Warhol



Looks interesting.

Here's Duane and his old Lady on Bass



Evilchavo Out.

Don Pablitos in City Terrace

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.

Evilchavo Out.

Boarders|They were so close

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)

Evilchavo Out

Ranking out|Vision Psycho Stick

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! :)

Movies|Grosse Pointe Blank

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)

Gone Daddy Gone| Great song

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

Evilchavo Out.

Corazón de pollo| My inheritance

Corazón de pollo

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.

f*ck it. :]

Evilchavo Out.

La vida no vale nada|When I feel

(I had another video with this posting but it is no longer on youtube)

When I feel this way, nothing takes away the pain, sorrow on my brain and no one can remedy it.

When I feel , I feel.

When I think of this song it makes me feel x100 but then it fades away...

but look at Chente in his fancy suit...it's making me feel better already.

Evilchavo Out.

sk8 balloons

skate balloons.Found it on Youtube. KInda fullfills the popping and skating pleasure at the same time.

Evilchavo Out.

Earaches and Tequila|LIving the dream

I have an earache...mindnuming...neverending

I need my mom. to get me some Ruda (Do you know what Ruda is?)

My mom does not know what it is called in english...Neither does my brother

"Just ask them for Ruda" they say.

It is some green twig or leaf thing you put on a gauze with something else and it makes the earache go away....

Don Julio my muse will have to make it all go away.

The pit of pain is in my brain and I need something to numb the pain.

A drink or two to make it all go away, to make it all fade away.

Happy Valentines Day!

Evilchavo Out.

Boarders|Friday the 13th

It was on Friday the 13th that I made my step uncle Beto move back to Mexico , Many Many years ago now.

This is what happened:

My uncle Beto which is now my godfather.

Was heavy into Heavy Metal,He on one of the many trips that we took to DF a placed called Barrientos.

Let me sleep in his room and schooled me on Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin and Cream, some other stuff but these vinyl records were my schooling while I was there.

So when he decided to move back to the U.S. to see if he could make some money to take back to Mexico so that he could marry his girlfriend...I was very eager to show him a good time...I was 16...The day he got back seemed like a good day to take him out......I had a good amount of friends that spoke spanish and we needed someone to drive us around while we partied.

My uncle being the adult in the group , He was probably in his mid 20's reluctantly agreed to borrow my stepdads car and drive us around for the night...my uncle still had his California License from one of the many trips that he took back and forth to the US for work(He would come over work for a year or two , save all his money and then buy a bunch of stuff for his brothers and sisters and then take it all back with him)

I was dating a new girl at Wilson High school by the name of Sherry Rome( Name has been changed to protect the innocent) that moved here from New Orleans and lived in Pasadena with her family or at least that is what she said...not sure if she really was from New Orleans, but I was heavy into Anne Rice books so her being from New Orleans worked for me.

We met her and my friends at a gig , which I made my uncle come and experience, he enjoyed it and the year before I had gone out with him to some weird spots in Mexico so I figured it would be no big deal....

Sherry, My friends and I packed into my stepdads early 80's Cadillac and made our way to this park in pasadena....that has hill with a lake on top...I forget the name....but if you are from there you will know the spot....everyone in that are a partied there....we made my uncle buy us some 40's and some strawberry hill and made our way up the dark park, my friends were smoking out and asking my uncle if he wanted some...to which he replied no...all he smoked was Marlboros and all he drank was beer.

My uncle eventually just went back to the car (I did not know this because I was not around )and he did not want to come back up with my friends.It was about 3 in the morning and we were not done partying....We asked my Uncle to buy us some more beer and he said that he was not going to drink anymore.

We figured it was time to stop and he dropped us all off at home and went to sleep.

Next day, My mom wakes me up and asks what happened with my uncle Beto...I was like nothing...we went to a party then the park and hung out ...Why? Porque Ma?

My brother " What did they do to him?"

My mom said he wants to go back to Mexico...he said that he saw some crazy things last night with your friends and never wants to come back to the U.S.

I talked to my uncle and he said that he just had to go back..he said that he needed to be in Mexico....

I Never figured out what happened....My uncle, had been in jail and knew how to fight and by what he told me and what everyone else told me nothing happened...they said all he talked about was bands and stuff...I guess I will never know.

This would happen sometimes with our boarders, sometimes they just had to go back home and they would never tell us why.

I did not expect this from my uncle since he had been coming over for years , He married that girlfriend, had babies and made his life, a good life.

That same evening we bought him his ticket back to DF and he has never been back to the U.S. since.

Evilchavo Out.

Boarders|The Play

This is what would happen mostly every other weekend in my life for many years.

We would meet someone at my stepdads aunts house in Tijuana (She had a home there and also across the border in San Isidro)They would come in from Mexico asking for my dad and never letting us know before hand that they were on their way.

Our stepdads Aunt would call us and says someone has been here for about a week they said that they talked to you and you told them to stay here until you came to get them.

We would drive down to Tijuana on the otay border crossing and see who was there, My stepdad would ask them what the situation was and how much money they had and we would go and find a coyote for them that they could afford, if they did not have any money then usually we would tell them to stay there and find a job to get the money of wait for us to have it available to loan.

Sometimes we did not or were not able to get the money and the person in Tijuana could not or would not get a job and they would just go back home.

Of the people that we helped out with a loan, No one ever paid us back and most of the time, we just helped in order to get our stepdads nagging aunt off our back.

I am talking about 20 or so years ago when a Coyote would charge $500 bucks to bring someone over thru the line instead thru the fence.

It was always a hit or miss scenario, I would usually help them with how to look and act and my Stepdad would go talk to the coyotes to see what new methods were being the most affective and then we would negotiate a price and send them down the line.

Send them down the line , warning them about how to talk and how to act while in front of the border agents ...how not to act and how not to stand ....how to respond and what kind of mindset to have, with the warning that if they got caught they would be processed and released back to the Mexico and where to meet us if that happened.

This is how it played out with Huero from the last Boarders story but this is what would pretty much happen most of the time:

I would cross the border a few people behind him and met with him at the Churchs Chicken Down the Street, My parents that were crossing the border by car and met us at the Churchs chicken as soon as they crossed....we took our bucket of Chicken and we all went back to my Aunts house in San Isidro.

Usually it would take a few passes to get thru....does not always work on the first try.....you could get other docs from the Coyote if the one that he sold you did not work....but they did most of the time....if someone could not get thru it was because they did not follow the plan and messed up somewhere down the line..

I did not always go with them...sometimes it was my Stepdad while I would drive the rest of us thru the border...it all depended on the type of person and what help they needed and how much they were willing to listen.

Huero made it and made a pretty good life for himself. you can read his story and the story of other people that we helped at the "Boarders" label on the side bar.

Evilchavo Out.

Ode to u

It is hard to describe , but I am going to try.

My feelings for you and how they have never changed.

I know that we met when I was really young but feel that with age my love for you has only grown stronger.

When I was younger I did not know how to appreciate you or the things that you did for me and in my young age I chose others over you.

I guess my mind was on other things and I was not able to fully appreciate you.

I did not realize that you were the light that shone on the path to my future.

When I was younger in City Terrace, u saved me...u helped me...u took me away from the pain and the sorrow and the difficulties of growing up.

With you I became strong and learned how to stand up for myself and no let anyone look down on me or belittle me.

U made it all go away...u helped me let it all out....you ...sometimes even let me take it out on you...like a punching bag....

YOu let me do things to you that I would not do to anyone else...I needed the release and you were always there waiting..even if I let someone else borrow you.or if I left you out in the rain..your were always there...even when I would go downhill....or threw you across the street....you were always there waiting....ready.

I remember how tight you were when I first started to ride you and after the many years you loosened up and so did I , you and I became one and we could do and conquer anything and everything...in my old age I miss you and wish I could caress the concave of your tail and ride you like I did when I was younger, I wish I could grind your trucks and tap your tail like I did back then, flipping you and landing on you and grabbing you when I threw you up in the air.

God, I miss my skateboard.....it is the fountain of youth.

EvilChavo Out

sk8 or die

Boarders|Taking advantage of a great opportunity

Huero was a young guy that had alot of questions.

He also came to City Terrace Illegaly from Mexico D.F. In barrientos.

He was short and really skinny and had his hair long in the back and sides..kind of like a mullet but not so business if you know what I mean?

He was a friend of a friend of my stepdad and because apparently we were a boarding house he stayed with us for a few months.

He liked Def Leppard alot....alot.... he only had a gym bag filled with the few possessions that he brought with him from Mexico, it included some def leppard tapes.

He was wearing some boots that looked like leather uggs...but they were standard issue for all the guys came from there...it is as if someone told them that if they came to the US they had to wear these boots.

Which were cool but did not look like anything that we wore in East Los...

I figured we should not go with his look of a rocker with his preshrunk heavy metal 501'S and Def Leppard shirt and I let him borrow some of my gear for crossing the border, let him borrow my docs and a Janes Addiction Shirt and we both talked out bands as we walked down the line.

I told him to take out his just purchased birth certificate and id when he got to the border agent and to not mess with his pockets or fiddle with it until he was right in front of the border Agent, I told him to just relax talk to me and that we would be split up anyways as we walked down the line, so to not freak out when that happened.

I told him to always go with the flow and not cause any back up of delays and to not look for me after we split up because we wanted it to look like we just met in the line and got to talking about bands.

He came up to the border agent a few people ahead of me and was asked if he was a U.S. Citizen....He said " Yes" The border agent asked him for his documents and he took them out of his pocket and handed them to the agent....the agent asked him if he was from Los Angeles and he said "Yes" the border agent without looking at the documents he was just handed by Huero let him pass....We were lucky that day...."Def Leppard" and "Yes" were some of the only words besides "Thank you "that he knew.

He did good for himself, found a job a week into moving in with us and asked all kinds of questions on how to get around ,started taking the bus everywhere, bought a car, paid rent to my mom and stepdad and started taking classes to learn english...then saved up his money , learned english and moved out to a place of his own....got married, had kids fixed his legal status and made a good life for himself and his family, never got rid of the almost mullet hair cut, no matter how much we made fun of it :)

Evilchavo Out.

Boarders|Living with strangers

When I was a teenager, My stepdad started having friends of his come in from Mexico often.

They would live with us from time to time and some would stay for long periods of time and other would last only a little while.

All of my Stepdad's friends were from DF (Distrito Federal) in the main city in Mexico.

All of them had some kind of Nickname...all except for my Stepdad.

I have been over there a few times and it is unlike anyplace I have ever been to....the best way to describe it to me ....would be like in the movie..."Man On Fire"

They lived in Barrientos, which is not a rich neighborhood by any means and is filled with selfmade homes with huge gates in front of the courtyard and walls made of cement.

Anyways on our first trip I met all of them.....there was lobo, quico, largo, beto, pelon, etc...etc....

A few months after that they started coming in.

One the first boarders that we had was a guy by the name of Lobo...he was called lobo because when they were at a bonfire.....he was drinking and fell in the fire...he burned his face and arms and it left scars all over his face....so they called him Lobo.

He was into heavy metal and played really good guitar, but after a few days of staying at our house and not being able to find any work he asked my stepdad for a loan and went back to Mexico.

I saw this happen many times after that ....people would spend all kinds of money on a coyote and then come to stay with us til they got back on their feet and they would get cage fever...after a few days.

They would get nervous because they thought that they were going to get arrested and sent back home...I also think that they were just bored. Where they were from....everything was action....no sitting around and waiting and I think that they needed to be moving.

The first time I went to Df with my family, all we did was move...get there....on a taxi.....hungry? go get some food....go to the tortilla place to get tortillas...go to the butcher for meat....go to get the refills for the envases of coke or pepsi and the chelas also....

We went everywhere walking or on the combi (Taxi) or bus and Subway....gotta stay on your feet...no lagging behind or you get left behind...all action...no stopping....

Huge difference from City Terrace....come in...go in the car..go get get everything at the carniceria....have a bbq....eat and sit and watch tv....

after that go to sleep...wake up...eat breakfast...watch tv....was really boring compared to the high pace life that they lived in DF....you did not just sit around and watch tv....you would go hang out with your friend....help your friends with this or that....go hustle....nonstop all day...everyday....

Lobo came back a few times....but would always go back within a week of staying with us...He stopped trying because no one would lend him the money to come back over.

I tried to help him by teaching him english and the way to be but after a while I could tell that he was just humoring me and I just let him do his thing.

Other boarders took advantage of the opportunity and made a good life for themselves in the us.

So it was not all sad news for the boarders.

Evilchavo Out.

ON the road again|Finding Therapy in the lines of the asphalt roadway

I love road trips.

It is like therapy for me, all problems fade away on the road.

All that matters is whats in front of you.

This trip will be a short one that will lead us from our Almost Laveen residence and put us in San Diego with maybe a drive by thru my old neighborhood (City Terrace).

It is bittersweet like always.

Nothing good usually comes without the bad, we would rather take this kind of trip without any extra stuff to deal with but life does not work that way.

Maybe we will stop and get some tacos at King Taco or sopes at La Estrella.

Ride from Here to San Diego Thru the 8 then to la and back thru the 10....Fun

I will have my phone with me so if you know any good places to eat in San Diego or on our way to San Diego Post em (Never been down the 8 so not sure about what's out there).....I will only be there Sunday.

I have been there often but not lately and always ate in Tj ....Al Pastor Tacos ..........yum :]

No Trip to Tj this time though.

Evilchavo Out.

Living up to my roots|Someday I hope to be just like him.

I always knew that my grandpa was a good person.

I knew my aunt Marcela and she was completely different than anyone that I was around and if he was anything like her then I knew that he would be cool.

I met my grandpa in Mexico when I was about 3, I don't remember any of it...just from stories.

This is one of the stories that my mom likes to tell , My mom called me Chavita in those days. My Grampa called me Duraznito (because I was always red cheeked from running around all day)

"When Chavita was young he was a little chubby ball and when we went to Mexico my Dad(My grampa) had the local shoemaker make him some custom "saca Jicamas" pointy charro boots after that went back to the ranch."

"Since he had his pointy boots I guess dad(My Grampa) thought that it was a good idea to put Chavita on a goat and he was so big that the poor goat could not carry his weight and just went flop and was crying and crying and all Chavita wanted to do was ride it....He kept on telling it to go....but the poor Chivo.....couldn't.

( I like that story, my grandpa made me custom boots ;)

I saw my Grampa a few more times after that.

(at my brothers baptism...Saint Lucy's church)

(from left to right) my Aunt, my Moms,My Brother,My Grampa,Evilchavo,My Grandma, My Aunt.)

I did not see my grampa often...he lived in Villa Corona Jalisco and Culiacan Sinaloa....and because my mom was broke and had no green card...we did not have the opportunity to go see him until amnesty was given and we were free to travel to Mexico again.

My Grandpa came to the us for my brothers baptism (see pic above) and one other time to get some treatment for his sinuses...he got really sick that last time and did not come back until he had to get his sinuses operated on.

I was lucky enough to be with my grampa in my teens when I needed him most....I was lost in my head and needed someone to look up to....my Stepdad was gradually getting worse and my mom was not working and depressed...

He was a great person....in Villa Corona everyone kept saying I looked like him when he was my age....everyone shook his hand... as we walked the dirt roads to the center of town where the older men would sit at park benches eating peanuts by the sack full by the church in the middle of the town square where the boys would walk one way and the girls the opposite in a ritual that had been happening in that little town for years and years and years.

In Culiacan....we would make our rounds....my Grampa , My brother and me....would wake up early and go take vegetables to the butcher....then he would give us meat in trade...go to the store to get sodas and chips for us.....he would give them fruits and vegetables in trade.

My Grampa owned a refresceria (it was like a Jamba Juice way before Jamba juice existed) in the main mercado in Culiacan....he had been there for many many years so everyone loved him and our family.He owned a farm (Which he called " El Campito") which was down the road from where they found Chalino Sanchez dead....The campito was in culiacan also and that is were he grew all the vegetables and fruits for the refresceria.

"The Campito" sat on 4 acres at the edge of Culiacan and my Grampa originally bought the 2 acre lot bare and then added the other 2 acres as they became available. My Grampa would walk us around his farm and show us the trees that he planted and the vegetables and fruits and would tell us how to care for them and what he did to make them grow as well as they did.

"The Campito" was his pride and joy..He loved it there....we would go on the weekends or after work and BBQ ....He had what looked like a garage with a covered patio on the side and under the covered patio was the grill made out of concrete that he would cook us all food on.

The Garage part of it stored all the tables and chairs that we would set up under the covered patio while he cooked...He would always feed the dogs first because they took care of his property he would say....so they always would get two big fat raw steaks before my grampa would start cooking...always making sure cut out a piece or raw meat for himself to chew on while he cooked.

He would always talk to his workers with respect and at "The Campito" They lived at the edge of the property and took care of everything when my grampa and the family where away in Villa Corona....they had homes that my Grampa built and gave them....real homes with water and electricity and full size bedrooms. He never asked them to do anything....it was as if they just wanted to help him and did and I never saw my Grampa tell them what to do or how to do it.

He was a man of respect...not just because he was respected but because everything he did he did with respect...when he talked to people he looked them in the eye without judgement...when he gave he gave wholeheartedly.....

Some of his ex workers became lawyers and doctors....and he put them thru school...he asked them for two things....no making trouble and good grades.

I try to live my life this way....I don't always succeed but at least I know what to live up to.

Evilchavo Out.

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.