Lolly

Lolly & I have been really good friends for like 6 years now- we could always talk to each other about anything (&, chances are, we've talked about almost everything). She's been there for me when neither close friends nor family were around to lend a helping hand or share a kind word. I've always appreciated that from her & count her as one of my few close friends. No matter what we ever did, we always had a good time- from just chillin' & watching a movie to going out w/a bunch of friends & dancing the night away. Her sister Yvonne is also very, very cool & the 3 of us have hung out a lot...ahh, some good memories.

I met Lolly at a bus stop we both use to frequent on our way home. We'd chat a bit but little by little, I realized this was one really good, kind person. We only exchanged numbers 'cuz I was going to be working in downtown so I wasn't going to be seeing her on that bus. We'd chat occasionally &, little by little, got to be better friends. But it's funny how things change.

While we're still good friends, things do change when your friends get married- not in a bad way, just on a different level (trust me, I know, having TONS of friends get married in the last few years). All friendships go thru their tough times & little by little we stopped hanging out as much. Next thing I know, she'd met someone, fallen in love & they got married a while after that. They've had their problems (like all couples, I guess) but I truly wish her the best & I'm sure they'll work it out (good people deserve to be happy). They just bought a house so hopefully doing something together will bring them closer. Stopping by her pad the other night w/BigO, I realized it'd been a while since I'd seen her. She seems stressed out as she looked a bit emaciated- really odd 'cuz she's always been one helluva good cook (my tummy still has fond memories of the green enchiladas w/rice & beans she made me for my b-day a couple years back).

Hope ya feel better, Lolly, you know you have lots of friends & family who support ya & love ya to death.

Shooting Pool

So I talked to Oscar (BigO) yesterday & he wanted to shoot some pool. Being anti-social's never been one of my strong points so I was game. There's a spot by my pad called Cue Ball which I've driven by 100 times but never gone to so I called my friend Lolly to ask her if she thought it was a cool spot to chill at. She mentioned it's up the street from her new house & her husband Steve told her to invite us for a beer before we go shoot some pool. Oscar got here & he was down. What Lolly didn't tell me is that the "block" they live on is some small ass street (think of an alley) but we found it & they were working on the yard. Long story short, I downed a cold one while they showed us their cute little house & I fixed their dvd/cable/tv setup. Knowing that Oscar had to work early, we thanked 'em for the hospitality & headed off.

Once we got there, the place had a really cool vibe to it and the prices aren't too bad (gotta love $9 pitchers). Only thing that kinda sucked (well, for BigO) is that they don't serve any hard liquor (he can't drink beer after his surgery) so I felt bad being the only one drinking. We were there nearly 3 hours & had a good time catching up while checking out the fly honies. There were a couple girls at the table next to us & I just know BigO wanted to talk to 'em but he's always been a little shy (ever since I met his cherry-picking self when we played his school in basketball back in 8th grade). It was good seeing BigO go out, though- he's never been much into that (I gave up asking himto go clubbing or bar-hopping w/us when I used to do that like 2-3 times a week). So while it might be hard to get O to join us at some salsa club or one of the spots I dig (ie, Firecracker, the Room, etc), it's good to see him going out more. Baby steps, my friend, baby steps...

So I went to see mom yesterday...

..at her newly-remodeled, fancy barber shop & boy does it look sweet! They did a nice job there w/the high ceilings & the classy look. I kind of miss the "ghettoness" of how it used to be but I'm sure there'll be even more customers (is this even possible? seems like everyone goes there) people coming in now. She's part-owner of the place now & the remodeling better be worth them hiking up the rent bigtime! So new business & new house for mom (I can't help but think of the theme song to the Jefferson's...."movin' on up...").

I stuck around to give her a ride home & take her on some errands (after the haircut, of course, boy i needed it baaaad) & something hit me like a ton of bricks about barber shops: it's amazing how many different kinds of conversations go on there! Trust me, I've thought of this before (my mom's been in the biz for 20+ yrs) but, for some odd reason, it really struck me yesterday- maybe 'cuz I was actually paying attention to some of them. It's also amazing of how many people in that area are from/near the town we're from in Zacatecas- people talk of El Mortero, la Laguna Grande & even Monte Escobedo (props to the birthplace!). It's also weird how many old elementary/h.s. friends have gone there- Wally (aka DJ Wally), Edward (aka Ed the Head) or even how many parents of old elementary friends have dropped in- Francisco's dad, Jicela's dad. It's truly uncanny. Everyone talks about Six Degrees of separation but in places like barber shops, stuff gets broken down to like 3 degrees...that's what makes 'em so cool (well, that & that it's a place where men can talk about anything they want w/out their women eavesdropping over their shoulders.

So next time you go get trimmed up, drop your barber a tip (you cheap bastards!).

War isn't funny but...

...this was!


If World War II had been an RTS

A bit about me...

Well, I realized that I'd made my first post w/out even giving some tidbits about me....

I'm a die-hard Clipper, Dodger, LA Kings, Raiders & Chivas de Guadalajara fan. Now, normally this would be cause for concern (well, minus Chivas, since they've been kicking ass & taking names for like..ever!) but I know what to expect from "my" teams. Having been a Clipper fan since '87 has honestly made me a better person- you learn that while it's nice to have awe-inspiring goals, it's best to have a more realistic grip on life. Sure everyone bags on them but I'm loyal & was sure last year's team had the basis of something special, then, BAM!..the injury bug hit like Bobby Brown upside Whitney's dome & no playoffs (again). Well, enough about my undying love-hate relationship w/my favorite teams.

While I used to think I had a gajillion friends (I tend to easily get along w/all types of people), I've come to realize I'm real guarded w/my friendships. Most of my good friends I've known for 15+ years (heck, my buddy Rudy & I go way back to 1st grade!) w/a couple good peeps I've met at places I've worked at along the way.

Familia is such an important thing, I'm real tight w/my immediate family. Sure, we might not agree on everything but they're familia & I love 'em to death- especially mom. My grandma & I are also real close. I just wish I could see her more often in her later years (though I've been working on that)- but it makes our reunions just that much more special & emotional. I'm a godfather to 3 (niece, nephew & cousin) & uncle to 6 (3 girls & 3 boys). I have no kids of my own (although being the oldest of 6 sure makes me feel like i've been a parent). I still can't believe my "baby" sister is gonna be a senior & "baby" bro a junior in h.s. I still remember buying them cute little USC or Dodger outfits, taking them to my baseball games & warming up their bottles...boy how time flies.

First in a long series...

So here 'tis, the first post...So it's burning up here in the San Gabriel Valley & it's 7:30PM!!! It doesn't help that I live upstairs & in my effort to conserve energy I hardly even use my rinky-dink, $15 window fan. Here's hoping y'all are staying cooler than I am- which I'm sure isn't hard to accomplish.