Sunday, May 14, 2006

F-U ABC-TV!

So ABC decided not to pickup today's Clipper game vs. the Suns. Had it been the Lakers (or probably anyone else for that matter) I'm sure they'd a jumped @ the chance. But nooooo, the Clippers aren't good enough for ABC &, thus, disallowed many POTENTIAL fans in L.A. from seeing what a truly fine organization this has become (from top to bottom). Sure, the game's still on cable (TNT @ 5pm pst) but that's not the point. Year after year, this organization gets ridiculed for miserly mismanagement & now that the Clippers have it turned around, most of the media still isn't showing them any respect. You'd figure that the media would want to celebrate an "underdog" organization which has arisen from the ashes, an example of how hard work & perseverance pays off amidst a sea of jeers...but what do i know.

Now if only my Chivas de Guadalajara could win by 2 goals today, then they'd move onto the final.

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Friday, May 12, 2006

Mother's Day: making grown men cry since the beginning of time

This is for all the moms out there, we wouldn't be here w/out you! See, this is why I don't like all those "commercialized" holidays- Mother's Day should be everyday, not once a year! So for all of you folks w/1 or 2 of these ladies in your life, I share w/you a brief sample of the best Mother's Day song (Damien Marley's There for You). Now I need to get back to translating this into Spanish. ;)

Also, I've uploaded some pix so take a look @ have a laugh.

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Wednesday, May 10, 2006

WIP (work in progress) excerpt #1

For the last couple of years, I've been working on this little side-project which started out as a way for me to get my little brother to like reading. Some of you have been asking for a sneak peek for a while so here 'tis. Needless to say, feedback is welcome.
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She felt so alone, then, kneeling in a dark corner of the cellar as she quietly sobbed, unfazed by the occasional rat that scurried by. While she hated the place, she also knew it was home- straw and twigs roughly strewn together to form a makeshift bed.

The weird, love-hate relationship played out day after day as she found herself in the exact same place as the night before. Marya was young & beautiful but you'd never know it from looking at her. More importantly, she didn't know it. The years of labor under such a fiendish master were most physically evident on her small but heavily calloused hands. Hands too rough to wipe away the tears which flowed. But while they were tears of sadness, of longing to know another life, they were also tears of strength, fortifying her resolve. Each day that passed, her nightly sorrow was less about sad and more about self...preservation. Only recently had she even begun to have visions of what life might be like outside of her world, the only world she'd ever known. Long hours of heavy labor under the sun were followed by cooking and cleaning duties. Keeping her master happy when it came to this was no easy chore- especially where his smithing workshop was involved. She had been punished the most, by far, because of some mistake she'd made in that wretched place. Her master never knew that she spat on its floor every time she stepped on it. If she had to be imprisoned, she preferred being outdoors.

Back-breaking work, she took it all in stride, searching for a positive outlook where there wasn't one to be found. Whether tending to the vast garden's assortment of fruits and vegetables or carrying large, wooden pails filled with water, she revelled in it. Not only was she away from her master but she'd even accidentally found ways to make her tasks easier, completely unaware she possessed a gift. So while she was alone and her situation was bleak, she would not be defeated. That's why she loved her quiet, damp corner in the cellar. It was her lone place of solace. The lone place where she could release her feelings without fear of repercussion. She'd shown weakness in front of the master in the past but like a stalking wolf, smelling fear only drove him into more of a maniacal frenzy. She wiped away the tears with her still muddy forearms, accidentally smudging her cheeks with earth she'd tilled that day. At that very moment, as if strengthened by salty tears and dirt, she quietly vowed to herself that she'd never show weakness again. An insignificant event in a vast world, little did Marya know her fate was slowly...changing.
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-Untitled (excerpt), M. H. Morales

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Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Links 101

A brief description of why each link (on the right-hand pane) is there:
MyPix - A little something for everyone.
La Cucaracha - Latino-based political comic strip.
Boondocks - Another political comic strip..also on tv @ Cartoon Network.
Foxtrot - Video game based comic strip.
Anime Info - Great site for searching for info on various anime movies/shows
Strongbad - 1 of the internet's most famous flash-based sites...still going strong & super duper hilarious!
KPFK 90.7FM - Independent radio station here in L.A. & home to thee best conscious hip-hop (fridays 10pm-1am) & reggae (sundays 3pm-5pm) programs on the airwaves.
KCRW 89.9FM - Phat, eclectic beats from around the world & awesome dj's...need I say more?
FutureBoogie - English site dedicated to awesome electronica beats/dj's.
Housemusic.com - This site had way more content back in the day, but it's still the OG.
Firecracker - One of my top 3 favorite clubs in L.A. (it's in Chinatown). Live jazz (downstairs) + phat hip-hop beats (upstairs) = fun night 4 all.
Def Poetry- HBO show hosted by Mos Def (one of my fav. musical artists) showcasing the skill & art involved in the spoken word. Seasons 1-3 should be out on dvd.
Talib Kweli - Mos Def's other half in the group Blackstar. Conscious rhyme-maker extraordinaire.
Aterciopelados - Thee best spanish rock band around. Yea, I said it! Smooth melodies, great lyrics & sweet beats. If you ever have a chance to see 'em live, DO IT!
Domingo7- Saw them @ this coffee shop in Pasadena years ago & loved their vibe. I keep running into them @ various concerts (opened for both Ozomatli & Buena Vista Social Club) & turns out they're playing quite a bit @ Firecracker. Small world.
Barbed Wire Boys - Tom's band. Southern rock? Rockabilly? The best way I can describe them is that EVERY single person I've ever taken to see them, comes back for more.
SC - home of the Trojans, baby!!!
Verbum Dei - A great high school in the heart of L.A. Verb_Pride!
UberGeek TV- All tech, all the time.
DFR - My college buddy's radio show on KPFK 90.7FM (friday nites 10pm-1am). Where conscious hip-hop, phat beats & droppin' knowledge smoothly meld.
Kids In Sports - Wonderful inner-city program which I was fortunate enough to volunteer at for nearly 10 years as a Head Coach.

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Upcoming...

Phew...so now that y'all are caught up, here's what's on the docket***:
June -- World Cup (nuff' said)
July -- Camping trip to Laughlin (work permitting)
Bday celebration......don't be trying to hide, RudeDog!
Aug/Dec - More Bday celebrations (don't we do anything else these days? day-yum!)

***PLEASE NOTE: Dave's wedding (TBA) shall be slotted in (I'm working on a calendar feature) once we all know where to crash the wedding...i mean, umm, know the details...yea, that's it. So keep the fellas posted, Dave, unless you want us going all A-Team on yo-azz. =P

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Back@Ya

Ok, so it's been a while since I posted. Busy, yadda yadda. Anyway, a brief recap since my last post (in semi-chronological order):
-Work...busy...typical stuff here.
-Jose's bday celebration was mucho fun...Dave coming out & having ALL the guys together (Willy, Rudy, Jose, Carlos, Oscar & Dave) was a nice, rare site.
-My grandma was here visiting from Jalisco & stayed longer than she'd initially planned...talk about a nice bday gift! :)
-Jay (to those of you that know him) got married to Mi-wa. Hope you 2 are having fun in SD! We want pictures!!!
-Tino got married!! When we going inner-tubing down the Salt River again, Mr. SunsFan?
-Memo & Jo had their baby (congrats!!...again)...she's absolutely gorgeous!!!
-Dave & Marie got engaged! (felicitaciones!)...Dave, all the guys keep asking me "where's our invites, darnitt?!!!" =P
-Bday celebrations galore the last couple months-- Ayde, Evelyn, Willy, Oscar, the list keeps goin' & goin'.
-Currently, I'm working on a website, building a small fileserver, having fun w/music production & have a few other projects that occupy my "spare time."
-Everyone's families are in good health, which is always the BEST update... :)

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