Happy New Year

It seems I'm the only loser who hasn't kept up with his blog. I moved some of my stuff from Dallas to Austin and I've be in El Valle for nearly two weeks now. It's been kind of nice not being online 24/7 for a change. I've been staying up late, going out, playing poker, eating a lot (i've been to Mexico 3 times in the last week, just to eat!), and sleeping late. Madre mia.

Happy New Year everyone. Tomorrow is the pachanga at the house. My mom's b-day is on the first. Oh yea, and it snowed down here. Freakin' crazy. Some lil' kid nailed the priest with a snowball when I got out of misa de Gallo on Christmas eve.

With A Vengance!

Today is my last day at work. I've been taking care of everything here (or nothing) and have neglected the blog. I fear this trend may continue throughout the holidays. Aver que pasa, but rest assured, when I fully return, I'll be back with a vengance. Maybe I can pick up some more cholo words of the day when I'm down in el Valle.

Me Ire A Viajar?

I mean, me ire a viajar? Well, I'm thinking of taking about a month of to do some traveling. Going to Europe was my first plan, pero, I think it's freakin' cold. I was also thinking of heading to either South or Central America. Anybody got any ideas. Maybe I'll just sit in Austin and go to the Capitol everyday to watch the 79th Texas Legislature. I've been trying to get some media credentials for a side blog, I may or may not have started, pero, no dice yet.

Como Andas?

A friend of mine told me a guy told her this the other day.

Guy says: Come Andas?

Correct Reply: Como Magdalena. Cada dia mas buena.


I couldn't stop laughing.

Kerik Pulls Out and I Wonder

Former New York City Police Commisioner Bernard Kerik has withdrawn his nomination for homeland security chief. He made the decision after questions about the immigration status of a housekeeper-nanny he employed came to light. It makes me wonder whether I would ever be able to serve in a position of authority with our government.

As I write this I know of several first cousins living in the United States illegally. They crossed the Rio Grande illegally, traveled across Texas illegally, and are working in the DFW Metroplex illegally. Most of my aunts and uncles traveled through the Mexican desert, used tunnels, and crossed in California via Tijuana over 30 years ago. These folks aren't nanny's we've hired - they are familia! I wonder.

And you won't believe what I just did. I wrote another paragraph and then deleted it. The paragraph could implicate people. Isn't it sad, that today, I feel I can't write everything I want to about this topic?

Barrida Back - Read explanation Below 

Una Barrida

Barrida 
My grandmother still gets Barridas. She got scared when she saw a hose and thought it was a snake. The next day she felt sick. The day after - she got a barrida. I'm hiding while taking the picture, because once again, she'd kill me. You can't see them, but my Aunt and mom are off to the sides shaking their heads. They obviously don't believe in Barridas, even though my mom did get herself cured of Susto the other day.

No Health Insurance

I'm losing my health insurance when I leave work so I went to the doctor's today for my yearly checkup. I had an EKG done. Everything is ticking well, even though I've gained 4 lbs. since the last time I visited. I've never really been withouth health insurance and I hope nothing happens while I don't have it.

I was talking to a lady caller on the phone last night and I told her I had a appointment. I asked her when the last time she went to the doctor and she told me she didn't remember. She then said she didn't have health insurance. Damn, that sucks. She works like a dog and her employer doesn't provide health insurance.

That got me to thinking of a conversation I had with Dr. Ramiro Casso over the Thanksgiving break. I didn't realize who the man was until I started talking to him and asking questions.

Saturday morning after breakfast my father and I went to get our hair cut at his barber shop. It's in downtown McAllen. We both needed haircuts and I was going to go to some chain, but my pops refused to, so I went with him. The barber shop, operated by owner Tomas, has been located there forever. When we walked in Tomas was cutting some man's hair - he was wearing chanclas and sported a big ass bigote. My dad and Tomas go way back. We sat down and my dad started talking to Tomas while the man on the chair chimed in. The t.v. had some spanish station on. There was a hand-written sign with a crossed out 7, that read: hair cuts, 8 dollars.

I picked up The Monitor and started reading. Shortly after an old man wearing a guayabera walked in. He said, "Buenos Dias" and everyone replied accordingly. He was old and I figured Mexican, because he picked up a copy of El Diario. I started asking my dad a couple of things and the old man was just listening. Then he asked me if I was in school and we started chatting. My dad apparently knew who he was, because when I asked the old guy what he did back in the day, my dad said "tell him everything you're involved with." So the old dude started telling me about being on the board of a community college, opening up a non-profit clinic for poor folk, serving as the main force behind getting a health center to S. Texas, etc. I was very intrigued so I started asking him more questions, and eventually asked him about the CHIPS program. That's the health insurance program for poor kids that the current administration in Texas cut funding for. Dr. Casso, had a look of sadness in his eyes. He told me how they fought to keep the program. He told me how millions of kids in Texas and especially in the colonias in S. Texas go uninsured. I asked him where they went for medical attention, and he told me that they didn't go anywhere - or they would go to Mexico. Of course, I knew all of this. We always went to Mexico for everything.

I suspected all of this would happen when I heard about the program being cancelled, but I had never heard it coming from a physician who has dedicated his life to working with poor people. We talked about a lot of stuff and before I left he asked me to go back to the Valley. I think I will. Not now, but sometime.

La Media Vuelta

"Te vas porque yo quiero que te vayas, a la hora que yo quiera te detengo Yo sé que
mi cariño te hace falta porque quieras o no, yo soy tu dueño" - i dunno why I thought of that.

So it's official. I'm leaving Dallas. My last day at work will be the 21st of this month. More than likely I'll be heading to Austin to help my brother open up a new office for his immigration law practice. I'm looking forward to the move.

That's it.

Who Helps?

My friend (the one I spat my beer on) and I were talking about careers and the fact that we don't know many Latinos living in Dallas - or that we don't consider many Latinos friends. We go to the happy hours, do some volunteering, and other stuff, but we really don't know any Raza. She's kind of fresia and from Houston and I'm puro Rascuache Chicano from the Valley. I've been known to say that I don't like Dallas Mexicans. They're just different. I'll stick to my Valley kids. I don't have much in common with the Dallas raza that run in the circles that I do. I have more in common with the Mexican immigrants that come and clean the offices three times a week. I can talk to them for hours -- the kids my age, 2 minutes.

Anyway, as racist or elitist as that conversation may have sounded, we continued (after I spat my beer on her). I will soon be leaving my job and moving somewhere South. So, we started talking about people who have helped us succeed as professionals and in education. We were both hard-pressed to name more than a couple of Latinos whom we considered have had a significant impact in our lives, save our familias. I named a couple of gringos, a couple of chinos, and struggled to name Latinos. She did too. We wondered, why that was so. She quickly exclaimed "it's because we keep each other down." I disagreed, but didn't really have an argument. I told her that maybe it's that there are not enough Latinos in those positions of power to go around - and maybe that's why we've never seen them in our lives like that.

Come to think of it - the two (and only) Latina bosses I have ever had - screwed me royally. The gringo and the chinos are still helping me. Wow - that sucks (not the help, the fact that I got screwed). And that's exactly what we both said to each other as she wiped the beer/spit off her face.

I don't know what it is. I wish I could explain it. I wish it weren't like that. Man, I'm a former MECHistA, for crying out loud.

AGUAS!!

Interesting week. I'll explain why when I get a chance. BUT I had to write about this.

I went out the The Ginger Man last night with a girl. She's a friend from college and wanted to go out for a drink after a bad day at work. We sat down to drink our first beer and I ordered a Shiner, of course. I started to sip on the beer and about half way through and in the middle of a conversation, I guess the booze went down the wrong pipe because I spit it out directly into her face! Zoints. After I recovered from my near death I looked up at saw a look of disgust on her face while she wiped it off.

I felt bad, but thought it was hillarious. She dealt with the ordeal pretty well. She didn't even go to the restroom to puke. She just wiped it off and we began our night.