Monthly Archives: July 2006

No será una fin de semana perfecta

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It was supposed to be my model summer weekend. I had it set up weeks ago. Saturday: Julieta Venegas and Maldita Vecindad concert. Sunday: World Cup final and Dodgers vs. Giants game. Perfect!

That was all before I was asked to be part of a selection committee. No biggie. I’ve been a part of many selection committees. Wait, I have to fly up to Oakland for the interviews? I tried to back out of it by explaining that I needed to be at a concert at 7 pm. From my experience last year, I knew that if I was late I might miss the opening act. There was no way I was going to miss mi querida Julieta.

However, they wanted me there and were willing to schedule around me. Interviews and deliberations would be over by 4 pm. That gave me enough time to get to the Oakland Airport to make my 5:20 flight. I’d arrive at 6:43 at Santa Ana/John Wayne Airport. Ralph would pick me up and we’d travel 3 miles or so to the Orange County fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.

It was all set.

And it went well. My flight left on time and I arrived early. Ralph was picked me up promptly at 6:45. We arrived at the Orange County fairgrounds and entered the Pacific Amphitheater precisely at 7 pm. We found our seats next to my cousin Rene and his friend Edgar.

Surprised that I actually arrived at an event early I took the time to try and figure out if Julieta would sing a mix of her new and old songs or if she’d stick with the recent commercial hits. I found out the answer to my question half an hour later.

She entered the stage with her band. As usual, she looked cute in an orange blouse, jeans and black shoes. Accompanying her on keyboard was the equally talented, cute and stylish Ceci Bastida.

She started off with “Lento” and I texted Gabby and Isa to hurry up and finish eating their hot dogs and hamburgers.

Julieta was great, but I was left wanting more. Long time fans were probably disappointed because she only played two songs from Bueninvento (2000) and ignored Aquí (1998) completely. She also only played three songs from her most recent release, Limón y Sal.

I sang along to every song, but the highlight for me came when she sang her brilliant cover of Los Tigres del Nortes’ hit about immigration, La Jaula de Oro. Prior to singing, she expressed solidarity with immigrants who search for a better life. Julieta’s version of La Jaula de Oro is even better live. [I tried to post a 40 second video via YouTube, but my blog ends up looking like a mess. You can just check it out at here. Sorry I don't have it all, I didn't take fresh batteries and that was all I could get.]

I don’t know if the crowd was feeling tired like me or if they were just more excited about Maldita Vecindad. Few people stood up and you could only hear folks singing along to the hits or her current singles. The rude and drunk guys behind me (you’ll hear more about them later) spoke on their phones too loud. True to form, a lot of people skipped the opening act all together and the amphitheater didn’t fill up more until it was dark and Roco and crew were starting off.

I would have loved to see Julieta Venegas play more songs featuring the accordion, more from her albums pre Sí, and a few more tunes from Limón y Sal — such as the track which shares the title with the album and “No Seré”. Still, she managed to entertain me after a long day of interviews and prove once again why she is one of my favorite artists.

Setlist
Lento – Sí
Que Pidas – Sí
Siempre En Mi Mente – Bueninvento
Dulce Compañía – Limón y Sal
Canciones de Amor – Limón y Sal
Algo Está Cambiando – Sí
Me Van a Matar – Amores Perros Soundtrack
Andar Conmigo – Sí
Donde Quiero Estar – Sí
Sería Feliz – Bueninvento
La Jaula de Oro – El Más Grande Homenaje a los Tigres del Norte
Me Voy – Limón y Sal

To be continued… I still need to report on the fracaso during Maldita Vecindad’s performance.

(What? Did you think I was going to leave you without some new music? Since I uploaded the wrong file, you get two YouSendIt links! Both are for “La Jaula de Oro” but one is an m4a for iTunes and the other is a simple mp3. ¡Disfruten!)

Business or pleasure

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Lonely Oakland Airport
Oakland International Airport, evening of Friday June 7

Traveling used to be fun. This was back when the only times I went to LAX or Long Beach airport to escape work or school for a mini vacation. It meant I’d see good friends who are separated by too much California or the “fly over states”. I would arrive to find people waiting for me at baggage claim. I got a big hug and sometimes a kiss… but always a big hug. The cities were sometimes new, and other times they were familiar. Getting on a plane back then meant going somewhere to play.

Now, I go to LAX or Long Beach Airport and play is far from my mind. The trip is all business. When I arrive, no one waits for me. There’s never a young man with a rose. I get my bags and walk over to the curb to await the shuttle to the car rental agencies a few minutes away. I don’t talk to anyone until I arrive at the checkout desk. And then it’s only to say that I don’t really want the optional insurance.

When I arrive at the hotel the loneliness grows exponentially. It’s always worse than the empty airport and quiet baggage claim.

Uno de asada, dos al pastor, y uno de pollo (para empezar)

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Los taqueros My parents know a lot of people. They’re always busy. My mom will call a family meeting on the rare occasion when her husband and all four of their offspring are in the house (and awake). She runs down the list of events coming up. There is always something going on. People even tell my mom several months in advance about a wedding, baptism, quinceañera, birthday party, etc, so that they can make sure she’ll be there. About ten years ago she wasn’t able to make a good friend’s wedding because we would be on vacation in Australia. You know what her friend did? She changed the wedding date. En serio.

Anyway, because my parents are so easy to get along with and easy to talk to, they have a lot of friends. This also means that we are invited to a lot of things and have all sorts of connections for hook ups here and there.

Perhaps the best one is with Emilio and Marta, also known among my siblings as los Taqueros and Alma, Daisy and Emily’s parents. My mom met Emilio and Marta years ago when she was a teacher’s aide in a kindergarten classroom. Back then Emilio and Marta only had one daughter, Alma. Now Alma is in high school and her sisters are in grade school. My parents have kept contact with them since the mid 90s, and it has paid off.

Adrian protects his tacos from Nancy Emilio and Marta, both from Mexico city, make the best tacos, salsa and caramelized onions. My mom and other family members have hired them several times for birthday parties. They’re already booked for the 16th of September, when we will celebrate Adrian’s 21st birthday. I’ve had tacos at other parties, but they’re never quite as good as Emilio and Martha’s. Perhaps the difference is the personal connection or the caramelized onions.

I’ve had lots of great tacos in LA and Mexico, but Emilio and Marta are my favorite. Perhaps it’s that personal connection, or the fact that the tacos are often free since they invite us over for their daughters’ birthday parties.

Damn, now I want a taco and it’s so tough to find a good one in West LA. Perhaps Taco Hunt will help.

Give me something to write about

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I want to write more regularly. I find that everytime I open up notepad or begin to write in wordpress I stop because I don’t have a topic. I also have about 11 posts in draft form. Maybe I’ll post those.

So yeah… give me topics, questions, something to just think about… whatever.

In the mean time, go read El Chavo at his blog Chanfles! He’s one of those rare Los Angeles Latino blogeros and he’s actually brave enough to try huevos rancheros in a cone.

Mil palabras: siesta

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After drinking a few shots, I passed out
I knocked out at my first birthday party (1981)

Ever since I was a kid, I thought I didn’t know how to sleep. Weird, I know. I compared myself to Lori, my younger sister, who I shared a room with. Our twin beds used to be separated by a nightstand. Even though we went to bed at the same time, it always seemed like it took me much longer to fall asleep. We’d be whispering secrets to each other and then suddenly I’d hear her soft breathing and snoring.

I hated lying in bed not able to fall asleep, especially because I was terrified of every little noise and the dark.

I still haven’t mastered the art of sleeping. I’m very picky about when and where I can sleep. I don’t nap in the middle of the day or in the afternoons. For the most part, I can’t sleep anywhere else beside a bed. The only exceptions have been when I was in a boring class after staying up late or all night. I can’t sleep for more than a few minutes in cars and planes which is a pain on long trips or redeye flights.

When I finally do get to sleep, it’s tough getting me up and going again. I’m notorious for sleeping through everything from a World Cup game to a midterm.

I haven’t been sleeping well lately. I don’t know if it’s the heat or all the thoughts racing through my head. Last night, I tossed and turned for a couple of hours. I even showered in an effort to cool down. I got a few hours of sleep but then awoke with the alarm clock at 6 something and wasn’t able to go back to bed before work because it was already too warm and there was too much light.

Any suggestions on how to improve my sleep patterns?

On dressing up

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I love the reactions I get when I wear a skirt.

“Why are you all dressed up?”

“You look nice today.”

“Where are you going?”

I don’t know why wearing a skirt shocks people. I love wearing skirts. I happen to like my legs, even if they are rather pale. I don’t like wearing shorts unless it’s for working out, which is probably the reason I don’t own shorts. If I want a relief from the summer heat, a skirt is my best bet.

Funny thing is, I hardly ever dress up for a particular reason or because I’m trying to impress someone. My reasons are usually: it’s getting near laundry day and I’m out of clean pairs of jeans; it’s too hot to wear pants and I need to wear something; they’re in my closet, so why the hell not?

Still, I hate the feeling of being dressed up and having no place to go. That happened a few weeks ago after the MEChA de UCLA Raza Graduation. I wore a cute new dress for the graduation because I had to as one of the alumni name readers. After the graduation I just went home. Too bad. Next time I get dressed up, it better be worth it.