Lotería Chicana » 2008

the basics

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March 27, 2008

Mil palabras: Esos ojos

Ojitos has nothing on baby Alessandro

I met my 3-month old nephew when I arrived in Houston last Friday. It was noon and he was still wearing his Astros pajamas (his mom is a big fan).

I sat in the backseat of Vero’s black truck with the baby. He held my finger with his tiny fist and stared at me with his huge eyes.

I fell in love.

“Who do you think he looks like,” I asked Vero.

“Oh, he’s all Julio. He has the Mosqueda lips and everything. And when he smiles, you can definitely tell he has the Mosqueda smile. All of you have that big smile,” she responded nodding toward her husband/my cousin.

“Yeah, we do. Pero siempre estamos enojados, so we don’t show it,” I joked.

Julio laughed.

I studied Alessandro’s face some more. I have no clue what Julio looked like as a baby since he’s a few years older than me and he didn’t have any baby pictures on hand. However, I did notice that Alessandro’s eyes were like Eddie’s (Julio’s younger brother) and my tía Mari’s.

I miss Alessandro already. Of course, I miss my cousin and his wife too. They’re good people and I’m grateful I’ve gotten the chance to reconnect with them in recent years.

Filed under: Familia, Fotos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 4:51 am | 9 Comments

March 26, 2008

Clumsy in NY

Either I’m just clumsy, or New York hates me.

First, I hit my head while getting in to the cab. I tried not to look at it as an omen and just the result of misjudgment on my part.

Today, I smashed my finger on the gate of the elevator. It’ one of those old school elevators. It has a gate and a single door (like you’d use to open your bedroom or house). It’s a hassle, especially when you have your luggage with you.

I almost cried — form the pain, frustration and home-sickness — in the cab, but reminded myself that it would smear my mascara.

The past day and a half hasn’t been all bad. I presented a paper on UC admissions with my co-worker in a roundtable format, met up with some friends and didn’t get lost. Later, I had dinner with Sean, watched Lost and narrowly beat my host at Rock Band (actually, it was a draw, but I did beat him at the last song, Creep). I left Harlem for Union Square where the Hispanic Special Interest Group of the AERA was hosting a party. I saw friends I rarely (if ever) see at UCLA and met some new people.

I hope the next few days here are injury free.

Cross your fingers.

Filed under: Randomness | POSTED BY cindylu AT 9:09 am | 8 Comments

March 25, 2008

Certainty

When I met Ojitos, I was only a few months removed from a tough breakup.

For the first few months after the breakup, I stayed away from the ex. I needed that time away from him in order to start getting over how hurt and angry I felt. It wasn’t easy.

Less than six weeks after it set in that the break up was permanent, a close mutual friend died in a tragic accident. Many of my close friends, including the ex were greatly affected by this loss. In fact, the ex was the one who informed me of our friend’s death. In that process of grieving, I needed everyone close by.

I started hanging out again with the ex as platonic friends. One evening, we had dinner with his roommates and mutual friends at their apartment. Afterward, we played Guitar Hero (I won, of course) and caught up with work and life.
(more…)

Filed under: Cuentos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 12:31 am | 5 Comments

March 24, 2008

Houston recap

Texas has been good to me.

When I left Austin Friday morning, I was still hung over from partying the night before with my friends David and Jay. By the time I got home it was close to 3 am. I didn’t get to sleep until after 4 and had to be up a few hours later to begin the 3 hour drive to Houston.

I left my hostess’ house a little after 8 and began the uneventful drive to Houston.

I was tired by the time I met up with my cousin, Julio, and his wife, Veronica. Still, I didn’t want to sleep away the afternoon. There was a museum to visit (the Museum of Natural Science) and a 3-month old baby to play with. Julio and Vero’s son, Alessandro, is one of those good babies.

On Saturday I went to a rodeo and stuck around for the Brooks & Dunn concert that evening. It was interesting. Later that evening I watched UCLA win a close game against Texas A&M. Sunday was spent relaxing with Vero’s family and having fajitas (not carne asada).

I’m off to New York in a few hours. I’m not looking forward to cooler weather, but I am looking forward to meeting up with friends.

Filed under: Familia | POSTED BY cindylu AT 1:26 pm | 2 Comments

March 22, 2008

March Madness

Back in late December, I attended a UCLA basketball game with my friend Eligio at the storied Pauley Pavilion. UCLA handedly beat UC Davis. Eligio and I stayed afterward to talk to some people and try and get photos with some of the star players like Josh Shipp (junior, guard/foward) and Kevin Love (freshman, center).

UCLA plays Texas A&M tonight in the second round of the NCAA tournament. UCLA is seeded first in the West and Texas A&M is ten. From what I’ve read, the Aggies are a team with a lot of big guys who play in a physical and aggressive manner (LAT pre-game story). The game will be a challenge, but I know UCLA has a very strong team.

I packed my UCLA hoodie specifically because I wanted to represent while I was in Texas and New York during the beginning of the tournament. I may be in hostile territory right now, but I’ll proudly wear my UCLA hoodie as I explore more of Houston.

Go Bruins!

Filed under: Escuela, Deportes | POSTED BY cindylu AT 10:16 am | 3 Comments

March 21, 2008

Austin postcard

I kinda really like Austin.

The weather — at least since I got here on Tuesday — has been perfect. The beer is good. The food is yummy. And most importantly, the people are awesome (hi, César and Rachelle, Erica and Soren, Victor, David and Jay).

My trip to Austin was cut short due to crazy weather on the Dallas end. I feel like I’m rushed trying to get in a minute or two with all the cool people I know and “know” (via the internets). I’ve “known” some of these people for close to 4 years. Four years! It’s a little weird to finally meet, but also really cool. You can just talk about life or throw Vulcan and Westside signs outside of a hipster East Austin bar/café (okay, I think it’s really weird to have a place where you can buy both beer and coffee… crazy!).

Some of the others on my list of awesome people are friends from graduate school. They were pseudo-mentors who helped me figure out how to do something using SPSS (a statistical program), motivated me when I really wanted to leave the program, or just listened to me blabber on about some guy. I’m really grateful for their friendship.

My host tried to recruit me to move out here like she did. I asked if she gives the Austin sales pitch to everyone who visits. She responded, “no, only the good people.”

I don’t know where I’ll end up after grad school. I’ve never ruled out moving out of California when I begin my professional career (not that I know what that will be), but I know no place will measure up to LA.

I miss home. Eight more days.

Filed under: Randomness | POSTED BY cindylu AT 12:46 am | 6 Comments

March 20, 2008

Monday surprise

Someone was knocking on the door. That’s rare. I was the only person home. Maybe it was my roommate. She sometimes forgets her keys.

I checked the peephole, but it was too bright for me to recognize the person outside.

I opened the door and saw a young man surrounded by bright sunlight.

“Hi,” Ojitos greeted me.

I blinked, trying to let my eyes adjust to the sunlight. I’d kept it dark in my apartment to keep it cool.

“Your hair looks different. You got a haircut,” I responded.

“Yeah,” he said and ran his hand through his now-shorter hair.

He read my confused expression and began to explain why he’d just surprised me unannounced.

“I was in the neighborhood, on my way to work… I wanted to talk to you… I couldn’t call*… I missed you… Are you going somewhere?”

“I was about to leave.”

“Oh, I can go…”

“No, no. I can catch a later movie. Come in.”

I like surprises.

*The day before, I was feeling pretty annoyed with Ojitos. It was Sunday. He hadn’t called nor returned my last cheesy question via text message. Only one day had passed, not long, but I hate not getting a call (or text message or email) back within a reasonable amount of time. A day is not reasonable. Later that day, he emailed me to let me know he couldn’t call because he had been tossed in a swimming pool. His phone was ruined. Of course he had a good excuse.

Filed under: Cuentos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 8:43 am | 2 Comments

March 19, 2008

Question of the week: Regional differences

I’ve been in Texas since Saturday evening. I stayed with my aunt in Keller (near Dallas) for the first few days. Today, I arrived in Austin for a conference and to meet up with some friends. The last stop on the tour will be Houston.

Being in Texas is a little weird. There are so many trees, there are flight delays due to weather, and my cousin’s (white) friends call him Gee-zus. Yes, that’s right. They don’t even want to pronounce Jesús in Spanish. Finally, I wonder, are there compact parking spaces at shopping centers?

I know these are little differences. I know someone who is not from California would find the place a little weird and different. And I wonder, would they find Chicanos in LA different?

La Pregunta: Do Chican@s differ by region? And if so, how?

Filed under: Preguntas | POSTED BY cindylu AT 1:53 pm | 11 Comments

March 18, 2008

Sonrisas

What would a telenovela be without some visuals of los protagonistas?

Click through to see just how cute we look together.
(more…)

Filed under: Cuentos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 4:54 pm | 11 Comments

March 15, 2008

Five photos, five days

Lunes. I was supposed to go a happy hour after work, but didn’t see anyone I knew at the bar. I ended up buying a bag of fruit in Westwood and walking most of the way home happily enjoying Daylight Savings Time, eating my fruta con chile y limón, and listening to the mixtape by Sean.
(more…)

Filed under: Fotos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 1:01 am | 6 Comments

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