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July 4, 2008

On being nice

Sean: so what did you tell him?
Me: well, I told him, “I don’t want you to get the wrong idea and think I still like you. ‘Cause I don’t.”
Sean: ouch!
Me: what?
Sean: that’s mean!
Me: but it’s true.
Sean: still, no one wants to hear that, even if he doesn’t like you anymore either.
Me: oh, I didn’t realize that.
Sean: you need to be nicer.
Me: I guess.

***

Sean: so how was Texas?
Me: quite fun! I visited family in Dallas, went to a conference and spent time with friends in Austin and then visited more family in Houston. I went to a rodeo!
Sean: fun.
Me: yeah, I wish I could’ve spent more time in Austin. But you know what I noticed?
Sean: what?
Me: there weren’t too many attractive guys there. At least guys I found attractive. I told that to my friend, John, while we were in a club.
Sean: you said that to him?
Me: yeah, and he pretended to be all hurt.
Sean: Cindy, have you ever heard the phrase, “present company excluded”?
Me: yeah.
Sean: that’s when you use it!
Me: I know, I was gonna say that, but I just forgot.
Sean: you need to be nicer.
Me: okay.

***

Later that evening we watched The Big Bang Theory a show about physics graduate students. The more sociable of the two roommates scolds the other on being nice and not bluntly telling their cute neighbor that she can’t sing.

Sean turns to me and says, “Cindy, that’s you. And I’m the roommate trying to teach him how to behave.”

“Ouch.”

***

Happy 31st birthday, Sean!

Filed under: Amigos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 12:21 pm | 5 Comments

July 1, 2008

Fotos y recuerdos

The Friday after Jose’s untimely death some friends gathered to create a collage of photos to display during the services.

A half dozen women cropped and trimmed photos and laid them out on a large poster board. The two guys stood back awkwardly. One suggested outlining the black letters of Jose’s name in silver. I might have cracked a Raiders joke. I don’t remember.

The collage making was bittersweet. We laughed a little, nobody cried. Five days after we’d received the news, we had used up all our tears. When the jokes and small talk subsided we were left with silence, our own thoughts, and dozens of photos of our always smiling friend.

Jose Luis Vasquez passed away on July 1, 2007.

Filed under: Amigos, Sentimientos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 1:05 am | No Comments

June 25, 2008

Concert buddy search revisited

No one (in LA) applied to be my concert buddy.

I’d be sad about it if (a) I was still looking for dates for the concerts I’ll be attending later this summer and (b) Sean had not submitted three mix cd’s over the span of a few months. Of course, Sean can’t be my concert buddy since he lives a few thousand miles away. I’m okay with that because whenever I find the padded envelopes in my mailbox after a long and/or crappy day, I know I’ll be treated to several great songs and a clever cover.

I’m set for most concerts this summer, but still can use a buddy for a few shows. List after the jump.
(more…)

Filed under: Música, Amigos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 1:47 am | 15 Comments

June 24, 2008

Activity: Find my favorite Oso/bear

¡Feliz cumpleaños, Oso!

If I had any kind of photoshop skills, I’d make a more sophisticated birthday activity page. I can see a “Where in the World is Oso?” game as well as a word find with Oso-related words.

Filed under: Amigos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 4:30 pm | 4 Comments

April 20, 2008

Tijuana Run ‘08

A night out in Tijuana is really not the same without Oso, but it was still fun. I joined Nathan, his wife Rosario, and several of their friends for a Tijuana run to celebrate his birthday. I haven’t been to Tijuana since the last time I went with Nathan and Rosario in June, 2006.
(more…)

Filed under: Amigos, Mexico | POSTED BY cindylu AT 11:34 pm | 8 Comments

April 9, 2008

New York: Words and Photos

Monday // Day 1

My gate at Houston International Airport was C31. The numbers kept following me around for the rest of my trip. It’s like Lost, but without the magical island and Others.

I arrived around 11:15 at night. I was so tired that I hit my head getting in to the cab (or it could have just been because I was wearing my straw hat and couldn’t see the roof of the mini-van). It hurt a lot. I arrived and checked in at my hotel, Hotel 31, without any other injuries.
(more…)

Filed under: Amigos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 11:24 pm | 1 Comment

April 7, 2008

Funky Monkey

I can’t say I did it because of the two margaritas in me, because I decided even before we arrived at the karaoke bar that I was going to sing. Of course, this was all before the tiny Caffe Brass Monkey filled up and both good and bad singers took their shot at old standards and new pop hits.

I picked out an easy song, Selena’s “Como la flor” from small selection of Spanish-language songs over Linda Ronstadt’s version of “Y Andale.” My friends P and J — there for a mutual friend’s birthday celebration — were surprised I’d sing in front of other people. I didn’t think it was a big deal. I’ve been doing it since I was six years old.

“This is nothing. No one here even knows me, so it doesn’t matter if I make a fool of myself,” I explained to J. “Plus, they’re all drinking.”

He shook his head. “No, it still matters.”
(more…)

Filed under: Randomness, Amigos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 11:12 pm | 10 Comments

March 13, 2008

π day

Dear José,

Happy 26th birthday! It’s your day, π day, the perfect birthday for a man destined to teach mathematics.

I miss you, man.

It’s been over eight months since we lost you. Of course, that initial pain we all felt on July 1st — that extreme shock and sadness — has faded.

I still think about you all the time. It’s hard not to considering your picture sits atop my bookshelf on my mini-altar. You’re there next to Cindy Rabuy and Grandpa and Grandma.

Most days, I feel okay. But there are some days when that initial pain comes back. It catches me off guard like a rough wave that leaves my eyes irritated and red from the saltwater.

That’s what happened in September. I was looking through some photos from Ralph’s Halloween 2006 party. I don’t look at those pictures much. They remind me of loss and severed relationships.

I came across this photo:

It took my breath away to see you and Jonathan grinning like fools. I have no clue why you guys are smiling so broadly. It doesn’t matter. It was just good to see that smile. I miss that smile and your positive energy.

I know I’m not the only one.

Love,
Me

Filed under: Amigos, Sentimientos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 11:00 pm | 2 Comments

February 14, 2008

Bear Hugs

cindylu y oso Feliz Día del Amor y la Amistad. In countries like México and Venezuela, the 14th of February isn’t just St. Valentine’s Day, it’s also a day to celebrate love and friendship. I’m choosing to celebrate friendship today…

Oso and I met up on Sunday during his brief return to LA. If you blinked, you would have missed him. I’m glad I didn’t blink because it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Oso.

We had dinner at Versailles, a Cuban restaurant in my neighborhood, and discussed things like the science of falling in love and MHC, his work in Colombia, the politics of tú and usted, and my penchant for playing the same song a dozen times in a row.

I was in the middle of briefing him on a situation when he called me on my bullshit (like a good friend should do!):
Oso: You need to call.
Me: *Gulp* No… I can’t. I’m passive aggressive.
Oso: There’s nothing aggressive about you. You’re just passive passive.
Me: Ouch.

We finished up our tasty dinner, grabbed some espresso at the Coffee Bean and then headed to Union Station. I briefly forgot how to get there*, but thanks to Oso’s trusty iPhone we found our way. I dropped him off at Union Station with enough time for him to catch his train. As we hugged, I told him, “I’ll see you in another 9 months.”

“It’s not gonna be that long,” he said.

I hope it’s not that long, but it actually doesn’t matter. See, Oso is one of those friends I can go months without seeing. (This is not to say I don’t miss him.) When we finally get together for tea or lunch, it doesn’t feel like it’s been month since our last encounter. We just pick up where we left off.

*This is troubling. I’ve been forgetting my way around downtown and East LA lately.

Filed under: Amigos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 1:19 am | 10 Comments

November 8, 2007

La Brea & Willoughby

On the way home from the Rodrigo y Gabriela show, my friend* was pulled over by an LA County Sheriff’s Officer.

The officer asked for his license.

My friend gave it to him.

Then the officer asked for registration and proof of insurance.

My friend reached for the glove box and opened it.

The officer then said, “you don’t have a hand grenade in there, do you?”

My friend calmly said, “that’s an odd question… Did I do something wrong?”

The officer then mentioned the broken headlight and that he didn’t know if my friend had a weapon in the glove box. The officer then returned to his car with my friend’s documents.

The officer returned and said, “Mr. ___, you’re clean as a whistle.” He advised my friend to get the headlight fixed and sent us home without giving my friend a fix-it ticket.

We talked about the incident the whole way home. And laughed.

*My friend is an Indian man in his 20s. He’s also Muslim and has a full-grown beard.

Filed under: Amigos | POSTED BY cindylu AT 1:43 am | 6 Comments

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