Inspirations

If you can, watch Lonely Boy (1962), a short documentary on Paul Anka ("He has a sympathetic personality and a very keen mind..."). It is available on youtube.com and is part of the special features on the DVD Privilege (1967). Scenes from Lonely Boy inspired scenes in Privilege, a British film with a somewhat stilted comment on society at the time. In many ways the story is very similar to A Face in the Crowd and both films seemed to give birth to Medium Cool(1969). All, still rather poignant films today.

In Privilege we see the character, Steven Shorter, reenact the violence and cruelty bestowed upon him when he was thrown into jail. The scene is very punk-rock,blood and all. The punk-rock movement is a good ten years away. You can't help but wonder if Iggy Pop was inspired. It definitely inspired Patti Smith, who recorded Steven Shorter's song, Set Me Free in 1978.

It's the Great Pumpkin Tortilla!

We are anxiously waiting to try Paqui's pumpkin tortilla. Greenling announced they were coming soon. It's a once a year deal. I have never had a pumpkin tortilla but thought maybe it would taste good with some asadero cheese. I'll let you know. For now I am only imagining what a pumpkin tortilla tastes like. I wonder if it has spices or if it is just pumpkin.

My Grandmother does not approve of the flavored tortillas. I remember showing her a whole wheat tortilla years ago and her response was, "Que feo. Those are *chucherias, Mija. Don't eat those things." Still makes me laugh when I think about it. My Grandmother cooks the best Tex-Mex food, ask my husband, and is very conservative and traditional with what she prepares. Flavored tortillas are not something she goes for and thinks are rather ridiculous. I have to admit, most flavored tortillas I have tried in the past proved her right. Every time, actually. I'll try them but have never finished the bag. So, while pumpkin is way out there, I sort of have a good feeling about it. If I like their pumpkin, I'll try their cilantro and whatever else they have.

I may even have to show them to my Grandmother. She isn't entirely close minded. She seemed okay with the spinach and mushroom empanadas I introduced her too a couple years back. They were from some local restaurant. She ate one and seemed to like it. But as I walked out of the room I heard low voices and giggling. Her and my Grandfather were chuckling when I came back into the room and said,"It's nothing, Mija, we are just talking about you." I could see my Grandfather was holding back a huge laugh. Then my Grandmother asked, "Mija, why don't you learn to make pumpkin empanadas, like Grandma?"

*Chucherias- whimsical and /or junky food

Twinkie

As soon as I got home after work, I went to check on my hens and to collect the eggs. When I opened the egg door Twinkie raced up to the nest,cocked her head and stared at me hard with one eye. There didn't seem to be any eggs  then  I noticed that wrapped under newspaper and hay was what seemed to be Twinkie's first egg. She definitely showed a lot of concern for it. It was smaller than the ones Fuzztop and PeeWee produce, it was pinkish and had lavender specks. Twinkie is out of a Dr Seuss book.

First Day of Fall

The hens need fresh water and their food topped off every morning, rain or shine. It was 5:45am when I went outside in my flip flops to greet the downpour. I have been a chicken owner for 18 months now, there are things I have gotten used to and getting drenched with cold water first thing in the morning is one of them. However, never before have I welcomed such cold raindrops. The cold front was moving in. As I lugged the two gallon pail of water across the yard in my slippery flip flops, I was already planning what I'd wear on Wednesday morning because on Wednesday morning it will be "cold". The summer had me fearing there was no end to the hell that was the triple digits.



This afternoon, walking to the car under cloudy skies and splashing through puddles, I noticed that there were significantly less people around. It's the first cozy day of the season. Not so cozy you can light a fire but cozy enough and grey enough to stay under the covers or go straight home to them. I couldn't go straight home today, I had things to do. It might be 95 again this weekend but that just makes these cooler, autumn days so special and they are definitely little morsels of magic that are savored. Everyone celebrated today in their own way.

Beaver and the Trappers

..............and Jerry Mathers, as the Beaver

Fall Fashion 2009

These are vintage patterns that very, very closely resemble the apparel I saw at the mall the other day. Everything old is new again, except that mall. I have not visited in 18 months and things have really changed. Most of the stores have closed down, not much is there. Will it be razed or revitalized? It's been going downhill for about five years now.

Happily becoming re-acquainted with the rainy day.

The rainy day has been a rare occurrence in these parts. What did I do when I had an entire rainy day to enjoy? Had pozole for dinner, heard some Wynonie Harris, watched a Bruce Brown film (Surfing Hollow Days) but otherwise haven't done much and not planning to.

Time to check out the shelves. So far, I am having a fun day!

Pondering the Lonesome Traveler

"--And towns like Los Mochis (The Flies) where we sat drinking Orange Crush like grandees at sticky little tables, where the day's headline in the Los Mochis newspaper told of a midnight's gun duel between the Chief of Police and the Mayor--it was all over town, some excitement in the white alleys--both of them with revolvers on their hips, bang, blam right in the muddy street outside the cantina."

~Lonesome Traveler by Jack Kerouac

I have often wondered if this incident really happened.

Was it a true story?

I have yet to find out.

Los Mochis actually means

The Turtles.

He would have known, he ran the Los Mochis newspaper,

El Debate, at the time.

Manuel Moreno Rivas

Minutiae Shorts

The old Salvation Army on South Lamar closed down and will become The Highball: Bowling – Karaoke – Skeeball – Cocktails & Dining – Events. It's coming along faster than I thought and so far sounds like it might be a real dreamy spot. The last time I was this excited about a new venue in town was when Ocean's 11 opened on Red River. That was like the best club ever! It so good though, I wasn't always able to get in when I wanted because it was often at max capacity. It closed down all too soon for reasons unknown to me. A club that was as popular as Ocean's 11 should still be around today. It would be uber cool to have a place to go and see Mr Fabulous and bands like the Thunderchiefs on a regular basis, maybe see a Pontani Sister's sort of show and some cute burlesque. I don't know if The Highball will feature this sort of thing on a regular basis but what it does seem to offer is pretty cool. Hope it lasts!

On our way to helping my mom get something at Home Depot, we happened upon the old skating rink. Since the parking lot looked pretty empty, I thought we'd go in so I could show my mom my new roller skating moves. I had not skated in that rink since 1984 when it was still Fun-A-Rama. It has not been Fun-A-Rama since 1985 or so. It closed down for a number of years and re-opened as The Spot. They don't get many adults requesting quads, the size 7 skates and above were uber dusty. The skates needed some tuning up before they were handed over to me.

It was just a few pre-teens on roller blades and me on my ancient quads skating to the exact same music I skated to when I was last there! The DJ must have been my age. One after another, same old tunes. It would have been awesome except the floor was the same floor from 1978. It was not concrete, it was linoleum. Very old, slashed up, uneven linoleum. The rink used to look so huge and the floor was super slick, everything was brand new back then. Looking at it 27 years later, it was actually small, half the size of Playland's and was not the best looking place. So much had been changed. It just lacked a good sense of style, really.

The giant disco ball, red, shag carpet lined walls, black lights and a collection of exotic pets that lived in giant cages above the doors were all gone. My memories of the place in it's prime were all crystal clear. When Rock with You was played as i skated, everything seemed to come back. In it's prime the place was almost too sophisticated for Del Rio, teehee. Seriously, it was very, very chic.

William played Galaga forever on one quarter and I was by his side when he put in his initials. High score! I realized my mom was sitting in a booth behind us, she had driven us there. So, um, what's wrong with feeling 13 every now and then? It was actually a very welcomed hour of time travel for all of us.

Every town between Austin and Del Rio had a skating rink, and most of them looked open. That was tres cool. I had never noticed them before.

Fuimos al mercado

I was in the mood for Mexican curios, mariachis, papel picado and some great Mexican food.

It always cheers me up to be around these things.

At  El Mercado I paid a trio to sing Perfidia. I requested Como Fue from this one, lonely mariachi with a guitar. He sang his heart out because he said no one had requested that song in years and he said he loved being able to sing it again. I was too impressed and taken with his voice to whip out the camera being completely in the moment.
It is in my memory forever but I so wish I could have showed you.

I picked up a stone molcajete to replace the one that lost it's leg recently. It was an awesome afternoon!

Oh, and I happened upon Mike Nesmith Street.

Little Tragedies

Last April, when I received my six little chicks in a Blue Bell Ice Cream container, each one popped out in their own special way. Ducky was named Ducky because she immediately put her feet in the water dish and opened her beak and peeped and looked around as if saying,"Hey everybody, look at me!" and splashed around. I loved all from the start but Ducky stood out as a special chickie. She greeted everyone who came into my yard, She let Karen pick her up and hug her, she cooed on my lap, Ducky was my favorite, she had a lot of personality.

The weather changed but it was too late, the heat had already taken it's toll. Last week I had a nightmare and it was that this had happened. For a week I have been extra vigilant with them and trying to prepare myself. When it comes to my pets, it seems the news of their exit in announced in a dream the week before. This happened with Ollie and Sammy and this time I knew better than to shrug it off as just a bad dream or thought, though I still hoped it would be. I knew it would be Ducky and I knew it would hurt. Anytime you fall in love with a little creature, it's a tiny tragedy looming in your future but I can never stop myself.