Childhood games

canicas

Growing up as a kid, I loved playing games with all the other neighborhood kids and more often than not, cousins too. A lot of the games we played are your standard stuff like hide and seek, tag, freeze tag, trompos, canicas, soccer, going on long bike rides around the hood, hitting rocks with a stick, throwing stuff at RTD buses passing by, you know, those kind of games. The ones were all you needed was a bunch of friends and a sunny afternoon. Since we were all from low income families back in the day, course we didn’t know it at the time and speaking for myself, still am, we created our own fun and those were some of the best times I had in my childhood. I was even caught up in the whole pog craze. Then I got swept up in the yo-yo craze tambien. One of the best games I remember playing with my cousins was getting two sticks. A short, thick one and a long skinny one. We would dig a hole in the dirt and place the small stick over the hole. We would then used the longer stick to chuck the short stick as far as we could,  the way you hit a golf ball with a club. The winner was who ever threw it the fardest. We had some good times playing with two sticks and a hole in the dirt. So, I wanna know what games you guys/gals played when you were a kid. Was it made up ? Did someone get hurt from the game ? Were you emotionally scarred for life like I was when you were picked last at everything because everyone thought you’d suck, but then you’d be the one kicking ass ? Do you even remember how to play those games ? (cause god knows I can’t remember how to play canicas anymore) Have you taught your kids, nephews and god children to play those same games ? Dime… AND please keep any crazy stories about playing house and doctor to yourself, this is a family site. Unless they’re really good, then please share them by all means 🙂

LA Gang Tours

gangtagsPhoto via Flickr

I’ve been on many tours in the Los Angeles area most of them have been usually run by the Los Angeles Conservancy. I usually expect people my age to think it is lame or cheesy to go on a tour, but I figure I get to learn new facts and history regarding my own city. The majority of the things I’ve learned on these tours most people who grew up in Los Angeles don’t even know or bother to know. I take it as an educational experience in our own backyard.

More after the jump

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NELA Xmas Parades This Sunday (and Next)

lh09star
(From last year at LH, when a girl tried to do a citizen’s arrest on a promoter of unhealthy food.)

(Edit: Damn am I stupid. Thanks to Crisis for pointing out the obvious. LH parade is on the 13th. HLP is the 6th. Argh!)

What you doing tomorrow morning? Nothing? Well then, might I suggest you consider attending one of NELA’s Xmas parades. This year, you’ll have to make the grueling decision of which one to attend as both the Lincoln Heights and the Highland Park parades are happening this Sunday Dec 6, even though they are usually spaced a week apart. What happened? Is La Crisis so bad that local parades have to battle for attendees and their few crumpled dollars? Oh wait, they’re both free. Nevermind.

lhparade2009_small

LH starts at 11:00 am, at least on paper. 😉 Best spot is around N. Broadway and Griffin. Plus they are having a Tree Lighting event today Saturday at 5pm at Mirabal Mortuary.

To tell you the truth, I feel sorry for the HLP parade cuz everyone knows that the Lincoln Heights one is always better, so your decision should be easy. Ha ha, I said it! But here’s that info, just in case a few people want to go just so they don’t feel bad.

65th Annual
Northeast Los Angeles
HOLIDAY PARADE
” Unity in the Community ”

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2009 ~ 1 PM
Traveling down Figueroa from Ave. 60 to Sycamore Grove Park followed by
WINTERFEST CONCERT & ENTRY AWARDS CEREMONY 4 PM

http://northeastlaholidayparade.com/

I guess you can go to LH first and then hurry to HLP. Hmm, that’s not a bad idea.

Gentrifier Irony

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What annoys gentrifying hipsters the most? When other, slightly different gentrifiers show up and ruin their exclusive party.  Check out this post from that fairly new music store in Echo Park called Origami, they need your support to take back some bar:

OK, I have lived in Echo Park for about 9 years. I use to frequent the Shortstop about every other day back when they allowed dancing…The place was fucking amazing then. Lot’s of cool art kids, punks, and dub heads…Once the dancefloor got shut down, we started to frequent the bar less and less. We found ourselves hitting the Gold Room for free tacos and a shot with all the old Latinos, which was kinda sketchy at times- I’m pretty sure few white kids dared venture in back then…Once the Shorty got it’s dancefloor reopened we started to go back. But it just wasn’t the same. It had this bridge and tunnel feel to it… it just seemed to take on this USC college crowd thing.

Now how funny is that? And they even managed to throw in a “bridge and tunnel” reference, which I hear is a New York thing (nah, really?) but I wouldn’t doubt if they start using it with some more local connotations, what with all our bridges and new tunnel. I wonder if they’ll also get called out for bringing up race issues, just as Chimatli was for her story of how Echo Park had changed since before the gentrification started? Besides this brief mention, I suspect not. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t particularly care about any of those bars and if they manage to Take it BACK, well good for them. Vanquish the B&Ts! But I think I’m just going to sit on the sidelines while they “make it cool” again, crack open a beer, and watch this comedic battle unfold. Ja. Ja.

If this wasn’t so hilarious, it’d be pretty fucking sad. Or is it the other way around?

Lucha, Nachos y Sonidero

After a few months of absence from the Lucha Libre scene, I decided to go back to the wonderful world of lucha libre. Nothing like spending the evening with your haina, nachos, 7up, vulgar ladies, sonidero and sweaty luchadores. For those of you that don’t know, they have have re-located to the corner of N. Broadway and 69th St. Close to Florence and the 110 frwy. Scroll down for the fun.

Lucha 1

El luchador de atras, aplica un  super coscorron

Lucha 3

Rudos y Tecnicos hugging eachother

Lucha Banner

I stold it at the end of the night. =)

Lucha 4

Que chingadazo se metio este guey

Lucha 5

Lucha 6

Punisher inquiring about a Louis Vuitton Bag

Lucha 8

A volar joven!!!

For more info, call 323 812 87498

Pedro Pans

Recently I was advised to detach myself from the issues and dramas of this reality and focus on my higher self in order to evolve.
Ok what does that mean?
Don’t sweat the little stuff? What is the little stuff? Is paying my bills little stuff?
Is being responsible with my time and making sure my mind is not always on my money and my money doesn’t take over my mind, or something like that?

Then the other day I was riding with a homegirl and she started telling me about a friend who is not responsible at all. He is into his 40s, keeps getting younger and dumber girlfriends that last less time than the last one, and basically doesn’t give a f@#$. She called him a PETER PAN.  Funny thing is two years ago I began writing a piece about Peter Pans in my life.

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