Author Archives: EL CHAVO!

About EL CHAVO!

I like poetry, romantic candlelit dinners, and quiet walks on the beach.

Proxima Estacion

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Where’s the station? [LA Eastside contact form]

Hola Amigos,
Been reading your site since I moved to the east side last year, it’s just so different and cool here, you know? Pops doesn’t visit, but he’s just too into his cookie cutter suburban life. I love seeing the abuelitas pushing their laundry as I’m having my morning coffee. It’s just so real and authentic.
Checking out the opening of the mta east side extension this weekend with my bros, but I can’t figure out where the the Silver Lake or Echo Park stations are located. Is there like a shuttle or something? Maybe we can add Little Joy to the pub crawl, they have an awesome new mural that’s super sweet. Hook us up with the details, we want to check out the fiesta! Viva la east side!

(Ed. This cannot be real.)

Trick or Treating in Patzcuaro

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I missed out on Halloween in LA again this year, but I ended up getting a bit of a taste of it down south in Mexico. Like WALT! I’ve always been a fan of the holiday, mostly for the trick or treaters, and until just a few years ago, the trick or treating! Yeah, I  was older than the average TOT and people laughed at me, but it has always been fun getting a chance to pester people at home and harass them for some goods. I was once chased off a porch by some old fart with threats of calling the police. He thought I was too old for candy and didn’t see the humor of me cursing his home and hexing the family with a year of bad luck. Serves him right. Then there’s that lady in Lincoln Heights that deliberately makes her house seem open for trick or treaters every year only to trap people with some BS about “Jesus injections”. My tirade against her was even more special, but let’s just leave it at that.

Now it must be said that many proper Chicanos and Mexicans see the spreading of the Halloween tradition down south as a form of Cultural Imperialism, and they claim it will displace the traditional practices of Dia de Muertos in the country. I disagre. Mexicans have taken the holiday and interpreted it in ways that fits their needs, making it their own. If anything the two different traditions have mingled to make it a season that the whole family can look forward to, instead of just the adults. Anyone that claims they “enjoyed” Dia de Muertos as a kid, which basically means going to the cemetary and  watching the grandparents do their thing, is a fucking liar. Yeah, you heard me. I can appreciate it now as an adult but someones gotta stand up for the bored kids!

I’m gonna get some shit from the Chicano Militants about how wrong I am but they’ve been telling me that for a long time, y me vale. Halloween has made its way to Mexico and its going to stay. Make your piece with that aspect of a changing culture and your traditional practices will only get stronger. I’m more worried that it will disappear in LA with it becoming more of a party night for adults that want to play dressup WITH ABSOLUTELY NO TRICK OR TREATING INVOLVED! Or worst, just another consumer holiday where you buy all your props and costumes, and go to safe environments like the Shopping Maul to pretend to participate in an ancient tradition.  Now that’s the sort of cultural imperialism I worry about. If you can’t be creative on Halloween you are hereby ordered to soap your own windows.

Ok, all that useless text just to show you some pics of some Trick or Treating in Patzcuaro, Mexico.  A little late, yes, pero que se le puede hacer?

Dinero, dulces o trucos: queremos nuestro Halloween!

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Day of the Dead in Queretaro, Mexico

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Some random dude walking near the Plaza de Armas, looking his ugly Angeleno best. I took this about 15 minutes ago, and posting via the free public wifi provided by the city in the plaza. And some people think Mexico is backwards.

I’ve got some more pics to share, I’ll do that later.  I just don’t feel like sitting in front of a computer just now.

Westside 101: West Hollywood Bookfair

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Some stupid company once put West Hollywood on an eastside map, which was a laugh riot. But after a ritual burning and casting of spells, they saw the error of their fake eastside ways and have now given West Hollywood their own map. Good for them. It’s not often I find myself in this community but how can anyone resist a bookfair? Pa’ los libros!

Even though this post is about a bookfair, there is a fair amount of pictures up ahead. You’ve been warned.

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Jack in the Box Accepting Food Stamps

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I saw this sign at my local Jack in the Box and instantly though WTF? How come they are taking EBT at a fast food joint? (EBT is the new electronic food stamps, for those not in the know.) Shouldn’t they be encouraging healthy eating instead? And this from someone that might have traded a food stamp or two for some Sierra Nevada Porter, back in the day. Apparently this is not some freak thing, this place just participates in the Restaurant Meals Program which actually seems like a good idea. It’s intended for the elderly and disabled that have a hard time cooking, and the homeless who might not have access to a kitchen. Most of the places on the list of participating restaurants seem to be fast food places but there’s a few that might be a mom and pop type of restaurant. There’s tacos, pupusas, burgers, hot dogs, Teriyaki, pollos, pizzas, and dragon locos, BBQ, and even soulfood. It’d be easy to complain about this use of public funds for fast food, but fuck that, poor folk have it hard enough as it is. Better yet, why not call out some of the “healthier” establishments for not participating in this program?

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Fiestas Patrias: Lompoc Style

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It’s 16 de Septiembre, Mexican Independence day, and there’s still no mention of it on LA Eastside? Isn’t that the Mexican blog anyways? Some people seem to think so. But until they start calling all the other blogs the White people blogs, I refuse to think of it that way. Were just more diverse than the rest. So no, we don’t need to mention this holiday. We don’t need no stinkin’ Fiestas Patrias!

That being said: why has nobody mentioned it? What, all you Eastsiders took a long siesta this weekend? A trabajar cabrones!

Not to worry, I got your requisite stereotypes covered: Let’s go to the Fiestas Patrias! In Lompoc! Uhh, where?

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Lane Lights on the Pasadena Fwy

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Sorry for the crappy video, but I figured I’d share this short clip of some new “lane lights” that are now, uh, lighted on the Northbound Pasadena Fwy that’s supposed to help with that long line to transfer on to the 5. I guess that’s what the signs about lane lights have been about. I noticed these last night and they seemed a bit bright and almost distracting. Not sure if others think that as well but I also noticed there was way more traffic around this time than usual (8:30 pm-ish) yesterday and today. You ‘ll notice that it’s one line of lights and then turns into two lines (don’t cross) near the 5 ramp. Plus they also put up physical barriers to see if they can stop the usual assholes that try to cut in line way up front, though I bet they’ll just be jerks a bit sooner. I usually stay out of this lane precisely to avoid said jerks, but I wanted to get close to safely get this clip. Yes, very safe.

Just an FYI, so you don’t get all freaked out in the middle of the night. If you’ve seen them, do you think they are useful or just a tad distracting/dangerous?