EL CHAVO! | Blogging.la

May 17, 2008

Hasta Pronto!

It’s been awhile since I lasted posted here, damn full time work seems to get in the way of various projects, interests, and general internet goofing around. Yet another reason why work should be abolished. Rather than pretend I can somehow be at more than one place at a time, I just popped in to say Adios. It was fun being part of the crew here at blogging.la, but it’s best I stop wasting pixel space here. If you’re interested, you can find my posts over at LAEastside.com, where I’m teaming up with a few other people to give a different take on life here in Los Angeles. Naturally, I will be continuing the Eastside 101 posts (the most recent one being about Brooklyn & Soto) along with the usual dosage of stupidities you’ve all come to expect from me. For even more pendejadas, I’m still going at it over on my personal site chanfles.com/blog. Well, ya ‘stubo. Nos vemos al otro lado del rio!

Your Amigo, EL CHAVO!

March 30, 2008

Friday Yard Sales

Click HERE for larger pic.

I don’t know about the rest of the city, but in Lincoln Heights yard sales seem to be most common on Fridays. I’m not sure why that is (payday?) but on any given Friday you’ll see a few yards full of stuff someone is trying to exchange for extra cash. There’s a few houses that do it every week and nobody seems to complain; in this neighborhood people understand the concept of trying to make ends meet. While some may object to this type of weekly scene, I appreciate the way it brings people together, offering a reason for neighbors to interact with each other. And once that initial contact with other local residents has been overcome, normal neighborly relations can commence.

March 23, 2008

A Day of Poppies, Commies, and Bandits

I took Julia up on her suggestion to check out the Antelope Valley Poppy Reserve but added a few more spots to my day trip itinerary, click ahead if you want to see what I saw. Be warned, lots of pics ahead.

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March 15, 2008

Bad to Worse

click here for larger pic.

Things must really be bad with the housing market crash: earlier today, just by chance, I saw the Westside Rentals Advertising Hearse being escorted into the city impound in Lincoln Heights. Sure, it might be due to some parking restrictions or some other towable offense, but I prefer to see this as a sign the crash is going to deepen. All my knowledgeable opinions come from such incidental observations. Even though developers, economists, and boosters kept insisting everything was okay, who didn’t see this coming? Even an idiot like myself could read the tea leaves. And using those same skills of deduction I hereby declare; estan jodidos!

March 13, 2008

New Mayor Same As Old Mayor

In a move designed to surprise nobody, the Mayor announced today that he plans to stop pretending to have any progressive agenda for our city and will instead pull his ideas out of the tired old politician hat, preparing the various city departments for layoffs while promising to keep up the hiring of more police. In an informal poll taken by me, and verified to be completely accurate by nobody, it turns out that the excitement some had for this latest Mayor has quickly turned into resounding disappointment. (Somewhere in San Pedro, a former Mayor is giggling into his late night snack of Cheerios and Nilla wafers.) The fact that he’s turned into a typical political being is not surprising; cheating on the wife, boosting for other typical political beings, propping himself up for jobs to come, all of it is to be expected. But his succumbing to the typical law-and-order line at the expense of other city services is an unexpected low. And boringly, regrettably predictable.

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March 4, 2008

Win Tickets to Balkan Beat Box…err, Kinda!

Under normal circumstances, you would do well to ignore my musical recommendations, unless you’re into accordions and the heavy tuba beats of that chuntaro crap that makes you roll up the car windows in a futile attempt to block it out. But even though I don’t know much about music I’m excited to check out Balkan Beat Box this Friday the 7th at El Rey Theatre as their gypsy-punk style is the kind of sound you want to experience live. Mixing a variety of musical traditions and lots of brass instruments for good measure, it’s the kind of sound that reminds you music is also meant to be celebratory. And did I mention we have 5 pairs of tickets to give away? Click ahead for the details.

UPDATE: Uh, nevermind. Show is canceled.

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March 1, 2008

Supreme Master Knows

Yes, it is good to have the ads everywhere. We are more informeds of the things that we needs to knows. Last time we knowed of what to eats for the Presidents day, and it was the pork chops. But now it is true that we should not eat the chops of the pork, for it is bad for the porks and the ice melt, and we are going to die from the gases. I founds out that the right way is to go veg and be green, for that will be better and the Supreme Master agrees. Based on the latest satellite data sited in a December 2007 article, the gas will be released from the ocean and we will all be poisoned by the gas, from the ocean, and it’s a lot of gas, enough to kill everyone. I want the polar bear to not drown so I will go veg and be green. The bus tells me the things that I wants to know, and the Supreme Master is helping us to be the better place for the grand benefits of the earth.

Thank you Dash bus for introducing us to the love of the Supreme Master. Like the Honorable Antonio R. Villaraigosa, commented:

Supreme Master Television offers a viable alternative� you promote programs of peace and brotherhood �your station offers examples of compassion and love� Supreme Master Television reminds us of our shared humanity and our common commitment to building a better world for ourselves and our children.�

When we go up into the heaven together in the peaceful raising of us all, I will forever be a grateful for Dash bus ads bringing me the knowledge of the go veg be green love of the Supreme Master.

February 23, 2008

Laundromat Tamal

Soon I’m going to follow through with my intention of doing a post reviewing some Eastside Tamalerias; I’ve been meaning to do it for awhile but you know, stuff happens. There just seems to be less time for me to work on my usual pendejadas, pero pronto, you’ll see. But I can safely say the best tamales you’re likely to find in the city are usually the ones from that person selling some on the side just to make a little bit of money. This morning’s breakfast arrived to me unexpectedly at a local laundromat where a woman and her two kids pulled up in their auto with a bounty of tamales stuffed in perfect rows in a steamy plastic cooler. The boy walked around the washing machines repeating the phrase “Tamales” in a bored fashion that couldn’t mask the fact he’d rather be sprawled out in front of his TV watching Saturday morning cartoons. But on such a bleak, cold morning, waiting for the rags to dry, having had nothing to chew on so as to beat the Saturday crush of fellow clothes washers, how can one resist the lackluster cry for a tamal? Click ahead for a pic of the accompanying drink!
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February 15, 2008

Chopped Pork

I wasn’t sure how to celebrate President’s Day this weekend until I spotted this authoritative billboard with yet another informative bit of direction on how to live my life. Pork Chops it is! Thank you, once again, relentless advertising for the careful and thoughtful guidance you selflessly give to us each and every day.

February 13, 2008

Tree Contradiction

I don’t know how well the ‘Million trees‘ plan is working out but here’s a planter in El Sereno that someone thinks could use a sapling. I like this sort of suggestive graffiti, especially when it expresses a worthy sentiment. Though that civic mindedness seemed absurd when I saw the remains of the tree right next to the planter, the roots of which you can see on the upper right hand corner. Click ahead for the full pic.
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February 3, 2008

Super Bowl Party Burrito

So what does a $40 Super Bowl Party Burrito from Marquez Restaurant in Monterey Park look like? Click ahead to see!
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February 1, 2008

Closure, Endings, Death

I’ve been thinking a bit about the process of death lately, no doubt due to the recent passing of someone I cared about, but also since it shows itself quite regularly around our city, albeit in different forms. It also came up in a conversation recently, in a mutated discussion on endings and the necessity of closure, a concept I’ve put into practice much more regularly in recent years, be it with projects, people, or objects: a good solid end clears the way for things to come. We mostly acknowledge the beginnings of events and relationships as they are imbued with potentiality, but the ugly ends and faded dreams get almost no attention; more than likely someone wants it covered up. I’m not necessarily going anywhere with this theme, just thought I’d share a few pics of stuff I’ve seen around Los Angeles recently that signify endings, that other necessary bracket that ties it all up. Click ahead if you want to see them.
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January 12, 2008

Rampaging Balloon Assassin Halted by Courageous Girls!

There I was, on a peaceful Saturday afternoon, enjoying this LA City and Chivas USA sponsored event called Kick-it at the Park when out of nowhere, some crazed balloon hater goes on a popping spree, assaulting innocent rubber orbs that were just minding their own business. I have to confess, I was too scared to do anything about it since I didn’t want to get mixed up in a case of random park violence again, but luckily some young girls came by to save the day! More than a few balloons were saved due to their unwavering resolve, and I consider them heroes.

Oh yeah, click ahead for a few more pictures of this event, though I think that clip was the highlight.
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January 9, 2008

Eastside 101: Cry Now, Smile Later

Click here for a larger version of the comic strip

When I first started this Eastside 101 series of posts back in June I warned that I might raise an army to defend against further intrusions by the Westsider Cultural Empire, but there hasn’t been a need just yet. I sense that some people are starting to recognize the implications of appropriating the term Eastside from the communities east of the river and are thus not so quick to erase our history. To them I say ‘Thank You’. But since there’s a steady stream of jerks moving to LA that just don’t care I welcome the creation of independent guerrilla cells to do their part for the cause.

Just today I received the awesome comic strip above in my email, an excellent example of an action in defense of the Eastside. It’s done by multimedia artist Al Guerrero (he grew up on the Eastside but now lives in Silver Lake), and its his first ELA themed strip. Not only does he tackle the media for its role in writing us off the map, he manages to throw in global warming and still keeps it humorous. Its easy to get angry about anything, but I appreciate it when someone makes the effort to laugh it off. It’s more work but it keeps the insanity at bay. I hope you all will join me in encouraging Al to do more of these, I know I’m looking forward to them!

Link to all the Eastside 101 posts