Verano

As the summer sets in to be the zenith of this the driest year in Southern Californian history I say, it’s time for those who feel ‘global warming’ is all a whole lot of brou-ha-have to quite literally step outside and feel the heat yourself. I know that around this time of year the sun does hit harder but we should still be able to see the green, rolling hills of North-East Los Angeles; though a quick look and you’ll see they’re not there. Just bare, dirty-yellow hills ripe for wild(or arson) fires.

 I keep reading here and there about all the melting and the heat being felt around the world. Recently I watched “Jesus Camp” with my beloved and I was horrified to see a boy being indoctrinated that a change of a few degrees in global temperature isn’t really that big of a deal. Apparently his evangelical ‘home-school’ textbook completely glosses over that huge impact such a global change can make. How evangelical christians such as the US ‘president’ can ignore this is beyond logic, reason.

Even in its most basic sense being ‘green’ make sense. All the things that can cause global warming are also VERY HARMFUL FOR THE HEALTH OF ANYTHING ON THE BIOSPHERE; and that biosphere includes us. You, your friends, your lover, your kids, your neighbors.

What a summer this will be.  Wave ‘hi’ if you see me riding around in your neighborhood.

- ciao

 

LA Haters

Earlier today I had a conversation with my dad about people that hate on LA.  Covered most of the reasons why people hate LA and why they opt to live in the suburbs around LA instead of in LA or why they even choose to leave the state.

My dad succinctly summed it up as pure complaining. That those who complain about LA are the some type of people that will complain about any place they move to and that “que ellos no aprecian lo que hay aqui.”

I agree and surely plan to blog further on this soon.

 

Feral(?) Hills

After a conversation in the cool evening with my dad I decided to once again venture into the hills of North-East Los Angeles, as when I was a kid.

Compared to other neighborhoods in L.A., NELA has many barren hills where no development has been allowed or has actually been stopped by neighborhood folks. This giving the possibility of wandering through these hills where old roads still abound. My dad told me that there’s even a lake, somewhere up in them hills. If you have GoogleEarth, here are the coordinates to get there: 34° 5′40.00″N 118°11′43.85″W

It’s not a big body of water but I was told you could see the ocean, as the sun sets from this vantage point.

 

It’s a desperate sound.

8:29 a.m.

2 nights ago we made our way to the Westside in my exalted white 82 Corolla hatchback. We went to see the geniously melodramatic Xiu Xiu & the majestic Sunset Rubdown. My beloved and I danced while the Westside kids @ the Troubador were much too cool (and yuppie-scum-ish) to join us. (Or as a fellow roomie put it: they probably just heard about these bands last week from Pitchfork.) Nonetheless we had a good time.  Sunset Rubdown’s last song was downright bonechilling when the lead singer sang:

I wish you the best, you snake.
You are self-professed, you snake.
My heart’s in my chest, you snake.
You can have the rest, you snake…

Xiu Xiu  seemed to be nice and drugged-up, methodic in their mania, and even did a great cover of New Order’s “Ceremony” to very little reaction from the very young crowd. I earnestly enjoy the small size of the Troubador but the crowd is rarely ever any good.

Let’s hope the upcoming Electrelane shows fairs better.

 

Veggie chicharrón con salsa roja?

Yes, the world orbits around the sun and it is possible to make vegetarian chicharrón con salsa roja. Thanks to a family member I got my hand on some dried texturized soy protein by way of México. It had this recipe on the back calling me like a siren. It called for tomatillo but all I had was jítomate so I just opted for a red salsa.

I’d put up some photos but a recent return of the household digital camera doesn’t allow for that. But trust me, it was good. Almost too good, as though the veggie-police would come in and call you a speciest!

Next time it’s time to try ceviche de soya!

 

Los Angeles, the newly winded

We’ve been having quite ridiculously windy days in Los Angeles.

I wish I’d taken photos of the debris littered across this part of town.

Nothing like getting wind burn while riding your bicicleta against wind, avoiding zig-zagging palm branches.

And once again, the illusion that American Life is patched up to the walls with security has been undermined. I guess we’ll all just have to suck it up and live.

 

That fresh feeling.

After a couple of long days of being without pay I finally received a check from the bureaucratic nightmare that is LAUSD. Even though I did have to endure 4 hrs in a waiting room just to get it.

 

por fin!

I am finally going to start my job as a T.A. @ Abraham Lincoln High School in beautiful Lincoln Heights. Let’s see how those mocosos y mocosas deal with me.

Now if only my financial aid contract would arrive already!

In other news: The coffee beans from Coffee Fool have arrived. Tonight we are heading out to the So.Pa. Farmer’s Market.

Now Playing: “All Fires” by Swan Lake

 

adieu LJ

onto the new year.

which is really just all a fabrication.