Photo: Nacho Libre, Paramount Pictures

The new year is so close that I can almost put my arms around it. I’m gonna put it in a headlock and call it my bitch! I’m gonna shake the shit out of it till it spills all of its delicious content like a busted piñata and when it bursts I hope that you’ll all jump in and grab as many goodies as you can for yourselves. I don’t mind sharing.

Or maybe, since this is my 40th year rolling underneath my feet and I’m a little to old for headlocks and the inappropriate use of the “B” word. And I don’t think I’ll be swinging at any piñatas since you have to line up by height. At 6’2″ someone has to bust it before I do.

What I think I’ll do is invite next year out for a cup of Mate. I’ll sit with the new year and we’ll plan out how we can make things work for everyone involved. Then maybe we’ll grab some good food and go home happy. (more…)

A light rain at the funeral.

I can’t remember when the last time was that I went to a funeral. Ever since my brother died in 1993 I am very sensitive to loss and I find it difficult to attend services. But life and the inevitable death keep reminding me of our temporary status on this planet. We can do our best to live a straightforward life, yet we all must go one day. Some go by accident, some by murder. Some are plagued by illnesses that inhabit your body and bring pain as deep as the soul until finally taking your last breath. Such was the cancer that took my aunt’s life last week. She experienced a slow and painful death to the last minute.

Her name was, Maria Ines Chavez, a very young fifty-one year old with a permanent smile, a lovely soul and a can do attitude that she passed on to the five children that she is survived by. Her little body was a strong pillar of support to my six foot tall uncle that I saw cry for the first time this past Monday and Tuesday. (more…)

This is how most of the time with mom and pops was spent. (iPhoto: Richard Cardenas)

Angeleno is a label that I am proud of. Eastsider is a given. East Losian is my new term for declaring my township. But even to a proud citizen of LA, there is nothing that feeds the soul as much as a trip out of this metropolitan madness. The two weeks in Mexico I keep dreaming of keep distancing them self from my grasp. So I was happy to take a three-day weekend at mom’s house. Yes! That’s always a good idea.

Somewhere between Bakersfield and Fresno is a place called Nowhere. (more…)