11 posts tagged “el paso”
It's amazing what happens when you decide to buy stamps. Last night, I ran out of stamps for my graduation invitations. It was then that I decided to order more (at 11:30 pm) from the USPS store. When I went there, I looked at the new .42 stamp designs.
That's when saw them--stamps honoring American journalists. Looking at the five--Martha Gellhorn, John Hersey, George Polk, Ruben Salazar, and Eric Sevareid--I was very surprised and happy to see someone, who to me, is perhaps the bravest journalist along side of of Ernie Pyle. Killed in California by the FBI, as he was doing his job, Ruben Salazar is being honored this week not only by the US Postal Service, but also by UTEP for his brave actions and excellent reporting skills. Born in Cd. Juarez, Salazar was a journalism graduate of Texas Western College, which now known as UTEP.
Not only a credit to journalism, but he is also a hero to the Latino/a community and all El Paso/Juarez citizens. Before now, one would have to know there is a room named Salazar on the UTEP campus, or see the freeway support mural at Lincoln Park to easily know about Salazar. But now, all can have a piece of Ruben Salazar when they pay a bill or mail a letter to a friend and send his story and image around the world.
If it were not for accidental timing, flat tires, and gasoline leaks, I would not have met Rick Burch, bassist, and his "employee" Michael at the Starbucks on Kirby this morning.
This all began because I was running a little late this morning (as usual), and
yet in actuality, I need not have worried because Lenny was not where he was supposed to be this morning after all. You see, my car was leaking gasoline; two little spots on the concrete had over night grown into two larger spots. The smell of gasoline permeated my car's interior when I got in, and ended up with a cheap high at 9:00 am.
Last night we discovered the leak issue and I called Lenny to see if he would be available today to check the fuel lines and gas tank; unfortunately, he said he was going to have an alligator day and could not guarantee anything. However, he did say he would let us know if the problem was bad enough that the car might blow up the next time we started it. In any event, he was nowhere to be found this morning. But I was not worried; I just drove past, turned onto Myrtle Street, and then hung a right on Virginia where I pulled over and gave Lenny a call. I was hoping on the off chance he would arrive soon, but no luck. He said he was getting a new tire for his Rover and that it would be about 45 minutes before he arrived. I told him I would get breakfast first and be back in about an hour or so.
Choosing to drive to the Kirby Starbucks, I decided to sit outside with my latte and scone. I never sit outside and later I
In a few minutes, two guys pulled up on knockabout racing bikes. Locking up, they went inside for drinks, then returned and pulled up chairs next to the windows behind me. They chatted to one another about what would be the best way to ride back to where they started; whether they should ride on Paisano, Texas, Copia, or some other way. One used a Blackberry to map their journey, and there was talk about the zoo, an unnamed venue, and more about which way to go. It was then that I turned around and asked if they had recently moved to the area. No, they said,
we're in a band that is playing here tonight. But they had forgotten the venue's name. By the zoo, I asked? Yes. That's the Coliseum I said. Yes, that's right, they nodded. What band, I asked? Jimmy Eat
World, one said. Oh, I didn't know you were playing here tonight, I
confessed.
We continued to talk about bands and how my cousin Gabe Gonzalez used to tour with At the Drive-In, as their sound man and backup keyboardist, about Jim Ward and his new band Sleepercar, and about what SXSW had become. One noted Jim's new Texas tour and album, and I recalled how Gabe had experienced, what Michaela described as, a "Richie Valens flight" that put him off touring forever. The two band members remembered the time, saying they totally understood. Australia they noted. Yes, I replied. We then talked about projects that the original band had spawned: Sparta, The Mars Volta, and Ward's work with my friend Bobby Byrd of Cinco Puntos Press, in addition to the new Sleepercar.
We resumed talking about the best way to get back to the venue and I cautioned them that Paisano was busier and hillier than Texas Avenue, which eventually turned into Alameda; Paisano always has a lot of truck traffic that is headed into Mexico. They agreed they would go back the way they came, which was on Texas-Alameda.
I also talked about Michaela and Shannon's blog, The Rich Girls Are Weeping, and how Lauren, at Michigan State, has now started attending shows and taking pictures of bands for her Facebook album. That being a good segue, I asked if I could take their picture, to which they said no problem.
Afterwards, we all left at the same time as the pedaled down Mesa towards Texas Avenue, and me headed in the same direction to go to Lenny's. This is how little bits of my morning time added up, and allowed me to see my friend David, and meet and talk to Rick Burch and his "employee" Michael from Jimmy Eat World, a band that will perform tonight at the venue across from the zoo.
Oh, and the car--Lenny tested the fuel tank's "lid" that is accessed from inside the trunk. He described how it "works exactly like a mason jar" lid, which he then tightened. It should be fine now, unless there is another leak in the fuel line. And if so, I'll be back again.
In any event, the band will play on tonight.
This ad may
have been paid for by the Pat Haggerty campaign,
but thanks
to You Tube anyone can view it anytime. Unfortunately for Pat, I will not be voting Republican in the Texas primaries to be held March 4.
Steely eyed moms
rule the roost. Women who survived so much--the great depression, marriage for over 50 years, raising kids on a noncoms salary, and the separation and worry that come with war. They are fast disappearing. Some will say they are the greatest generation, which is what sons are supposed to think their parents are from. I was not surprised to see her with her nicely coifed silver hair sitting next to Pat in front of a roaring fire. She's just doing what must be done to see through the end of each day. That's why I was glad to see the Haggerty ad. She's doing what she thinks is necessary because she believes her son to be a good and true man.
Some will say if you use your mom then your campaign then you are in trouble. Some will say Mrs. H should have included Bob Craddick's title (Texas Speaker of the House.) But that's nit picky stuff. The fact is that the ad works. It's short, clever, and to the point. Pat didn't have to say much, he let him mom lay into his opponent. She quickly calls attention to Tom Craddick and the big money trying to buy Texas State Representative District 78 seat. And he lets her have the best line ever, "I have a carton of milk that has been in the district longer than (his opponent.)"
And, thanks mom, is all he need say.
in the parlance of el paso spanish/spanglish, this is our "toma" for today, aimed at washington, dc, fly-over states, and anyone else yammering for "building fences." funny how on first reading people misinterpret frost's poem, in any event, this npr article is on the money. now if only faux news and crappy news network would listen. i'm not holding my breath though, terror warnings drives media and advertising revenue today. that and the inability of aging man to shoot below the hip.
Border Residents Craft an Appeal for More (and different forms of) Security
Mending Wall by Robert Frost
That sends the frozen-ground-swell under it,
And spills the upper boulders in the sun,
And makes gaps even two can pass abreast.
The work of hunters is another thing:
I have come after them and made repair
Where they have left not one stone on a stone,
But they would have the rabbit out of hiding,
To please the yelping dogs. The gaps I mean,
No one has seen them made or heard them made,
But at spring mending-time we find them there.
I let my neighbor know beyond the hill;
And on a day we meet to walk the line
And set the wall between us once again.
We keep the wall between us as we go.
To each the boulders that have fallen to each.
And some are loaves and some so nearly balls
We have to use a spell to make them balance:
'Stay where you are until our backs are turned!'
We wear our fingers rough with handling them.
Oh, just another kind of out-door game,
One on a side. It comes to little more:
There where it is we do not need the wall:
He is all pine and I am apple orchard.
My apple trees will never get across
And eat the cones under his pines, I tell him.
He only says, 'Good fences make good neighbors'.
Spring is the mischief in me, and I wonder
If I could put a notion in his head:
'Why do they make good neighbors? Isn't it
Where there are cows?
But here there are no cows.
Before I built a wall I'd ask to know
What I was walling in or walling out,
And to whom I was like to give offence.
Something there is that doesn't love a wall,
That wants it down.' I could say 'Elves' to him,
But it's not elves exactly, and I'd rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.
He moves in darkness as it seems to me~
Not of woods only and the shade of trees.
He will not go behind his father's saying,
And he likes having thought of it so well
He says again, "Good fences make good neighbors."
Loretto journalism, 1973 by
carolyn rhea drapes (jackson) is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
i had a request from a friend to use this image for her thesis. ;)
Now this one is a new one on me. In this New York Times Real Estate article that appears under the headline:
Two Border Cities, One Shared Lifestyle, Lisa Chamberlain reports how real estate agents and executives treat this region as one location that encompasses international and national political boundaries of Southern New Mexico, Far West Texas, and Northern Mexico. The new one is how they refer to the area.
[...] relatively affordable housing prices have protected the entire region — northern Mexico, western Texas, southern New Mexico, locally referred to as “New Texico” — from the downturn in the real estate market that has affected other parts of the United States, according to Charles de Wetter, the principal of Coldwell Banker de
Wetter Hovious in El Paso.
While Juárez is generally still a poor city, housing options have improved as the Mexican middle class has grown. Where there used to be only cheap or very high-end housing, now there are more American-style subdivisions and gated communities, brokers say, and the prices are comparable to similar homes in El Paso.
[...]
We've know that for years. Many people, born in the U.S. who are bilingual, dual citizenship, and have family in Juarez sometimes decide to live in Juarez if only to save money on housing. Later, they return to El Paso to send their kids to private or public schools. It is a fallacy to think that all Mexican license plated cars sitting in driveways here are owned by "illegals."He explained that the proximity of El Paso to Juárez creates an ideal environment for a dual-city culture, whereas “in San Diego there’s a separation of 10 to 15 miles” from the Mexican border, he said. “Since the beginning, this has been viewed as one place, as one city.”
We just got back from a "Faces against of Asarco" photo event. Around 5:30, we assembled on land owned by CEMEX at the intersection of I-10 East and Executive Center. Photographs were shot from a crane until about 6:45. I took a lot of pix too, and will have them up tonight on Flickr, in addition to updating this post. We got to see a lot of good friends: Lee, Bobby, and Johnny Byrd; representatives Beto O'Rourke (with new baby) and Suzie Byrd, her husband Eddie Holland, all the little Holland-Byrds; and Rosie
A great day (impending storm and all) and I believe well over a couple of thousand people stood, raised their hands together to send a message to Austin and wave good bye to Asarco. Thanks to CEMEX for letting us assemble on their land, the EPPD for traffic control, Ardovino's Desert Crossing (Charlie’s idea for the pix), and all who stood for a very important message: we do not need, nor do we want Asarco to reopen its smelting operations in El Paso, Texas.
or, not. "The economy really
changed after 9/11. People started not spending their money
and they were looking for cheap merchandise, instead of the best."
Upscale' Bourjalais reopens as night club
Today's EpTimes covers how a former upscale wine/gift basket merchant "transformed" his corner of the so-called Mesa Street entertainment strip into a bar. How original. Back in the day, this business serviced all the doctors/lawyers/entrepreneurs during the holidays with El Paso's version of a Fortnam & Mason hamper. Now he's just happy to cling to the end of an ugly strip of bars by converting his former lush life business into same--although repackaged. Ah hem.
What must have started out as a 7/11 or Barrel House liquor store is now a hideous shade of fuchsia; the faux shingle roof extension is a watered down shade of turquoise, and of course, the ever present (El Paso style) bric-a-brac of wrought iron gating acts as some sort of velvet rope. Around the corner, a musical themed mural faces Baltimore Street and looks like a 12-year-old drew it then made his 10-year-old brother paint it.
Why would any entrepreneur choose to go through a renovation that took over two years to open? Of course! Parking spaces. He has 20! count them 20 spaces. And this is just what we need--more drunk people stepping off curbs into traffic; or at best, backing cars onto Mesa Street in order to aim at foolish drunk people trying to cross the street to get to their cars at 2:00 a.m. Brilliant.
Good luck. You're going to need it.
and all because Brian (thanks!) pointed me to Daily City Photo Blog. if i pursue this, i would (i think) be the first el paso photo blogger. in addition to photo blogging, there is a move via the el paso group on flickr to seriously approach area flickrites for an exhibit of our best images. fun!
however, the idea of consciously seeking (or not) subjects to post about el paso and then blogging on a daily (365 days in a row) basis is also a good thing for a procrastinator like me.
in other news...while i should have blogged during our 10-day El Paso to Wisconsin road trip, i believe some time away from the internickles is healthy and good for the eyes and soul. this is especially true when applied to the blogging wants and needs, plus random research required for class projects. and, most especially because i have a new jones--twitter! now guess whose cell phone went over her limit for june-july text messaging!
meanwhile, back to the recent auto-adventure. along the way, and before the recent death of Mrs. Lady Bird Johnson, i realized just how many wild flowers there were along the roadways. while travel along the US highway system can be dicey, especially when AAA doesn't know where or for what length road work is, such travel does provide the ability to see things that normally flash by car windows when driving along the interstate freeway system. however, two lane roads without passing lanes (or drivers uneducated with the west texas way of moving to the right shoulder to let someone faster pass) can make for some boring drive times. the good thing was to see the flowers, the red-winged black birds, and all the flat prairie farmland full of corn, rolls of wheat, and pretty red barns with silver silos. as does ben sargent, i know there are blue bonnets in heaven now. thank you, lady bird.
Who are the last five people you called on your cell phone?
- daughter, the judge
- spouse, his office
- spouse, his cell
- parent's home
- dad, his cell
