Mrs. TacoSam and I recently paid a visit to Oxnard’s Heritage Square. This was my favorite house:
I loved the deep color and paint on the house. Beautiful deep shades of olive green, white railings, cherry red doors. The home also has great curved bay windows:
Categories: Curved Window · Heritage Square · Oxnard · Victorian Home
Jones, O’Farrell, Geary, Larkin, Hyde, Leavenworth. The street names of the Tenderloin and the faces I saw there are still with me, even though I escaped over ten years ago. As you enter, the City should have put up a street sign warning all: The Tenderloin: Violence Is Spoken Here. The Tenderloin is located in downtown San Francisco, adjacent to fancy Union Square, but really, it’s a world away. It is the archetype of the one city—two worlds model. It’s like skid row, but not quite actually because of all the children and recent immigrants that actually live side by side with the homeless, prostitutes, drug dealers, junkies and crazies of the Tenderloin.
Despite Her many warts and open sores, She will always have a special place in my heart. Two of my best friends and I lived in the Tenderloin for a year. We are now Tenderloin Vets. Because we lived, drank and smelled Her essence every day, we lovingly referred to Her as “El Cagadero del Mundo”. She is evil and nasty. She is an industrial-strength meat grinder. Anyone who walked Her streets is susceptible, especially at night. No one escapes the Tenderloin unscathed, including us.
Compounding Her problems was the District Attorney’s policy that prostitution and marijuana possession were victimless crimes, which the DA would not waste time prosecuting. As a result, the police never arrested anyone for these victimless crimes so long as they occurred on the Tenderloin streets. God forbid the Tenderloin hookers, junkies and (more…)
Categories: San Francisco · Tenderloin · Violence
Nisei Week 2007, Nebuta Float.
Categories: Nebuta · Nisei Week
Poem lyrics of A Dream Deferred by Langston Hughes
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore–
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over–
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
Categories: Langston Hughes · poetry
Diego Maradona was one of the greatest futbol players of all time. Maradona is also notorious for his drug and alcohol addiction problems, weight problems, health problems, etc. I found his recent statements about the USA interesting to say the least (link here):
“I believe in Chavez, I am Chavista … . Everything Fidel does, everything Chavez does for me is the best (that can be done),” Maradona said, sitting with Chavez on the set of the president’s Sunday talk show. “I hate everything that comes from the United States. I hate it with all my strength,” he added to thunderous applause and cheering from the hundreds of Chavez supporters gathered in an auditorium for the show.
I’m not sure what the context of Maradona’s comments were because the news article did not quote Maradona’s entire speech. Was Maradona referring to the Bush Administration and the Iraq War? Was it just a dog and pony show for Chavez? Is Chavez using Maradona? Who knows. I did see Maradona on TV at several events in the Copa America (held in Venezuela) last month and it appeared to me he was treated as a hero and guest of honor by Chavez. Maybe the two are made for each other.
Categories: Argentina · Chavez · Copa America · Diego Maradona · Futbol
When I was at Vallarta Supermarket in Oxnard, I also saw this unique item for sale. It claims to be “100% Legitimo!”. It is the “Money House Blessing” spray, or “Bendicion de Dinero al Hogar” (translation errors theirs, not mine). I assume that by spraying this product in your home, this simple product will bring the blessing of money to your home. Its a bargain at $2.79 per can. Find it right next to the cebollas in the produce department.
Categories: Bargains · Blessing · Money · Oxnard · Vallarta Supermarket
I saw these piggy banks at Vallarta Supermarket in Oxnard. They were sitting on top of the frozen food/ice cream section.
The piggy banks reminded me of my trips to Mexico as a child, and shopping for a piggy bank at the “Tianguis”. I guess dogs, eagles, cows and parrots now compete with the “piggys”. The grey “cow” in the center looks like a “cebú”, which is a type of livestock prized by some ranchers and has a distinct hump above its shoulders. You may be familiar with the “cebú” already as sometimes images of “cebú” adorn the doors of pickup trucks driving around LA. I am told its a sign of status, that you own the best livestock. This is what a “cebú” looks like in real life: (more…)
Categories: Cebu · Oxnard · Piggybank · Vallarta Supermarket
When I awoke this morning, our bedroom, which faces east, was flooded in a beautiful warm orange glow. It was a nice change from the usual bright sunlight that normally breaks through the window blinds at this time of year, even if the blinds are completely closed shut. Since the orange glow looked really cool, I went outside to “investigate” and this is what the sky looked like over Camarillo this morning:
I just hope that it is the marine layer causing the orange glow, and not some huge wildfire nearby. I didn’t notice any ashes in the air or on the ground, so that is a good sign. Now, time to get on with the day. Have a good one.
Note: I wish I had some “Kodak Color film” or something similar because the digital photo above doesn’t really do any justice to the beautiful orange glow I saw with my own eyes this morning. Or maybe its time to get a better digital camera, or learn how to use the camera settings.
