You ever think about what a library has become? I used to go there a lot when I was younger but I recently decided to give it another try for my POLI sci final because we needed one written source for our environmental project. I registered the day before for a card and I finally got to snooping around for books, movies, and music. I was lucky enough to find Mick Foley’s second book and also a book on global warming which is what my paper is on. I was so to myself that I forgot that many times before I needed someone or something to keep me motivated to go do an activity or find a hobby and this is one of my hobbies that I forgot that I had. I would go every week to the Sunnyvale public library in my middle school days and I would mostly browse on the net but here I was just looking for books in what interested me. I was happy and in a place where I knew that I had to reconnect with. The rest of the day was filled with taking care of my niece when she came over later in the day and also keep my brother talking as he rarely ever has something to say as I have to keep him talking. I went to work and enjoyed my work day with someone that I thought was just a complete snob but that has changed a bit. Anyway, hopefully other people are keeping track of their days and weeks because they come down a lot faster now…
Last thursday I celebrated my birthday the only way I knew I could. Throughout the day, I had gotten myself ready by going to the gym, playing some baseball with old friends, and also relaxing as well. I couldn’t help but display these pictures here on this blog.
The road takes us to some funny places and I have been down this road 100's of times and a lot of times I can't but wonder about the memories
My brother, poor guy is always tired but I have to give him props he tries!
These nachos were amazing at BJ's and I got these flashbacks of coming here with a few pals of mine the year before as that nostalgia creeped in
The glue of my family and I have to say if it wasn't for my dad I wouldn't try as hard because he has worked for everyting he has gotten
The happiest grandmother and granddaughter combo I know because whenever they around each other it seems like they can't let each other go. I am happy for my mom because she gets to experience what two of her sisters have already and that is to see your family grow
What it's like to be a kid, oh those were the days!
Myself and my mom. Even though we have our diasgreements it feels nice to speak to someone about issues you might have or any upcoming worriesStrange picture but a clear idea of how people can and will communicate in the immediate future
Sleeping every night is something I look forward to when I am tired and exhausted from a long day at the job, at school, or otherwise from going to the gym after a nice healthy workout. I usually try to set aside anywhere from 6-9 hours a night to sleep because as we all know sleep is essential for the human mind and the body. But, I was thinking the other night about dreams you may have and the weird impacts that they may have on you. A couple months ago I had a strange dream about an instant where I was at work but I was late and I was upset at myself because I had done so. Now, reading the interpretations online varied from being anxious about work, about decisions that I would have to make in my future, and also being a slacker which I believe I was far from being so. But, being in that situation in the dream made me realize that work and being late are almost the same thing. At the time I felt that going to work for almost nothing at all was useless and being late really didn’t matter. I may have also felt that going to work at 7 in the evening was really a hassle at times because of the traffic that hits me every day that I go to my job. I felt that this is what this meant from my perspective as I can only say that my future is in my hands and I can also say that being almost 23 years old I have realized that some of the decisions that I’ve made in my past haven’t been for the best but I have learned that it is better to do things late rather than never. Being in work I have learned a lot but I have also seen that I shouldn’t procrastinate about doing certain tasks and just get them done. Now, that was one dream but I had another one that I had a couple months in between that one which was really strange but ironic as well. I was at work once again but this time I was standing in the area in which I work and I saw an old friend of mine but he was telling me that one of his new friends was better than I could have ever been and he stated something about having a baby which was really strange as a dream. Taking a personality psychology class a few years ago, I learned that the unconscious has a lot of different layers to it that have some different implications. But seeing my old friend made me realize that I dealt with the situation the best that I could and at the end of the dream he exited stage left which meant that he has departed and I will never possibly see him again. I was curious though because at that time I was struggling to understand why I was so fooled by this deceptive friend of mine. I figured out that he was in essence just another guy who used his words to get to people and he did it so well in fact that I couldn’t see past it. I believe that is why I was so into thinking about it all the time because I couldn’t believe the idea behind putting someone in that position where they feel powerless and used. But, I realized that I became a stronger person because of it because once you’ve meat a person like that you keep that in the back of your head that it was meant to happen for good intentions. It was a good learning experience for myself and those that were involved in the situation. I’ve recently had a rather intriguing dream in which I have had been showing affection to a blond girl that resembles one that I know from work but in fact she’s a manager there. It’s funny because more and more in fact I have been thinking about what it is like to have a girlfriend and what it would be like to be on board with that person that shows you the same affection you show them. It has been eating at me for some time that dreams like these could cross over into real life because I was listening to a song the other day called “a song for the unloved” and it states that no one is glamorously lonely which is true because no one really leaves anybody high and day without acknowledging them first hand. I was also interested in this dream because you get these girls that talk to you and some are loud and pompous but others show that shyness which is rare these days only to tell you stuff later that you rarely would want to hear but in your mind you say “tell me more”. These girls would not in my mind be considered ugly in any type of world because girls at any young age can be taken as beautiful and pretty as they just have to be told by any parent figure or there friends that they are special because from what I’ve seen girls can take negative comments and misconstrue them. Dreams such as these make me think… Are we as human beings always looking for that special moment where we become happy? I believe that is what dreams do sometimes because it doesn’t matter what we dream about as we are always searching for that meaning behind a dream or you wish that you could relive the dream without any real hassle but we don’t control our dreams unless we were living in an inception type of world. But, there is always that opposite side of how dreams are and that can be the nightmares we have and all those horrible things we may have seen in our lives can come back and haunt us in our almost real life experience. I know for a fact that seeing someone die in your dreams is pretty scary because it seems almost so surreal that you can’t figure out if it is real or even fake for that matter. I know that when I dream about my childhood, my family, or even friends in the past and present I feel happy sleeping because your mind is letting you find that inner happiness which we long to find in the world. I hope that one day I can just come on here and start recounting my dreams as they are important into looking as to how we are in real life. Maybe I should even start a dream journal to see if there is any pattern of some sort but we’ll see, anyway, have a great week everyone!
It’s hard to imagine the phrase “ohh yeah!” without thinking of Randy Savage otherwise known as the “Macho Man”. When I first started wrestling way back in 1993-1994, I caught a glimpse of the Macho Man winding his days down with the WWF and he looked every bit as sharp as he did when I would view his earlier matches back in the 80’s. Last friday, May 21st. he tragically died due to a fatal crash and afterwards having a heart attack. Hearing this news, I was quite saddened that morning hearing this news but throughout the past two days I’ve been thinking about some of hos most epic encounters. I remember growing up hearing about the now famous Wrestlemania 3 match of Ricky Steamboat vs. Randy Savage and I heard stories about it. I heard things ranging from the match lasted 52 minutes and man this match is great you have to watch it, it’s amazing. One day, when I was roaming around Vallco Mall, I went into the now defunct store Suncoast and I went looking for the tape of the match. I searched for it until I found Wrestlemania 3 and I was happy when I got home and I finally saw the match. The match itself was so amazing I nearly dropped my jaw at some of the “spots” that the wrestlers were performing. There was action, drama, suspense, and the way that the near falls were happening made me wonder how difficult wrestling must be. I’ve heard stories after the match had taken place that people were going up to Savage and Steamboat giving them praise for the match. The fact that the match was planned move for move also made me realize that Randy Savage was really a detail kind of guy which made for some other great matches. Watching his mannerisms, his promos, his energy, his wardrobe, and even his magnificent storylines had everything that you wanted in a superstar and a wrestler. What made him unique as a wrestler was also the fact that he had a beautiful manager in Miss Elizabeth, otherwise known as the first lady of wrestling. She has passed away as well but when me and my friend used to rent videos from the local neigborhood video we would watch the awesome storyline that was going on with Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage. The storyline started all the way back when Randy Savage had won the world title in a tournament and Hogan, being the guy he was, helped his pal Savage out and with his help he won the title. But, what was interesting was that Hogan stood in the center of the ring with his manager and hogged the spotlight. Throughout the next year, Hogan and Savage were a formidable tag team and they ran roughshot through the WWF. Eventually, however, jealously reared it’s ugly head and Hogan and Savage started having disputes over the love that Hogan supposedly had for Miss Elizabeth. Now, in hindsight, you would think that a guy that was trying to steal another man’s woman would be the bad guy. But, being that it was wrestling, Savage was the one that was the bad guy. What turned out to be a simple feud ended up being one of the most epic tales ever told. The storyline and the match itself was nothing short of brilliant. The people at the WWF built up as classic good friends better enemies. It was as if both guys in the feud really couldn’t stand each other and of course this being wrestling, the better or stronger man has to come out on top. This is what I believe is missing from today’s product. Randy Savage, being a great villian, made you hate his guts because he had betrayed the ultimate superhero and friend Hulk Hogan. One could argue that Savage would have been nowhere without Hogan in the grand scheme of things but what made that stand out was the pure emotion and the many levels that the storyline brought. You had the question of who Miss Elizabeth was going to side with? Why did Savage betray his friend? Why had Hogan been such a jerk to his friend by trying to take the spotlight from his friend? and also who was right and who was wrong. Knowing the way the feud ended, I recently saw the final battle these two had at Wrestlemania 5 and the match provided the elements I was talking about. I realized that some guys get jealous easily because they feel have the right to do so because they feel that the woman that was once his is now trying to cling onto another man. I also saw how much of a “good guy” vs. “bad guy” feud is simplistic and as easy as it gets. I once heard the big giant Kevin Nash once say that there are only five real feuds in wrestling and to put it into easy terms it doesn’t get any simpler than this. Wrestling is one thing, but being able to translate the story and the drama into that one match is important to captivate that audience and being able to choose a winner. It was like a movie almost where it started out real fast and the heel got the upper hand but of course the good guy made his comeback only to be derailed by the bad guy’s push at or near the end. But, knowing how movies end happily most of the time, the good guy came back and gave the bad guy what he deserved. One thing I’ll never forget is how funny his promos were as well because sometimes he had my sides splitting and I don’t know if it was his voice or the words he used but everytime they were entertaining. They felt real and this is one thing that you can teach other people in wrestling because he had been up and down the road years before he got his big break. R.I.P Macho Man Randy Savage you will be sorely missed. Hopefully, future wrestling or “sports entertainment” fans will be able to see that you were no one trick pony and they will be able to digest the fact that you left a mark on wrestling that will never be forgotten, till next time! Here’s one of the funniest and more memorable promos from the man himself:
What a crazy 48 hours it has been for me and I can’t say that it hasn’t been worth it. The other day, I ran into some problems with my car over at the bank, and I had to get it towed unfortunately which led me to think, now how am I supposed to get around? The next few days I took my dad’s jeep to work and school but then Tuesday came around and I realized then that it would be unfair for my dad to take the bus so we both came to an agreement that I should take the bus. As I walked towards the bus that morning, I realized we had a debate that morning in science class and I still had no clue what to say or even if my group would be willing to stick to our position. As I sat there, I realized that waiting for a bus can be tedious. I thought about my life, the weird things that would be happening or had happened in my life in the year that has gone by, and I then I wondered that you can’t make up some of these things. As the bus approached, I was amazed that for the first time in almost four years I was on a bus. I got on the bus and saw that there was maybe 3 people on there. As it got closer to the downtown area, I saw a guy getting handcuffed with 3 cop cars surrounding him near Fair Oaks and I then thought to myself “This day is getting off to a fantastic start”. I saw a somewhat attractive girl getting on the bus and it occurred to me that you can look “cute” and still ride the bus no matter how the circumstances may be. I was blaring the music through my headphones, thinking about this long journey that this bus takes, all the different people on it, everybody had or almost everybody had headphones on, and I was happy to be on that bus. It seemed that me getting on that bus for the next 2, 3, or maybe even 4 days gave me the lesson that you should never take anything for granted. Me having a car is and was still fun but there were times I didn’t appreciate how lucky I was. My dad and brother are trying there hardest to get it fixed and it should be ready within the next few days but transportation in any form really isn’t that bad. I would drive around to these far away places and I never once stopped to realize how horrible it was that I was living for that moment to be excited just to go somewhere. Taking a bus, I looked forward to school and this debate as well. It prepared me mentally to be prepared for school instead of just driving in a hurry. I got to school and I didn’t realize how big of a debate this was going to be until I saw the dividing groups and what there positions were. The debate was focused on whether we should drill in Alaska for oil or not. Some were pro ANWR drilling and others were not. We had the politicians, environmentalists, the natives, the fisherman, and the oil companies. For all intents and purposes, this debate seemed to be split down the middle as we had the argument of this is bad for the environment because of how much drilling is done to provide for America, it’s bad for the ocean, future generations will miss out on further opportunities, and the negative side mostly was all about money and what it could do for the United States. I felt sitting there that this was pretty epic because of the fact that I felt my team (Public) did present some very strong cases but seeing as how this is an environmental science class the good guy has to come out on top. It was amazing hearing the natives present there case as well because not many get to present there case such as they did. They did live on the land for quite a bit of time and the fact that they did get shafted shows how much people may actually care in the end. I was happy that the oil companies presented the argument of bringing in more jobs but what I found compelling is that this group only had two people and they still managed to get there point across. In the end of all this, the environmentalists were the ones that were voted as having the best argument due to how much of a case they made for America being able to drill elsewhere instead of just sticking to Alaska territory. I left promptly to catch the next bus available and waited gracefully as the next one came. This one felt like the old days when I would come home from middle school and the bus would be packed but in this case I had a place to sit. I sat there wondering, if the bus ever gets packed do people still keep there one open seat next to them? In my two days taking the bus, I have yet to see the case where even if the bus is packed would people still sit next to each other. A few hours passed and my brother had come to a decision to let me decide if he and I should take my mom out to eat for Mother’s day. I told him yes finally and I waited for my mom to come home so we could go out but then she told me aunt was coming over which was actually a surprise because I hadn’t seen my aunt in a while. But then I realized that my brother was going to bring his daughter and she can be a handful as she keeps growing up. I played with her a while while she tried to chase my dog out of the backyard but she keeps getting smarter everyday as she has that keen sense of intelligence. She is also growing up pretty fast and seeing her trying to put her two baby dolls to sleep is pretty funny because she believes they’re real. Having my Aunt there was pretty cool as I feel whenever she is there my mom seems like a much more positive person and her two daughters that were there are always willing to talk about anything when it comes to what is going with them. I had fun with that and it was nice to get to spend some quality time with some family members. As the day ended, I felt really tired and I asked myself this next day is going to be even more epic. Yesterday, I got onto the bus again and to pass the time I started doing some reading I had for POLI sci and the time went by much faster this time with me focusing on doing my reading. I got to school and went straight to the weight room and I did eventually tire myself out from so much exhaustion with the weights so I just called it a day at 12:10 and headed out to change and grab something to eat which I rarely do when I’m at school. I grabbed some food from whole foods and I was thinking if the A’s were playing thinking they might be ahead of the Rangers but turns out they got rained out! I just heard Chris Townsend blast the A’s for their lack of commitment to players and their ineptitude. I just kinda shrugged it because the A’s offense has to and will get better but then the most interesting part of my day started when I went to school to do a survey for my class. I headed off to school to do a survey that our professor had instructed for us to make up. I found my partner rather quickly the Monday before and she was rather attractive for my taste and plus add in the fact that she was very shy so I wanted to see if what one of my bosses at Big Red said was true. He told me last week about how he goes about hiring people and I remembered something he said and that was that “if you hire someone who is shy and who is to themselves they will eventually start to slowly break in and come out of there shell”. I saw her and I quietly observed that she is too herself but I enjoy talking to someone like that. We had a difficult time communicating the first day but yesterday was nice because I was able to reserve my judgments and I was able to have a decent conversation with her. We made our questions monday and they had to do with injustices, news, media, community, and also technology. We went around asking our questions and at first my partner and I felt our questions would fall flat. But, to our surprise most people were very open with their responses. My funniest moment was when we found my working buddy Walt and his girlfriend. I asked the questions and him and his girlfriend were very willing to answer the questions which more often than not led to some giggles. I then found this military guy who had a little bit to say and also my partner interviewed this middle eastern girl that had a lot about to say how she had been treated unfairly throughout her life and I could see that she didn’t complain about it but she would rather not have it happen like it does. As we were doing this, my partner was quite in fact talking a lot about what was going on in her life, her family, her up coming birthday which is pretty close to mine, and school as well. I was surprised that she had more to say than I did and right there I had this feeling that I might have been right about this shy girl thing. She talked about many different aspects of her life and I had quite a bit to say too and for some reason I didn’t want it to end but she had to go and take a test for her math class. With me having no car I caught the bus and I called my always trusting buddy Rick. Lately, Rick and I have been doing this weird voice that one of his friends from high school did and in this case we used it too. We combine it with the fact that some of our friends in life have used the phrase or some usage of “yeah man I think she likes me man”. We had a good chat and it is always good to catch up with him because we can get so busy but we forget that there are those people that have been there when it is good and bad. We caught up about our favorite baseball team the Oakland A’s but of course there wasn’t much to talk about because at the moment we know what we are getting with them anyway. They can only get better and I hope my friend shares the same thought as well. We caught up quite a bit and who knows maybe in the next week we’ll see each other once again. The rest of the evening was filled with taking my mom and the family out to eat for the special occasion of mother’s day. We stopped by the old stop El Amigo Burrito and we brought along our crowned jewel Jaz with us. She once again was a handful as she just wants to walk around and look at herself in the mirror which is a site to see because she doesn’t know that the magic of doing some of the things she is doing at that moment in her life is going to last her for that period. She didn’t want to eat and she just wanted to walk around. It was a good occasion for the family and it was one of the few times in the last few years that we have all gone out to eat. It was special because it made me optimistic that family will never go away and after a few tumultuous days I settled down to relax with my family and have a good two days with them. I hope I can have as good day or even two days like I did the past 2. Till next time and remember apparently the world is ending next week so stay safe!
Como poder olvidar
Tantos amigos sinceros
Como poder olvidar.
Como quisiera volver
-Los Temerarios “Como Quisiera Volver”
The year was 2008. I don’t remember much about the year except for the fact that I saw the greatest talent assembled for a retail giant at the Big Red Machine. At the beginning when I got there, I was the first of many that year that would come through and start this roll that the Machine got on and I didn’t understand what my purpose was there or if I was going to like it. As the weeks and months went by, I started getting acquainted with people I felt were good and the fact that they also had good hearts helped me out as well. There were two guys that stood out to me and these two guys would go onto to give me one of the strongest bonds I’ve ever felt in terms of storing my confidence and also giving me the reassurance that it was ok to be who I was. I remember first meeting Rick, who by all intents and purposes, was a nice and courteous guy which I could relate to as I seemed to have that attitude when it came to talking to people (although at first I didn’t). Then I met CJ who was another fun and outgoing guy that was pretty confident in himself to do whatever he wanted and I was ok with that at the time. One day we were all working together and I remember one of the guys had his Oakland A’s laynard hanging out of his pocket and I assumed he was a fan of the A’s. I was excited that someone else liked the A’s besides me at work and that person turned out to be CJ. All of a sudden, we started talking about the potential of some of the young players that the A’s had at that time and mind you this was outside of work at night which is very uncommon in any setting. Then, a few weeks later I started talking to Rick and every time I saw him he would do something nice or just say something that had me laughing. I remember specifically he and I headed out to lunch to Orange Julius which was walking distance from where we worked and I noticed it was pretty easy to talk to him. One time I recall he bought a small cheese pizza from our food avenue and he asked me if I wanted a piece and I told myself, “this guy’s way too nice”. I took it and I recall another time when he was walking by the department where I was working and he said he needed help since he had been busy with other things. I walked by where he was working and I noticed it didn’t look very good at all but afterwards we just had laughs about it. I believe that night we waited outside just talking about work and that’s where I noticed that this area outside had some sort of bonding feeling that only few places get. I remember asking them if they went to school and both CJ and Rick both said yes and I was happy at their answer because they seemed poised to do so much more than work in retail their whole life. For the next few months, this little area outside of work was the place where we would have those “post game huddles” and just b.s about life, sports, work, relationships, school, and movies. We had a variety of characters jump in and out of these post games because of how everyone’s schedules were different. One of the fondest memories I have of working there is just standing out there with a two buddies at the time talking about work and the fact that we got so much out of it amazed me because I learned so much. One of the guys did most of the talking because he had been there for a while up to that point. I remember I saw him like a teacher almost as he had such a wide array of knowledge and I was glad he was one of the first guys who took a liking to me. He would always ask me if I was willing to go to lunch with him and I politely would decline sometimes because I was afraid of what I would act like. But, after this conversation out in the post game area I realized that people just spill their hearts out there and you get to know what people are like. I was glad he had told me what he told me and the next time we did go out to lunch together which I enjoyed immensely. Another time, a good co-worker who I refer to as Malcom X, started talking to me about work and how he planned to eventually go into business which at the time I didn’t think was all that bad. The funny thing was that this once again happened outside which up to this point seemed a bit unusual to me. Then, suddenly, I saw one of my favorite managers there just pop out and start talking to us. I remember specifically how he mentioned how much sales impact the store, how he had stayed behind doing work in the clothing area, what interested him, and how much “clothing sucked ass”. That was honestly one of my favorite nights because I saw how much some people do actually care about the job they are doing. Another time, with myself and CJ, we got into this big discussion about sports and we just mainly talked about football. This is when I found out that he was into sports as much as I was and he actually cared about his teams (at the time anyway). But, the next time another manager came out and the previous time he heard our conversation but he was going outside to do some other work. This time, however, he joined our discussion about sports and he reasoned that he was a big fan growing up. he would collect his earnings when he was younger and gather them up to buy some collector’s cards, get autographs from players at a sporting event, and he would just talk about all these players that he loved growing up. I’m not too sure about the truth of this statement but I remember he said something along the lines of he would come and show us some of the stuff he had some day which unfortunately we never got to to see (shortly after he disappeared from our store). Talking this guy or anybody else like CJ and Rick seemed almost routine outside because we had a good set of minds, personalities, goals, and a bunch of other things. Slowly but surely, I started noticing that as our frequent hang outs outside the area of work increased I started wondering, how come nobody does anything, like go out to eat, or go see a movie? They did have that group of people that would go see a movie or something but I never was really interested in spending money to go see a movie at the time. I figured why not hang outside of work or even after work? The first time we attempted to do this was when I had no cellphone and CJ and Rick wanted to go to an A’s game but I had no number yet. So, now came July and I had found out almost a month or two earlier that Rick wanted to transfer to the Machine’s store near the San Jose airport and I felt a bit upset but it was better for him because he lived closer to there. At one point, I was thinking about joining him but I felt my my work was to be done there. The more I saw of CJ and Rick outside in our little area I noticed there was an undeniable chemistry between us as there were no egos, no b.s., no badmouthing, and best of all there was no conflict. I was going to miss Rick but CJ and I decided that we should go to Denny’s to celebrate his going away because I knew I was going to miss him. That night stands as the first night I realized that there is something special when you are having just a good ol’ time with two guys you couldn’t really think of as friends yet. I was on the fence at that point as to whether they were really friends or not. But, that night we chatted about work and the host of characters we had there. I remember Rick telling him that one of the guys that worked with him threw a box at him. I recall laughing at the antics that one employee had in nicknaming these three new guys we had and I just couldn’t control the laughter after he had done so. Just doing that made me feel I was apart of something more rather than just a flash in the pan. We had so much fun that night that I couldn’t believe by the time it was over it was almost 3 in the morning. Slowly, I started noticing this one girl at work that was very much to my liking and I told CJ about her as he had said that he noticed that I was very nervous about talking to her. This entailed the bond we had for the next two years almost as the more we started talking about her the less she actually started to matter because we moved past that after I saw what kind of girl she was. This certainly was the genesis of what would become our almost daily ventures to just talking outside to going to eat. One last memory I recall before going onto to talk about the nights that defined me there, one night a manager and an assistant manager were outside talking to myself and Rick. I remember the manager and how bad the economy was at that point. Rick pointed out that he was going to school to do something he wanted to do with life and I said the same but happened afterwards is something I learned for the rest of my life. An older lady came by and asked us for money because her car had run out of gas and she asked if we had 10 dollars to put in it. I politely gave her ten dollars but I learned that I shouldn’t have then because I really had no idea why I had done so other than I was being nice. Rick was upset that I had done so as I gave have him a ride home that night and the next night the same lady came by asking for money again but this time I really had no money and she kinda stared at money wondering why I didn’t budge this time I guess. Rick was kind enough to give me ten dollars after because he felt that I shouldn’t have given money to a stranger away and I happily put ten dollars in my gas tank. But, this area holds more for me than I would have imagined as I would like to present my six favorite nights (or memories) outside of the Big Red Machine:
6. “You have no idea, my life is all ‘f- my life'”
Till 3 in the morning!
One night after our closing process myself, Walt, and Sanders decided to have a pow-pow after work and I was interested in this because we stayed there talking almost till 3 in the morning. Sanders had just joined our team in closing and it felt awesome having him there. We got out of work at 12:45 AM and I was always interested in Sander’s life because all these stories he told had almost a surreal effect to them and they sounded like they could only happen to him. He told us this one story about him taking a bus to go see “Lord of the Rings” and the movie had ended after 1 in the morning but the last bus had passed already so the cops saw them waiting around and mind you this was when cellphones were not that big yet. Seeing as how this was in Nevada, the cops held them till about the sun rose and they were scared for their lives because they crossed county lines. Eventually, their parents did pick them up and everything seemed good from that. I listened intently because some of the stuff that happened to him only could happen to him as he also told us about how he had stayed overnight at a train station in Oakland. He also recalled stories about his family and how short most of them are. He recalled effectively how he would take trips to Tahoe and the differences between here and there as it seems as there is more to do here in this area. That night, which was in December 2009, I realized that me being friends with Sanders and Walt was a good thing for me because I learned from other people’s experiences and their misfortunes because I would not want to be in their shoes as it takes a lot of guts to do so. At the end of the night Sanders said “seriously none of this stuff ever happens to you guys” and he said after “you have no idea, my life is all f- my life” and I just laughed all the way home because it was so true that things happen for a reason.
5. “You guys are really true friends”
Black Friday weekend 2008, epic nights and mornings
This one is kinda scattered for me because it happened over the course of two nights and it started a relationship between two of my co-workers. It started kinds weird because usually people would just hang out after work and I usually stuck around. I saw one of my co-workers come out and this other girl come out as they started talking. I listened but I forget what they were talking about. I remember my male co-worker telling me I had nice socks but then my female co-worker busted out with some tennis balls and we just started throwing them. We tried throwing them at the lights in the parking lot and we started throwing them at each other which was really strange because I had never really considered doing this in the parking lot of the big red machine. I remember either my female co-worker or my male co-worker getting one under the trailers and I was like “how are they going to get that tennis ball out of there?”. They left it there and I wonder to this day if it is still there. I also recall my male co-worker getting wrapped around with some black paper by his soon to be girlfriend and she said “You look emo” and by all accounts he kinda did. I believe beforehand he wore his co-worker’s sweater and we both laughed at him and this ended with him saying that we were really true friends. That night was foggy and gloomy and eventually some managers came out asking what we were still doing there which was common for most of them to say. The next night they both went out to get some donuts but I then realized I had no idea where they were going so I bailed away. They ended up getting together which is still something that is going on now.
4. “Dude you always get surveys”
Mellow
Myself, Walt, and Rick were sitting on these benches one night just gossiping about work and the fact that I had just for some reason gotten done being mad at Walt for some stupid reason I was happy that the three of us were able to talk some of the stories that we had encountered recently. Rick told me about how he had seen his female friend being made to cry by a manager and I didn’t realize at that point how much of a hindrance this manager was to the Machine. He also told me that he had seen how much he didn’t know in terms of credit cards and how they worked because he couldn’t figure out a problem Rick was having when dealing with a customer. I listened and I realized that you have to stick by those that you work with and not be buddy buddy with those that are above you. I also told them about how these stories on my end of the spectrum were as I had to deal with my share of customers on the phone and also on the floor as I saw share of laughter and also add in the fact that one of our co-workers and you had a reason to have some stories added to the mix. I then recalled about how much Rick would get “surveys” and what they meant for the store. I told him he always gets them and he wasn’t the type to take credit for all the success he was having as one of the to dogs at our store. Walt also contributed to this conversation as his goal at the time was to get a girlfriend and he wasn’t having much luck at that time but he seemed poised to do so. I was glad he wanted it so bad because he seemed like such a nice guy at the time. The night was the night before Spring quarter at De Anza and all three of us were beginning the quarter at De Anza and we all hoped to see each other the next day (which we never did). All in all, a good night.
3. ” How many friends do you have outside of here?”
One of my more unforgettable nights
The date was November 14, 2009 heading into the 15th and Walt and I had our differences at this point as I wasn’t sure what he was at this point. I questioned why he was our friend and I always asked CJ “What does he have in common with us?” At that point I was playing the “I’m better than you” card and I was ashamed that I did so because Walt really was (and still is) a good person. I felt that he added nothing to the friendships of CJ and myself and I saw him as an outsider. It all started way back the 31st of July of the same year when he had flipped because he had eliminated himself first on monopoly and he wasn’t used to losing. After that, Iwasn’t sure what to make him of him because he was always up and down but I have to say that some of it had do with the fact that CJ led me his way and the other part had to be me. I told Walt that he was really was an immature person that night for being upset and acting like a baby but he pointed out the fact that I have no friends besides the ones here as that had me hurting the rest of the night. I believe someone doesn’t need 20 friends to say how cool they are because wherever you go you’ll always have that friend that you grew up with it or that friend you had in high school. But, I understood where Walt was coming from because myself and CJ were being real dicks to him. I remember CJ thought that Walt was faking a back strain but then I learned after that we really don’t know what other people’s pain feels like. How can I be the one judge what another’s pain feels like? I also thought we didn’t need Walt at that point but we said our words that night and we ended it with just “we’ll pretend this never happened”. I said some stuff I shouldn’t have said and I was glad one of my other good friends there ESP decided to find out what was going on as he was the one to bring us together and ask questions as to why we weren’t getting along. Unforgettable night and it ended with CJ and Walt talking on the phone with me listening along the way as I was reminded that night that all these people are not meant to be your friends, but at least respect them. That was one night I truly can’t forget.
2. “Tell him how you really feel”
Only way we can
I recall that Last September myself and CJ started having issues and most of that came from my side as I wasn’t really buying into his kool-aid anymore. I saw most of what he said to be based on him and not other people. He seemed to be the type that just wanted to us control on people and that right there was a red flag as he said it himself. But, ESP decided to see what I really thought of CJ and I told him outright that he was full of himself and I never really knew why he had changed the way he did (changing his lifestyle, getting reestablished with social networks, and a bunch of other stuff). He gave his reasons and I listened and ESP thought this was good for our relationship. ESP thought it was a good idea to stage an argument to make it seem as if we were sick of each other as this was the strategy for one of my many failed attempts to get with a girl at the Big Red Machine. ESP just told me to “Tell him how I really felt” and right there was supposed to be a practice section which made sense at the time. CJ said if you really want her then I’ll tell you that I had a crush on her before so you just have to for it. I realized ok sounds like a plan but then this crush of mine realized that or heard that we had a falling out by what I was telling other people and this was misconstrued at that time. We didn’t end up doing it but it was all for the better anyway.
1. “Yeah, he’s leaving wooo”
The four horseman meet
This was an interesting night all the way back in February 2009 as the statement I remember from that night was “oh you’re here I don’t have to worry about anything” from a manager and I wasn’t even there in proximity to hear it. I remember we had one of the meetings in the store talking over the night’s plans and the same manager asking if we were going out to the club that night and he pointed out CJ as being the wing man which had me laughing after. After work, we waited outside with myself, CJ, and Walt waiting to see what we should do that night but all of a sudden we saw Rick and he came walking towards us which had me wondering what the heck was he doing there. This was one of the few times we had met up in this area after work and it was awesome to do so. Turns out he was on some business that night in the parking lot and he asked what we were doing that night. I told him we were going to eat possibly and he said he’d join us but then he shocked us with the news that one of our managers was going to leave soon. It was the same manager that made the comment about going to the club that night and I kinda chuckled because he made some of the strangest comments possible. I remember when he said “two high’s ok with me” and “boots are tricky”. All of a sudden (perfect timing) CJ grabs Rick’s hat and he started doing a dance and he made a happy statement that he was leaving. He did this really strange dance which had me laughing and that same manager popped outta nowhere wondering if CJ was ready to go to the club. I just laughed about it after as I realized only this stuff happens here. That night we dined at carrows and we just laughed the night away.
I can say about this area: No one hangs out there after work anymore. It’s almost ancient now and every time I walk by this area I get memories and the more the days pass by the more I realize I’ll never be able to bring them back. Some of these people have left and I just remember them. I remember what we left there, all the stupid stuff we’ve said while being there, and I also think that only guys like us could have done that. When I leave I hope to come back years later and just sit there for maybe half an hour and just think back. Nostalgia is always a good thing and we can only hope it never goes away. Till next time!
“Guess who just got back today?
Those wild-eyed boys that had been away
Haven’t changed, haven’t much to say
But man, I still think those cats are great”
-Thin Lizzy on “The Boys are back in Town”
It’s been a while since I had last hung out with two of my fellow co-workers, Walt and Sanders, whom I actually consider friends of mine because we’ve been through so much while working at the Big red Machine. Walt, who I’ve had my ups and downs with, is a kind guy with a big heart and I can honestly say that he and I have a mutual respect for each other now because there is no drama, no talking behind each other’s backs, and it feels fantastic just to get to talk to him once in a while outside of work. Sanders is another guy that is good to talk to because we are always joking, laughing, smiling, and just cool when it comes to certain subjects. Last night after work at Big Red, almost 24 hours ago actually, we decided to hit up the pool hall at Santa Clara Billiards. Typically, Sanders is a more easy going guy and I decided to pick him up from his house after he had dropped his bike off and almost right off the bat we started talking about getting back into shape. He had just signed up for the local gym, The Right Stuff, with my former boss and I was proud to hear that at least they are both doing it together. It was pretty funny at first to hear Sanders talk about the coming and going of all these people that are either ripped or just in really good shape go in there and work out like it’s nothing. I know that feeling as Sanders continued on talking about going on the bicep curl and doing 50 LBS. which had me thinking that it wasn’t that bad for a guy like Sanders. Eventually, he got into talking about the treadmill which has it’s ups and downs and I sometimes am careful to not overabuse that thing because it can be deadly. Sanders stressed the point that being on that thing is a bitch and it only gets worse as the incline increases. I could only imagine what his face looked like there and before I knew it we were at Santa Clara Billiards. Walt showed up and I had forgotten that he was dead broke which was understandable since he has a girlfriend and they both go to school together. But, Sanders had won a poker game the night before apparently and he offered since he considered that extra expense. I am not the best pool player but when we got to playing I realized that Sanders and Walt shot their balls in and I had a clear shot of winning if I avoided not hitting my own balls in the end. While this was going on, the majority of talk was about Big Red and the impact we’ve felt there. I mostly had the word of saying that one of our assistants is close to either getting fired or quitting which makes sense because everyone has grown to resent this person. He hasn’t the problem of being arrogant or cocky but his attitude is just being above someone and being able to just ruin your day if you let him. In all this, he has gotten his responsibilities taken away while one of co-workers has gotten that same position which excites me a bit because she is more fit for it than this person or assistant was or is in this same position. I eventually told them of the drama that has been going on there with no clear leader in the food area which makes no sense at all but I asked Sanders if he knew anything about what was going since I also heard that one of his buddies was getting promoted to that area. He said he hadn’t heard any fine details but he said it is true and that his buddy felt it would be a pay increase but it is not in fact. I then heard of the drama they are experiencing there as each one did not have kind words for some of the managers that work there. I listened to each one finely tune out the fact that they are all hyper all the time and they could just as quick turn the tables on someone if they wanted to. It seemed as if what they look for is someone who is poised to take charge of situations but they also want that energy to stay top notch. I was surprised to hear that Sanders brought up the question of uncomfortable hugs because he had recently gotten hugged by a homeless man which had me cracking up. I started to realize that Sanders, myself, and Walt were almost meant to be this group that stuck by in the end. The reason why I believe is that each of one us is unique and we don’t act to be arrogant or hot headed. All in all it was a fun night at the Billiards. Afterwards, we went out to Denny’s and we once again got onto the topic of work and this time it got even better. Hearing Walt’s story about how he had suspected a guest of trying to con people into buying a gift card was quite amusing because I had never heard of someone doing that. Walt told a great story there as he usually tries to set the story in motion and also let’s someone imagine it. I was amazed to hear that each of them is not very fond of their leader which seems typical in any situation because not only should leaders try to inspire but they should also be cordial of people. It was a fun night because it allowed me to be me in front of these guys without trying too hard which is a situation that I see myself in sometimes. I consider us three some of the last remnants of what the big red machine was like when we had a great set of workers and people. I looked at them and I realized that not many jobs or social situations could give me this opportunity. I learned last night that not matter how far you go in life you will always have that memory or multiple memories of when you did that one thing or had that one moment. “Remember When’s” are big for me and any time we can get together and reflect on the funny stories that occur there or in our lives then I know that we as individuals have something to offer any time any where. I’d like to thank Walt and Sanders for being there when most people don’t even have time anymore to hang out after work. Speaking of which, there is a small hang out area outside of work that holds a few memories for me and maybe next time maybe I’ll write a small piece about that area. The Big red Machine has offered me opportunities and I don’t want them to slip by.
“What Happened to my town” once said the bay area rapper Woodie and I thought of yesterday when I was on the other side of my town where I grew up. Sunnyvale has always been a quiet and peaceful city in my book and looking around yesterday in the Fair Oaks side of town, I realized how much it’s changed. There is no longer that excitement in the air that there used to be on Saturday afternoons and here was no different. I saw people coming and going from a hotel. Other times I saw people crossing this bridge going to the liquor store and I remembered when I was young and I did that. But, being with my dog I was glad that I got to be with her and see what has happened throughout all those years. Recently, I bought a camera and I was happy to use it on this short but memorable little walk I took with her that lasted about half an hour and here are some pictures I took when I was with her:
The bridgeThe 101Never knew it existedSome apartmentsOn the way back
Last year around this time, this album called Caricias Compradas came out and listening to samples of it before it hit shelves made me realize why I was a fan of this unorthodox, but great “banda”. When I first started hearing the band, the first song I heard by them was provided by my brother who had bought a song of there’s off itunes. When I first heard them, I liked the strong voice and the great instruments that accompanied “Voz de Trueno” on the song “Extrana Manera”. However, as time passed I started hearing samples wherever I could find them and also on other You tube and what not. Now, the group has had many different singers but this album provided a different taste of their music and I was very pleased when I first heard it. They had recently gotten two new singers and their names were “Pajaro Loco” and “Venado Blanco”. The first album they sang on was fairly decent and I was taken aback that they actually gave some effort instead of sounding generic like some bandas do these days. Most of my life, I have heard bandas and most of them have had excellent singers. As time has gone on, I have started to notice that most bandas have tried to stay young and recruited new singers. But, this banda has kept one singer that has sang on most of their albums up until this one. When I first heard “Rayo de Luz”, he had the same charisma and energy that is lacking in today’s music genre. I particularly like the fact that on this album he sounded different and he sang to tell multiple stories on multiple perspectives on love. Now, the album itself starts off fairly sad and upbeat but I like how it is constructed.
1. Caricias Compradas:
The first song is performed by “Rayo de Luz” and this song focuses on a guy that has separated from his lover and the only way he tries to forget her is by trying to buy love. In the song itself, Luz implies that the best way he can buy love is through actually buying women instead and instead of forgetting the girl alltogether he tries to go through all the women that he can in order to feel better about himself. He also tries his best to calm himself through drinking and simply calming himself by possibly not even know the girl he is sleeping with. I thought this song provided the album with a very good perspective of how love may work for some and may be a hindrance for others.
2. No es que te Quiera:
Very good and funny song on how this guy is thanking god for releasing him from the grasps of love from this love he had. He believed that she was almost a goddess but he was mistaken. he would later find out that she was cheating on him. He also tries his best to relieve himself by getting drunk and singing this song in particular. What I find interesting about this song is that love can be humorous and sad at the same time because sometimes it is hard to believe. Even Rayo de Luz believes in this song that this girl loved him but it didn’t turn out to be true at all. All in all, a very good song.
3. Mi Tierra Natal:
This song is by Venando Blanco in his only solo appearance on the album and I find this song to have a good meaning. this guy had recently fallen out of a relationship far away from his homeland and he is looking to go back to his homeland to see if he finds any real love. He wants the opportunity to fall in love with a girl that knows love and he is also trying to forget the idea that he once loved this girl with all his love. I find it strange that he also references that once he has been away, he is trying to understand the idea that he feels sorry for this girl because he never really had the opportunity to share love with him and it is almost as if he never had the chance to do so.
4. Millonario de Amor
Probably one of my favorite songs ever because of the message it sends. It is a duet featuring Venando Blanco and Pajaro Loco. The song is about a guy that doesn’t have the greatest career or the most money but he tries his best to give his love to this girl and he hopes that she will love him back. My favorite line of the song is when one of the guys says “Even if I don’t put a fortune at your feet I have something much better and that is my big heart”. I also like that they make reference to how he can dream that he can give all this stuff to this girl but he knows in reality that he can never really give her all this stuff. He just wants her love in order to actually feel accomplished with the relationship. The message itself made me feel optimistic that real relationships that are good have the foundation built into them and they shouldn’t be based just on money but how much each person is willing to work out their problems with the other. No matter how tough it may be, the more you are willing to work through financial problems or anything else the stronger you will come out.
5. Adios o Al Diablo
I’m not a big fan of this song. I believe it was subpar and basically it deals with how this guy feels the girl has nothing left to offer him. He is wondering whether to ask the devil or God himself for the girl to leave him or to ask for something new. He is also wondering whether he should compromise and stick through the relationship cause he already has committed to sticking through the relationship. Otherwise, strange and weird song to put on this album. Rayo de Luz did a good job trying to sell this song but he failed in the end.
6. Late mi Corazon
Awesome song and another duet between Venando Blanco and Pajaro Loco. The guys want the girl to know that he will always be there for her so long as if the girl is willing to stick together with him. They also make references to how “hot” they may get when the girl is around them and they are afraid that if they don’t make a connection then they will somehow fail in the end. What I like about the song is that it is a cumbia and for the banda it sounds completely different from anything they have done before. They try damn hard to make it sound believable as a cover song and they do a very fantastic job. This song defined the album as being something different and it also personified as to how they are trying to do many different things instead of sticking to one thing.
7. Ven Junto a mi
I love this song as it is a slow ballad with a the tube and the trumpets blazing. Rayo de Luz is singing like a pro on here about how his love with this girl is getting better and he wants more. He wants the ability to love this girl and he also wants to be happy which is just enough to say as he thinks about this girl tremendously throughout the day and the night. He also wants to make love to her in order to perserve that connection between them. The thing that also gets me about this song is that is pace so that the listener does not confused and the listener is also able to understand and digest the majority of the song through. I can almost the song which is a plus in most cases and Luz does a great job giving this song a strong boost of confidence as well.
8. Amor Material
This song is probably the most underrated to me as it deals with a girl that only wants a guy with money. The guy in the story has gone off to work and now he has returned with some wages. Instead the girl has now married and forgotten all about him. Loco and Blanco do a great job of singing in a duet fashion once again as they have a good message as well. I want to say that this was probably the song that got me thinking that more bandas should be doing this type of duet singing because it can really work in some cases. For example, seeing as how the banda has three singers you can hide some of the singer’s weaknesses but also bring out some of their strengths. All in all, a very good song.
9. Tu Primera Vez
I found this song to be strange because now as adult we know more about people making love and for some it may be uncomfortable. the first time I heard it I felt weird inside because this type of song was unlike this band that I liked for a couple years now. But, over time I have understood that Rayo de Luz’s message was that love has many different elements and he is also saying that he was trying to convert this girl into a woman and he is the one responsible for doing so. He incorporates many different elements such as the two lovers sweating and the amount of touching that goes on is also added to give a good perspective. As time has gone one, I have appreciated Cuisillo’s attempt to make themselves better by trying to incorporate new elements into their music so bravo.
10. Gavilan, Gavilan
Very upbeat cumbia about a young womanizer that has the features of a traditional vaquero. He wears the cowboy hat and the snake skin boots and it just is very funny how many people are drawn to this guy. He brings the party to these people and he is willing to have as much fun as everyone else. I liked the positioning of the song because it draws it to almost a climax instead of singing just sad love songs and I did enjoy this song very much.
11. Pienso en Ti
Ok song about this guy who sees that he can’t stop thinking this girl that has left him and he just thinks about how beautiful she was and he can’t really change the fact that she is now gone and he just thinks that some other guy may now be loving her instead. Hearing this song makes me believe that Luz’s message was that girls drive guys crazy and even when they are gone they can’t stop thinking about them because he might have messed up or the girl might have messed up at some point. There is something this song that makes it sound sad but also good for women because they do in fact drive guys crazy.
12. El Bulto
Rayo de Luz’s last ever song with the banda as he left shortly after this album was released. This song is pretty funny as it deals with a guy that is dancing with his girlfriend and he believes that a statue may be moving and he doesn’t know why he believes the statue may be moving but he just keeps sweating because he thinks it may move. They are just minding their own business and here is this guy that believes that this statue may be moving. In this song, I believe that many albums end with a high note and in this case it did and it delivered.
Overall a very good album and this is one I don’t regret listening to as I picked up as soon as it came out. I remember this being around the time just when I was starting my spring quarter last year and I associate many of these songs with my time there. Thanks for reading and here are some of the samples from the album itself if anyone is curious, enjoy:
One year ago was March 29th 2011. One year ago, I was coming back from Anaheim with my brother, his wife, his wife’s sister, and his mother in law. I was tired and frankly I felt bad because I had gained so much weight. I knew I was going to pig out a bit but looking back it wasn’t that bad because I was on vacation and it was the first one that I had taken in some time. The day started off with noisy kids and that was because my niece and her cousin were ready to go telling by there whining and crying. That was understandable as the sun was hot that day in Anaheim and we were all getting ready to hit the road. I remember my IPOD Touch was dying as I had no battery left almost from three days of travel and it sucked that I had no charger with me. My phone charger for my primary phone had also recently stopped working on that trip because the wire got messed up somehow and I wasn’t too pleased with that either. I wondered then, do I really need technology to survive? That whole weekend was filled was filled with fun and excitement as our buddy down here in Mountain View got married and that was the main reason why we originally went down to San Diego and then to Anaheim. That whole weekend was also the weekend of Wrestlemania 26 (currently playing on WWE 24/7). I remember waiting anxiously to get home because of the fact that one of the greatest careers ever had come to an end. Shawn Michaels had decided he wanted to hang em up and he went out with a bang. The night before (on sunday), I anxiously hoped that my IPOD would not die and I waited constantly to see if and how the card of Wrestlemania was going. I waited so long for the main event of Shawn/Undertaker because of how much those two had an impact on my childhood. I saw them so much on TV that they were almost of iconic status to me and I was afraid for Shawn now that he was putting his career on the line. Waking up was no easy task either as I dragged my stuff to the rental truck we had as my brother tried his hardest to tie all the bags on top and he also had to tend to his “family’s” needs. My brother is quiet, helpful, willing to say words that have meaning when needed, and he also is very passive aggressive at times. I saw this while he was tying the bags and all the luggage. This made me kind of sad because as the older brother you are supposed to be the role model and also the one people look up to. But, here I saw how much he gets crap by his secondary family and he has no real comeback for much of what they say. For example, I see how sometimes he gets these lectures from his wife and he has nothing to really counteract her sayings or her demands. I can see how sometimes my brother may demand too much or has too much of an old school macho mentality but if people like that hassle him so much, why doesn’t he stand up for himself once in a while? I can see situations where he wants to please his girlfriends family or maybe he doesn’t want to cause any trouble but I see something inside him that makes me want to be like him. Even here, I saw how much he was willing to show his love for everybody traveling with us. He did almost 90 % of the driving in this case on the trip as he wouldn’t let anybody else near the wheel. That right there showed his willingness to be able to take care of those close to him. As we were driving off towards our reality I realized how much harder my brother has it than I did at the time. He didn’t do it for personal gain to start a family but he wanted others to be happy as well. He wanted my mom and dad to be happy as well as his girlfriend in this case as well. What got me was how much he tried to hold his anger in and he never ever resorts to violent tactics in any sort of way. I thought about how much this vacation was for the better anyway because I was so burnt out on life, school, and work. I had never given myself the chance to breathe and take every little detail in on what was going on around me. I was going so fast and I had little chance to stop and think that a little relaxation and rest does the body really well in times of need. On my way back, I tried my best to keep chatter going with my brother because I knew at some point that this new family of his must have been driving him insane at this point. We talked about wrestling, sports, our dog, plans when we got back, life, and the epic I-5 which is no easy task unto itself. I thought about also the ever impending classes that I was going to take with an old friend of mine and how much I was going to have fun. To tell the honest truth, that quarter at school gave me hope that my friend and I would ultimately be friends forever. As it got closer, I was amazed at the fact that this friend of mine was willing to take these exciting classes with me for the sheer joy of accompanying me towards “being ready”. I don’t know what that meant at the time but as that time got closer I was convinced that my friend and I would excel essentially at the promises of being in the same classes together. He would constantly talk about how much girls would talk to him and I. I was saying to myself dude that sounds great, I can’t wait! Looking back, the hype to taking classes with him was more exciting than the actual classes but that’s another story. Anyways, I remember on the way back, my brother’s technical mother in law realized when we stopped at a gas station that she might have left her wallet there which was confusing as to why she would leave it there. We were already on our way back when she told my brother to pull back and go back to see if it was there. She looked through the trash, through the gas pumps, and other things as well. But then, my brother’s girlfriend saw that she had left the wallet under her seat which left me dumbfounded and made me feel stupid. One for the fact that this lady wasn’t really looking for her wallet for any real purpose, and two, all she had in there was a blockbuster card and her ID. From that time till we got home, I kinda stayed quiet because I realized then that my brother’s new family wasn’t very keen on keeping their priorities straight and do things how they want to do them. They always have to be right which disappoints me anytime I hear them having conversations with others. Once we got home, I waited for my brother to unload my stuff and then I saw how one of my brother’s compadre was treating him. This compadre of his was yelling at him and giving him instructions on what to do after wards which really upset me because my brother had no chance in this situation. My aunt from Mexico had also recently come to visit us from Mexico and they were already at our house when we got home. I saw my dog was in a room all by herself and I was so happy to see her when I did see her. I gave my greetings to all my aunt’s family but after I had to leave to go and accompany my brother to take the rental truck back to the airport. It was a long drawn out process because my brother was still getting crap from his family and I just went home wondering how does he handle all that? I sat down and watched maybe the last time that I got to watch Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Undertaker on the same show. I had nostalgia that night as I saw Shawn Michaels show real emotion to wrestling fans and wrestling pros alike as he poured his heart out to everyone that came to see him that night. I was a little saddened too as I sat there thinking this is the end of one of the greatest careers ever. Then, I just sat back and relaxed the rest of the night. It was one of those days where you don’t think about anything and you saw a lot of good unraveling around you. I got to see what human relationships do to people, how well others treat each other, and most of all I got to see real people saying real things that they meant. I also felt that this was one of my favorite days in my life as I saw what it meant to be living and to be free amongst myself. Till Next Time!
Just Another Day... 