Braker, Braker

Breako, breako hola CQ! (Yes, I am a Spanish speaking CBer) -- The other day I read a post by Carol of "The Turning Point". Carol is one of my blogging friends and she wrote a post about a trip she and her husband took to go see the site for their new home. In this post she mentioned that after listening to some of their CD while on the road they decided to turn on their CB radio and listen in.

One of our many hobbies that "mi chica" and I have had during our years was to talk on the CB radio. Before I became a CBer I didn't realize that there were clubs all over the country and that CBers are some of the most giving and welcoming people on this planet.

We joined our first club "Vigilantes del Aire" and got hooked instantly. In the L.A. area alone there were over 50 clubs and the biggest thing for a club was it's annual fund raiser party. "Mi chica" and I soon started going to the parties for the clubs in Southern and Northern California and really enjoyed meeting new people plus we loved to dance so they didn't have to twist our arms for us to go.

We must have attended over 100 parties during the six years we were into the CBs, but when we attended parties outside of L.A. and had to spend the night only the first two times we checked into a hotel to stay the night.

This one weekend we were going to a gathering in Salinas, California which was a good seven hours away from Hacienda Heights were we lived. We would talk to lots of people on the CB while driving and in many cases people asked us to stop so they could meet us. We had been driving all night and as we neared the town of King City we started talking to members of a local club, when we told them we were going to Salinas they said to stop and meet them, they said we could rest for a while and then later on we could all caravan as they were also going to attend.

We said we needed to get there so we could find a hotel or motel, since this are little towns sometimes hotels are hard to find and driving to the nearest time was necessary. They said that would not be necessary, they guided us to their house and to our surprise when we got there they had started cooking carne asada and menudo for us.

Keep in mind we had never met these people in our lives and we were a group of about 12-people on three cars driving together from L.A. After the introductions and the great food they divided us by families and took us to three different houses. They gave us a room showed us the restroom and shower, told us make ourselves at home and left to the other house to keep partying while they left us strangers in the sanctity of their home unattended.

I looked at my wife and just said, I guess there is hope yet in this world. Living in L.A. we would have never trusted a stranger in our house but since that weekend our lives changed, we learned to trust people more and that gave me a good feeling. There is a bond amongst CBers that is genuinely strong.

During the next five years of being hard core CBers we never again paid for a room or food while traveling, as long as we had a CB we would always find a place to stay the night. We traveled from Ensenda to Sacramento, and twice went all the way to Texas just to attend a CBer gathering.

Our radios were very potent and we were not liked very much by local CBers that only used 40 channels because we would filtrate into their radios very easily and our lingo which was mostly codes was hard for them to understand.

I joined a club when I moved to Phoenix and stayed active for another year and then we decided to take a rest from the fast pace life of being a CBer. 15 years later and we are still on hiatus, but my CB radio awaits in a box in my garage to be mounted in one of our vehicles so that we can once again say, breaker, breaker CQ.

If you read the whole post then answer this question for me.

Guess what my CB handle was?

Jetting Through Life

Here's a blog that has been around for a while, this is one of the few that are still around since the recent disappearance of the blogs. This blog is written by Melissa of Ohio and it has lots of nice interesting posts, be sure to go an visit and say hi via a comment or two.

Welcome Jetting Through Life as my co-pilot of the week. Ironically she also recruits co-pilots.

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Today, my grandson Diego turns f-o-u-r. I can't get over how fast my grand kids are growing up, and to think that number six is on the way. Don't want to think of me as old but I would be living in denial if I didn't accept that fact.

I remember a long time ago I told "mi chica" that I was getting married young because I wanted to have a chance to meet my grand kids, God has been good to me on that request/wish, I love every single one of them, even when they get on my nerves with all their running and shouting. That's only a good sign that they are all happy healthy kids.

Hopefully when it's their time (when they become teenagers) things won't be too out of hand. With morality and family values as I knew them disappearing I don't know what is in store for them, but my wish is that we as a family guide them and instill what was taught to us by our parents. I know times change but traditions and good maners shouldn't.

A "Cars/Diego" Birthday

"Lightning McQueen", "Tow-Mater", and birthday boy Diego

Today we celebrated, wow like if that is any news, our family is so big that we can pretty much celebrate something just about every weekend.

My grandson Diego turns four next Tuesday, but his birthday party was today. The party was at his Nana's house in Phoenix. The party was well attended and Diego made up like a bandit with all the presents he received. He has been on a one-track mind since the movie "Cars" came out, it has been his favorite and even though we have introduced more cartoon movies into our library he still prefers to watch "Cars".

~~~ "Ducky" and Diego posing for me below ~~~

He likes it so much that he actually asked my daughter and let me quote him on this one, "Mom, do you think I can have my name changed?" Mom replies, "Ughh, and what would you like to be called instead of Diego?" "Lightning McQueen, of course" he said.

Last Christmas he received a lot of "Cars" related presents but today just about everything, and I am talking everything he received was "Cars" related, a "Cars" fishing pole, and the cars didn't even fish in the movie, about 20 "Cars" t-shirts, "Cars" toys, and just to be different, his grandma and I gave her a HARLEY DAVIDSON back pack, yeah Harley that's the ticket. I call Diego my little car, he loves to run and make an engine noise with his mouth, he really wants to be Lightning McQueen.


We are hoping that next Christmas we may shift from "Cars" to "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" (TMNT) or something different, but as long as he keeps liking and enjoying "Cars" and he continues to be the happy kid he is, it's fine enough for me.
Next week, we will have yet another celebration, this one will be and important one as my son gets married after 9 years of living with his fiancee. But that will be another story. But for now let me go talk "Cars" with Diego.



Diego blowing the candles out

Times Are Changing!

Where are all my friends? There was a time when I used to win some of the BOTBs and I know that it is not because I am the best writter or anything like that. My long time readers (OK, I know that I just started my blog back on June of 06, but many of the blogs I used to read are now gone, vanished, and missing in action) know that I am a ESL blogger, and that bloggin' has been helping me with my creative writing. (I wish that blogging would help me with my pronunciation but that's another story)

So then, back to the question. Where are my friends? The ones that used to vote for me even if just to humor me. With the exception of EC and Señor Mushy they are pretty much gone, and I miss them. However it's good to see new blogs come out to play, it only adds to the diversity of thoughts and ideas that are these blogs.

No, I am not complaining about not winning, I really don't care about that, I rather see your comments. The only reason I like to win some is because it's easier to keep battling. I don't have a plethora of points stashed away, I pretty much have to accrue at least the 26 needed points to start a battle.

Did you notice I said start a battle? Is seems like nobody wants to start them anymore, I constantly log on to an empty "Current Battle of the Blogs Challengers" box.

Well in any case, I'm still here and willing to keep meeting more of you, there is a good amount of new blogs that I have been reading and some of them are pretty interesting or have something in common with me. It's no secret I like American Idol, so you can guess that most of you that like to post about it most likely will get a comment from me, if you haven't it is because maybe I haven't discover you yet.

So to my old friends, thanks for all your comments and continued support, and to everyone else, well I hope to meet you soon.

Mom's Cafe Home Cooking

What's better than Mom's Cafe Home Cooking? Well in my world it's a toss up, because "mi chica" is a hell of a cook too. I have been blessed with two great cooks in my life. Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday I stop at my mom's after work and spend about three hours with her. She in turn makes sure I have something to eat when I get there.

Then the rest of the week it's my wife's cooking and of course outside food during the weekends.

So when I had a bid from "Mom's Cafe Home Cooking" to be the co-pilot of the week, it hit to close to home and I had to accept. If you haven't visited this blog yet, please do so by clicking on the thumbnail. You will find a plethora of recipes to satisfy just about any ones appetite.

California Trip numero 3

So our trip to California met it's purpose. Yes, we did come back with a wedding dress and a few other things that my girls found over there. As usual they did their girly stuff (manicure, pedicure, and eyebrows done)while I spent my Friday relaxing and watching movies.

I watched two movies that I hadn't watch before. "The Prestige" and "Casino Royale". The first one confused the hell out of me, I think my conclusions may not be correct so more than likely I'll watch it again, hopefully I'll understand it better.

I am a James Bond fan, I first got introduced to the 007 movies when Roger Moore was playing him so to me he is the original "Bond". Later I watched the Sean Connery movies which I also like but not as much. Timothy Dalton was not my favorite Bond but the two movies he made were not that bad. Without a doubt Pierce Brosnan has been my favorite James Bond to date.

So, back to "Casino Royale", the movie was a typical James Bond movie full of action and adventure but to me something was missing through the whole movie, to me it's like James Bond was missing. Daniel Craig did not fit the format, everything that I have come to know about how James Bond is was gone, I actually felt that I was watching a younger Ed Harris pretending to be Bond.

If you have ever read any of the Clive Cussler novels, I kept thinking of Daniel Craig more as a "Dirk Pitt" than a "James Bond". Oh and since when James Bond doesn't care if his Vodka Martini is not shaken instead of stirred.

Another thing I didn't like is that he let the bad guys whoop his butt, I mean this guy can take a tumble and an ass whooping better than anyone I have ever seen,hommey is beat up and bloody but he goes into the restroom and washes not only the blood away but the bruises and scars. Wow!

It just didn't feel like a Bond movie at all, shit he didn't even say "Bond, James Bond" once.

Anyway, Friday morning was so foggy that "mi chica" woke me up at 6:30 a.m. just in case I wanted to take pictures. It is rare for the fog to be so thick in an area that is not near the ocean, trust me West Covina isn't anywhere near the ocean so I thought it worth it to get up and take a few shots.

We were going to come back Friday night but my sister went to visit so we decided to come back Saturday instead. A quick stop for lunch in Loma Linda also turned into a stop to visit the Harley Davidson dealership there.

All in all a quick fun and productive trip.

I Will Gladly Make Your Dress In June For Your May Wedding!

Lots going on these days and not enough time for computer updating. For starters I lost my UPS/FedEx shipper last Friday to our Customer Service Department. After two and a half years in the warehouse he finally made the leap. He'll miss us, there's no more stable job in this company than the warehouse.

So then all of a sudden I find myself working, imagine that. Well it comes with the territory that's why I am "El Jefe". Working to me comes naturally though, it was something my dad must have passed down to me. Funny though because at home I'm as lazy as they come. So I am doing the UPS shipping at work.

Well "El Jefe" that's me, will leave a crew of two half day Thursday and all day Friday as we are taking a flash road trip (road number three of the year, in case you are counting) to California. Now we were there two weeks ago as my daughter whom is getting married in May wanted to buy her wedding dress. Mi chica and her found one they liked and bought it, supposedly it needed to be altered so we put a down payment of $400.00 and said we would go back for it at the end of this month.

Well this piece of shit sales clerk left a message to mi chica to tell her that they couldn't get the dress, they knew this right away but elected to not tell us until like two days ago. Mi chica asked them how come they didn't call before and they said they do not call customers, customers have to call them. Sweet isn't it her you are thinking they are getting your dress ready, you trust them to let you know if thing are going OK, and when they don't they don't call customer.

"Oh, but we can get your dress in June" stupid sales clerk says. "Excuse me" mi chica says, look at the note in front of you when does it say we are having the event. It's in May you dumb shit, why would I want to get the dress in June. You may not know this about mi chica, but homegirl can kick some ass, it must have been the growing up in East L.A.

I am hoping we'll have better luck this time, my daughter must be confident she is going to find a dress because she out of her own free will elected to leave on Thursday and come back on Friday as she refused to find a baby sitter for Saturday. I tell ya, what us parents won't do for our kids.

In the meantime my son's wedding is coming up at the end of this month. I think all systems are go for that one.

OK, so I'll be back on Saturday hopefully with good news that there is a dress in the horizon.

YouTube Karaoke

First let me apologise to my co-pilot of the week. He's been on my sidebar for three days already and I had not welcomed him. I just been to busy and have had little computer time. Anyway, YouTube Karaoke has been my co-pilot before. I like it when I get returned renters because it only means that I have made a long lasting friend.

The idea of YouTube Karaoke is for you to sing while you listen to the song, I know for a fact that many songs have been posted and trust me it's a lot of fun. Go ahead and give it a try, American Idol material we may not be, but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun.

Click on the thumbnail and start singing... whatcha waitin' for?

The In-Laws Have a Birthday

Birthday boys cutting the cake. Remember I mentioned that one turned 21 and the other 70. the little one wearing the blue muscle shirt will be four in two more weeks. We had a small family gathering while my niece was also hosting a party for her daughter. I tell ya, it never ends. It's like we just like to party all the time.

My sister in law made the cake. It was a small but tasty velvet cake. I don't know about you but I take home made cake over store bought cake anytime. There was plenty of "carne asada", beans and salsa to go around. In the end my stomach was the winner.

So, mi chica gets a phone call from the place in Los Angeles where they purchased my daughters wedding dress, apparently they won't be able to get it and they decided to act dumb and give her lip because they know we are Arizona and we are too far from them, well think again, seems we are going to Los Angeles again on Thursday (Road trip #3 this year). This will be a very quick trip, the plan was to go on Thursday and come back on Friday but I think we will stay until Saturday provided we find a baby sitter for my granddaughter.

Weddings and wedding dresses, not an easy task.

Celebration Time Come On

Tonight we will have a family gathering to celebrate my son in laws 21st birthday and my father in law's 70th. Yeah, it's a day to celebrate the in laws.

We are making this one a small reunion as opposed to the big family gatherings we normally have, we are saving those for the three weddings in our immediate future.

Carne Asada with rice bean and salsas will be on the menu and I can't wait to eat it. But wait before I eat it I have to go get it. My niece's husband is or meat provider, he gets the best meat for the best price possible and so instead of blogging I should be hitting the road.

So then I'll leave you for now but will be back tomorrow with hopefully some pictures of the event.

Enjoy your Saturday and the weekend.

20,000

OK, sometime in the next few minutes during this BOTB, one of you will be my 20.000 visitor. Thank you all for coming back.

Our Little Road Runner

"Look at her go, she runs like seasoned pro, this little girl could pay her way through college just by running" That's what I told my sister in law when I saw her daughter run all over the place for the first time. "How old exactly is she?" I asked her. "She is only 11 months old" came her reply.

You probably tought I was talking about someone older, didn't you? Truth is this little girl, Paula is her name, has displayed an ability to run that most kids don't have,Paula is six years old now. She runs so fast that her little feet make a circle as she runs, sort of the way the road runner looks in the TV cartoons.

Last week my sister in law stopped by to visit and she told me that she finally did what I have been telling her all along, she told me that she found a track and field team and that Paula (whom also happens to be my goddaughter)was in it and that she had a meet on Saturday. We told her that we would love to go see her run.

So last Saturday we all got in the van and went all the way to the Mesa Community College where the meet was to be held. We found them sitting on the bleachers, Paula had alredy run one race, the 100 meter dash, she was waiting to do the long jump and then she was going to the 250 meter dash.

It was her first time racing so she got distracted by our loud cheers, but she still managed to come third. We all had such a nice day, specially the kids. Diego my oldest grandson has been bugging that he wants to run too, and Ducky, he was just happy to cheer the runners and scream go!, go!, go!.

It's Not Like I'm Special or Anything

Now you have heard it all, I am a Harley riding, Mustang driving, flower getter?

Yes, for the first time in my life "mi chica" bought me some flowers. OK they weren't really for me, as we were driving back home from a track meet my goddaughter had participated in a guy was selling this cool flower bouquets for only five bucks, "mi chica" said to call him because she taught five bucks was cheap for a nice bouquet like that.

"Mi chica" was driving so I handed the money to the guy and told him that she was buying me flowers. From that moment on everyone said those were my flowers. When we got home "mi chica" put "my" flowers on a glass vase and now everyone stops to smell "my" flowers. My grandson Diego just came over to tell me that "my" floves as he calls them were pretty and smelled nice.

I thought you would like to see a picture of "my" flowers with me holding them. Truth is that they are nice and they do smell nice but I still don't get the excitement of receiving them, however I found out the power they have when I give them to "mi chica" and that point will not be argued here.

So guys here's my unsolicited advice. The simple act of giving flowers to your girl or your wife is the cheapest and surest way (not to mention most effective) to show your affection and get a positive response from the one you are giving them to than anything else I know of.

Took me over 20 years to find this out but now that I know, trust me I use it often and it always pays great dividends. But today let me tell you good bye because I have to go see and smell "my" flowers.

Shove It Where The Sun Don't Shine

I come in to work at 7:00 a.m and I park my car right outside our doors, well with the weather being a little cold we don't open the overhead doors until either the first truck comes in to make a delivery or when the outside is warmer than the inside, but normally we open those doors around 8:00 a.m.

I don't know about you all but I eat everyday so I got hungry and decided to go out to get me a "carne asada" burrito but when I got into my car I noticed something different, my coffee mug which normally rests between the passenger seat and the hand brake lever was not standing but it was knocked down and that's when I forced my sight towards the center console and instead of finding my awesome sounding CD/Mp3 car stereo I found... let me give you one guess, you give up? OK, OK, I'll tell ya, what I found was a big hole and a bunch of hanging wires and cables all over, and pieces of broken plastic from the console face plate.

What I didn't find was a "Thank You Sucker" note, what is wrong with people these days, no manners. I would figure that's the least they should do after violating your property.

Well thank you insensitive SOB, thanks for leaving me with $600.00 worth of damage just to take a $75.00 dollar stereo, I hope you can get a joint or two out of it you insensitive piece of shit, go ahead take that stereo and shove it where the sun don't shine.

Darn, that felt good, anyway all the music I can hear now while driving is the sound coming out of the pipes, fortunately that 5.0 does produce a sweet sound. If you feel inclined to make a collection towards my new stereo fund I am not going to stop you.