the village buzz

for all you raza out here..

Check your Mexican status

If you can run and play any sport while wearing chanclas….Mexican status!!

If your late Tio left you a van and you turned it into a taco vending business, Yes, you’re a Mexican.

If you pronounce words beginning with the letter “S” by putting an “E” in front of it, (estop instead of stop), big time Mexican.

If you call a chair, a sher, you got it…. Mexican. If you have ever hurt yourself and your mamacita rubbed the area while chanting, ” Sana , Sana , Colita de rana…..” You’re Mexican, big time!!!

If you have your last name in old English lettering anywhere on your car, truck, or tattooed on your back. Yes, you ARE a Mexican (proud one too).

If you refer to your wife as your ruca, your hina, your wifa, your old lady, or your vieja, guess what? Not only are you a Mexican, you’re a cholo.

If you throw a “Grito” every time you hear Vicente Fernandez, then not only are you a Mexican, but you are a drunk Mexican.

If you have ever been pinched in church and been told “pobrecito de ti si lloras” or “Vas a ver orita que salgamos.” Yes, you’re definitely a Mexican.

If you grew up being called “chamaca or chamaco” ..Mexican.

If you grew up scared of La Llorona, or fear the dark because of El CuCuy! Yes! Mexican! Si te persinas with a lotto ticket in your hand before every drawing. You’re in the Mexican Zone!!!

If you ask for something by “dame esa chingadera” instead of calling it by its name. Yup! Mexican!

If you constantly refer to cereal as “con fleys” or cake as “kay-ke”. You’re a Mexican.

If you use manteca instead of vegetable oil and can’t figure out why your butt is getting bigger……You might be a Mexican.

If you have some Tias that dress up in their prom dresses to go to a birthday party at “el parque”. You are a Mexican.

If your Tias and Abuela dress up in their Sunday best with heels and all to go to the “pulga.” (AKA the Flea Market) Then, yes, you are a Mexican.

If most of the houses on your block are painted bright pink, mint green, and lavender. Mexican.

If you use the bushes in front of your house, the fence, or the top of an old car to dry laundry. Yes, you’re a Mexican.

If you’re congested and your mamasita rubbed “Bicks”. You’re Mexican.

IF YOU DON’T NEED ANY EXPLANATIONS FOR ANY OF THE ABOVE, YOU KNOW THAT YOU ARE A TRUE MEXICAN. VIVA LA RAZA!!!

You know you’re laughing your head off. It’s all in fun, so don’t get all “adoloridos.”

Just pass it on so another Mexican can laugh too!

okay, every few months or so, i make the switch… i try out another browser for awhile, and see if i like it. usually, i end up going back to thunderbird pretty quickly. i just spent about three weeks using opera, and i am back again. this time, i decided to keep notes on what i didn’t like about opera. here goes:

cons:

1. opera has a weird way of dealing with stored usernames and passwords. it doesn’t always act as i would expect. it mostly never does. i guess i should have given it more time and figured it out, but that’s another sort of beef. i dont’ want to spend a whole lot of time figuring out easy stuff.

2. opera kinda chokes on have javascript. this was really evident using google reader (which i use for all my rss needs). google reader slows to a crawl on opera.

3. search feature - opera has the search feature wired. no popup box, just a little search tab on the bottom of the window. that is much nicer.

4. tabs - firefox has a much more natural tab handler. i can’t pinpoint exactly what the difference is. it might be that i just like firefox’s handling better.

5. images- on image intensive pages, opera does not pre size the images. this might be why the pages start to render faster, but this causes another problem. once the images start to render, the page is resized and shifted several times, making it hard to read any text while the page renders. many times, i just need some text, but the whole page is jumping around loading images, and so i have to wait for that.

6. auto complete - the autocomplete in firefox is really handy. i am sure it works somehow in opera, but i didn’t want to mess around too much looking for it. firefox has this one nailed.

pros:

1. opera and safari are just FASTER than opera.

2. opera seems to be more reponsive to mouse gestures than firefox..

that being said, i will probably start my own browswer war again sometime soon.

moleskines with shopping list / errand hack.

i have been checking out the gtd plugin for moleskine, and have set it up according to hyalineskies.com’s hack. very very cool, but i made a few different hacks to it. the moleskine i am currently using is full to about page 30, so i didn’t use the front pages for the project index. what i ended up doing is making the LAST few pages my project index. this way, i can track projects backward. when i get to the middle, i can go ahead and start a new one without wasting any pages. over the past few months, i have moved over to moleskines from a cheapie drug store notebook. it is the same as the bound notebooks you can get in the store, but much smaller, and like a buck for three. the problem with them was that the paper was too crappy, and pencils and pens would stick on all the junk in the paper. anyway.. the reason for my hack.. i found that i was trying to shove alot of one off information into my notebook. things like: * errands at lunch time * phone calls to make * notes of info that non net savvy people needed * grocery lists

most of this stuff just wastes valuable notebook real estate, generates clutter, and is useless storage of now useless information.

what i did was just made some inserts that i can use for one off information that i don’t really need for very long. here’s how:

1. get some good quality paper. doesn’t matter what, just don’t use your kid’s budget notebook paper.

2. the moleskine notebook i have is 3.5″ x 5.5″, so i tried a few different sizes. i settled on 3.5″ x 5.5″ and a bit. the trick is, you want the vertical size of the paper to be “a bit” longer than a page. this way, no matter how it’s shoved in, it will stick out “a bit” on the top or bottom. you will not have to go fishing around for it. experiment to see how much “a bit” is for you.

3. with a paper cutter, cut a few sheets of paper to size.

4. when you need to mess with non permanent data as above, put the date, and what it is on top. when you are done shopping or errand running, you can just pitch it.

5. take a few pages and fold them in half. store those extra pages in the back of your book. this way, you will have some spares. i find that i end up using five or so a week, so it’s not that big of a deal..

let me know if anyone else does this..

i think im gonna try this. i am gonna haul myself outside each clear night to see if i can find all the doodads this guys is pointing out each night.. i will blog it and see how it goes. i have a small telescope, but it looks like i can do at least the first part of the year with my binoculars. i don’t know what kind i have, but i will check into it and let you know. they are some crap ones i got at kmart a long time ago. maybe i will buy some new ones.. we’ll see..

for the sake of completeness, i will add where i am. i have been using heavens above for awhile, and this is the observing site i have been using. the elevation is not correct, but i would guess it’s close enough for observing:

Coordinates: 40.8690� N, 82.3180� W Elevation: 0 meters (0 feet) Region: Ohio, United States of America Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time (GMT - 5:00)

it seems i am not the only one having problems with my airtunes.

at some point in the past few weeks, my airtunes stopped seeing remote speakers. i updated to itunes 7, and still no luck..

installed airfoil, too..

no luck..

i hope apple can get this fixed, dangit..

checkit, kids..

my latest review of the smiths for score music magazine..

click here..

although this list of advice probably flies in the advice of alot of folks, and a good deal of it is illegal, it’s real, and it works for me. This advice is for riding a motorbike across our great country with the following stipulations: * speed and distance - although i would LOVE to do a slow trip across the country, i had to do my trip in three days. this is a VERY short amount of time. + no passenger - i didn’t ride a passenger. if i did, i would have made it alot more safe, slow, and comfortable.

if this sounds like something you can swing, read on.

comfort: you are going to be riding a very long distance. comfort is key. here are some things you can do to help out.

• baby powder - take a bottle of baby powder. you will thank me, your nuts (or however you are so equipped) and butt will thank me. use only a little bit, or you will end up with a gritty paste down your underpants.

• ride a comfy bike - make sure your seat height is adjusted properly. do a few test runs before the big ride to find where you are comfortable on long distances. make sure your seat is comfy. check that you know where all your controls are.

• get a “throttlemesiter”:http://www.throttlemeister.com/ - this is a doodad that keeps your throttle open without twisting it. it’s not quite cruise control, because you will have to adjust it from time to time to keep from going to fast or slow (as the terrain changes). make sure you watch it going downhill. speed creeps up super quick. this thing also allows you to stretch your throttle hand.

• stay with family - if you can find family to stay with on your trip, so much the better. it’s the perfect excuse for seeing people you don’t see much. you will rest better, and you will get some welcome company.

Health: health is pretty easy to forget about, but you should spend some effort on the following:

• drink water - drink LOTS of water. going through the desert, the temperature can easily top 110F. you will lose massive amounts of water to sweat without ever knowing it. every time you gas up, and every hour, drink as much water as you can put down without barfing. “camelbak”:http://www.camelbak.com/ makes some really keen systems, but you have to order them WAY in advance, as they are hard to find. if you start to feel like you can’t make one more mile, and you are getting bored silly, that means you’re dehydrated. pull over. walk around. drink water. you will be good for a few hundred more miles.

• chapstick with sunblock - bring this. you will be riding into the sun alot. it’s unbelievable how hot the sun is on your lips. this stuff melts in the desert too, so carry it in a little ziplock bag.

• eat light meals - it’s amazing how much energy the body uses just to digest a meal. if you eat a big meal on the road, your eyes will start to cross and you will get sleepy QUICK. small snacks on the road are best (and they save time, too)..

time time is miles. you now live in a world where your currency is miles. when you are not on the bike, you are not making miles. the slower you go, the less miles you make. stop only when you must. keep moving.

• getting gassed up - don’t trust exits that say “Gas/Food/Lodging.” alot of them mean “in the vicinity.” in many cases, you will have to drive into another town to get gas. if you don’t see the gas station on the side of the road, don’t pull over. if you pull over for any reason, fill up your tank. gas is miles, miles are your currency. stock up.

• ride fast - this is really crappy advice, but you should heed it. the faster your ride, the more miles you make. i am not going to mention numbers, but drive at least as fast as the fastest one out there. the trick is, the cops will hopefully nab the car before they nab you. i have found a few methods to do this:

  1. get a travel buddy - this works best on long stretches through the desert. look for a nice car (lexus or audi), but not a blinged out car, as cops pull over blinged out cars. nice cars usually travel fast and have a radar detector. travel with them. keep a safe distance, but don’t lose them. try not to pick a single female, as they may thing you are stalking them. when they finally pull into a rest area, or off the road, wave to them. you were with them for 100 miles or so.. they deserve a thank you. if you see a silver bmw motorbike with a big headed guy tailing you, i have chosen you for my traveling buddy. wave to me.
  2. find a speeder - this works well when traffic is moving on and off the highway alot. find a speeder, and tail him. when he starts to get to slow or starts talking on his phone, grab the next speeder. it is weird, but you will start to think of them as your pen of speeders.
  3. commando style: when you are traveling with hundreds of miles of visibility and not a car in sight, you can open it up, and no one will care. keep in mind that if you take your arms or legs out of the wind pocket of your bike traveling in excess of 100mph, they will get blown back pretty hard. keep hunched in.

• double check your maps - google maps and the like (even the aaa site) are only so good. most of the time, they will take you hundreds of miles out of the way. before you get on the road, double check with a real live guy. someone who rides these routes, a truckdriver, or anyone you know who has travelled to your destinations. keep a current map in your tankbag that you can see at any time. make notes on the map of things to look out for.

safety this is the most important part. you must be safe at all times, even when disobeying laws, you must know the risks and minimize these. ALWAYS keep in mind that you are nothing more than a bird in a tornado. anything out there is bigger than you and can kill you. if you ever forget this, you will probably die.

• other vehicles - stay away from ALL other vehicles. cars are full of people on cell phones, and trucks are just plain turbulent and dangerous. try to pick a spot in traffic that does not get in anyone’s way.

• check your ego - like i said, you are a bird in a tornado. you will not get hurt, you will die. if someone wants your lane, let them have it. if someone wants to pass you, let them. if someone is talking on their phone and blocking you, let them. they are all bigger and more dangerous than you.

• riding - night riding is the worst possible type of riding. avoid it at all costs. anything that you could avoid in the day is pretty much impossible to avoid at night. an old tire, furniture that fell off a truck, all these things are deadly. if you have to ride at night:

  1. stay away from everyone. when you pass, do NOT go back into the slow lane until you are a good 100 yards out. the headlights from bigger cars (and idiots with their brights on) and semis is blinding. stay away.
  2. ride with your brights on - if there is no oncoming or close by traffic, keep your brights on. keep an eye out for deer and anything else that wants to kill you.

• carry a small LED flashlight - put it someone where where you can find it quickly. you will need it to check maps at night (only if you have to), or check your oil if you have a glass sight.

fun there are some fun things to do to keep your mind occupied. some of them are illegal, but hey, everything’s illegal.

• race the trains in the desert, there are trains hundreds of yards long. they travel FAST. see if you can race to the engine. when you make it, wave at the engineer. he will blow the horn. that is the coolest thing ever.

• keep an eye out for old school riders - you will know old time riders by how they ride. they use their signals, they follow rules in this document, and they point out road hazards to you. you will feel their vibe. follow them for as long as you can, and you will become a better rider. seeing a guy who knows how to use the passing lane is a dead giveaway of an old school rider.

• watch the wildlife change - you will see wildlife and terrain change drastically over the miles. if you are in new mexico, look for roadrunners. they are pretty much just like the cartoon.

• wave to drivers as you pass - if you pass a driver and they make eye contact, wave. they are most likely distance traveling too, and it’s nice to know that there are others out there. give the thumbs up to the kids. they will go insane and have something to talk about for the next half hour. they will leave their parents alone during this time.

consideration this is the are where i see the most infractions. it is sad, because these are the easiest things to do, but the most neglected:

• riding in packs - no one understands the camaraderie or riding in a group more than me, but there is one thing to keep in mind. if you are going to ride slower than the flow of traffic, please do not spread yourselves over all lanes. if you are traveling in a two lane highway, use only one lane. spreading across all lanes and riding slow makes us all look bad.

• gassing in packs - when traveling in packs, get gas quickly. pull up to the pump, gas up, and then move out of the way. if you travel with your friends and everyone takes up all the pumps, don’t go into the minimart, make phone calls, walk around scratching your huevos, or talk about the last 100 miles with your buddies. all those people getting mad in the parking lot? those are locals. they need to get to work, school, or wherever. you are in their (and my) way of getting on the road.

• common courtesy - i know alot of folks do not like motorbikes unless they are built by a certain milwaukee company. that’s fine. this, however, does not give these guys the right to flip us off brand riders the bird. if you see someone cranking miles out on highway 40, thousands of miles from home, it doesn’t matter what brand they ride. they are out there, and are probably one of the only ones watching out for you. don’t flip him off.

• keep out of the passing lane - the passing lane is for passing, not for cruising. no matter how fast you ride, someone will pass you. keep out of their way. this is the easiest way to spot a bad driver/rider. move over, pass, move back. it’s simple.

i am sure i forgot something.. i will most likely update this document in the near future.

i am not sure how much i am allowed to talk about this, but last winter, i did the behind the scenes work on a horror flick filmed here ohio.. i have kept it quiet lately, but it looks the guys are talking now..

you can see some of my photographs, along with a bunch of info on the movie here:

rage… the film

you can see my work on the film here:

still photos

anyway.. the film is up for a scream award as one of the most anticipated horror flicks..

if you REALLY wanna help a brother out, go here and vote for The Rage and help alot of other good fellas i know get a leg up..

to see more info on the company that made the film, check out my friends over at precinct 13..

thanks!

i was SO hoping to have this cd for my road trip.. i REALLY wanted to add this to my ipod for the desert trip..

anyway.. i have listened to it about three times this afternoon, and it has grown on me for several reasons.

cathryn comes from a long line of musicians and music folks in my life. most have changed their vocations, changed their dreams.. changed themselves.. it’s always comforting to know that i can check in with cathryn, and not be shocked..

i have been waiting for her new album for a LONG time.. it came in the mail today.. it’s all i hoped for..

here are some of my favorites:

drive america - if the aaa or some car chain does not pick up this song for a campaign, they are nuts.

you know - this song has always been the perfect soundtrack song to me. i am not sure where i would fit it in, or how i would fit it in, but i would do it somehow..

good to be - this is an older song. i have heard several incarnations of it.. and every time i hear it again.. i smile.. a real smile… not a “let’s get this over with” smile..

my old flame - i have not heard this one before.. it’s a standard style of song, but there is something extra to it that makes it smokey and classic.. i think the part that makes the song pop is the way cathryn sings “you didn’t cry when i went away..” oooh…

special words - there is just something wile about playing in front of a bunch of strangers.. and talking about shit you normally never talk about in real life..

two dates - this is the kinda song that makes me hope against hope that some girl i have wronged is not sitting somewhere.. thinking that i was like this.. yeah, at 22 .. everything is cattywumpus.. i just hope at sometime i would be forgiven..

anyway. enough with all the gushy gush..

for those of you out there who closed down cleveland clubs and bars with me back in the day, you know what cathryn is about.. this time, she is a little more acoustic.. a little more alt country.. and her backup band (as should be expected) can play the hell out of their instruments..

see for yourself.. you can check the songs by clicking here.

getting ready to take a HUGE road trip over here.. i will be taking my ipod for the trip, and i need to properly load it before i motor.. the trick is, since i will be riding a motrobike, i cant’ mess with it very much.. i have to pretty much set it and go.. and since i am riding about 3000 miles, i can’t really pick and choose songs to make a songlist.. so i will be picking albums..

i WISH i had sirius sattelite radio for my motorbike..

i have a few thousand cd’s up in the attic, but i have not really brought them down and ripped them..

i am TOTALLY open to suggestions from the peanut gallery.. i would love it!

here’s what i have lined up so far.. let me know what else i should add or discover, not in any particular order yet:

alison kraus and union sation - lonely runs both ways (this is one of the best albums i have heard come out in some time…)

apostle of hustle - folkloric feel (i met these cats at when i was photographing the last luna tour as it came through cleveland.. )

garden state soundtrack - this is a second favorite soundtrack.. right after ‘pretty in pink’.. okay movie.. pretty good, actually.. but the soundtrack rocks..

bodeans - black and white (OMG a perrenial favorite traveling record..)

britta phillips and dean wareham - sonic souvenirs - half of luna.. i hope they still keep producing records.. i loved galaxie 500 and luna..

maria callas - live in milan and athens - maria callas is a magic girl..

counting crows - august and everything after.. this is an album that refuses to leave my life.. not that i want it to.. but it is always just.. there..

coutning crows - this desert life - hell, i will be riding through the desert..

the dears - no cities left - when you want to hear some thing that reminds you of the smiths, but you haven’t heard it a million times.. check with the dears..

donovan - troubadour.. i have rediscovered donovan again.. on both vinyl and digital.. he is a genius..

the eagles - greatest hits.. what road trip through america would not be better with the eagles?

the icicles - a hundred patterns .. i found these guys by chance one day on one of the first internet radio stations there was.. i fell in love.. if you like pop, check these girls out..

jason levasseur - watching the girls go by… i was on a hired mission to photograph this kid awhile back. he gave me his cd.. and it was REALLY good.. good sensible songwriting.

the jayhawks - rainy day music. this album is a masterpiece on LOTS of levels.. save it for a rainy day is one of my favorite songs ever.. even though it sounds just like ‘hard luck woman..’

kiddo - okay sweetheart.. one of my favorite local cleveland bands in the day was tender blindspot.. i fell in love with kiddo before i ever realized that liz was a singer in the band.. another awesome pop band off the same label as the icicles.. i had a demo cd from the label, but the dam thing got lost before i even got to hear it! oh the agony!

madder rose - tragicmagic - hung up in you is one of my favorite songs ever..

michael franks - the art of tea.. yeah. sure.. it’s old school.. but this album is so good, it needs to be discovered by a new generation..

racermason - with everything.. yes, another local band with national skills..

rilo kiley - more adventurous - i think this is another record that will stick in my playlist for a few years to come..

sun kill moon - ghosts of the great highway. this album is the perfect traveling companing. if you liked red house painters, just get this..

u2 - the joshua tree .. this is another ultimate road album for traveling through the southwest..

the weepies - say i am you .. this is a new discovery.. bajillian turned me on to this album.. instant classic for this kid..

los lonely boys- sacred.. it’s always so awesome to see other raza on tv who are not stealing shit.. i loved these guys.. their new album rocks..

yo la tengo - fakebook.. i bought this record because i loved electro pura.. i HATED it.. i almost threw it away.. then, years later, i found it, and played it.. and fell in love with it.. who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks!