June 14, 2013
Name: Kyrie Irving Title: Point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Stats: Started for Duke University as a freshman before being selected as the 1st overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by Cleveland. Won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2012. Order: Strawberry lemonade, corn dogs, meatloaf. I’m always fascinated by people who order meatloaf at a restaurant. It means two things: you take a mean growler and you’re not picky. Total: $62.95 (accompanied by two other gentleman) Tip: $37.05 at 60%.  Verdict: Extremely generous! I never know when I’m waiting on professional sports players until one of the other male servers whispers in my ear, “Jeez! Can you believe who that is?! So sick!” Either way, I’m definitely rooting for Kyrie now.

Name: Kyrie Irving

Title: Point guard for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Stats: Started for Duke University as a freshman before being selected as the 1st overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft by Cleveland. Won the NBA Rookie of the Year Award in 2012.

Order: Strawberry lemonade, corn dogs, meatloaf. I’m always fascinated by people who order meatloaf at a restaurant. It means two things: you take a mean growler and you’re not picky.

Total: $62.95 (accompanied by two other gentleman)

Tip: $37.05 at 60%. 

Verdict: Extremely generous! I never know when I’m waiting on professional sports players until one of the other male servers whispers in my ear, “Jeez! Can you believe who that is?! So sick!” Either way, I’m definitely rooting for Kyrie now.

June 14, 2013
     On my walk home from work I spotted two men in the distance holding hands. It looked like a sugar Daddy and his boy. It made me smile. I love seeing men fight the gay crusade by pronouncing their love in public. As I got closer I noticed that they were walking and talking with a mother and daughter. Wait, was this literally a Dad and his son? Maybe the son had some sort of disability and his Dad was holding his hand to keep him from running in the street. When they stopped at the crosswalk, I crept in to look at the boy’s profile for signs of Down’s Syndrome. Nope, nothing. He was just your average teenaged boy holding hands with his father. When they started speaking in another language I realized they were tourists from India. Oh, that’s right, I forgot how in their culture it’s normal for men to hold hands and considered a common demonstration of hetero friendship.        Funny how in this country, one that pride’s itself on tolerance, two men can’t be affectionate without getting labeled gay whereas in a country where homosexuality is considered a taboo, two men holding hands simply represents friendship. It was nice standing on the corner of Rodeo and Santa Monica as two cultures melded together to help make a better norm. 

     On my walk home from work I spotted two men in the distance holding hands. It looked like a sugar Daddy and his boy. It made me smile. I love seeing men fight the gay crusade by pronouncing their love in public. As I got closer I noticed that they were walking and talking with a mother and daughter. Wait, was this literally a Dad and his son? Maybe the son had some sort of disability and his Dad was holding his hand to keep him from running in the street. When they stopped at the crosswalk, I crept in to look at the boy’s profile for signs of Down’s Syndrome. Nope, nothing. He was just your average teenaged boy holding hands with his father. When they started speaking in another language I realized they were tourists from India. Oh, that’s right, I forgot how in their culture it’s normal for men to hold hands and considered a common demonstration of hetero friendship.  

     Funny how in this country, one that pride’s itself on tolerance, two men can’t be affectionate without getting labeled gay whereas in a country where homosexuality is considered a taboo, two men holding hands simply represents friendship. It was nice standing on the corner of Rodeo and Santa Monica as two cultures melded together to help make a better norm. 

June 13, 2013
Ron Ron went up north to Ukiah to visit the roommate’s family and attend the annual Fireman’s BBQ. It’s been a tradition for the last three years. They brought Charlie with them and won’t be back until Monday. They left a key under the mat so I could feed the fish and water the plants while they’re away. In exchange I’m allowed to eat whatever I want in the fridge and drink whatever I want from the wet-bar. I just gotta be careful not to drink the Betta in the Cîroc bottle!

Ron Ron went up north to Ukiah to visit the roommate’s family and attend the annual Fireman’s BBQ. It’s been a tradition for the last three years. They brought Charlie with them and won’t be back until Monday. They left a key under the mat so I could feed the fish and water the plants while they’re away. In exchange I’m allowed to eat whatever I want in the fridge and drink whatever I want from the wet-bar. I just gotta be careful not to drink the Betta in the Cîroc bottle!

June 13, 2013 • thinkmexican
thinkmexican: Sebastien de la Cruz: The Face of the Future Racist tweets reveal blacks and whites living in the past; Mexicans must assert presence 11-year-old San Antonio native Sebastien de la Cruz was dressed in his hometown’s team colors, a black and gray traje de charro, for his big moment: Singing the United States national anthem in front of millions watching game 3 of the NBA finals between the Spurs and Heat. It seemed fitting that a young mariachi from a city once part of Mexico and whose team is named after an iconic piece of American culture (spurs) borrowed from Mexican cowboys (espuelas) would sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.” At an official count of 33.7 million, Mexicans now make up 11% of the total US population. A young community (median age 25) with a growing presence in regions outside of the Southwest, Mexican Americans may surpass German Americans as the largest ancestry group by 2040. As you may have already read, many on Twitter, both black and white, responded with hatred and ignorance when they saw little Sebastien singing the US national anthem on TV last night. Such attacks on an 11-year-old underscores the need for US Mexicans to assert our presence by forming a collective voice to not only educate but to defend our youth and our culture. If we’re the future, let’s start acting like it!

thinkmexican:

Sebastien de la Cruz: The Face of the Future

Racist tweets reveal blacks and whites living in the past; Mexicans must assert presence

11-year-old San Antonio native Sebastien de la Cruz was dressed in his hometown’s team colors, a black and gray traje de charro, for his big moment: Singing the United States national anthem in front of millions watching game 3 of the NBA finals between the Spurs and Heat.

It seemed fitting that a young mariachi from a city once part of Mexico and whose team is named after an iconic piece of American culture (spurs) borrowed from Mexican cowboys (espuelas) would sing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

At an official count of 33.7 million, Mexicans now make up 11% of the total US population. A young community (median age 25) with a growing presence in regions outside of the Southwest, Mexican Americans may surpass German Americans as the largest ancestry group by 2040.

As you may have already read, many on Twitter, both black and white, responded with hatred and ignorance when they saw little Sebastien singing the US national anthem on TV last night.

Such attacks on an 11-year-old underscores the need for US Mexicans to assert our presence by forming a collective voice to not only educate but to defend our youth and our culture. If we’re the future, let’s start acting like it!

June 13, 2013 • areviewofthepast
In the Mood
Glenn Miller and His Orchesta
In The Mood
June 13, 2013

    I was in 4th grade when I watched this on T.V. and from that point on for the next seven months every time I was home alone I’d put on In The Mood (for Christmas my gay uncle gave the family Glenn Miller’s Greatest Hits, and cookies for Easter) and jump around the living room pretending that I was Kim Z.

     I had a crush on her. It wasn’t like the the crush I had on the bald-headed neighbor who sometimes sunbathed naked, it was more of an envious crush. It was also a crush that I was able to tell my brother’s about since she was a girl. In fact, every girl I had a crush on back then was someone I wanted to be, not hump.

     I watch this video 20 years later as a grown man and still get jazzed up and dance, only now it’s so much more freeing because I’m not worried about getting caught! If I do no ones gonna say a word, they’ll just join me. Unless it’s the mailman, in which I’d fall to my dirty lil’ gymnast knees in embarrassment and die. Just die I tell you! 

June 12, 2013
     I called Stefani to shoot the shit while I was doing laundry. When she picked up she said, “You called on the best day of the year!” I quickly scanned my brain. Earth Day? No. Flag Day? No. Summer Solstice? Nope. Wait, the 12th of June is her birthday! Man, Facespace was good for one thing and one thing only— reminding me of people’s birthdays. Other than that, I have no regrets about dropping it a year ago.      ”Happy birthday baby girl!” I said as though I remembered. She put me on speaker phone in the car with her kids. I told them to be good to their mom and then started singing Happy Birthday. I didn’t make it to the end because I started having a coughing fit. Ever since last weeks Dodger game when I washed down a white-chocolate weed bar with 11 beers, my throat hasn’t been the same. “Take me off speaker phone! I don’t want them to know Uncle Jimmy is dying,” I said in between bronchitis barks.       I love her kids as much as I love my own nephews and nieces. One of my favorite posts ever was two years ago when I threw an impromptu birthday bash for her. Afterwards, we went to her favorite Mexican restaurant and I treated them to dinner.  Her son, who was 4 at the time, ordered a shrimp salad with blue cheese dressing. I was amazed that he had such a refined palate even though he wasn’t 60. He was also very observant— like when the food runner dropped of our food he noticed the Band-Aid on his finger and asked, “What happened?” The runner, who spoke little English, blushed and disappeared behind the southwest style rug hanging from the door frame. In that moment he became my favorite. My little left-hander (which represents intelligence) still has impeccable taste. For his 6th birthday last week he requested that they have oysters and steak for dinner and the only thing he wanted for a gift was a new suit. Such a privileged tongue that one’s got. I love him! Max for president!

     I called Stefani to shoot the shit while I was doing laundry. When she picked up she said, “You called on the best day of the year!” I quickly scanned my brain. Earth Day? No. Flag Day? No. Summer Solstice? Nope. Wait, the 12th of June is her birthday! Man, Facespace was good for one thing and one thing only— reminding me of people’s birthdays. Other than that, I have no regrets about dropping it a year ago.

     ”Happy birthday baby girl!” I said as though I remembered. She put me on speaker phone in the car with her kids. I told them to be good to their mom and then started singing Happy Birthday. I didn’t make it to the end because I started having a coughing fit. Ever since last weeks Dodger game when I washed down a white-chocolate weed bar with 11 beers, my throat hasn’t been the same. “Take me off speaker phone! I don’t want them to know Uncle Jimmy is dying,” I said in between bronchitis barks.

      I love her kids as much as I love my own nephews and nieces. One of my favorite posts ever was two years ago when I threw an impromptu birthday bash for her. Afterwards, we went to her favorite Mexican restaurant and I treated them to dinner.  Her son, who was 4 at the time, ordered a shrimp salad with blue cheese dressing. I was amazed that he had such a refined palate even though he wasn’t 60. He was also very observant— like when the food runner dropped of our food he noticed the Band-Aid on his finger and asked, “What happened?” The runner, who spoke little English, blushed and disappeared behind the southwest style rug hanging from the door frame. In that moment he became my favorite. My little left-hander (which represents intelligence) still has impeccable taste. For his 6th birthday last week he requested that they have oysters and steak for dinner and the only thing he wanted for a gift was a new suit. Such a privileged tongue that one’s got. I love him! Max for president!