Amigos, Cultura

Valentine’s Day Cards by Rio (new for ’09)

Yeah, yeah, yeah… I know Valentine’s Day sucks. We don’t need to designate a day to show love, it’s commercialized, etc. Despite these reasons, I still enjoy February 14th. I like silliness, candy and any excuse to wear one of the many red items in my closet. I also like that Valentine’s Day inspires artists and others seeking to find a creative way to show love and appreciations to their significant others and friends.

I especially love my friend Rio Yañez’s cards. (Really, I was super excited to get his email that he’d finish the 2009 set.) For the last few years he’s made a set of 6 or 7 one-sided Valentine’s cards similar to those you handed out in elementary school. His new cards feature LL Cool J, Public Enemy, Morrissey, Selena, Ugly Betty, and the Iraqi shoe thrower journalist. Oh, I can’t forget Frida. Rio makes a Frida card each year.

Rio makes these so his friends can distribute them. He writes:

What’s up to all my friends and lovers? El Rio’s Valentine’s Day Cards are back in the mix for 2009! This is the 3rd year of my cards that celebrate love and culture and I’m determined to keep the series going.

As always, please post these cards on the pages of your friends, enemies, shorties, sanchos, and booty calls. To see an archive of cards from years past CLICK HERE.

Enjoy!

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Fotos

February Project, Part 1

February 1: Lori trained last summer and fall to run the Pasadena half marathon. Unfortunately, she didn’t run that morning due to the fires and poor air quality. She made up for that by running the Huntington Beach half marathon. The parents, Adrian and I went to cheer her on, but missed her (and she missed us) at mile 4 and at the finish line on PCH. Sigh. Our “¡Sí se puede!” and “Lori rocks!” signs were appreciated, but not always correctly pronounced. I heard “sí me puedo,” “sí ses puedes,” “sí se puedo” and other aberrations. To be fair, lots of people were able to correctly pronounce the phrase.
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Fotos

Cindy vs. Piñata (early 80s version)

I had no problem with piñatas as a kid. I was happy to swing a bat or a stick at one in hopes of getting some candy (if I was lucky and not trampled by my older, bigger cousins).

Exhibit 1: First birthday party, 1981

Exhibit 2: Danny’s 4th birthday party, 1982

Exhibit 3: Christmas Eve festivities, 1982

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Escuela

A twist on a common narrative

A long-time reader sent me the LA Times’ latest story on the plight of the undocumented immigrant (or as they say “illegal immigrant”) student at a four-year university.

Before I read the story, I thought it’d be just like many of the other mainstream media stories I’d read about undocumented students. These articles usually focus on the valedictorians and other high achievers. That doesn’t surprise me. It appeals to the many who buy into the meritocratic ideals underlying the myth of the American dream. If only you work hard enough, you can make it!

It’s rare to read a story about the undocumented student who is not at the top of her class, doesn’t have an inflated GPA due to dozens of honors and AP classes, and scored only okay on standardized admissions tests. Yet she does exist, and she deserves an opportunity at higher education too.
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