GIVE & GET

Hope you had a good one. I did! Lakers win. Found out the versatility of my cousin Little, he does an uncanny Morrissey and Chente croon...SOBER even. Pero se chiveo al grabar. And even though my brother jokingly said "if it's not my Dodgers jacket, I don't want it" uggghhhhh... I overlooked it and STILL gave him an autographed boxing glove signed by Ricardo "Finito" Lopez. Probably my favorite gift I gave this year, that and the morenito "lamb-haired" cabbage patch kid named Jesse Craig, I got for baby Isis.

A couple of months ago Alonso of XOCHICO hit me up after discovering we had ESP with our work. Check it. And he recently sent me a care package full of coin purses, a keychain and rear view mirror danglin' conchas. I suggest you go buy one of everything on there, aside from the faux pastries, they have shirts, housewares and accessories.

And another holiday blogging tradition... my Mom's holy trinity of la Navidad.

I leave you with this years x-mas video playlist.




If you missed it, this is last years

HOOP DREAMS

I just sent these fun & simple pieces out today. They'll be available at the Rowan Morrison holiday group show in Oakland that starts this Saturday Dec. 13th and runs until Christmas Eve. They're tiny (3.5"diameter) oil & embroidery pieces.

Pick up one of these or any of the other super affordable pieces by over 30 artists. Their books are also on sale!

Learning...

BABIES HAVING BABIES

My best friend of best friends, amiga del alma Baby Belén was visited by the stork in a super secret, silent Scientology birth a week ago. I stress the SECRET part because Belén waited 3 months to tell everyone she was knocked up and last week "going out for dinner" was really going to Kaiser. What jerks. I don't even care none because I didn't want to see her box, let alone something coming out of it. It's cool, that's why I have an imagination, this is how I picture it going down. Belen, correct me if I'm wrong.

I visited with the little one this week and she's pretty much my favorite thing right now. Vieras que chula, la niña. You'll have to take my word for it because secretive Belén doesn't want her baby girl joining online communities. The baby was asleep on the job for most of my visit. All I wanted to do was sit there and smell her neck and feel her farts on my arms but noooo.

Sooo before she was Isis, she was baptized "french fry" and remained so until her birth because no one knew if she was an innie or an outtie. I crafted this double sided smile now, cry later plush french fry (or block of cheese?) for her.

These knit CortezESES were inspired by Gary Garay's cardboard Cortez and Belén's chola phase (she didn't really gang bang, only part time, or as much as a 7th grader could, you know in between school bells). For reasons that are none of your business, on most days Belén donned a majestic black cotton jersey trench coat (not Goth. That came later) with flocked white letters spelling out "Garcia" in old english arched across her back and a pair of black nike cortez. Now Isis will do the same, once she fits them and once high tube socks don't slip off her.

But you can't really grow up and be a chola Isis, unless it's of the Bolivian wrestling type.

My God dog Ozo is also another good reason to come around. Here he is breaking in his burger that I bought him, while the rest of us had real food, Huaraches that my Mom made.

Welcome baby Isis, I'm your Tia Mitsy. I'm not as embarrassing as Auntie Bec, less of a talker than your Aunt Tree, not as hilarious and inappropriate as Aunt "T aka beauty" and less into club hits than Tia Peaches. I'm the one you can come to for help with dioramas/art projects, Spanish homework and the one that will take you to Dodger games.

FOR THE BIRDS

I was given a pair of budgies. At first I thought they were males, so I named them accordingly- Lord Quas & Prince Paul. Then I was told they were ladies. So I decided to name them Fat Donna ("Raising Victor Vargas" reference) and Queenie!! ("Crooklyn" reference). My Mom doesn't like their names. Saying I named them "dona" (donut) and "weenie". . . implying I'm a pervert. She didn't do the hand motion but I know what she was getting at.

But I usually just refer to them as"...tambien ellas, las niñas" in my best Dios Eolo voice.

Hit or MISS

Super rad graphic designer and electronic ally Lexx hit me up to do a feature type thing on MISS. I warned her I was a boring candidate but they never learn- Click the banner to slog on over.

There's a couple of these knit dookie ropes circulatin' on the web but I'm poor so I have to fashion my own knock offs. De alguna manera me las tengo que ingeniar - a huueevo.

SOMEONE IN THE NETHERLANDS...

HATES ME .

Hmph, hah.

To keep from agonizing from what seemed like another Raiders second half collapse against the Jets last Sunday, the kids and I held a Kung Fu Panda drawing contest. Honestly, I don't even know why they try. ;) ERGO, I WIN!

SE VENDE

Here's some vintage (2004) footage I dug up and edited myself out of :). It's the documentation of my graduation show that I had to turn in to receive my Big Fucken Asshole degree. Look how cheap my school looks. Reception footage, including the Trio performing and folks lined up for my Mom's tamales can be witnessed at the end. I brought the chuntiness to school with me that day. It was pretty great.

Shot by M Dot Strange Mike B.- Watch the high quality version here.

This video reminds me I need to let go of things...for the right price. ;) I've had a "store" section on my website since I went live with it, but I've yet to come up with a way to take your money. In an attempt to "stack paper," to fund winter months spent painting in Mexicali, taking in the 2009 Serie del Caribe and eating the best chinese food...I'm having a moving sale. If you'd like to help me realize my dreams :), take a look at this super reduced price list and see if there's anything you care for. These are some of my most favorite pieces, ever, that I've held onto for nostalgic reasons y porque, neta , soy cursi. I take cash and if it clears first, personal checks. If need be and upon request, I'll look into hitting the switches on my paypal to receive payments. Click below to check out my sales ad.

FALL(ing short of the) CLASSIC

Alas, I'll always have this...
Lima time and Chicago. :)

<-----I kind of wanted to leave this whimsical graphics interchange format image on the Dodgers (of the NLCS) myspace page. Why do I even have to like things like baseball? Son of a bitch, right now. Why can't I have other interests that are less heart-breaking like hackysack, balancing a checkbook or maintaining friendships? I'm not gonna dance around it, I think the Dodgers were victim of the Sports Illustrated cover jinx. Irrational? maybe. But I don't care none! Hey Cubs fan get away with scapegoating all the time, why can't I? I can't even be mad (past this week) at LA's inopportune slumping of the 1, 2, 4...6, 7 and 8 hitters, because had it not been for their efforts during the reg. season LA wouldn't have leapfrogged the D'backs. You hear that? There's hardly any reproach and rancor in my voice. The callus on my heart must be growing thicker with corns y juanetes. I have the NBA finals earlier this year to thank for that. Flippin' channels on thursday between México trying to qualify for the World cup against some feisty Canucks helped split my frustration between Fox and Univision. Both had shitty results, but there's still hope for el Tri. Would Dodgers having won the pennant even mattered? The Rays are clearly gangster. I'll post that one next spring.----->

Lo rescatable de la serie:

• Kuroda on point.
• RHP James McDonald, impressive.
  
• Loney good under pressure.
• It'll be easier to say goodbye to Kent, Penny, Nomar and possibly(?) Furcal. (I say that only in anger, Raffy, I hope you come back-if you're healthy.) I wouldn't mind seeing Pierre and Jones traded somewhere.
  
• To be fair, we only won 86 games during the reg. season
  
• Experience
  

That's an open letter to people trying to clown the Dodgers by becoming new found Phillies fans (after rooting for the Cubs didn't pan out) just because their squad is never a player in the post season. Lose it. Try NOT losing 90+ games then get all riled up by way of your twitter. Stop. Hating.

Addendum: Immediately following the series, asi mero senti la decepción, cañon....

CUBBYHOLES

A friend sent me a link to a review of the Oro Universal show, the image on the top left is of a recent painting. (click the image for the link)

GOOD FOR YOU CAPLE.

DODGERS WIN! :) So it's on to the NLCS against the Phillies. And because you never know when the ride will end, I'm a take a minute to revel in the sweep. Afterall, the Dodgers weren't exactly heavily (or at all) favored to win....

THE HUNT FOR BLUE OCTOBER

Yeaaaah!!! Dousing people with alcoholic and homogenized beverages! The Dodgers are NL West division champs, so they get to cut to the front of the line on this post. First something so EPIC... "The Big Blue Wrecking Crew" made up of members of the 81' World series champion Dodgers....Steve Yeager, Rick Monday, Jerry Reuss, Jay Johnstone performing on Solid Gold. Wait for it, or skip ahead to the 3:40 minute mark.

So maybe the Dodgers are not the champions of the WORLD but they are the best of the mediocre division but I don't care none, even this feat looked bleak after that 8 game losing streak at the end of August. There was so much that had to go terribly wrong before it could go right. After sooo many injuries (losing Furcal, HUGE), tanking of Jones, Schmidt playing cheerleader again, Penny's apathy...and then a bright light with the arrival of a veteran 3rd baseman Blake, great rookie surprise DeWitt, and Ethier proving what a gamer he is. It really has been a team effort. Hands down though, THE defining moment of the season... the rental of Manny Ramirez. That put a stop to my continual cursing of Ned Coletti's name. Alright, 3 games left before the anxiety starts up again. Now LA can phone it in against the Giants, much like they did against the D'backs... trying to spoil shit. Shoot. Whatever your faces, who else has Ozomatli and Slim kid Tre singing about their teams?

---------------

LAST ONE- swear.

Here's something I drew while scoreboard watching, trying to will that magic number to drop.

Free stuff through the mail is my most favorite thing ever.

MONDAY NIGHT

You've probably caught on to my stratagem of leading in with something art related to reel you and then hit you with what ultimately REALLY matters :) - sports or the day-to-day of "Sin Senos No Hay Paraiso". I do feel guilty, sometimes, inundating you, devout readers (party of 3) but you have to take the good with the bad. :) Or get on with it and just scroll scroll.

Later this month, I'll be participating in the Güey Smart project room put on by Tropico de Nopal gallery, as part of the East of Eden exhibition. More details. Look how fun that life-size cardboard Chalino Sanchez looks.

My brother has been thinking all bad ever since his SEASON tickets arrived. You know football season is upon us when he's missing work and walking around with a Raider lanyard holding his ticket around his neck-flashing it in my face. Ughhh. After this video, I think I will have exhausted all my favorite teams' abashing musical debuts. But being just minutes away from the Raiders season opener, I felt it was necessary to share and commit to this season by way of an impromptu internet machine tail gate. Let's begin..

Howie Long was/is hot, flat top and all. Shaaaooo! This next one is just awesome!

And one more thing on the sports front. You know I was sweating the weekend series against the D'backs, especially with the rotation serving up both Haren and Webb. I atttribute this weekend's sweep to the new tradition of playing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin' '" sometime after the 7th inning stretch. Hahah, I think they play it whether we're trailing or not. Anyway, that's the key. Let's hope LA stays on top for longer than 2 days.

PROVECHO

That's a detail of my latest embroidery. I promise it's the last, or maybe the penultimate. :) I bite all my pan dulce styles from El Bueno Gusto #1, on King road, it's my favorite panaderia. I stress the #1 because I can't vouch for #2. Although they're only a couple of miles away, they're worlds apart- #2 is all multifaceted, it boasts a panaderia, taqueria and they sell mariscos. #1 is more punk rock, just pan, although they are known to sell delicious pre-made saran wrapped tortas that are usually gone well before noon. It's small, no-frills, hand painted signs inside and an outdated cake theme binder. I was going to screencap the locale for you but Google maps is racist and didn't survey the East side proper. ;) I Google map street view everything! Don't give me your address cause I'll streetview it, no shame in my game- I'll do it. Anyway, it has a clear sign and it's the one sandwiched in between some car audio/phone retailer and a dulceria (that has also remained a constant in the otherwise revolving door of neighboring businesses.) El Buen Gusto's cakes are good too! I ordered my friend's bachelorette cake there a few years ago. Old girl taking the order didn't so much as flinch when I said I wanted it to read "You can't turn a ho into a housewife"...see, no judgment. Then again, I think she only spoke spanish. I like how whackadoodle the scale of the spilt wine glass is in relation to the newlyweds and wine bottle. Yes, I said "whackadoodle" like that cracked out raver Suede from Project Runway. I hate that guy but every time he says it, my side hurts.

Inspired by the cake, I drew this for you. Shaaaooo!

GOLD

Next up...

Did you hear? I'm sure you heard.

This guy. I'll reserve judgment on the goof ball that is Manuel Aristides Ramírez Onelcida until I see some balls hit into the left field pavilion. Power hitter in the line up? Wow, what's that like? However I predict he'll do some soccer dribbling with the beach balls thrown out into the field and if he tries his palms of fury as he did to Youkilis face, I imagine Jeff Kent would be the encore. He'll be wearing number 99? Who wants to wager that Jay Z's "99 Problems" will be referenced in national sports headlines at some point in these next two months? Good or bad. Or I wonder what his at bat music will be?

I'll miss Andy LaRoche, he had some hard luck injuries and hasn't had a decent shot at third. I'm sure he'll fair well and at least he'll be with his big brother over in Pittsburg manning opposite corners.