My IPad

This will be the 5th day with my IPad. So far I can say that I'm very happy with this product. That's putting it mildly. The IPad is every bit as impressive as Apple inthusiests made it out to be. First impressions: it feels so well built. When I pick the device up and hold it in my hand, it feels like, and looks like a work of art. Solid and eligent. The operating system works flawlessly. Finger gesture response is great and the speed of the IPad is very good and snappy. As far as the much touted retina display, it is simply beautiful. Text is crisp and smooth, even at the maximum magnification. Bottom line. The IPad is with out a doubt the best tablet on the market. I think back to something that a well respected tech columnest by the name of Andy Ihnatko said some time ago. I will paraphrase, the IPad isn't the only tablet out there. Other devices do what the IPad does but the IPad does it better. Having used this tablet, all be it for a bit less that 5 days, I have to agree. As time goes by and the more I will continue to lean on this product, the durability and dependability will be tested. As for now, this is the most fun I have ever had using a computing device. If you are in the market for a tablet computer, try other products, then try the IPad. It is my contention that you will come to the same conclusion I did. Winner? Ipad.

Mother's Day 2012

On this Mother's Day, I was pleased to have dinner with my mother. Or, what I consider my last source of unconditional love left on Earth. We had a great time talking and reminiscing about times in the past. Many of our remembrances featured my dad who has been dead for almost 5 years. Still to this day my dad makes us laugh and we enjoy thinking of him. My mother had the chicken fried steak and I had the catfish. We topped off our dinner with a banana split. Love you mom, looking forward to next year.

This guitar thing is tough

In February, I pulled the trigger on a new guitar. My very first one. As I said on the video I made 











http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayUAdggtHXA&feature=plcp  I was, and still am, very intimidated by this instrument. For a very long time I had longed to learn to play the guitar but I never seemed to make it a big priority. I have always marveled at how guitar players strummed and played their guitar so seemingly effortlessly.


Now that it's been a few weeks removed from picking up my guitar for the first time, I seem to have become a bit more comfortable with it. Just a bit. I've managed to learn the basic Major chords plus a few others. Enough actually to be able to play a few songs, although not very well. Just need more practice. Practice, that's been a problem in an of itself. There are some days that I don't get to practice at all. And, that pisses me off. However, I'm trying to get the most out of the time I do get to practice. In time I intend to contribute to the endless Youtube cacophony of people playing their guitar.

Nuevo Laredo, how I miss you

I'm not certain, but I think it's been 15 years since I've been across the boarder to Nuevo Laredo. I can still remember the first time I walked across the bridge exited and full of wonder at the anticipation of entering another country. I was a 15 year old high school kid always looking for adventure and instantly fell in love with the city.  The particular bridge I crossed lead to the main street of the centro (the center of the city). The first thing that jumped out at me was all the action going on. There were vendors galore and people walking up and down the streets carousing, talking and having a great time. If you wanted something to eat or drink, you would only have to stop and ask the nearest food vendor. If you wanted to buy a pair of shoes, you needn't go very far. There were shoes stores, on what seemed to me, on every corner. And, of course there was the music. Some of it was musica nortenea, mariachi and some Spanish pop. The atmosphere was electric and it brushed off on me to my delight.

After that first trip to NL, I couldn't wait to go back. My theater director (which also was the most influential teacher to that point) planned regular trips to the boarder city and I was always right there, ready to go. It was this point in my life where I learned that it was OK to travel ninety something miles to go have dinner. I thank you so much Mr. Howell. The allure of Nuevo Laredo never subsided. Every single time I went back, I was just as exited as the first time I was there.

After high school I continued to go to Nuevo Laredo. The most wonderful times I had there was when I introduced my wife to it. And yes, I did convince her that driving ninety something miles for dinner was OK. She loved the city as I did and it was so great watching her absorb Nuevo Laredo just as I had done that first time. Our favorite place to eat was a quaint little restaurant called Mexico Tipico. We did eat at other places, but that seemed to be our place of choice most of the time. We bought countless amounts of fruit and other items during the times we were there. It was especially nice bringing back Tequila and rum. We would also take orders from our family as well. We took back Leche Cemada, Dulce de Calavasa and many other things. The times we had there were very special indeed. The only regret is that I failed to take very many pictures of our times there. But, I have my memory. That will have to surfice.

The times have changed for the worse. There is a dark and ugly cloud hanging over Nuevo Laredo these days. There is violence, fear and violence. This makes me very sad. It makes me sad, not only because I'm frighten to return there, that would be selfish. I feel sadness for the people of Nuevo Laredo. I don't live there, they do. However, I do feel robbed. No longer can I go and enjoy a beer at the market and listen to great music. No longer can I speak with the people of Nuevo Laredo and listen to them tell me about there lives and vice versa. No longer can I go enjoy a good dinner at Mexico Tipico and enjoy the ambiance. It's sad and tragic.

I can only hope that one day before my time is up, I can once again see Nuevo Laredo the way I remember it. For now, only the memories of those great times will have to fill the void. Nuevo Laredo, how I miss you. Nuevo Laredo, vuelve un dia. Viva Nuevo Laredo!

P&S Hospital, historical web void

I did a photo and video shoot of the building which used to be P&S Hospital in Alice, Texas. I have known for a time that there is currently no historical material online of this formally thriving medical hub. You will, however, find plenty of paranormal excursions into the structure that yield little or no ghostly interaction.

I've yet to finish my piece on the hospital. I'm spending time researching the history of the edifice so that I can put together a short but informative presentation which will, hopefully be of some educational use to anyone seeking enlightenment of this significant and historical healthcare epicenter.

These pictures were taken on Saturday February 18, 2012.

Facebook Fatigue

At the current time, I have 51 Facebook "friends." This is too many. I am fascinated with people who have hundreds of friends on, not only Facebook, but other social networks. Out of the 51 people I have on my friends list, I only keep up with about 5 or 6. I've slowly continued to eliminate people who, for reasons unknown to me now, I added. Guess it seemed right at the time. I just have one problem. I don't want to offend anyone. But, just like ending a relationship, most of the time it isn't going to be smooth. However, it may come down to the person. For instance, I had a "friend" from work ask me if she could be my friend on Facebook. Having known this person for a long time, I said yes. Subsequently, in following months, she unfriended me. I have no problem with it. Really. Again, it was one of those times where I didn't have any interest in what this person is doing. Nonetheless, I accepted her friend request. So maybe the people who I'm considering unfriending feel the same way about me. I just don't know who they are. I wish I did, it would make me feel a lot better about hitting the unfriend button.


I seem to be saying to myself more and more "I'm so sick of Facebook." When I dissected the reasons behind my displeasure, I concluded that my frustration had nothing to do with Facebook. It's my friends list. The nexus of my frustration is as follows. When I post something on Facebook, I first think to myself. Is this post going to mean something? Is this post going to enlighten people? Is this post worth posting? Most of the people on my friends list ask none of these questions. I hate posting, what I consider, superfluous content. Examples: "I woke up with a head ache" or "my dog learned a new trick" It's amazing to me that those postings garner a number of likes and comments. Are you kidding me? I guess postings like that mean something to someone. Not me. When I post something on Facebook it is always: a useful website, photo site, news event, a documentary or something that contributes to substance. And, almost always my posts get no likes and no comments.


It may sound like sour grapes on my part. It's not that at all. It just sounds that way. As I've said, it's not Facebook and it's not my posts. It's my friends list. 


That's my fault.

Down on the NBA

When the NBA players decided to strike a few months ago, I couldn't rap my understanding around it. WHY? What are they protesting? Well, it's money as usual. Of all the professional sports, the NBA players are among the athletes that should least be crying about money or anything else related to their playing conditions. The pro baseball players, by the way, are the ones that should never cry about money and playing conditions. Are you kidding me? Baseball? Work? No. Getting paid millions for swinging a bat, running around a little bit, catching a ball and sitting in a dugout is cool. You have nothing to cry about. Pro basketball players have nothing to be crying about either. What do you do? You run around back and forth dribbling a ball, shoot at a basket and get a great workout while getting paid millions. The minimum wage for an NBA player is over $470.000 a year. Your F_ _ _ing joking? If they paid me $50,000 a year, I would play my heart out. Yes, the owners are raking it in. But, that is their franchise. It's their club. don't like the conditions there? Go somewhere else.

I'm a capitalist. I believe people should venture into a risk and have a chance to make a profit. I believe a person should "get as much as they can." But it rubs me the wrong way when pro players whine that they aren't getting paid what they should based on the disparity of income the franchises are making. It's not your club! Start a league of your own and pay out whatever you want.

At this time, I have not been able to watch an NBA game. Not even my beloved LA Lakers. I'm just too turned off. Maybe time will heal, but for now, no Pro basketball for me. Thank you.