The music stopped and suddenly I didn’t know where to hang myself anymore. I waited desperately for Debussey’s return. The silence filled me with fear. Fear of the unknown. Fear of losing vehicle. Speaking of which, my vehicle needs gas. The waiter asked me if I wanted a side of chicken with my tofu pad thai. Curious. Maybe there’s a surplus in their chicken stock and they need to get rid of it. Suspicious or silly?
Today my fortune cookie read:
“You have a natural grace and great consideration for others.”
And on the back:
“Numbers: 8, 16, 28, 33, 48, 49″
The total cost of my dinner tonight was $16.59.
Good morning leftovers (in advance)!
Oh yeah, my first story on CultureMap was published. Read all about it.
I’m interning at CultureMap in Houston for the week to see if we’re a good match for each other.
So far, so good.
I’ve had Frank Sinatra’s version of Laura stuck in my head all day and I happened to come upon this excellent rendition by Carly Simon tonight on YouTube.
She’s got a real electric voice. Here I thought I could never fall in love with another version again, but Simon has proved me wrong. Funny how love works. Oh love, you silly thing.
It’s nice not being an accountant. What was I thinking?
What a snooze!
Bravery. I’m going to needs lots of it. My emergence into adulthood is daunting, but it’s getting better now that I’m actually doing what I went to school for. The workload seems heavy, but I’m welcoming it. Tomorrow I’m covering a Public Meeting on a Walmart development in The Heights that has already been cemented into writing. The Mayor will be there! So, that’ll be fun. People living in The Heights are up in arms about it. Most of the writers at CultureMap have taken stands against it. It does seem like a blow to smaller mom and pop shops. I spoke to my mother about it on the way home and she sees Walmart downtown as a plus.
My mother lives in the quaint suburbs of Atascocita, where I grew up. She says Walmart is good for saving money on school and work supplies, groceries and household whatnots. My mother used to work at Walmart as a Customer Service Manager. A lady in red. I don’t know if they’re red anymore. Hmmm… anyways… I think this is also where her apparent devotion to Samuel Walton comes from.
Amanda and I frequently shopped at Walmart during our time together at MU. Walton was also a Tiger.
I’ve only heard discussions from affluent groups of people living in Houston who are across the board (at least in my social circle) against the development. So, I wonder what people in a lower income bracket, like my mother, think.
Because it could bring jobs, but also crime. If the success of our economy is so dependent on local businesses, then why is Houston doing this to theirs? The Mayor seemed pretty supportive about the development in her press release today:
“You are cordially invited to attend a public meeting regarding the Koehler Street Development, also referred to as the possible Walmart project. I have heard multiple times from the public regarding the concerns about this project. I pledged early on that I would make sure all development standards are met. This public meeting is part of that pledge. Therefore, I have asked representatives of Walmart, The Ainbinder Company and my staff to come to this meeting prepared to answer the many questions that have been posed about the plans for addressing traffic, drainage, crime, noise and lighting issues.
I also want attendees to receive a full explanation of what a 380 Agreement is and how it provides the city with leverage to achieve the best outcome possible regarding the infrastructure needed to alleviate some of the concerns expressed by nearby residents.”
ANYWAYS.
Everyone should check out Robot Hustle out of San Fransisco.
Won't you take me to Funky Town?
Their mixtapes are pretty cool. I downloaded them this weekend after catching up on Jessica Hopper’s (of This American Life fame) new podcast Hit It And Quit It. Here’s “Crossing the Spatial Frontier”:
Today I had a 30-minute conversation with Minnesota Public Radio news manager Chris Worthington. I wasn’t really sure where our conversation was going to lead, I assumed maybe a job, but was kind of a pre-interview to a possible actual interview in the future. Anyways, it was nice to chat with someone wise from the world of journalism again. Being out of journalism school really puts mentors at a far distance.
Lately, I’ve been working at my family’s tax office in downtown Houston. Well, really it’s in the northside of Houston. We have a niche in the community since we cater mostly to Latinos. They come from all around. My uncle started the business in Wisconsin, where my family used to live before moving to Houston. That’s where they all became citizens.
I am the product of an immigrant family. My mom and dad were both born in Mexico, but their story is sort of different. My dad became a citizen when he was high school and later met my mom after graduating college at hunting trip in Mexico. They married within four months of knowing each other. Suspicious, right? I’ve always thought of myself being a shotgun baby. The verdict is still out. So, they get married, my mom becomes a resident, then 13 years later a citizen. We did it the official way, sort of.
There are lots of hidden stories in my family, so it’s good that I’m here for now.
Working at the tax office is pretty boring, but I’m learning lots about managing money and the Infernal Revenue Service. I really like spending time with my aunt Armida and co-workers Santa and Bertha. I’m basically the squirt around the office. They talk about their family problems and we’ll poke fun at some of the clients, but it’s all in good spirits. Today, my check is basically ALL going to paying rent and my part of the deposit. I told my aunt this while she was making out my check and her face went a little white. I assured her I’d be okay and there are some cans of tuna in the cupboard and a Lone Star in the fridge with my name on it. PLUS! Tomorrow there is a family BBQ I intend on crashing.
I need to start doing journalism again. I started some earlier this month during a shopping errand. I walked into a Walmart to return drapes and I came out with four audio interviews. They’re still sitting in my iPhone.
Patch.com flew me out late June for an interview with their Regional Editor in San Fransisco. After flying out for an interview, writing a freelance story about a fire station in Marin, CA and submitting five story ideas… I didn’t get the job after all. In a weird way, I’m sort of relieved.
Public radio does hold the key to my heart, so makes sense right?
So I moved back home after graduating and it isn’t horrible. My mom is getting me a marantz so I can start freelancing and possibly selling my stories. I’ve got a buttload of student loans, so I’ve decided to work at my Dad’s tax office for a bit to build some income. It’s also nice being back in Texas. While the Midwestern sun is more forgiving, the heat is worth suffering for the joys of wide, scribbling highways, Mexican food, Rice Village, The Houston Ballet, reconnecting with old friends and getting to know my family better.
I’m living with my Dad, stepmom Sue and three younger half siblings: Diego (7), Rodrigo (5) and Annie (4). Last week I taught Diego how to tie his shoes. My puppy Charlie also moved in and it’s been a great change for him. Annie is still horrified by him when he’s out of his crate, but she’ll get used to him soon.
Sue and the kids just left for Mexico to visit her family. Makes me nostalgic for days when Martha (19), Jose (15) and I were small. We used to go on trips to Coahuila, Mexico where my mother is from all the time. I remember being spiteful about our month-long trips because I’d miss out on doing basketball or swim camp with my schoolmates. Looking back, I’m glad we went and hope that we make that trip again soon. It’s funny how the concept of not having running water and needing to bath with buckets doesn’t really hit you until you’re older. We used to buy out the corner store of their firework supply and strike matches on the concrete walls of my grandmother’s house near the coal factories.
Diego will come back with similar stories. Of stumbling on Spanish pronunciations, and forgetting not to brag about how many toys he has to his cousins – except his stories will be backdropped by the ocean beaches of Ixtapa. The six of us are so much weirdly alike. Diego mirrors me in attitude and charm, Rodrigo mirrors Martha in shyness and lantern eyes and Annie is like Jose in that they are both the sickly thirds that get everything they cry for.
Being at home isn’t so bad.
I prefer reading the wire off of the NPR website. It’s cleaner. I don’t think it has much to do with my affiliation with the field.
The end is almost near. I’m not excited. I remember my freshman year. Nervous. Unsure. Wanted to keep my slate clean. Looking back, I realize that was a mistake. I should have gotten it dirty. And fast.
This is why I don’t think I’m excited. I never put myself into the college community — or at least I never felt like I was apart of it.
Everything has always been from a distance.
After a month of living with an alcoholic roommate, I decided to move out of Defoe and into a single room in Mark Twain. I had to be alone. People made me nervous.
So, I’m a pet owner now. I’ve had Charlie for about a month now. My brother handed him over to me during Spring Break. He works at an animal hospital, and he and a coworker found a litter of six pups abandoned.
I also got an iPhone during my stay in Texas, and decided to test out my audio recording app Audio Pro. Here’s a clip of Charlie snoring with a nifty introduction I was able to edit in Audio Pro’s multi-track mode.
Many are addicted to their famous Breakfast Burrito composed of cheddar, bacon (ham and veggie sausage are also options), sweet potato and egg. At least those are the ingredients my taste buds can remember.
So far, everything is still in the rafters (not sure what I mean by that, but rafters seems like a pretty “in-the-works” word).
There’s a spattering of products inside the vertically-inclined fridges lining one side of the empty space of Café Berlin’s now “dining room.”
Anyways, I’ll get to the point.
The owners of Café Berlin Eli Gay and Allison Starn announced earlier this year that they would be using their extra space for a food coop where residents could come in and buy food from local producers.
Here’s my story that aired Wednesday, March 03, 2010 on KBIA’s Business Beat at 5:20 CTS.
