tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45076598664331885882012-01-30T10:03:42.679-08:00Growing up Chicano, a product of both Mexican and American cultures, has given me a unique vantange on life and I love to express that through my writings, poetry, photography and art. I discovered the power of writing in High School and haven't stopped since.Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.comBlogger1631100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-84619058125307721662012-01-25T12:30:00.000-08:002012-01-25T12:30:54.911-08:00

 The Master Pedro Infante youtube.com/watch?v=CbN2X8tv79M If I had to choose the greatest Mexican singer of the 20th century, I   would have to pick El Maestro (The Master), Jose Pedro Infante Cruz, Pedro Infante. As a child, we had four or five, 75rpm records of his songs, like "La Que Se Fue", "Ella", "El Tenampa", all scratchy, in dog-eared sleeves, the discs would often get stuck on the

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-27864242075132708502012-01-20T12:28:00.000-08:002012-01-20T12:28:41.184-08:00

There's an old Mexican folk tale about a man who was in the midst of lamenting his misfortune of being born with one leg, when he saw a man without any legs at all. And it is a tragic truth about life, that no matter how bad things seem to go, with a little keen observation, they could be worse. Yet, sometimes this is little consolation. Broke a leg? You coulda' broke both. Broke both? You

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-90186001288274421482012-01-04T11:55:00.000-08:002012-01-04T11:55:36.857-08:00

Christmas was not Christmas, when we were kids, without tamales. They were synonymous. It was a family tradition, a family event that took all of us to prepare them. It was a whole day event. The grinding in the "molino" of the dried chilis, and the corn, the making of the "masa" (corn meal), the washing of the leaves, the cuttting of the pork meat, the cooking of the chili sauce. And finally,

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-24448951158916994442011-12-29T17:27:00.000-08:002011-12-29T17:29:31.415-08:00

I have always dreaded social etiquettes, particularly small talk stuff. More specifically, I dread how to respond to the simple query "How are you?" For a moment, I am torn between responding with the old cliche' expression "fine, how are you? And then diverting the focus away from me with anything, like "nice day, huh?" Or "How you doing?" But for some 15 years now, since my wife became

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-26888774073986511632011-12-16T13:33:00.000-08:002011-12-16T13:51:32.537-08:00

As I was driving my wife to a pain clinic in Modesto this morning, we drove down Briggsmore Avenue, just blocks from where my late good friend, Jesus (Jessie) Cuevas used to live. He died in 2002 from complications with Diabetes. I called him "The Caveman", his surname "Cuevas", meaning "cave" in English. But more than that he did tend to be loud, brash and a shade crude on occasions, a Chicano

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-12812183763257983232011-12-12T14:38:00.000-08:002011-12-12T14:38:05.499-08:00

The Palace of Fine Arts in Mexico City houses some of the finest murals by "Los Tres Grandes" (The Three Great ones), Diego Rivera, Jose Orozco, and David Alfaro Siqueiros, my favorite. The massive murals 8' to 10' high and 20' wide, depict in powerful images and color, Mexico's turbulent history, its rich Precolumbian past, the Spanish Conquest, War of Independence, the Mexican Revolution,

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-81741776827902807402011-12-07T11:16:00.000-08:002011-12-07T11:16:21.562-08:00

How we went from the beautiful story and celebration of the birth of a heavenly baby who came to save mankind from sin, to a fat, bearded White Man posing for pictures in a mall and  the death of this baby on a cross 33 years later to an Easter bunny bearing cooked colored eggs is tragic. How can we be so afraid of offending others with our beliefs? In the watering down of religion, any religion

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-85706116761929793812011-11-28T12:24:00.001-08:002011-11-28T12:24:20.029-08:00

The other day my younger son, and his wife came by with photos and a CD of a recent sonogram of their baby to be born in April 2012. They were, without saying, ecstatic about showing it to my wife and I, so we slipped it into the Blu-Ray disc player, and pushed "play". Then, we all oooed and aaawed for about 10 minutes watching this mini-human, a boy, kick and squirm, roll and punch inside the

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-31987465456326453042011-11-09T13:15:00.000-08:002011-11-09T13:15:04.951-08:00

With all the OCCUPY THIS AND THAT stuff going on in the U.S. today, the obstinate refusal of participants to specify exactly who or what is being protested other than big government, banks and Wall St. is a little frightening. Why are we so disenchanted with the so called 1%? What has happened to us is simply of product of our incestuous love with CAPITIALISM. We love it. We cherish it. We teach

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-88507136517450031722011-11-04T13:02:00.000-07:002011-11-04T13:02:29.580-07:00

A heard a story years back about the Irish writer, poet and playwright Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) that supposedly occurred one night during the opening of his play "The Importance of Being Earnest" (1895). A little old lady sauntered backstage and addressed Oscar saying "Mr. Wilde, I sure hope your play is a success." Without hesitating, the playwright quipped "Mam, what I hope is that the audience

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-20900045982968323062011-11-02T11:30:00.000-07:002011-11-02T11:30:36.974-07:00

This is a simple altar I created for Day of The Dead, 2011 in our home. It honors my mother-in-law, Maria Luevano (top), and father-in-law Jose Anguiano from Mexico (far left), my mother and grandmother (lower center). The artificial fruits represent the various foods they enyoyed in life, the "molcajete" (grinding stone) in the center was actually used by my mother to make salsa in. This was

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-67913621188384038552011-10-27T11:04:00.000-07:002011-10-27T11:04:11.796-07:00

One of my mother's most fervent prayers was that God grant her the privilege of dying before any of her seven children. "I'm am not sure I could withstand the agony over the death of one of my children", she would shake her head and say. And she was granted her wish. It reminds me of a story I read about a man in Japan who wanted a well known and respected priest to compose a special prayer for

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-63332842451113819942011-10-26T13:16:00.000-07:002011-10-26T13:16:02.231-07:00

images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yfp-t-701-s&va=jose=guadalupe=posada One of my favorite artists, is Mexican illustrator and cartoonist Jose Guadalupe Posada (1852-1913). His drawings (engravings), reminiscent of Francisco Goya's work, are masterful satires of all classes of society, from the "Los Jodidos" (The "screwed" or poor) to "Los Ricos", the Rich, portray death is

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-80363039580836930942011-10-05T12:41:00.000-07:002011-10-05T12:41:31.606-07:00

Ever since I read about the Eastern concept of the Third Eye I fell in love it. And after a lifetime of argument, debate, reasoning, and synthesis it is the view that makes most sense to me. Why man gravitates to a dualistic world view is maddening. Things are either right or wrong, good or bad, love and hate, Heaven or Hell, up or down, left or right. But wait, there is a Limbo, a place between

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-15112320642718537442011-09-19T12:34:00.000-07:002011-09-19T14:37:33.894-07:00

On Saturday, I went to a birthday party to celebrate our grandson's 11th birthday at one of our local parks. My oldest son, Miguel had elaborately orchestrated a typical park party, a piñata full of candy, chips, salsa, guacamole, chile beans while my eldest, Fernando fried up some diced beef and chicken for some tasty tacos. We found ourselves in the middle of a park surrounded by Asians,

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-36647965942202235492011-08-11T11:52:00.000-07:002011-08-11T11:52:45.740-07:00

I was watching in awe a reddish garden spider, perched cunningly in the middle of his web on the front porch of my house this morning, presumably waiting for his breakfast, when "whoosh" both he and his web were gone! A bird got him. I am reminded of Life's brevity. Here one moment, gone the next. Doesn't seem fair. You go to all the trouble to build up a life of security around you and it is

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-76286123384899292812011-07-18T11:29:00.000-07:002011-07-18T11:29:54.515-07:00

Face it, we are a cheating culture, a culture of cheaters and we condone it, explicitly or implicitly, despite our virtuous sermonizing against it when we do our taxes, get more change back than we should have and say nothing about it, or were not charged for an item we bought at the store and keep walking towards the door. I read with horror yesterday about how teachers in the Atlanta School

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-25159412372517909862011-07-13T15:28:00.000-07:002011-07-13T15:28:46.538-07:00

Fresh out of high school from a small Central Valley California cow town, Modesto, California, I walked straight into the heart of Bohemia, U.S.A. and streets filled with bare feet, reefer smoke, the smell of wine and coffee, tie-died hippies, anti-war protestors, artists, musicians, self-made poets dropouts and losers. It was the late 50-s, early 60's when I first set foot in Berkeley

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-37565725133183730752011-07-07T12:12:00.000-07:002011-07-07T12:12:33.869-07:00

John Kennedy was easily my favorite president. He was the favorite of most Mexicans because he spoke to poor people and he was Catholic. My mother kept a picture of him and Jacqueline on her altar, right alongside the Sacred Heart, and the Virgin of Guadalupe. It was 1962, and I was working as a florist in a small flower shop on Telegraph and Ashby Ave. in Berkeley not far from the University

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-66910305939642341032011-06-14T14:35:00.000-07:002011-06-14T14:35:31.531-07:00

Have you ever noticed how we Americans just love our acronyms, especially the three letter kind? Following is a list of 93 popular ones I have compiled. See how many you can identify and then go to the scoring guide below to rate yourself. Feel free to add to my list. USA, FYI, CSI, CNN, NYC, PBS, MIA, KIA, DMZ, CBS, NBC, ABC, NPR, GPS, BBC, AAA, WWW, GNP, FBI, CSI, SSN, DOA, IRS, HUD, KKK, MLK

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-29884093322657399842011-05-25T11:42:00.000-07:002011-05-25T12:06:40.125-07:00

  Father Sarducci just has to be one of my all time favorite comedians. The outfit, the phony Italian(?) accent and his wit and satire still cracks me up. He is devilishly irreverent.  In this riotous clip, Sarducci posits that life is a job, "Vita est Lavorum", and that God pays us $14.50 a day. But when we get to heaven, and he begins to settle our account, He deducts a certain amount of  cash

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-21800618840310006582011-05-23T11:42:00.000-07:002011-05-23T11:42:56.773-07:00

Being Catholic, before the 1950's we didn't hear much End of the World  stuff coming from the pulpit and it wasn't until I started dating a  protestant girl in high school and attending her church that I encountered the imagery and metaphor from the Book of Revelation, wars and rumors of wars, The Antichrist, Armageddon, the Seven Seals, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, earthquakes, fire and

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-25735830934310141912011-05-21T18:17:00.000-07:002011-05-21T18:17:46.066-07:00

I drove from Stockton to Sacramento for the big summit, a gathering of Chicano intellectuals, bohemians and artists, mostly guys. The meeting was held in a dimly lit, abandoned store front and present were my old college buddies Jose Montoya and Esteban Villa. We had gravitated towards each other, being part of a  handful of Chicano art students attending a prestigious art school in Oakland in

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-23548368291267261242011-05-20T11:26:00.000-07:002011-06-02T12:34:56.140-07:00

Last nite I participated in the 2nd of a new series of Thursday night events featuring poetry, prose and live music, "Noche Bohemia" (Bohemian Night), hosted by Chilean poet Eduardo Radrigan at Nena's Mexican Restuarant on Stockton's waterfront. It is a fine rustic building with high wooden cielings, a spacious bar, and a patio overlooking Stockton's channel. In my heart, I love performing at

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-38619570490160939782011-05-14T10:23:00.000-07:002011-05-14T10:31:07.935-07:00

For those of you driven by fate, chance or bad luck who wind up at this blog I hope you are not being scared off by the length of my posts. When I first started this blog a couple of years ago I mostly wrote short stuff but lately I've been getting carried away and they have gotten longer and longer. My apologies! I remember when I used to assign my students a new book or reading, the first

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-71961741270426337102011-05-13T13:42:00.000-07:002011-05-13T13:42:06.695-07:00

 A liberal education can best be described as one which offers a "generous" (liberal) offering of study from many different fields or disciplines, art, history, science, mathematics and sociology, with a specialization in one, the one you "major" in. When I went off to college as a dreamy, ideal teen I had no idea what I was getting into. My High School experience had been rocky, though I loved

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-6498649574059943582011-05-06T12:06:00.000-07:002011-05-06T12:06:11.414-07:00

Marlon Brando and Jean Peters I just watched (again) one of my all time favorite films, Elia Kazan's "Viva Zapata", a fictionalized biographical account of Emiliano Zapata, one of the great rebel leaders of the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920), based on the screenplay by John Steinbeck, nontheless. The film stars Marlon Brando as Emiliano, Jean Peters as his wife Josefa, and Anthony Quinn as

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-89459364568479745562011-05-04T11:34:00.000-07:002011-05-04T11:34:51.855-07:00

As a teacher it often fell to me to write letters of recommendation for my students, be it for jobs, scholarships or college applications. And I usually did it with enthusiasm. When I knew the student well from his/her work in class it was easy to say positive things about them. When I didn't know them well, well I had to stretch it a little. One day years ago Jose came into my office to tell

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-71030053897883576952011-05-03T17:56:00.000-07:002011-05-03T17:56:24.564-07:00

During my 33 years of teaching, many moments in the classroom stand out but one incident is near the top of the list. It happened in a section of my English 1A course when I assigned my students to read and discuss Martin Luther King's brilliant essay, "Letter From Birmingham Jail." The letter was written in 1963 after King was arrested during a sit-in at a Birmingham diner in response to an

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-90321433470919424962011-05-02T12:33:00.000-07:002011-05-02T12:33:12.735-07:00

One of my students once told me this story about her teen daughter, a student in Middle School who was handed a note from her teacher one day from the principal's office saying that she had been selected as one of the school's outstanding students. An award would be presented at an upcoming assembly. When word got out among her friends, instead of congratulatory responses, they began to mock her

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-77551926286940491002011-04-29T18:33:00.000-07:002011-04-29T18:33:04.080-07:00

Throughout my years as a student and later, when I became a teacher, writing had always been important to me. In fact, my love for writing would eventually lead me to become a English teacher in college. Once I began teaching, I was shocked at the poor writing and reading skills of at least half of my students, and wondered how they had even gotten into college in the first place. Nonetheless,

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-32554131645880259212011-04-14T17:37:00.000-07:002011-04-14T17:37:14.912-07:00

I heard the following folktale from my son's ex-wife who was born in Michoacan, Mexico. Like many storytellers, she could not remember where she first heard it either. And true to the oral tradition, and being a writer, I have taken some generous liberties embellishing it, though they are true to the story's intent, I think. Jose Martinez was a hard-working, middle-aged man living in a humble

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-44295914371092403612011-04-12T12:42:00.000-07:002011-04-12T12:42:00.045-07:00

Many years ago I read (or heard), a great story about perseverance and determination that I found both hilarious and enlightening, one which I have recounted to my students many times over the years. The parable redefines our defunct Western notion of what learning is and how it takes place.  I no longer know how much of it is from the original account and how much I have deleted or flat made

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-18234751137934504082011-03-31T16:45:00.000-07:002011-03-31T16:45:11.443-07:00

In late 1970, I was given the opportunity, as a young Community College instructor itching for work, to teach classes at what was then known as the California Youth Authority in Stockton, housing young offenders under the age of 25. The idea of teaching behind bars scared me at first, but with the encouragement of my wife, I took the step. The three institutions were divided into schools,

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-17155950947945691302011-03-25T14:19:00.000-07:002011-03-25T14:19:12.032-07:00

"Whataya gonna be when you grow up kid?" Was one of the first questions we probably all remember being asked when we were kids. "I'm going to be an artist", I always replied, confidently. I don't know how I just knew, but I did. I was fond of repeating what some artist had supposedly said, "I did not choose art, art chose me", because that's what I wanted to believe was so in my life. So I

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-36359803114305383802011-03-24T14:11:00.000-07:002011-03-24T14:11:09.436-07:00

My mother and I Ca. 1950 3-time Grammy Award winner, and Tex-Mex mogul, Little Joe has a song entitled "I'm Just a Lil' Ol' Red-Necked Meskin' Boy." The song encapsulates the outrageous conglomeration that makes up being Chicano in the U.S. It became obvious to me early in life, growing up in a Mexican barrio in Central California, that color of skin would play a crucial role in successfully

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-89391603856525752082011-03-23T14:15:00.000-07:002011-03-23T14:15:57.041-07:00

I am conjuring some Latin scholar sitting in a darkly lit back room, centuries ago, deciding what the gender of nouns ought to be. In the Spanish language each noun is prefaced by El (masculine) and La (feminine). In some cases it makes sense: El hombre (man) and La mujer (woman) or El niño (boy) and La niña (girl). El sol (sun) implies a strong, powerful male sun and La luna, a delicate,

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-18791186879946328762011-03-21T12:56:00.000-07:002011-03-21T12:56:25.581-07:00

Some time ago my wife and I and our two boys were returning from the Bay Area and decided to take the scenic route, Marsh Creek Road, which starts at Hwy 680 and passes through Walnut Creek, winding through the Mt Diablo foothills and connecting to Hwy 4, and the beautiful Delta waterways to Stockon. At the foot of the pass, as it connects to the valley floor, there were many farms and orchards,

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-849745913436487222011-03-14T11:01:00.000-07:002011-03-14T11:03:05.026-07:00

The documentary film "Animals Are Beautiful People", has one clip which has just plain dumbfounded me since I saw it many years ago. It is a toast to the superb ingenuity of man; it is a testament to our brain, plain and simple, forever sealing all arguments about whether animals are as intelligent as men! For an African Bushman, survival depends on, among other things, accessibility to water.

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-13925913697319882252011-02-18T11:45:00.000-08:002011-02-18T11:52:33.349-08:00

One of my absolute favorite scenes in any film is the one in "2001: A Space Odyssey", where Dave unplugs the spaceship's on board computer, HAL, who has lately turned into a nasty boy and threatens to take over. It epitomizes the quintessential  battle between Man and Machine. When Dave begins unplug HAL, he simply does not want to die! We all cheer ol' Dave, "Do it Dave! Sock it to em', Dave!

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-29290325436426620842011-02-14T16:41:00.000-08:002011-02-14T16:49:06.822-08:00

I rummage through my closet for something special to wear. Little to choose from. Then I see it: my Lowrider jacket the one I haven't worn for years, with the words Low and Rider, divided by the zipper and the little icons on the sleeves from Low Rider Magazine, of a vato with shades, moustached, and a little brimmed hat on the top. This is perfect. My compadres Julian and Mary arrive early,

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-78097770079203415922010-09-22T11:33:00.000-07:002010-09-22T11:45:48.863-07:00

Phony as a two dollar bill? There is one on each side of the crosswalk, at the stoplight waiting for the cars to stop so they can ply their faces of pity on the hapless, unwary drivers forced to stop for the red. Scraggly, beaten, weathered, wrinkled faces beyond their years, seasoned, soiled, wretched, their sparkling eyes the only sign of life, of humanity left in them. The one on my side

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-88930044185008548342010-08-31T19:20:00.000-07:002010-08-31T19:20:13.588-07:00

I was in college when a bunch of us bohemians were sitting around and drinking cheap wine at a friend's apartment watching one of those South Sea Hollywood movies popular back in the 50's and 60's In this one, a ship crashes on a reef, a White straggler half-drowned, is rescued by a tribe of Natives on a beach. He is dragged to safety and nursed back to life. Neither he nor the primatives

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-65263843555409794182010-08-22T15:48:00.000-07:002010-08-22T15:48:13.504-07:00

Souls trod off to the Mexican Revolution by Jose Clemente Orozco "The New Democcracy" Mural by David Alfaro Siqueiros "Tenochtitlan" mural by Diego Rivera Los Tres Grandes I was just a junior in high school when my Junior Composition teacher assigned my first Term Paper, on a subject of our own choosing. When I scrambled in terror reading the guidelines for the assignment,

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-76557774302514414882010-08-17T18:05:00.000-07:002010-08-17T18:05:18.468-07:00

Me and my Homies on a typical day Bringing Home the Bacon. The thought of our ancient cousins hunting animals and gathering food in order to survive is subconsciously ingrained in our mind's eye. It must have been rough. Yet, for us guys, it must have defined our manhood. The ladies stayed home, wove blankets, nursed the kids and cooked. A neat division of labor which worked well until women

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-37958908088034864552010-08-16T11:26:00.000-07:002010-08-16T11:26:08.633-07:00

"Where there is love there is always great miracles." I just read that an airliner crashed and broke into three pieces and that it was "a miracle" that only one of the 133 passengers died. But what if we ask the one passenger who died if he agrees? We constantly hear people attribute miracles to all kinds of ordinary events usually when things wind up going the way they think they ought to go.

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-35406436219500172472010-08-02T10:44:00.000-07:002010-08-02T10:44:31.478-07:00

The political jargon that surrounds any discussion these days has reached the theater of the absurd. Good used to  mean good. Bad, well bad. Right used to mean right, and left, left. Que paso? Now, we speak of liberal consevatives, moderate ones, and the Far Right. We speak of liberal moderates, consevative moderates, and moderate liberals. We say that the rise in foreclosures is dropping.

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-59998893979991072162010-06-30T13:28:00.000-07:002010-06-30T13:41:52.159-07:00

I remember this mind bender from a philosophy course I took in college and how I spent days, even years contemplating the question: "If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one there to hear it, does it still make a sound? And now at 70+, I am ready to pronounce the answer. Are you ready? Yes! It sure the hell does! This week my son Miguel took my wife and I to Silver Lake, an old haunt

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-30609995631942475092010-06-03T12:16:00.000-07:002010-06-03T12:16:30.526-07:00

In my tiny barrio in Southside Modesto, I grew up surrounded by what were then commonly called "Mojados", referring to the crude namesake "Wetbacks." They seemed normal enough to me. Young kids, old men whose only dream was to work the summer seasons in the fields, send money to families in Mexico, and return for the winter. I worked alongside them in the fields, fruit picking machines, their

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-10157023212724584912010-05-24T14:14:00.000-07:002010-05-25T09:55:30.209-07:00

                                                   II recall reading that until recently, there was no mention of the Holocaust, or the dropping of the Atom Bomb on Nagasaki or Hiroshima during World War II, in German and Japanese history books, respectively. Imagine if our U.S. History books selectively omitted mention of Black Slavery, The Mexican-American War, or the brutality visited on

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-81960964705695206142010-05-05T10:58:00.000-07:002010-05-05T10:58:21.608-07:00

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-11136675277666233592010-05-04T16:26:00.000-07:002010-05-04T16:27:26.024-07:00

Alfredo Bedoya, famous Mexican actor said it best when he confronts Humphrey Bogart, gringo fortune hunter in the classic film, "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" who asks the quintessential (and stereotypical) Mexican Bandido, swarthy, greasy, sweaty in a dirty sombrero with a knick in it: "Who are you?" "We are the Federales." "Well, if you're the Federales where's your badges?" "Badges? Badges?

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-64240103460337220092010-03-31T11:40:00.000-07:002010-04-08T17:32:32.242-07:00

(Two Vatos pull up on Acacia St. get out of their ranfla and look nervously around. They hold a crumpled up, soiled business card in one hand) Lo: Ese Cho, are you sure dis' is da right place? Looks purdy spooky to me. Cho: Pos claro que si. I wrote down da' address on the back of my hand but I think it washed off when I shaved dis' morning! (Laughs at his own joke).  But calmate Homie, it's

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-80820535243756861872010-03-25T18:28:00.000-07:002010-03-26T15:39:45.610-07:00

"Como te veo, me vi; como me ves te veras" is and old Mexican proverb that addresses the idea that we all must grow old, saying to the impudent young: "Go ahead and laugh at me, because how I see you I once was, but how you see me, you will one day be!" It seems that lately all my friends and I talk about is pain, prescription meds, cataracts, enlarged prostrates, and yes my friend Colonoscopies

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-35898204966208712752010-03-15T16:40:00.000-07:002010-03-15T16:41:01.431-07:00

Few history books will tell the incredible story of The San Patricio Batallion, one that seems appropriate to recall during this season of St. Patrick's Day in the U.S. As a kid, the only thing I knew about the day was that if I didn't wear something green to school I would get pinched! Before 1835, a big chunk of Southwestern U.S. was Mexican Territory, including California and Texas. As the

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-81034046951680493762010-03-05T14:07:00.000-08:002010-03-05T19:59:28.024-08:00

Went on a "Save Our Schools" protest march last night which ended up with a rally at my old Alma Mater, San Joaquin Delta Community College in Stockton. But I, being a senior citizen (70), had seriously underestimated the 2-plus mile distance of the march and was forced to rest a few moments on the bridge over the Calaveras River (aptly meaning "skeleton" in Spanish), alongside University of the

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-16489157688746559862010-02-25T10:41:00.000-08:002010-02-25T10:42:22.838-08:00

As a child, I remember this image on a calendar my mom had pinned on a wall of our bedroom. It gave me a wonderful sense of peace to think that God had assigned each of us with a heavenly defender to keep us from stumbling. "Pray to your Guardian Angel for protection", she would say. The bridge which the two children cross in the image is old, and rickety, a board missing on the crosswalk, and

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-65381457035299835982010-02-20T13:02:00.000-08:002010-02-22T16:44:16.693-08:00

I saw an announcement in our local paper that the Cactus Society is meeting today and I wondered just who they are and what they discuss at their meetings. Do they comapare species? Talk to cacti? Whisper to them? Watch them grow? As far as I am concerned, the real cactus society is the Mexicans. The history of the importance of cactus in Mexican culture has probably not been written but it

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-2375379068891885162010-02-06T14:56:00.000-08:002010-02-06T15:05:42.524-08:00

As I helped hang the incredible tapestries of Leo De Los Angeles in a recent exhibit at the Mexican Heritage Center in Stockton, I was struck by the incredible journey this art form has taken from its ancient Oaxacan- Zapotecan roots, from grandfather, to father, to son, of being peddled in plazas and tourist sites to buyers from Los Angeles, Las Vegas to Copenhagen, to an insignificant

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-64406475236590077012010-02-01T16:46:00.000-08:002010-02-01T17:08:12.575-08:00

I met Leo De Los Angeles some months back, at a Multi-cultural Fest that was held locally. He was wandering around with his little son who kept tugging his shirt, encouraging him to stop at our booth. I was manning the booth for The Mexican Heritage Center in Stockton, and Leo introduced himself as a weaver. I told him about the center, explaining that central to our mission our was to

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-63752842092371084402010-01-15T10:49:00.001-08:002010-01-15T11:49:02.480-08:00

As I hit about six red lights in a row the other day, it ocurred to me that I hit one about 85% of the time I drive up to an intersection. Why is it? One would think the odds would be 50-50. Have you ever noticed that red lights seem last forever? That they are twice as long as green lights? Red lights strike terror in us. Holy Frijoley, a $250 ticket! The camera on the light posts is forever

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-45052469520076972542009-12-15T15:50:00.000-08:002010-01-08T12:24:18.635-08:00

The latest Pew Hispanic Center study, based on a survey of 1200 Latinos, aged 16-25, found something new, and something old. Did you know, for example that young Latinos comprise 18% of all young people in the U.S.? And 42% of all youth in Califas? Orale, I mean wow. How will this affect the future culture, economy and politics of Californa and the U.S.? Qien sabe. More salsa maybe?1/3 of young

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-91523457941648131512009-12-15T10:40:00.000-08:002009-12-23T10:36:26.224-08:00

For as long as anybody remembers, indians and Mexicans near the town of San Elizario, Texas had been openly sharing the salt from local mines. It was considered "communal property", sort of. However, when the Anglos (and Capitalists) arrived in Texas in the early 1800's, they saw the real value of these mines.Indians had never been really keen on fences, and in their minds, no one could own a

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-35807906086396444362009-11-30T10:24:00.000-08:002009-11-30T20:22:25.219-08:00

Image via WikipediaA much maligned and misunderstood symbol is that of the Yin and Yang. You see it on posters, buttons, T-shirts and dangling from the necks of obscure, long-haired youth.Before I ever understood it, I saw it from an artist's perspective. a beautiful and powerful design, stunning in its simplicity.To learn that it symbolizes two fish, one white and one black and that each form

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-24345028591992546642009-11-23T12:49:00.000-08:002009-11-23T15:11:46.190-08:00

Image via Wikipedia The word Martyr conjures in me images of fear, ecstasy, faith and terror. The Christian stories of the martyred saints, Peter, Paul, Stephen, and Joan of Arc are both inspiring and chilling. Especially the supreme sacrifice of Jesus.I have never really had the courage to stand for anything I believe in and the thought of dying for a principle frightens me to death (no pun).

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-76806596644031741802009-11-23T10:09:00.000-08:002009-11-23T10:48:58.397-08:00

Image via WikipediaJust read about a girl in a campus Atheist club who said "very few people know we exist." Funny, that's exactly what God says.I wonder what they do at their meetings? Convince one another of their non beliefs? If they fund raise, what do they do with "In God We Trust" engraved on bills? I hope they give them back.I wonder if they proselytize? Pass out flyers on corners? Baptize

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-48370506705197915552009-11-14T16:25:00.000-08:002009-11-18T15:54:58.549-08:00

Image via WikipediaThe announcement of Lou Dobbs' retirement from CNN comes really as no big surprise. For some, it was long overdue.His reasons for leaving are indeed noble: "to seek a more activist role" because "the strong winds of change have been buffeting our country", which must be engaged with "constructive problem solving". I like the "buffeting" part. Whew, the Vato waxes almost poetic

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-2584403413474348272009-11-06T09:57:00.000-08:002010-01-08T13:04:38.512-08:00

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeRuben Naverette, columnist recently wrote about a hotel owner in New Mexico who recently fired some of employees for speaking Spanish on the job. Hijole.The employer also demanded that those employees with Hispanic names anglicize them, the old "Jose" to "Joe", and "Maria" to "Mary" pedo.He said of course, that this move was "not at all racist" and that he was

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-43520900877514328922009-10-30T14:01:00.000-07:002009-10-30T14:40:50.468-07:00

Image via WikipediaSeveral weeks ago a U.S. Chopper went down in Iraq. There was nothing on the six o'clock news on NBC, nothing on ABC, nothing on CBS, nothing on CNN.Later that day my wife received a phone call from a dear friend in Arizona telling her to pray for her son-in-law in Iraq. Her daughter had just received a call from the Department of Defense telling her that a U.S. military

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-61913697695543973022009-09-25T16:09:00.000-07:002009-09-25T16:33:34.304-07:00

Image by HA! Designs - Artbyheather via FlickrAccording to CNN, a recent study has found that children who were spanked scored 5 percentage points lower on IQ tests, than those who were not!! Give me a break.What I want to know is how they know for sure that those who scored lower weren't already 5 points dumber in IQ before they were even spanked?Maybe that's why they were spanked in the first

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-20930350756983719932009-09-24T11:44:00.000-07:002009-09-24T12:43:18.232-07:00

Democrats, Run for your lives!!! Image via WikipediaJust read where the sale of ammuntion has skyrocketed this year, from 7 billion rounds last year to 9 billion bullets this year.One dealer was cited as saying spikes in ammunition sales is not unusual during times when Democrats are in power, but that this is amazing.America is literally "biting the bullet." Bullets for breakfast lunch, and

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-48225145521086087392009-09-22T09:23:00.000-07:002009-09-22T16:36:55.153-07:00

Image by azrainman via FlickrImage by L-T-L via FlickrI realized this summer just how many crickets we have in our backyard. As a child, through open screen doors and windows, it just wasn't summer unless the multitude of crickets was chirping in the darkness.What a lovely chorus. One lives inside a potted plant sitting on a step of the deck, leading to our backyard.He madly serenades his

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-87605110274371577842009-09-14T10:29:00.000-07:002009-09-14T11:11:39.380-07:00

Image by TheAlieness GiselaGiardino²³ via FlickrThis is my 100th entry, wow a mercurial feat for me! I had dreamed of spending time writing after my retirement but I never dreamed so much of it would take this form.I always pictured it as real writing, like for a book or something, you know.I admit there is some fat and grease here and there, but you must admit, there are also some morsels of

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-1968181604619113632009-09-10T12:20:00.000-07:002009-09-10T12:48:56.090-07:00

Image via WikipediaWatched an engaging documentary last nite on the History Channel concerning the Maya fascination with time and how they possessed precise calendars far before those of any other culture anywhere on earth (including Europe) and more accurate.Apparently, theirs was a fascination with noting that time moved in small, medium, and giant cycles in keeping with the movements of the

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-41690700783291693522009-09-09T18:00:00.000-07:002009-09-09T18:10:26.436-07:00

Cover of Alice's RestaurantJust finished listening to Arlo Guthrie's (Woody Guthrie's son) "Alice's Restaurant" and wow what a takeback the 60's, from a hodgepodge playist of favorties I've compiled. It is a masterpiece protest song against the Viet Nam War, and popped up unexpectedly.If you can, track it down and give it a listen and get ready to crack up at vintage sarcasm, satire and absurdity

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-51776622053638162812009-09-09T10:02:00.000-07:002009-09-09T11:26:16.375-07:00

Image via WikipediaI sent my kid home from school yesterday cuz I didn't want him hearin' no Socialistic speech from President Obama.Sometimes, I have him removed from the classroom when they're studying that science stuff or history. We gotta protect our young minds.I also, didn't want him spoutin' off no pledge of allegiance stuff to no specific country or praying to no special God, or stuff.He

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-33835316161734570212009-09-06T20:18:00.001-07:002009-09-06T20:33:07.507-07:00

Just occurred to me that all I love has been a product of my labor, a 43 year marriage, raising two hard-headed sons, teaching my students for 33 years, learning my art, learning to play the guitar and sing, learning to write.In Kahil Gibran's The Prophet, he writes "Work is love made visible. But if you cannot work without distaste, it would be better to sit at the temple gates and take alms

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-34031379153130765472009-08-27T11:40:00.000-07:002009-08-31T09:56:02.825-07:00

Wait a minute!! On second thought I take it back!! Being President would only cause more problems. For starters, birthers would begin to say Jose "was not born in the U.S."Then, ultra conservative talk show hosts would suggest that any attempt at immigration reform would benefit only his fellow Mexican constituents and those illegally in the country, that he would tear down the fences, replace

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-24406182291852296422009-08-23T13:42:00.000-07:002009-08-26T17:48:32.878-07:00

Yesterday, we dared a trip to our beloved San Francisco. Actually, it was more of a pilgrimage, since the my wife's miraculous recovery from chronic pain. As she lay in bed in agony these past years, she spoke often of taking a trip to the coast, or just to walk the streets of her beloved San Francisco, Chinatown, once again.It begins with breakfast on the Embarcadero at one of our favorite

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-14249454822726036012009-08-19T11:09:00.000-07:002009-08-19T11:51:37.114-07:00

Summer in the San Joaquin Valley, for my my wife and I, means savory tossed salads. It is local tomato and produce time, and we love to toss in every veggie we can think of. Prices are great this time of year too, in the stores and Farmer's Markets.To boot, there is fresh lettuce, Romaine and Iceberg, spinach, tomatoes, regular and cherry [had a bunch of "volunteer plants" from last year's crop

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-26950765482000046282009-08-16T09:55:00.000-07:002009-08-25T19:42:39.986-07:00

Image via WikipediaWho woud'a thought it. First a Latina U.S. Supreme Court Justice, then a Chicano Astronaut! Dios mio!!Jose Hernandez of Stockton (son of a migrant farmworker) will see the world not from the top of a ladder, but the window of the International Space Station.Jose, who attended local Franklin High School, and University of The Pacific, will blast off on Friday, August 28 (?) for

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-47593533316633635352009-08-14T11:33:00.001-07:002009-08-14T11:59:57.641-07:00

Les Paul died yesterday at 94. As a kid I loved hearing his songs with his wife Mary Ford, Les' exquisite guitar, and their incredible harmonies. I was a big fan of hits like "Mockin' Bird Hill", "Tennessee Waltz", "Lady of Spain" and "Hummingbird".But my favorite had to be "Vaya Con Dios" (Go with God). The story goes that in the Spring of 1953, Capitol Records had just cut a half-million

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-31197433053360863032009-08-13T10:18:00.001-07:002009-08-13T10:55:29.259-07:00

Today marks our 43rd Anniversary. Who woulda' thunk it? The kid who at 25 vowed he would be a perpetual bachelor!That all changed in 1965 when I met my beautiful wife Chela in Mexico City when my mom and I had gone there to pay a "Manda" (vow) to visit the Basilica of the Virgen of Guadalupe which she had made while I was off in Europe in the U.S. Army.She had made the promise that the two of us

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-78754913125246033732009-08-12T11:01:00.000-07:002009-08-12T11:32:44.525-07:00

Image by Jacob Bøtter via FlickrOne would hope that the Red Scare (note the color red here) was history, past, gone away but it seems conservatives are at it again as the the "S" word is being pasted onto Obama, The Bailout and increased government involvement in our lives, now Health Care Reform.I used to tell my students to tell me whether Democracy or Communism is good or bad. And naturally,

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-54526004715880454892009-08-10T11:01:00.000-07:002009-08-10T12:32:29.161-07:00

One day when I told my Mom I wanted to be an artist when I grew up she said "Why? Artists only get famous after they're dead!"This past weekend while rifling through my record collection (Yes, I still own records and from time to time play them on my "stereo system!") I came across an old album by Ken Nordine and played it.I was flooded with memories of sipping wine at my pad in the late 50's

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-52789380419490035692009-08-07T09:27:00.000-07:002009-08-08T11:06:32.517-07:00

Image by d_vdm via FlickrI humbly accept this award from my manly Blogger buddy, Dad #167, (Please read his Blog) though I have worked so hard to keep my manliness in check. But sometimes it is not so easy to hide. It has been a bit like Clark Kent in the phone booth leaping out when least expected.But my machismo, manhood and masulinity is so obvious in my posts and I feel I am truly deserving

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-62021920199960828762009-08-06T19:29:00.000-07:002009-08-06T19:44:52.105-07:00

Wow, Sonia Sotomayor was finally confirmed as Supreme Court Justice! Now, that's real Justice. Not more than 150 years ago Mexicans in California were not even permitted to serve on a jury! You've come a long way, baby. Of, course this was after promising she would not nationalize all illegal aliens, vote against abortion, or use Spanish in the courtroom, (or the bathroom) and refrain from any

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-80797039777565880572009-08-01T10:08:00.000-07:002009-08-08T11:07:53.181-07:00

Some time back I posted an entry titled "BMW: In Sickness and in Health" (please see), where I bemoaned the health of my wife who for several years has been in chronic back pain and debilitating depression. She often spoke of ending her life."Pray, have faith, ask God for a miracle", we were constantly told by friends and well-wishers. "You are in our prayers." Yet not prayer, not numerous and

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-38662098644859579002009-07-08T13:27:00.001-07:002009-08-08T11:12:43.702-07:00

Just spent a week in mid-June in our trailer at Bodega Bay on the coast. On one weekend, Fernando our youngest son, brought ingredients for shish-ka-bob which we barbecued for dinner. The colors of the speared food glowed and needless to say everyone, even the kids totally enjoyed the meal. We lived sinfully well that week, not like the old days when we used to "rough it" in tents. In the days we

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-4289000228988901802009-06-10T14:43:00.001-07:002009-08-08T11:14:13.356-07:00

How Mexcians figured out how to harvest and eat cactus you got me but it shines as a testament to their ingenuity over the centuries. Not only do cactus give water to quench one's thirst in the desert, but they are edible and part of the Mexican/Indigenous cuisine. In summer, the Tunas (cactus pears will be ripening and if you have never tasted one you are missing out on one of life's delicacies.

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-83527677479749132902009-06-10T10:37:00.000-07:002009-06-10T11:04:58.005-07:00

Celebrated my 70th Birthday yesterday rather uneventfully, though there was an unofficial celebration for me on Sunday.My wife would not hear of just letting the day pass without food, family, friends and cake. My two sons were here, the grand kids, some dear friends and a couple of our neighbors.We feasted on barbecue ribs, beans, rice, and green salad. Most, even took doggie bags home after

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-70973740490189987632009-06-01T14:31:00.001-07:002009-06-01T14:38:33.941-07:00

I captured this moment at a recent graduation party where a young couple showed up with these two captivating young grown-up ladies, with minuscule high heels and all. When the music started the two put on a show for the backyard audience, complete with twirls, pouts, smiles, salutes and pirouettes. They showed their stuff. During a break I coaxed them into a camera moment.

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-73548873122112706612009-05-26T09:16:00.000-07:002009-05-26T10:27:41.019-07:00

Well, the dreaded finally came yesterday in the on-going saga of Princess, our old Chihuahua, when my son, Fernando came to cart off her remaining three pups. They are up for sale now, on the Internet. The fourth one had been sold about a week ago and Princess had lamented that one. The plan was to do it all in one fell swoop, to distract the mother while he stole off with the brood. I filled

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-82003228651809763962009-05-24T15:14:00.000-07:002009-05-24T16:06:25.359-07:00

Almost 43 years ago I voiced the marriage vows to my Beautiful Mexican Wife (BMW) in Mexico City. The words were so easy to parrot: "Yeah, yeah, till death do us part and yeah, love forever, in sickness and in health, and all that stuff." I just wanted it over so we could get on to the serious business of honey-mooning in Acapulco.Little did I know I would come to live out those vows in such a

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-5492135436268636692009-05-18T15:56:00.000-07:002009-05-22T09:27:59.037-07:00

Gonna brag a little about Patricia Madueno, Patti, my younger son's fiancee who last weekend graduated Summa Cum Laude, with a Bachelor's Degree in Education, from one of California's oldest and most prestigious universities, University of Pacific with all kinds of honors and accolades, and a 3.97 GPA, all because of a painful A- she got in one class! But no one's perfect and even yours truly

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-18405482137719005712009-05-18T11:47:00.000-07:002009-05-18T13:16:08.645-07:00

Spent the last couple of months writing, directing and staging a short skit for the area CRLA, California, Rural, Legal Assistance which provides free legal advice to poor agricultural workers. The skit, which we entitled "Asi Dice El Compadre Chuy" (According to Compadre Chuy), addresses typical labor issues of local dairy workers, wages, overtime pay, medical care, rest periods, and lunch

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-22092583917527881112009-05-14T16:21:00.001-07:002009-05-14T20:34:51.850-07:00

Picking up the thread of my last post concerning my incredible nose for sniffing out a good deal, I happened by the 99 Cents store yesterday and spied this couldn't-pass- up-cure for snoring for 99 cents! Though I have never heard myself, my wife insists that when I snore, I gargle like dirty water going down a half-stopped up drain, to the point she often edges off into the adjoining bedroom to

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-17019348933909566162009-05-12T13:20:00.001-07:002009-05-12T14:23:10.567-07:00

Maybe it because we were poor Mexicans when I was a kid, but I have made a kind of profession out of bargain hunting. If it wasn't on sale, or a Goodwill bargain, I would pass it up. Of course, I paid a price in the long run, with stuff collapsing, breaking, tearing, fading, or falling apart afterwards. But in the process I have made and continue to make a few good deals, of which I take pride. I

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-40086101658043145212009-05-12T13:17:00.001-07:002009-05-12T13:19:38.158-07:00

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4507659866433188588.post-73290695626090993082009-05-05T09:57:00.000-07:002009-05-05T11:04:17.767-07:00

Mexicans will take about any excuse to turn it into a fiesta or a holiday. Take Cinco de Mayo, for instance. Just 40 years ago no one I know ever even heard of it. Before this, the event was sporadically celebrated in Mexico, but the Chicanos of the late 1960's needed something to boost their pride and heritage so they kidnapped the occasion to create a holiday which would allow them to cry "Viva

Rick Rivershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09660636921053646567noreply@blogger.com1