Big D!

I was told I live in the ghetto, but the ghetto seems pretty damn nice. I live in what is practically south central Dallas, or Oak Cliff. It’s an old part of town that will be gentrified sooner or later. Other than old cutesy houses with perfectly kept lush grassy lawns, an array of foliage in every yard and the near mansions about six blocks from me, there’s just a whole bunch of Mexicans that live in the area. Uyyy, so scary!!

Although I suppose all the Fiesta grocery stores and Latino this and that signs littered all over the area is a bit reminiscent of J-town, it’s still missing the Mexican soldiers decked out in all black holding giant machines guns on every corner and watching you bag your groceries. So, sorry peeps; Oak Cliff is not Juarez. In fact, it’s more like Kern place on crack, the good crack, with rancheras blasting from a couple houses.

Thus far, my vagabond to Dallas experience has been rather pleasant. And, I have to say, I was a goddamn trooper when I drove the 8 hours to the middle of Texas. I was terrified of driving. I had visions of ending up decapitated on a lonely stretch of highway, my head being pecked at by vultures. You see, I’ve had an accident on I-10 before. While traveling with a beast to Austin, another beast appeared in the middle of the road. Though I’ve never quite figured out what caused my accident, I’ve narrowed it down to either a giant armadillo, a wild boar, or as one of my dearest friends suspected, a bison.

I tried to swerve to avoid the wildebeest, but I over corrected and ending up spinning every which way on Interstate 10.

Alas, I survived both trips! The latest thanks to Monica and the song “Bad Girls” by Donna Summer. I was lucky enough to have been carrying a CD of terrible disco songs which included that gem on my venture. I’m not sure whether it’s the “Toot toot, heyyyyyy, beep beep” interspersed throughout the song, or what sounds like a sports whistle in the background, but the sheer ridiculousness of the song kept me awake and reenergized once my eyelids began to get heavy, and I started running into the shoulders of I-10.

Have a listen!

Things have also gone rather well at work. Everyone is nice! Wow, what a concept. And I’ve already met a Pulitzer prize-winning photog. Thanks, Shemale (BT). Speaking Spanish makes me happy. My first story gets published tomorrow. I feel rather productive cranking out a daily, despite it being a silly story about a children’s art installation. Spanish is rather difficult though, I end up make some wack ass translations. I just don’t have the vocabulary. I was reading Cien Años De Soledad, and I swear I had to look up at least 10 words on the first page. Truculente!! That’s a good one.

My only complaint is that I need a GPS navigation system. Being lost is Dallas traffic is nooooooo fun. I promise. I have to text Google from my phone all the time and it doesn’t always focus.

Well that’s it for my cheesy update for my friends and family who read this. I believe I am hanging out Ben, who I have renamed Shemale, tonight.

Oh, by the way, an opossum died by way of vehicle that I was a passenger in the other night. What luck I have with animals!

Some photos:

Mi Trabajito

The Bahn

The caballito that we almost were killed for in San Antonio