HAPPY NEW YEAR!

HAPPY NEW YEAR.

I WISH YOU ALL THE BEST IN 2006

bon bon

bon bon
Originally uploaded by Ciscokid1.

My daughter as a bon bon in The Nutcracker. She was very happy and excited to have participated in this production here in Vegas. She is already looking to next year's performance.

END OF YEAR

So what will 2006 bring us in the field of American politics?

One thing for sure is, the Bush White House will continue to "surprise" us with more and more revelations about the on-goings behind the much secretive administration.

Consider the latest "leak" about the NSA spying on American citizens...All this without a court order.
Frankly, I don't care about the spying or surveillance. I for one have nothing to hide, as I am sure most of the citizens of this country feel. If I am pulled over because I fit a certain description in their APB's, so be it. I have not committed a crime.
The only problem as I see it, is that eventually, someone will get carried away. A "right" minded law enforcement agent with his own agenda. At that point, who does he respond to?...Where are the guidelines for him or her to follow when they begin to trample on innocent people?
Right now the administration has a carte blanche in regards to law enforcement and by default, any and all other law enforcement agencies. This is something that you would find in any third world country. All you have to do is go back to any Latin American country in the 70's where most governments were of an authoritarian nature, thus they sequestered, jailed and executed any who would oppose them, without the smallest appearance of a justice system. (Of course, the tables have turned and many of these ex-leaders are now under "investigation" or in jail for the alleged atrocities committed agains their own people)
Another interesting aspect of these governments was the fact that most were supported by American administrations; whether Republicans or Democrats There were no doubts that millions of dollars were going to these countries to support these governments.
This is the risk that the US runs if it allows the "Patriot Act" and or other acts which undermine the freedom that citizens have enjoyed and still enjoy here in the States. It is a dangerous slope that our government could easily go down into.
It is taking the easy way out. By allowing Law enforcement the right to do as they please in regards to "law enforcement", they are being told that regardless of the way that they obtain information on any person, they will not be subject to prosecution.
Isn't that why the FBI was instituted to begin with?...
To investigate and prosecute any "domestic" crimes?...So what if the crime has not been committed (As they have explained-after the September 11 attack).
You suspect someone of planning an attack?...Spy on them listen to their phone conversations, follow them and prosecute them. However, only after all proper procedures have been followed (Obtain a warrant, or court order).
I want to be as safe as everyone else. I want to be protected against any attacks from anyone, including our own government.
Any law that pretends to protect us as Americans or other, needs to be tailored after our constitution. The FBI's procedures need to be revised to allow certain freedoms in regards to law enforcement, without breaking any laws.
The current actions by the current administration are an example of a government ready to turn the leadership to shady characters who feel above and outside the law. This is already a big revelation in 2005. What else can we expect in 2006?...
We have yet to see.

PICTURE

Today, I will take a picture for you.
A picture that shows the spirit of Christmas.

In the meantime.
Merry Christmas to all of you.

SHE READ THE BLOGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, she did. and if you are reading it right now, (Melissa). You made me realize that I have nothing to hide.
I was afraid that you might read it but then again..
It is posted online for the world to see. The world includes you.

Aside from making me look like a fool because of some of my writings, what can I say. I am a guy and every now and then I behave like one.
Nonetheless, if she needs to hear it or read it.
here it is.

I Love her.

I love you.
You are a wonderfull mom.
You are a great girlfriend.
You have been through so much with me that I cannot find the words to thank you other than to say , "I Love you".
I hope you know it.
We have had our issues, but they are meaningless and small.
Everyone has them. (Just read all the bloggs around)
I still have a lot of issues. You still your own.
Such is life and we just have to balance them out and make the best of it.

Yes, just last week you were asking me about reading my blogg.
and you've done it.

NO TITLE

Wow!
2006 coming up really soon.
When I was a kid I used to wonder about the year 2000. Whether it was religiuosly induced or just "cultural myth", my friends and I used to talk about the end of the world. I also used to count the years left till 2000. Of course this was back in the 70's....At some point I just forgot about the whole thing and 2000 came and went.
Now we are well into th 00's. Closing on 2010.

What were you like when you were a kid?...
what things did you worry about?....
Merry Christmas to you all.

El anio 2006 se acerca muy rapidamente. Recuerdo que cuando yo era un chamaco, siempre tenia preocupacion por el fin del mundo. Mis amigos y yo pensabamos que seria en el 2000. No recuerdo si era por religion o solo un mito en general. Y hoy ya estamos por finalizar el '05 y aceracndonos al 2010.

Como eras de puquenio?..
Que cosas te preocupaban?....

Feliz Navidad a todos

IMAGINE

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...

Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one

John Lennon.
1940-1980

Where were you 25 years ago on this day?

CHRISTMAS

Yes, finally it is here.
Christmas.

Now, who is going to get what.........
I wonder. Why?
I get the question "What do you want for Christmas?"..
My answer is the usual; "I don't know" or "Nothing"..

What do you want?..

I AM THANKFULL FOR MY DAUGHTER

Of all things I am thankfull for, is to have my daughter (Though right now she is in San Francisco-with family)
I am thankfull for being healthy
I am thankfull for all the love that sourrounds me.
A am also thankfull for friends I have made through this medium. "You know who you are"

Thank you Lord.


En este dia de Accion de Gracias, Doy Gracias por tenere una hija tan linda.
Doy gracias por mi salud, por todo el amor alrededor de mi.
Doy gracias por las amistades que he establecido a travez de este medio de comunicacion.-Ustedes saben quien son.

Gracias tambien a Dios.

Day Off!

Finally!

Yes, I got, or better yet, I gave myself a day off. I hired an assistant who, hopefully will start this week. Now I can begin to schedule myself for day off.
I have been away for a while, nonetheless, I have been keeping up with they bloggs I read.
I got the kids from school. now typing up to sya hello while I enjoy a good Chardonnay. That is whata I call "life"
-No work, chilling, and a nice glass of wine-
How do you relax?

Finalmente tengo un dia de descanzo. Ya contarte un asistente y quiza empieze el en esta semana para yo descansar mas regularmente. Estoy en la computadora, tomando una copa de vino y relajandome. Tambien leyendo los bloggs que acostumbro (Hola Tere).
Eso es lo que se llama vida.

Y tu, Como te relajas?
Saludos.

THE LOST YEARS

I am not sure that I can classify the last few years of my life as lost years.
I have accomplished several things in my professional career. At the same time, I have also made some supid decisions that have cost me plenty. However it is just money. I am healthy, have a loving daughter, have a loving woman in my life. What else could I want?...
I think I want those years back.

So I can tell her how much I loved her, so I can hold her as close to my heart as possible. Just to tell her so many thing that were left unsaid.
Our life changed a lot after our daughter was born. It seems like a given that some of the romanticism is gone or just "put aside" momentarily to give and pay attention to the new member of the family. I can understand that and I was willing to go along, however long it took, just to get back into our romantic, loving sexual life. But then she got diagnosed. So she became the priority for everyone. As well as mine, but while she was sick, we never wanted to entertain the idea that she would die. So we never spoke of the what if. By the time I faced reality it was too late. Could she hear me?
I don't know.
Could she understand my words and tears through her drug induced sleep?
Maybe.
I think that is what buggs me so much after all these years. That we did not face the reality of our future with her sickness. I think she was more aware of it that I was. Maybe it was me who didn't want to face the reality of what was happening to her, to us.
There was a day while she was at the hospital, after the bone marrow transplant. She told me how much she wanted to be with me and that my time spent with our daughter while she was ill (at the hospital), was taking away from that. I felt really bad for her and I think that is when I understood what was coming and still we did not talk about it.
I want those years back.

SUNDAY

Hello all.

Have not had a day off for about three weeks...What do you do?...Keep trucking I say. Work is busy constantly, currently looking to add staff and an assistant so I can get a day off or a couple. I still find the restaurant business exciting, of course, like anything else it has its moments where you just want to walk off, but it also has its rewards.
Daughter is good-Just waiting for Halloween. She is going to be "Catwoman". Just yesterday, she went to a kid's Halloween party that lasted "SIX HOURS" She came back cackling like a witch in a witch's outfit-hat, broom and all. I do miss some of the "close" connections you establish with those frequent readers of blogs. Every now and then I pop in to read what everyone is up to. Right now I am at work, posting before I begin to do some serious work.
Till next time.

BACK TO POLITICS

George Bush supposedly does not read or pay attention to poll numbers.
Maybe he should. He is at a low 39% approval rating, while at the same time, only 2% of African Americans think he is doing a good job as president. On top of that, the looming resolution of the case which will find that in more ways than one, Rove and or the VP's office was involved in releasing the name of the covert CIA agent to the media. This undoubtedly, will lead to perhaps lower numbers in the polls for Bush. His only resolution is to fire whoever was involved in the leak, sooner than later. It wil be to his advantage.
I wonder if he's ever heard of Watergate.

ENGAGEMENT

The Spring Semester at UCLA was coming to an end. This was around May of 1995 and my birthday had just gone by with the required celebration. I was also studying for finals, so it was both a time full of stress and anticipation. We had always made it a point to really have fun on our birthdays and these were no exception. Hers was coming up and I had yet to buy her a present. I have always been a procrastinator and still am. I see myself more of the spontaneous type, but I was having difficulty figuring out what to get her nonetheless, I figured this would have to be a good present. We had been living together for about 3 years. I knew her parents and family well by now. We had also been to Mexico City where she met my Dad. Why just my dad and not my mom?, that is a story for another chapter.
It was time to pop the question. That, I decided would be a "good" birthday present. So after leaving school, I decided to drive by a flower shop and bought a bunch of roses. I also stopped by campanile Restaurant on La Brea and made reservations that evening. We had always wanted to go there, but had never made it a point of visiting. Probably it had to do because we lived on the other side of the city (Pasadena) and we did not have to drive far to go have fun or to eat out.

So now I have the flowers, a reservation, but no ring.
I went back to our apartment and went to a couple of jewelry stores that I had been "casing out". I knew I was going to marry her. She knew we were going to marry. It was a matter of just proposing and doing it. The time had come.
I was lucky enough to find a ring that was unique and as close to what I had in mind for her. I bought it, boxed it and took it home.
She could read excitement in my voice and face when she got home. I told her about our dinner reservation and we got ready.
Dinner went without a hitch, when we got to the restaurant, the roses had been nicely placed on the table. The staff were extremely professional since they knew what I was up to.
Finally desserts arrived. We had started diner with a couple of cocktails, had wine with diner and finished with champagne for her birthday celebration. We started dinner at about 7:00 P.M. It was about 10:00PM when I finally got on my knees and asked her to marry me.
She loved the ring, it fit her perfectly, she said yes and we were married the following year on June 29th.

BLOGS MEXICO

Ya estoy incluido en la bitacora Mexicana de Blogs Mexico
Muchos de los blogs que he leido y continuo leyendo los he encontrado en Blogs Mexico. Mi sitio es digamos Bilingue. Hay puntos que he escrito en Ingles y Espaniol. Otros son solo en Ingles (Para que practiquen su ingles aquellos "interesados", La mayoria de lo que escribo son experiencias personales, como tambien politicas. Hay veces que cuando no hay nada por escribir de todas maneras pondre algo quiza insignificante pero ahi esta. Para los que lo quieran leer.
Gracias por tu visita y dime quien eres.
SALUDOS!

For those wishing to improve on their Spanish, visit Blogs Mexico You will find of course, tons of blogs to browse through-Many interesting ones. Some that I read, I found there. Enjoy!

A slideshow of my favorites on Flickr

Una lista de mis fotos favoritas en Flickr. Ve a:
A slideshow of Cisco's favorites on Flickr Check out my "Favorite" pictures on Flickr!

OCTOBER

October is here along with the upcoming holidays, these days just seem to go a lot faster. Although it's still a bit warm here, I feel that the cold weather is just going to arrive all of a sudden. It will be a good thing; get the fire-places going, get out the blankets, sweaters and just bundle up. My daughter is already planning on being Catwoman for Halloween. I reminded her that when she was just about 5 months old, we put her into a "kitten" outfit.
Halloween is big here in America, very different from anywhere else in the world. I have also experienced -All saints Day- (Dia de los muertos in Mexico) in very traditional ways.



How do you celebrate?

OLIVIA

My daughter was born in 1998. She is a complete blending of two cultures, two worlds, two people, one love. Never did it cross my mind what it would be like to experience and observe the birth of a human being. Those of you who have experienced it, will know what I'm talking about. I have enjoyed each day of her life with the most admiration that you can have for anyone. I am not sure what I would do if she was not around. I used to question the same thing before Barb died. But at that time, Olivia was a few months old. So there was a reason for living.
Olivia will be a mirror image of her mom and I will be there everyday, to watch her grow, to guide her steps and to support her. She is so alive and aware of her own life. She amazes me and everyone around her. That may be true for all kids around. That may be a feeling all parents experience alike, at least I wish they all do. She does remember her mom, if ever so briefly...Thank goodness for video tapes, she can watch all sorts of episodes of her Mom while she was alive.
Am I dwelling on this too much?
Am I making myself crazy?
Or is it therapy.

A Day On Earth - The gallery 2005/09/29

A Day On Earth - The gallery 2005/09/29

Go check out the results of this project-Pictures from people all over the world.
Enjoy.

SOLVANG

North of L.A. and north of Santa Barbara, there is a small town called Solvang. It is an enclave of “Danish” style houses and buildings. Solvang is known for their pastries and desserts (Apple Skivers anyone?). Basically it is a tourist town with great charm. It is off the main road which goes between Santa Barbara and Santa Maria. A recent movie, Sideways, popularized the area, (Santa Inez Valley).
Long before this movie came along, Barb and I decided to drive up there for an overnight trip. The drive from L.A. into Solvang is a good three and a half hour. From LA you take the PCH (Pacific Coast Highway), which meanders from Santa Monica north through Malibu and then closer to the Pacific Ocean as it leaves “civilization” and enters into smaller towns like Oxnard and further up the road and closer to Santa Barbara, there are some well know resorts with unique end exclusive Spas. Santa Barbara has plenty of Charms as well but our trip continued North on the PCH. After leaving Santa Barbara, the road continues on a straight path with the ocean to your left. There are plenty of State Parks at which you can stop to dip your feet in the water or for a picnic.
Back to the ride up there though, suddenly the road begins a climb between two high rising mountains, everything from Santa Barbara and up is covered in green. Even during the hotter months of the year, the area maintains its greenery due to its proximity to the ocean and night fogs.
Once you climb up the mountain, the road begins to enter into the Santa Inez Valley and further on up the road, there is a turn off that veers to your right. This is the road to Solvang. Plenty of signs will lead the way.
We checked into a hotel for the night, of course it was still daylight when we got there, so we went to walk about town. I was so in love with her and the thought of being in her presence and company made everything wonderful. We walked throughout the town hand in hand, stopped at a couple of places for a beer. She also loved to drive and knew how to ski, amongst many other things which eventually only strengthened our feelings for each other. Other things she was into; she liked sports, she liked to drink beer, what more could a guy ask for? By then I had learned that she liked to collect rabbits. So during one of our stops into one of the local gift shops, I bought a Yadro piece, which depicted two small rabbits in a purple box. That was my first valentine’s gift for her. Of course she was thrilled and happy, as much as I was just to be with her. We continued to walk about until the night and fog covered the town. It made it even more interesting with all its shining lights. It was definitely a night for romance. We spent the night in town with the required and glorious love making sessions. Our bodies were new to each other every time. There were no qualms about discovering, feeling and touching every inch of our bodies, with a total openness of our souls. We were totally infatuated and in love at the same time. This was our time, this was our chance to belong, for the next day was still unwritten.
The next day we drove through several wineries and stopped at a couple of places for breakfast and lunch before getting back on the main road. On the way down, we also stopped at one of the previously mentioned rest or scenic overlook areas to watch the sunset. Can it get any more romantic that this? a couple holding each other looking out over the ocean at the bright red sun, disappearing over the horizon, both unaware and unconcerned about what destiny had in store for them.