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July, 2007

  1. Naco, Pocha, Cracka’

    July 18, 2007 by elenamary

    Day before yesterday I was on amazon.com trying to get to my wishlist and I typed in my handle “elenamary” into the amazon search engine and up popped this book: The Official Dictionary of Unofficial English. I was shocked they had used The Daily Texican‘s word of the day Naco, and the conversation that ensued over disagreements on the definition.

    When I saw that this dictionary had published a random comment I’d left on a blog I was excited. History really is made by those who write it down. Who am I to define anything? Yet, I was still excited and forwarded it to a close friend. A friend who lovingly calls me his Cracka’ ass Cracka’ or his Consuela. He teases me for being white and being Mexican. I found his response to my definition of Naco quite funny:

    Haha, a pocha is setting the definition for naco. That’s like an upper arligtonian white chick being quoted for the definition of niggerish. LMAO

    While he is joking he is also kind of right. People will look back and say we see the term “Naco” documented on a website back in 2004. Who are we to be defining Naco? Are we the ones that now manipulate mainstream Chicano studies and identity solely because we have access to the internet?

    Category Latinos, Ohio, personal | Tags: | No Comments

  2. I fear the run in

    July 15, 2007 by elenamary

    I sometimes wonder if I will ever run into that ex boyfriend. You know the one. That one that broke my heart and killed the innocence of first love that can never be regained? Yeah, that one.

    I figure I will run into him. I am in city full of his friends and family. I am bound to run into either him or his family. It will have been three years this January since the end of our relationship, and I have yet once to run into either him or anyone related to him. I’m lucky I guess. I fear it.

    I did not do anything bad at the end of our relationship. He was the one that made it a terrible dysfunctional conclusion to what had been a loving supportive relationship, yet i fear it.

    I FEAR the moment when I’ll run into him. It is not a matter of “if” but “when”.

    I joked with a good girlfriend that i am bound to run into him on a bad day, that is not a good day. A good day to run into him would be perhaps after receiving the good news about a fabulous new career opportunity, acceptance into a wonderful medical program, and being proposed to by my sexy boyfriend. A good day would be at my favorite coffee shop, me happy with all the good news and dressed in a sexy yet comfortable black t-shirt and ass lifting jeans, with my adorable cute and intelligent boyfriend next to me with the NY Times and Financial time strewn between the two of us. He will ask me how life is going and I will say “Perfect!”
    This is NOT how I will run into him. I am sure of it.

    Instead, I will run into him, most likely right after failing a terrible difficult exam that causes me to doubt my abilities and encourages me to purchase a pint of chocolate and box of cookies. I fear I will run into him at the grocery store, my eyes blood shot, my hair a mess, sweat pants with multiple food stains, and a dozen donuts in hand. I will fake a smile and he will ask me “How are you?” and I will think about the fact that I am bloated, unemployed, failing school and without a partner. I will lie, and I will respond “Life is good. How are you?”

    Truth is life is good. School is good, work is good, I have plenty of time to travel and am really enjoying time with my friends and yes even have that *special* guy. But that isn’t when you run into ex’s you run into them on the bad day’s, so, I guess I am safe for now!

    Category personal | Tags: | 1 Comment

  3. Latinos and Ohio

    July 8, 2007 by elenamary

    Ohio High School Transformation Initiative
    According to Education Week’s “Diplomas Count” report, one in four Ohio high school students failed to graduate on time in 2004. For African American and Hispanic students, the numbers are even more alarming, with one in two failing to earn a diploma.

    GOP Candidates Skip Hispanic Conference
    Since the 2000 presidential election that Bush won by 537 votes in Florida, other states such as Ohio and parts of the Southwest (where the Hispanic vote is also growing) have emerged as swing states.

    Immigration bill’s defeat leaves many in lurch
    Maribel Quezada, a graduate of Groveport-Madison High School and Ohio University, has been in the United States since she was 12. The 23-year-old native of Mexico, who remains here on a student visa, was hoping the immigration bill would make it easier for her to get work in the country she considers home.

    Democratic presidential candidates speak at Latino forum
    Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, saying he believed all American children should learn to speak Spanish, gave his closing statement in Spanish.

    Modest scholarship fuels confidence in Hispanic students
    Of the 40 teens who will be awarded Esperanza scholarships Friday, most hail from low-income families, and almost all aim to become the first in their families to go to college. They’ve been accepted to Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland State, Ohio State and Princeton.

    Police offer civilian academy for Hispanics in Hamilton
    The Police Department is conducting a citizen police academy next month specifically for the city’s growing Hispanic population. Police believe it’s the first law enforcement citizen academy in Greater Cincinnati strictly for Spanish-speaking residents.

    JournalNews captures Best in Ohio
    Judges cited the paper’s seven-part series on Hamilton’s growing Hispanic population as a factor in the award.

    Category Latinos, Ohio, Politics | Tags: | No Comments

  4. self-indulgent yuppie

    July 8, 2007 by elenamary

    My stomach upset, I decided I wanted some seltzer water. I was on my lunch break. I was working at the welfare office and there wasn’t a CVS nearby! Imagine that not a CVS nor a Walgreens?! I went to a Target. Inside were families buying cheap mass produced plastic necessities. None of which I really thought about until I placed my four items on the conveyor belt. I was looking at my four items when I had that moment of clarity. I had purchased; a glass bottle of mineral water, an overpriced hair product, a piece of dark chocolate, and Augusten Burroughs’ Running with Scissors. It was then I had a relization, I am a self-indulgent yuppie. I may not have health insurance, I may not be making tons of money, but I am a self-indulgent hipster.

    I though of El Oso’s blog entry Taste and Class I am not working class, I am not struggling although I may not have health insurance of even a savings account. I am also not truly committing myself to making this world a better place. What am I doing? I am the person described in his blog entry:

    …class divisions in the United States have more to do with lifestyle and social stratification than with income. In other words, all of my anti-capitalist college friends who work in cafes and read Engels are not working class just because they make $14K a year and have no benefits. Class divisions in the United States have more to do with social networks…

    What am I doing? What am I going to do about changing this situation? Which is not to say I don’t somewhat enjoy it. Last night, on my friend/neighbor’s porch we had a lovely wine and Amuse bouche get together. Olgita was there and loved it as she had portion after portion of pasta drenched in fresh organic pesto. She sipped out of her wine glass filled with water and slices of lemon and mint. She felt so grown-up and on the ride home kept talking about the pasta as she fought to stay awake. I wondered whether it was the right thing to have her there. What are the long term implications of her being with us? What does it all mean to her when she goes back home to her family, all fourteen of them in a 3 bedroom ghetto apartment? We joke about our trashy neighborhood, our  lack of health insurance and income but really we are spoiled brats. I wonder though what it would be like if we had children?

    Category personal | Tags: | No Comments

  5. excuse the mess

    July 2, 2007 by elenamary

    i am fooling around with wordpress, yes i know the entry is way below, and the dancing pin up girl is not big and in the left corner…im working on it yo’s.

    i heart you,

    elenamary

    Category personal | Tags: | 1 Comment

  6. Dario Lopez Mills

    July 1, 2007 by elenamary

    I saw an associated press photo and loved it. I made it my desktop wallpaper. I searched Google hoping to find contact information for the photo journalist, Dario Lopez Mills. I want to email him and tell him that his work is amazing. That I want to see more of it. However, I can’t find a blog a portfolio or any contact information. Any recommendations?

    Photo By Dario Lopez Mills

    Category Latinos, Politics | Tags: | 1 Comment

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