Archive for the Musings Category

Spyboy has its first Gig

Posted in Musings on October 13, 2008 by xxxicana

The band finally came up with a name — SPYBOY — which is a reference to the Mardi Gras Indians who would have a spyboy to keep watch for rival tribes.

Here’s the lineup: Tory on bass, Stan on Drums, Tom on Guitar, and James on Guitar

Tory is a bass wunderkind . . . and he’s only 17!

All the way from San Antonio . . . . Stan the Mexicutioner

Here’s James with his voodoo eyes . . . he’s from New Orleans . . . and belts out great soulful songs

Mister Man tunes his guitar before the gig starts.

Check out the new Chucks for the gig!

It was a fabulous premier. The band played great, lots of friends came out to see.

Greg, Lisa, and Tom

Soup night group minus a few soupers.

Patti (our fav KZUM dj) and Joan

Doug and Shari

Metalheads/Newlyweds Willa and Dominique

Leslie, Stan’s wife and our vecina!

C’est moi, striking a pose

Hmm, should I rethink the purple eye shadow??

Halloween Party for kids AND adults!

Posted in Musings on October 13, 2008 by xxxicana

Yesterday I woke up a bit hung over from the previous night’s revelry . . . I was sitting sipping my coffee when it hit me . . . S*%T . . . I have to go to a Halloween party today! MY BFFs Mary and Cynthia have a huge annual bash for all to enjoy. They bought me an Amy Winehouse wig and begged me to come to the party. So here’s what Amy would look like if she lived a clean wholesome life in the midwest:

Meaning that she would have to gain the Nebraska 40 (in her case it would have to be 80)!

The first question was: Champagne or a beer?

Cynthia and her husband dressed as Teletubbies:

It’s hard not to love a man who will put on a silly costume so his daughter will have fun!

I’m mad a Mary, she had a TinkieWinkie costume, but never put it on. She’s the one in the orange shirt. She is either giving an elaborate explanation of primate dentition or trying to explain to me why she doesn’t have her costume on.

The party was a great success, even for the children:

I received a text message from Mister Man at 11pm . . . gently asking if I was ok . . .

I think of myself like Edina of AbFab . . . you know, the pudgy fashionista . . . if there’s still more champagne to drink, I ain’t comin’ home!

The Church of Reverend Doctor Girlfriend will be selling Indulgences & forgiving venal sins

Posted in Musings with tags , , , , on October 11, 2008 by xxxicana

In today’s news. . . something fishy in Alaska

The Associated Press reports that, “Trying to head off a potentially embarrassing state ethics report on GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin, campaign officials released their own report Thursday that clears her of any wrongdoing.”

Now that is RICH! What nerve. At the very least, Sarah Palin might have contacted me for a ritual cleansing of past and present wrongdoings. Unfortunately for Palin, an Alaskan Legislative Committee has found that she did unlawfully abuse her power in the firing of the state’s Public Safety Commissioner. Perhaps more troubling was yesterday’s revelation that “First Dude” Mr. Palin has been fully vetted by Gov. Palin and takes part in state governance. So, let’s see . . . hmm . . . what would “First Dude” become should in some bizarre circumstance Sarah Palin became President of the US??? Would he finally be able to lead the secession of Alaska from the Union? Would he be provided top security clearance so he could take care of those little details for the little woman? I shudder at the thought. If the McCain/Palin ticket wins, even I will look forward to the rapture if only to escape the nightmare of Palin let loose!

Anyway, back to ME. Yes. As part of my ministerial duties, I will be selling indulgences. Do you have a peccadillo weighing on your conscience? Well, you can obtain certification of dispensation from the appropriate Aztec or Maya Deity. Check back for more information soon!

That’s Reverend Doctor, please!

Posted in Musings with tags , , on October 2, 2008 by xxxicana

Who’da thunk?

WELCOME TO THE WORLD WIDE CONGREGATION of:
UNIVERSAL LIFE CHURCH MINISTERS

Reverend
Carleen D. Sanchez


Yes, it is true, I am now an ordained minister!!! WHAT????

Yup, strange days are a comin’

Ok, here’s the scoop. I got a knock on my office door today — it was a one of my graduate students. “I have something totally off the wall to ask you . . . you can feel free to say no.” Normally, when people start a sentence out like that, the answer is “NO!” But, I like Sam — she’s a great person, very cool, very smart — but just in case, I did say, “No, you can’t have one of my kidneys.”

She was not in search of an organ donor, money, bad advice (the only kind I have), but rather wanted to know if I would officiate at her wedding next summer. She had it all worked out, I could get ordained online for free. Her fiance was all for it — the wedding is going to be non-religious, non-traditional, with BBQ afterwards. Hmm, I do like BBQ. I told her I would only do it if I could wear a HUGE headdress — like this one:

I was pleased as punch, but said I would consider it. But the whole idea appeals to me so much, I went ahead and got ordained with the Universal Life Church. For $139.95 I can order their “Ministry in a Box.” I was bummed that it doesn’t come with a box of sacred wine. I guess I’ll have to go to Target for that.

But, seriously, I am going to accept Sam and Ben’s invitation to officiate. I feel very honored, actually, and have a few months to think up an appropriately sagacious and celebratory statement.

TaDa! Check out this new blog

Posted in Musings on October 2, 2008 by xxxicana

Check out the Onion Tears blog link . . . thoughts, comments, and life in Santa Cruz, CA.  This very new blog is action packed (photos of Maya Ruins), informative (how to cook with TSP . . . if you know what TSP is), funny, and bitter-sweet.  It’s written by the offspring of two anthropologists . . . which is probably more of a challenge than anyone deserves . . . in other words, it is written by my daughter!

Home made pizza for the debates

Posted in Musings on September 27, 2008 by xxxicana

Since I got my new toy, I have been trying to use it as much as possible (to justify the expense). So last night I made home made pizza with what I had on hand. I am pleased to say that for less than $7.00 we had a yummy pizza. Here’s a photo:

It was brought up to me by my dad that making bread at home is more expensive than buying it at the store. And I will cede his point that one can pick up a load of generic white or wheat bread for 79 cents. But is it less expensive? I guess it all depends. My home made bread and pizza reduce the amount of packaging we consume — no plastic wrap, no boxes, etc. I do buy expensive ingredients — top of the line olive oil, organic at times (but not always), sun dried tomatoes. But, I also get products that are preservative free, whole grain, fresh, tasty, and more nutritional. Plus, there’s the gas saved for delivery, money saved on the tip, etc. I bake bread on days that I am at home working on the computer. My new mixer does all the work! Likewise, making my own pizza took very little hands on time. I timed it so that we could sit in our comfy chairs to watch the debates.

As for the debates, I enjoyed the process. First, I hope everyone remembers how McCain tried to weasel out with a ludicrous excuse. I am an Obama supporter, so I recognize that I am biased. However, from the commentaries I read today, it does seem that other agree that Obama was more impressive. He had more concrete answers, kept his composure, and provided a confident strong performance. McCain, on the other hand, reinforced his “maverick” style — but is it maverick or just off course. McCain did seem to know many political players (he’s been in office a long time) . . . but sometimes his comments just made him seem terribly old and cranky. Some of his remarks made him seem just a too EARLY 20th century. So, in my estimation, Obama won the debate.

I’m waiting for next week’s debate between Biden and Palin. I watched excerpts of Palin’s interview with Katie Couric — and it was tre triste. Palin clearly doesn’t have a fricken idea of what she’s doing. Her notion that she has foreign policy expertise because Alaska borders on two countries is just ridiculous. Biden is sure to run rings around Palin and expose the horrific depth of her ignorance. Hmm. . . . what kind of pizza should I make for next week?

Washington Elites atttend Thrift-store Fashion Show

Posted in Musings on September 20, 2008 by xxxicana
Petula Dvorak for the Washington Post (9/20/08) reports today on a fashion show at the French Embassy for lawyers, lobbyists, and the wives of CEOs learned a few fashion tricks — like shopping at Thrift Stores.
OMG, can the economy be SO bad that the rich are now going to be infringing on MY shopping territory? I can see it now, “get outta my way, bitch, I had my hands on that Chanel suit first” . . . .
Nikki Kahn / Washington Post
Maybe I’ll need to hone my thrift store shopping techniques (shopping cart cut off, the well placed umbrella, etc.) to ensure that I get my bargains first. I will give one little hint to the Lincoln socialites wanting to “slum” . . . stay away from the thrifts near the University, none of the clothes are larger than a size 4.
>:- (


Obama in New Mexico – but did did he choose “Red” or “Green”?

Posted in Musings with tags , , on September 19, 2008 by xxxicana

Obama was in Bernalillo and Espanola, New Mexico yesterday for a rally that drew a crowd twice the size of the town. This trip underscores the importance of the Latino vote — Obama has opened more offices in the state of NM than it has counties! The tricky part for Obama, though, is to understand the culture of the southwest. A goodly majority of us are not immigrants and get kinda perturbed being lumped into the “immigrant dream” narrative. My guy Bill Richardson is pulling out all the stops to support the Obama campaign. I’m glad to see the DNC has taken an approach of ignoring Sarah “Freakazoid” Paliln and moving on with the job of getting votes.

Do you know the answer to New Mexico’s state question? “Red or Green?”

busy, busy, busy

Posted in Musings on September 14, 2008 by xxxicana

Not much to report on today. I’ve been working on entries for the Encyclopedia of Latino Folklore. I am contributing entries on Cihuatcoatl, Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, Tonantzin, and Tepeyac.

Huitzilopochtli, Patron God of the Mexica (aka Aztecs)

Good thing I visited the Anthropology Museum while I was in Mexico City . . . I’ve been inspired by the images of the ancestors gods I saw while there.

Last weekend I made grape jelly . . . I’ll try to post on that tomorrow. TTFN!

Stop McCain and Palin NOW!

Posted in Musings with tags , , , on September 8, 2008 by xxxicana

Dear Readers, please do all you can to support positive, democratic, egalitarian, environmental, and social change in our communities and nation. Check out Moveon.org — you can get a free sticker while supplies last!

Although I am left of the Democratic Party ideologically . . . I have voted Democratic since for ever. I don’t think that Barack Obama is going to save the world . . . ALONE. We ALL need to pitch in and do our part. That means we all need to vote, agitate, demonstrate, recycle, eat less meat, support community based organizations, be actively anti-racist, leave the car in the garage as much as possible, etc.

Is it just me that notices the resemblance between these two?

and on a final soapbox note for the day, keep in mind that a vote for Sarah Palin is a vote to eliminate reproductive freedom . . .

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