At the risk of too many successive Glee-related items, I link to this. Since my life doesn’t provide enough opportunities to sing or dance, I live vicariously.
Arts and Crafts
24 OctI’m not a pumpkin carver. It’s messy, you can lose a finger, and quite frankly, I’m not very good at it. It was with that in mind that I lamented not having the dolls I needed to create the final creepy space in my house’s Halloween decorations. No sooner than I mentioned it, the wheels turned for my mother-in-law. Within a few hours, nine dolls had been picked up at the swap meet and deposited at our place.
Below is evidence of what a few women of all ages and some markers can do in lieu of pumpkin carving.

The Undead
24 JulIn speaking to my mother today, I realized she watches way too much tv.
How did I come to that conclusion? The Mexican woman who confused the words “corner” and “coroner” told me she felt like a “zombie.”
Never before in my 41 years have I heard her use the word, much less know what it means. But, she nailed it her first time out.
I can only hope she’s watching ESL classes on tv, but I fear we’ll soon be watching “Dawn of the Dead” together.
Ready
1 JulI’ve got guacamole fixings, limes, and enough mango con chamoy to make the lady at the register raise both eyebrows. The weekend can begin now.
New Vocabulary
25 JunMy mother no longer uses the word “tall.” These days she just says los altos are “super-sized.”
We need to talk about limits on tv.
The Teachable Moment
28 May11-year-old boy: I can navigate, I have Google Maps on my phone.
Vero: I’ve got the iPad, we’re good.
11-year-old boy: I think I’ve been outed.
Us: [Silence]
Me: I think you mean “outdone,” not “outed.”
My Followers
12 MayA friend reminded me that those who get my comedy seem to include the technologically challenged:
“You know you are awesome when someone asks me how to twitter so they can follow @notoriouslig eres la ostia.”
Jaja. They are a small, yet loyal bunch.
Un Look Nuevo
10 MayEvery now and then my mom gets it into her head that a “look nuevo” is necessary. I’m feeling about the same and so, the blog goes with a new look.
Overheard
28 Apr“Hey, you know that pill I told you about for your dropped foot? Well, I got the name wrong, it’s Lyrica, not Levitra. No se te vaya levantar otra cosa.”
Family Resemblance
26 Apr“If what you ate during pregnancy determined what your kid looked like, mine would be a ramen noodle.”
Remembering Religion
24 AprMy favorite part of the spring religious season is listening to people recount the stops on their path toward peace with the idea of faith.
Today’s story:
“I remember my mom used to take us to confession as kids, but we were kids, we didn’t have anything to confess. So, after ‘confession’ we’d compare notes on how many prayers we’d gotten and then go shove our fingers into all the candles, just so we’d have something to talk to the priest about in next week’s session.”
Angry Birds?
13 AprSome birds are trying to move in on my outdoor speakers. We’ve had an ongoing battle that mostly involves me interrupting the nest building before it’s done. Today, I didn’t have time for that, so I left the Classic Rock playlist going (come on Queen).
We’ll see what’s there when I get back.
Upon my return, four hours later, Tina Turner was on and no birds (or nests) were to be found. I’ve found the answer. Sorry, Mr. Neighbor.
La Luna Llena
19 MarPlease, please, please don’t do anything crazy as the moon approaches its fullness. I need to be able to tell my mom that it was normal human psychosis, not the result of something light years away.
I’m not sure if any of these are true, but here’s a link to some interesting tidbits on “scientific” correlations between the moon and crazy behavior (or at least of those in the test group).
My favorite is the one about the study finding less workplace absenteeism on a full moon day.
You Can’t Win With Mom
18 MarI am lucky to be healthy. At most, I’ll get a cold every couple of years. Because of this, I don’t generally visit doctors. And, that makes my mom mad. She doesn’t like that I find time for everything except for her and the doctor. With those words she can guilt me into spending time with her, but hasn’t quite been successful in getting me to the doctor, until this week.
I finally decided I should go. I happily told my mom—and she promptly accused me of being on death’s doorstep and trying to shield her from bad news. This precipitated a fight. I did exactly what she wanted and got in trouble for it.
Nunca gano.
The Grammys
14 FebLast weekend was the Super Bowl, this weekend brought the Grammys. Again, I lucked into tickets.
I have an admission though—I’m not a big music person. I mean, I listen to music and I have a decent music library, but I’m not really into it.
I don’t go to a lot of concerts. I don’t need to be the first to get a song, and I’m rarely the one discovering any new music. I don’t even really have an ear for music. I just viscerally like it or I don’t.
That’s probably why getting the invite to this event is slightly lost on me, but I always appreciate a good party. And that it was.
Among my observations, the red carpet was actually painted red (this enhancement stained the sagging tuxedo pants of some of the audience’s younger members). There was a lot of spray tan on attendees. Mick Jagger was very good (even without having to pair him up with others, as was almost everyone else who performed). And, I still don’t understand the appeal of Justin Bieber.
The event also provided great twitter humor. My favorite tweets of the evening:
@Brandon Millman: Cee Lo’s done gone and lost his damned mind. That’s Gaga he’s doing right now.
@melohello: Bob Dylan held together by the scotch tape of Satan. He sings with the burning rocks of hell in his throat.
@siamusic: janelle monae is my new spirit animal.
@goldengateblond: She was at the VMAs covered in meat. Now she’s at the Grammys dressed as an egg. Two more red carpets and Gaga will be a Denny’s Grand Slam.
@nickiminaj: when will.i.am looks at you like “wtf are you wearing,” you have a problem.
Felicidades Hermanita
2 FebMy sister’s b-day is coming up. I’m wishing her a happy birthday and posting her most vivid memory of this day–when I used to send her outside to see if she could see her shadow. You know, because her b-day is on Groundhog’s Day.
I think she played along because she’s a younger and it went with the role.
Anyway, I think she’s stranded somewhere in snowpocalypse right now, so to my sis, “Go out and check the shadow, because it’s your birthday and it’s what we do!!”
Always Time For A First
16 JanToday’s was my sighting of the military-themed quinceanera. The seven-year-old chambelan carrying a giant sword (albeit unable to put it in its sheath) was something else.
The stretch Hummer and pictures at the park were more typical sights.
Save the Date
12 JanLalo Alcaraz at a fundraiser for the Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice, February 27, 2011.
Details to come.
Solo Faltaba Un Cerillo
9 JanIn 2004, my mother and I attended an event where Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger was speaking. During his remarks, someone behind me jumped up and started yelling at the Governor. The shouter was forcibly removed from the audience. That event was the first, and the last, time my mother went to a political event. In her mind, political events were becoming too dangerous.
Today, I was with my mother when we heard the news about Rep. Giffords shooting. My mother, who is not particularly political commented, “Solo faltaba un cerillo.”
Her point was that today’s events herald the crossing of an unfortunate line in political discourse. I felt fear too and hope that perhaps some of those leading political discourse shed tears over what we have lost.
Christmas Memory
25 DecMom: When I was little, we were so poor that one Christmas I went to all the neighbors and asked for gifts. They gave me a piece of candy, a handful of nuts, and an orange.
Me: You went trick or treating?
Snapshot of a Conversation
6 NovMom: Look! How cute. A little girl and her mother having lunch together.
Me: What do you think we’re doing? We’re just 30 years older.
True Story
3 NovSometimes I’m naïve about elections and the lengths to which people will go to win them. I was reminded of this again yesterday when a friend noted that when she went to her polling place in NYC, she was handed a ballot with the selections already half filled in.










Lo Que Dijeron