And then. . .

A Conversation with Alex aka “Rocka”: Ex-drummer of Mexicans at Night current drummer for Los TraQues Y: How long have you been in the El Paso music scene? R: Not even that long, like thirteen years. Y: Thirteen years? Okay, how do you think it’s changed from where you started to now? R: It hasn’t really changed. Has it? Y: It hasn’t changed at all in thirteen years? R: No, I mean it hasn’t. I mean the kids did get new stuff and everything, but you know, they got new DJ stuff and all sorts of other stuff, but yeah the scene hasn’t changed. Nothing’s happened. I mean before there were a lot more original bands. Now there are a lot of posers. Y: What do you consider an original band? R: A band that doesn’t play covers. Y: And posers, you used that word, what is that? What is your definition of a poser? R: Cover bands. Y: So— R: There’s a lot more posers. A lot more cover bands. And, not enough support for original bands, because, there was a lot more venues in...

Today I had the ForWord writing workshops at Glasbox Studios. The class was small, intimate. I participated with the young authors in the writing prompts I'd created for them called, "What Happened?" I gave them a sentence and they decided what would happen to the characters situation. Here is what I managed to write. I'm posting without editing. I wish I could  have kept some of the stories they wrote from the prompts because their talent continues to awe. Prompt  ·          While I was pumping gas a man came up to me.   I had been driving for two hours. Only one more to go and I would reach my destination of Austin, TX. I hadn’t seen Lori for six months, and now we going to enjoy a weekend in Austin. It was dusk, that time of day where the light and the night meet half way in the sky. My gas gauge was a little less than halfway. Although I didn’t want to stop, I knew I had too. Austin traffic could be murder and the thou...

I heard something beautiful said about art today. When I say art I mean every part of it, all encompassing, music, the written word, murals painted onto the concrete giants that hold highways up, Dali hanging in a museum of art, the guitarist playing on a street  corner.... "When you look in the night sky , you see a million stars.                                                     They are all there, seemingly blinking .  At times one looks brighter than the other, but in reality the stars are all working together, that's what art is."

sunday's have become the day i look forward to all week. they are the days that i have nothing planned. that i use to recharge because by saturday my red light is blinking in warning. sunday's i sleep in late. i wake from a sleep so deep and heavy it's as if my bed, with it's thick gold comforter and numerous pillows have wrapped around me in a warm embrace. i'm surrounded by warmth and an arm that reaches for me while dreaming in the middle of the night to pull me closer. half the day is spent in this overstuffed bed. only rising because the rumbling in our stomachs demands it. this afternoon? spinach and mushroom omelet with a garlic cheese middle, roasted potatoes, two strips of crispy bacon, steaming french press coffee and  homemade agua de sandia. the rest of the day is spent in the living room. it's a carpet camp out. coffee table pushed to the farthest part of the room. blankets and pillow stretched out and puffed up in a makeshift bed. i can watch...

September 1, 2012 The pleasure of your company  is requested at the marriage of Amy Ann Porras to  Brandon Alejandro Ayala Dance & Celebration  Nine O'Clock in The Evening  Grace Gardens 6701 Westside Drive El Paso, TX 79932 The church nestled on the far Westside. The service, beautiful and filled with tears. The tears that glimmer and make eyes overly shinny as they hang, precarious on the edge of the bottom lid, before one spills over and glides gently down cheeks flushed with happiness. After, a certain sigh of relief as all the well wishers crowd around the newlyweds showering them with hugs and kisses, lip stick imprints and pats on the back. The sun is shining, warm. Small beads of sweat are added accessories to the court and guests as they linger in front of the church. Next? The pictures. Downtown El Paso. Surrounded by The Camino Hotel, The Museum of Art, and the breath of the southwest.       ...