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Category: Blogroll

Writing a… book?

Written by jessesantoyo
Thursday, 09 September 2010 19:09
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Sometimes I feel like Reina (my wife) is the voice of God, and other times just her own voice. She is my toughest critic but also my greatest fan cheering me on. I’ve always been known for being a storyteller. My Dad is a storyteller so I guess I inherited the gift of talking…alot.

There are many things I remember from my childhood, my teen years, college and other random memories. I try and journal as many of them as possible and others are encrypted in my brain in full detail, which I never forget. As this journey continues we live on and more memories are made. Not all my memories are great ones. Some of them are full of pain, loss, and what may seem as misfortunes. But I have learned from every moment, and every road that seemed abandoned lead me to an amazing season in my life.  So….once upon a time my sister randomly said, “You should write a book,” which I thought was crazy.  As time went on, and years down the road my wife Reina said, ” babe! you should write all these memories down and write a book”. Ok, maybe I should listen?

This is my issue. I am not the greatest writer. I don’t enjoy typing as much as maybe I should. Being a writer wasn’t part of my plan but I wouldn’t mind sharing these stories and memories that I have. I think many people may relate to them and hopefully be inspired by moments that once seemed to be misfortunes but became redemptive seasons in my life. I felt I couldn’t write a book without there being a grand finale or conclusion…but the more I think about it…It’s a journey that will continue and needs to be told as we stroll along. Wouldn’t you say so? So it would basically be…

Stories about  growing up in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhoods, raised in a latino family, spending all my School yrs in the Catholic education system, almost losing my Dad at a young age, surviving to tell the tales of the gang infested streets, College life, marriage, almost divorcing, losing my hearing, having kids, travels to Cambodia, Argentina and the world, working for a church by day, rocking with my band at night, seeing first hand how God connects all the dots and pieces in my messy life, and so much more…I just wanna tell you guys everything now!

So I know it’s gonna continue to be a work in progress and I need tons of help, guidance, advice, suggestions, professional editing and constructive criticism and you can only imagine how much more… So bear with me, have patience and I will get it done!

So what do you recommend I do first?

-fuser+

 

Creating culture…

Written by jessesantoyo
Thursday, 10 June 2010 08:33
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Creating culture begins at home. Every evening, me, Reina and the boys have dinner together. For Reina and myself this is new. It wasn’t common for us to have dinner with our families at one table and all together when we were growing up. I remember when my Mom cooked dinner, everyone ate at different times. Sometimes I ate dinner watching TV, ate dinner outside but it was rare to have everyone together at the table. Unless it was a family gathering or party.  When Reina and I got married, we wanted to start a new culture in our home. One being that we would eat together at one table with our kids.

So every evening  right before dinner, the TV goes off, we all set the table together, Diego prays for our meal and we dig in. We play music while we dine, we laugh and we watch Zion make a mess with his food. It’s amazing. It is something new for us, but normal culture for the boys. One day our boys will grow up with memories of dinner at the table together while the songs of Ruben Blades serenaded us. One day our boys will pass on this new culture to their children and share stories of their childhood.

I look back and remember many things from my childhood. Some are great memories and some are not so great. Regardless of it, it’s part of my past but doesn’t necessarily have to be part of my future. I can sit here and complain about how things could have  or should have been…But instead I choose to create a new culture in my home.  A new foundation. You can do the same. This can be the case for many areas of our lives. Don’t accept things for what they are…You have the power to create a new culture in you and those around you.

-fuser+

 

Back in the day…

Written by jessesantoyo
Tuesday, 08 June 2010 17:27
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Back in the day, my water-park was the fire hydrant. It was the greatest time ever. The sidewalk gutter filled up with water and there we chilled all day long till either the sun came out, or the firefighters shut the hydrant off.  Back in the day I didn’t have swim shorts, I would take  a pair of sweat pants or jeans and cut them into shorts. Back in the day if you made it to the shower first, you had a full warm shower…the last person ran out of hot water half way thru. Back in the day ice cream(Popsicles)  came to you, a man would shout ” Paletas!!”, you’d run out and buy your fruit Popsicle right in front of your door step. Back in the day .50 cents bought you 50 pieces of gum or 50 water balloons. Back in the day, block parties were the best! Back in the day we played kick the can, hide and go seek ( bubble gum, bubble gum in the dish…”), football, catch one catch all, till late night on the block…we’d come home safe and sound! Back in the day, there was no need for an actual hot dog bun to enjoy it, any slice of regular bread would do. Back in the day, I couldn’t wait to own a pair of British knights. Back in the day, if we got thirsty outside there wasn’t a bottled water, just a water hose.  Back in the day, my birthday party entertainment consisted of my uncles singing and playing their acoustic guitars to old Mexican classics…until the beer started singing then we knew the party was ending.

Back in the day it was about going to the corner store to play arcades.  Double dragon, Ghost and Goblins, Kung Fu, Gunsmoke, Rampage, Contra, Mike Tysons punch out!.. Wow! I’m totally having flashbacks… Back in the day we waited in line just to play these arcades… Back in the day we were in a rush to grow up, sometimes I wish I could go back to them days, just for a little while! I have so many amazing memories from growing up in Pilsen. (a few popular words and phrases that I remember are… “that’s jive”,  “making out to a girl was referred to as, rapping to her”,  “I’m gonna clip you”, ” I gotta jet”,  “that’s bad!!!”-(actually meant something good)…

Do you have any Back in the day memories? or popular phrases?

-fuser+

Not sure who wrote this…but its interesting.

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank koolade made with sugar, but we weren’t overweight because WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING !

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day and we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nintendo’s, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD’s, no surround-sound or CD’s, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat rooms…….

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned

HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

-author unknown…