Thanksgiving [sic] this year falls on Throw Back Thursday, November 28, 2019. That date, November 28, fell on Sunday in 2004. In the news it was a day like any other day.
Over in Iraq, Falluja caught hell overnight from U.S. planes in Bush the 2d's illegal war. The "mission accomplished" the year before, Shrub was making speeches about defending our shores by attacking over there. Over there, six men died, average age 22 years old. QEPD.
The news reported that a species went extinct. The last male Po'o-uli fell to malaria in Maui before it could breed.
La Bloga started that day. And that was it, for November 2004. December got started like someone learning to drive a stick shift, chugging and lurching into the rest of the year. RudyG, Manuel Ramos, Michael Sedano.
You'll find a clickable index on the left of every La Bloga column, where you can join us in a La Bloga Throw Back Thursday jaunt to the first columns of the oldest established permanent floating Chicana Chicano Literature blog in the world. Some say the mouse can do, click and take a stroll down memory lane. The oldest posts are at the bottom.
Rudy Garcia, Manuel Ramos, and I, met via CHICLE, a Listserv managed by Teresa Marquez at the Zimmerman Library at the University of New Mexico. When the University decided to cut itself off from the outside world and yanked CHICLE, Rudy Garcia proposed the three of us remain in contact with the outside world via a new entity called a Weblog.
Hey, CHICLEras, Chicleros, check in via the comments link at the bottom of the page. Be sure to click to be included in the Comments chain! ¡Que Viva CHICLE!
I started out as the Friday columnist. Fridays were relatively easy for me to get out a column since I was almost totally non-productive. I was pulling 50-hour weeks in an ISO9000 environment, training and managing corporate quality in 13 north American locations.
The local outside sales force reported for weekly sales meetings at noon, when I would set them to corporate busy work. There went an hour but I got free lunch. Then I'd check managers of the three telemarketing rooms, where tension rises as closing time nears and their dollar totals hover near goal.
Willy Loman isn't wrong in his obsession with his commission. There's a lot of money riding on a few small-dollar orders when you're working a million-dollar territory and it's Friday closing and you need five grand to make your nut.
Year-To-Date, Last-Year-To-Date, Current Month, Current Quarter, This Week's Goal. That relentless goal of 115% of last year's sales is that hair-suspended sword overhead. It's not enough to "book" the order, the merchandise has to be invoiced by closing time, or the sale isn't a sale for this week. That's out of their control.
From my desk, I'm monitoring Purchasing and Shipping, reassured the training system works and customers will receive the expected stuff in the boxes we ship them next week. Lots of waiting and phone calls, so I have time to finish a La Bloga column during the day, unless I posted around 5, then made the commute. I'm going six to six, entering in the darkness and leaving in the darkness. Some days I don't see the sun.
And thus we began La Bloga. Three vatos who were doing something else, had never met in person, but were socios from hanging out together talking literature, writing, and cultura, long-distance.
That is why there is an internet--gente with like interests would never otherwise connect, never get the chance to make something like La Bloga.
Órale, Rudy and Manuel, look at that. We're fifteen, and ten strong:
Monday: Daniel Olivas.
Tuesday: Michael Sedano.
Wednesday: Rene Colato Laínez.
Thursday: Ernest Hogan. Daniel Cano.
Friday: Manuel Ramos. Melinda Palacio.
Saturday: Rudy García is retired for now.
Sunday: Olga García. Amelia Montes.
Almost four and a half million visits in this time. Thank you, gente.
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| November 25, 2019 |
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1 comment:
¡Que viva La Bloga! Seems like only yesterday that Rudy and I were talking in the Azteca bar about a Chicano lit blog, when our friend Pocho Joe said we talked too much and why didn't we do something? Next thing you know, Mr. Sedano is on board and away we went. Congrats to all the blogueros over the years, you've all been great, and especially to Em, who keeps on keeping on. What a trip, no?
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