This one goes out to you Cathy Barragan (and Toblerone too...oh yeah and I guess that Joel guy although he wasn't mentioned much)

Thought about this one, maybe just for a second. Well anyway I was inspired tonight just to write for a minute or two, who knows it could be months without returning here. My first and second posts were separated by days. Anyway my sister Cathy and I spoke briefly today about the subject of blogging, by the way, I've been really self conscious about myself in recent years and haven't been happy about photos. Craig took this one this past weekend and I liked it so it'll become a theme pic. I think it will be utilized when I'm pondering, pontificating or pensively alliterating my sentences out. So back to me and Cathy. Cathy made mention that she doesn't quite get blogs, they're suppose to be almost an online journal of our thoughts, feelings, etc. I agreed, she then went on to say how does one allow themselves to become that intimate with the readers on the world wide web. I answered simply that the author can edit their words, hold back from disclosing too much. In retrospect I can't help but think of how sincere a statement Cathy made. She sees a entry as a personal look at her self, completely exposed perhaps to all around. I don't think I could ever be that vulnerable but man she made me think.

I don't remember who I was talking to about this the other day and I'm not saying it to conceal any information from you three valuable readers, I saying it because I don't remember, but there was a time when Cathy and I really struggled as brother and sister. I am so happy where we are at in our relationship right now and I am so happy that she is with her new husband Joel. It just sucks that she's all the way in Seattle and doesn't get to live near Toblerone any more.

So I've been on a tangent since the beginning, apologies. It is a bit late and I'm getting tired. I just wanted to write something more and I think that this blog turned into the conversation with Cathy, reserved words because of whatever. I'll try my best not to censor my blogs, in the future at least. I'm realizing that with each word I'm playing a bit of a hipicritical role. Haven't been the happiest lately, I did go to Utah to see Craig and friends (Alex, Brooke, Dave, Gordon, Grant, Heather, Poopsie and others) notice I put those I remembered in alphabetical order as to not offend. Craig got his own mention cause let's face it I wouldn't know this band of misfits without him. It was refreshing, it was freeing. I feel like when I visit I reclaim a part of my past that I miss tremdously. Not that my current friends aren't great mind you, but I really do long for these friends and this environment. Craig has and will always be my shelter from reality. I'm getting tired right at the point where I could go on. Blogs should be short though and often, keep you three out there on the hook for more. Please post comments and let me know how to attch others to my blog site. I noticed Craig and Brooke have me on there site and I don't know how to reciprocate that. Awesome.

Lymie Beans!!!!!

Note the picture. You know what that means, yes you do!! So here's the story of why I can't eat beans. It all started with a Lima bean, now prior to the Lima bean incident I call vaguely recall eating burritos from the Taco Bell in Pacifica, Ca (They were listed as the number 8 fast food restaurant in the world on Travel network because of there oceanside walk up window).

Anyhow when I was about six or so my siblings and I were eating with my parents and one of the options on our plate, and now as I write about it I suppose it wasn't an option but a requirement to consume Lima beans. Now for some reason and the reason is being finicky, I decided to take a stand and not consume said legume. Well to my surprise as a post dinner treat we were having Strawberry Shortcake. I did not recall ever having this dessert before and it's presentation was impeccable (my father Nestor Barragan prides himself on great food and greater presentation). Now as I was taking a Caesar Chavez approach (and now contemplating my choice of protesters, what a curious coincidence) my father had decided to make this a learning moment for not only me, the eldest but in breaking his first born he would send a message to the rest of his offspring "don't f with dad". I remember in bits and pieces, as memories often are recalled, I was standing in the kitchen looking at my father. In one hand he held a fork with a single lima bean and in the other the plated Shortcake. The cake with its whipping cream and fresh strawberries hovered over the sink. My father gave me a final choice, eat the bean or your dessert goes down the drain. With all confidence, I knew, I KNEW, he was not going to throw away my dessert. In a final act of defiance I shouted "No!!!" Then in slow motion my father tipped the plate over and the Shortcake dropped into the drain. In a Luke Skywalker plead I screamed "That's not true, that's impossible" or at least wanted to. Rather I just watched on as I got my ass handed to me by my father.

So what came of this lesson in life. I grew to resent all of the legume family, so much so that I began to have psychosomatic reactions to beans. During a two year mission, I was hospitalized after a chili incident. Now I love Mexican, but beans I do not do. No frijoles gracias. I do everything in my power to avoid beans. Every so often I will find the proverbial pea under the mattress (surprisingly I like peas, especially split pea soup). That is my story about the bean.

The Royal Barragans

This picture is of the Barragan children when we attended Disneyland for the second time. This post's intention is to introduce this picture as a classifier of all childhood memories. Because our ages at one point were 4-Chris, 3-John, 2-Cathy, and 1-Michael. Practically every memory of childhood I can recall has one of these three in it. Please note the matching Adidas pullovers, they were actually part of a sweat suit that included matching sweat pants. We went to an Oakland A's game and they were giving these out to the first ten thousand kids. Since the A's only drew about thirteen thousand total in those days (they draw well over eighteen thousand now) we now had uniforms for our family. This was actually pretty nice because they replaced numbered outfits our parents had made by using iron-on decals and those sports tees with the different color sleeves. Getting back to the sweat suits, what the hell?! You never get that kind of hand out anymore at baseball games, a complete wardrobe?! It's not like the ticket prices have stayed the same, it was like three dollars to watch a game and they gave you everything as a promotion. I remember a Giants game where everyone in the stadium got full size Coca-Cola bats. That didn't last too long though as fans, disgruntled by the Giants of the mid 80's, would get drunk and turn on fellow spectators, "What can I use to vent my frustration about Candy Maldonado's missed fly ball? Oh that's right the 33 inch Louisville Slugger with the Soda Pop logo should take care of Dodger Fan." So as mentioned before the tangent, this photo will serve as a classifier of everything youthful in my life. Till next time.

Welcome

So I suppose this begins my journey as a independent blogger. I've followed my friend Craig Tovey once again down a path that I will hope to find some enjoyment in. The picture above is my favorite of me, it hearkens back to a day when I was not so chubby and my sister decided that the angle worked well for me. (By the way this blogging tool spell checks for you and I decided to add "Tovey" to the dictionary)

I guess with blogging these days people everywhere trying to say something that others will have interest in. Most blogs I've noticed are trying really hard to be quick witted and incorporate obscure pop culture like "Voltron" to seem hip. I'm not saying I won't use that method as well in fact I may use those approaches. In fact if I were to take a deep look into my skill set I would find that pop culture and an attitude for the hip are really two of my stronger desires.

That being said, this initial blog is more or less just a simple "hello", "I'm here" and that I look forward to at least three weeks of dedicated blogging followed by intermittent visits to this website followed by a long lapse in posts then a short resurrection of interest and finally an end all together to it and a new profile on friendster or something.