Raising Kids – Past & Present

I wanted to share this, I thought about it and it is a topic that has crossed many people that I talk to, parents and of course single individuals. I am so surprised and what I hear and there so called explanation of why this is occurring in today’s day and age.

As many of you know there has been a lot of news media about children having sexual partners as early as 10 or even younger. There is news coverage about schools handing out condom to 1^st graders and about teenagers, in high school making packs to get pregnant. And the stories and events continue, I mean we all remember one of our presidents caught get a knob job in the Oval office and it seems to be all OK.

The thing that drives me bananas is that…the reasoning for this happening is…”Times are Different from when you grew up, it’s ok, and you should just flow with it”. I mean are you serious….”Times are different…” is your answer to this? I am astonished. I get this also from my sister-in-laws as well…I am seriously dumb founded.

I mean the only thing that I see different now that when I was growing up or when my parents were growing up is…technology…and the EASE of accessibility to all sorts of social networks, online access to well just about anything that we did not have such access to…so a bit more innocence was maintained before…a bit more. But changing times and Technology should not give parents or guardians and excuse to allow such behavior.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe in corporal punishment or denying your children whom they should hang out with or even date for that matter. Because we all know what happens when a father or mother tell their son or daughter not to date someone…they do anyways and in secrecy and maybe end up pregnant. I think we need to educate our children, be a parent…yah be a cool friend might get you kudos with your kids friends, but it won’t do a darn thing for the growth of your children. Being a parent is about being a parent and guiding your children through life, provided advice, direction and sometimes holding there hands on those little rough times. Being a parent is about allowing your children to explorer, hang with whom they want, but being a parent also requires you to set perimeters on what they explorer and explain the things they should not explorer, being a parent is about knowing whom your kids are hanging with, but keep guide them on those kids that may be a bad influence, by explaining, showing and guiding them through their friends…keep them close to you. Being a parent is about explaining right from wrong, about explaining the consequences of doing drugs and alcohol, not about getting grounded but the affects drugs and alcohol on the body, and the potential affects on their future.

Parenting is not easy, and sometimes your kids won’t listen, but setting rules, standard, and obligation while providing a fun environment is the job of a parent…I mean how many of us only wish for our kids to be lawyers, doctors, scientist or even President. We want our children to have what we didn’t and as a parent it takes sacrifices, but I promise that not only will you as parent be extremely and emotionally happy with your child’s success and believe me your child(ren) will thank you for their success. There is an old saying, “There is a time and place for everything”. There is a time for learning, and there is a time for playing...plain and simple. Knowing to balance those two times in your life or teaching your children to do so, will only make for a better person that will enter our society.

Now, wait…I got smack for that as well…I was told that I was raising wimpy kids that would only be bullied by those that have no rules, values or care about others. You know what I said…forget you…you see being a parent is not only teaching your kids about proper mannerism, but of course teaching your kids “Street Smarts” is also an important factor. Ok, yah some of us lived in castles, mansions, etc, but like many said technology today will allow you to research information on “Street Smarts”, look it up online…you’ll be amazed. You as a parent can almost put together a lesson plan sort of speaking and help make sure you kids aren’t bullied, but instead respected and admired…teach them to earn it and not be intimidated by others. Teach them to be kind to all, for everyone needs alliances and friends…even those bullies.

This topic can seriously touch a nerve and sometimes when I hear excuses from other parents on why it is ok, I look towards my kids and wonder if maybe I am to tough on them, but you know…I think about it and I know I am not. Because not only do they get guidance from me, I play with them, share board games, fight of monster in a pretend battle, have a tea party with my daughter, play dolls, g4row a garden and encourage them to continue doing some kind of school work while on vacation…provide incentives…heck we as adults like incentives, we get them as bonuses, baseball tickets, raises, etc. you simply see what your child likes, within reason and have them work towards it…you’ll be amazed at what children would do to get a new Lego set, or a trip to the movies or anything else.

I’m not saying I am an expert on parenting, by no means, I am learning each day, but I will not be a parent that falls on excuses that, “Everyone else is doing it”. I will continue to provide rules, structure, and guidance and most importantly love to my children until they ask me to stop. Parenting has never been easy and for those that think it is…they are lying. It takes constant checking, constant application of yourself, we can all do it, just take each day one at a time, each issues one at a time, but never forget to hug, kiss and love them…never.

My Perspective:
I think I summed it all up in my post or most of what I wanted to say at least, but we can all sit hear and tear apart this post or we can simply take from it what we want and move forward. Thanks for reading, till next time Latino Man signing off.

Lucha Libre Taco Shop – Mission Hills California

This past weekend I headed to Lucha Libre Taco shop nestled in Mission Hills, San Diego on a hunch from fellow co-workers that this taco shop seriously is the best taco shop in San Diego. So, of course me being Hispanic I wanted to check this place out myself, since I consider myself having a pretty good judgment when it comes to Mexican food. The thing is that it seems to be the happening Taco shop here in San Diego, and if you live in San Diego missing it would be considered a crime, if you are from out of town, then it should definitely be one of the places you visit before you leave San Diego.

Now, let me tell you a bit about getting there, for some reason Yahoo maps does not recognize 1810 Mission Hills, it diverts you to 2100, so be careful if you Yahoo map it. I heard Google maps is better and of course it’s on the Taco Shop website Gogles maps is used. The thing is that it is actually very easy to get there; it is right of the 5 Interstate. If you are coming North, on Interstate 5, then you would exit Washington – Hancock Street, stay on your left-side and of course the first light is Washington, make a left to go under interstate 5. You should see it on your left right next to a Chevron Gas Station. Now, drive pass just a little to the next light, make a left into a parking lot, the thing is that more than likely you won’t find parking, but give it a shot.

Now, let me tell you about the restaurant itself, it is a very small and according to locals it is best to only take out, since the place is small…seating is very limited…believe me. The locals usually call in their order, then simply show up walk pass the HUGE line, which I will talk about later, pick up there order and go. I highly recommend that you go online and look at their menu, so when you get there you are prepared and know what you’ll order…it makes thing s move along a lot faster, and of course having other customers stare at you while you are trying to make up your mind on what to order…seems to put a little more pressure on you getting your order in and getting on…remember you and many others have been waiting in line for some time.

Now, as for the restaurant, I have to seriously say it is not very much to look at, once inside you’ll see that the over crowed seating areas leaves the bust-boys little if no time to actually clean-up properly after each customer leaves. The outside looks a bit like a Tattoo parlor possibly causing some non-local folks to consider not going in. Now once inside the decor is actually interesting, the theme is based around Wrestling, of course Spanish wrestling (Luchas)…masks wrestlers, some portraits, a few stories, I have to say it stays good to the restaurant name. Now, they have this “Champions” booth, which is suppose to be a VIP area, the seating actually could seat 5 adults comfortably and the booth is actually décor in lots of Bling-Bling, more of a fun(ny) thing to do. In order to use the booth you need to call in 24 hours in advance to reserve the table…which believe me, with the limited seating that place has, it might be a good idea to do.

Before I talk about the food, let me talk a bit about the HUGE line outside that is waiting to get in. Now, I showed up at 11:30 am Sunday, I had to wait approximately 40 minutes, not including the wait time for the food, which actually came out fairly fast. Now, I heard from the locals that the line I saw and I was seeing as I was eating is a normal part of the routine for customers, day or night this is what you will run into. That’s when a few told me that it is best to call it in and take it out. Like I said the seating is extremely limited and if you are lucky, which I was, you might find seating or not which means you will need to find elsewhere to eat your meal….maybe your car. One thing that also indicates that the HUGE lines are a normal thing is that the restaurant has ice-cold lemonade outside for those that are waiting in the heat, which is nice, but like I said it is an indication that this is the normal routing in order to get some Tacos from Lucha Libre.

About the food, ok, it is worth the wait, sort of speaking, the portions are huge, a good manly man will get his fill from one of the burritos and a delicate lady might be satisfied with a carne Asada taco…but of course for that long of a wait, heck, man or women eat up and enjoy, is what I say. The food tastes good, they use real slices of avocado, the meat is tender, the hot sauces I have to say are great, they are spicy so be careful what you choose, but the flavors are great addition to your meal. I personally had a Carne Asada burrito, it was good, but for the long wait, it wasn’t that good…they do have other specialty burritos, which I heard from the locals that is the reason that people come here, but me being a little concerned on Surf N Turf, or other not common (Mexican) names, made me personally select something I knew, but of course if I went back I would try one of their specialties.

The other members of my party had a Taco de Adobada, which personally really did not taste or look like the authentic Adobada, now don’t get me wrong the flavor was good, but for the wait, hmm…could have gone somewhere else with a lot less wait and a more authentic looking/tasting Adobada. But it was ok. Then we tried the TJ Corn dish, well…sorry, the taste was good…yes, but TJ authentic…it was not.  I did see some locals eating Hot Dogs, which were TJ style of course, they looked good and they brought smiles to the customers so they must have been good, but I couldn’t tell you.

Let me summarize, the decor was authentic to the restaurants name, the cleanliness of the restaurant, well, as long as you didn’t eat on the tables (Just Kidding)…you’re ok….it wasn’t pretty is all I have to say. The service, heck looking at the cashiers, they looked like they’ve been through a meat grinder, they looked exhausted and overwhelmed, but I have to say all in all they were nice, helpfully and they stood their ground with the huge crowd…good service in all. The food is good, really, but for the long wait, I have to say that you might find just as good else where. Now, one thing I did want to cover, are the prices, they are not bad, let’s see, A beer, a taco, a TJ Corn with chips and salsa..came out to about $9.50…which like I said for the portions you got, which were big, it was very reasonable. So prices are reasonable.

Rate 1-5 Stars:

• Service – 5 Stars (Except for the long wait)
• Food – 3.5 Stars
• Prices – 3.5 Stars
• Cleanness – 3 Stars

Overall – 3.5 Stars

Would I go back, maybe…I would have to be mentally prepared for the long wait and the possibility that I may not get a table. The food is good, but for the long wait I could go else where and have a seat and enjoy the meal. If you like a bit of San Diego culture, then Lucha Libre is a must to visit, if you are a local in San Diego and you are in the mood for Mexican food, but rather not have the long wait, I suggest going somewhere you already go to and enjoy your meal.

Visit their site at http://tacosmackdown.com/ for more information, menu and location.

Thanks for reading, till next time Latino Man signing off.

Bottle Service

I wanted to share this experience I recently had. I thought you would fid this interesting, since I am not the typical partier and of course I am not in my twenties. Its something that has become or is a fad at the moment, young people are doing it coast to coast and the ones making out like bandits are the Clubs…charging up in excesses of $15,000 dollars for a bottle. Of course they offer us little folks a cheaper deal…and not a bad one for that matter…somewhere in the $450 price range, depending in the Club you go.

Well in this case, I wanted to share my experience at Jet Night Club in Las Vegas…yah Vegas baby. Ok so I decided to head to Vegas and well of course I made sure to make reservations at one of the more prominent Clubs in Vegas – Jet Night Club. Well, depending on the bottle, whether it is Vodka or Cognac or whisky, there are prices. Let me give you an example…a Sky Vodka bottle will run you $450 bucks, a Hennessey Bottle will run you $550, the most expensive bottle they have of Cognac will run you $15,000…so depending on your wallet you can see the estimated cost. Now keep in mind that these bottle services come with all the bells and whistles, and what I mean is, you get a personal waitress/waiter to attend to your ever need, you get you mixers, such as mineral water, pine-apple juice, cranberry juice etc. once again depending on your bottle. So it is costly, but if you do it at least once in your life it is a very cool experience.

Now, I have a few suggestions that you should keep in mind while at the Club and receiving the bottle service. These things will help make certain you get the full enjoyment and of course make sure you get your money’s worth. The reason I say this is quite simple, they make money with the bottles, if your bottle goes empty anytime during the evening, even if it is early in the evening they will ask you to purchase another bottle or leave the table…hence…another potential bottle service…meaning more money. So in actual…you are paying not for the table, but for the bottle and the service and once the bottle runs out they don’t need to service you…meaning waitress standing around…not good for the Club to see their employees standing around…they need to keep serving and serving.

Which brings me to my first suggestion: Make sure that you “SIP” your drinks, the club opens at 10:30pm and closes at 4:00am…seems like a lot of time, well if you are downing your drinks the time will go y very fast meaning if you finish the bottle early you either buy another bottle or leave the seat…keep in mind you don’t get kicked out of the club you simply mingle with the rest of the non-VIP crowd that is standing around…not necessarily a bad thing but you get my drift. So “SIP” your drinks, because when you finish them the waitress will immediately prepare you another drink, so one after another could shorten the night and finish the bottle faster. If you finish a drink, don’t feel bad in telling the waitress to not prepare you another drink, simply gesture with your hand kindly to “Stop” or gesture with your hands by pinching you fingers together as to indicate in a minute…the waitress may or may not get a little…what’s the word…a little nippy….angry…upset…but hell your paying $450 or more…so you have the right to dictate how you drink or pass the night…make sure you do it or else you could find yourself mixed in the non-VIP crowd or purchasing another bottle.

My second suggestion is: make sure you d a lot of dancing, so as to not get drunk/wasted to early on, also if you are dancing…more than likely you are not drinking, heck you don’t want to spill that drink…it is expensive. So keep moving to the music it will make the night go longer and of course any activities after words will actually be remembered…LOL.

The last thing is probably directed to the older crowd, meaning those of us over 30 years…maybe 35. Now, I am not labeling and I am sure there are individuals in this age group that can hold their liquor and party like they were twenty, but like most of us that have busy lives and are no longer accustomed to the late night parting and drinking extravagances, well this is a suggestion from me to you – only. Since we are not accustom to the heavy liquor, I assume this, it’s best not to have less than 4 people in your group/party when ordering bottle services…because simply put…the bottle is a bit too much for two people…whether it is two guys or a couple and especially a couple. In my experience and only saying this in my case and the rest of my party…Vodka will sneak up on you and will hurt the next day. So if you want to enjoy the evening and the next day festivities, if you are in Vegas, then make sure you have 4 or more people in your party, once again depending on the requirements for the club, to drink up the liquor. I think 6 is the limit for a bottle at Jet Night Club…I believe, but for sure 4 in a party for a bottle service. Now, if you have light drinkers in your group and is 4 only, please refer to my “First Suggestion” above…drink slow.

The reason I say this is, if you are not accustom to drinking hard liquor and are in Vegas, there is a good chance you will end up sleeping in A LOT the next morning, and if you have plans they could be ruined or you will not enjoy them as much as you would have, have you been sober or without a headache or other uncomfortable bodily functions.

I do have to say, if you can do a bottle service, do it, it is well worth it and if you do it in Vegas, for some crazy reason the people around you not in the VIP are pretty friendly if you mingle with them…heck probably everyone in Vegas is friendly…since what happens in Vegas…well you know…stays in Vegas. Now for my final thought on this, I have to Say that Jet Night Club attends to you, well to those with Bottle service extremely well, they do take care of you and make sure your evening is right, but remember don’t let them rush you on that bottle, other than that…it was an exceptional evening.

My Perspective:

As you get older, for many of us that begin a family, have children and a busy life it becomes a bit more difficult to party the night away or try and hold our own against them younger generation…I said for many of us, not everyone. But this should not stop anyone –especially us older generation from trying a new experience at least once, but if I was giving the suggestion that I mentioned above I think my evening would have been a bit longer and my next morning a lot less uncomfortable…not too mention loosing out on a show…heck…but I did wins some money. So, thanks for reading, keep safe, and remember you are never – ever too old to try something new. That’s the fabric of life…experiencing things…because not only do you grow as a person, guess what, if you have children you get to share those experiences with them and hopefully provide some great suggestions so they enjoy themselves when the time comes – of course.

Till next time Latino Man signing off – Party like a Rock Star.

“Where Does The Money Go”

The other day I was looking at my finances and as many people try and budget. The thing is that sometimes there are months that you really don’t spend any money and other months you have surprises…in either scenario I have NO money.

Let’s take some of us that get paid every 2 weeks, now in my case and I am sure that many others experience this as well; I receive 3 pay checks in some months. Now the thing is on those months I expect to be able to put away all that check into savings, well I do, but then I end up needing to transfer money over to cover expenses, the thing is I don’t make any additional purchase that month, from the norm that is, and I still end up in the red.

“Where Does The Money Go”, I ask myself. I don’t understand why is it that I end up with no money like any other month and yet I get paid more, plus I don’t spend on anything else. Well, so I decided to get tough and live below my means, I decided to follow even to a stricter degree my last post, about “Living Below Your Means”. I said to myself it’s time to take away a few luxury items, for at least one full year and put away all the money I use to spend on those items, whether it was extra cable channels, daily coffee runs, those unnecessary cookies…I mean even my groceries will be audited…at least for one year and the most important thing of this all that I will be doing is that…I will start a spreadsheet and track the expenditures for each month…and see exactly what I spend and how much and where and whom and on-and-one.

My Perspective:

Start living below your means, start saving each month and start with $100 dollars the first year, $200 the second year, $300 the third year, $470 the fourth year and from then on. You need to think about the real important things in your life and think dearly about what you will be doing during your golden years…because I really don’t want to be working unless it is because I am helping someone on a part-time basis and it is a hobby or fun thing…or nothing at all. Anyhow, thanks for reading, till next time Latino Man signing off.

Living Within Beneath our Means –

At turn of 2006-2007, just before the housing market crash, people were living it up, spending, buying, and really not savings. Through these last 5 years I have been researching the internet, most articles, journal entries, blogs from people that talk about their community and state of finances. I sort of gathered the information and look or swift through it for pertinent information or information that correlates to the economy and what we are experiences.

Anyhow, so I have come to realize while reading and researching these articles that people were not really putting any money away while the boom was going on. So it turns out when the market crashed in 2008- 2009, people began loosing their jobs and at that point realized they did not have enough savings to get them through the rough times…hey even if it meant having 3 months of reserves to pay the mortgage and basic bills. You could have easily have cut back on the other fluffs, such as extended cable, extra cell phone, steaks every Friday, etc.

So it comes that to thousands of people loosing their homes and other possessions due to simply not putting away a little money when times were good. Hey, I am a culprit and did not have anything. The thing is I have been lucky and still maintain my job and well, now I am putting a way a little snipping, but seriously it is not enough to sustain a long drought of no work…like I have seen with other colleagues. I do have a little, but like my previous article, I had to deal with a few set backs in regards to having to reach into that savings in order to get through. So once again I am back to square one in regards to money reserves.

The things, since many of us are feeling the pinch, and for those that have been fortunate enough to find a job, why not try and leave beneath our means…in other words try and cut back on fluff, such as extended cable or if at all possible cut back on the number of cell phones in the household. For example maybe you can purchase a cell phone that will allow you to put minutes into it and only reload it if you run out of minutes. If you go out as a family then take along one cell phone the one that is in a plan, like 69.99/moth unlimited minutes, text, and video. Now, also you can reduce the accessories on your cell phone plan, possibly cut back on the number of text or eliminate that completely, reduce the number of minutes, don’t get that GPS addition, there are features you can do with out that would reduce your cell phone monthly bill. Remember you have Internet access and Google maps or Yahoo maps are available, simply print out your destination.

The thing is trying to find luxury items in your household is the key to finding that little extra money that you can actually put away for a rainy day…and possibly a long drought. There are also many FREE things to do around San Diego and I am pretty sure your city, going to the park, walking on the boardwalk, hikes, etc. what I think is that we need to get back to the 70’s and 80’s and not get so immersed in Technology and the products and gadgets out there. Instead of texting, maybe a phone call or email will be just as affective. Ok it may not be instantaneous, but come on…a little patience goes a long way.

Look around see the things you can cut back on and do without; maybe instead of TV shows, DVR’ing you can play a board game with the family. The thing is I am pretty certain that if we look around our household you will find things you can cut back on and do with out the thing is having the courage to move forward with it and most importantly having the discipline to put away that extra money you found away for such a day when you need it. Now, remember this doesn’t only hold true to families, but to single people as well.

My Perspective:

Times are tough for everyone but I do believe that if we all look around we can find things we can cut back on or do without. Instead of cable, there are options through the internet for free TV, Netflix also has a low monthly plan that allows you to access thousands of movies, yah they may be old, but come on…HBO, Show Time and the other channels also have the same old movies all month long and usually they only have old movies, so instead of 29.95 a month, why not pay 5.95 a month or free…you see what I mean. We all love our morning coffee…ok most of us do, instead of Starbucks, why not make your own coffee…huge savings. Try Godiva coffee which can be found in most market places, I shop Vons. Things are there, I believe if you start saving now for a rainy day…you will be able to handle better any possible layoff or reduction in your business. Once again thanks for reading, Latino Man Signing off.