Far view of our outing 

3M not the company the Marisols...its like they clone them but in different sizes. 

Yale Alumni day at the Park. 

Just chilling at the park. 

Sergio making an appearance. 

from last week 

Solo with my HOT MOM SELF

Estoy in Arizona solo. My sister is on her way home from a tough year at school tonight and is going to surprise my mother tonight since she doesn't know she's coming. Had a blast this weekend and will put up the pictures as soon as Mari's Laptop is back her since she's in DC. Going back to LA this time through Yuma so might stop by and say hi to Comadre in SD but we'll see.

Congrates to the New YALE Graduates much love and good fortune head, and as the great Britney Spears says, "some times you just gotta be Your hot mama self." No truer word have ever come out of her mouth.

From Chirstmas 2004 standing in my shadow.

First in an installment showing the growth of a princess.
From July 2003

Pilli making a Grapefruit trail. 

Ciuapilli Picking Grapefruit today. 

Mundo Loco

What is wrong with this world? Parents killing thier own children, people stealing from one another in front of everyone's face (Republicans). I use to wonder how so many people lost hope in one another and with so much brutal and senseless death at the present and not to distant past, I don't wonder anymore. Although like Ana Frank said I still believe that good people exist. Hope and I think memories of good things are what help make it through the day. Which is why I think people soo emphaticly turn to religion sometime the memories don't suffies. But as with anything we sometime over grasp it, over endulge.

in other news, get well dave Chappelle, please BITCH. Family is well and mari is excited to be getting a raise and new job. And the prospect of a Saturday at a park playing Soccer with some friends does make me very happy. So hope is the word of the week and as the Democrats begin taking baby steps to retrieving their balls I hope things with you are on there way to getting better.

Tuscon Blogging

I am currently in a Tuscon Hotel and very happy that my wonderful wife Marisol got and accepted a new job. I finally got to the gym and feel like I will be there everyday this week. Mari's still going to DC and Pilli will spend a week with my family. Clio is not going a well as I hoped but I finally will have more time next week. I still need to turn in my expense report and email about my vacation time but everything else is going pretty well. Going to bed now but hopefully will give a more detailed blog about what's going on and some pictures too!!

Paz y amor

Pilli blogging Fridays are back. After a week in Avenal and back, and now getting a new digital camera for work will also improve the age of this blog in terms of pictures. 

Good and bad news

The bad news first, my Ipod or Mini benk is sick and needs to be repaired. That really make my drives much harder.

On to the good news, I'm going to OLD TIMERS DAY!!! In Avenal, soo much working and now a little fun. WHOOOOHOOO!!! I haven't been to one in years and Ciuapilli will be able to pay with me which will be great!! The parade the fair afterwards everything should be really great!! Plus surprising my mom for an early mother's day meeting.

Pilli blogging by way of Mari's dancing belly. 

Listo Blogo

Just a list of things to expect from the blog

-Pilli Pics
-Latino Dean Review
-Semana Chicana
-Corky Gonzalez

-Housing

Money Pa' que

some times I wonder if work is just a manner for people not to be bored, sometimes I think its the manner for a few people to control the others indirectly, but most of the time I believe we are challenged by god with the devil's toys to see what we will make of what we got. Money and everything associated sucks. Waking up early to make your paper sucks. But in good news 2 our of our 10 credit cards will be officially payoff by the end of this month. Mid-term plans are to look and buy a cheap house (yeah right) but our long term plans of leaving AZ conflict with that. Solo dios sabe. By the way I am very proud that Semana Chicana VIVE! Yale may never grace the Hispanic TOP 25 schools but the corazon of the RAZA thrives even without reconigion.

PS- will be in Yuma from Wenesday on. Sucks I know.

MEChA

Still going strong

julieah dreams: MEChA de Yale is solid! at ECCSF today, Adam became Administrative Chair of ECCSF; Adriana became the new Este Aztlan NMCC rep; Yale became the Central Communications Center for the region; and we'll be hostiing the first Este Aztlan Regional Caucus next year!

My Famous Wifey

More Ciuapilli Pictures 

Feliz Cumpleanos Padre

For my dad who was born in 1951, Feliz Cumpleanos! Here with his favorite Ciua... whom knows him as Pancho Lopez.
Click for a bigger picture.

Regrese

The land of potatoes was good. Nice people, snow and beautiful scenery. Anyways here's a classic Ciuapilli picture. Annamaria you look good with a kid.

Out for work

Going to be away from the computer for a week. Out in Idaho, may make it to Yellowstone, but who knows. Please email and leave messages here and treat Julie nice. Please Pray for Irene's nana.

Happy Easter

Not for me but hope everyone else had a good easter here's some Pilli pictures.

Pilli and Lopez Blogging Friday

Chicana Pilli on Casador in Huejuquilla at El Rancho de la Estrella

Idaho

random thing is that I'm going to Idaho for a week, next week for my Lowe's Reset Job. Should be intresting, were suppose to drive I think to boise but not sure just yet. Funny I've never been to that part of the country and would be excited to go but I really would like to go to California for Easter but it would suck to drive to and from LA then fly out... But I might decide to do it anyways for la familia. I sometime miss things and wanted to share that I miss, Main Garden food, cobblestone walkways, crazy named plays and their intresting art work at full display. Walkby Billboards, with posters and plees, walking in to Yale Station. The echos of Commons.

to the echos of commons

Fan Mail

Before the fan mail I wanted to share this link, Pancho's Blog in Japanese.. I think http://blog.goo.ne.jp/pancho_gm/
Now to the fan....

Pancho:

Good times. An added sources of entertainment. Because reality TV, bling bling videos, and talking political heads aren't enough!!!!

I'm Joking my friend.

How's AZ? Oh, wait, is this the kind of stuff I can ask you through the blog?

-jd

Anwser- Of course this is my way to share a bit of my mind, life and overall struggle. AZ is ok right now, looking to build the foundation for bigger and better things, maybe even some camping on the 4th of July, but Mari is not really up for it.

Plus while addressing a fan I was wonder about selling out. You know those text ads on the sides of webpages, Google which owns Blogger and Blogspot offers me a way to make some money on this thing? So should I sell out for pennies everytime you click something? Please send me some input or else some Republicans may want to take my Green Card and Drivers license away. (The trick is not to have too much of an accent - I know HUH?) Plus don't forget to check out Julie at her color changing blog and her new stint at BlueLatino.org, just remember she blogged for me first before she went big time!

Naughty Girl!

Isn't this kinda naughty? Well that's what Angela asks (Her blog is on the right)

Pilli Blogging

So as I browse the blogsphere and read all the comments that keep me sane in this R rated world, I noticed that a bunch of bloggers, cat blog on fridays. So I though hmm... why not Pilli Blog. From now on I will post pictures of Ciuapilli on Friday or Saturdays depending on my avaliblity. Please feel free to send me Pilli pictures if you got them. Info on the right side. Once again good luck to Julie as she pushes through the Senior Essay blues and gets closer to the deadline. Well here goes...

First one...

Are those horns?

link of the day

http://grant.robinson.name/projects/montage-a-google/

try to find yourself....creepy

Back home

Flew in yesterday and about to pick up Wifey in a few minutes ... we had lots of fun and would enjoy living in DC. The white house would be a nice place to live. Who knows... lots of thanks to Senior Essay ridden Julie for posting while away from the computer. Much love to everyone we ran into and the like. Hope to see more of you commenting and viewing.

Francisco

Great News!

Ernie, Ciuapilli's Godfather got into Harvard Med. the day is good!!!

Packing and DC

no not the comic but the City... Pancho's going to washington, to work. Today is my official travel day for CLIO. Hope to chill out stop my bad mood and maybe read a bit. I really don't feel like going but it must be done in order to kill the evil credit card monkey on my back. Going to try and work on my essay. Listen to Ipod on the way over. Mini-BENK's first trip...Hoping to see Nnamdi and maybe some other friends. But my low adittude has me not really gung-ho but more in a whatever's clever mood. Mari joins me on thrusday which should be intresting, but hopefully fun. Funny last week I was missing the east coast... lets see if this lasts or was just nostalgia. Plus my hotel is a bit off from the Metro so I don't know how appealing the trips over to Ezra are going to be but they must be made. I will take pictures and post. Mucho mucho AMOR. Plus good luck to Little, Sis and her extra long day.

Maybe Julie will blog while I'm gone... but that reminds me I was suppose to tap Irma for a society... oh well

New cosas

I have a brand new co-blogger on my site... Julie... I hope she writes good things... but along with that new development I will also be updating my webpage which is linked over by the picture. Mad props to Julie for joining me in this blog thing.. although her blog is much better then mine right now I'm just trying to latch on to her stuff.

Funny stuff

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

My beautiful wife. 

The adorbable Monster. 

A battle won

For those that know me they know I was very active in the financial aid reform department. now after some intresting developments which you can read about here (at Julieah's Blog). It seems Yale has bowed a bit.. its a small victory in the war towards affordable education but a victory nonetheless.

Yale University Follows Harvard's Lead to Lure Poorer Students

March 3 (Bloomberg) -- Yale University President Richard Levin said he will follow Harvard's lead and reduce costs for lower-income students, a week after Yale students closed the admissions office to protest financial-aid policies.

``Sometimes we innovate, and sometimes we bow to best practices,'' Levin, 57, said in an interview from the New Haven, Connecticut school. ``We have seen Harvard being pretty successful with their attempt to reach out and become more accessible.''

Levin said Yale was influenced by Harvard University's program of recruiting and easing costs for students whose families earn between $40,000 and $60,000 a year. The move comes as other schools, including the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, provide more financial aid to low-income students.

Yale will spend about $3 million a year to help poorer students, saving their families an average of $2,500 annually, Levin said. As it recruits lower-income students, Yale will eliminate parental contributions for families earning under $45,000 a year, and reduce payments from those making less than $60,000.

Harvard

Harvard, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, changed its aid policies last year and next month will decide who qualifies for the program. Dean of Admissions William Fitzsimmons said that applications for the class of 2009 rose 15 percent in part because of the new efforts.

``We are really pleased to learn about the changes Yale made,'' Fitzsimmons said in a phone interview yesterday. ``Any time this kind of a message comes out from the most competitive institutions, it helps all of the colleges and sends a wonderful message of hope.''

Fifteen students held a sit-in at Yale's admissions office on Feb. 24, while 150 others outside called on Levin to ease costs for students on financial aid. The annual cost of attending Yale is about $41,470.

Levin said the sit-in came after he addressed students at a forum on financial aid and listened to their concerns.

``This is a strong signal, an advertising message, that Yale is affordable,'' Levin said of the new financial-aid program.

Endowments

Douglas Bennett, president of Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, said Yale's move does little to help make higher education accessible and affordable to all students.

``Only a small handful of colleges and universities have endowments that allow them to do what Yale is doing,'' said Bennett, chairman of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Washington, D.C.

``The real battle over access to higher education for students from low-income families is being waged in Washington D.C., where the Congress is considering whether to increase Pell Grants and whether to fully fund all the federal financial aid programs for low-income students,'' Bennett said.

Yale has a $12.8 billion endowment. Levin said the university will pay for the initiative using savings achieved in the last year through administrative reductions. About 42 percent of Yale students qualify for financial aid.

Some students had complained to Levin that they must take out large loans to pay for the costs not covered by aid. Princeton University in New Jersey and Amherst College in Massachusetts already have programs to protect students from debt, said Amherst President Anthony Marx.

Ensuring Access

``Amherst, Harvard and Yale and schools like them recognize that we are not and have not been doing enough to ensure access to the best universities and colleges in the land regardless of ability to pay,'' Marx said. ``There are still lots of really smart kids from poor backgrounds not applying to these schools because they think they can't afford it.''

At the nation's most selective colleges and universities, only 3 percent of students come from families in the lowest 25 percent of income. About 75 are from families in the top 25 percent, Harvard President Lawrence Summers said last year.

Levin said 15 to 17 percent of Yale's 5,240 undergraduates come from low-income families. Like Harvard, Yale will recruit students from rural areas of the U.S., and it will pay for one trip home each year for international students who are on financial aid. Yale expects its financial aid budget to grow to more than $52 million for 2005-06, Levin said.

``Yale is making a serious commitment to remaining competitive on low-income financial aid,'' said Andrew Cedar, 20, president of Yale College Council, the student government.

Tom Mortenson, an education consultant, said the initiative may not benefit enough students.

``Yale has a very long way to go to enroll an average share of already underrepresented population in higher education,'' he said.

Last year, Yale had its most selective year ever, with 19,682 applicants. Only 9.9 percent of applicants were admitted, the lowest rate in the school's 303-year history. This year, applications are down 1.2 percent, admissions director Richard Shaw told the Yale Daily News.

At Harvard, a record 22,717 students vied for about 1,650 spots last year, Fitzsimmons said.

Viva MEXICO a picture from Cancun a few years ago. 

Mini- Benk Looks just like this. 

Pilli eating Carl's Jr. 

pilli about a year and a half ago 

Sucky Day

I need to type here more often. I have done many things this last month since I last blogged. I'm going to DC on Monday and starting the training for Clio. My other job is going well. We have been paying things down but still have a ways to go. Mari got new glasses and I unexpectedly got a Mini Ipod, which is called mini-benk. Good times...still have that monkey on my back but feel good. Pilli is all over the place and learning to speak so well its kinda of amazing how quickly she's learning. But I have a bunch of things I need to do today and feel really lazy about doing them. guess I'll get to it.

New Years.....

Here's for resolutions and new shit to do and think. Its not an election year and I some how feel uplifted because of that. Last year was horrible and disappointing. Needless to say I think this will be a far better year than last. But who knows. But now that Dean is the Chairperson of the DNC i am feeling like all the lament and sorrow cause by the last loss will have some sort of silver lining. So if someone that reads this has money please... donnate To the Democratic National Committee

Contribution amount:
$

But I will try every morning when I get back from my job to post even some inate thing....status of my next major project which is finishing my essay that I must do. But we'll see.

Much love and volvere.

Francisco

New year new life

Will update soon.

Pre-Thanksgiving

Just thinking about this thanksgiving and the whole holiday season. hoping for a mircale so we can go to MEX this christmas but life.. has creeped its ugly face. But I think I'm getting better with dealing with it. Still have politcs on the brain and I feel a strong movement toward what I wrote below. Times are changing and well so is this world. I hope to see the part of my life that has not been viewed for 4 years. Mari and I are ok, broke but ok, went out three weekends in a row. Saw the incredibles loved it... nothing to bitch about... although supposedly liberals like me are suppose to not like it. The story wasn't the strongest... but its a cartoon... a movie and I had lot of fun watching it. Not looking for a political message in a pixar cartoon.. just a reflection of our lives thats it. Plus how many red state people have black friend that come over for dinner. Blue STATES RULE!

We have only begun to fight!

This loss by Kerry Will be the opening salvo in the cultural wars of this century. Hell Mexico took two centuries to deal with their religious identity. But in a country were the core ideas of enlightenment thought helped found the institutions that ground this nation are under direct attack. This war has its origins in the sixties and the strange but unholy joining of two groups. Socially religious conservatives and strictly business interests. These groups a have established the foundation for so much disinformation on their adversaries that most of the time they are forced to dispel those lies and rumors and not in any substantive debate. But this ignorance plays to the Conservatives favor, one group wants the money the other wants the establishment of religion on our society. Long ago they st rived to form a movement to steal the moral issues from the country and place them in a scapegoating/fear-mongering dynamic that only context is in churches. But above all this movement is on the CRUSADE TO DESTROY ALL Liberal ideas/ ideals/ thought. Somehow Janet's boob became a moral and religious issue, stupid and irresponsible yes but a moral travesty degrading our society? Please, divorce and adultery is much worst in actually altering the everyday life people live. If people explain to their children that what that lady on TV did is wrong then the issue should stop there right? Which brings me to the Gay issue, which is not the main reason the Dems lost but it plays into the game the Conservatives want. We play on their field with the equipment, and still we came a few million votes short. In a decade the young Latinos and African Americans will equate that easily. This is a all or nothing game that has its hands in high xenophobia and religious zealotry. Not to mention the quietest and most prosperous element of this unholy marriage is the business side, taxes and corporate welfare with additional access to the goods and control of public property. Mexico and many developing countries are experiencing this type of neoliberalization and with unhealthy consequences for average people. Because the US has a higher income per capita the Business interests sees a good disconnect between the drastic effects of this economic shift which well allow the total realtering effect to occur. I don't mind fighting about Taxes and tax burdens but when you coopt a movement for financial reasons and don't actually care about those principles that give you those tax breaks that's where I get all bent out of shape. Especially when we have so much to deal with in this world, terrorism which in many ways mimic this cutural war is SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT than if two gay people get married. But of course liberals have become terrorist... but that's for another post.

I feel that first and foremost the Left needs to engage in the cultural war. Otherwise all is lost. It took 40 years to establish this control for the right, their game is tight no doubt about it. But in less than 2 years the dormant heart and soul of the left has reawaken and I feel is ready to fight. Crap the election showed we can form groups and networks quicker and more flexible than the Conservatives. We had a war time president running for his job. The Light and Truth will prevail, maybe god wanted the world to let bush see that light and truth first hand. Gays should be allowed to be married as long as they don't destroy society at the same time. Red states have the highest rates of divorce in our great country and guess what the one state that allows gay unions is the lowest. Morals are about actions not about repetitive slogans. The Morals and values or this country have been verbally hijacked but they need to be retaken. More than anything I want to destroy Conservatives, the movement the organizations and everything associated with it, except of course religion but I only say that because people may have equated the two.. that equation took 20 years to bear fruit, out country is 228 years old before that religion was something out country shared and allowed its people to practice and alter. Religion is at the heart of the character of our nation but our nation's character was not imprinted or dictated to us by our founders for good reason. I do not want to fight religion but its use as compass toward a more perfect union.

Since we did not begin this war, (yes liberals helped change institutions to allow for more choice and inclusion, not the outlawing of those original ideas - ie segregation was outlawed not personal racism) conservatives have been unwilling to compromise our culture, its their way or get the fuck out of the country/go to Europe, turn French. I am sorry that our principles as open minded individuals allowed the radicals to continue existing for that we must obliterate and untie religion for this unholy bond. This crippling and collapse of the right is necessary not only for the liberal agenda to continue but also for the principles of this enlightened country to reign outward the world. That is why the world is sadden by our choice as a country, not because they hate us but because they saw the war from afar we as liberal were too close to the action to see the forest closing in around us. Our live and let live attitude was seen as weakness and used to get their troops closer to heart of our country than we could imagine. So here we are. Will we fight for our rights or will the right use god to control this country? Don't forget the last time religion ruled unabided was the DARK AGES.

To do

need to mail shit and pay my student loan.

Clean up francisco

Stressing

Ok so I'm really stressed right now, had a week where I lost my mojo big time after feeling really good the week before.  Had a minor breakdown, too many question in my head, wasn't trying to think too much it just hit me.  Strangely I think it has to do with just realizing where I'm at.  For the first time in four years I'm alone.  Seriously, no kid no wife no nobody.  Maybe I can get my life in order.  Akward and (oh shoot what was the word we said Li Yun?) STAGNANT.   That's how I've felt.   Miss having all these people in my life that kept me feeling like I grew in so many ways, but being in Phoenix has really hamped that, Big time.  So stagnation with my friend is there sadly were all too busy to talk and bs.  I miss my loved one's bs.  I think we all get free minutes but we don't talk to each other because of all our own drama.  Stagnation.  My Senior Essay still fucken stagnat.  I think these alone days will help.  I haven't been able to reset like this in years... me whom values having is alone time has been with mari or the baby for 4 years straight, through all our ups and downs.  wierd.  I don't understand why I"m having anti-captialist emotion lately too.  My new car rocks but I'm afriad my shitty week might not allow me to make the payment in the next week! EEKE  YIKES... that were most of the stress comes from.  my boss kinda turned my screws during my breakdown but that's cool now.  I just need to make money.  My past, present and future goals are all trying to make sense of each other.  My once limitless existence seems way too limited now.  My pretentiousness has been humbled but at the same time I still feel like I will do more with my life than is expected of me or myself.  Si dios quiere.  I MISS MEXICO SOO MUCH.  It aches my bones.   four years without one of the most complex emotional spritual and comfortable situations of my life has me desprate.  I need to go to Huejuquilla.  I need to be on my ranch and contemplate the fact that my gene, ancestors walks the caminos I'm walking.  The distance that the apples have fallen from the mother tree.  I feel like my universe is complete there, although it doesn't feel perfect its as close as I have ever felt it.  I miss the fights the love and the sparkle and dissillusionment that mexico brings out in my family and myself.  Does everyone in this world have these issues?  Is there a way to have so many parts of your life and history so separtated, is that what joins and somewhat unites Latinos in this country.  A patria separada.  A world that should be just and is just in our minds but isn't and every way we try or have tried seem to not work.   I know this seem like a mindless ramble but its actually on of the clearest stream of thoughts I've had.  Gladly my mind is clearer than it has been since Sept. 1999.  I feel like I've been living a dream/ nightmare at times and I woke up having fallen on my in-law's floor.  Who is this fool that living there?  How the fuck did that happen?  Where did is cousins go?  Why is he doing what hes doing now?  What's wrong with him?  I don't have all the anwsers but I've pieced most of it together.  My overly spritual self feels lost because of the place I'm at, not nessasarly in strength of my spritit.  The optimisim comes and goes especaily in the enviroment I live in, but I am confident that my Lopez clan that walks this Tierra sagrada will triumph, I don't know the mountain peaks we'll reach or which mountain ranch those peak are at but I do know we will climb those mountians, no matter what.

Hyundai Sonata

VashDaStampede80: so now C-lo is pimpin a new ride eh :-D LOL cool sh*t homie
VashDaStampede80: congratz!

liberation

When I was in high school I had a mug with my name on it. Frank it read; stands for and forever need to be free and liberated. I think I've found some of that liberation I once thought I had but otherwise, things still impede my complete liberation, oh well, enjoy this mural by Diego Rivera call the liberation of the peon.

.