I Often Wonder

By kiki

I often wonder what happened to the people I briefly met throughout my life, some of whom I never learned their names. Are those boys and girls, men and women that passed briefly through my life, and I through theirs still alive? Where are they, what are they doing, are they in good or bad health. I often wonder!!

Fernie and Kim

By kiki

It's eerily quiet across the street this morning. Our son Fernie and his wife Kim sold their house and moved out yesterday. It's a sad feeling for me, as I was used to seeing them up and about for the many years they lived across from us. I even missed their wandering cats this morning. The cats were always out in the early mornings, and they would greet me as I went out to pick up the newspaper….This morning is the beginning of another chapter in our lives, and I hope it all ends well for all of us….Feeling sad!!

Debit Card

By kiki

Earlier this morning, as I was in bed reading a book, I started to get hungry, so I said to myself, "self, get your ass out of bed and go to your favorite greasy spoon and get something to eat" So I jumped out of bed and jumped in the shower for a quick wet down...As I was driving to the greasy spoon, I thought about what I was going to eat. The greasy spoon I frequent regularly has a minimal menu (but cheap), so I decided to go to another greasy spoon; even though it's a slightly higher class food joint, it is still, nonetheless, a greasy spoon...I ordered huevos con chicharrón en chili Verde, corn tortillas, and cinnamon-spiced coffee. And like the kids say, "it was the bomb" Done eating, I walked up to the beautiful honey working the till, fished out my wallet to dig out my debit card, but, damn, there was no debit card in my wallet! Luckily I had a few coins in my pocket, enough to pay the honey and tip the waitress...

As I drove out of the parking lot, I remembered where I had last used the debit card, "CVS" (bought some drugs). So I drove straight to CVS, and as I walked in, the lady that helped me saw me and said, "I was wondering when you were coming back for your debit card"...Even though it all ended well, I will not tell Connie about this because I know what she will say "so you fucked up again"...Now I don't want to give the impression that Connie uses that kind of language regularly; she doesn't; she does only when I fuck-up! 

Dolphin's of Hollywood Record Shop

By kiki

Back in the early1950s, Dolphins of Hollywood Record Shop was the place for teenagers and young adults to hang out and for boys to meet girls and girls to meet boys. In the night hours, there would be a D.J. (Huggy Boy, Hunter Hancock, and Charles Trammel, et al.) spinning records on the airwaves (KRKD), and the D.J.'s would let you dedicate on the airwaves a song to your loved one. The Doo-Wop artists of the day would make appearances and pass out autographed photos...I got to meet many of those artists. It was a fascinating time for all of us young people to experience.

                                             Lovin'John Dolphin

The 1950s was a time of blatant racism in the USA. But, in the early '50s, Lovin'John Dolphin's record shop, located in the mostly-black section of Los Angeles: on Vernon Ave and Central Ave., South Central L.A., "the music mecca of the west coast," proved that music could bridge the racial divide among the 1950's youth. 

The record shop and radio shows would unite young people of all races during segregation. Yes, young people of all races would make their way to the black community to congregate at the open 24-hour record shop, and the black, white, Asian, and Latino youth of the '50s would dance and party together inside and outside the shop till the wee hours of the morning.

I remember giving my parents headaches whenever I would do overnighters at the record shop. But some of those Dolphins of Hollywood Record Shop wee hour moments are now great memories, and I am sure my parents, while not liking that I was staying out all night, would have understood if I had just taken the time to explain; those great moments to them…For about three years, I spent most of my free time at Dolphins, but time has a habit of changing things for you, and even if you are not ready for the change, time will make sure that it happens. As I got a little older, I started exploring other parts of the City of Angels and spent less time at Dolphins. Still, the memories of those days, dancing on the shop's sidewalk with some chick whose name you didn't even know and jiving with cats of all races will forever be with me….Those long-ago memories made at the legendary Dolphins of Hollywood Record Shop will forever be alive for those lucky enough to experience 'Dolphins of Hollywood Record Shop' in the early '50s.

                                 John Dolphin and Billie Holiday

Montebello in Despair

By kiki

After having breakfast Connie and I took a cruise to Brogiere’s Dairy in Montebello to buy orange juice in glass bottles, unfortunately, they were out of it, and they said they wouldn’t have any till Wednesday. We left Brogiere's and headed south on Maple till we got to Date in Simons. We turned east on Date to Greenwood, then south on Greenwood, we then turned east on one of the side streets, maybe Elm St. not sure, but anyway, I couldn’t help but notice how rundown South Montebello is. I remember riding my bike on all those streets east of Greenwood in the early ’50s and thinking how beautiful those neighborhoods were, of course, compare to El Hoyo Simons; any other neighborhood was beautiful to a young kid riding a bike. Put together with mostly stolen parts….Most of Montebello south of Whittier Blvd seems to be in heavy despair…It was sad to see the beautiful city that I love, the one I went to junior high and high school looking so run down!!