Welcome to Zocalo Angelino!

What's up folks? Thanks for stopping by my new blog, "Zocalo Angelino."

This has been a project that was long in the planning, but quite short on the action. It was about time that I stopped the woofin' and got with the writing. I have always enjoyed writing and I thought that this would be a good step to a lifetime of Pulitzer Prizes (jokes).

You might be wondering what is a "Zocalo Angelino." Well, "zocalo" is Spanish term that describes a city's central plaza or square. The zocalo is a central part of daily life as it is usually bordered by the cathedral, government buildings, and a central market. The most famous zocalo, unimaginatively called "El Zocalo," can be found in Mexico City. "Angelino" is just a term that describes a person or a thing located in Los Angeles.

Is the phrase "Zocalo Angelino" an oxymoron? Is there anything central to the urban patchwork that is Los Angeles?

My take is that L.A.'s decentralized orientation has created a bunch of "mini" zocalos all over the city. Although it is usually in the form of a busy street, each neighborhood and city has their own little central plaza, their own center of daily life. Neighborhoods like Little Ethiopia, Thai Town, Pico-Union, and Little Tokyo all converge on one street where all the action happens. This idea of the "mini-zocalo" is what drives this blog.

If you accept my theory of the "mini-zocalo," (if you don't, just go with it, you are ruining my great introduction ), then you can see how the L.A. cityscape acts a great big zocalo that houses all of these different ways of life. Sure, the big zocalo is often polluted and congested, but if you look hard enough you can find people putting their individual twist on life. This diversity is electrifying.

In some small way, I want my blog to function in the same way. I have always felt that I floated in and out of different scenes. Sometimes you could find me in a heated tax policy debate with a law school friend (yes, I am that nerdy). Other times, you might find me arguing that DJ Quik is the most underrated rapper of all time (yes, I am that gangster). I admit that I really like foie gras, scallops, and whiskey. I also admit that chorizo con huevo might be the world's most perfect meal.

I want this blog to be a big zocalo where all of these "mini-zocalos" like rap, tax, and food can be discussed on a daily basis. This blog is my feeble attempt to consolidate "inbetweeners" like myself. So if you are a tax lovin', rap listening, eclectic food eating, alcohol drinking, politico like myself (or any variation thereof), then welcome home.

P.S. - and for all you Spanish language scholars, I am working on getting the accentuation right on the word "zocalo." Gimme a minute to get this HTML thing down.