They've Got Spirit, How 'Bout You?

Can you imagine waiting in line, through the wee hours of the morning, just to score a pair of new sneakers at 5 a.m.? I recently read a story about a man that was stabbed seven times while he was waiting in line to get a pair of Nike Air Jordan XI Concord sneakers. Now while I think that’s just the most ridiculous thing I’ve heard of lately, I can’t help but think back on all the crazy things I thought were worth waiting for all night. *cough* Harry Potter *cough*. At what point do we get sucked into total obsession over athletic endorsements and how exactly can that celebrity endorsed cool factor be applied to Corpus Christi athletes?

Corpus definitely has the potential to pack arenas, after the hordes of people I witnessed on Black Friday I’m sure of that, but that still doesn’t seem to be enough to pack the stands at sporting events. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone to a Hooks’ game and been allowed to choose a better seat because What-A-Burger Field was basically deserted. So then what exactly are Corpus teams missing? There are a lot of excuses like, tickets are too pricey, Corpus teams are boring to watch, or my favorite “I just didn’t know anything was happening.” Honestly though, I think the only thing Corpus teams are missing is support. Unfortunately support only comes during successful seasons and successful seasons only come from supporters cheering, for all they are worth until their voices go hoarse. It’s a vicious cycle.

          Excited to start the new school year right, a friend and I attended the Islanders
women’s basketball game against UTSA on the 11^th hoping to get tastes of that school spirit energy; you know the kind that has you rooting on the edge of your seat at each basket. What we got was a scattered group of students with really only about a third of them making any effort to root the team on. For the most part though, the "cheering" was more drunken slurs at the opposing team if anything. I think I saw more support for Shaun White’s clothing line at Target recently. Fans support the Flying Tomato because he’s a two-time Olympic gold medalist, and can work a half-pipe as easily as he would a snow covered mountain. On the other hand, take Lebron James- the man hasn’t won one ring since he was drafted to the NBA in 2003 yet he has billboards dedicated to him, a Nike clothing line and millions of fans worldwide. In James’ case winning doesn’t appear to be everything.

But what all of these sports celebrities have in common is the connection to their fans and community. Some of them achieve this by touring the state and motivating the youth, others endorse items that give the common-man something to come together over and some win games with such grace and modesty that it’s impossible to ignore. Though it’s been a rough season for just about all my favorite Texas teams I think they still have what it takes to turn things around and ignite the interest they have been thirsting for. We really just need a few hometown heroes to remind us why we fell in love with the game.

This week's column

Don’t Call it a Come Back

Taking breaks is always necessary: winter break, spring break, timeouts. Even my Wii asks me to put the controller down regularly, but in a city where there is plenty of time to stop and smell the roses (or in Corpus’ case, a hibiscus) how do we make the most of our breaks, and in the end, will it help us or hurt us?

            Tiger Woods ended 2011 with his first win in two years. Woods claimed the past season slump was due to leg injuries and not enough practice. There has not been enough time for people to forget about his nine affairs to remember. In fact Woods’ only chance at redemption may lie in his performance in the Abu Dhabi Championship and whether he aces Rory Mcllory, Luke Donald and Martin Kaymer right out of first place. I could certainly over look Woods’ personal flops as long as his professional game was back in swing; Golf really isn’t the same with out him.

            I can think of plenty of times where taking a break from personal issues helped me rebuild my studies and myself better than before. Of course sometimes taking breaks from school can be a different story. Sometimes you find yourself taking a semester off, to experience the world, only to come back and realize how much work you now need to get done. Other times you have a winter break that you wish would never end, because the thought of agonizing over grades and tests seems like too much.

            Another prime example of needing to take a break would be long time Packers’ quarterback Brett Favre. Since 2002 Favre was running through the retirement rumor mill, skipping summer training camps then coming back and extending his NFL records. It wasn’t until Favre was traded to the Jets in 2008, cut from the roster, picked up by the Vikings, and sustained numerous injuries did he realize the time for retirement had come.

            I once dated a football player at a rival school who took a season off from football for surgery and then returned to help the team with one of the best seasons of his career (they beat my school that year). As humans we need water breaks, lunch breaks and mental health days. As students we live for happy hours and summer breaks. Aren’t we are all looking for a break from something? Careful though, sometimes we pull a Michael Jordan and take a break only to realize we were right where we needed to be all along. 

It begins with a girl, and her city...

              Recently I was promoted at work to Sports Editor *loud applause* yes yes thank you thank you. I really couldn't have done it with out the love and support of my fans, friends and family. Included in the promotion, along with pay raise, working hours and boasting rights, was the honor of writing my very own column. So for all my beloved friends far and abroad, I will be posting my weekly columns; have no fear as I will still be posting unfiltered raw goods about my sparkling city.

Holiday Hustle

Despite the weather, South Texans know it's winter and better yet, Christmas is just around the corner. This year being 22 and hopefully more mature and wise than years past I plan on making my gifts more thoughtful. However for those who enjoy the hustle and bustle of last minute shopping, might I suggest La Palmera Mall, or for those with a thicker wallet, perhaps Lamar Park.

Gap  has some pretty sweet sales and they are also giving away Christmas jams. Click the link and click "Jam it Up mixtape" off to the left hand side (I know it's strange). Anyway even if you don't buy clothes from there free music is always nice, and the mixtape is surprisingly pretty sweet. (Follow me on twitter to see all the reasons why "free music is better than sex" @Alexisthenexus)

But then I really began to think, was Christmas as an adult really all about glitz and the glam or could this year be the year Christmas would mean something more? Had the magic of believing in Santa died and left me with an empty void? I might have thought that until I realized how silly that was. So many great things had happened this year, enough to vanquish all previous doubts of years past. Lina* (Lee-nA)  studied abroad in Paris, Marbro* was accepted to Princeton University, Conny* and Mechelle* were about to embark on new lives and my parents were happy and healthy, to name a few.  Regardless of what you'll be spending way to much on, remember that most of that spending should be time, and on the people you really love. So maybe this year, walk your dog down town, Cole Park. Hit up your local liquor store, try a new drink and test it out over the annual Chrismukkah Marathon (if you don't have something similar to this or even know what I'm referencing... reevaluate your life, pronto). Or do something as simple as checking out the sweet $2.2 million Harbor Bridge face lift (lights that take your breath away) and hitting up Club What-A-Burger (What-a-burger on the bay). No matter what you do, make sure it's all about peace, happiness and love.

Those last two are my gifts to you. Happy Holidays  XoxO

Oh the places you will go...

I recently took a trip to Mexico for my uncle's birthday. These days it seems you can't turn the news on with out hearing about the new casualties taken along the border. Needless to say, while everyone was worrying I was spending time with family, watching movies, exploring the city and grabbing late night bites at dinky venues along dark streets. My family had several terrifying stories of their own but nothing worth staying out of the country for.

What people don't realize is how disconnected we are from a situation that is being fueled by our own country. The drug cartels are smuggling drugs to this country because they make outrageous profit. Do people ever stop and wonder where anything comes from anymore? I've dedicated myself to ask more questions after this scene...

"Peace begins with a smile"

Swanky Secrets

After catching up on all four seasons of Mad Men, I must say I was in desperate need of an old school classy lounge with a Frank Sinatra vibe. I still haven't found that 50s swinging speakeasy joint but what I did find I was plenty satisfied with.

For a close friend's 21st birthday we decided to partake in the best part about Corpus being small- bar hopping. We started out at Outta Bounds, small bar with decent drink prices, mostly chosen because its on the edge of inland Corpus plus it's familiar and an easy bar to acclimate yourself to night life with. A quick thirty minutes there and it was time to book it. We took sober rides (driven by minors haha) to our next destination Molly's pub. Pretty much exactly what you'd expect in an Irish pub, dark wood, dark atmosphere and loud drunken bar goers. Molly's does however have an excellent beer tap selection and their Irish Car Bombs are very reasonably priced. Also the bartender/owner is one of the cooler bartenders in Corpus, funny attentive and rather charming. eh hem. 

A few car bombs and boogying to live music later, we again hopped into the sober rides to the last and my personal favorite bar/lounge of the evening. HAVANA. A Cuban eden tucked away amidst down town Corpus Christi. Located behind the 500 Club (dining area) on Water Street. At first, thanks to construction, you think you're headed to a back alley where gangsters are sure to be lurking but then behind palm trees so lush you see the glow of bright lights and are drawn in like a moth to the posh promise land. A friend in the group knows one of the bartenders and tells us to walk in like we own the place. I take the lead, sperry's on toe, and make my way to the bar. The place is filled with floor palms and a wall with a waterfall water installation. The surrounding walls are tiled and deep purple, blue and red lights set the mood. To the right of the large oblong shaped, gritty slab bar, there is a stage brightly lit with red and yellow top lights and a DJ spinning modern salsa music with a bit of dub step. Innovative. Booths line the walls, and classy men in suits and sexy women in tight party dresses are cuddled under their arms. This is Corpus' finest getting away from the city for the evening. The bartender graciously makes my Belvedere martini and it is a stiff drink of perfection, the best I've tasted in Corpus thus far. Finally I feel I belong. There are even back rooms specifically for wine drinkers and cigar smokers! By the end of the night we were dancing on stage with other latina beauties, people were smoking cigarettes and we were ordering the best Mojitos in town. (Literally they are known for their superb Mojitos) The place even stays open a bit past 2 but it's our time to leave. Sober rides home and the night ends with birthday banter and stories that will last a life time. 

Bienvenidos a Cuba en Corpus!

The next day another particularly fabulous friend was having another birthday, and this time we decided to hit somewhere close to home and swanky enough for adult fun with a trendy vibe. We arrive at Bombay around 11 pm and make our way to the bar for some dragon bombs (haha haven't drank a bomb I didn't like yet) I order my usual (Martini straight up, 3 olives) and we grab a table with some friends. To the right of us, a live DJ is spinning basically whatever is played on the radio but club mode but apparently another birthday has reserved a few tables in the DJ room. The bar goers here aren't as awesome but the vibe is still up beat and the place begs you to party. I order bottle service for $75, talk about mega affordable (but the bottle of vodka was being promoted) The wait staff was so attentive it was outrageous. By the end of the night we were all dancing under party lights and feeling like ballers with bottle service. 

Wine Stained Lips

Corpus, not always the party city, demands at certain times a more sophisticated mind to enjoy. Like a fine wine, sometimes the beauty of Corpus simply needs to be taken in slowly. So in the spirit of good journalism, I embarked on a mission to take in the serenity of the sparkling city.

Of course I needed a partner in crime and let it be known, there is no better partner than my older brother Marbro*. So we jumped into my hoopty and rushed to the dreaded HEB plus to purchase the creme de la creme of fine wines at a generous 10% off (after the purchase of 6 bottles). The dread that had previously filled my thoughts, burst and vanished instantly the moment Marbro popped the first cork.

We began the evening with a fabulous bottle of 2009 California red wine "Menage a Trois". The flavor was light and almost fruity. We worked the swirl, smell and sip technique like a couple of Ocean drive flossy fellas. As we sipped we also decided a good comedy on the Netflix was necessary. So as we sipped we switched on a little something I like to call Parks and Recreation. Wine really gets lapped up when you're laughing until tears form. Needless to say it was time to pop the second bottle of a 2009 California pinot noir "Robert Mondavi- private selection". Less swirling and sniffing, more sipping. The flavor was a bit crispier, with a drier after taste. As we finished up the Mondavi we decided to expand the party of wine connoisseurs and called over one of my best friends Clarissa (whom you may remember from her concert clothes advice from a blog last year). On to our third bottle a 2010 shiraz [yellow tail].

"If a glass is good, several bottles must be better," Marbro laughed as he poured us up another round. We cheers'd our glasses like the three musketeers, ready to prove Corpus is what you make it. The yellow tail was one of the better bottles of shiraz I've tasted so far. It was the perfect amount of dry and a bit tangy. One of those flavors you have to shiver after you sip. When we had finished the final episode of Parks and Rec. Marbro realized he could use a pack of smokes (has nothing to do with his name) so we piled into Clarissa's whip and drove literally up the street to the local Stripes. We grabbed the goods and decided to take the scenic route back to the Lake's house. As we drove we jabbered, jammed music and took in the beauty of the protected wet lands of the Oso. Craziest thing, as we were driving we passed a couple of creepsters (two boys) walking by Captain Falcon Park shirtless. Now during the day, not so weird, but at midnight with almost zero visibility totally weird. So I convince Clarissa to bust a hard U and as we circled back we see them lurking around in the grass as if they are searching for something (still shirtless). I roll down my window and shout a bunch of hilly billy sounding jibber jabber, enough so to startle the creeps. Once we pass them I roll up my window and we all immediately burst out laughing all the way home.

We arrived at the house still laughing and holding our ribs for relief and then stumbled into the house ready for a fourth bottle. We popped the fourth (and final bottle that evening) cork of a 2008 red wine bottle of "Sangre de Toro". The bottle was cute and the flavor was equally as interesting. A bit thicker and a tad heavier on the tongue, the name really holds true for this wine. We ran outdoors so big brother could take his smoke break and as we sat in the backyard with the moonlight rippling off the lake we let the calm wash over us and finally sipped the sweetness that is Corpus Christi. Then we proceeded to run around the backyard like children giggling at imaginary monsters and conquering the darkness we never had the courage to as kids.

Perhaps if we stopped wishing Corpus was something it wasn't we could appreciate it for what it is. A slow simmering city, that takes time to enjoy like an open fire BBQ on a beach.

* - indicates names have been changed