CHICANONAUTICA LAUNCHED AT LA BLOGA -- Y MUCHO MÁS

My first Chicanonautica posting for La Bloga is online!

Some of you may have seen it in a brief premature manifestation -- but that was just me, as usual, stumbling into a new frontier like the slapstick comedian that I am at heart. “One small step for a Chicano – ” BANG! CRASH! TINKLE! “I meant to do that . . .”

Seems that technical difficulties have become a way of life. The least we can do is get a few laughs from it. Cantinflas would be proud.

And looking it over, I seem to be redefining the term Chicano to mean not just the tribal/regional Mexican/American Southwest/Aztlán identity, but also “cultural renegade” – or “renegade culture.” No matter where you go these days, you run into some kind of Chicano. This may cause trouble, but like I said, I wasn't aware of it – maybe it was Tezcatlipoca hacking my brain again . . .

And, to make this more of a celebration rather than a mere act of self-promotion, I'm including some extras, to enhance your Chicanonautica experience:

I resisted the urge to put in a link to a trailer from a Mexican luchador movie – though me being me, I'll drift off into other subjects. We can't let those pesky borders get in our way. Besides, this is Mondo Ernesto, where I can do whateverthehell I want:

Then there's Guillermo Gómez-Peña and La Pocha Nostra, who do the same sorts of things I do in science fiction in their performance art:

Last, but not least, Juan Manuel Gallegos of Tecnologia Aeroespacial Mexicana is making science fiction into reality. Yeah, the video is almost eighteen minutes long, but well worth it. Besides, I know there's some of you out there who would love to have your own custom-made jetpacks:

. . . and the embed code for this video doesn't work! Is there no end to these technical difficulties? Anyway, go to the site, click on it, watch it, and realize that Buck Rogers is alive and well and living in Mexico.

So forward, Chicanonauts, into the Cosmic Barrio!