#patrick garcia

«erres» – scènes/textes/réseaux, No. 2, Winter 1976-1977 [Saint-Martin Bookshop, Bruxelles-Brussel]

it also shows problems that teenagers from 90s experience (until now ig). like g-boy being pressured by his parents to choose his own career, and when he did, his parents laughed at him with his uncles.

and homer being told by his parents to not close the door whenever he and his gbsf are in his room together. he tried reasoning that it has been their routine since they were 8 and they're not doing anything wrong. it's like boys and girls can't even be friends??

let's also not forget ram, he's trying to salvage his relationship with maya so he just keeps agreeing to everything she says (even though it's not what he wants to do). maya's father is VERY strict, she's not even allowed to call ram past 9pm. ram's friends keep telling him to find another girl because "yung girlfriend mo nasa bahay, tapos ikaw nasa bar, marami pang babae d'yan. " but still, ram stayed loyal. he also suggested to maya to meet her father because he genuinely wants to be with her (even though her father is literally a colonel). in the end, maya's father agreed to have ram as maya's bf (because he took her back after maya left her family for like 5 days lmfao).

another one that g-boy experienced is being compared with his 2 brothers. his little brother literally graduated college at the age of 10, and his older brother is smart too (middle child lore). worst thing of all is he had a crush on this older girl (like 20 or sumn) and HIS BROTHER DATED HER. his brother didn't even love her like that, he just used her for sex. i quote from his brother, "sayang naman kung hindi magagamit yung experience n'ya sa LA 'di ba". LIKE BROTHER EUGH???

also, lester (also in the gang with homer, ram, and g-boy), is a troublemaker. but i think it's because he wants his parents' attention on him (his parents are divorced and both have new lovers), he hates his mom's new boyfriend (who's always watching him or sumn). mom's bf punched lester lmfao, then his dad finds out then they (dad and mom's bf) got into a fight, and i quote his dad "i don't give a shit what you're doing with her (implying lester's mom), no one hurts my son" he says to the new bf. in the end though, lester is forced to stay with his uncle in US.

i think hans is the only one with no extreme issues (except for his loud ass mom that won't stfu). so yeah.

the gang is crazy bruh.

Honorary mayor and Sonoma’s own goodwill ambassador, Patrick Garcia was out on the town during the Labor Day weekend enjoying ice cream at Sweet Scoops Home Made Ice Cream on the plaza.

Encouraging visitors to stop in and have “the best ice cream in town,” he said to passersby. Sweet Scoops is one of the favorite places in town he likes to frequent, along with the Basque Boulangerie and the legendary Swiss Hotel among others.

Garcia has been an important influence and presence in Sonoma, especially as “alcalde honorario” an accolade he humbly treasures with honor.

As the line to get ice cream at Sweet Scoops that Saturday evening continued down the block of First Street, East, Garcia was pleased to to have conversation with a family from San Francisco.

The family’s last name was Anza. And, as Garcia explained his family roots are related to the man Juan Bautista de Anza, who is among the early explorers and settlers to California when it was part of Spain.

Eventually, after 300 years, California would be part of Mexico and then more than 50 years later, California was acquired as part the United States in 1848.

In someways, Garcia is a link to Sonoma’s founder, Mariano Vallejo.

Vallejo connected California’s Spanish-Mexican heritage and past to its future establishment as a state of the United States.

Regardless of the controversies surrounding Vallejo cited by some historians, it is agreed that Vallejo had a major impact in maintaining a sense of balance between the three countries and was a diplomat.

As California grew in population, attracting people from all over the world, Vallejo’s presence was basically in effect, a bridge. Vallejo was a “significant figure” as noted by established historians such as professor Citlali Sosa-Riddell, PhD of the University of California Humanities Research Institute (UCHRI).

“Vallejo explained his desire to avoid further warfare or animosity between the Californios and the, Americans…” she wrote in her dissertation for the University of California, Los Angeles in 2020.

Garcia is very proud of the uniqueness of California and the fact that it’s history runs through his veins. “I was told about my Spanish-Mexican heritage and ancestors,” he said. “But I always thought of myself as an American,” he exclaimed to the Anza family waiting in line.

Wearing his veteran’s cap, Garcia mentioned that he served in the U.S. military. As he once wrote about his military service experience in an essay for the Sonoma Valley Sun back in 2016.

“It was not uncommon for other Latinos to look at my name-tag and start speaking Spanish to me. They expected that I spoke Spanish with a name like Garcia. I was proud of my last name but embarrassed that I could not speak Spanish. I made a promise to myself that I would change that as soon as I got out of the military.”

Garcia kept that promise as he used his GI Bill military benefits to go back to school and study abroad both in Spain and then in Mexico.

“I returned to California to complete my studies, in 1971. I chose a new college in Sonoma County called Sonoma State University. I was by then fluent in Spanish,” he noted. “I also knew that I would never forget the wonderful cultural and historical knowledge the people in Mexico taught me on a daily basis.”

The Anza family from San Francisco were pleased to listen to Garcia and that their family name had such a strong connection with the history of California.

As the line along the sidewalk moved closer to a much anticipated frozen treat from Sweet Scoops, the family still wanted to hear more.

“Now in my retirement years,” said Garcia, I have a deep love for my two countries, and a passion to share how we have drawn closer as blending nations over the last 250 years.”

Since his honorary “alcalde” in 2016, Garcia has continued to be a citizen of Sonoma “extraordinaire.”

Among the many things he has done, Garcia served as chairperson of the Sonoma-Patzcuaro Sister Cities Committee.

In that capacity, Garcia was able to spearhead the successful transfer of a retired Sonoma city fire truck to a community in need in Mexico.

In addition to upholding his family in esteem, including his son musician, Diego Garcia, he believes strongly in community service. Civic duty and community service is essential as Garcia told the Sonoma Sister Cities Association back in 2016, “I can be your mentor.” “But you can also be my mentor.”

Garcia told the family in line as well as the other visitors all eagerly awaiting a scoop of ice cream, “I have been very blessed and I am so grateful to be a part of Sonoma.”