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Search results for: boricua

A work friend lifts my boricua heart

Posted on December 16, 2013 by julio


A friend at work who is aware of my Puerto Rican background surprised me today with the gift of this jacket, which I promptly put on display in a place of honor near my desk at work. More …

Time for boricua-coffee tasting!

Posted on February 4, 2013 by julio

Didn’t know my native island of Puerto Rico is a coffee-growing region? Well, now you do.

My wife and I sampled some of these during a marathon AeroPress-ing session at the home of good friends (one of whom is #boricua). More …

Local boricua makes cool video

Posted on July 1, 2012 by julio

#minnericans rule.

villarosamuisc:

SotaRico presents video for Maria Isa’s  ”Lowrider Mami’s” (Caddy Lincoln Chevys) off the mixtape “Sip It.” Directed by Twin Films and shot on St. Paul’s West Side.

(Source: http://www.youtube.com/)
More …

The COVID year was hell — but also lovely

Posted on March 15, 2021 by julio

I knew the yearlong pandemic was far from over, a week or so ago, when I found myself with dozens of others in downtown St. Paul’s Roy Wilkins Auditorium, each of us standing uneasily at our own table, spitting over and over into a plastic tube.

This was my third coronavirus test, and the first that didn’t involve a swab jammed upward into my nostril at a drive-up testing location. More …

Facebook pals get creative for my birthday

Posted on December 21, 2017 by julio

I’m not crazy about Facebook, which is so chaotic and convoluted that it does a number on my OCD.

Oh, but I love Facebook on my birthday as best wishes pour in by the dozens.

Among those are bursts of creativity I cherish. The above, by my always–ingenious friend Steve Borsch, is a wonder.

Here are a few others, some of which also tap into my nerdy tendencies. More …

Grateful for friends this year; I am blessed

Posted on December 30, 2016 by julio

My parents made Christmas magical for my siblings and me, generously showering us during our Puerto Rico childhoods with thoughtful gifts, for which I’ll always be appreciative and grateful.

Sometime during my pre-teen period, though, I grew weary of the materialism and issued a good-natured edict to Mom and Dad: If you want to give me something for Christmas, make it a book, just one hardcover book, nothing more. More …

One of the best decisions we ever made

Posted on January 16, 2016 by julio

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As a palm tree-worshipping Puerto Rican, I am not crazy about Minnesota winters … but this bitter season does sometimes trigger fond memories.

It was during a deep-freeze January that my wife, son and I moved into our current St. Paul home, which turned out to be one of the best decisions of our lives.

“That was five years ago, right?” More …

I’m a guest on the Social Media Boombox

Posted on October 1, 2015 by julio

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Social-media impresario Mykl Roventine honored me when he made me the interviewee on the latest episode of the Social Media Boombox podcast (part of Social Media Breakfast – Minneapolis/Saint Paul).

More …

About

As a Puerto Rican or boricua transplanted decades ago to St. Paul, Minn., I still have my “dear God, what have I done” moments when the weather is coldest.

Ah, but I love it here. My wife and I live in a fine house, in a great part of the city, with neighbors we have come to adore. When the weather is warm, we sit on our front porch for hours, wave hello to friends who pass by, and feel fortunate, indeed. More …

Me and a pal on the Mississippi

Posted on September 3, 2012 by julio

My good friend and fellow Puerto Rican Jenedee Canino Miller took this great photo of yours truly with our amigo Patrick Rhone by the Mighty Mississippi near downtown St. Paul at dusk yesterday.

We were out for a stroll with our families after a fantastic burger dinner courtesy of la boricua and her hubby Tom Miller, and Jenedee worked marvels with her camera, getting fantastic shots of the husbands, wives and kiddos. More …

I make Moroccan chicken (yum)

Posted on July 10, 2011 by julio

As you’ve probably noticed if you follow this blog, I’ve been obsessed with exotic chicken recipes in recent weeks.

Here’s the latest, from the local (and awesome) A Good Appetite blog: Moroccan chicken and olives.

It is an absurdly easy recipe that comes together quickly, so it is perfect for weeknights (but double the ingredient portions if you’re cooking for more than two or three folks). More …

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I’m Julio Ojeda-Zapata, a nerd, boricua and journalist living in St. Paul, Minn.

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Goodreads

Julio's bookshelf: read

The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Tyrant Who Created North Korea and The Young Lieutenant Who Stole His Way to Freedom
The Great Leader and the Fighter Pilot: The True Story of the Tyrant Who Created North Korea and The Young Lieutenant Who Stole His Way to Freedom
by Blaine Harden
The Company of the Dead
The Company of the Dead
by David Kowalski
Children of God
Children of God
by Mary Doria Russell
Harnessing Anger: The Inner Discipline of Athletic Excellence
Harnessing Anger: The Inner Discipline of Athletic Excellence
by Peter Westbrook
The Sparrow
The Sparrow
by Mary Doria Russell
Good Morning, Midnight
Good Morning, Midnight
by Lily Brooks-Dalton
The Tetris Effect: The Game that Hypnotized the World
The Tetris Effect: The Game that Hypnotized the World
by Dan Ackerman
Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Innovation
Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Innovation
by Pamela Glintenkamp
Hell Divers
Hell Divers
by Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening
by Marjorie M. Liu

goodreads.com

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