Akil and Hong welcome Maria to the show to discuss the new VP positions of Academic and Student Affairs, and then segue into what brought Maria to SBCC from the Napa/Fairfield area. In the process, the trio discuss Jelly Belly, quesabirria, pastrami sandwiches, dutch crunch bread, Don Quixote, Joe Strummer, and the new UMOJA mural painted by the Bay Area Mural Project.
Mentioned in this episode:
SBCC Vice-President of Academic Affairs - https://www.sbcc.edu/vice-president-academic-affairs/
SBCC Vice-President of Student Affairs - https://www.sbcc.edu/studentservices/vice-president-student-affairs.php
The Nap Ministry - https://thenapministry.wordpress.com/
Jelly Belly Factory - https://www.jellybelly.com/california-factory
Anheuser-Busch Factory in Fairfield - https://www.anheuser-busch.com/about/breweries-and-tours/fairfield-ca/
Castello di Amorosa - https://castellodiamorosa.com/
Tamales de Mole Poblano in Banana Leaves - https://www.kitchenwrangler.com/recipes/main-dishes/tamales-mole-poblano-banana-leaves/
Quesabirria - https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1021859-quesabirria-tacos
Los Agaves Napa - https://losagavesnapa.com/
Meet the Latino Winemakers of Napa Valley - https://remezcla.com/lists/food/napa-valley-latino-winemakers/
Maldonado Vineyards - https://maldonadovineyards.com/
Robledo Family Winery - https://www.robledofamilywinery.com/
Norton’s Pastrami - https://nortonsdeli.com/
The Hat - https://thehat.com/
Brent’s Deli - https://www.brentsdeli.com/
Wexler’s Deli - https://wexlersdeli.com/
Langer’s Deli (75 years, not 100) - https://www.langersdeli.com/
Ike’s Santa Barbara - https://locations.ikessandwich.com/ca/santabarbara/007/
South Coast Deli - https://southcoastdeli.com/
Dutch Crunch Bread - https://www.kqed.org/news/11761468/dutch-crunch-a-bay-area-favorite-but-not-a-bay-area-original
Gorditas - https://www.isabeleats.com/gorditas-recipe/
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes - https://theconversation.com/guide-to-the-classics-don-quixote-the-worlds-first-modern-novel-and-one-of-the-best-94097
Spain - Germany UEFA 2008 Euro Final - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2008_Final
Santiago Bernabeu - https://www.realmadrid.com/en/santiago-bernabeu-stadium
Camp Nou - https://www.fcbarcelona.com/en/club/facilities/camp-nou
Survivor - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Survivor_(American_TV_series)
The Amazing Race - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Amazing_Race_(American_TV_series)
Joe Strummer - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Strummer
The Clash - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Clash
Futura - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Futura_(graffiti_artist)
Joe Strummer 002 - https://www.joestrummer.com/news/new-joe-strummer-002-the-mescaleros-years-boxset-available-for-pre-order
Cumbia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cumbia
Ozzy Osbourne - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozzy_Osbourne
Randy Rhoades - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randy_Rhoads
SBCC Umoja Mural - https://www.kclu.org/local-news/2022-08-26/a-mural-celebrating-diversity-is-being-created-in-santa-barbara
Bay Area Mural Program - https://thebamp.org/
Rachel Wolfe-Goldsmith -
http://www.rachelwolfegoldsmith.com/
Captions provided by Zoom
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akilhill: Hello and welcome to another episode of SBCC Vaquero Voices, a podcast highlighting the unique voices that comprise our campus culture, and how we're all working together to serve our students and the community at large. As usual. I'm joined by my co-host Akil Hill
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akilhill: what's good y'all Today we are honored to welcome Maria via Gomez to the show. Welcome, Maria, and welcome Maria!
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akilhill: So much for having me. I'm happy to be here.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, we're happy to have you. It's an honor, and you are our Vice President of Academic Affairs, which is a new position at the College, because we used to have a Vice President position that has been recently split into two. We have a Vice President of student affairs, and then we have Vice President of Academic Fair. So if we could kind of break down
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Hong Lieu: what your portion of that puzzle is, what academic affairs exactly entails, and you know, maybe, what it does entail. But if you just go into that for a second. Just let folks know, because it is a new position of the college, so they might not be aware.
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MarÃa L. Villagómez (she/her/ella): Yeah, thank you so much for having me once again. I'm happy to be here with you. I'm happy to be at Santa Barbara City College, and um particularly is as the
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): a previous executive Vice President. Position split into a Vice President of Academic affairs role and Vice President of student affairs role. So, in a way. I'm fortunate that I get to be the first one to sort of hold that role and um discover it right along with the the various constituencies here in the various stakeholders to see what uh it evolves into. But um, generally speaking, academic affairs is the Institution
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): office that oversees all of the academic programs and departments. We support curriculum initiatives. We support faculty, hiring and promotion of teaching instructional events,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): faculty, professional development, and all academic programs and departments as they relate to instructional matter in a nutshell. When academic affairs entails anything related to instruction.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Um, the catalog falls within academic affairs. The scheduled development process also falls within academic affairs, teaching assignments. You know all that great stuff.
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akilhill: It's kind of incredible that that was one position before, because what you just described yeah, is enough for two jobs in and of itself. You could split your position into two jobs, and it would still be plenty of work to go around, so the fact that it was all in one before. I mean you could see why
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Hong Lieu: why it was necessary to do that, but in terms of so, how? How you wrap your head around this. What I mean,
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Hong Lieu: How how does that happen?
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akilhill: You don't see the Cape? She has a cap on. Come on,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah, I I I also Um!
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): It's. It's ah interesting to think about how it might have worked in the past when this role in person sitting in this position oversaw both areas. Um, However, they you know it. It did.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): It did happen. They did manage to to to do that, and successfully, and so I think the opportunity with the split now comes for both the the fair side of the house and academic side of the house to kind of Look at what
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): laser-focused initiatives right for student services. Vp. Arnold wants to focus on, and what laser focused initiatives, action plans, strategies, et cetera
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akilhill: the vp of aa wants to focus on without sort of having to ah split our time in just incredible ways and unmanageable ways. But at the same time, I think it's important to remind ourselves that ah! While each position is unique,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): there is a lot of overlap between the two areas. Student support services is as important
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): as academic
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): affairs, and and vice versa. And so, you know, there was a time when we could think of instruction as isolated. We think of student services as isolated now with so many initiatives that require constant collaboration and and um communication between the two areas, we really are
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): one right, but we were able to. We are able to just focus on our on our respective areas as well. So it's the best of both worlds. I think
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Hong Lieu: that's a great way to put it in terms of your The interoperability is still there in terms of how the position used to be kind of integrated. But at the same time
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Hong Lieu: two folks that can really focus and and really kind of hone in on the things. And at the same time you also mentioned that you don't. You're not necessarily looking to read them at the wheel here and overhaul everything, because that might be a that would be a lot on top of a lot. But you can at least
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Hong Lieu: kind of wrestling what works, and then really kind of lock in on what needs to be done, and then and then once that's done. I'm sure you will go back, and you know, maybe See, see how things can be improved, and this and that so it's good to know that at least it should be not, I mean, not necessarily seamless, but it should be relatively seamless, you know, like it should feel
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akilhill: pretty pretty much a business as usual for students coming in, and for a lot of the most of the faculty, except for the all the behind the scenes, you know, inside baseball stuff that i'm not privy to. But yeah,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I agree. And I think the students, both the students and the faculty deserve someone who's going to be dedicated to instructional matters only at times, and someone who is going to be dedicated to student services and support uh area as well. We We all deserve that Uh: focus.
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akilhill: Absolutely.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, because they are both service-oriented, but in terms of how that service is, provided it can very drastically. So
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So yeah.
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Hong Lieu: So we do look forward to ah, to how things go, and as as the as the semester unfolds, because it is due to begin. As of this recording, so a semester of falseness will be starting next week. So does anything change for you with the week starting, or you just kind of
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Hong Lieu: on like monitoring things to see how they go. I mean, because i'm sure you've relayed a lot of the groundwork. But I mean once the semester is in motion is do things kind of drastically change, or they just kind of seeing how the things that you've already done
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Hong Lieu: Kind of go.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): That's a great question. I mean, I this is week seven for me at Santa Barbara City College, and it is
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): um my first rodeo, if you will. This is the first time that I hold this role of Vice President of academic affairs. In my previous role I was a senior dean of four major areas, but so
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): it is one of the busiest times of the year, the week before the semester begins, where we are monitoring enrollments, making sure that we are meeting the needs of the students as far as course offerings go. Um,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): you know, trying to consolidate where there is room for to consolidate, but also trying to look at areas for growth and add sections where students are
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akilhill: ah! Are meeting us to do so. So it's it's, and for that reason it's a very busy week right before the semester begins in my experience the first week of classes is busiest, and then after that, once everyone's schedule is settled, and you know things are. Things are good good for the students and the faculty.
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akilhill: Things begin to slow down a little bit, and so I also don't want to jinx it, you know. I want to make sure that that actually happens is um. But but yeah, and you know it's all good. I think we can only do our best
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akilhill: here.
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akilhill: Yeah, I often say, you know I work in emissions, and so usually the dust settles after the second week. Right? You know. People kind of start to
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akilhill: reality starts to send in a little bit, you know. And so, after the second week, it's is a true snapshot of kind of like You start to get into a rhythm after the second week, usually
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): right. And then once things start to slow down a little way, you're you're getting ready to prep for the next semester. Right?
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akilhill: Yeah. Work on the schedule for the next semester and work on the on the things that need to be in place in time for registration period. You know that kind of that kind of great stuff.
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Hong Lieu: So so once you get that cycle and it starts going, and we will um be how it goes, and i'm sure it'll go go well, and if not, we'll be ready to pivot. But segwaying. Speaking of your experience previous at your oversight, your previous college, et cetera.
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We were segue into our what brought you Spcc. Sections. So if you want to just go into your background, and what brought you to this position today.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah, absolutely. You know. Um, I think what brought me to the role of a Vice President of academic affairs at Sbcc. Is uh, first and foremost, my firm belief in access to higher education for everyone.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Ah, I think now more than ever. Ah, access is critical for ah! All our students and potential students and for our communities. Ah, particularly, I think, for our most minoritized communities.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Previous to my role at Santa Barbara City College, I worked at Napa Valley College for twenty two years, and mostly as faculty, and then as an administrator over the past six years. So I firmly believe, in the California Community College Mission.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Ah! Which is to transform lives our students, the lives of our students and their families, and I am deeply committed to that work. Um! And so that's my why, you know, we talk about our why, and that is my why.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Ah, for serving in this role in this capacity I came up the classified ranks. I was a classified employee at Naba Valley unified school district before I joined Napa Valley College
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): district, and then went to a faculty rang. Uh became a part-time faculty, and then a full-time faculty held a few faculty leadership roles on campus with
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): as president of the faculty association and involved also on the Executive Board and the Faculty Senate. So you know It's not my first rodeo in that sense. But
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): yeah, that's that's my background. That's where I come from. That's what I dedicated my entire
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): a professional
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): life to, and I wouldn't do it any differently
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akilhill: if I were to go back, you know.
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akilhill: Oh,
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akilhill: go ahead, Field. I was curious. How big is Napa College in comparison to Santa Barbara City College
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): in comparison to Santa Barbara City College? It's smaller.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Um,
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akilhill: yeah, I I would say, maybe two-thirds of the the size of Santa Barbara City College.
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akilhill: You can that sense.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I I was curious about the transition from classified staff to faculty. Did you have to go to school while you were working at the college? And was that kind of If you could just like go into that for a little bit, because I know a lot of folks sometimes do
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Hong Lieu: that. That balance is is delicate, so you can just speak on that a little bit. What what it was like for you, and how you kind of got through it all, because there are probably times you're like. This is too much. I'm done. I don't want to do this anymore. What kept you pushing through to get through to get to what you needed to get to your goals.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): That's a great question, You know. I actually started working for Napa Valley Unified School district as an instructional assistant as an instructional aid in an elementary school, a bilingual classroom,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and I was eighteen years old at the time when I started working for the district, so I started very, very young.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Um! And once I started as teacher aid, Then I sort of moved into the office manager role um for an open elementary school, and from there became the community liaison for our bilingual families,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and also did some more instructional aid work, tutoring students, et cetera, middle school students, and it just involved. During that time I was finishing,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I guess, my undergrad work At that time I was commuting to Sacramento State from Napa. I had been there for a year. Ah, but for the most part I commuted to Ah, Sacramento State. It's actually a computer school. It was at the time, anyway. I don't know if it's changed,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): but ah, it wasn't easy. You know. I was a full-time student, and I worked probably twenty five to thirty hours a week since I was seventeen, eighteen years old, and then I've worked ever since, you know, in educational settings.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Um! Then when I finished my my Ba. I thought everyone my colleagues were going into the teaching credential program at Sack State at the time,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and I thought, you know, I don't know that I want to teach. What should I do? What should I do? I just should. I just continue taking classes that are fulfilling to me? You know It's fine.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Okay, sure. And then if i'm going to do that, it should be towards a degree towards something you know, towards some sort of pathway.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): And so what I did is I stayed at Zack State. I enrolled in a master's program,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and when I finished the masters, this position came up at Napa Valley College to teach. And so it was that same year,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): so had I gone a different route, you know. Had I pursued the teaching credential before the Master's degree, I wouldn't have
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): been qualified, if you will, to have apply for the job that I stayed with for twenty two years.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): So I think it was just. It was my destiny, if you will, to to end up doing it that way. But
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akilhill: yeah, it was. It's always been work, work in school work in school. I know no different. It's just. This is what I know, and I would probably feel strange, not doing one or the other, and i'm a i'm a student of life. I continue to take classes here and there any opportunity I have
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I continue to learn.
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Hong Lieu: I never really thought of it that way. But now, because I always. And this is the one job that I where I get emails at all hours of the night, day and night from people you know, like there's No, I'll get an email like midnight, or one in the morning or eight at nine. I'm like, Why are they still worth it? But now it makes sense, because
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Hong Lieu: a lot of folks probably worked and went to school. And so you're just used to like furthering yourself at all times. So why not dabbling some work at nine of the evening, because, you know, before you were studying then, or you know. So maybe there's some connection there, because yeah, it just seems that.
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Hong Lieu: But you probably feel like you have so much free time. But then, now you're working, and that you can supply that to the work, and then, whatever else you're doing as a student of life's less
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Hong Lieu: here.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah. And I I also, though with caution, including me and I would caution us and caution myself to make sure that we that we balance work and life much better, because I I don't think it's a completely healthy thing to just to always do
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): both things at the same time, you know, simultaneously. I I also am a firm believer of staying mentally, emotionally and psychologically, physically healthy, because I have strong family connections, and
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I want to be there to take care of them when they need me. And I also know that I won't. Be able to do that if I don't first take care of myself. And so it's a constant sort of
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): dilemma, if you will,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): you know, to make sure that we maintain that really important balance. And so one of the things, for example, that I no longer do that I was super guilty of doing, particularly when I was faculty was to email over the weekends,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and I I've stopped doing that. I only do that when it's absolutely urgent. But I you know I I do that to model it. But I also do that to take care of myself, right and my own family.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Ah, because I think we deserve that time off right. I think that we are much better in a much better attitude, with a much better attitude and position when we come in on Monday, and we we've taken the time to
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): detach right and and and refresh, and so I think I deserve it. I think my team deserves it. I think our students are deserving of that as well. Um, because it comes across. I think when we don't do that,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): we get edgy. I think you know, when we're so tired.
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akilhill: Yeah,
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akilhill: I was gonna say, you know, I I think you're spot on with that. I You know i'm kind of thinking a little bit about. You know the past two years, and and being employed in high, higher Ed. And what Covid has done to us, and if there's not anything
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akilhill: worth taking is the fact that you really for me. One of my big takeaways is how much I was working,
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and you know Kobe put the brakes on a lot of things, and it made people really re-examine
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akilhill: what's important or trying to be trying to get it to be a little bit more balanced. And So I really appreciate you for saying that because I know people who are listening need to hear that that it's not always about the grind. And and and in fact, I think you're more productive when you're you're arrested, and you're much more dedicated. So I appreciate you you for saying that. And I completely feel that.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah, I completely agree. Um. And I think it's important that we model that. You know those of us who are in positions where um folks report to, because you know, nobody. Nobody wants to not reply to your moms when they're emailing you. I mean, we all want to do that. But
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): but We also need to not put people in that situation where they have to make that decision. You know.
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akilhill: You know. Hence why I do not have my work email on my phone. That was gonna be a question. I don't need how to connect it to your phone because I do. And I Yeah, maybe I should, because I know I know it's, too. It'll be too
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akilhill: tempting for me to log in, and and so i'm a certain obviously don't get me wrong. You know there are certain people on campus that need to have that linked, and I recognize that but for me i'm like Ah, because I know I know I would be engaged in that, you know so
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akilhill: absolutely, and and I think it was more difficult for me when I was faculty to detach myself from work than it was when I became an administrator. Interestingly enough. Yeah, I never know that, because
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and you know, I was in that role, and I knew no difference,
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akilhill: you know no other way, and it wasn't until I became an administrator where I realized
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): that there's this. I don't know even how to describe it that I would. I would drive away from work on Friday when I was faculty,
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akilhill: and I would say to myself, Now I can great Saturday morning. I can let him find on Sunday afternoon,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and you know, go meet with friends, or whatever you know, on Sunday morning, like I used Saturdays and Sundays as my sort of work week to sort of distribute it right. I mean. I had some some time off here and there during the week,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): but it was because I had distributed that across seven days, and you know students need what they need when they need it, and so they don't say to themselves.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Ah, nor should they All right all. And Saturday I shouldn't email my instructor. And so as an instructor, especially when you're a new instructor, you want to make sure you're responsive, right? So you're constantly checking that as an administrator, Are we like
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): people? When I went from faculty to administration? I you know everybody was. I'm so big on faculty, Senate and Faculty Union, and just have been teaching full time for so many years that they were very curious.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I wonder how she's doing, you know. Let's give her a month of this. Give her two months. Let's give her three months, and then we'll ask So three months came, and they started asking, How's it going? How is Gavin and I and I said to them, I said, You know what I absolutely love it,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and they were, you know,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): pleasantly surprised. Some were shocked, and they said, Really, what? How different is it? Why do you love it? And so I said, because
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I didn't realize
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akilhill: how stressful teaching was
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): until I stop doing it.
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akilhill: Yep.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): And then I thought, What is it about it? I was trying to figure that out myself. What is it about Elizabeth? And what I could play? Or my theory is that
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): when you are teaching you are in performer, presenter mode all the time
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): that takes a lot of energy that so much more than I do realize until I stop doing that
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): takes mental energy, takes emotional energy. It takes psychological energy, you know you have to be prepared for questions, random questions. You have to have all the answers. Your hair has to be perfect. You have fifty people looking at you, staring at you at once. Right? God forbid that you would walk across and fall, You know, on troop on the cables that are that are laying on the floor where you don't see a chair in your fall. I mean. How embarrassing would that be so? All of those things, I think subconsciously, I just.
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I didn't realize that we're there until I stopped doing it,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): You know something.
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akilhill: And yeah,
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Hong Lieu: and even more than a performer. You, you know performers can do their performance, and then you can. You can get critique afterward, and you and you can listen or not listen. But if a student has questions, you have to be what you have to address all the questions you have there, there's all the concerns, all the variables, all the devil's advocate playing that goes on in a lecture. I mean, you have to be ready for everything, and you have to respond to everything, so that that stress on top of stress, because a performer can can do their performance, and then just close themselves off the world if they want. But you have to be open at all times as well like you were saying you have
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Hong Lieu: like second off your weekends and everything. So I can definitely see you see that
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akilhill: right? And then you, you, you know. And then sort of like, Oh, okay, Did I? Did I really answer the question at the right way? You know you kicked yourself right, and you're like Oh, my gosh! I could have also presented this I could have. I could have said this other thing, you know. Was I defense it, or was it? Was it a legit question, I mean at least make it out to my mind. But you just have those questions
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akilhill: in the back of your mind, and then, you know you can't wait till the next time. Ah! That you meet with your students to sort of help redeem yourself. You know what I mean. Yeah. Well, also, too, I mean, I think what I hear from listening to you is, I hear that it's like it makes me think a little bit. It's about
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akilhill: It's about opposite right? So they say you know it's through opposites. Do you learn
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akilhill: thing right so, and you literally said it. You're like Look when I was in the
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akilhill: when I was teaching. That's all I knew.
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akilhill: But you didn't have anything to compare it to until you actually got out of teach you, and then you're like. Wait a minute. I was working a lot, you know. But I will say this, I I will say that to you. You know, for me, in my opinion, I think that's a sign of a good teacher. If you're always constantly thinking about. Did I answer that right question? It's the professor who knows everything or things that they know everything. Those are the ones that I personally try to share with. So if you're always constantly thinking about, did I really get that right? That to me shows like,
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akilhill: you know, the house? You must have been an amazing teacher, because nobody wants to teach you that things that they know everything I mean. At least I don't think that's been my experience in working with students. I I don't think that's for the most part There's either as well.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah. And you know, and i'll thank you so much for that I
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): i'll also throw in another variable there that as a young teacher of color,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I think that that I was holding myself, I think, to a completely.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I don't want to say completely different, but just a higher standard. Just. I just know that I just know that I did, and so
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): perhaps that exacerbated the issues as well, you know. But, um! I did love teaching for the time that I did it. I missed the students when I stopped doing it, and
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): but they they've also changed, and students are different than how they were twenty-two years ago. They're coming in with other needs that I wasn't prepared for at the time, because students were different at the time, you know. So Um: yeah, that's another extra thing there that that we that we add to
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): to our stress levels, and you know, and people ask me today. You know how how do you like administration? And I say, absolutely love it. And the reason I love it is because every day is different.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): There has not been a single day as an administrator that has been the same. Every day I encounter the
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I try to probably solve different things. Different matters, different issues. Um, Even if it's the same topic, it's a different level. Um! But every day is different, and I absolutely love looking forward to what the day will bring. You know. Um, an administration.
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akilhill: Yeah.
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akilhill: Spoken like a true student of life, right? Also, I just wanted to say this plug. I think it's the nap ministry make on your uh turn. That rest is resistant, a part of resistance, and so. Sometimes I think it's important that we take that moment to really recognize that by resting sometimes you are actually still doing the work. I think sometimes we all condition ourselves in our jobs. Um, no matter what we're doing, that the harder we work
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faster we get it done.
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akilhill: Um, you know the better. The more efficient that we are in our jobs. But sometimes we're not taking that moment to sit back and and really rest in and and charge our batteries up. So sometimes we needed to to to keep that in our back of our minds that rust sometimes is a form of resistance
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): absolutely. I couldn't agree more.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yep.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): So I did sneak a peek at your bio, because you know, from the from the candidate forums when you were selected.
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akilhill: I'm sorry I did, too. We both did, and I saw that you ah lived in Fairfield for a little while, so I have to ask what we say with Nick Yo the Jelly-bell. Yeah, is it? Is it worth a visit or not? I mean, do it? Is it? Only if you like jelly beads, or is it just worth going as an amazing like factor.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Or did you never do that? I? Yes, I think it is worth going just if you are intrigued by how things are produced.
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akilhill: Okay, that's what I wanted to hear. That's what I wanted to hear, but they do have amazing jelly Billy's, and that jelly belly factory specifically in that, you know they we also have the Button-iser factory that way in Fairfield
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): right next to each other.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I only knew Jelly Bailey. I didn't know there was a
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): you know, fabric as well, or what do you call it? A factory again?
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akilhill: Yeah.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): But um, the jelly belly factory in a Fairfield host this annual event for Halloween, which is amazing. So if you're ever there in October, you know that's the time to go, because you get the jelly belly. You get the the
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): tour of the entire production of just a
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and you get to experience their fabulous Halloween. You know
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): the Hebrew.
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akilhill: So I've been. I've actually been so. Ah, because I've never been. When I was I was actually shocked. I thought that Fairfield was close to the bay, and then, when I was driving out. I'm like, Where is this place? But I will say the factory definitely is worth it.
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akilhill: And I One thing that I thought was pretty cool. Was they sail all the kind of I don't want to say the the jelly bellies that don't come out looking like, Oh, yeah, that's like the one thing I did here.
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akilhill: Yeah, get a big bag of the ones that kind of go go. Don't make it to the bag. Yeah, and they're all these crazy, cool saves.
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akilhill: Yes, yes, yes, so. But yeah, I I enjoyed it. The kids were young, and I took them so.
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akilhill: Yeah. But you know we also I also come from A. From the wine country.
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akilhill: Hmm. Oh, yeah. I was only ten miles away from Fairfield, and so um also pretty phenomenal place to visit. If you haven't been there already, i'm sure many, many of you listeners have.
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Hong Lieu: Yes, and that will, Segways, because I don't want to blow up any. I don't know if you're going to mention jelly beans, but we can say we're right into our food section. Good evening. So we can.
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akilhill: All right. Let's get off properly.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah. I went to A. I went to a bank with a wedding banquet for my cousin out of Napa, and it was like this old winery castle, and it was just unbelievable how it was it the Castello Diamarosa one
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Hong Lieu: i'm pretty sure. I think I think so. It had. It had an underground little like like sill area, and it had like fines covering this like bar door, and that's where the reception was, and it was. Oh, it was just the the of detail in that area in terms of how like service. And then, you know, like they they know they know what they're doing up there.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): It it almost makes you want to remarry, you know.
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akilhill: I'm glad you had it. The almost
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): the word
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akilhill: that was good. That was good for him. So yes, if you want to kick us off for you with any dish or restaurant food, anything you that either now recently or in your past that you want to bring up and talk about.
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akilhill: Yeah, Laura Napa,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I love. I love talking about food. You know I love food conversation because I I am that person with particular interest in food. You know. I also love home cooking, and I wish I had more time to cook
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akilhill: at home, but but I don't, but I do enjoy it when I know I love coming up with your recipes.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I love watching shows about cooking, as Master chef is one of my favorite shows, and you know traveling is is a critical part of of who I am, and how I wish to enjoy my life how I might enjoy my life.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): So I've learned a lot about food by visiting many countries. Some of my most favorite dishes, of course, include Mexican cuisine for obvious reasons. Right?
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akilhill: A good moly Tamal Tamali is one of my favorite dishes, the sweetest hour in the Olympic Nano, with
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akilhill: wrapped in uh in a banana leaf. It's probably my most favorite Tamalia I've ever had. I had that in Wuhaka like downtown there by the Plaza, by far one of my most favorite dishes.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I also love seafood, you know, in in all form, shapes and tastes everything. Um! And then, of course, Italian food. P. I go. Who can. I mean who doesn't like a You know who doesn't love Pasta?
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Everybody loves pasta It's just amazing. Um. So yeah, some of the best dishes I've had have been while traveling, and you know, Ramen sushi, everything bowling tacos and love food
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): too much.
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akilhill: So if you, if someone was visiting Napa
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akilhill: and you had one
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akilhill: one place they had to hit. What restaurant would that be? And what should they order at least one item for the me?
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akilhill: Well, that's a great question. You know some of the restaurants that I used to love are no longer there. You know a lot of businesses when point out, Because, Covid, i'm not a big fan of like fancy restaurants, you know. I'm more like a straight food lover.
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akilhill: But where are you speaking my language? I know you speaking my language breach,
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akilhill: I would say, talk is going up right now.
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akilhill: He's sorry right now, Maria.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah, I know um.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I would say
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): definitely, uh get. Do you know what Kissabelias are?
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akilhill: Oh, yeah,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): the one, I believe, that came up with it in that bar at least started selling it. I brought it to Napa.
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akilhill: Yeah, because I got this toppler truck. They they also have now a restaurant downtown apple. I I got this uh, and they have these amazing kiss of alias like Oh, my gosh! Like you could just eat! Does it come with a concept, man?
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akilhill: Yay, come on, Marie,
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akilhill: you're over.
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akilhill: I'm with the cons of May out Maria.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Well, the consumer is key
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): right? I guess. I'm easy as you know that, and so absolutely, I would say my most favorite ones for sure,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and i'm not a dipper. I bite, and then I sit. I buy it, and I s if i'm not a dipper. So yeah, but Oh, really I never! I
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I've never tried it that way. Interesting.
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akilhill: It's just because i'm already a sloppy as it is so like when i'm dipping, i'm i'm even sloppier. So in order to control my own kind of spillage, I will buy and sit. But yeah, that's just me. It's just me. There's no one.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): How far do you take it, though? Do you need a straw or no?
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Hong Lieu: Oh, no, i'm just i'm going all the way, and i'll and i'll do the two fingers to
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akilhill: to scoop the onions, the dungeons launch or the bottom? I'll i'll. I'll figure I have to for the listeners. I bear witness to it. I've I've seen him sit even on He does it with Salsa.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): But you know I have to, as we're talking about food I have to mention, even though this Isn't food. But I have to mention the Latino wineries at Napa.
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akilhill: Okay, you know. Naba. Ah, the Hawaiian country Ah brings in so much money from visitors and tourists from around the world, and I am so proud to have this opportunity to give a huge shout out to all of those Mexican American families who went from working in the vineyards, managing the sellers to managing um.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): The The the employees group teams of employees in the vineyards and the seller in the production area to becoming why makers themselves and winery owners.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): And so we have now a handful of Mexican-american bit nurse in Both Sonoma and Naba Nappa County,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I think to deserve our support just because of how far they've come, you know, um to to reach their American dream. So two of them. Two of those wineries are relatives of mine and my family.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): So there's a little of self-interest here. Going out as well, so it's the Maldon models, and also the rope levels. The road metals are in Sonoma. Maldonados are in northern Napa,
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akilhill: and if you have an opportunity to go visit them and and say hello, and they will treat you so well. They are great hosts, and they will pair up wine their own wine when some of those, some of their most um traditional Mexican dishes.
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akilhill: Oh, wow, wow! That sounds awesome.
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akilhill: I would definitely get both of those in the show notes, so so so han will be sipping two times over. Huh!
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akilhill: I'm the conservation on the one. Oh, no, i'm a i'm a wine chugger, too. I just go into that man.
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akilhill: I don't. I don't do the swirl with the sniff.
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Hong Lieu: I can't. I can't
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akilhill: now, so thank you for that.
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akilhill: Thank you so much for it. So What do you got on? What do you got for the listeners?
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Hong Lieu: I'm going with a ah a throwback again. I talked about Chili Fry's last episode, and I was thinking about more of the the foods for my youth, and and pairing with the Chili fries. Normally, if it wasn't a hamburger, then it was a astronomy sandwich. So I wanted to talk to Pastromi for this this episode.
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akilhill: Okay, um In town. I know keel's mentioned dorms when Norden's probably is the the gold standard in town here, but for me growing up, it was a few places.
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akilhill: There was the hat in the you know. It's like a burg kind of chili fries pastromi. They do the astronomy dip, which is like, you know. They they dipped a whole sandwich in the in the azure, and then survey. I mean it's a real sloppy like down home, but that's That's why I grew up, but it wasn't until I got a little older that you know. I went to the the Jewish Delhi's in town,
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akilhill: so you know Brents Delhi and Northridge canters, and then my two favorites who would be Ah Langers and Wexlers. We, we we Wexlers, is a newer Deli than the Grand Central Market. They're probably the the new number one for folks. But for me you you can't be going to Langers. Langers is on seventh and Macarthur,
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akilhill: and they they are should be world-famous. I know they sit on the old belly, So there are people that crave it from all over. But Langers to me is is the gold standard. I've been to casses in New York. I've been to other Delhi's around the country, and to me Lang are still number one, not just because their sandwich is objectively excellent, but because the atmosphere is great, and for dessert. They're a slice of their chocolate cake
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akilhill: is the perfect way to to pair it. And
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Hong Lieu: yeah, So so I had a I had a path, you know it was like the hat Pissrami Dip and i'd go to like other brigade. It's like tops, and this and that, and then someone's fine like you need to eat real astronomy and go to like a Delhi, and i'm like, What are you talking about this? What What else can you do? How can it be better than this?
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akilhill: And I found out it could actually be better than that, you know, like like real ribrate, like like, yeah, baked dry bread, and like, you know, the troop astronomy, and when it's handcuffed and premix slice. Yeah, so i'll put links to place in the show. I'll be at Langers, I mean. Everyone talks about the number Nineteen and nineteen is a great sandwich, but you can just get platter from them and just build your own sandwich, or just just, you know it's all good, so that
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the Jewish daily scene in La is always always like alive and well, and you
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Hong Lieu: vital but Langer specifically has been doing it, for you know, over a hundred years, and they deserve one hundred more, because yeah, they're they're in Mahala fame for sure.
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akilhill: Well, in the next time in L I'm. Had to hit that up. I can meet at Lane. Yeah, now, they're doing indoor dining again, and they were just doing, take out for a long time for the pandemic, but sitting on one of those booths, grabbing a couple of sandwiches, and then that chocolate cake for dessert. It's like, Oh, yeah,
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akilhill: i'm a huge fan of wex files. But Wexlers is excellent, and I and I would say, if someone did a taste this day they might say Wexers is the best, but see nostalgic clouds my brain so much that, like I can't, I can't not just feel that. So that energy being in the boost before Wexers existed. It's like this is the best sandwich I've ever had.
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Hong Lieu: I guess, Maria, a question for you. Do you get a chance to go down to La and eat around L. A. At all? Or is it something that you're going to do more of now that you're a little closer.
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akilhill: Yeah, probably now, more than now that i'm a little closer, i'll probably do more L. A. But no, I haven't done much of L. A. Actually, unfortunately. But I would love to.
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akilhill: Yeah, there's a way to coordinate. We could do something like that with the show where we just
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akilhill: any employee that wants to go kind of plan it out. You know how like they. You know some people go to dodger games. We should do something. I've always wanted to rent. I always want to rent one those past your band, because I am not afraid to drive in. La a lot of are, and that's that's the hurdle for a lot of folks. If you're not used to big city like traffic driving, I mean, I couldn't drive a big old car in La, because even that is too far for me. But like one of those regular size vans like eight or nine people I've always wanted to do when I work in library, or what I always want to do, I've never been able to.
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akilhill: I have to make that happen, so I I have to do something.
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akilhill: Listeners stay tuned because you could do, I mean. But and also you have to find. Yeah, we have to screen people because you might. They might not be ready for the kind of like gastronomical like, if their stomachs might explode like i'm like i'm talking dim some, and then go get a astronomy sandwich, and then go get like some pastries, and then get another meal like like
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some people might not be ready for that life.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): That is true
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and ready.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah, yes. We ready for all those spices, and you know everything absolutely
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Hong Lieu: like Joey Chess and I like to have a gallon of water, a gallon of water periodically to make sure you can stretch. And you
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akilhill: you're two bikes dude. I could never. You just said that. That's so, Buddy.
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akilhill: All right. A queue what you got.
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akilhill: So I i'm gonna go local, which you know is,
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akilhill: I don't usually do that. I don't do that enough. I mean, I feel that i'm always giving place else elsewhere out of town. I'm at. Obviously I do thousand o to tour quite a bit, but i'm going to say local. Uh, and i'm going to go. I'm just stay with the thing with sandwiches, and i'm gonna go. Ikes Deli on. Oh, yeah, uh State and mission on the corner of State Mission Street. Um! The funny thing is it has It's been in Santa Barbara for a few years now, and I know everyone thinks about South Coast Delhi, and that's probably like
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akilhill: the gold standard around town. But um! I stopped by um, and I think it was like two weeks ago, and I was like, Wow, I've never been in the ice. I just went
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akilhill: first. Of all. The names of the sandwiches are absolutely amazing. Maria can respect that if you're a giants fan.
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akilhill: Whoa! You're you're both the days we got ria who's your team? I i'm a huge eagle in Philly's
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akilhill: go eagle
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Hong Lieu: so nice.
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akilhill: The names of the sandwiches are super cool because they're named after most Bay area athletes. So one of my favorite uh sandwiches is the stuff curry, which i'm not like a whole state wears fan, but um. The name of the sandwich is stuff kerry, but they are also names like um. The bum gardener. Um M. Cain. They have the marshawn lynch. So there's all these different uh sandwiches named after professional athletes. Um, and it right. The idea is super
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akilhill: super whimsical in that way. And so. But I ordered the stuff curry, and then I I think he was known for the Dutch crunch bread right on this.
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akilhill: Yeah, cause cause Isis is from the bay, and I don't know how the Bay area discovered this, but they, I think, are the ones that brought Dutch Dutch crunch bread to the masses, because i'd never had it anywhere before I had it. Ikes, and now I've seen it by multiple little places, so I don't know if I specifically the sandwich out that did it. But I know the bay area as an area. They're the ones that popularize it, because I've never seen it for it.
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akilhill: And now I don't go to a lot of sandwich places that don't have it because it's so good.
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akilhill: And what's cool about ice two. They offer gluten-free bread, right? And so I know people that are, you know, blue and intolerant. There, there's option. Search for them um. They also offer halal me. So there's a lot of different um options you got there. It's local. It's in town state, and mission right next to the seven eleven, so you can get your sandwich and your chips, and then, if you want to get your icy or your slurpy afterwards, it's
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akilhill: you can just walk over to it. So that's my pick for the show. And so hopefully, you guys can support local business and get out there and get a sandwich.
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akilhill: That's great. What would people do without great food? I mean, what would we do with our great food?
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akilhill: Yeah, I mean, yeah, just the bridges that great food is built just. Ah, I mean in terms of introducing someone to a culture. One of the first things you want to do is probably introduce some of the food foods, and then meet the people that make the food and and cook the food and and treat these. I mean, It's just
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Hong Lieu: Yeah.
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akilhill: Well, that's you know. I think I said this on the show when Michael was on it, but you know it's really. You know us, you know, living in this country. It's really unique, in a sense where we have access to so many different cultures and foods and and traditions. You know, i've, you know, traveled pretty extensively, and i'm thinking about when I was a turkey, and you know
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akilhill: all you get is pretty much Turkish food, and so you know um to be able to be in in a space or a country where you know you can have options, you know, is is really a a special thing, and it's something, you know, we we can't just take for granted.
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akilhill: Yeah, especially in California. I
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): particularly in it.
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akilhill: Yes,
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akilhill: Yeah, yeah, yeah, I mean, every corner is like You've got something different, and it's good quality, too. Good. Oh, yeah,
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Hong Lieu: I mean, I've only been in Mexico City in terms of traveling to Mexico. But in terms of regional cuisines I've I've sampled so much from L. A. I mean, if I want that seafood you're talking about, I can give you scandals that on Diado I get, you know, like Agua Chiles, and you know
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akilhill: the Argos to it. Cameroon is a la diabla, and like from Sinai or from Kurdi Khan like they They tell you where they're from as well like they did
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akilhill: like cruise. Their bona fides like you want to be there to Chibo, and you got someone from here to you know that, you know, like so they it's just It's just like it's. Not just that it's there. It's so hyper-specialized. And but there's an audience for that where they didn't have to dumb down the palace. And say, Okay, i'm here. Now I have to make just Tacos and Burritos. They can still make the dishes that they made back home. And there's enough people that will eat it and pay for it that they can make a living. So it's just so beautiful. And it's just so. Yeah,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I agree.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah, me,
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akilhill: i'm getting hungry. I know. So we better. We better Segue quick.
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akilhill: I'm like we we got to change it over y'all.
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akilhill: Yeah. And unless Marie wants to talk about mastership for hired learning, be it's higher learning piece of culture Tv movie music, anything,
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akilhill: you know. I think if I decide to in an early retirement, you know, I don't know, you know, i'm thinking, I see a taco trap of what it does in in my signature there, you know.
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akilhill: Oh, yeah, specializing just for that. That's all you know.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Oh, man, I don't know. What can I say? I love cooking. I love food, and I love what it does to and for us,
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akilhill: you know, and the Gordica is special.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): The thickness, the thickness of that Masa, like a Gordita, is like, not as thick as a sofa, but like, you know, and and a war bite in the taco or anything else. So yeah, that Gordita is special, too. So I I you. But yes, I learning any piece of culture, Maria, and whether now or in your past, that it's a you don't know if you've been the profound you want to share with the audience. If you want to kick us off. Let it rip.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, if you got him
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): film Tv book. Okay, I'm: So sorry. No, no. You're good. You're good,
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akilhill: hey? I'm: thinking about that nine past year Band doing the tourist,
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akilhill: you know, hot pink, or something like that, you know. What can I say? No, you know i'm.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Let's say Gosh! In terms. This is a very difficult question of you guys. I mean, arts are so special athletics, super super special for, and healthy for a society for our souls. It feeds our souls. I love it.
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akilhill: I have to say my favorite book is a classic. My favorite book is Cervantes is Don Quixote.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I just I love You know what I thought about this one,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I but I do not.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): The concept
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): allowing ourselves to imagine the impossible
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and and how that influences others, you know to do the same how contagious that can be.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Um! And the great things that can come from that. At the same time, you know, acknowledging that we live in reality, that there is a reality around us, right? And so Cervantes is. Ah! Don Quixote does a good job at this juxtaposition, right between idealism
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akilhill: and realism. And somewhere in between those two extremes is where I like to live, you know, somewhere in between.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): So yeah, that's that's definitely my favorite book. Um, you know. I try to pick it up. Not every here and there you read a page or two, and it just brings me.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): It brings smiles to to my face, you know a smile on my face, and a good feeling of
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): letting go and allowing ourselves to to imagine the impossible. So why not? Why not dream? You know I'm a dreamer. What can I say?
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A:
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so? Yeah. Um as far as
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): let's see what else uh my favorite sport, you know. I grew up watching Soccer not not playing it, not playing it. I didn't have
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): that privilege, you know, to be able to play a sport. Um, but I watched it, and I love it. I get so excited. Every world cop, you know. Um is is exciting to me, particularly the the finals
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): uh the final tournaments, or whatever competition, whatever we call that uh final games, I guess.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): And when I traveled I've tried to visit these famous stadiums as well. It's inspiring. It's inspiring to me.
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akilhill: So do you have a team, or do you just love the game? And what's the best stadium you've been to.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah. Great question. So
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): you know, I have a story. When I was faculty I would lead study abroad programs
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and ah, to Spain mostly, but ah, also other countries, and it would be during the summer, you know, June and July. And so one year the ah Spain was part of the euro cup of the final hurricane and Spain against Germany.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): And we got to Spain that day in the morning when when the final was happening, And so in Spain. Everybody's super super, you know, huge soccer band. So the entire city just goes completely. Nuts?
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Um! And they they have these huge screen Tvs outside in the causes, you know, out out in the community for everyone to come gather outside and watch the games together. And we got there when it was Germany and Spain and Spain one that night.
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akilhill: No man can just.
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akilhill: Ah, no, I cannot.
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akilhill: I cannot imagine it.
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akilhill: People celebrating I mean people parties until the next day, and the next day, when when Spain won that year in the euro come up, I forget what year that was.
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akilhill: But um, you know I love it. It brings people together, you know there's common denominator there all of a sudden, despite all of our differences, and I just love that aspect of humanity. Um! And so I Of course I've been to the bad Mabel. It's day. Ah, stadium there in Madrid, and I've been to the one um in in Barcelona as well. Um! And ah! Recently, actually, last year I was at the ah
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): most famous stadium in Paris,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): so I you know I've been lucky that way. I'm: very privileged to have had an opportunity to do that. So yeah,
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akilhill: our Tv shows. Can I tell you what I'm: A huge kind of reality. Tv show Fan: Uh: I love survivor.
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akilhill: Okay, Okay, I love survivor,
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akilhill: the one that started it all the one that started in America at least. Yeah, yeah.
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akilhill: And I love the amazing race. Um and love observing. You know the human behavior when when our when our limits are tested, you know, when we are pushed limits. I I just find that fascinating, how we react,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): how we choose to react, how we instinctually react. Um, I just love that. I, you know, I think in in in a future world, in a future life I probably love to study psychology. I just um.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I find human behavior fascinating. What can I say? How?
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): As far as movies, you know, I'm not a huge mystery or horror film type of
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): person. I guess I love drama, and I love comedy
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): uh as well. So, yeah,
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akilhill: great choices. I love these picks. I love these pick. Don Quixote is a great novel, not only because it has influenced almost every novel written after, you know you can see your life and Walter Midi all these fantastic stories, but because it was such a classic, and I like I mentioned before, but not often, but like
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Hong Lieu: growing up, I felt like I had to read the classics where I could read the the new stuff so, but reading the classic scaming appreciation for for classical language, how it was written at the time, you know the the old conventions and and and and learning how to read those that classic literature made me a better reader. It made me a better writer. It made me a better, you know, like in terms of comprehending things so,
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Hong Lieu: and i'm just doing the translation I I I can't read the original manuscript to appreciate what the original writing was but just the various translations, you know. I feel the same way about about about it, and walk off where the just reading that the classic literature, and how and how it's written. Just how the senses are formed. I mean, because if you read the storyline somewhere on Wikipedia, Okay, you know. Ah, you know fantastical ventures. Imagination falls asleep as the dreams wakes up, but in terms of what you actually get and read like the the the benefit of the the words. And then just
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Oh, yeah, it's it's it deserves its place as a true classic it is. It is thick, and it it is difficult to get through. You know. You will need a long time to read parts one and two, but you will be rewarded immensely, and it is just Yeah, it is very enriching, and it yeah, rightfully.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): No, there were two between the two parts. There was a ten year difference in publication.
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Hong Lieu: Oh, I did not know that
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): water
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): an entire decade before the second part two was published,
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and we get him. I get impatient when I have to wait a week for a new episode of something. I can't just beat it all at once.
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akilhill: So yeah, wait waiting for two, waiting ten years for part two. If you have the Internet, like people talk about George R. Martin, or even write those books. Bro:
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I don't like Amos rooms. Right?
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah, exactly. Yeah. Everybody just wanted an episode after episode of a game of throat that we just and then they got, and then we got it, and the last season was like, Well, what should we what you should take in your time?
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Yeah, we We look forward to house of the Dragon, you know. And then same thing. We only only one episode, and then that's it. It just feels like we're waiting too long.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): It says something about the patient our level of patience, you know. It has just
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akilhill: Yeah,
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akilhill: we done to ourselves right?
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akilhill: It's completely eroded in a lot of places, and a lot of you know, and a part of me thinks that's due to a lack of other hobbies like before, when we were waiting we could do other things, you know, like, okay, this Tv show is not there? Read a comic play video game. Go ride a bike, you know. Go take a hike. But
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Hong Lieu: folks now are I mean, not all folks, but some folks are just really kind of locked in a few things really specialized, and that's good and a lot of things in terms of deepening knowledge. But in terms of in terms of creating this kind of like zoomed in like, Yeah, hyper-focused kind of
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, Yeah, yeah, that's that's my theory. But i'm not sure.
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akilhill: Yeah, I mean also, too. I mean, we don't talk about the beauty in the patients either. Right? So you know, like i'm thinking ten years between novels, right? And So
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akilhill: that's the beauty in it, Right If we were to You want I mean look, I I just feel it's capitalism. You want it. The next episode, you know, next week, and that's like That's not how beautiful things are are created. You know what I mean, like beautiful things. Or
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akilhill: yeah, yeah, they take time, the the hurt, the sorrow, the pain, the reflection, all of that goes into it, You know it's like the my favorite part of ah like water for chocolate when she cries into the mobeet. Right? Yeah,
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akilhill: You know what I mean. Like It's that part that makes it right.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): The perspective gained throughout that ten years, you know. I probably really helped enrich that second part, for sure it's so true.
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akilhill: I mean, think about our own lives. Where? How are we like. Look! Ah, Marina alluded to it a little bit earlier when she's like. Now I understand the balance of not working so much. Well, what is that? That's wisdom. And how do you get wisdom through time, through time and different perspectives? Yeah, you're right. Yeah, right? So again, you know, that's how
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akilhill: that's you know, always wanting that when we want it it usually is not a great result, you know.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Right?
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): But yeah, patience is It's a virtue, right?
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akilhill: Yep.
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akilhill: You forget about people. Forget about that all the time. I like to say i'm a patient person. But then certain things. Yeah, I guilty everyone else like when i'm way in line for a restaurant.
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akilhill: No, I saw you last night at the ice cream truck on your patient. I saw you,
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akilhill: you know.
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akilhill: Oh, sometimes i'm the guy like you. The dirty looks like you had that check on your table for quite a long time. That's far enough for you. It's time to go.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): That's true,
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Hong Lieu: especially like, Oh, yeah, Some plays everybody in like an hour and a half like in some dim, some weights like an hour and a half two hours where you're coming in hungry. Oh, man, by the time you go to that table, you you're heated, especially when you're with family like my parents are way, too. I'm like, Well, I'm getting sweaty. Yeah,
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akilhill: no, I think that's strategic, though. So you order more.
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Hong Lieu: Oh, yeah,
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akilhill: it's It's a forty five minute wait, and then it's an actually an hour. And so by the time you're like, i'm really hungry. And then you you can be strategic.
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Hong Lieu: Yeah, it's true, that's true.
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akilhill: So thank you, Ria: Thank you, Maria. So what do you got for for us? Home? I'll go um as of this recording. Ah, Yeah, it's A August twenty s i'll say, and so ah, i'd maybe think about my probably greatest knees at the hero of all time. Joe Strummer was born on August twenty first, and
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Hong Lieu: he is like my North Star in terms of music. When I was in high school growing up, I, you know, like Oh, just getting in a punk rock. I didn't know that much about it. I thought I I wanted to be with the cool punk Rock kid, so I mean. I I went to this, went down to Melrose to buy a a A. T-shirt, a man t-shirt and I picked up a class shirt, and so
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Hong Lieu: that got me getting into their music. And so I became a huge clash fan. And then I got another problem there, and eventually led to Jose from a solo career, et cetera, et cetera. But yeah, he is. He is the man to me, and I still remember
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Hong Lieu: the day he passed in two thousand and one. He, you know, he had an art condition in the past. I This was like the Internet, was there, but it wasn't like ubiquitous in our lives. So it was late to me, but everybody was calling me because everyone like knew how big a fan I was and how important he was to my life. What did you hear? I'm like, I'm like No. What happened? They told me. Oh, my God! It's like like when I ran on the Internet to take my dial up wherever to look it up and like,
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Hong Lieu: Yeah. So I mean, the the man has changed my life, and you know everyone talks about his his career with the clash and the clash are an all-time band. One of the you know, one of the best you know one critic famous. He said they were the only band that matters, and I don't agree with that, because they also taught me to diversify my musical interests.
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Hong Lieu: They're the ones that got me into Reggae. They are the ones that indirectly got me to hip Hop. My sister was also interning a lot of records, so she got me a lot of cool records to give me hip, hop, but in terms of bay in the early eightys,
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Hong Lieu: having artists like Grandmaster flash open for them, you know, and and and they were getting booed off the state and whatnot. But at least they were trying to show folks what it was. Yeah, you know, famous graffiti arts feature of five thousand on their last combat Rock, their most famous album. It has, like rupt the Cas launch a year ago.
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Hong Lieu: Now the track feature of five thousand, which is an early hip-hop track, and also an early acknowledgment of graffiti as a cultural movement, because he was a graph Artist. But yeah, his post-class career does not get enough shine. And there was just a box head released recently.
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Hong Lieu: Ah, just over Lloyd, two by one is a lot of his um. Other stuff I've on to his is is solar work with his. The last man he was in for he past called the Mescaleros. They did a three albums. I was able to see him twice while he played with the Mescaleros. So that was another thing that was nice. But um!
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Hong Lieu: The box said, is great um, Both volumes of the jokes term anthologies to a strummer volume. One and two is why one is all of it so lower for the Mescaleros and Volume two the Muscularos albums. We remastered and all that stuff
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Hong Lieu: it's, it's worth a run-through, if if you you know if you're interested at all, like even a little bit about rock history. And for and or Joe Strummer as as a man, he was a great man as a as a as a member of a great band. He was that guy, and as a solo artist he does not get enough love, but his solo material is excellent as well. So a belated, happy birthday to Joe Strummer and recipes forever. And yeah,
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Hong Lieu: I love the guy still to this day,
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akilhill: from the
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akilhill: thanks for dropping that on this hum
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akilhill: I was ready. Yeah, I was ready. He came. He came with his gloves on i'm like, Oh, that's That's I mean that's my north star for sure, like you know, I mean a lot of things I would have been into otherwise, and just put it on my radar like in like the like. Two thousand and one, two thousand and two
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): or not he done in two thousand and one, but like ninety, nine, two thousand people were doing interviews with him like what he used to do now, and he was talking about Opia, you know, like Korea, as a musical style is known to a lot of people, but not known to a lot of people, you know. So it was some of that. The first time I've heard about it.
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Hong Lieu: Those are my boyfriend's tremor
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): play instruments.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): I do not I I I I I have dj before and yeah, Dj: before, and I like you know sub-turn tables and stuff, but in terms of Yeah, I I I I I know enough. I'm on the guitar to play pump rocket, which is three chords, you know, in various order,
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Hong Lieu: and my son is taking piano because I do want him to learn how to reach the music. But yeah, no, me. I'm not so inclined. I'm more of a dancer than a musical artist, and i'm not even a great dancer.
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akilhill: Oh, maybe that can be a part of the trip after the Tacos and all that to La.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): We love music in our home. My husband plays the guitar has played it since he was thirteen. And so the music uh seventies. Eighties uh rock uh is is probably his, those two in those two areas, you know. So we listen to music
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): all the time he plays the guitar all the time. So we are huge lovers of just live music and good music.
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akilhill: Yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah. And then, being close to La will be nice, because in terms of you get venues of all sizes where Santa Barbara we have Santa Barbara Bowl, which is medium, you know, medium large to large, and then we have basically So home. Now, which is the the smaller bit, you know A. You got a lot more small and medium sized option choose from. And then, as you know, you know, being from the Nap area, you go to the bay, you go to San Francisco, or even Sacramento. It's large to come through. So
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Hong Lieu: yes,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): all right. You sorry about that. But I have to tell you this story because I um actually met.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): It's really
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): of the Ounce Board
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Hong Lieu: recently,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): about five years ago.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Wow, we're never going to believe this is a crazy, crazy story, Ok, ready for this. So I was in of all places. Havana, Cuba.
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Hong Lieu: Wow! That's all that's awesome.
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akilhill: Yeah, he's there with his son Jack and the whole filming production team. And they're ah filming a reality. Show where apparently him and Jack are traveling around the world, or whatever visiting these places and witnessing these events Right? Ah! That are called unique to each culture, right to each, to each country they've got to.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): So all of a sudden we're we're in Havana. The government there has to recreate the the shooting of the cannons from way back in the day, and so they do that It's a free event for all Cubans. And so a bunch of tourists go there,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and all of a sudden I hear I was there with a group of of uh colleagues,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and all of a sudden I hear someone say, Osborne is here,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and I thought no way. I mean, what are the odds right? And then I hear it again. And so I thought to myself, to my husband, is a huge black Sabbath fan.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): How are you? Osbourne is like his. I don't right, so i'm thinking if anything, I just at least have to go see if it is true. You know I have to get close, so I grab my camera and I I get close, sure enough.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): There's Aussie, you know, with his phone filming the shooting of the cannons, and Jack sitting right behind him, and i'm like feet away from them. And the funny thing is, and I thought, okay, I kind of call my husband to tell him what just happened, and of course, Cuba you know nobody has wi-fi.
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akilhill: I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I couldn't talk to him for days. I
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akilhill: oh, he wasn't there
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akilhill: that makes the story better, though
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akilhill: I I think it does
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): when I say you are never going to believe what happens?
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akilhill: Exactly. It's just unbelievable. What are the odds? Right?
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akilhill: Yeah.
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akilhill: And those are the best stories, and to me, to me Ozzie is like those from her in some ways, because everyone thinks about it as Black Sabbath. But Ozzie Osborne's solo records are excellent, especially especially me with randy roads. But even afterwards I mean the rest of piece Randy roads. But the post Randy rose albums are also excellent. I mean his biggest solo hit my mom coming home with the postman and he roads release. And you know. So
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akilhill: so yeah, I think that there's definitely a definite, nice, nice tie in there, and we appreciate the species. That story.
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akilhill: Yeah,
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Hong Lieu: yeah,
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akilhill: alright. To you what you got. So watch
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akilhill: peace for culture is, i'm going to go local, and I'm going to go seriously local,
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akilhill: and i'm going to go to the mural that's being actually created on campus right now. So that's my pick. For the week it's been really an amazing process. Watching this actually unfold
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akilhill: um from a a vision right? Um walking through the embedded space, and turning around and looking at a a blank wall, and thinking that you know
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akilhill: I want to get a mural here. Ah! Into finding. Ah, the people that are actually producing their or installing the mirror. Um, I don't know there's you know there's six artists that are currently working on it. And by all means, I think that they're really humble in a lot of in a lot of regards, because
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akilhill: a few of the artists that some of them are up and coming, but a couple of them, Andre,
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akilhill: who's the Ceo of Bam? It's called it, stands for the Bay area mail program. Um. They are out of the bay. They've done amazing work. They've done like they work with the Golden State warriors. Um! They did a piece That's like literally. I think it's like six or seven stories. Um for the Golden State warriors. There's A. Qr. Code on that narrow. They're just really innovative in their approach. It's a nonprofit,
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akilhill: and so reaching out to them, and actually kind of birthing. What is actually going to be on the wall is has just been really
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akilhill: i'm blessing in a lot of ways. Another artist that's in the bam. Her name is Rachel Wolf, uh Goldsmith. She is a phenomena artist in her own. Right. She has a piece that's on Black Panther's headquarters, or the former Black Panther's headquarters in Oakland, California. Uh. Attribute to the black women who uh were in the Black Panther party during the sixtys that holds dear to my heart. My mother was a for Black Panther in Oakland in the Sixtys,
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So is this really been an amazing um
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akilhill: our journey, and I just want to take a moment and thank all the people that have assisted um, and making this happen on campus, from Dr. Mariel to to security, making sure everything is locked down. There's been a whole lot of people who have
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akilhill: made this happen. Uh v Peopleoma. Uh, you know Dr. Roxanne Byrne, there's so many people on the Fsa. Uh John uh from the back in the gallery. Uh, you know just a lot of people putting their time and effort into making this come into fruition. Um. So if you're on campus uh please take a moment and stop by and just be present. I have the good, fortunate today of just you know I've been checking in every day,
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akilhill: making sure that artists are are are treated and feeling welcome on campus. And there was a class from Kaplan that literally walked up, and they sat, and there was about maybe about ten students, fifteen students,
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akilhill: and they were discussing the mirror, and I mean they were still painting. They're still working on it currently. But um, you know the teacher was like. What do you see? What's your? You know what's your favorite part? And I thought I was pretty special. The publicist his name's linkedin's with Ah, Langston? He's with map. And
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akilhill: he asked the girl, he said, what's your favorite part? And she said, You know i'm from Brazil and my English isn't. Good, he said, We have Google translate speaking Portuguese, and it was so dope because
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akilhill: i'm sitting here looking at her stand by her favorite part of the mirror, and really just speak in Portuguese and express how she really feels about the piece. It was really humbly. Um! So that's my pick for the week. I really want to just thank the campus once again for um for um getting some life back on on our campus. It's been a rough to two years, plus, and I just just just feel grateful for for being a employed by Santa Barbara City College,
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akilhill: so that's my pick for the week. Um! Soon on the mail. There'll be a Qr. Code. We can scan it. There will be a time lapse of the mural um, thanks to Hong for putting the website together, so shout out to you as hung as well. So just a lot of great ah
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akilhill: collaboration. At least it's been great. Shah! Hooves has been great. It's just an all around. Ah, great experience! Last night we had over one hundred and thirty people between the times of five and eight, just sitting, being in community with each other. The kids were
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akilhill: playing ping ah, table tennis, and ah, people throwing Cornhalls soccer. It just was just a great and event last night, And so I just want to thank everyone for that. And yeah, that's my big,
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akilhill: great pick. Great take and an amazing pick. Yes,
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akilhill: good good work, good work on your part of keel, you you! You! You mentioned the process in passing, but you you as an integral part of that process, can. Only you know you're the one that knows what. But it's have to go from you walking by thinking maybe it should be there, or wherever it probably you. But thinking there should be a mural on that wall,
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Hong Lieu: and going through the process to make it happen, because how many times, and how many folks would think similar things, and and be here with the process like this is too much. This is to the bureaucracies out of control, whatever. But I mean shout out to you for making it happen, and shout out to you.
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Hong Lieu: Instance, You know Dr. Mario and Sbcc. As an institution for making sure the bureaucracy didn't get in the way the
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Hong Lieu: of making it all happen at what should happen, Because it's It's a beautiful project. I was at that event last night. It was just unbelievable. How how good it felt to be in community and feel like, feel like a true community, A A true kind of communal event was occurring, and you could feel all around you. You know everyone was friendly. Walk around and meet people you never knew, and they, you know, like, act like you know him your whole life, and it was just. It was all good. I mean, it was just that. That's the only way you could put it with. It was all good, and how it
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Hong Lieu: Yeah.
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akilhill: And
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akilhill: I mean, I don't know if the campus really realized. You know, i'm from Santa Barbara. And this piece is probably the first piece that actually
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akilhill: well, it is the first black mural in Santa Barbara so, and it's housed here at Santa Barbara City College. Um, and you can. It may even be the first black mural between Los Angeles and the Bay area. Um, So I mean Don't quote me on that. But i'm thinking the in between spaces there may not be anything that's really intentionally centering um like excellence um
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akilhill: on on walls. So um and I was laughing. The artists were saying, You guys got a lot of white walls around here. I was like, Yeah. So hopefully, this is leads to a bigger discussion, you know, shout out to Api. We need some representation hopefully. We can get something going as well, and you know, make this place um.
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akilhill: You know the place that we want to be in, you know. I mean, we've been through a lot like I said the last two and a half years. Hopefully we can turn the page, and we can start with just bringing everyone into the fold. And so um, yeah, we maybe have the first black mirror in Santa Barbara. It's that sinners black excellence. So it's It's it's a it's a big it's a big feat.
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akilhill: What I said. And uh
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Hong Lieu: you did it, man, You did great.
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akilhill: Yeah, we all we all did it. We all all did it for you, you know. You know you're part of all this, and we'll leave at that I know you're a humble man. You've been honestly into the modest life, but I appreciate that too much so, for when it comes to those Taco trucks. Man. I'll be like
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akilhill: I'm sorry about that in it like You're congratulations on the project. Congratulations.
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Yeah, thanks.
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akilhill: And and thank you. Keel, and thank you Maria um on the show. It was an honor to have you before we we say goodbye. Any final words, any ah final plugs you want to get in or anything like that.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): No, I just want to thank the Santa Barbara City College Community campus community for the warm welcome or kind words. And um
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): for the teachable moments. Um, you know, thus far, and I continue to look forward to working with everyone,
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): and I will maintain an open in outdoor and make myself available to everyone who wishes to step by just check in, say, hello, I'm offering virtual office hours uh twice a month
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): for anyone who wishes to just hop in, bring coffee, bring tea, and just have a chat about anything.
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akilhill: So thank you so much.
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akilhill: Thank you. And so where can people find you. So where is your open door actually located on campus?
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): So I am in the Administration Building
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akilhill: right next to uh Dr. Maria's uh office right next to the President's office. So um right in the same hallway as the information booth and the Admin building. So yeah, that's where i'm at. Okay, great.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): And you'll send emails out about the virtual office hours and all that. So I believe I have already. But there'll be reminders
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akilhill: excellent, great, and i'll get that in from the show. I know it's. I'll track it down and get that and showing us as well.
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Maria Villagomez (she/her/ella): Thank you so much. I can't believe that when you are. It's almost time to to back it up already. I was just just chatting with you guys about all kinds of important things to our to our line with us and to our souls. Right.
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akilhill: Yeah, Absolutely stupid student life as you could it. That's a great way to put it. And that's a a great way to close the show. So thank you again. Rio's an honor, and thank you as always. Thanks.
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akilhill: This was Vaquero Voices. Take care, everyone, peace. Bye, bye,