The village idiot of Las Vegas drinks some beers with a yard full of Mexicans.

"He's a real nowhere man, sitting in his nowhere land, making all his nowhere plans for nobody. Doesn't have a point of view, knows not where he's going to. Isn't he a bit like you and me. Nowhere man please listen, you don't know what you're missing."

Nowhere man - The Beatles


Yesterday I was walking home from the library when I came across a crowd of young Latino males drinking beer in the yard of a house on the corner of McDaniel & Stanley. I smile, nod and proceed on my way. All of sudden I hear one say - "Gringo, do you want a beer?"

My first inclination is he was talking to someone else, but then I realize I am the only gringo within a mile radius. I don't want to come off as rude, so I say - "A cold cerveza sounds good." I walk around the fence and enter through the driveway. One of them yells - "Heads up!" He tosses me a cold bottle of Modelo. I open it and take a hefty swallow, I then say - "Gracias Senor," he says - "De nada." There was an awkward silence and then another quips - "I always see you walking around the neighborhood. What's your deal?" I tell him I live in a dump truck a few blocks over and don't have a car. So my only means of transportation is Fred & Barney.

"Fred & Barney - what's that?" He didn't get the Flintstones reference. I explain to him it's an Anglo reference for someone who doesn't have a car and their only mode of transportation is by foot. "I get it now," he snickers, "The cartoon." Everyone shares a hearty laugh and then another guy says - "Why does a white boy like you live down here with all us Mexicans...are you crazy?" I tell him how much I like the neighborhood and all the potential I see in it, he says - "What kind of potential do you see in a place like this?" 

I explain a few ideas I'm having, he wasn't catching on, but it's okay. The ideas I have are much easier to understand if they are in action versus me explaining. I then notice one of them is wearing a Lebron Jame's jersey. I ask if he thinks the Cavaliers are going to win the title, he says - "The king and his court vato! They are going to take it all. They better win I have them at +240 to win it all." He pulls a betting ticket from his pocket, kisses it and says - "Traer mi Lebron!" I think, but I'm not for sure, the English equivalent is 'Bring it home Lebron.'

I drink a few more beers and then tell them I must be on my way. As I am getting ready to walk away one of them says - "I get what you are talking about now. Your idea that is. You want to get rich off the back of a million Mexicans. You know that we spend money and you want to get in on the action homie." I look at him and say, "Yeah, pretty much. I don't know if I would say it like that. My research says there is limitless potential in the Latino market as pertains to their purchasing power. Especially when you talk about online goods and services. That is a better way to say it." I thank them again for the beers and the hospitality and continue my trek home.