Chicoticos Mios: A Canine Quest
by Anonymous
This fictional photo essay was created as a requirement for Howard Besser's course, Information Studies 208, Development of Cultural Information Sources Using Digital Multimedia, Spring Quarter 2001, in the Department of Information Studies, UCLA.
When I first heard this tale, straight from the main character's own mouth,
I could hardly believe what I was hearing. The events were so bizarre! But the
storyteller, a tri-color Australian cattle dog named Jasper, 
swears that it's true. The very night he told the tale, I hurried home to write
it down, so as not to forget a single detail. I tried to capture the story in
Jasper's own words. If I have failed to re-tell the story as well as Jasper
told it himself, the blame is mine....
Part 1. Red -- Part 2. Green -- Part 3. Blue
Chicoticos Mios -- Part 1. Red (Click on images to see larger versions)
My life is usually rather boring. I'm an Australian cattle dog without any
cattle and years ago I was "altered" to boot. My home is below the
Box Springs Mountains 
in the County of Riverside, California, and like I said, I have a rather quiet
life...so I nap a lot.
One day, after a particularly long nap, I awoke to find a box of colorful egg-shaped
treats in a box 
on
the picnic table. I drew closer to investigate 
and finally gobbled down one of the delicious treats. This treat was better,
of course, than the rather dry biscuits 
to which I am daily subjected but, surprise of surprises, it was far, far better
than my favorite treat, raisins.
After a few bites of these tasty new treats, I began to feel a little woozy
and my ears were filled with a strange sound...chicoticos chicoticos chicoticos
rushed through my head over and over again. Was this new treat causing this
sound? I lost consciousness for I don't know how long and when I awoke, I knew
I was far far from home. I, along with several other travelers, was boarding
a plane 
bound for Cuba. I was suddenly sure that I had to go to Cuba and that if I did
I would find out what chicoticos were. I was convinced that they were
a treat of the highest order. Perhaps they were much like the treat I'd just
gobbled down...my hope was that they were superior. Of course, I could not be
sure that the new treat had anything to do with chicoticos -- but as
the stewardess helped me to my seat and the door slammed shut, I realized there
was no turning. back. Soon we were in the air 
and I settled back, huddled against the window, content in my first class seat.
As I tried to doze off, I couldn't help but notice a hubbub taking place across
the aisle. Someone was arguing with members of the hip-hop group Jay-Z. At first
I couldn't see the person who, apparently, was refusing to give up his window
seat so that Sean Carter (the group's leader) could enjoy a view of the earth
as we flew to Havana. Then, as the argument became more heated, Sean stepped
back a few feet and I immediately recognized the cause of the ruckus as Howard
Besser, information studies guru. I knew Howard from his Berkeley days. So Howard
was on his way to Cuba, as well. Perhaps our paths would cross. Mercifully,
Sean graciously let Howard remain in the window seat and the rest of the flight
was uneventful.