You Little Ruca

If you're like me, a sunny Californian who appreciates Californian things like skateboarding culture and rasta-infused punk rock, you’d by lying if you tried to say you never had a crush on Bradley Nowell. There, I said it. Sublime brought so many things to my early adolescence, like the understanding of the lyrics to Caress Me Down (especially the non-Spanish parts) and the uber-concern my singing along to it brought my poor old parents as they shipped their baby daughter off to college in 1996. Or the line-in-Santeria-inspired ‘Heine’ stamp I fashioned out of a cut-up Heineken patch to cover the hole in the ass of my favorite American Way thrift store navy blue corduroy Levi’s, also in 1996. Most people thought the joke was for ‘hiney,’ but I knew in my heart that when Bradley came back to find a heina of his own, he’d know I was the one when he read my ass. I mean, he mentioned Victorville in a song. It was destiny. Stupid fucking heroin, you ruined my life!

Anyway, we all know that opening track on 40oz. to Freedom. Oh, that bass. Oh that voice! We were all waiting for our rucas back in 1992. BOM BOM! And luckily for me and the rest of the Diverse Friendship Tribe, that wait was not long, as we all found each other by the early 2000’s, after all our awkward adolescence had gone up in smoke and/or been buried under the warm comfort of alcohol jackets. 

It was a summery sublimey day when Mr. Dave Tossley busted out the first ‘you little ruca!’ in reference to something Dan Krooger had done. I can’t remember what or why, I can only remember the rest of us being amazed and delighted and enveloped with fits of laughter forever since as we flocked to the use of the new phrase like the salmon of Capistrano…

For more ease with your reading pleasure, I’ve included some of the links of the chain leading up to the use of ‘you little ruca,’ so you can fully grasp and understand the context and make it your very own. Of course Honoable Mention goes to the term’s creator, DT…way to keep the spirit alive, brah. BOM! BOM!

DK to RS, SC, me, DT, MT, AH, DH

show details 8/11/10

First of all, there is no way Mimi is actually doing the hike.  She just isn't.  She ain't got the gumption.  She's gonna sit somewhere comfortable at the bottom and miss you.

Second, are you really moving to the East Side?  That's where I met my Ramona.

Ooooh, I wanna go to a party.  A house party.

Rush, I want to go bike riding with you while you train.  I haven't done a decent long ride in a while, and I really miss it. 

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MT to DK, RS, SC, me, DT, AH, DH, LP 

show details 8/11/10

Dan.  You're cracking me up today.  You little ruca.

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DK to me, SC, DT, DH, AH, MT, LP 

show details 8/11/10

Obviously I laughed water out my nose when Sadies said, "you little ruca." TOO SOOON!

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MT to DT, DH, SC, me, RS, AH, DK, LP

show details 8/20/10

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/home.php?sk=lf.  I don't know how to do screenshots.

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DT  to MT, DH, SC, me, RS, AH, DK, LP

show details 8/20/10

Someone should teach that little ruca how to do a screenshot.
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DT to LP, MT, AH, DH, SC, DK, me, RS

show details 10/20/10

Umm, where is that little ruca Runcle?
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me to DT, LP, MT, AH, DH, SC, DK, RS

show details 10/20/10

i smile so hard whenever i think of dave saying 'little ruca'

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MT to me, DT, LP, AH, DH, SC, DK, RS

show details 10/20/10

My dick taste like Sambuca, yo dick, you little ruca.

Look what you've started, I can't stop now.
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DK to me, RS, LP, MT, AH, SC, DT

show details 11/2/10

OH MY GOD!  Dave, are you talking about when Brandon plummeted over the balcony at Dom’s old place in the Castro?  Mandy, were you there for that?  I totally forgot about that.  He fell ON a girl walking by.  But then, if I remember correctly, she came in to party.

Cocaine is a hell of a drug.
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DT to DK, me, RS, LP, MT, SC, AH

show details 11/2/10

No, the time when you needed to take a dump in your apartment and you saw that little ruca jump out the window cause he was playing in your empty apartment
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And listen, I'll just include the next email that happened on that chain, because, well, I mean...I don't even need to explain why.

LP to DT, DK, me, RS, MT, SC, AH

show details 11/2/10

Mark your calendars

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SC to me, LP, MT, DK, RS, DT, AH, DH

show details 11/11/10

from Dave:

I hope it turns out ok. I hope to see you soon u little side street ruca

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me to MT, DT, SC, LP, AH, DK, RS, DH

show details 12/25/10

Um you guys. I gave everyone these cute little soaps that are shaped like ribbon candy or peppermints, just cute little things to tie to their presents. Um. I just looked over at my sister kerry and caught her in the act of eating hers, because she thought it was actual candy. So now she's in the bathroom washing her mouth out. Washing the soap out of her mouth. How ironic.
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DT to me, SC, LP, MT, AH, DK, RS, DH

show details 12/25/10

What a little ruca.
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AH to SC, LP, DT, MT, me, DK, RS, DH

show details 12/28/10

That's weird my message didn't go through.

What a sensitive little ruca. Did you tell him where to blow it?

I think my mom has a picture of me in the dress on her phone. Will forward. It still has to be altered down to my size, FYI.

Did you guys ever figure out how to make an ice luge? I want it to be a giant, veiny cock.
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And there you have it. The classiest group of little rucas you ever did see. Now you get out there and start calling people little rucas! You know you want to!

You Little Ruca (n): 

A term of endearment…in a sense, to express either appreciation for or disapproval of someone’s doings. If there were an Extended Family Thesaurus, synonyms would include things like, ‘sneaky little devil,’ ‘you old so ‘n’ so,’ and ‘you _____-ing sonofabitch!’  

Try and use it in a sentence today!