THis Land is My Land

I don't like to rant and rave much anymore. Must be a product of aging. And living in Mexico for awhile without a regular job helped mellow me out a bit. Every once in a while, something just sticks in your craw, tho', and there's no denying it. Still, I will try to keep myself from going overboard.

Over the last few years, starting in college, I've encountered plenty of people who more or less share the same political standing as I do. During this time I've come to realize just what it is much of America hates about us liberals. No one is really against universal healthcare or a living wage. Most folks think oil is a big problem. And a lot of folks are beginning to see that global warming could, just maybe, be a real threat.

Many people are passionately against reproductive rights and gay marriage, but these folks don't make up a majority of the population, yet it seems sometimes like the majority of folks really hate us. Why?

Because, like me, they're tired of hearing about everything that's wrong with our culture. Fast food, violent movies, lazy children and SUVs are not the end-all and be-all of what it means to be American. Many of my fellow liberals, some personal acquaintences in particular, equate America with all the wrongs in the world.

I am thinking of one person in particular as I write this. This person spent most of the time complaining about America and Americans, but could speak no wrong about foreign countries they had visited. They spent most of their time hanging out with other self-loathing Americans or with foreigners who shared the same view. All this Uncle Sam bashing feeding off of itself.

But, no nation is pure and good. The Spanish erradicated the Native Americans long before the British set foot in Jamestown. The British opressed the Irish. The Chinese continue to opress the Tibetans. Opressed Arabs, tired of living in slums and being treated like second-class citizens, were rioting in France not that long ago. Muslim fundamentalists are killing innocent people all around the world. We Americans have done worse and better.

Woody Guthrie could see what was wrong with America while still loving the land, its people and our ideals. He criticized rich factory owners who abused their workers, he sang about corruption in the government and opposed racism and sexism. He also supported the war effort in WWII, wrote "This Land is Your Land" and elevated the people of this country. I'd like to think of myself as coming from the same place.

This is the nation that killed the Indians, enslaved the Blacks and is destroying the environment. It's also the country that gave my great-grandparents a new opportunity, saved the world from fascism and created rock and roll.

On the whole, in comparison with other countries, that's not so bad.

On the to-do list

Three months into our new life in the states, and things are good. Like any non-native speaker, we need to continue practicing our Spanish. Even so, it's time to start looking at all those other things on the to-do list.

As I've continued growing up, I've begun to note things that seem to be a mark of, well, let's not say maturity, but at least being a grown-up.

In addition to the Spanish and parallel parking, there's also the tile-laying and other handy things I've learned on the Great Basement Upgrade of 'Aught 7, but there are certain skills that separate a guy from a man.

Things to learn:

• How to play pool -- for real this time (thanks to Rich and Marc for trying that one night at Pat's Time for One More)
• How to mix drinks like a bartender
• How to play poker and spades -- without freaking out every time we play K's mom
• How baseball works
• How football works
• How soccer works
• How to change a tire -- theoretically I do know this, but I've only ever watched my dad do it
• How to carry a conversation that doesn't devolve into politics or references to The Simpsons
• How to get out of situations I don't want to be in

That's probably not all I need to learn, but it's a start. Anyone have other suggestions?

Hahvahd

K is now officially on the Harvard wait list.

They advise you to act as though you weren't getting in, so that's what we've been doing.

If anyone happens to have any dirt on any members of the admissions board at Harvard Law, now would be the time to give it up.

So, we'll see. Either way, we are going to live in a great city, and K gets a great education.

Turns out that Teckidad always wanted to go to Northwestern. And, her grandmother always wanted her to go to Harvard. So either way, she's living out some family member's dream.

Back by popular demand! (Thanks Marc)

Having recently learned that my reader has been sitting on the edge of his seat axiously waiting for my return to the Web, I've decided to restart this here blog thing.

Our return from Mexico was not the end of our travels, as some of you may know. Almost as soon as we retrieved our laundry from her parent's dryer, K and I were off again to visit law schools in DC, Virginia and our beloved Carolina del Norte. I won't bore you with the details, but fast-forward to an award letter from Northwestern University in Chicago offering practically a full scholarship and we were on a plane to the Windy City. within days.

Chicago was great, if a bit cold (it's just three winters, it's just three winters) and the university was impressive. So much so that we are all but ready to load up a truck and move to the north side of Chicago by the end of July. Some nice neighborhoods up there, and plenty of hardwood floors and exposed brick walls.

In the meantime I've been slowly remodeling the basement apartment in la casa de mis suegros, under the tutelage of my father-in-law. The old red carpet installed by the previous owners is slowly disappearing, being replaced by sturdy tile. We were inspired by our time in Mexico, where even the driveways are tiled. When we swept the floor in our apartment in Valenciana and realized how much dirt you can really track onto a floor, we vowed never again to have a carpeted floor.

Ademas, I quickly realized that all Mexican men seem to know how to do many, many things. Fix cars, tile floors, blacksmithing, you name it. Even Orlando, who would not strike you as the sterotypical macho mexicano, was a teacher who repaired and programmed computers on the side. Faced with this image and my own lack of usefull skills (Copyeditors will be the first left outside the walls to die when the revolution comes) I realized I needed to upgrade my skillset.

While I've been in the basement, K has been volunteering at the local WIC program as a translator. We've also gone down the the Community Free Clinic in Corncob. For the first few nights, there were only a handful of spanish-speaking patients. The other translators kept telling us they were usually so busy that sometimes doctors were chasing them down for help. We didn't really believe it until one night when we ran all over the building from room to room to pharmacy. Each time we approach a latino patient (actually, mostly latinas) they alsways look at us funny, like "What's this white boy going to do, use flashcards?" But so far we've done fine.

I've had some temp work at the Hospice in K-Town. Should have more soon. Also applied at the Buckstar down the road where the suegros like to go. Mas dinero, por favor. As much as I like getting in touch with my masculine self working on the basement, I'd also like to have an income again.