A great day for everbody

Being an ex-pat in Mexico makes it hard to keep up with all the news coming in from the elections, and the good news just keeps coming.

Rumsfeld out, democrats in. Charlie Taylor loses his grip on my beautiful mountains, O'Malley as governor of Mary Land, even our district 8 in Corncob has a teeny tiny chance of going blue. (but I'm not holding my breath, except when I walk though a tunnel here.)

And even just now I find out that Virginia is turning a nice shade of blue in the senate for sure.

For certain, everyone here seems just a little bit nicer to us now. The guy at our copy shop was ecstatic when we told him we´re democrats. K told him it was a good day for us, and he replied: It's a good day for everyone!

So is it? God only knows, but if D$ could come down from the chandeliers for just a moment, I'm sure he'd repeat his wisdom of a month ago: We'll still be going toward the cliffs, just at 50 mph instead of 150. And that's from a guy who really, really thought Kucinich had a chance.

Immigration reform is more likely, and maybe, just maybe there's some light at the end of the Iraq tunnel. Maybe. But even as they celebrate, the dems are falling back into form.

The blue party has always been fractious and a little neurotic, so compromises will surely have to be made, but that's for backroom deals late a night with boxes of pizza and gallons of whiskey. In public, can we get Pelosi to do more than offer a concesion speech at her victory rally?

We won! We surrender!

Words and Palabras

Words shape reality, and I wonder how things would be in the states if newspapers there used "invest" instead of "spend" when they report on government projects. After all, who likes to spend anything? Maybe all those libertarians in Charlotte would finally shut up if we called the light-rail an investment. Well, probably not, since they hate spending money on principle.

But how would the repubicans fare if we said the government was investing in afterschool programs, public transit and education? Would it be as easy for them to cut programs for the poor or public works?

Spanish has a way of tearing away the veneer of English words and getting right at the heart of things. For instance, sprawl is called "desorganisacion urbana." We ought to be using the same precise language when we fight powerful developers who want to plop their stripmalls and freeways in our cities.

We are still trying to learn, and hope to make more sense of the language. I think I'm starting to like it.

Si yo fuera gorbernador de Carolina del Norte

Education has been on our minds lately. Partly because we are, essentially, back in school, and partly because being in another country for so long can bring a new perspective on your own. Also, having lived in Baltimore for 2 years prior to this, we had a good view of the general disnitegration of public education in America. As we walk to and from the city, the conversation usually ends up as a discussion of what we ought ot do with schools back home.

We tend to pride ourselves on valuing education. Certainly school is compulsory to a much older age in the US than in other countries, Mexico included, but what good is compulsory education in a rundown school with overworked, underpaid teachers? We say we value education, but we aren't willing to spend the money. So our schools fall apart, our best teachers leave the profession tired and frustrated after a few years, and our students fall further behind.

So, if I were governor of North Carolina, or whatever state we end up in, I'd put forth the following:

Pay teachers what they're worth: Who wants to stay in a profession that prevents them from ever owning a house of their own or paying off their student loans? Maybe then we can talk about requiring teachers to get master's degrees. After all, if you had a choice between going to school for 6 years to become a teacher or a lawyer, which one would you choose?

Hire more of them: The most students K ever had in one semester at a private school was 64. The most our neighbor, a public school teacher, had was 156. Which teacher is going to be able to help the ones who need the most attention?

Compulsory bilingual classes: Starting in kindergarten, all the way through 12th grade. This isn't Mayberry folks. We're not just competing for businesses and jobs with Richmond and Atlanta anymore. We're fighting with Barcelona, London, New Dehli and Shanghai. We can't be the only ones in the room who speak just one language.

History: Did you know the $ sign originated in the Spanish colonies? And, hey, what the hell was the Mexican-American war anyway? All I ever got was a paragraph and a picture of James K Polk. How can we not know the history of our 2 closest neighbors? Americans know next to nothing about Mexico and Canada, and we're the losers. Better, in-depth American history coupled with extensive North American history can corect that.

Of course, there is so much more that needs to be done, but this is a start.

Stay on Track

So I leave the country for a little while and I find out some pack of libertarian jackals have decided to try to repeal the transit tax. Turns out they don't want to face the fact that they live in a city, not some cute little tax-free small town in some idyllic Ayn Rand oil painting. Oh look, there's Tara S. kicking a dog.

You can't have a city that depends on only one form of transportation. It just won't work, and I'm tired of having to pound the truth into you people. If you don't like paying taxes for huge public works projects, you need to move. Wyoming has almost nobody around. You can shoot your guns at photos of FDR all day there and no one will try to infringe on your right to act like a moron on your own personal property.

But when you live in a major metropolitan area with about 1 million other people, you have to learn to share, and to pitch in from time to time. Things cost money folks. Roads, schools and rails aren't free, but they are all most definitely necessary.

The Great Wall of Texas

Could the republicanos please stop trying to make living in Mexico harder for us?

Sitting in the bus station in San Miguel I got to read all about the big wall they want to build along the border. The post got it right, this will do nothing more than harm our relationship with Mexico, which has gotten to be pretty high on my priority list lately, and damage the environment without doing fuck-all to actually solve the problem.

Instead of trying to build pointless barriers, we need to be working together to figure out how to make things better for both countries. Good fences don't always make good neighbors.

The Law of Mediocrity

Hola chicos y chicas.

After two weeks in Mexico, I have managed to shake off all the negative and positive stereotypes people have filled my head with, and begun to look at the country through my own eyes.

The negatives are obvious enough if you ever watch American movies or TV or listen to a lot of music. But no, we haven't met any banditos, people here aren't lazy or trying to rip us off, and things are no more dirty than in Nueva York or Baltimore.

But, I also have to say that all this talk about how polite everyone is and the nice slow pace, and especially the super-well-behaved kids has also, sadly, turned out to be falso. At least in GTO, only the old folks move slow. Everyone is in a big hurry, ready to push you off the narrow sidewalks into oncoming traffic in a heartbeat. Kind of like NYC, but with smaller sidewalks and without crosswalks or traffic signals to give a sense of efficency. In fact, if you think Mexico is slow, it is more likely because things just don't work quite as well as they should, not because folks aren't in a hurry.

And kids here are just like those in the other United States. Some good kids, some rude ones, all is the same.

The longer I am here the more apparent it becomes that people are about the same everywhere. The same mix of friendly, rude, polite, clueless, angry, happy and all the rest. Just with a different accent.

This is something I have always suspected, but as I travel more, I find more evidence. Cultures are different, values are different -- to a certain extent -- but people are people, and that's bueno.

Crash course in NCness

Went four wheelin' today.

Just around C&S's yard, on the one they bought for the kid, but it was enough for us.

Then S took us each on a ride on the big one. Probably the best way to be welcomed back to North Carolina after two years up North is on the back of a high-speed four-wheeler with your arms wrapped around the sweaty midsection of a good friend.

The dustbin of history

I thought going through all of my childhood things at my parents' house would be sad, if not traumatic.

A few hours and several hefty bags later, I was relieved of this notion. Very little was spared, save for the comicbook collection, a Route 66 sign and a Transformer I was going to give to Goodwill today, but turns out might be worth something on eBay.

I filled two of their recycling bins with old school papers, notebooks, newspapers and posters, plus folded boxes whose contents should have been tossed years ago. Anything that wasn't slated for charity or recycling ended up in the giant City of Charlotte garbage can -- filled almost to capacity.

Look homeward. To unload the detritus of your youth and get a fresh start. It's like leaving home all over again.

Building, and rebuilding, a mystery

We stopped at the alma mater to drop off some ridiculous forms K needs filled out by the dean of students office to apply for law school. No idea why these forms are necessary, but I guess this is just preparation for a long career dealing with unnecessary paperwork and bureaucrats.

All these high schoolers were wandering around campus carrying furniture and bags full of books. Some kind of summer camp, as far as we could tell. Strange, though. Classes should be starting soon. I hope they get those kids off campus before the students show up. They'll need time to clean up the dorms.

Anyway, what the hell is up with the Atkins library? We drive along to the visitor deck near Cone, and they've stripped the library tower. Better waterproofing they say. Why weren't these bricks put up in the first place, or did they not learn their lessons from the staircase they built and had to tear up 6 years ago because it wasn't up to code?

They've been working on this library since before I was a freshman. It looked like a scene from a war movie during my orientation and was a constant source of frustration for most of my matriculation. They finally got it looking pretty good, and now they figure out that the fake bricks weren't keeping out the rain.

Damn. Those kids were sure young.

Those Talladega Nights

We just got back from seeing Talladega Nights with C&S.

Was it a great movie? No.

Did I like it? Yes.

Will I ever intentionally see it again? Probably not.

But at that moment, returning to the Great NC after two years, watching a NASCAR-themed movie in a historic theater in Kannapolis with Cheerwine and a bucket of popcorn.

Like driving down the New Jersey Turnpike and Born to Run comes on the radio.

Perfect.

Hanging off the back of the iBandwagon

The gift of an iPod is an excellent gift indeed.

Not only was I able to rescue my iTunes from work before leaving, but Dr. H and LG put tons of their own music on it in special playlists just for us.

The fun of the iPod is second only to its usefulness in unwanted social situations. I took the iPod to the dealership while waiting for the oil change and all that, and no one bothered me the whole time.

It's like a sonic forcefield.

I only wish we had brought it to the DMV.

Hard times at the DMV

We bit the bullet and went to the DMV yesterday to get our affairs in order so we can officially become North Carolinians again. Even the Concord DMV is pretty busy, and it probably didn't help that we got there around lunch time.

Other than the long wait, the only problem was the guy sitting next to us who wanted to tell us his whole life story. He regaled us with stories of unpaid car insurance, past car wrecks and the ongoing saga of dealing with an irresponsible tenant.

This went on for much less time than it seemed, I'm sure, but by then we were desparately watching the sign by the testing room, hoping that either his number or ours would suddenly appear. K didn't get to leave until after he started telling us about how he hadn't dated in more than 6 years.

I had to endure more before his number came up.

When I got to the testing room, I noticed K taking the computer test. Shit. Do I have to do that?

But then, I figured she probably asked to take the test to see how well she could do while waiting for the machine to spit out her license.

It took me all of five minutes to finish up. Turns out that my old NC license from before moving to Mary Land wasn't set to expire until next year, so they just treated this like I was getting a duplicate. Didn't even have to take the sign test.

K, on the other hand, had an expired NC license and thought that the sign for two-way traffic with median meant "Triangle Ahead."

Well, not really. And she aced the computer test, which she says a trained monkey with brain damamge could pass. So yeah, we feel reeeeal safe on the roads in NC now.

Getting the tag and title, though expensive, was quick. And, with a trip to Toyota for an oil change and state inspection, we were finally, officially, in NC again.

All of which was made easier to tolerate with the new iPod.

So it begins

Panthers beat Bills, 14-13

A good day to be in Carolina.

So long Mary Land

Our final journey from the Free State to the Great NC was about 180 degrees from every other trip we'd taken since moving to Maryland. Rather than pack the car the night before and wake up at 3 in the morning to avoid the DC/Richmond clusterfucks, we stayed up late Friday night to visit friends as part of out farewell tour of the Mid-Atlantic and finished packing in the morning.

There was more laundry than I'd realized, and we still had to clean the Undisclosed Location for our hostess. It didn't help that I still don't know how to properly set the alarm on my cellphone, leading us to wake up late.

We had brunch at 10 with Dr. Huxtable, Lawyergirl was visiting her family in PA, and said our goodbyes. He made a good point, that we shouldn't be sad about leaving since our friendship has reached the point where it can endure even great distances. A good note to leave Charm City on.

Of course, the city was more reluctant to let us go. We hit every single red light between the end of I-83 and the beginning of I-395 at Camden Yards. And away we went to the District to visit El Raton and D one last time.

We snacked on cheese, bread and coffee, enjoying lively conversation and preparing for Mexico. It was a fun time for all, complete with photos, and not a hint of sadness. After all, we lived on opposite sides of the country for three years. This is nothing new.

And so we hit the road in earnest this time, thinking that breaking up the drive would make it easier. But I-95 is the busiest highway in the US, and made sure to let us know that. It was stop and go from the Mixing Bowl almost all the way to Richmond, and we didn't get to Corncob until well after dark.

We arrived home to find that our dog does indeed remember us, but she's made herself a little friend in our absence. She plays with K's parents' new cat, who follows her around when they're not playing. They even got into the bed with us last night, the cat climbing all over us for quite a long time before settling in for the night.

We are disturbed by this new development.

One for the Lorax

It's time we start seeing the city for the trees.

The recent heatwave brought to mind an issue that's occupied me for some time now. Namely, how to get more trees into the city. Walk from a shady block to an unshaded one and you'll know what I mean. More than just decorations for suburban yards, trees shade cars and pedestrians, keep cooling costs down for houses and other buildings, filter air pollution and reduce stormwater runoff.

Walking and driving around the greater Baltimore metro area, I'm surprised at just how many places here could, and should, have more trees. Too many treeless yards, too many sidewalks exposed to the sun. Highway medians and shoulders covered only in grass, if that.

Expanding the tree canopy in cities like Baltimore can drive down overall temperatures, helping to reduce the need for air conditioning during much of the summer, even during heatwaves. Paved streets, sidewalks and parking lots, plus tall buildings and lots of brick and concrete, radiate heat like an outdoor oven. We will have to redesign tall buildings to use less energy and absorb less heat, but as for everything else, all we need are a few more trees.

This is especially important with the impending BGE rate hike in Maryland, but applies throughout the country. Obviously a densely packed neighborhood like Hampden can't have as many trees as Roland Park, but the extra shade provided by tree-lined streets would still provide some relief from the heat that would otherwise be radiating off streets, sidewalks and buildings. And make the area more pleasant, to boot.

Air filters are increasingly popular in offices and houses, so why not apply the same logic to the outdoors? Trees filter air pollution at the local level and, coupled with other pollution-fighting techniques, can greatly improve residents' health and quality of life. Additionally, runoff from this area is killing the Chesapeake Bay. More trees means less poison flowing into the bay.

Baltimore, especially, has plenty of room for trees. The city should require builders to preserve more of the canopy and create incentives for property owners of all kinds (homes, businesses and others) to plant trees themselves. Baltimore can take the initiative by planting trees on all city-owned property and along the rights of way of every street and thoroughfare in the city limits. In addition, the city can also work with conservation groups to purchase and protect the few remaining urban forests in the city, setting them aside as mini nature preserves.

New trees alone won't turn the worst neighborhoods in Baltimore into safe and friendly places, it won't reduce traffic and won't turn failing city schools into elite prep. schools. But with global warming looming over the city, as well as blackouts and heat-related deaths becoming as common in summer as fireflies and cookouts, every little thing helps.

Joe Joe was a man who thought he was a democrat

Not that I live in Connecticut or anything, so maybe it's not my responsibility to say this, but could someone just slap Joe Lieberman, hand him a highball and sit him down in a comfy chair?

His aggressive response to losing this primary, as opposed to the half-hearted dissent to losing/winning the 2000 election, is astounding.

The fact that he is willing to jeopardize a democratic victory in November, after being rejected by democratic voters in a fair and legal primary election, shows that Joe Lieberman deserved to lose the primary. The main beef of Lamont and his supporters was that Lieberman doesn't represent them or their values anymore. Insisting that he will ignore the results of the democratic primary and run as an independent just underscores the fact that Lieberman really doesn't represent democratic voters in Connecticut, thereby strengthening Lamont's case.

I mean, don't Connecticut democrats have the right to choose a candidate who actually shares their views? Lieberman seems to think that he deserves to win simply because he's been in office for so long already.

It's time, Joe. Things have changed. Besides, the Senate elevators are packed with staffers and tourists now. Just not the same as it used to be.

Better than roving gangs of 8-year-olds

Just in time for my sudden interest in sports.

So, this is probably news only to me, but I still found it worth noting. Good to see that Clay Aiken and his new haircut aren't the only ones representing the Green and Gold nowadays:

UNCC alumnus continues shutout streak

ART STAPLETON, The Record (Hackensack N.J.)

NEW YORK - On a day the Mets made yet another financial investment in one of their future stars, John Maine once again pitched like one.

He blanked Philadelphia for six innings and the offense did the rest Sunday night in an 8-1 victory, increasing the largest divisional lead in the majors to 13 games in front of a crowd of 39,144 at Shea Stadium and a national television audience.

With Mike Pelfrey biding his time in the minors and Brian Bannister on a rehab assignment, Maine, a former Charlotte 49ers standout Baltimore drafted in the sixth round in 2002, continued to show why the Mets were forced to not only keep him here, but in their starting rotation.

Butterstick

It would have been sad indeed if we lived so close to DC for so long and never once got to see Butterstick (a.k.a "Tai Shan") before leaving. And so it was that we found ourselves maneuvering through the crowds of tourists to catch a glimpse of His Cuteness.

The day started out fine with one last trip to the Waverly Farmers' Market to take pictures, smell the smells and bask in the memories. Then we made our way to Hampden to enjoy one last meal at Golden West. K had it all planned out: We'd order her two favorite dishes, the Breakfast Burrito and the French Toast.

Only they were out of toast.

Despite this setback, we still managed to gather up the strength to drive to DC and park illicitly in Mt. Pleasant. One last time with the Golden Lion Tamarinds. One last time not seeing the Orangutans climbing the ropes over head. And off to the panda exhibit to see them sleeping. Just sitting there.

Man.

We decided to take a walk and come back, reliving memories of zoo trips past. These last few weeks before The Big Move have been filled with last times. We'd probably been to the National Zoo more times than is normal for a couple without kids, but we always had fun. One of the perks of living in Baltimore is being so close to DC.

And then we saw the Pandas again, and they were awake. Oh. My. God. He's jumping, running, falling off of things, bouncing around like a happy little poofball. Not a bad way to end our last zoo trip.

Buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks

Dr. H and LG got us tickets to last nights Orioles game against the Mariners, compliments of The Firm. Stuck in Gotham City dealing with some legal emergency or something, LG couldn't make it. But the Intrepid Teacher's Assistant stepped in to take her place.

It's been just over 2 years since we planted our flag in Baltimore, and this was one of those Essential Baltimore Experiences we knew we had to have before unplanting it (like drinking Natty Boh - check!). I hadn't been to Camden Yards since taking a tour as but a wee Tecki on a family trip to Baltimore. Even though I had little interest in sports in general, or baseball specifically, I had always thought it would be nice to watch a game there.

The Firm has some sweet seats, right above the Visitors' dugout, so we felt like pretty important people. The heat fell upon us like a hot, wet blanket with a heat index of 105. But K had the foresight to bring a cooler full of water, so we were well-prepared. The sunset brought little relief, and the hot night reminded us of Vegas in July. If I had even wanted to pay $6 for a bottle of American beer, the heat would have dissuaded me of that desire.

But the game was great and, I think, I managed some good pictures using the Sport feature on the camera. Zoom not so good, but hey.

And by great, I mean the Os actually won. Whether it was well-played, I have no idea. But, either way, turns out we must be a good luck charm. Too bad we're only just now realizing this. Maybe this means Leon's soccer team will be champions in Mexico this year.

One highlight of the night was when Dr. H harassed a Mariners fan who plopped down in the seat in front of him without paying for it. A truly Baltimore experience.

Take me out to the ball game

Having only recently become enamored of the Beautiful Game, I've noticed plenty of anti-soccer sentiment on this side of the Atlantic and Rio Grande. Soccer's certainly not for everyone. I haven't thought about it myself since elementary school. But the amazing vitriol people in the states spew towards futbol ranges on the absurd.

Many of them complain that soccer is boring. But that can't be it, because plenty of good ol' American sports are boring, too. Chief among them Baseball. After all, you can say soccer is just a bunch of guys running around without scoring, but Baseball is just a bunch of guys standing in the heat waiting for something to happen. Seems to me that Lacrosse is just rich Mid Atlantic prep schoolers hitting each other with big sticks. And I'll never understand the obsession with watching people play Poker on TV.

But people can openly enjoy those games without fear of reprisal.

The problem lies, unfortunately, in the fact that Europeans love it. I mean, they Love it. Oh, and all those brown folks stealing our fruit-picking and janitorial jobs. So the equation is obvious, if you love soccer, you must hate America. And you're gay. Definitely. Gay and a democrat. A gay, Spanish-speaking democratic terrorist. Who hates America.

Or that's the impression I get online. I say we should live and let live. I mean, at least the World Cup actually involves the World, while the World Series theoretically involves two countries, but usually only one.

BTW: Go Red Sox!