Jaime Garza (Hispanic)

I don't like to gripe, but I have one or two gripes to throw out right now.

First, I am quite irritated by one of my online classmates. He always puts Spanish words into his responses, and follows them by the English translation in parentheses. You might say he is helping bridge the divides recently highlighted by the discussions over immigration. I would tell you I don't care because it is annoying, and annoying me has never won me over. I am a fan of immigration. I think it is complete bunk to make English the "official" language of America, but Jaime Garza is single handedly driving me to the other side. If he signs one more response with Gracias (Thank you), I will personally start sealing the border myself. Jaime recently told us of his Tias (Aunts), Tios (Uncles), and other parts of his familia (family). I don't know why, but it just makes me enojado (angry). Jaime was born in America. Why, oh why, does he have to give everyone a Spanish lesson. Sweet pete it drives me bonkers.

Second, people who complain about the South, North, West Coast, East Coast, Mid West, Middle America, North America, South America, Canada, Europe, etc. Why? What has any of those folks really done to you. I had a lady going on and on about how people say ya'll in the south. On and on she went. I said, "Sorry about that." What was she expecting? Should I take on a roll similar to Jaime, and start saying, "Ya'll (you all--a southern expression meaning to incorporate many people at one time. Have pity on us poor southerners. We don't know much. Sorry ya'll)" Why get upset over it? Does it physically hurt you to hear "ya'll"?

So, I don't care that:
The south is slower
The north has more things to do
The west coast is more laid back
The mid west is the heartland
Canada and Europe have universal health care
People speak differently....EVERYWHERE! (it isn't polite to mock)Northerners are rude
Southerners say hello to everyone

I try not let things bother me. I feel that I can now face Jaime with armonia (peace) in my corazon (heart).

Get some orbits for that dirty mouth.

I met a young lady today who can't seem to figure out how to talk without peppering her conversation with cuss words. I have met many like her, and I find it very distracting. I will admit that I was pretty crafty with my foul mouth as a kid, but dirty words lost their "fun". I can't see how cussing is needed in common conversations. If anything it throws the rhythm of conversation off the track (at least it does for me). If you are talking to me and then creatively slip in a cuss word, I blink. I think, "Did you just cuss?" I wonder what has gotten you so riled up. Then, if your sentence doesn't match your cuss word, I wonder why you tried to use it. I completely slip off onto my on tangent in my mind. The point is that it is not needed. I know you are grown up, and can use "bad" words. As Shania would say, "That don't impress me much."

As for the lady I mentioned at the beginning, I think I must have blinked too many times. She apologized to me and said she doesn't know why she cusses so much. I didn't say anything to her about it, but she was obvisouly aware. So, she was conciously trying to cuss? Maybe I was supposed to be impressed by what a rebel she was.

I don't know what part of me is a prude, and what part just likes to keep things simple. Cussing is having to use too much of my brain. Why add the extra words into my day? I already fatigue so easily.

The Fortune Cookie

I have been a fan of Chinese food and fortune cookies for as long as I can remember. I am saddened by the changes that have happened to them over the years.

It used to be a simple piece of wisdom, but now we are a multi-tasking society. How is a fortune cookie supposed to fit in? They started by adding the lotto numbers. Now we have the "learn Chinese" portion added. Such a small piece of paper to try to handle so much.

The last straw is that the quality of "wisdom" is declining. Proof is in the last of my most recent fortunes.

"Everyone has ambition"

"If you never change your mind, why have one?" Ya-zi means Duck in Chinese.

So, now I will try my hand at writing for fortune cookies.

"Whoever smelt it, dealt it."

"Fettuccini!"

"Wooyup, wooyup, wooo! He's a big bear!"

"Your mama!"

"Just give up. You don't have a chance"

"Don't put all your egg rolls in one basket."

"Do you think you are turning Japanese?"

Plan to see my fortune cookies soon. Feel free to make your own fortune cookies.

Free Bird

About 3 months ago, I was traveling from Augusta to Raleigh. I am so used to seeing hands in mock flying fashion out of the sides of cars that I almost missed the special message the passenger of one "classic" automobile was giving to all those special enough to pass. The driver was driving in the fast lane, so that a passing car (forced to pass in the slow lane) would not miss the message.

An angry youth was flicking us all off.

I pulled along side them, and kind of just looked. I don't think I gave the desired reaction, because they just stared at me as I was laughing.

I guess I am not offended by 4 angry semi-teens in a beat up oldsmobile. I was able to see that they were flicking off the world, and not me in particular. With that in perspective, I applaud their brave attempt to strike back at the evil doings all of society has inflicted upon them. Shame on us for not giving them everything they want, and forcing them to have to reatalite by driving down the interstate waving their disappointment at strangers.

Liberal Conservative

I am starting my own party. Not Republican, or Democrat in nature. I am now a Liberal Conservative. Next election will have stories about a new force that turned out at the polls. My turnout will be compared to the Christian right in '04, but they will have to acknowledge my groups shear number makes that comparison unfair. Liberal Conservatives will fight to bring unity to our nations capital. Many moderates from the both sides of the political spectrum will join the party and gladly tell the media how they have been waiting for this kind of opportunity. Straight party line votes will be a thing of the past. Honest discussion will be the key. Media groups will be thankful, because never again will they be demonized for reporting the news. We will not run on divisive issues, but instead choose to focus on whatever the REAL current issues are. We believe in working, self-sufficient families similar to what the Republicans express they are for, but we will never fail to help those in society that don't fit that picture. We know that sometimes you just need help. In a line very similar to the play Wicked, "That's why we have a government." We will help our teachers get schools back on track with a real focus on the youth, inner city and out. Aside from the basics, we want to teach them about other cultures and society, so they can be better global citizens. To those who attack us for being un-American due to our focus on global citizenship, we won't respond. America will be tired of those kind antics by then, and recognize the need to melt our concept of borders. We will finally be willing to make the sacrifices needed to reach out to the world.

I guess this is long enough. I am sorry for making a political blog, but it has been on my mind.

When it becomes your home.

Growing up, I never felt like my house was anything other than my home. I felt safe and comfortable. I might not have had the most normal childhood, but I never questioned the comfort I felt from those drafty walls. There were defining moments. There is no place better to be when you were sick. My old comfortable bed that was molded to fit my skinny, farmer tanned body. If I had a bad day at school, I couldn't wait to escape to my home to get away.

I thought I could make home anywhere when I got older. I moved away from home as soon as the opportunity came. I moved to Savannah, and took on a room-mate. It had been his apartment, and I moved into his home. I never felt like it was truly mine. I married Kirsten, and we sought out our own apartment. It was kind of home, but not quite homey. We moved to another apartment, and that felt a little more homey. I sometimes wondered if I could ever return to that unquestionable feeling of warmth, love, and "just rightness" that I had felt as a child.

As I left my house Saturday night, I looked from my driveway at 151 Brooklyn Way. The grass was freshly cut by Kirsten, and trimmed by me. We had pulled weeds together. We had spent the weekend cooking and eating at home. Our two girls were home and safe. All of the lights outside of the house were on. It was a dark fall night, and the weather was just starting to turn a bit chilly. My wife looked at me from the other side of the window. I could see the warm light of the living room, and her waving me goodbye. It is a defining moment now engraved in my mind. My house became my home.