Wallflower

Color!

I've wasted all morning messing around with this blog. So much to do, so capable of squandering the hours.

dammit!

Outnerded by my brothers Jim and Steve.
However, this test is problematic. It leaves out an entire sub-genre of nerds: the Word Nerds. Of which I am EMPRESS!!-- or at least I qualify.
Damn. Not cool enough to be cool, not nerdy enough to be a nerd.

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow

Adelante

I am love love loving all of the protests in San Diego and LA. Kids cutting school! Schools in lockdown to keep the kids from leaving! I hope there are some rebellious teachers out there, fanning the flames. I woke up to the sound of kids screaming on NPR, then LA's mayor advising kids not to leave school and protest (Aw, man! Lame, Villaraigoza.) Then the story of this town, offering sanctuary to "illegal" aliens.
Stir it UP, y'all!

Immigration is hot hot hot!

Thoughts:
We must not criminalize poverty.
What are people afraid of? Is the dominant culture afraid of being overwhelmed by too many of the "other"?
Non-border dwellers may not appreciate how fluid the border has traditionally been. Fluid, y'all.
Most San Diegans some in contact with undocumented immigrants on a daily basis.
Lots of people in this area hire undocumented people to be their housekeepers, nannies, gardeners, etc. Rich people.
I saw some young men in the shadows of a bridge in TJ the other night. They were shadow people, in the dirty grey clothing of the poor. trying to wipe people's windshields for some cash. I felt despair.
Please don't pretend this is about terrorism.

The border is never boring.

Sometimes I forget that I live in San Diego so that I can be in Mexico in 15 minutes. I don't know how to convey how thrilled and alive i feel when I cross the border. It's a weird relationship I have with Tijuana. She loves me, she loves me not. I'm always aware that she has an edge, she's tasted blood and wants more. So look the F out.
Last night i was crossing with a couple of other teachers after a meeting in TJ at Plaza Amigos. We ate at a little tapas bar I think I may have gone to years and years ago with Marianne and Rogelio. So that was fun. Then we saw some Art and even met a couple of artists--one was a retired doctor who was soft-spoken and really nice, and one looked like salvador Dali crossed with Elvis costello. In short, awesome.
Heather, Andrew and I got a bit perdidas crossing the border but finally got ourselves comfortably in line and settled in for the hour or so wait. we decided to get elotes (corn on the cob) and ordered it from a young guy on the side of the road, across three lanes of slowly moving traffic.
Our lane lurched forward a bit--and then a lot.
"We're never getting out elotes, are we?" someone said. We looked at ugly blankets (Scarface) and 3-D paintings and coached Andrew on not making eye contact with any vendors. ("You're giving them HOPE," heather scolded.) A kid ran up to the car with three foil wrapped bundles and we all cried "Elote" and fumbled for money. We were amazed that he found us.
As we got very near the checkpoint, we watched a drug sniffing dog approach our lane. he looked young-- a puppy, and he was frisky and glossy black. We watched him scamper around an SUV in front of us. He seemed really interested in the rear tires.
"Will he bark if he smells something?" someone asked. The dog started barking and the border patrol agent called for backup.
This was going to be AWESOME!
As the 3 or 4 other agents ran in our direction, a young guy in a small car next to us suddenly bolted out of his door and ran away from the border.
"Hey! Where are you going?" they called after him, but they looked less than interested in chasing him down. Two agents got in his car and rolled it toward the checkpoint.
We were all aflutter in our car. Why had that guy run? was he connected to Drug Guy ahead of us? Bailing on his buddy?
Mysteriously, Drug Guy's car was inspected lightly and the agents all left. How did they know that Drug Guy didn't have any drugs? What was going to happen to Fleeing Guy's car? Why did Fleeing Guy Flee?
Heather suggested that the dog was new, a trainee and not performing well.. "They'll probably kill it now."
Andrew suggested that she had an evil, black heart.
We crossed the border.

They'll outlast the cockroaches.

God, I love coyotes. I know they are all over LA and San Diego and I've heard of a picture of a coyote dashing between taxis in NYC. This guy probably got some good eats in Central Park. Yay, coyotes! You can see that little keen glimmer in their eyes when they trot through National parks or up a canyon. They're wily, there's just no better word.

Emotional Rescue

You know it's bad when the lyrics to a Howard Jones song almost make you tear up.

"And do you feel scared?
I do!
But I won't stop and falter."

This would have brought me out to the desert.

Dammit. The Smiths refused a truckload of money to reunite at Coachella. dammit!

Son of a Biscuit!

Last night, Kailee, Marila, and I went to a benefit for the San Diego Derby Dolls at RollerWorld in Linda Vista. Or wherever. I can't keep track of anything north of the 8. So anyway, I was feeling like a hot little skater, cruising though the crowded rink, sashaying to the music. i decided to go give my friends Jorge and Beau a hard time for being on the sidelines, but as I got close to the edge of the rink I realized I was going too fast and had no How to Stop plan.
Guess how I stopped?
My butt met the step of the rink pretty hard. I lay there while Beau and Jorge looked on, horrified and laughing. I tried to say to Beau (who is also my chiropractor) "I think I need an adjustment." but I was seriously smarting in the buttock region.
And today? No exciting bruise that I can show off. Just an achy tushy. Dammit.

ugh.

10 miles, y'all. I felt every single one of them. That's what I get for having fun instead of sticking to the running schedule for the week.

I'm going to crawl into bed. Wake me when the Oscars are on.