Atreyu's Rants

   Spent the day making preparations for a storm named Dolly.   Got plenty of bottled water and got some moola from the bank.  I also went over to dad's and made sure he had potable water.  Made a quick trip to the grocery store for canned food.  In the morning I guess I'll fill up the gas tank on my way to a doctor's appointment.

We really do need a lot of rain, even though we had about 5 inches a couple of weeks ago the ground is parched again.  I noticed that as I dug a hole to plant a pomgranate bush, the ground was rock hard and dry.  Some kind of bird took a liking to my guavas so all I got was a handfull.  As for my peaches I only got to eat two, the possums and the birds got the rest.

So far they say that the storm is headed straight for us  but there are no indications that we have to evacuate.  The beach is about 50 miles from my house so I guess we are safe from the storm surge.  Anyways, que sera sera.

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   Finally I sat down to write a bit.  I have been feeling so down that I just don't want to do anything. Could be the weather or the fact that I am getting older.  I did manage to mow my dad's lawn before tigers and bears moved in.

There is nothing new on tv, same old reruns on sci-fi and old black and whites on Turner Classics, so what is a couch potato to do.  My garden is teeming with mosquitos so no use going out there.

I guess I just miss ole winter when grass does not grow and mosquitos are gone.  That is the time when my utility bills come down from the clouds as we use natural air conditioning and less lawn watering.

What could cheer me up is a few visits to my sisters and brothers.  We used to enjoy coffee more often way back when gasoline was cheap. My siter Hope and I used to enjoy fishing down in Panama before the hostilities broke out.  However, we were careful not to fish in Panama bay with all the raw sewage floting around.

<<< Pay no attention to the four fingered GI waving on the left.  Hasta mañana. 

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     I am so disappointed at the building codes of this great country.  The hurricane and tornado damage could be reduced if buildings were built with concrete instead of lumber and brick veneer.  When I saw my uncle building his home in Mexico with steel reinforced concrete I thought, why can't we do that in the USA. Even the floor of his second story was concrete. 

Instead we are wiping out our forests, the source of our oxigen, and building fire traps which can burn in a few minutes or get blown away by a hurricane or a tornado.  As a result we are paying high insurance rates, money which could be spent to fireproof and reinforce our homes and businesses.

I bet the folks in "tornado alley" who are rebuilding are doing the same thing all over again. We need to change the building codes to save lives and property. More often than not the roofs on houses are just sitting on top of the house when these could be attached to the concrete slab by metal beams.

If we are really worried about destroying the environment, let's stop destroying trees. I live in one of the brick venner fire traps, that is because when I built this I was not very well informed. 

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     Porque la tradición del machismo logra retener su músculo incluso mientras se translada al norte de la frontera mexicana, las mujeres méxico-americanas todavía están oprimidas, aunque solamente un poquito menos que sus hermanas al sur de la frontera.  Las rígidas tradiciones de la familia mantienen a las mujeres nativas mexicanas refriendo los frijoles , mientras que sus hombres viven como solterones con toda libertad de acción.  Estas tradiciones se han aflojado un poco con su transplante a la tierra norteamericana, pero solamente un poco.

      El proceso básico de la socialización adiestra a los jóvenes a ser temerarios valientes, sexualmente agresivos, y preocupados con el honor de la familia, y entrena a las hembras en -hembrismo-, debilidad, inercia, y un fuerte deseo de lavar la ropa de sus hermanos.  Los hombres méxico-americanos se preocupan solo un poco menos  con la conquista sexual que sus contrapartes mexicanos.

                  La dilución de las costumbres mexicanas de noviazgo se debe a la influencia del American dating game.  Esto es muy evidente en los barrios americanos donde no se le exige a la mujer que monte en un pedestal, solo para caer rodando cuando aparescan las realidades de mantener el hogar.  No obstante, es vien aceptado que el jóven méxico-americano pida a los padres de la novia permiso para cortejar.  Después del matrimonio la mujer chicana se establece en su carrera de autosacrificante doméstica.

                   En ambas culturas los conocidos del hombre esperan que él continúe con sus actividades sexuales afuera de su matrimonio y a demostrar que tiene mas energía sexual de la que su cónyuge puede acomodar.  En cambio la mujer en ambos países permanece fiel y monógama aunque a la mujer méxico-americana se le permite disfrutar del sexo más que a su hermana mexicana a quien se recompensa por ser frígida.

                    Mientras que la tradición del machismo sigue siendo parte del proceso de socialización y la mujer sigue aceptando el yugo del hembrismo, la opresión femenil continuará.       He dicho,  RR

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  Gas prices went up another ten cents a gal. today grrr.  I have almost become a prisoner in my home.  I hesitate to go anywhere unless I really must like to buy much needed groceries.  My gasoline lawn mower is now in mothballs, so I am using an electric one.

As eager as I was to mow my lawn my spirits were suddenly dampened by a brief shower.  Instead I went to visit my dad and a couple of my sibs and used a gallon of gas no doubt.  Also did some shopping at my friendly near-by Wal*Mart  and was shocked at the price increase on my favorite items like peanut butter, egg beaters, soy burgers, and whole wheat english muffins.

Some of the improvements that I wanted to do in my garden have been put on hold since the Garden Center is 10 miles away.  I need to brighten my garden with Ixoras in bloom and that is the only place that carries those in the size and price that I like.

I really need to get off my derriere and mow my lawn, perhaps that will take me out of the doldrums I have been in lately.  But who would not be depressed if one sees the light at the end of the tunnel and one hears a voice that says go towards the light.  But as Pierre might say, "c'est la vie mon ami".

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  First we got the East Germans to take down their wall and now we are going to build one.  Most of the eateries and doughnut shops are always full of border patrol officers, if only they got their behinds on guarding the border we would not need a fence.   We have the manpower if only they do what they get paid for  and if they can't do it use the national guard instead of sending them to Iraq where they don't belong.

What if Mexico puts up a fence blocking the bridges, where are we going to get our tequila?

But silliness aside, in my neighborhood we all have fences between us, so maybe it is not that bad of an idea.  But one thing is for sure, we need to make better use of our police officers, border patrol officers, and national guard.  Perhaps the fire department could do a better job, they are not afraid of getting dirty and always do an excellent job.

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    I feel so bad that 80.000 people have died in the China earth quake.  I was reminded of it last night when I saw a plea for donations to help the survivors, but then I remember that China has most of our money already.  Just about every product that we buy is made in China to include foodstuffs.  It seems to me that their government and their corporations must be in the fore front of any plan to aid the survivors.  But I suppose their government doesn't want to spend the money they need for building the worlds largest army, missiles, bombs, airplanes, and tanks.

Now we have a flood and many homeless folks in Iowa, so I hope that they are asking the public in China for donations to help in Iowa and Wisconsin.

By the way,  don't eat the tomatoes, ask for you burgers sans tomatoes until the FDA finds out where the contaminated veggies come from.  My guess is Mexico our major supplier of vegetables loaded with DDT and other pesticides.  As I said about four months ago, any country can poison half of our people since we decided to rely on imports instead of growing our own like we used to.  Instead our government pays the farmers not to grow anything.

Nevertheless,  we are still the best country in the world and I hope that we can keep it being so by voting the right people into congress.  God bless the USA. 

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  Another crappy day waiting for the rain that never came and still feeling the shock of my electric bill which is twice as last month's.  They explain that it is due to the increase  in the natural gas price, what choice do we have, pay up or bake in this heat without the a.c.

So today is flag day and I was ready for it with a new flag.  And of course tomorrow is fathers day and I get my usual, a hug and a "happy fathers day".  For my dad I guess I'll stop by to see how he is doing.  As a child he never knew when my birthday was or bothered to find out.

Tonight is the big night for Texas Lotto and I have yet to run and get my ticket for that elusive prize.  Of course who ever wins is usually someone who is already well off. 

Speaking of heat, I noticed that the temperature is about 15 degrees cooler at the beach, but that is about 50 miles away and then all that sand gets into cracks you didn't even know you had.  Anyways I already have a natural tan for which I got many compliments while in Hawaii.

Bueno, hásta mañana mis amigos y buena suerte con la lotería.  Bon nuit mes amis at bon chance.

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 Like a fool I bought a used car at Boggus Motors in McAllen, TX and forgot the reputation of used car salesmen.  I also forgot to check prices at other dealers since I fell in love with the beautiful silver colored car.  After I bought it I went to Burns Motors and lo and behold, same car same low mileage was $2,000.00 cheaper.  So I am still kicking my behind.  Later my brother was shopping for a car and of course I recommended Burns Motors and that is where he bought his.  The moral of the story;  car dealers are screwing themselves by taking advantage of customers. 

               Maybe I am just a lousy shopper because I even get taken in grocery stores and at stores like K Mart.  If I am not paying attention they charge me twice for one item or they keep an item after I have paid for it.  When I get home I can't find the small bag of pecans even though it is listed on my receipt, or other items at other times.  One time I got home and found an extra gallon of milk, I bet it belonged to the person ahead of me since it was not charged on my receipt.

                So it is a dog eat dog world   out there and it is going to get worse as the oil crisis worsens and we go into a depression and eventually anarchy.  I hope I am pushing daisies by then. 

                 We all need to preach the do unto others doctrine,  live and let live,  love one another, help the less fortunate,  the widow, the orphan child, etc.  Amen

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