Archive for March 22, 2008

Make it so #1

{ March 22, 2008 @ 9:34 pm } · { spew it }
{ Tags: , , , , , , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

I’m not sure what to say or feel about it.  However, having been born and raised in California, I’m very familiar with the Cesar Chavez movement.  I remember that a street had been named after him in San Francisco.  I also remember trying to find my way around the city and looking for Army St. and never being able to find it because why… it had been RE-NAMED to Cesar Chavez.  One can only smack herself in the head over it.  Mind you, I am mexican and filipino. 

Now, years later, my child is being challenged to write an essay in class as to WHY Mr. Chavez SHOULD HAVE a NATIONAL HOLIDAY in his honor.

Hummmm….. I don’t know how to feel about that.  I’m not a politically involved (yes I meant involved, not evolved) person.  Meaning, I can live a whole year without discussing politics and be happy with who I am.  Sometimes, it’s just too much.  But, what he did was important.  I know that.  But did it make an impact on my life?  Not really.  I don’t know alot about farming.  I don’t know what farmers went through.  Call me:  OSTRICH.  I’ve been able to live my whole life with my head in a bubble or more importantly, with my head in the whole in the ground. 

I’ve managed to come out a fairly sane person, considering how politically handicapped I am and how very oblivious to everything around me.

I find it hard to believe that my child even has enough information or the education to write this essay.  I say this because I know I haven’t sat down with her and discussed the life and times of Cesar.  She herself has never taken even a course that discusses the man.  It ought to be an interesting essay when she’s done.   I worry that I’ve sheltered her a bit too much.  And then I say to myself — self, you’re doing what’s best for her.  If she’s interested in a subject, she will be able to look into it and further her education in that subject.

If she turns out to not be interested in any particular part of a subject after it’s been introduced, well, then so be it.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed that she gains enlightenment where ever she needs it and that she’s content with the knowledge.

Remember what I said?

{ March 22, 2008 @ 12:48 pm } · { spew it }
{ Tags: , , , , , , , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

It’s amazing.  We have laws in effect for a reason.  Case in point — California.  Teens that get their license are restricted from carrying other teens/juveniles in cars they are driving UNLESS there is a license adult in the vehicle for at least 6 months.  Does anyone know why?  I came to that conclusion a long time.

Here’s the basics.  If the teen with the license is driving like an ass, why submit more of our youth to possible injury or death?  we all know that good kids that associate with a bad crowd can sometimes end up in trouble with that bad crowd.  It gets worse in a car.

I lost at least 5 friends in 2 years thanks to driving situations where one friend was a passenger when our other friend was the driver.  Said driver was irresponsible and wrapped or rolled the car.

Oh, we should know better sure.  Why should the parents of the driver plead with us to go easy on their child?  And they state, please go easy on my child.  But, if you know your child is just a child, why did you sign off on them getting their driver’s license?  If your child is old enough to drive, then your child should be held accountable for their driving actions.  I cannot, as much as I would have liked to, to go easy on your child and on my friend who killed my friend by their  irresponsible driving.  They knew how they should drive.  They knew what the rules were.

This goes back to my feelings on the one gal who was 19 and got drunk.  She’s dead now. 

But last month in my home town, a teenager wrapped his car around the same intersection that I lost several friends at.  And it was illegal for him to be taking friends with him to school.  His parents should have reminded him.  The parents of the friends should have told their own children, no, you cannot ride with so and so because it is illegal.  Plus, they should have said, you don’t want your friend getting in trouble with the law because of you, do you?

So many things.  The driver turned out OK.  But one is dead.  Another in a coma.  how painful for my old community.  How painful for that child, the parents and the students in the community that are feeling this loss.

It was preventable.  I hope the 17 year old student is held accountable.  I hope he does time for vehicular manslaughter.  I hope that he does time for child endangerment and wreckless driving.  I hope, that some day, he is able to reconcile his actions and judgement and once released to life outside of jail or prison that he will make better choices.  I hope that he does not get into drugs or drinking and I hope that he will be safe within the confines of jail/prison.

It’s not hateful of me to say so.

If people tell their children, that friends don’t let friends drive drunk.  Don’t get into the car with someone who’s been drinking.  Don’t get into the car of stranger.  Don’t pick up hitchhikers…. then for the love of our children, teach them that following rules, no matter how trivial they may seem, may actually be in their best interest. 

Would it have killed him or his friends to wait another 5 months before driving them around or getting in his car — for something other than a medical emergency — NOOOOO.

But it did kill someone and seriously injured another because they didn’t wait.

The life they couldn’t wait to live has now been ended and will forever remain changed.

WTF??

{ March 22, 2008 @ 12:01 pm } · { spew it }
{ Tags: , , , , , } · { Leave a Comment }

Have you been to Burger King?  I know, what a silly question.  I dragged my butt out of bed this morning and drove to BK to get an order or two of french toast sticks for my kids.  I got into the drive thru line at 10:20 am.  3 cars in front of me.  at 10:32 the gal finally asks: can I help you?  Yes, I’d like 2 orders of blah blah blah and one order of blah blah.  Oh, I’m sorry, we’re out of breakfast?   Why?  Oh, cause it’s after 10:30.

After explaining in a not so nice manner that she’s a got a problem since it took her 2 minutes to even acknowledge my presence and how long I had been waiting for, she finally read back my order and gave me a total.

AMAZING!!!  The sad part was, that there was a guy in front of me that had three kids in the car and he wanted cina-minis and he got told that breakfast was over.  He changed his order to a whopper jr.    GURRR!!

You don’t give your child a whopper jr at 10:27 in the morning. He should have just had a fit and gotten what he had gone there for, after all, he was in line and it was before 10:30.  He would have been in the right.

Anyhow.  What does it matter really?  It’s that customer service thing that I talk about.  I can’t stand poor customer service.