sad San Antonio

I've just returned from a trip to San Antonio. I had visited the city once before, with the national youth gathering for the ELCA (Lutherans) back in 1988. That trip was fabulous, and a lot of fun, and I loved the energy in San Antonio. So I was excited to return. But it has become a very different place.

Back in '88, the city was a blend of Texas and Latino cultures, with vibrant colors, cowboy hats, and signs translated in both English and Spanish. Now, the riverwalk is a Disney-fied stretch of restaurants one just like the next, with very little evidence of ANY Latino influence. The only signs I saw translated in Spanish were at the airport and the police station. And I encountered very few Latino people.

I asked a bartender at our hotel about it, and he dove into a diatribe about how the Latinos run the town, and take all the jobs. But, he had his job as a bartender, didn't he? Well, the dishwashers and kitchen staff were all Latino. And those are better jobs? He then went on to discuss the segregation in the city, and the fact that the tourist section is largely Latino-free; the Latinos stay in the east and south.

I also asked our Latino taxi driver about the changes, on our ride to the airport. He told us about how NAFTA changed the city, and how W's money for highway improvements brought more people through, further changing San Antonio.

I left the city feeling really disappointed. I remembered San Antonio as a multicultural, flavorful city, very different from the rest of Texas. Now it just seems like another boilerplate segregated metropolis, bland, boring, and so white that it tries to choke out everything that isn't white. What a shame.

ah, the finger lakes

I'm settling into my Cornell adventure.  It is super easy to get around with my scooter; I'm pretty sure it's going to work well as my sole transport.  It was rainy yesterday, so I walked (more like meandered) to campus.  At my leisurely pace it took 1/2 hour.  Not too bad, and it's extra exercise.

Unfortunately, my sleep schedule is wonky.  I fall asleep and wake up too late.  I need to try to adjust before the semester starts on Thursday.

I'm getting accustomed to alone time.  I only know one person here well enough to randomly say, hey want to get together, and she seems to be traveling/busy right now.  I wouldn't say that I'm lonely...I'm an introvert, so it's okay...I'm just not used it.

It's wild to have so much open time before me, so many options for my time.  I might go to the drum circle tonight, but they're calling for storms...and that would suck.  Since I'm getting around by scooter, rain is likely to keep me home.

I'm thoroughly enjoying the time I now have to really dive into my research, and I'm excited about my class.  I haven't yet taught a grad class, I have only had some MS students in my senior level classes at ISU.  Should be fun.  And I'm gearing up for a really productive semester.

You're Rich, Your Speeding Ticket is Higher

What a fascinating concept, assigning speeding fines by how much income a person has. And of course, it would be one of those Scandinavian countries doing it.

5 Really, Really Expensive Speeding Tickets from mentalfloss

Does this help the forecasters?

This is a fabulous snapshot.