Vox Publica

I don't know if I have any regular readers of this blog, but if I do, they could not have failed to notice how seldom I update it. I update my foodblog more often, but not nearly as often as I'd like. I do have a long list of things that I want to blog about - books I've read, meals I've cooked or eaten, places I've been, issues that have incensed me, funny things that have come up but when I actually find the time to sit in front of my computer and write, the words don't seem to come to me. I don't know why. Maybe I'm too tired, too depressed, not self-involved enough. Maybe I have nothing to say. But that is why you find me here today, writing about not being able to write.

Just that...

Last month I found out I had a kidney stone. After a week of feeling very crampy, the cramps turned into an intense and constant pain in my lower right back side. The pain increased and decreased in intensity, but it was always there. After a night of agony I went to the emergency room, where they found out I had a 8 mm stone blocking my urether. The urine couldn't get through and thus my kidney was swollen. Some morphine followed by percocet helped me get through the next couple of days (vicodin didn't help at all), until the urologist put a stent that pushed the stone back into the kidney and allowed for the free flow of urine back into the bladder. A week later, they blasted the stone with shock waves and I've been passing it ever since. Finally this week they removed the stent.

I'm blogging about this because my doctor wasn't very clear in describing how painful and uncomfortable having a stent would be and none of the information I found on the internet was very illuminating. So I figure I'd warn others in similar situations.

For the six weeks I had the stent on, urinating was extremely painful. As the stent was constantly touching the walls of the bladder, I felt like I had to urinate all the time - specially when I was walking or excersising. When I did urinate, it was extremely painful, it was like an intense burning sensation in my urinary track followed by a crinching pain in my kidney. I didn't know if all this pain came from the stent, the stones I was passing or if I had a UTI (the pain was very similar to that of a UTI) - and I was worried. Alas, now that it's over I know it was the stent - thanks god it's out!

Last Monday I wore a white shirt. Camila wore a white onesie. Mika, for once, allowed me to chose her clothing and put on a white shirt as well. Mike's shirt - white but with a large logo - set him apart from us, which was just as well as he was just there to provide support.

We didn't get to the rally until the end, when it had basically wound down, but in the way to the rally, before we'd even left San Leandro, we saw many people wearing identical white shirts. We didn't say anything to them as we passed, but my eyes filled with tears. Here, in silence and passing, we were a community.

I have lived in the US for 22 years now, almost a decade longer that I've lived in my home country, but here I have always been the "other". This is a category in which I've put myself as much as anyone. I have a thick accent, of course, which makes it clear that I'm not from here. But the truth is that I'm not from here and I don't want to be. I love this country, the land where my husband and children were born, and the ideals of political and religious freedom on which it was founded - but I love my own pago just as much. I am proud of being an Argentinian (which Argentinian isn't?). I am, if anything, a hyphened American.

But "otherness" can be lonely. I often find myself searching for bonds with people from other countries, whose accents are as thick as mine, whose culture somewhat foreign to the mainstream. Though here in San Leandro, where the foreign born population approaches 30%, I am in the mainstream.

And yet, there was something so special about seeing all those people wearing those white shirts. Something special about wearing one myself and silently saying "we are one", we are the other, but we are together as the other.

It saddens me that the immigration protests have not yet transcended their "hispanicness". Immigrant activists and groups of other ethnicities have joined, but most non-hispanic immigrants have remained silent. Middle class immigrants are also mostly staying away. Which is sad because la unión hace la fuerza.

Today is my birthday, which I have to admit is a matter of less important now at the doorstep of middle-age than it was when I was younger. Still, I love birthdays and I love being treated to them.

Today started pretty well. I slept in (though truth be told, I've been doing a lot of that lately). Then Mike took the girls to daycare and Paz, our worshipped daycare provider, took Camila for the morning - even though she usually doesn't go Wednesday mornings. So I have the whole morning to myself! (of course, this means that I've already accumulated quite a bit of work, but c'est la vie).

Later today I'm going to have a small birthday party for myself: pizza from Zacchary's, cake & ice cream. I had a larger "murder mystery" party last Saturday and I'll be having a tea for myself on Saturday. Hey, if I have to throw myself my own birthday festivities (and I do), I'll do everything I want :)

To be fair to Mike, he gets to plan Mother's Day.

A few months ago, Tim Holmes, the owner of Zocalo Coffee House in San Leandro convened a number of community-minded individuals together with the idea of forming a group that would work to make San Leandro a better city for all. And so, the San Leandro Community Action Network (SLCAN) was born. The mission of the group is to improve the quality of life in San Leandro by ensuring quality education, smart growth, and an inclusive and equitable community. We are trying to improve the schools, encourage good development and keep bad development away and try to create a community where every culture and subculture feels not only welcomed but embraced.

So far our most visible activity has been a Mayoral candidates forum, which apparently was very useful. We plan to hold more before the next elections.

If you live in San Leandro, check us out. We will soon open the group for membership, for the time being you can sign up for our announcement list.

Do you have a friend whose judgement you trust implicitely? Lately I've been dealing with a situation that posed both a strategic and ethical dilema. I was having some problems deciding how to approach the situation, how to frame it, and how tackle it. I talked about it with several of my friends, but more in a thinking outloud sort of mode. I often use people as soundboards, to help me clarify my thinking. But this time it wasn't enough. And I realized that, sad as it is, I don't really have many friends whose judgement I trust implicitely. I have many friends who are smart, who are ethical, who are committed, whom I love... but it's hard for me to trust, in part because I don't necessarily trust myself to communicate what I mean correctly, and in part because I'm not always good about explaining where I come from and thus finding a common ground from where to look at the situation.

But then there is my friend Charlotte. She is great, one of my favourite people in the world. She is without doubts one of the smartest people I know, one of the few people I'm readily willing to admit is smarter than I. But she's also one of the most thoughtful ones, someone for whom ethics are so intrinsic that they're really discussed as such, I cannot imagine her doing anything unethical. She has the amazing gift of being able to disagree with you completely, and neither put you in the defensive or make you feel like an idiot. And she is completely non-judgemental.

So, faced with this problem, I talked to her. And she put it all on perspective for me, she helped me phrase what I was saying and thinking and finds its moral/strategic framework and now I know what to do.

If just everyone was so lucky to have someone like her around :)

Mike, my husband, is running for our local school board. This is the sort of thing you do when you grow up, become established in a community and have children. Or that you would do if you had enough time for it. I am happy for Mike, he is one of the most committed people I know and one of the few who can get along with (practically) everyone without sacrificing his own moral and political stands. Being completely non-judgemental probably helps with that. And I think he will make a great school board member, I think he can bring new ideas and enthusiasm to a board that seems stuck in the past, and help shake it just a little bit.

Of course, both the race and the actual work as a school board member will take a lot of time from our family life - and require lots of organization from our part. I can't say I'm thrilled about that. But since I've decided to support him, I'm going to figure out how to make it work. Probably my work will suffer, but as Jesus said "the poor will always be with you."

Anyway, here is Mike's press release. If you are in San Leandro please consider supporting him.

Mike has a new campaign website, built by Y.Day Designs. It's gorgeous. I see it and feel that I've so much stayed in the prehistoric area web-designed wise. It's almost like if I had blinkers on my websites. Remember that?

I know I'm not going to learn web design, which means that I should start looking for volunteer web designers to redo Derechos. It's about time :)

Bullies, well, they bully. They can be young kids at school making fun of someone for being different. Or they can be big old men who don't know what to do when they can't get their way. Often times they start as one, and end as the other. Bullies are scared of people who are different - be it because they are another sex, another race, another sexual preference - and they try to cover up their own feelings of inadequacy through intimidation and even violence. But mostly, bullies are pathetic.

I was confronted by one tonight, a big guy well past middle age who really should know better. He was drunk, he tried to intimidate me. He didn't manage to, and I left feeling he was truly pathetic - but also potentially dangerous. Apparently we need to address bullying not just in the schools themselves.

In Spanish, a set of pots and pans is called a batería de cocina. Batería also means battery (as in a car battery), but also means drums (as in the whole set of drums that bands play). As my kids sit in the kitchen floor, using whisks and spatulas to beat against the bottom of pots and pans to make something that sounds very much like music, I can't but smile at the similarity in the words.

I'm also learning from them. I've learned that metal spatulas are way too loud, while whisks make a not unpleasing noise - and that small aluminum pans are actually louder than bigger and heavier steel pans. Teflon coated pots have a lower sound.

Yesterday, there was a Halloween party at McKinley Elementary and, of course, the whole family went. Mika doesn't start school until next year, but we joined the PTO early as we figured we need to start working for the school now. It needs it! :)

I signed up to work at the Halloween party because I love Halloween. Maybe it's because I've always been into horror movies - I used to watch them at night tucked into my mother's bed with my mom and siblings - or because I never had Halloween as a kid. By the time I came to America I was already 12, and too old and shy to go trick or treating. In any case, I love it.

My job last night was to attend to the "Fear Factor" booth. We had three boxes with scary things hidden inside. You could stick your hand and feel creatures (cat toys), worms (spaghetti) and a brain (a jello brain). It was really fun. Some of the kids actually felt the "creatures" move and were convinced they were alive, some even thought they were snapping at them. The worms were more weird than scary - though several kids wouldn't touch it. And the brain was just puzzling, though again, many touched it and then recoiled. In all they had a LOT of fun. So much so that some kids came 4 or 5 times - and we had a few parents try it too.

There were other booths as well, and great Halloween music (we got a semi-professional DJ!), and the kids seemed to be having a blast. My own two stuffed themselves with cookies and cupcakes, did crafts and just ran around. Mika came to my booth four times - but I think it was for the prize she got at the end.

As my faithful readers know, Mike, my husband, is running for San Leandro School Board. As part of his campaign, he had some beautiful lawn signs (designed by Y.Day Designs) made. Mike's supporters have been placing them around town, including at the gated community where both Pete Lismer (Mike's opponent) and one of our friends live. Almost as soon as Mike's signs go up, they are taken down again. This has happened time after time. Your guess as to who is responsible for that is as good as mine.

It's pretty sad that people have to play dirty politics, and dirty their hands even to the extent of stealing lawn signs. Committing a crime for the less than marginal possibility that it will make a difference in the result of the campaign? Just how unethical - and pathetic - do you have to be to do that? I guess only the sign thief really knows.

One of the many things I like about Mike (my husband, for the uninitiated) is that he manages to be both cynical and optimistic at the same time. He tends to have a pretty objective view about the world around him. The greatest of evil, and the pettiest of corruption may surprise him - but he's pretty aware and understanding of everything in between. He starts by thinking the best of people, but he understands when they show their weaknesses. This is not to say he's not disappointed - sometimes he is - but that his expectations are measured. And yet, he believes in the power of people to change things. Perhaps not dramatically, but every revolution - and evolution - starts with one step. So he's an activist - whether in the global escale on behalf of human rights everywhere, in the national arena, working to get Bush out, or acting locally to improve our schools and keep tabs on city council. Mostly, Mike cares and he thinks caring can make a difference. It's nice to be married to someone you don't just love, but like so much.

This election's California ballot includes a yes or no vote on a myriad of judges. Of course, we've never heard of most of them so it's hard to decide who to vote for. To make it easier, we decided to vote for those who were appointed by Democratic governors and against those appointed by Republican ones. This meant that we voted yes for Sandra Margulies and Maria Rivera and no for everyone else.

Last night I got a message from someone in Colombia telling me about the disappearance of his sister - a woman with no political activities at all, save for some union work. I published the notice and was about to write the letters asking the government to investigate what happened, when I find out her body has appeared. The brother, now, is being threatened.

Y hoy, en el día de los muertos!

We have our number in the National Do Not Call list, so when I received a telemarketing call this morning, I wanted to know who the company calling me was. They said the name was National Information Network based on Burbank California. They wouldn't give me an address or telephone number, so I asked them if they were scammers. The first time they said yes, and as I couldn't believe my ears, I asked again, and they hang up on me! I guess it was too much honesty.

So now you are warned, if you get a call from a company calling itself the National Information Network, you know it's a scam.

The elections are *almost* over, the democrats took the house, they may have taken the Senate, and Mike won!!! What a day of celebration today is. Mike's victory was decisive at almost 20 points ahead of his opponent. And Mike ran a clean campaign. There was no bad mouthing of his opponent (or his wife), no stealing of signs, no fake endorsements and no changing of party affiliation to sway voters. It's nice to know that sometimes the best candidate does win - even if it takes a herculean effort to get there.

We were lucky in that we had the support of many, many people. A volunteer graphic designer made the website, the signs and the flyers. Our local coffeeshop owner made and printed flyers, gave us a home base and tons of free coffee. And tons of volunteers provided advise, made phone calls, walked precincts, etc. etc. etc.

Mike, of course, spent innumerable hours working on his campaign: getting endorsements, getting financial contributions (we had to raise $10K!), schmoozing with people, learning more about the job, calling people, walking precincts, handing out flyers, you name it. Blood, sweat and tears went into this work. OK, maybe not that many tears, though the girls did cry a couple of time when daddy had to go to yet another meeting.

But alas, it's all done now. As hard as school board work may be, it'll be a cakewalk in comparison to what running the race was. I'm ready to relax, enjoy a couple of days sans kids and sans campaign and feel free again.

Sometimes I have doubts. Perhaps not often. I feel that what I'm doing is meaningless, that I'm wasting my life behind a computer when I could be doing... what? I haven't come up with a better answer. But I want to do something that uses my intellectual powers more, that is not just rote, that is not the same damn thing that I've been doing for a decade. But then I get recognition from the outside and poof, for another while, at least, everything is OK.

Yesterday I received a message from a person I didn't know, who told me I was the only person he respected in the world and thanked me for my work. That can't be true, of course, but it massaged my ego in all the right places. What I do, does matter - even if it's rote.

I hope everybody will have a happy Thanksgiving, though the folly of that wish is painfully clear to me. We all know what a horrible place for so many millions of people this world is, so I won't bother reminding you, specially when what we can do about it is of so limited use.

BUT, if you do want to do something this Thanksgiving, alleviate a little the guilt of having such a wonderful bounty (if you are reading this, you do) when others live in, well, subhuman conditions if at all, the Save Darfur coalition has an action for you. Just simply explain to your guests a little bit about the situation in Darfur (you can learn all about it on their website), and then asks your guests to sign a letter petitioning the UN Secretary General and President Bush to do some basic actions to stop/prevent the genocide from continuing. You can sign the letter online at http://action.savedarfur.org/campaign.jsp?campaign_KEY=5997

You can download a printable version of the petition here

Xmas is not even here, and I've already received quite a few presents from my mother (and there are a lot wrapped up). Here they are, so I can remember and thank her!

Today I put all the presents under the Xmas tree. We have quite a few for the girls, plus tons that their grandparents and aunts/uncles sent for them. Too many presents if you ask me, but this is a consumerist culture and for this one time a year, I'm the epitome of a consumer. What can I say? I just love seeing boxes under the tree.

I was much more restrained in my presents for everyone else - I'm getting tired of adult presents. Kids presents are much more fun, plus they remind me of a time when I wanted to play. And of course, when I give presents to my kids I'm actually giving them to my child self. The real kids - or rather the older kid - I expect to be quite ungrateful and upset about what I got her, whatever it is. I used to be the same way so I can't fault her.

Anyway, for three more days I get to enjoy my tree and the myriad of presents underneath them. Of course, I have to keep the younger one away from it (shoo!) but it's worth it.

It's 10:00 pm and we have only 2 hours of Christmas left. It's been nice. Yesterday, the day of the big celebration, I spent much of the day cooking - as well as washing dishes and cleaning up the house. We had a great Cristmas Eve dinner, with our wonderful friends, and then hang out in front of the remains of the fire, admiring the Xmas tree for one last time.

This morning Mika woke me up with a kiss (as we've taught her to wake us). We'd told her she couldn't open her presents until we were awake, but that she could go through her Xmas stocking. Unfortunately she opened mine instead - she wasn't as thrilled by the soaps Mike had bought me, as by the little toys and candy I'd left in hers. She was very excited, however, because she'd heard Rudolph's hooves on the roof. In reality, it was just Kathy going to the bathroom, but of course the fantasy is so much better.

She was super excited by her first present - the one she had asked Santa for - a (My Little) Pony on a walker. Yes, the mere concept is ridiculous (don't horses start walking as soon as they are born?), but it was soooooooooo cute. She's been hanging out with her pony ever since, though I haven't really seen her playing with the walker.

She opened more presents, being happy about some and extremely sulky about other ones. Yes, she's only a 4 1/2 year old, but it did get frustrating. Kathy had a talk with her and she was better after that. Kathy is very good at talking with Mika in a way she accepts and understands.

Camila was very excited about opening presents and happy with everything she got - but she liked that so much that she'd insist on opening all the presents out of turn. Keeping her away from the tree proved frustrating as well.

But in all - and despite the fact that there were simply too many presents (grandparents really went overboard) - we really enjoyed our morning. In the midst of it Mike and I cooked breakfast - pancakes, french toast, bacon and sausages.

I got some terrific presents. In addition to the food ones, I got pajamas from my sister, a comforter and scarves from my other sister, portraits, a scarf and a book from Lola, a flashlight from Lotty and a bunch of presents from my mother. I'll have to look at the list to remember them all :)

We spent the day mostly hanging out in our new pajamas. Mike and Camila took a long nap, Kathy and Mika played and baked some cake in her new EZ-bake oven, and I hang out on my computer and didn't do anything much - just like one should on Xmas. Later on we went to dinner at the Oriental Teahouse, then to look at Xmas lights. Mike and I tried to put Camila to sleep (it took quite a while) and then they watched Lord of the Rings while I blogged some.

Oh, I did do some cleaning, but not too much - tomorrow will be cleaning day. With the girls, as they are on Xmas break.

My only regret is that I didn't get to talk to Gladys, we called her and she wasn't there. We'll have to try again tomorrow.

Merry Xmas everyone!

Today's Daily Review has an article about the Warriors visiting the library to read to the kids. At the end of the article, they mention Mika and Mike:

The best part of the event, some parents said, was that nobody had to force their children to read.

Mike Katz, who was at the library event with his 4-year-old daughter, Michaela, said he could think of no other way to enjoy a great night out in San Leandro, especially on a Wednesday.

"Anything that associates fun with reading is good," Katz said.

Yesterday we had a crash. We rear ended a car that apparently stopped suddenly in front of us. Our fault, of course. It was my first real crash.

It was strange, one moment I'm looking out the side window at a radio station that had set up business outside the Mi Tierra supermarket. Next moment I hear Mike saying "Oh shit", I look in front of me and see this stopped car in front of us. Then I feel the pull of the seat belt and start coughing. I was pretty disoriented at first. It took me a minute - but then again, i couldn't really tell time - to figure out what had happened, to realize that the smoke inside the car came from the air bag, to hear Mike asking how I was, how the kids were (everyone was fine), to figure out that I could open the door and get out to escape the smoke, before it reached the children.

Once we got out we ascertained that everyone was fine. Our car had been basically destroyed - the damage is far greater than what the car is worth - but none of us had been injured. Seat belts are a great thing. Today we hurt a bit from the seatbelt marks, however. Better that than the alternative.

Mika was a little bit traumatized at first. She kept crying because we wouldn't be going to the Discovery Museum - where we were headed when the accident happened. Later, when she found out our car was going to the dump, she cried about that too. Finally, once we put her to work helping empty the car, she felt better. Camila insisted on being held all the time. Mike did more of that duty as I was still a bit shocked and had a headache. Plus it's always hard for me to hold her.

Eventually the police came, they were very pleasant and did their business. We emptied the car and our friend D. picked us up with our belongings and took us home. The tow truck took the car away.

And then, after we came home and put everything away, we got into our other car and went to the Discovery Museum.

Something about my life now, the girls.

They are on vacation, which means I have them with me full time. We'll see how that goes.

Today I took them to Rockridge. Around noon. Mike took us to BART.

We first went to Crepevine. I thought the girls would be very excited about the crepes. Mika was very thirsty, though, and all she wanted was something to drink. The lemonade was too sour, she drank water instead.

I ordered a nutella and strawberry crepe. It was very good, it came with cream and ice cream. The girls ate part of the cream and ice cream, but they didn't even finish it. They wanted nothing to do with the crepe. They must be sick (Mika has been pretty lethargic lately, and I think she run a fever a couple of days ago).

We then went to a bookstore and I gave in and bought them books - Captain Underpants for Mika, some floppy age-appropriate book for Camila. I think I spent $4 between the two of them :)

Then it was the toy store (after changing Camila). They played for a while and Mika insisted and bargained for a toy - I ended up buying her some $1 tattoos - better than nothing and they are very cute, butterflies, haven't put them on yet.

We stopped by the marketplace, Mika wanted some free samples. She either didn't like or just didn't want the vegan german chocolate cake available. I liked it, so did Camila.

She didn't want to go on, so we went home. She was a trooper walking home, no complains at all even though she was very tired. Camila fell asleep at the end, but woke up when we got home. Mika went to sleep on the couch for a while. Camila, as usual was whiny.

Now, as for them, let's see.

Mika continues to be in the age of asking questions. Today it was why they were patches on the sidewalk. As usual, I have no clue as to the answers. She is extremely observant of the world around her, and pays a lot of attention to our conversations. She is always asking for clarification or explanations of what Mike and I say to each other. She is usually very obedient, though continues to have transition issues. She is very shy when approaching new people - even girls with whom she'd like to play - and hides behind my legs - a problem if I'm wearing a skirt. I think she's very intelligent, she thinks a lot about things and tries to come up with conclusions herself. She seems quite good at drawing parallels which indicates to me piagetian intelligence. She is usually very good with her sister, and the two girls play very well together - though they have fights over objects. It's generally Camila's fault, she wants something Mika has. Thay may include mommy. It's very hard for me to give Mika all the affection I'd like and feel for her, because Camila is always physically interrupting us. She's hard to get off me.

Camila is great too - in a very different way. While Mika had the most amazing social skills at 2 years old, and was everybody's best friend - Camila tends to be more of a loner. She does play with other kids, but she doesn't seem to need them as much as Mika did and does. She likes dirt and she loves water play of all kind. My wood floors are not happy.

I'm concerned that Camila is not talking enough for her age. Half of her communication, if we call it that, is babbling. All she does in the phone, for example, is call daddy, kathy or nona and babble, there doesn't seem to be an intention of communicating something. When she does talk, much of what she says is unintelligeable (sp?) though she is getting better. I have no idea how Mika was at her age, so I'm worried. I haven't called the Dr. to make an appointment yet, though. She has become easier, she will usually stay in the stroller when some months ago I couldn't go a block without her trying to get out.

Yesterday we went to the Alameda county fair - Camila stayed in the stroller most of the time without complaint. There were many things to see, so that may have been it. Our walk home is much more boring. We saw the Village People. The girls didn't have that much fun. They were both/tired, sort of sick. Camila danced along some, and laid on my shoulder some, but she couldn't really get comfortable. Mika slept for a while on daddy - though she did wake up for YMCA. I made Camila do the signs - she was somewhat amused by that. They didn't go on many rides, Mika wasn't up to it (she had to be sick), and we ended up with a bunch of extra tickets. They are extremely expensive ($50 for 80 and most rides take 3 or 4). Mika "won" a big stuffed animal (it cost us $15) and Camila a little one ($6). There is this game in which you throw water at a target, and the first one to reach the top wins. We play against each other so we can get a prize and make Mika happy.

Tonight is the Argentine/Colombia soccer game. We are going to go to the Englander to watch it - or part of it, I don't know how well the girls will do.

Anyway, time to get ready.

The kids are back. After two weeks of being just the two of us (and what a relaxing two weeks were these) we are back to being parents. It's nice.

We missed the kids. Don't get me wrong, it's great to get some time to ourselves - and we are going to miss the fact that we will not be able to send them off to the grandparents until next year (kindergarten and all) - but we are not a family without them. We need them to be complete.

Anyway, I'm happy they are back. They were so wonderfully affectionate when we got them back, so many hugs, so many kisses. Mika is having transition problems, she misses Kathy ("my real mama") very much, but I think she'll pull through. Transitions are just hard for her. Camila seems just the same, perhaps a little bit more needy, but very much back to her own self (mommy do it, daddy do it, next to mommy, next to daddy, you get the drift).

I know they had a great time at the grandparents. Here are some pictures of them at Chuckee Cheese. The other little girl is Nikki, their cousin.

*Explained human evolution to my 5 year old.

*Knuckled walked like a chimpanzee

Last weekend some unknown persons stole the play structure my kids had in the front yard. It was very simple: a little swing, and a little platform with a slide. But they loved it. Camila would swing and swing, sometimes with Mika pushing her, and Mika would climb to the roof of the structure and look to nona's house (who is in LA). It had no value, we found it by the side of the street with a sign saying "free", but they kids loved it and it was theirs. Now someone stole it. Can you imagine something worse than stealing from a child? (OK, OK, I can, but as thefts go, this is one of the lowest).

Sometime before Camila's push car - another thing that we bought for $5 or $10 - was also stolen. Anyone who can afford the truck needed to carry this stuff, can afford to buy it as well. It's an issue of pure meanness.

What are my kids learning from this? That the world is full of bad people who would hurt them. Perhaps it's not a bad lesson to learn this early.

As for me, I'm afraid of my own neighbors. I see people in the street and I wonder who it was who took the structure. I'm also wondering what they'll steal next.

Von Wernich, a Catholic priest who worked in the secret detention camps in Argentina, was just convicted to life in prison for a number of kidnappings, tortures and murders. AFAIK, this is the first time a priest is convicted of such acts in Latin America - though there have been Rwandan priests convicted of crimes against humanity and genocide.

So I'm thrilled - the process of justice has been slow but the wheels are finally turning.

In other happy news Mike and I won a number of items at the silent auction for Girls Inc. we had at the Women of Taste event. I got a gift certificate for the Lawrence Hall of Science, a barrel wine tasting and four bottles of wine, a photography session and something else I can't remember. We also won a gift certificate to La Note in the raffle. All very cool, and the money goes to a good cause.

I haven't blogged for a while - or at least it feels like it - and I probably won't blog here for still another while. I've come to Nairobi (where I'm now) to help the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights with a report on the recent killings in the country. I've started a blog about my experiences here - but for the time being, at least, only for friends. Alas, it should be pretty easy to find for those so inclined to look for it :)

I arrived from Kenya yesterday afternoon. But for the work that remains, and the plight of its people, it would almost seem like a distant memory.

In all, I had a very good time. I met some very nice people, learned quite a bit about the country, the culture and the politics, and I hope I'll be able to help in the fight against impunity there. I wasn't as useful as I hope I'd be, but there is still time, and I may go back.

I'm glad to be home, with the kids and Mike, but it's definitely a readjustment. From having nothing to do but work (and blog), I come to having everything to do but work (though I'll still blog). Spring break starts Monday. I'm afraid.

Yesterday we bought a new car. It was a first one for us. Until then, we'd taken pride of never having spent more than $5K in a car. Driving cheap cars, not having a monthly payment, was not only how we kept afloat during tough economic times, but our way of turning away from the uber-consumerist society in which we live (and in which we so readily participate at Christmastime) .

But after crushing our car last year, we needed a new 4-door car to accommodate the whole family. We went through all the feasible possibilities. I wanted a wagon - but we discovered that at best these cars get 25 mpg - same thing with minivans which I didn't really want (too big). I liked the Matrix, which are basically corollas with hatchbacks, but their 31 mpg (Hwy) didn't convince me. So we went back to our original plan: a corolla - we've owned 2 so far and we've been happy with them. But, but, but... as long as we were talking fuel efficiency, shouldn't we just go for a hybrid? They are, OTHO, significantly more expensive than corollas.

We went back and forth and finally the environment won out. So yesterday, we went car shopping. We were in sort of a hurry because we wanted to have the car before my sister arrives early next month - that way she'll have something to drive while she's here (and can thus taxi us around). But I didn't really have to buy a car yesterday, and now I sort of wish I didn't.

We first went to look at used hybrids at a dealership near our house. They had both priuses and civics, selling for about the same price: $19K for basic or just above basic models with about 50K miles. There wasn't a price difference between the two. Of course, that was the price before negotiation - I've no idea what the real price would be.

Then we went to see the new civics - Mike liked them and I negotiated what was probably the best deal they could give us. Still, we had to see the priuses first. And we did, at the Toyota dealership in Alameda.

Mike test drove one and he liked it more, I think the thought it was smoother. I liked the fact that it has a higher MPG rating for city driving (and this will mostly be a city car), that it's a hatchback and that the back seats recline. I also liked the back camera - when and if I ever drive, I'm sure it'll be very useful getting out of our driveway. So in sum, I wanted the prius.

I knew that it was a more popular car than the civic, so I was willing to pay more than for the civic, but I ended up paying about $1K more than I wanted to (and $2K more than the civic). And for this I blame myself. I wasn't ready to negotiate - I hadn't done my homework and the only basis for price I had were the numbers the civic dealership had given me. I didn't have a negotiating plan and I hadn't thought the process through. They, of course, have the process down to a T and I fell for their tactics. So now I'm feeling pretty screwed, and instead of feeling happy for having a new car, I feel stupid for having bought it yesterday just like that. I guess this is why they have laws making cars non-returnable :-)

In addition, we got a red car. I don't mind the color, per se, but everyone and their mother has a red prius and I would have liked to have a different one. Hmm, I wonder if we should return it and get a different color (that you can do within 3 days :-).

But the point is that I'm unhappy when I should be happy (and this is without doing any research to figure out just how much I overpaid!). I can't even say "lesson learned" as I don't plan to buy a new car ever again :-)

Not only do we have a new (red) car, but I finally put a favicon.ico on my website - so now you can see a little daisy (for the uninformed, Margarita is daisy in Spanish) every time you visit :-)

This May there will be no mother's day for me.

The problem with Mother's Day is that it falls right after my birthday, this year, the day after my birthday party. And it's a problem because I go all out on celebrating my birthday. I figure, if I have to plan the celebrations myself (and I do), then I'm going to give myself what I want.

This year this has included dinner with Mike at Cafe Majestic, dinner with my family (including my sister and father) at El Morocco and wine tasting with Kathy and my father in Livermore. I still have a birthday mystery role playing party planned (hosted by my friend Desiree - thanks Desiree!) and a girl's weekend out with Lola. So a Mother's Day celebration seems like overkill.

Instead, we've decided to celebrate Mother's Day in October - the 18th of October to be exact. That's when Mother's Day is celebrated back home in Argentina, and the date is not close enough to other significant dates (except for Halloween!), to be any other conflicts. So I have to wait 5 more months (and probably plan it myself). But I'm sure restaurants and parks will be much less crowded.