At my uncle's wedding the photographer had my grandparents, and all my aunts, uncles, and cousins on my mom's side come together for our first ever family portrait. In that picture, there are:

14 Mexican-Americans
1 Filipino/Chinese-American
1 Filipino-American
1 Japanese-American
1 Portuguese-American
1 Anglo-American
2 Filipino/Mexican-Americans
2 Portuguese/Mexican-Americans
and 4 Filipino/Chinese/Mexican-Americans

Lots of hyphens and slashes huh? But when you put us all together, in one big family photo, it’s clear that we are all Americans. We are a mix of cultures and backgrounds that you would be hard pressed to find any where else in this world.

There’s lots of turmoil in this country and in the world right now. Divisions seem to have deepened over race, culture, religion, and class. And over the past few years it has become increasingly clear that this country is far from perfect. When someone says, "This is the greatest country in the World!," I can't help but think of the others that have been stepped on to get to that position. I will not allow myself to be ignorant and filled with blind patriotism.

But when I look at that family photo, I can’t help but be hopeful and proud to call this place my home. We are a testament to the ability of people to put aside their differences and come together.

And that's what I’d like to think being an ‘American’ is all about.

Happy Fourth of July.

After two years of going to Berkeley, today was the first day I drove there. Woohoo! Go me.

Took my cousin Tiffany up there to show her around the new house and neighborhood. Really nice weather today. We explored the park around the corner and discovered this awesome slide built into the hill slope that is pretty big. Can't wait to try it out one day. Also....we found a tunnel that goes under Euclid Avenue connecting the Rose Garden/Tennis Courts to the Park. Pretty sweet. My neighborhood up there is pretty darn cool. (Let's see if I'll still think that after walking to and from campus come the end of August)

Work was kinda hectic tonight, but cool. My co-workers make it fun. Work again tomorrow night, but hopefully I can fit in some quality time with my Tio and Tia who are visiting from New Mexico. It's always great when they are here.

So yeah....this blog entry isn't very witty, deep, funny or a good story....just some thoughts I want to remember. So that's all. Move along.

When you have 10 hungry cousins waiting for their table to be called to get food at a wedding...

Fighting desperately over tortilla chip crumbs,

And two of them abandon the rest to cut in line and get food,

It's then you know that Salsa is thicker than Blood.

So a nice day off today. Lunch with Jen at San Jose city hall, lunch meeting with some MVPA people at the county building next door, dinner with Martin and Matt and a quick trip to Downtown Palo Alto after (I can't stay away from that place).

On the way to University Avenue from the parking garage, we encountered a homeless lady pushing a shopping cart, as she walked by us she looked at Matt and suddenly yelled "Fat Chance!!" as we passed her.

It took a while to figure out why she yelled that, but then we looked at Matt's shirt and it said "ROLE MODEL" across the chest.

Ah, crazy homeless people yelling things at you, it was almost like being in Berkeley.

Summer does not officially begin until I spend an evening with my friends hangin at Martin's house. Tonight summer began.

And for another night at work, I was paid $9.50 to watch a movie....I mean..."monitor the theater." Ahhh, the perks of working at a movie theater!

Driving through Downtown Palo Alto after work, and then Downtown Mountain View on the way home from Martin's, you could tell it was summer. Lots of people out late, enjoying the not-so-warm night air, walking around, talking, having fun. The moon was so full and bright tonight, you could see the Santa Cruz Mountains at midnight. Kinda cool for Friday the 13th. I feel like I should be tromping around some supposedly haunted house or the former graveyard behind City Hall with Matt and Martin asking ghosts if they feel like chatting. I need a few more ghost stories to tell the folks up at Berkeley in case of another blackout.

Oh well, maybe some other night, summer has only just started.

To those in the know:

Tonight on my way home from work I was surfing the radio waves and came across a surprise on the Bay Area's alternative rock station, 105.3.

It's a catchy little Danish pop song that goes something like this:

"Everybody, move your feet and get united....woah, wah, ohhh"

And we never thought it'd be on American radio. Maybe my cuz Mikey made a special request.

"Can't stop...can't stop the beat....won't stop...won't stop my feet"

Oh boy.

All right, so summer! Woohoo! I've done a lot of fun stuff already with my family and with the friends that are here. Explored my Portuguese heritage with Chris on Sunday...we went to the Portuguese Holy Ghost Parade in Downtown MV, to the Portuguese mass (which was really nice), and even tried to fit in at the Portuguese festa. A whole different world that my dad's side was REALLY involved in until my grandpa passed away, and that Chris and I know hardly anything about. Hope to get a little more in touch with that this summer.

Other stuff...celebrated Matt's 20th birthday....saw Finding Nemo with Matt, Kim, and Ili (GREAT movie!)....got the keys and moved some stuff into our new house in Berkeley. Went to Half Moon Bay with my dad and Chris for clam chowder. Had a nice lunch with my grandparents yesterday. And on Memorial Day had a fun impromptu extended family barbecue. But I guess the most important thing (at least according to my mom...who's been hounding me on this topic all year...) I got a summer job!

Today was my first day working at the Stanford Theatre. I know...I know....STANFURD theater...boo hiss etc. But hey...it's a cool place. If you've never heard me talk about it...the Stanford Theatre is a completely restored movie 'palace' from the 1920s in Downtown Palo Alto. It's owned by multimillionaire David Packard (son of the P in HP). They only show classic movies from before the 1960s. The place is like a time-warp, and a lot of people go there for a fun, classy, (and relatively inexpensive) night out.

My coworkers are really friendly and fun to work with. This in a way, is my first REAL job...or at least my first real job in the service-sector. My internship with the city was a very cushy job, mostly research and learning about the field of city planning. Stuff I am comfortable doing.

I was kinda nervous starting today, I had NO idea how well I would do doing things like cashiering, and working in costumer service. Research on a historic building? No problem. Updating a city's zoning map? I can do it. Meeting with city council members? Sure thing. Adding the cost of a box of Milkduds, a large Popcorn, and a medium and small Cherry Coke in my head while getting the order at the same time? Yikes.

But everyone told me..."don't worry about it!"..."cash registers are easy to use." But get this....NO cash register....NO calculator....just me, behind the counter in the lobby, counting in my head, pouring drinks, getting popcorn...by myself for the first 10 minutes are so right at opening. My worst nightmare! Hehe, not really...it was scary and tough, but I got through it. The people are really friendly and patient...which is one reason I thought it would be good to work there. My manager and then the other worker came to my rescue later on, and things ran smoothly after that.

They told me I'd get used to adding up the prices in a few weeks. But come this Friday...I'm brining my own calculator. :-)

Wait....

How'd that happen? ....I'm an upper classman now? Halfway through college. Halfway to some unknown post-Berkeley future. High school was two years ago already. Two years! Have I changed? Of course. How can't you?

Berkeley. Berkeley rocks. I love it here, and seeing people walking around in their caps and gowns sorta scares me, while it makes other people jealous. I hear a lot of unsatisfied grumbling, and some of "I can't WAIT to get out of here!" But that's not me. Maybe that'll change in two years. Maybe I'll get cynical and tired of being here, but I hope not.

I get attached to places...and to the moment I'm living in. I'm not one who always is looking for the next best thing, ready to jump into the future hoping it will be better there. I'm always a little reluctant to take the next step. Nostalgia is in my soul, and it always has been.

So packing up and leaving La Loma is kinda tough. I like my room. It's a nice, big room with a pleasant view. I know I'm going to miss being this close to campus next year. But I'm looking forward to moving into our house. It's exciting to start something new. I guess what's really tough is the thought that I can never come back to this time and place. When I walk out of that door tomorrow, a year will be officially over. I'll be walking into something new ....the last half of my undergrad life. I hope its as good as the first half...I hope its even better.

ihanah: i heard a nasty rumor about you mr perry
ihanah: *gasp*
ihanah: you havent watched the matrix!!!!!!!??????????????????!!!!!!!
Nap98: nope. haven't seen it
ihanah: *smack*
Nap98: is it any good?
ihanah: thats it
ihanah: i disown you!
ihanah: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
ihanah: ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Nap98: val kilmer's in it right?
Nap98: or..was it vin diesel
ihanah: *cringe*
Nap98: i know its someone with a V
ihanah: youre kidding me right
ihanah: i can never ... look at you the same way...
Nap98: so...val kilmer right?

Señor Cadbury El Pescado de Alviso has gone to the giant fish bowl in the sky.

Señor was a good fish, he was blue. Blue is a nice color. I hope that wherever he is...he's still blue...because I don't see how anyone would like him if he was some other color.

Time for a new fish!

I think I will name the new fish Señor Cadbury El Pescado de Alviso el Segundo. Or maybe Bob...Bob the fish. Or maybe Finny. The options are endless.

Los Lobos rock....

Hearts of Stone
(David Hidalgo/Louie Pérez)

I travel down this lonely road
To see if I can pick me a rose
But all I find is a handful of thorns
In a place where blossoms should grow

Some hearts are made of stone
Some are cold, made of ice
Some beat all alone
Then there's those made of steel
Ones that don't even feel
Where are those hearts,
Those hearts made of gold?

I wandered down this lonely trail
Some twenty seven hours a day
But all I see are prints in the dirt
Where others tried to find their way

How far will I go,
To leave these fears behind?
Oh, let those tears go dry
Yeah, won't stop until I can find
Oh, that heart of gold

Walking down Broadway in Uptown Oakland, past dozens of empty storefronts, shuttered department stores, and buildings that have certainty seen better days, I felt uneasy. Why? Because I don't like to stand out. I never do. And here I was, one of the only non-African American people in the neighborhood. To make matters more awkward I had to constantly snap pictures with my digital camera, which yells to people passing by..."look at me, I'm a tourist!" I don't like that. It took me years to get comfortable taking pictures in Mountain View.



So as I'm walking down Broadway... I see this older African-American woman in a wheelchair ahead of me. She didn't appear to be all there mentally...but I couldn't really tell. My urge was to walk right past her and continue on my way. But as I approached her she quietly said, "Excuse me Sir, Sir...can you help me?"

I responded..."What's That?"

And she said, "Can you help me Sir? I'm thirsty. Can you get me a Coke?"

"A Coke? Umm. Where from?"

"Over there down the street, the Chinese Restaurant. A Coke in a bottle, please."

And I thought about it, looked at the restaurant, and looked at her.

Maybe she was homeless. Maybe she wasn't. Maybe she had the money to get the Coke herself, and just thought she could take advantage of this obviously suburban outsider timidly walking in her neighborhood. Maybe she had no money, and just really wanted a Coke.

So....I said that ya, I would get her a Coke. I went to that Chinese Restaurant and bought one. I walked back to the lady in the wheelchair, and gave her the Coke. She said, "Thank you Sir, God Bless You Today."

And I continued on my way.

Thanks Architecture, it's been a swell two years. We've been through a lot together, but its time for me to move on. Really, it's not you, it's me.

As of today, I am one of Berkeley's first Urban Studies Majors!

No longer homeless next year!



What a relief. We were choosen out of at least five other groups who wanted it just as bad as us. Saw the house, and got the house within the same day because the landlord liked our group and "wants us to rent there." Great job everyone at the interview, we all said the right things and gave the right impression. The house is almost ours now. I can't wait to make it our home...or second home (mtn view will always be home...hehe)

Negative stuff first: 15 minute walk from campus, we're up in the hills.

Good stuff: It's all downhilll to campus in the morning! Awesome views of the Bay, one room with a view of the Golden Gate and the city. A large back yard and a deck. Good sized rooms, Dining Room, Large Kitchen, 3 baths, possibly a Living Room depending on how many singles, a unique spiral staircase to a double on first floor, scenic quiet neighborhood with little old men that say "Good Evening" to you as you walk by, around the corner from the Rose Garden and a large park with playing fields, basketball court, tennis courts, and picnic areas.

Woohoo!

Some other notes about yesterday:

Alumni Leadership Scholarship Interiviews were fun. It's so cool to talk to potential freshman about going to Cal, and remember being in their position two years ago. Sign me up to be a tour guide! Hehe.

My preservation organization (Mtn. View Pres. Alliance) is on the road to become an official non-profit, which is really exciting. We now have a pr-bono lawyer from one of the biggest law firms in the South Bay. The entire steering committee met today in Downtown Mtn. View and the meeting went really well. Things are rolling.

Today was my Uncle Mike's birthday, what an amazing year for him.....it's so amazing and wonderful that he's here with us alive and well. How blessed we are. We brought my Grandma and him over for the entire day, took them to Berkeley, and threw a surprise party in MV at night. After calling them only this morning, almost all my mom's siblings and their families who live in Mountain View came over to celebrate my Uncle Mike, even though he's my dad's brother. A very touching evening that was enjoyed by all.

What an excellent day.

Addendum #2 to previous gripes:

Ok so today wasn't that bad. My teeth are clean now. My hair doesn't look bad once I comb it.

I went to a meeting of the Mtn. View Youth Advisory Group with my brother. I was one of the founding members of the group back in high school. So weird that the people who were freshman when I was involved are now Juniors! Things have changed a lot for MVYAG, and not for the good it seems. When I was involved we were working on bringing our own ideas to life. I got the local night club to have teen dance nights. Another member turned the city's break room into a teen study center. We all worked to hold the teens first youth festival, complete with a stage for local bands. We did a lot of stuff in two short years, and I had hoped the momentum would push the next set of YAGers forward.

But now it's turned into a group that mainly performs as a work horse for the city's Recreation department. None of the older members seem to happy about that. But it was great seeing some them again, and seeing Chris in action. He's motiviated to bring MVYAG back to its "glory days." Go Chris! We're gonna meet with some of the older members to talk about YAGs future over dinner sometime this week.

My friend Jamie called today, and let me know I'm not the only one bored at home this break. We decided to get together tonight at the Dana Street Roasting Company in Downtown Mountain View. They have Ghiradelli Hot Chocolate there! Yum. Jamie and I caught up with each other, talked about life and stuff. Good times. Good places.

So today ended up being pretty good. Break might end up being fun afterall.

addendum to the previous entry:

I needed a haircut, so I went to the barbershop today. Guess which barber I ended up with? Yes, my friends, revenge of the Vietnamese Barber. (see my blog entry from 9-20-02). And me, with my only hat, up in berkeley.

It's not that bad...really. Just somewhat uneven....but hey, hair grows back.

(Unevenly this time around.)

Oh spring break. How wonderful you are.

Not really. Gripe time.

My nose wont stop running. My dull headache wont go away. My dog wont stop howling outside at nothing. My mom called this morning, woke me from my sleep to tell me "surprise! I scheduled a dentist appointment for you today!" I'll spend my early afternoons driving my brother around since he continues to not have a license. Tomorrow I have to go to a city council meeting and speak, which is not a fun thing to do even for me. All my friends are somewhere else or still in school, so even if I had none of these other fun things to deal with....I would probably be sitting at home anyway.

Whoop-dee-do

Right around 6:00 today it started raining.

Come on fate....are we living in a freakin movie? Our bombs start falling in Baghdad and the rain starts coming down in Berkeley.

Walking across the campus with the carillion bells of the Campanile ringing some solemn song and the rain falling on my umbrella...it was one of those times when the weather outside reflects how I feel inside.

Now...just imagine. Imagine a Berkeley campus without the truly ugliest building on campus. No. NOT Wurster.

Evans.

Yes. Evans. The giant pale green monster, the portal to hell, with moaning ventilation chasms of doom, golfland fountains and courtyards. The campus' suicide machine. Window-less lecture halls. Ugly. Ugly. Ugly.

Evans, the building that's stuck smack dab in the middle of the campus' Central Axis. What's the Central Axis you may ask? Well, take a look at a map of the campus, and notice the link between all the major public spaces in the historic core. Memorial Glade, the Mining Circle, the areas in front of VLSB. That's not a coincidence. Before Moffett Library and Evans, this was one continuus space, as planned by John Galen Howard in the early 1900s.

Evans screwed it up. In a major way. You used to have a beautiful, straight on view of the Golden Gate from the Mining Circle.

And now, I've seen..the future:



Yes. No Evans. Two smaller buildings linked underground, with a courtyard that reopens the view corrider to the Golden Gate. Beautiful. And this is only part of the plan. I'm giddy over this. Giddy! The campus DOES have a plan for the future, and it's everything I ever hoped for.

You see....I just don't walk to class. I walk to class constantly thinking about planning spaces, architecture, view corriders, paving materials, landscaping. It's built in me, I can't help it. And the Berkeley campus, for someone like me....is frustrating. It has great moments, like the view from Memorial Glade towards Doe and the Campanile. But they're isolated and constantly screwed up by ugly ass paving, ugly ass buildings, and half-assed landscaping.

It's great to know the campus has a plan, a vision...that things like the New Stanley Hall and Music Library are being built according to it. You can go see the web page yourself if you're interested....

New Century Plan

But to save you the trouble...here are some of the best drawings:


Look, this is the view looking east while walking across Strawberry Creek at Sather Gate! They're calling for the creation of a little pond and glade here, as well as some new paving material. Sweet.


Remember those dinky trailors where my studio was last spring? You know, those pieces of crap that are still standing there in what could be one of the nicest courtyards in campus...well they're gone! And a nice new building could complete the courtyard.

Well...that's all I'll show for now. Yes I know......So exciting!

No? Well...you suck.

Over 70,000 people live in Mountain View, but somehow, the place still feels like a small town. The way neighborhoods are built now, it's so easy to live in a world where you just don't know the people who live around you. For so many friends I've met and neighborhoods I've visited, there's no community, no sense of place.

"Who are you're neighbors?" I might ask, and a shrug and confused glance is what I get back. Nothing to ground you to where you live. Your neighborhood is just a place your house happens to be in. Your house is just an investment for 5 or so years, than its time to upgrade and move on. Nothing is constant, place only equals property value.

For me, this weekend was a perfect example of what I value in a community, how it can add an entire other element to life that a lot of American society seems to have lost since the 1950s.

This was my Saturday, this is why home, and my slice of Mountain View, is so great:

For lunch my brother Chris and I grabbed some burgers and took them to Shoreline Park to eat. Got a nice bench right next to the sailing lake looking towards the Santa Cruz Mountains. It was an awesome day weather-wise and it was nice to be outside.

When I got home a neighbor (who lives on the street behind our property) ran up to the car to grab his kid's tennis ball which had rolled our way. Even though we've only met once or twice at my family's Halloween haunted house, he immediately waved and cheerfully said 'hello and how ya doin.' I returned the greeting.

As I got out of the car our next-door neighbor to the north, Tom, walks over. Tom is in the National Guard Air Rescue Squad and was in Turkey from October till January. I say "hey Tom!" Tom says hi to me and "trigger" or some other funny name he calls my brother. (Maybe he's just making up for my dad calling him "Pat" for so long. Pat....Tom...who knows. My dad's has called me "Chris" and "Snickers" in the same breath.) We talk for a little while outside the yard, he asks how school is going, tells me to thank my Mom for taking care of his plants while he was gone. My mom had a big phobia about killing them, and is thrilled they're back at his house.

After that I decided to walk Downtown, take some pictures and do some research in the library. As I walk out the door my life-long "across the street neighbors", the Garcias shout from across the street their normal "howdy neighbor!" and ask how things are goin. The Garcias have always been close to my family. They come to almost every party we have at our place or at my grandparents. Joella Garcia and her sister Jamie and I grew up together, and spent a lot of our summer days as kids hanging out. We stayed friends through high school, and at least once every summer a quick hello turns into a conversation that goes past midnight in my grandparent's backyard. So anyways, I say hello to them and start my walk.

One block down the street another neighbor who just purchased a home in north Mountain View drives by and waves. Her son is my brother's best friend since they were little kids. Get this, we're all Portuguese-Mexican mixes, so for the longest time we could jokingly call our street stub the Porto-Mex ghetto of MV. The house they rented is empty now, but we're happy they were able to afford a home in Mountain View. Another branch of their family is building a new home one house down from my grandparents, so we'll still be seeing a lot of them.

A few steps after that I come across my neighbor Mark with his kid, who was sitting on the lawn of my other neighbors, Peter and Nancy, talking to Peter. All three of them are part of the historic preservation group I co-founded. I stop and talk for a while, ask Peter how things are goin, he recently had heart surgery, and I bug Mark about not typing up our meeting minutes yet, joking that's the reason I came home. They tell me to make sure I don't stay in the library too long...especially on a day like this. I totally agree with them, say "see ya later" and head on my way.

I pass my great-grandma's old house where my second cousin and his family live, but didn't see em' outside so I didn't stop by. A couple blocks later I'm in the middle of Downtown, which is bustling with the lunchtime crowd. It's always cool to see the place so alive, considering that when I was a kid the place was almost a ghost town. One of the best things about living in my neighborhood, the old part of MV, is being able to quickly walk down to the main street. I live five short blocks from one of the best Mexican restaurants in town.

I get to the buildings I wanted to take a pic of, and bring out my big ol' digital camera. Some people driving by in a new convertible see me taking the picture and yell "hey! how many mega pics is that?!....thinking its a NEW digital VIDEO camera. I am reminded that yes, this is still the Silicon Valley. I yell back, it's an old digital camera, and that's why its so big. They say "oh! all right! thanks!" and continue driving down the street.

But anyway, the picture ended up cool. I did a then and now pic of an old photo my great grandma took in the early 1950s. Cool to see how things have changed, and not changed. For those curious, here ya go:

1950


2003

The c. 1920s building with the ugly tinted glass facade is going to be restored to something that looks more like the 50s pic.

After walking home, I got Chris to go on a "half an hour" drive to take a few pics at the city's last orchard. On the way home, Chris got disoriented and asked if we were in Mountain View when we were in the freakin' middle of the city. (THIS is why he still has not passed his driving test, he has no sense of direction. hehe) I pull off on a side road to show him exactly where we are, and we end up going towards the neighborhood a branch of my extended family lives in. On one street alone, I have two sets of aunts & uncles, two cousins, one cousin by marriage, two second cousins, and their extended family to whom I'm not related by blood. Chris decides we should go visit some of them. As we turn on to their street, we see my grandparents turning out of it after visiting them.

My aunt was so happy to see us, she was jumping around the room. My aunt, uncle, Chris and I ended up talking for hours about family history, Mexican-American racial issues, Bush's war, school, Chris' college plans, and then eating dinner from the previously mentioned Mexican restaurant. My uncle even baked cookies. We didn't end up leaving until after midnight. Hehe...so much for "half an hour." It was great though.

Sunday was similar. I got KFC with Chris and my cousin Marisa, and took it to eat at Shoreline. I visited my aunt again to get some advice on a topic for polysci term paper. After that my parents got home from their anniversary trip in Monterey, and we went out for dinner, which was really nice. When I got home I spent a few hours next door with my grandparents showing them the wonders of the internet, looking up whatever they wanted and showing how their club web page used a picture of them in the title graphic. Every time I show them the internet they're amazed. I also showed them a web page I'm trying to get together for our family about our history, they really enjoyed that, making jokes and telling stories about our history. After that I came back to Berkeley.

So that's my neighborhood. That's what I go home to. My small town in the giant faceless suburban blob that much of the Bay Area has turned in to. That's why I'm so passionate about Mountain View. That's what I want to fight to save and work to recreate through an education in Urban Studies. The physical things, the parks, the buildings, the landmarks, are just icing on the cake...they're the symbols that represent what truly matters....the people, the diversity, the community, the history, and my own family.

Today was a day of Chicano poetry, Ryan chucking up blood, Dan passing Kidney Stones, an enlightening political discussion with Erik, and a very....crazy convo with Lesley.

I think I need some sleep.

Nap98: yo estoy el pollo loco.
lbthekiller: youre a crazy chicken?
Nap98: no. you are
lbthekiller: no
lbthekiller: you said it
Nap98: don't call me that!
Nap98: you're so mean to me.
lbthekiller: SAID IT!!!!
Nap98: i know you did
Nap98: lbthekiller: youre a crazy chicken?
Nap98: see?
lbthekiller: no,
Nap98: yes.
lbthekiller: you are a crazy chicken
Nap98: cheeseburger

Important information from Steph Peters:

AUhntress: Nick- would you like to hear some random trivia?
Nap98: sure.....
Nap98: lol
AUhntress: okay- how much do you know about kangaroos?
Nap98: not...much
AUhntress: okay- well it turns out the females have 2 vaginas and are perpetually pregnant
AUhntress: a joey is born and then they mate and a fertilized egg kind of just hangs out
Nap98: wow...thanks steph.
AUhntress: wait- it's not over yet
Nap98: that's. great.
Nap98: oh boy
AUhntress: lol
Nap98: lol
AUhntress: so, after the baby joey grows up a little bit
AUhntress: and stops nursing for a certain amount of hours
AUhntress: the other egg starts to mature
AUhntress: and then she has that joey
AUhntress: BUT
AUhntress: she has two breasts in her pouch
Nap98: wow. kangaroos are so much more amazing than i ever knew.
AUhntress: and they each make a different kind of milk
Nap98: different flavors?
Nap98: is one set chocoale?

Finally took the time to figure out how to add pics to my blog. Woohoo.

I don’t look Mexican and hardley anyone knows what a Portuguese person looks like. I think when people meet me, most are forced to mentally place me in the category of “other” when it comes to race or ethnicity. So it’s not rare for me to hear things that offend me simply because people do not realize who they are talking to.

In fact recently, there's a person that I worked with on a Mountain View related issue that did just that. The first time we met, we talked a lot about the neighborhood we both lived in. We started talking about some of the problems in the neighborhood, blight, crime, destruction of historic properties, redevelopment issues...etc.

But during the discussion....my neighbor started making comments that made me cringe. This neighbor started going on about "the Mexicans" and linking them with neighborhood problems and safety issues. I let them go on for a while, and then politely let this person know I was half Mexican. My neighbor blinked, and apologized immediately.

My neighbor's racist comments were based mainly in ignorance and crass generalizations, not hate. And while their comments offended me, I accepted their apology. Even though I had just met this person, I tried to give them the benefit of a doubt and not judge their character on some off key comments.

We then had a pretty good discussion about the Mexican-American side of my family, and our history in Mountain View. My neighbor asked questions, I answered. In the process I think I broke, or at the very least challenged, some of the stereotypes and misconceptions of Mexican-Americans this person may have had. My neighbor opened up to me and let me know that they didn’t know very many Mexican-American people, and that they had a lot to learn.

`````````````

So…. Two of my friends are going through something similar to what I went through with my neighbor. They don’t know each other very well. Someone said something that was offensive to another based on race.

I’ll be frank. It was disrespectful and it bothered me. When I heard it I bit my lip and turned to look at the other person in the car who would be most offended. I didn’t say anything at the time but maybe I should have. I was surprised to hear what I heard, and thought that perhaps the person would realize that what they said was offensive and would apologize on their own. I decided to not mention it…until I realized tonight that the issue was being discussed and was causing some hard feelings.

I do not think anything less of the person that said this thing, because I know what their true character is and I know that they are a great person full of compassion and kindness. I would never label this person as racist, but I would say that their comment was racist. No one is perfect, and I think we have all said some callous and racist things we have come to regret.

I also completely understand why the offended party feels the way they do, having experienced similar situations. I think people often underestimate how hurtful certain careless comments can be. Because when someone says one thing that is racist, it’s not just the one thing that's said, hearing something like that makes you remember all the racist things you’ve heard, and makes you for a moment, feel like crap. These things should not be taken lightly.

If a personal and direct apology has not been made yet, it should be. And even though you might not know each other well, I’d like to think I do. I can safely say that both of you are excellent people. This isn’t something that can be healed by typing your personal emotions in your respective blogs. Yes, it’s slightly contradictory that I chose to address you both in my own blog, but at least this way everyone who’s involved knows where I stand.

Talk to each other directly and not through others. I think that’s all you need to do to work this out. And I do think you should work it out.

“From the towns of the nation, we’d like to do a song for you about the larger picture. There’s only one season lately. There used to be an agreement between the seasons that they would all come and stay for three months, and then go the way the seasons go when they’re not where we are.

Lately there has been no spring, no summer, and no fall.

Politically, and philosophically, and psychologically there has only been the season of ice.

It a season of frozen dreams and frozen nightmares,
A scene of frozen progress, and frozen ideas,
frozen aspirations and inspirations.

They call the season winter; we call the song Winter in America.”

From the Indians
Who welcomed the Pilgrims
And to the buffalos
Who once ruled the plain
Like the vultures
Circling beneath the Dark Clouds
Looking for the Rain
Looking for the Rain

Just like the cities that
Stagger on the coastline
In a nation
That just can’t stand much more
Like the forests
Buried beneath the highway
Never had a chance to grow
Never had a chance to grow

And now it’s Winter
Winter in America
Yes, and all of the healers
Have been killed
Or sent away
But the people know
The people know
It’s winter
Winter in America
And aint nobody fighting cause
Nobody knows what to save
Save your soul
Lord knows, from Winter in America

The Constitution
A nobel piece of a paper
With free society
They struggled but they died in vain
And now democracy
Is rag time on the corner
Hoping for some rain
It looks like its hoping for some rain

And I see the robins
Perched on distant tree tops
They’re watching last-ditch races
March across the floor
But just like the peace sign
That vanished in our dreams
Never had a chance to grow
Never had a chance to grow.

And now its winter
Winter in America
And all of the healers
Have been killed
Our betrayed
But the people know
The people know
It’s winter
Lord knows, its Winter in America
And aint’ nobody fighting, cause,
Nobody knows what to save
Save your soul,
From winter in America.
-Gil Scott Heron

A song written in 1974 seems just as relevant today as it must have back then. Couldn't have said that two years ago. Catching a glimpse of the evening news assualted me with threats of a missle strike on the Bay Area from Korea, terrorist attacks from Osama Bin Laden, a growing hatred of the US government amongst our allies, and the deployment of hundreds of troops to fight a war in Iraq. All in two or three minutes.

Sorta strange now to look back at New Years Eve 1999. On that night, it seemed the entire world was celebrating and hoping for peace. Images of celebrations around the globe, of doves being released in Jerusalem are still clear in my mind. The economy was booming. The problems and conflicts of the world seemed distant and irrelevant to our lives as upper middle class high schoolers in America.

Then we left for college...and that September our rosy view of the world came tumbling down with those two towers. Whether you call it innocence or ignorance, it was taken away from our generation and we entered a new era. The coming years may prove to be defining for our nation in this century. The world has changed and we are becoming adults as it changes further. I wonder how such a shift will utimately affect us and define us. How will our generation handle the mess that we are destined to inherit. Can we begin to turn a new leaf, or will we travel down the same path that got us to where we are today?

MJVilla: sup cuz
Auto response from Nap98: class till 12:30
MJVilla: aaww wack
MJVilla: its almost 6 here
MJVilla: ill send you turds an email with pics
MJVilla: i went to stonehendge today
MJVilla: sweet
MJVilla: ttyl

Argh. Lucky Mikey in England.

The weekend was saved.

My parents, wonderful people that they are, whisked me away from Berkeley..sorta almost kidnapped me. They said we'd just go to dinner, but after dinner we went home. Fine with me!

Home was good. Dad got popcorn from Century, and I sat down with my grandparents and parents to watch Salt of the Earth (the movie my great-grandma's are in.) My grandparent's constantly pointed out people they knew...

Grandma Emma: "oh I went to high school with him..."
Grandpa Simon: "hey hun...didn't you go to school with him?"
Emma: "what?"
Simon: "I said, didn't you go to high school with him?"
Emma: "who?"
Simon: "Aye, him!"
Emma: "Oh....yes, I went to high school with him."
Simon: "That's what I said."

Well, maybe not that funny...but that's the general idea. There was also an argument as to whose mother was in a close up. "That's my mother!"...."No, that's MY mother!".....My grandma won. The movie was good, the DVD extras were really cool too. Lot's of photos from that part of New Mexico. Some things in that area haven't changed at all. Some have change completely.

Sunday was nice. I decided to go to mass with my dad and grandma. Not something I normally do...but it was nice, I prayed for all the things that were worth praying for (a lot lately) and the homily was about the importance of grandparent's...go fig. It was nice, the church looks great...just got restored.

My dad made a chorizo and eggs breakfast, we got pan dulce from the California Street Market, or the Little Store around the corner as we like to call it. I decided to randomly put on a CD my grandma had on her dresser, Glenn Miller's Orchestra.....big band from the 40s while breakfast was being made. My grandparent's started dancing in the dining room. Good to see them smile and have fun.

My godparent's came over to visit. Good to see them. Got to see my neighbor and life-long friend Joella too. We went on a lil' scanvenger hunt around the hood looking for a car seat. Her friend had her babysitting, but didn't leave a car seat or a stroller. Good thing I've met so many neighbors through the Mountain View Preservation Alliance, got her a stroller after trying three houses. That was, totally random, but fun.

Grandpa decided to come take me back to Berkeley with my dad. Grandpa's always fun to take to SF, he worked there during the 50s-70s, he's like taking a talking trivia book with you. We made a stop at Ghiradelli Square in SF and had a nice relaxing dinner. Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl, overlooking the Bay at sunset. The city looked really beautiful this evening.

And to top it all off, got some great news from Matt. No Cancer.

Relief.

A little bug came flying in through the window. It hoovered near my fan for a few seconds, then ZIP it get's sucked into the fan, shoots out of it and over my lap top, and lands on my desk with a tiny thud, dead.

At that same moment, my best friend told me he might have cancer.

So I could take the bug thing one way....as a timely metaphor of how fleeting life can be.

Or...I can just laugh, and be thankfull I'm not a dumb bug.

Or maybe both.

After a thrilling discussion about soft-drink and levi's commercials, Ryan exclaims:
"I've never seen a cartoon person in a text book with pubic hair!"
Erik glances at me, runs over to the text book and says "That cartoon man has breasts."

And for the record:
Coke= Being Real
Sprite/7up= Being Alternative
Pepsi= Being Young and Cool
Dr Pepper = Being Independent
Orange Soda/Crush = Being Orange

and the girl in the Levi's commercial is crying profound tears of joy as the Buffalo almost trample her.

Just another evening in 1A33.

Nap98: writing an essay. writing an essay. is so much fun. is so much fun. staying up past midnight. staying up past midnight. un-till you're done. un-till you're done.
CriSPy251: lol
CriSPy251: thanks
Nap98: imagine conan o'brien singing that to you
CriSPy251: lol

Poor Chris. If the Raiders had won, his essay wouldn't be due tomorrow. He'll be up late tonight.

I wish there was a way...to turn back the clock. To help her remember...or, to not forget. To give her back the friends she has lost, the people she could share her life with. To clear her eyes of the tears which fill them more and more often. All I can do is hug her, tell her I love her, that things will be ok. All I can do is live my life, and hope that what I do makes her proud.

Bittersweet, so much in life is bittersweet.

When I got here it was raining. It hasn't stopped pouring on me since. Three people I knew have passed away between yesterday and Christmas.

The first was Carol Fischer, a librarian who was always there to help me research Mountain View history and encouraged me in whatever I was working on. She had two sons the age of my brother and I. We always talked about college and she always wanted to know how I was doing. She shared my passion for the city and its history. She always had a smile on her face, she was a kind heart. She passed away unexpectedly a few days after Christmas....from a seizure while at the movies with her family. In an instant...gone like that. It was a shock. I'll miss her a lot.

The next was my great aunt, my Tia Nene. She was a beautiful woman full of love and kindness. A great lady, the last of her generation in my family. She moved to Washington when I was a young teenager, but she always had a place in my heart. She was the type of relative that would pinch your cheeks with a great big smile. She made you feel loved. I wish I could have spent more time with her, but I'm glad I saw her as much as I did when I was younger.

And yesterday, my 7th & 8th grade teacher, Mrs. Judy Capaldo passed away after a battle with Leukemia. She was a great teacher, a very intelligent woman full of wit and humor. She always treated us with respect and kindness. I'll always remember her willingness to help me out, even after I graduated. I also remember her beautiful voice, and how she used to go up in front of the entire school and sing a rendition of the Hail Mary that I always enjoyed. It's hard to believe she's gone.

I wish I could have been there today at her funeral and rosary, to be there with my brother her other students. I wish I had a chance to see Mrs. Capaldo again and let her know how much I appreciated her, we didn't get her address in time to send her a card before she passed away. I wish I had a chance to see each of these people again and thank them. But all I can do is remember them, and remember to cherish and be thankfull for the people I have in my life while I still have them.

And if you were
With me tonight
I'd sing to you just
One more time
A song for a heart so big
God wouldn't let it live
May angels lead you in
Hear you me my friends
On sleepless roads
The sleepless go
May angels lead you in

I am back in Berkeley. As soon as I got here it started raining. I like the rain right?

No architecture studio this semester. No math. No architecture studio or math ever again actually. I look at my schedule and I see the most amazing thing....free time. What will I do with it? Must I get a job? A real job? Quite a predicament for me.....I've been spoiled by already having two dream jobs...an internship for the City of Mountain View planning department....and a freelance history writer for the Mountain View paper. But I need money.

So, I saw Chicago. Lot's of fun. Go see it. Hmmm....that's all for now. Here's to a good, productive semester!

Not only did our SoCal trip happen, it managed to go off without a hitch. We crammed a lot of stuff into those 5 days. Thanks to anyone who drove us, fed us, our housed us...especially the families of Kay, Kat, and Eric.

Remember when ABC was bought by Disney and they sent all their sitcoms to Disneyworld? Well...that was sorta of like this trip..but not as corny..I think. The formula pretty much works like this...same cast of characters + whole new locations = possibility for new adventures and wacky hygincs!

To put it as quickly as possible we went to (in order):
Friday - UCSD, Old Town San Diego, Mission Beach at Sunset, Kay's House.
Saturday - Hotel Del Coronado, Balboa Park, Downtown San Diego
Sunday - Erik's House, Downtown Burbank, Palmdale, Kat's House, BJ's House
Monday - Disneyland, California Adventure, Dan's House, Eric's House
Tuesday - The Getty Center.

Jeesh. Lot's of stuff. Lot's of fun. Maybe a little two much backtracking and buttsitting on the highways....but with good music and fun travel companions, hours can go by a lot quicker. It was interesting to jump from San Diego to LA to the Palmdale/Lancaster Area. I can't help but look at cities with a critical eye and compare the places I've been to find examples of what to do...and what not to do when it comes to City Planning. San Diego is..well, it has its act together and has the types of places that make me excited and hopeful about City Planning and Historic Preservation. LA is a big exciting mess of a city. Palmdale/Lancaster....LA part II minus the layer of pre 1950s development that makes parts of LA so memoreable.

Ever since I met Kat she has been the biggest civic booster of her wonderful locale, Palmdale...at the fringe of the Mojave. Now that I've finally been there, what can I say about her desert oasis? She showed us all the landmarks, including the hill where two girls got kidnapped, the mall, the bright lights of the maximum security prison, and BJ's amazing house. By coincidence...I stumbled upon the book "The Geography of Nowhere" in the library yesterday. It talks about the rise and fall of the American city at the hands of our ever growing dependence of the automobile. Flipping through it I came upon this quote regarding the future of cities when we run out of either oil or water ..."Things that were built in absurd locations, like the vast housing tracts outside Los Angeles on the fringe of the Mojave desert, may have to be abandoned."

Hmmm. But the Joshua Trees are cool! (even if Kat thinks they look like the product of earth's vomit). Which reminds me of Candice's description of Downtown LA from the Getty Center...."looks like a giant pimple on a huge face."

Another Christmas, come and gone. My 21st Christmas. Jeesh. Does the 1st one really count? I was less than two months old. Guess so.

It was a nice Christmas. I got to spend some real quality time with my friends during the week before. Kim, Matt, Martin, Josh, lil bro Chris, and I had a fun dinner at Taxi's in Palo Alto on Saturday. Then we all packed into Matt's car to see Christmas lights in Monte Sereno (crazy house there) and Willow Glen. Then Jamie dropped by and we all had a nice get together at my house, played yet another version of Uno and then a great game of Cranium.

Sunday was a false tamale day. No one showed up so we moved it to Monday. Had a birthday dinner for my aunty Cheri. At night, my family and grandparents went to see Christmas lights in Monte Sereno (that crazy house again) and in Vasona Park. After complaining about a guy honking at us on the way there because we were all stuck in a traffic jam......dad goes ahead and accidently sets of the honking siren alarm of my grandpa's van secons after entering the park to see the light displays. That kept us laughing for a good five minutes.

Monday was tamale day. Made tamales. Monday night, Jen rounded me, Martin, and Jamie up....Chris tagged along again too. We had a fun time at Christmas in the Park in Downtown SJ. Then we met up with Josh at Jamie's house to decorate (and eat) Jamie's mom's great Gingerbread cookies. Jamie refused to allow Chris's "evil nick" gingerbread man to remain in her house.....i still don't think he's been eaten yet.

Christmas Eve was different this year because my cousin Jason and his wife Liz were in Oregon with their baby for the first year. We missed having them here. Another break from tradition was a visit my uncle's godparents house. They're really nice people with heavy Italian accents and great senses of humor. When my grandpa Perry was alive, they were best friends with my grandparents. Their house has been completely unchanged since the 1960s.....so cool.....especialy since everything looks new even though it has to be 40+ years old. It was seriously like stepping into a photo from the 60s and sitting down in it for half an hour.

Christmas Day....was something different. All the normal traditions, a tamale dinner, a few games of Santa bingo, a brutal (but fun) game of spoons and uno, pictures on the staircase, video games with my cousins and brother, presents. But thoughts of certain people that were not there put an unexpected damper on the early evening, and thoughts of people that might not be there in the coming years put what many felt was an inappropriate and untimely cloud over the end of what otherwise was a fun family celebration.

Ah well. Nothing is ever perfect, especially in a big family. At least for me, the good outweighed the bad. So much to be thankful for on this Christmas, for my family, my friends, and the great memories we can share from the past few days. (A lot of nice presents too.) Plus, I have more than a month of beautiful beautiful break ahead of me!

So...that's it. A Merry Christmas to All, and to all, a Good Night.

Back in Berkeley for one more day this semester. I don't feel like studying for my city planning final. But, I know if I don't I'm bound to get screwed over and loose my chance to truly dominate this class. Huh. So this will be a short entry.

Monday night went out with Matt, Kim, Martin, and Julia. Tried to go to San Jose's Cheesecake factory...too crowded....ended up at Chevy's (blah). Saw "Anaylze That" fun movie, more fun just to hang out with some of the group again. Looks like a repeat of summer though, Sarah's off to Colorado, Rachel is out in Auburn, Jen is going to be busy or in San Diego. Hopefully those of us that are still in the Valley of Heart's Delight will be able to have a lot of good times over the next month.

Tuesday....didn't do much, went to Shoreline with my grandpa, just walked around to enjoy the brief but beautiful gaps of sunlight between this on-going series of storms. Apparently there's snow on Mt. Hamilton today...and of course I'm in Berkeley. I hope it stays through tomorrow so I can see it....(and maybe try to go up to it).

Sleigh bells ring....are you listening? In the lane...snow is glistening.

Well....the sleigh bells are actually Snicker's new dog collar(it has chili peppers on it! ha!) and ID tag cling-clanging against each other....and the lane is indeed glistening....but from the sea of water that has fallen here since Friday. This storm has been crazy, 50-60mph winds, thunder, lightening, trees are falling everywhere, one of my grandpa's 30 year old rose bushes snapped over, and the power went out most of Saturday evening. But it came back on that night, thank you PG&E. Ah....but it is wonderful to be home.

All the things that I longed for a week ago in this blog have happened in the last two days. I'm typing this in the living room, surrounded by all the decorations and lights that make my house so special during this time of the year. My dad made hot chocolate for my family, we watched a Muppet Christmas Carol (we swear by this version of the classic)....we even braved the rain and went cruising for holiday lights as we waited for our Round Table Pizza to be done. Yum. That was all just yesterday.

Today we've all been working on putting up the Nacimiento next door at my grandparent's house, a family tradition for over 50 years. The Nacimiento is something that my parents, brother and I put up. My grandma used to put it up, but before that my great-grandma put it up. Basically, the nacimiento is a nativity scene. But it's the Mexican version of a nativity scene.....and we go all out. The thing is three tiers of heirloom figures. On the top tier are my great-grandma's manger figures and dozens of "sparkle town" houses she bought in the 1940s...and that we now find out are now valuable collectibles. Perhaps the most impressive feature is the cloth that drapes the entire scene, which we hang hundreds of glass ornaments from. Apparently my great-grandma started doing this, the ornaments represented stars. My dad pointed out today how cool it was that we were hanging up the exact same ornaments my great-grandma hung up so many years ago. It is very cool.

The nacimiento is a lot of work, especially for my mom, who does most of the work. The rest of us have tried to help out a lot more over the past few years so things are a little balanced now. We started it last night and have been working on it all day today....and it's only about half way done. Sometimes people don't realize how much work and time it takes. I remember a few years ago my parents actually considered not putting the Nacimiento up. Too much work, and it seemed like no one else in the family cared about it. But we decided that if anything, it was a really important tradition for us and my grandparents, even if the rest of the Sias bunch took it for granted. And sometimes it feels like they do, and that still dissapoints us.

Yesterday, one of my aunts made a slightly upsetting remark about why we even bother putting it up if its so much work. She probably wasn't entirely serious...but it's still bugs. The Nacimiento is about our culture, and putting it up is a way to honor our culture and our family's past. I'm sure if we didn't put it up, most everyone would miss it and complain that it wasn't there come Tamale Day...(if they even show up on Tamale day). If only they could be a little more appreciative and a little more helpful without us having to take it away. This really should be a thing that the whole family is a part of and trys to take some ownership of. So cousins, if you are reading this....the Nacimiento isn't just my family's tradition, its yours too.

Friday the 13th is over. I survived. My grades? Completely up in the air. But it's over....can't do anything about them now. My fate is sealed. So....although I'd rather try to not remember the beginning of the day...the end of the day is something I do not want to ever forget.

I did end up going to San Francisco for dinner tonight with some of my closest friends from studio. We went to celebrate our collective survival, and for me, it was a closing to my architecture studio career here at Berkeley. A bittersweet occassion. Went to Cheesecake factory, Lauren ended up driving some of us. The rain even died down, and the city was all lit up...which was so nice to see (despite the new neon wreaths that replaced the old real one's in Macy's windows on Union Square..Lauren and Leo know how I feel about that.....hehe) We had a really nice, laid back time. I even got my "tons o' fun burger" before the semester ended. We talked and talked about everything and anything, and when the convo died....I'd bring up some random subject like how i'm wearing mismatched socks today....and things would start back up again.

Funny how suddenly friends that were new last year, are good ol' friends at the end of this semester. Leo, Lauren and I, the studio triad (a Celtic thing according to Rory), go waaaaaay back (to CalSo....Cal Student Orientation). Funny how these people that I randomly met ended up being two of my closest friends at Cal. If you two happen to read this....I really appreciate you guys and the times we've spent together. And the people I've met this semester from my studio are just awesome. Lot's of funny and fun memories I'll never forget. Heck, they even dubbed me with a completely random nickname which I shall not utter here cause I know some of my other friends will adopt it to annoy me. Heck, Flavia and Rory even made up a song. It's sad that I won't have studio or perhaps even classes with many of them again....I really hope we are able to stay close.

The get together at Lauren's house after was also fun in a quirky way. Flavia's instinence that I tell my ghost stories, after I claimed that I tell good ghost stories, completely changed the tone of the evening, and I think most of us that were awake when we started talking about that subject are thoroughly freaked out tonight. But that's always a fun conversation to have....or at least exciting. I'm thankful Erik hasn't gone home yet because I wouldn't do so well being in the room alone right now. I hope Lauren sleeps well in her old somewhat haunted looking house, Flavia too. On the ride home, everything was "creepy" or "freaking us out." Hehe. Good times.

It's almost four o' clock am. I'm going back to Mountain View in the morning.and staying there until at most Tuesday (last final on Wed.) I'm starting to get tired just now. Today has been a very long day. But no matter what happens with my finals, it will be a good long day to remember thanks to the people that helped get me through some of the hardest work I've ever done. Thanks guys. Goodnight.

Ya, I'm in a strange mood. I'm easily irretable and agitated. I find myself both tired and awake, bored and overwhelmed at the same time. Studio is over and this is the aftermath of working non stop for the past month. I feel slightly disconnected from my non-studio friends here, and I really don't have the time to reconnect because the gigantic dark cloud of Friday the 13th, the day of my stats and music final, looms ahead.

The fact that all my grades (except city planning....A+ baby) are entirely up in the air right now has me very nervous. I've worked so damn hard in stats and studio, and to be unsure what my grades are this late is tough. And my music class was a joke, I felt like I wasted units taking that class. Now I have to force myself to care about it for the sake of my GPA. These two finals are very important, and they both are on the same day. I'm having a tough time figuring out how to balance the study load.

And of course there's this weird feeling of being homesick from studio......you spend so much time with one group of people, and even though it can unbelievably hardwork, you still miss their company. It's like coming home from war. What I really need is a break between now and finals to readjust, but I won't get that. Gotta shift gears and jump right from the studio to the study wagon.

And ...being in Berkeley during the month of Decemeber is painfull. It just does not feel like Christmas here, especially in the dorms. There are no Christmas lights except on Telegraph Avenue (which smells like shit when it rains....which it is). TV Christmas specials, movies, and songs seem hallow when your watching or listening to them by yourself in your dorm room instead of with family and surrounded by the warmth of home.

And there's so many little things at home that I miss. My mom does a fantastic job of decorating the house despite her tough work schedule, and I miss seeing that when I wake up in the morning. I'd like to help set up the Nacimiento. I'd like to have my dad make hot chocolate in the evening and watch Christmas movies with my whole family. I'd like to go outside and stand in front of our house and admire the lights and explore other neighborhoods to see how they've decorated for the holidays. Heck, I even have a hankering to go to church. And most importantly, I'd like to be there for my grandparents, especially my grandpa, during this tough week for him. Time is precious, especially time with my grandparents.

So I'm anxious to go home. Even more anxious to get these finals over with. Come Friday some huge weights will be lifted off my shoulders, and if things go as planned I might go to SF with my studio section to celebrate our collective survival and the holidays. Maybe then it'll start to feel a little more like Christmas here in Berkeley.

EricE823: haha nick
Auto response from Nap98: how's this for jargon:

I'm up at the sleep deprivation chamber (aka wuster) deconstructing my final model because the tectonics of my material selection was not architectonic enough. My selection of tan museum board for ground treatment clouded the original poetics of my parti and I need to build a new one out of brown chip board with acetone transfer on my old topo.

whoopa.
EricE823: your away message is hilarious, although i feel for you
EricE823: : what the hell are u talking about?
EricE823: : crazy architecture jargon

For those of you that were curious, the acetone transfer was a bust and I just decided to use the back of my biggie jumbo as the ground cover for my model.

(And before any of you dirty dirty people say anything, a biggie jumbo is a large drawing pad.)

Final project status:
Site Plan - done
Cross Section - done
Longitudal Section - done
Final model - far frome done.
Presentation board - what presentation board?
Presentation Outline - I have to say something?

The pendulem swings again. I either hate studio or I sorta like it. Right now I sorta like it. I still have four days to finish my final project so things aren't as rushed as usual. One of the four things I have due, a section, was completed and to my amazement....given the thumbs up by my section leader.

I enjoy spending time with my studio friends. We can talk about anything and everything....even our projects and architecture sometimes. I'll miss them a lot. It's weird that this is my last week.

I told my grandpa about studio, he said it sounds a lot like going to war. I agree! My studio section is my platoon. We go through hell together. My section leader, our my sergeant. We love to hate him, but in reality he's a good guy who wants to guide us and help us out. Our mission in this war....finish our final projects before Sunday. Hopefully I can yell mission accomplished before Saturday night.

So the weekend was good, but....it sorta had a bittersweet feeling to it. First of all....it just plain sucks that I have to be in Berkeley at all during the month of December, I do not want to be here/studio. And on another level.....either I'm paying more attention, or life in my family is moving more quickly. Traditions are changing, lives are shifting. It's tough to deal with, because I grew up for so long thinking that my family was something that would never change. I was lucky enough to never have that illusion broken by something like divorce or tragedy.

But the years are going by....no one can stop or deny the changes they bring. I see my grandparent's getting older. My grandma more forgetful, my grandpa not as strong as he used to be...and what's harder is that now they're both admitting and realizing it. Thanksgiving was moved to my oldest (or longest loved) aunt's house. It was nice, my aunt, uncle, and cousins did a good job setting the place up. But Thanksgiving was the last major holiday at my house/grandparents house. Until last year, our compound used to be the hub of our family's life throughout the year. Birthday parties, random get togethers and the two biggies, Easter and Thanksgiving. It was great to have everyone there, to have both houses and yards filled with family and friends. I think we're going to work on getting either Thanksgiving or Easter back there.

Regardless of where these celebrations are, I try to remind myself how great it is that we have them at all. It's wonderful that the 30+ members of my family and our close friends still live close enough, and get along well enough, to come together throughout the year and cram ourselves into some relative's house for a day. Except for one of my cousin's and her new husband, every member of my mom's family made an appereance at Thanksgiving this year. The location might change, but what really matters is that we stick together and work to keep our traditions going in some shape or form. Sappy yes. But also very true.

So anyways...all this talk about family and the holidays has me thinking about a song from my favorite Christmas movie, A Muppet Christmas Carol. (If you haven't seen this movie.....I have the DVD and I plan on watching it some time this week or next to cheer me up after studio has knocked me to the ground and grinded my face against the floor littered with the scraps of my original "too Cancun-resort like" model.)

So here are the wise words right from Kermit's mouth:

Life is full of sweet surprises, everday's a gift.
The sun comes up and I can feel it lift my spirit.
It fills me up with laughter, fills me up with song,
I look into the eyes of love and know where I belong.

Bless us all, who gather here
The loving family I hold dear
No place on Earth, compares with home,
And every path will bring me back from where I roam.

Bless us all, that as we live.
We always comfort and forgive.
We have so much, that we can share.
With those in need we see around us everywhere.

Let us always love each other,
Lead us towards the light.
Let us hear the voice of reason,
Singing in the night.

Let us run from anger
And catch us when we fall.
Teach us in our dreams and please, yes, please,
Bless us one and all.

Bless us all, with playful years.
With noisy games and joyous tears,
We reach for you, and we stand tall
And in our prayers and dreams we ask you bless us all."

Even the wind was against us. It came through a crack in the window and stole Phyllis's plan from her desk. Lifted it up in the air and out the window and into the night. I didn't get any work done tonight. I tried...but things just didn't work out.

I'll probably be in studio from 12pm to 12am tomorrow. Argh. I want to go home.

This comes to you courtesy of my friend Allison's profile (who happens to be in the Cal band):

OK, this comes from stanfurd's student newspaper:
"We see a rivalry, that pits … an elite institution populated by erudite, sophisticated, not to mention well-groomed, students against a dirty, overcrowded lot of neo-hippies."
And this is what we have to say :
"So they hate us because we're poor and, reading between the lines, probably not white. . .But I can't hate them because they're Banana Republic-wearing country clubbers that need two maids and a butler to make sure they hit the urinal. . . .Congratulations on winning the rich daddy lottery; my admiration knows no bounds."

Hehe. Still living yesterday up today. After the game we chowed down on pizza and hit the Southside to grab some dessert and see the remains of the goal posts. Went to bed around 1ish...earlier than usual, all that cheering had me tired and my voice is still a little hoarse over 24 hours later.

Had to go to studio today and do fun things like paper mache a model of a mountain. I was literaly banging my head on my desk, half asleep....by 5:00. Luckily, Candice planned a dinner excursion to the City. I was whisked away from the grey monster that is Wurster Hall, and taken across the bay where it seems Christmas comes early. The Embarcadero Center was all lit up, the Pyramid had its green top on, and Pier 39 had its "raver" Christmas tree up.....(it had strobe lights in it). I now have a case of pre-Thanksgiving Christmas Spirit. Oh well, Let the Season Take Wing! (Happy Thanksgiving?)

We had a nice dinner at Bubba Gumps, and played an awesome game on the car ride back. The game was quite simple, taught to me by my cousins Tiffany and Jason during our Oregon trip this summer. Name a vegetable without the letter C in it. Everyone takes their turn, and is eliminated when they are stumped or utter a vegetable that starts with C. Go fig..that in a moment of pressure I say Chili....which probably isn't even a vegetable anyways.

We added the extra element of being forced to grab one of Lauren's gross flavored Berttie-Bott/Harry Potter jelly beans when we were eliminated. Candice's friend, Andy, got something foul that was eventually spit out the window. I got ear wax. Salty. Kay got vomit (spit out the window.) Yum. No one got Sardine or Grass..lucky for us.

Candice took me back to Wurster where I finished up my drawings and talked to my Professor who had come in to check on us. He seems to like what I'm doing and gave me a pat on the back. Phew. (He made someone else cry.) Came home at midnight...and that was my day.

This weekend feels like it was a week long....and yet it came and went so fast. A good..full....weekend....an extreemly Berkeley weekend that surpassed all my expectations from last week. Now all I got is this week to get through before a much needed Thanksgiving break and extended weekend at home in good ol' Mountain View.

WE WON! We got the axe! The loosing streak is over. It's done....Stanfurd has been defeated, their fickle fans have all returned to Shallow Alto. Those pompous SOBs finally got what was coming to them. (see previous entry about Lesley's Field Hockey Game.) "Accepted..Rejected" my ass. I never applied to your country club.

The Cal fans were pumped from the get go. The crowd was a roaring sea of blue. From the star spangled banner ("Oh say can UC!") to the roaring "Ohhhhhhhhhs" to the awesome card stunts... we were into it. An amazing wave was performed that went around the entire stadium more than a dozen times and was properly booed when it reached a certain section. The "Hey Alumni...Go! (Bears!)" chant rocked Memorial every time. And the Cal band ...the Cal Band was GREAT...once again they showed the farm what a REAL college band looks like. The team heard us all...and played their hardest... 30-7. They ended something that had gone on for way too long....a seven year loosing streak over.

The field was rushed by what must have been over 10,000 Cal fans...I was one of them. Both of the goal posts were toppeled and carried out of the stadium with dozens of people on them, down Bancroft, and on to Sproul Plaza. The fans cheered louder than they ever have before..."You know it...You know the story...You tell the whole DAMN world this BEAR TERRITORY."

We got the Axe. Why? Because we wanted it more.

Go Bears!

Today (yesterday now....but you get the idea) was interesting...very Berkeley for some reason. Things started out great with stats lecture getting out 15 minutes early. I spent the extra time sitting at my favorite spot under the Redwoods and Oaks along a quiet strech of Strawberry Creek reading the Heuristic Squelch. It was a beautiful day and it was nice to finally have some time to enjoy it.

After that I went to Music lecture which was actually entertaining today (what a change). We had a special performance by the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players who performed a brand new piece for the first time by an emerging Chinese-American composer Zhao Long. We were the first audience to ever hear it performed...and that's cool...very Berkeley.

Right after that I grabbed myself some lunch from the GBC (Golden Bear Cafe for those not in the know) and sat on one of the terraced seating areas over lower Sproul Plaza. The normal sounds of protest emanating from the steps of Sproul Hall (today's was for increasing minority enrollment..very Berkeley) were drowned out by the soothing sounds of the Berkeley Jazz Group playing down in lower Sproul...also very Berkeley. It was a pleasant lunch and I took my time.

So then it was off to studio. Bah. Things took a lot longer than I thought.....I had a war with my cardboard topographic model. I just started cutting it up until it finally looked good. I also saw the last few seconds of Phyllis' fall to the ground after she fell asleep standing up. No joke. She blacked out and crashed into the chairs. Loud enough for me to hear while listening to Santana on my headphones. Aye...what studio does to us! Lauren brought Leo, Jacqueline, and I dinner from Gypsies....really nice of her. We ate in the seminar room and fantasized about going to Europe together over the summer. If only. Then it was back to work for another hour or so.

Got home in time for Buffy and Smallville....the two only shows in prime-time I ever make sure I'm home to watch. Spent the rest of the night struggling with the Stats homework I just didn't have the drive to do after working so much over the past few days. I'm spent. And I still have a long way to go with studio.

Erik asked me yesterday how I've managed to maintain my sanity with so many hours clocked on the 8th floor of Wurster since Saturday. I guess it's a gigantic balancing act..I'm tired...but I think I've been able to work in some R&R into these increasingly busy days. And I remind myself that this is an experience I won't have again....in the end I feel like I'll the hard work will have been well worth it...if not in the actual design skills I'm supposed to be learning, but at least in the memories and friendships I've been able to form.

I was in studio from 10:30 to 1:10 today....well yesterday now. I wasn't really joking when I said "see ya tomorrow" to Erik as I walked out the door in the morning. My away message for the entire day explained it all:

something about a funnel. pools inside the walls of the funnel. maybe having some pools outside the funnel? folding people in and bringing them back out. parti. meaning. poetics. tectonics. cardboard. sobo. zap-a -gap (aka cancer in a bottle). hours of time in the same place. cutting. pasting. missing my grandma's 75th birthday party. pounding my head on my desk.

bull shit.
(studio)

But it's all good.....I got everything I needed done...and I'm pretty happy with what I did. And there are still about 30 people working there now....so I don't feel so bad. Had lunch out Blondies....dinner...hot chocolate and a morning bun. I'm tired and hungry. Too tired to go to bed...too late to eat. Need to unwind somehow....hence the blog entry.

Friday was nice. Although, Mel's was a little strange...the food tasted bland and the milkshakes were scary. New management I guess. Harry Potter was a fun movie. Perhaps better than the first. I've never seen so many commercials before a movie. It took about 20 minutes (including previews) before the movie actually started.

Saturday's game was awful. The crowd was out of it, the band was out of it, and the team was waaaay out of it. But...the Big Game is only bigger now. Had dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in Jack London Square with my bro Chris and my Dad. That was really nice. Took us forever to get there though, traffic and a reallly really long freight train. Got to listen to Stanfurd loose their game and the oh-so-depressed post-game show while we were driving there. That made up for it. Hehe.

Ok. Sleep time.

Well, I'd say it was a great weekend. Warning: This is a long entry....and I'm writing it more for my own purposes of remembering this weekend rather then to entertain you...whoever you are. But it's here to read if you want to...so here I go.

The weekend kicked off on Thursday with a surprisingly well attended Centennial Celebration for Mountain View at the new Centennial Plaza and train depot. To my surprise, hundreds of people braved the pouring rain to stand outside or in tents to celebrate Mountain View's 100th. The rain certaintly made the event memorable....people were in good spirits and managed to make the best of it.

The plaza looks great, it's cool to see all the hard work that the committee put into this come together. The inscribed bricks were a great idea. I've got a picture of my family's and my grandparent's on the wall here in Berkeley. A lot of the ideas I came up with two years ago became realities. The plaque about the train depot's history was my idea, I even helped write it, and now its there on the train depot. The archway that was cut from the budget and which I asked the committee to bring back using alternative funding is there, and it looks awesome. To some extent, the name of the plaza, "Centennial Plaza" was my idea, although others probably thought of it as well.

I also suggested that grammar school kids write about what they think MV will be like in 2052, and there they were, on fancy display boards for everyone to read during the event. Funny thing was.....except for references to cell-phones, the essays could have been written by kids in the 1950s....with visions of skyscrapers, hoover cars, and robots that will do everything for us. Every once and a while there was an essay that seemed to hit the nail on the head. My favorite line....."And Mountain View will NEVER be renamed Mountain Dew." Phew...I was worried about that.

After the plaza dedication I got to go to a special reception, which was also a nice event.Saw lots of familiar faces from the city and from the Youth Advisory Group. Friday was a lot more laid back. I took a nice long walk in the rain along the Stevens Creek trail. The creek was full and the trees were turning colors. Took some nice pictures and really got into the spirit of fall. Went to lunch with my mom at Marie Calender's right after. Got so full, that when I went to dinner with Matt and Kim at Chili's all I wanted was a cup of clam chowder. But...CHILI's doesn't serve Clam Chowder. Boo to them. We went and saw the Santa Clause II after that. It's a nice Christmas movie, just as good, if not better, than the original.

Saturday was my birthday. Went to breakfast at the Los Altos Coffee Shop with my parents. Then went on a drive with my dad around Downtown San Jose and up Mount Hamilton Road to see the valley. Got a hot dog at Mark's Hot Dog's on Alum Rock. Jeesh, those are good hot dogs....and the fact that the hot dog stand is a giant orange built in the 1930s only makes the expirience better. My b-day dinner at the Spaghetti Factory was a lot of fun, and it was great to see so many of us together at one table (26 to be exact). Everyone had a really fun time.

Sunday my parents and I visited Santana Row in San Jose. Well....I was scepticle at first, but Santana Row is really nice. Santana Row is basically a mini-city within a city, with a hotel, open space, a movie theater, stores, restaurants, and high density housing all tied together in large historic-looking buildings that mimic a traditional downtown. It's right across the street from Valley Fair and the Winchester Mystery House. It offers the type of environment that Downtown San Jose SHOULD offer. It's friendly, and vibrant, and exciting. Most of the stores were too upscale for our taste or budget (or to ever locate in Downtown), but the restaurants looked good and the atmosphere was worth the visit alone. Another notch in San Jose's belt, and hopefully a wake up call to all those planners that are working on Downtown. Went to TGIF with the parents after, and once again was denied my clam chowder fix. Humph.

Monday was a beautiful day weather wise. Crisp and clear. Ran a few errands with my mom and then we had lunch at the Lakeside Cafe at Shoreline Park. That cafe has to have one of the nicest views in all of the South Bay. Good lunch. The rest of the day was spent working on homework....and then making my way back to Berkeley for another fun filled week of school. Woohoo. Oh well, before I know it Thanksgiving will be here, and then Christmas. All right. That's it. Phew. A good...long..weekend!

Happy Birthday to the best city I've EVER lived in! Woohoo to Mountain View....otherwise known as the Happiest Place on Earth. 100 years on this very day. I've got my Centennial Committee Shirt on, my jacket and umbrella..... I'm ready to brave the first storm of the season to celebrate the final Centennial Event of the year. Get to see the new Centennial Plaza, my family's inscribed bricks, and the new train station...a replica of the historic train depot built in 1888. Here's to historic architecture! Eat that Bill.

I was appointed by the mayor of the city to the Centennial Celebration Planning Committee back when I was in high school. How weird that this date is finally here. I remember being a young teen and realizing that my 20th birthday would be two days after MV's 100th. Jeesh...20! I thought. That's a whole new decade. Ack! The same thoughts go through my mind right now.

Hmm.....it sure is pouring outside. Unfair. So conflicted! Usually the first rain of the season is something I really enjoy. Now it's just...well...raining on my city's parade. Ah well!

Dia de los Muertos. It's a good tradition....and it's not just the Mexican version of Halloween. Dia de los Muertos acknowledges death as a part of life. It's an annual event where Mexicans and Mexican-Americans celebrate those that have passed away with symbolic alters, funny skeleton figures, special foods, and in some areas a trip to the graveyard for a nightime picnic. It's a healthy way of mourning and coming to grasp with our own mortality. Like most Mexican traditions, its a mix of ancient Aztec culture and Catholic/Spanish traditions.

My uncle, who lives next door to me in my grandparents' house, sets up an alter every year. It has pictures of members of our family who have passed away, yellow marigolds, skeleton figures, candles, and incense. There are also offerings to the dead, pan de los muertos....bread of the dead. According to tradition, on November 1st the souls of children that have passed away come and eat the "spirit of the bread." Then on November 2nd the souls of adults come. My uncle told me last year that he heard voices and noises outside his window last year....said he thinks we had some spirited visitors to the alter.

Why not?

Happy Halloween! I can't believe Halloween has already come...and almost gone. The haunted house was great this year, first time we had lines of people waiting outside the door. I'm glad Kay, Candice, and Erik made it down....specially since my two oldest friends forgot they had told me they'd come.....like they had for the past 5 (or 7) years and went to Cal Poly instead....oh well.

Kay, Candice, Erik, Joella, and I tried our best to run it when my dad, Chris, and his friends were gone....we did our best! First group of people we got, a bunch of 9 year old girls....everything didn't work. They came out of there yelling it wasn't scary at all. Second group we scared em good! Ha! All together I think we gave away over 65 treat bags of candy, and dozens of individual pieces after that. I wouldn't be surprised if about 100 people came this year!

Mountain View is a great place to be at Halloween now. There are at least four haunted houses in the city, one that is at Haunted Mansion-level when it comes to technology and special effects. It was great to see all the streets lined with the shadows of trick-or-treaters and families, to see pumpkins glowing on so many front porches, and to hear laughter.....and the occasional scream.

Whew. Where did that weekend go? Even with the extra hour it was way too short. My home is all decked out for Halloween, the haunted house is half way set up, La Llorona is ready to scare the neighborhood kids. Went to a birthday party for my little cousin Angelica. She turned 6. Erik got to meet most of my mom's side....and even baptised my Aunt Lydia with diet coke by letting a basketball slip past his hands and on to a table full of drinks that my Aunt was sitting at.

Got to see Lesley play field hockey against Stanfurd. What can I say except...wow, boo to Stanfurd. This lady sitting next to Erik and I, all decked out in a fancy Stanfurd vest was an living breathing steriotype of a Stanfurd fan.

Excerpts from her conversation with a friend sitting next to her:

"(so and so) FINE-AL-LEEEE bought a new house. Her house in Cupertino was sooo tiny....it only had THREE Bedrooms and TWO Baths you know. Can you imagine, it didn't even have a den."

"It is soo great to have her with us (referring to her maid). We took her with us to Mexico City. It was great because she speaks the languague of course, and was able to help us find our way around. I mean noooo one speaks a WORD of English down there!"

(Blissfully ignorant of the fact that there are groups of UCSB fans sitting around her as the score approaches 11-0 Stanford): "This is a wonderful game! It is just great that all the freshman get to play against this club team. (yells) GO FRESHMAN!"

....and so on. We had better win the Big Game.

The homecoming game was awesome! Just awesome. Cal beat UCLA! We rushed the field at the end of the game and celebrated. It was so much fun. I saw one of the football players and realized I went to school with him in kindergarten, and he was one year ahead of me for the rest of school. So I shook his hand and said hi. I hope we can rush the field again come November 23. We Want the Axe!

Good news on the studio front. My project was extended till Wednesday! Bad news why, a girl in another section cut herself pretty bad in the shop....but didn't loose any fingers or anything luckily. However, it caused the shop to close down for a day,....which made it impossible for a lot of the class to finish their projects. I was going to go home tonight, but decided it'd be better to just stay here for the weekend and catch up.

Good news on the City Planning class front too, I got a 23/25 when the curve made a 17 an A. Let's hope I did something similar in stats...by some miracle.

Good times.

So, midterms have come and gone. All two of them. Lucky me. I have no idea how I did on either of them. Not fun. I have a bad feeling about my Stats midterm, and a slightly optomistic feeling about my City Planning midterm.

But...I really don't have too much time to think about them. After classes today it was off to studio for me. Where I remained, with a nice break to celebrate Ryan's birthday, until midnight. It was nice to have the whole group together. Hope we do it a lot more often. Erik and Ryan came to visit me at Wurster and walk home with me after they went to the RSF. Thanks guys.

My goal: finish my model tomorrow and finish my presentation board by 4:00pm on Saturday! Will I do it? Check back on Sunday to find out....

Things that really irk as I cram for my stats midterm:

-An EECS major who is too busy reading his EECS reader to pay any attention during my Stat Section's midterm review. Dude, if you're not going to pay attention why don't you just go to the library
and read about EECS? Huh? Why you have to sit there next to me and make me feel less intelligent than you because you are just so freakin smart that you don't need to pay attention to the review problems that have my brain spinning. Be gone evil one.

-The growing number of jugglers and unicyclists that are congregating in La Loma and outside Evans Hall. How can you possibly have so much free time in college to practice juggling on a weekday!? How dare you stand their juggling your bowling pins as I hurry off to go lock myself in Doe Library to study till who knows when? Even if I didn't have this midterm, I'd still be doing work in studio. Seriously, even if you had that much free time, why would you spend it juggling, or unicycling. Why not do something worthwhile? Like sit in your room and watch TV, or save a historic house. Jeez.

The wonderful thing about having a large, close-knit family is that you have so many people you love and never want to loose.

The hard thing about having a large, close-knit family, is that you have so many people you love and never want to loose.

The saga continues:

On Tuesday at McDonald's in SF, my friend from studio Flavia, was the first person at Cal to actually guess I was half Portuguese. I guess it helps that she's from Brazil. But oh ya....she guessed Indian before she guessed Portuguese. Ah well.

Have you heard? A certain girl we all know and love told us at the concert last night that she's gonna be a pirate hooker for Halloween. Argh matey! Since she is going to yell at me as soon as she reads this, I might as go all the way and mention erotic bagels. Harhar!

"Are you gonna live your life wonderin' standing in the back lookin' around?
Are you gonna waste your time thinkin' how you've grown up or how you missed out?
Things are never gonna be the way you want.
Where's it gonna get you acting serious?
Things are never gonna be quite what you want.
Or even at 25, you gotta start sometime.
I'm on my feet, I'm on the floor, I'm good to go.
Now all I need is just to hear a song I know.
I wanna always feel like part of this was mine.
I wanna fall in love tonight."

Ahhhhhhh. The Jimmy Eat World concert was so good. I had the greatest time, and it seemed like everyone else that went did too. Anyone who thinks that they sound bad live......well if they ever did, they sound great now.

This is the first group thing I have planned in Berkeley. I used my awesome City Planning skills to make sure we didn't get lost in the Tenderloin on our way to the Warfield (which is an awesome building). That would have been not so fun. But the concert was just great. I wish I could turn back time and go to it all over again.

So....I decided to take a chance, be a good dorm resident, and brave out the DC tonight. It's been over a week since I went there for a dinner. But....when I saw what was being served (the normal slop) and the long lines to get the slop.....I just decided to leave.

Not worth it. Nope. They didn't even have any ice cream for me to take home. Waste my swipes. Humph.

I spent most of tonight wasting time. I couldn't help it that I stumbled across the on-line archives of the Los Altos Historical Association! (Yes...I know...I'm a dork.....bare with me here)

I just couldn't stop reading the scans of newspaper articles and flyers from the 50s when Los Altos and Mtn. View were in annexation "wars." Some of those Los Altans really hated Mountain View. They portrayed Mountain View in political cartoons as a vicious drooling dark wolf ready to attack Los Altos (portrayed as a fluffy white lamb).

Their whole thing was that Mountain View was going to take over the supposed "countryside" of Los Altos, and ruin their semi-rural country/suburban way of life. But....if you read between the lines of any of those old articles....you can see some pretty strong ulterior motives that stand behind the mantra of "keeping our semi-rural way of life."

MV was allowing residential lots to be subdivided to less than 1/4 of an acre.... making them affordable for people that were...well undesirable in certain communities in the 1950s because of their income and ethnicity.

So even though Los Altos pretty much got all the land it thought MV would take, they went ahead and developed all those orchards into neighborhoods that are now filled with homes selling for way over one million dollars. So much for preserving that countryside.

There was one swath of land however, that Los Altos couldn’t get….the area adjacent to my own neighborhood between El Camino and the train tracks. Los Altos wanted to cram all of its industry into that area, right up against Mountain View's oldest neighborhoods. That way, it wouldn’t have to put anything ugly in the orchards near its own existing residential neighborhoods. No big deal that it would replace the small orchards and farms that were next to Mountain View’s neighborhoods.

Regardless, Mountain View got the land instead….and developed it into a higher density neighborhood that is one of the most diverse areas of any place in the entire county. Los Altos was confined to the area south of El Camino Real. Things have come a long way since those years.... but the patterns of development set in the 1950s, and the resulting divisions in demographics that are rooted in those patterns still define the character of these two cities and the way they address certain issues.

So....it's no coincidence that Mountain View's population ended up being made up of about 45% minorities, and Los Altos', 15%. Mountain View has a median income of $40,000, Los Altos $80,000. These figures are from 1990.....the differences are problably more apparent now.

So now, in the same zip code you have the wealthiest of the wealthy on one side of El Camino Real, living in the semi-rural splendor of their nice homes lining streets without sidewalks on their quarter acre lots, and on the other side you have rows of apartment blocks where some of the poorest residents of entire county scratch out a living as the blue collar workers of the valley.

And along El Camino Real, the very street that splits this zip code in half, stand dozens of Hispanic immigrants, day workers, literally searching the street for jobs every day. Most letters to the editor regarding this issue in one city’s paper cry for the removal of these “illegals.” Letters in the other city’s paper speak of how to help them and immediately come to their defense when needed. Maybe we haven’t come quite as far from the 1950s as we’d like to think……..