Talk about running out of steam. It is nearing 10:00 pm and I am still working on two papers.

Tomorrow I am getting up at 5:00 am to catch a 6:45 flight out of here. I will head up to Seattle only to catch a plane heading down to Houston. There I will meet Sara and we will fly down to Merida, Yucatan.

I am looking forward to the trip except for a few things:

• It is supposed to be 106 degrees (and very humid, mind you) there tomorrow and the next few days don't seem to hold any relief.
• I still need to finish these two papers that I am to present at this conference.
• I still need to pack.
• And I did mention having to get up at 5, didn't I?

I actually will only present one paper. My two papers were scheduled on Tuesday and a week from Saturday. So I will give the second paper to someone to read for me. It is actually a co-authored paper with an undergrad student. I tried to get her to the conference to present it and I had actually even found the money, but the college has a policy of not funding students to be abroad without the supervision of an adult. Give me a break! They are adults! I guess they are old enough to fight a war, but they can't be unsupervised.

The paper I will be giving is on the local taco trucks. I think I need to do more research, however, before I can come up with any definite conclusions ;-)

I guess I should get back to work or else I won't be sleeping at all tonight.

DON'T FORGET TO SPONSOR SARA!!! Or at least just leave her some words of encouragement in the comments to the previous post...

Calling all charitable givers...

Sara is participating in the Walkathon in Boston for NAMI (the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) on May 14. This is a great organization that advocates for people who usually can't speak up for themselves.

So if you would like to sponsor Sara, you can make an online pledge here. I don't think there is any minimum amount and every little bit helps.

Thank you for your attention - now we will return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Back in Washington.

Finally a trip without flight delays.

Busy times, though. Tomorrow I have a thesis defense, a class to teach, a public lecture to the college (with the student I am doing research with), and dinner at the college's president's house. And yes, I am tired and jet-lagged beyond belief.

My mind is more blank than usual.

I got into Boston last night at about midnight and I did not really get to bed until about 1:30 or 2:00 am. Then it was up at 7:00 am to head over to the conference in Cambrdge.

If you think I might be tired you are correct. The conference was pretty good. The fact that it held my attention and I did not nod off at all is proof that it must have interesting.

I head back over tomorrow morning for day two.

Sara left for New Hampshire this morning for her conference. She will be back tomorrow evening.

It is strange being here without Sara around.

=======

I ran across Sara's explanation of benefits for when she was in the ER for her kidney stones. It was almost $5000. Thank goodness she has good health insurance. I can't imagine what people who don't do.

That is a lot of money for a couple hours of care.

========

It seems like bedbugs in hotel rooms and cabins in cruises. With the decline of available/legal pesticides, hotels are having difficulties keeping the bedbugs from bitiing. I must say that I have not encountered any - I am thankful for my good fortune.

I am flying again today. I can't believe it.

I am tired, cranky, grumpy, and a bit depressed. I think these are all symptoms of burn out.

I am going to Boston to attend a conference on Immigrant Political Incorporation tomorrow and Saturday. It should be a good conference with some good speakers. I hope my enthusiasm returns.

Ironically, Sara has a conference in New Hampshire tomorrow and Saturday too. I will get to see her Sunday and Monday morning (my flight isn't until the afternoon).

Time to hit the road.

Eureka!

Today I found the best tortillas I have had in Gringolandia. This may seem like no big deal, but tortillas are part of who I am. I am not sure what it is, but as you cross over the imaginary line between Mexico and the US, the ability to make good tortillas disappears. Maybe it is a need to comply with health regulations or a certain gabacho jinx - I don't know. I have had some adequate ones in areas where there are muchos Mexicanos, but I have never had any that were comparable to the best in Mexico. Until today...

I was out and about collecting some data for a research project I am working on. I went to visit a small Mexican store I had heard about that is located on a rural crossroads right on the Washington-Oregon border. Cross the street and you are in a different state.

The store is a gem. Called Carniceria Jalisco because they sell Mexican cuts of meat (cachete, tripa, lengua, etc.), they also have a vast array of fresh and dried chiles, spices, and herbs. They have some pan dulce and a collection of abarrotes. And there they were, in the corner, the tortillas I have been searching for. They are actually made locally at a tortilleria called "La Candelaria" that I have driven past in Milton-Freewater, Oregon. It never seemed to be open, though, so I have never stopped.

So I bought a big stack of these tortillas, along with some dried Eucalyptus leaves (to make tea to relieve the lingering cough I have), pan dulce, and some dried chiles.


Carniceria Jalisco

After my purchases, I stopped by the Taqueria Jalisco located next door. I had a three tacos: asada, carnitas, and birria. All delicious. I was amused by the listing of their taco loco, which I had to inquire about. A taco with the odd mix of bacon, hot dogs, and god-knows what else. After the first two ingredients I stopped listening.

I also had to laugh at one of the beverage choices: Choco Mil (a Spanish appropriation of Chocolate Milk). How things have changes as the terms moved back and forth across the border: from Xocolatl to chocolate to chocolate to chocolate milk to choco mil. Beautiful.


Taqueria Jalisco

The people who worked there were also extremely nice. They are a family from a small village in, you guessed it, Jalisco. It is somewhere in between Guadalajara and Ciudada Guzman. The husband has been here for about ten years and his wife came up six years ago. Their children are now going to school and hope to make the most of the opportunities they have here which they would never have in Mexico.

Damn immigrants! Always trying to better themselves.

In any case, back to the tortillas. I put them to the test this evening. Perfect. Moist, flavorful, and soft.

I would tell you where Carniceria Jalisco is, but my guess is that you will never be around here and even if you were, you would never find it - it is out of the way, almost in the middle of a field.

Now I need to find the perfect bolillo in Gringolandia.

My Favorite Santa Fe Burrito - no red chile on this one!


Santa Fe Burro

I am feeling better today, which means I need to tackle many of the things that have piled up over the past few days. So you get yet another picture. This one is of my running motif of picturing donkeys here.

There is somthing about this sculpture and its placement in the entrance to a small alley in Santa Fe that really appeals to me.

My condition is improving, yet I still have somewhat of a ways to go down the road of recovery. Consequently, you get more photos:


Old Town Albuquerque

I love Old Town Albuquerque. One of my favorite restaurants is there - La Hacienda. The flat blue corn enchiladas with red chile are amazing. I could definitely use some of that chile now to clear out the old sinuses.


La Hacienda


While in Old Town, you can visit the recently moved National Atomic Museum (soon to be renamed the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History).


Atomic Museum - Albuquerque

The museum used to be on the nearby air force base, but after 9-11 they don't let us commoners/civilians on the base any more. So they moved the museum to the building that used to be occupied by REI in Old Town.

Some people complained about errecting a missle in a "historic" part of the city. As Sara rightly pointed out to me, though, science and nuclear research are an important part of New Mexico history.

The museum is pretty interesting, especially if you go with a nuclear phycisist like we did. It is an interesting intersection of history, science, and social issues.

I should get to work. I have not gotten much done the past few days. Now I am way behind.

Since I am still sick and my writing just reflects my grumpy mood, I will be sharing pictures from the past month that I took with my new digital camera.

Enjoy!


Sandia Ridge - Albuquerque 




Mt. Taylor - West of Albuquerque 

Bleh

Sick - again!

This morning when I woke up, my coughing became extremely productive. Copious amounts of nasty gunk came up and out. As the day progressed, my sinuses began to swell and they became congested. Along with this, there was a terrible itch from the top of my throat up to the clogged air passages just above my nostrils.

After this lovely descprition, let me replace the image in your mind with a nicer and more aesthetically pleasing one. Spring has arrived here - although it is still a bit chilly. Our yard is full of blooming tulips and the buds in the trees are beginning to open. The trees have their leaves and the grass is lush again.

I am also happy because one of my favorite bloggers is back online. She was one of the very first I read and one of my first visitors. Welcome back, Mala! I look forward to reading about your entrepreneurial adventures.

I also have had some positive feedback from some of my students this week. It makes me wonder, though, if I am such a great teacher, why isn't anyone offering me a job. Yes, more rejection letters keep streaming in. Actually, when you are gone for an extended period of time, they are in a big pile waiting for you - along with all the bills you have to pay.

Positive, I need to channel a positive vibe here. I am not succeeding, am I? I should get to bed. I need rest - lots of it. There is much to do, but tomorrow I am sleeping in.

Where am I?

Oh yeah. Back in Washington.

I am so tired. Saturday we drove back down to Albuquerque. Sunday both Sara and I were able to fly out despite a snow storm - luckily we weren't flying through Denver (one of my collegues here was and ended up staying in NM an extra two days). Unfortunately, Sara was flying back to Boston and I to San Diego.

I was only in San Diego for a couple of hours before I hit the road with the dog in the back seat. Somewhere in the Mohave desert I was hit with the ever-present existential questions: where am I and what am I doing here?

I stopped in Kettleman City the first night. The Super 8 Motel there is much better than the Motel 6 in Coalinga. No frills, but it is clean and more or less comfortable.

The second stop was in Grants Pass, OR. Then it was back to this place.

Along the way I seem to have developed a deep cough. Not your mild hacking, but something that comes from deep within your chest. It is very dry too. I may be somewhat paranoid - this tends to happen after you have had a bout with pneumonia that lands you in the hospital for three days - but it has had me concerned. Every little ache and pain - after sitting in the car for a couple of days these are quite common - becomes a reason to take your temperature. No fever this time, and I am actually coughing less, but I am still not better. But my concern with pneumonia has more or less passed.

Teaching today was a challenge, both because I was afraid of falling into a coughing fit and because I am exhausted. Luckily we are on a topic I know very well - ethnicity.

There is much more to say, but I need my sleep. Good night.

I can't believe it has been a week since I last wrote in here. Right now I am in Santa Fe. This is such a neat little place, even with all the artsy kitch and pseudo-sophistication (read: arrogance) of some of the vistors.

The conference has been ok. Some good networking and some good ideas have come out of it. The organization has been somewhat poor, though.

No time to write. This was a freak opportunity. Bye.

It's back to New Mexico tomorrow.

This week has been CRAY-ZEE! and I am exhausted.

I am looking forward to some hugs and some green chile.

I am off to finish packing and then to bed. I have a 6:50 flight to catch in the morning.

Part of an email I received from a student today:

Again, muchas gracias por los consejos y el apoyo que has aportado al desarrollo de mi tesis. W/out your help I don't know if I'd be were I am.

It is nice knowing that your work has been helpful.

The same student used a phrase I had not heard in a long time - probably since I last lived in Mexico:

"Pase de panzaso..."

It means, I barely passed (a test/class/etc.), but panzaso means something like a belly-flop. So the image, at least in my mind, is that you barely made it across a finish/goaline as you skidded by on your belly. In any case, it made me smile.

Here I am after crossing 12 state lines, back in Washington (ok, there were some states that were double-counted - if you want to know the details, see the comments below). All I can say is whew.

And of the 8 flights I took, only two were on time. That is not a good record for the airline industry. Some delays were more trying than others. From Providence to New Mexico, we had to change planes in Nashville. Our connecting flight to Albuquerque was delayed over three hours, so they rerouted us through Phoenix. It seemed silly to fly past our destination only to head back to it. If only we could parchute out. This inconvenicence was more trying because both Sara and I were sick (Sara much more than me). Our flight to Phoenix was late and we had five minutes to make our connection. Somehow we (and more amazingly our bags) made it.

Despite the trying delays, I do have to say the people at Southwest were all very nice and really tried to be helpful (and went out of their way to make sure our bags made all the necessary connections).

I can't really breathe yet. I head back to New Mexico on Friday. So I only have three days here to catch up on everything that has piled up, get what I need to do this week, prepare for the conference next week, and try to get ahead for the the following week. I also had to keep my motivation up even though I was welcomed back here by a big pile of rejection letters, including a very impersonal letter from the school I interviewed in Southern California. Moreover, I am carless since my car is still in San Diego with the dog, so even the routine errands take much longer since I have to walk everywhere. Nonetheless, today was actually quite productive, so I am off to a good start.

With all the flurry of activity and having just spent a nice period of time with Sara, you would think that I would not miss her as much as I do. But I do. I can't wait to hop yet another plane (and another and another) to be with her again. June, when we will both be back in the same place, is two months away. It will be fascinating to see how long and short that period can concurrently be.

I don't know if I will be back here this week. I certainly won't be once I am back in New Mexico. I wonder if I will ever get all the junk that is nesting in my head out in writing. Hmm...we'll see.

Sara is napping since the germs I passed on to her have taken a toll.

Today I was back in Providence to pick up copies of our dissertations that we had duplicated and bound. We need to parcel them out to our committees and our relatives. I must say that is one big stack of paper - heavy too. It was strange being back at the old department. No nostalgia - and a huge sense of relief that I am no longer there.

Tomorrow Sara and I are off to New Mexico. I am looking forward to the food- flat enchiladas, sopapillas, green and red chiles, yum, yum, yum...The warm sun will be nice too.

I will probably not be able to post from there, so I will be back here sometime next week when I get back to Washington. Have a great weekend everyone!

Despite my best efforts, I can't fully kick this stupid cold. It seems like I am just about done with it and then I get a surprise burst of snot or en extra visit by Mr. Sore Throat. It is terribly annoying. And now Sara is not feeling well...

Yesterday we went to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts to see an exhibit by Damien Hurst and the cars from the Ralph Lauren Collection. We took a peek at the collection from Oceania, Africa, and Latin America in between. Damien Hurst produces provocative work - some I like, some is somewhat disturbing. The cars were beautiful, but as Sara pointed out to me, European car makers were quite complicit in the establishment and maintainence of fascist regimes during the 20th century. Something which was not made quite evident in the exhibit.

Snow is coming...! Ah, weather in New England - you need to love it! Never a dull moment.

I finished my paper today and sent it off to the discussant. I am not all that happy with it, but I needed to get it done. It is funny how high expectations quickly get toned down as deadlines loom.

I spent the time after sending off my paper cleaning out the pantry here. It seems that we were incubating moths in there. I hate moths - they get into everything. I really hate dropping some pasta into boiling water only to find moth larvae float to the top. Yuck. I ended throwing a lot of food out. Anything that was questionable went out. After all the shelves were empty, I wiped them down with water and bleach. I hope that takes care of them. Maybe they will move to the closets and start feeding on our sweaters now.

It is good to see that our courts are still somewhat independent of politics. That will change - you just wait and see...

It was bound to happen. Considering the miles I have traversed, the number of people I have encountered, and the variety of pathogens I have come in contact with, it should be no surprise that I got sick. Luckily it is only a pesky cold. Two local eating establishments here have had workers with hepititis. Nonetheless, I have been bummed that my time with Sara has been hindered by this.

Right now I should be working on a paper that I need to present in a couple of weeks. It actually needs to go to the discussant soon so he can read it and comment on it. I am not feeling inspired at all, though. So here I am procrastinating...in all ways possible.

This is better than the news, though. I can't believe this whole issue with that poor woman in Florida. It is very disconcerting seeing the Congress and the President of the United States interfering in an issue that concerns an individual. All just for political posturing. Sara and I just find it terribly ironic that the woman's name means slave in Italian. Her decision between life and death is being ignored for political bickering. Now that is true enslavement.

I know some of you are looking forward to some picture. To you I must apologize, but there are none. I have been too busy/sick to take any and to figure out how to upload them. Maybe later...

Ok, I should try to get some of this stupid paper written before people start getting on my case.

In Boston

I made it here. That was a lot of miles in the last week, each one worth it. I am in the process of of recovering and recuperating now.

I have been learning how to use my new camera. No pictures as of yet. This may have to wait until I return to Washington where I can install the software and upload the pictures. I am a bit behind on the learning process when it comes to digital media.

Some observations:

- I still don't understand why people here in Boston (and Rhode Island) park and just sit in their cars - even when it is REALLY cold outside. It seems to be a pastime here. Even after living in New England for many years and being away for almost one, it still creeps me out - especially when they are out in front of your house.
- San Diego has a big pothole problem courtesy of the excessive rains they received this winter. Even so, Boston's problem is much worse.
- Just down the street there seems to be a sinkhole starting right between the sidewalk and the street. It goes down about two feet and there seems to be a cave running under the street. Someone stuck a stick in it and attached a plastic bag to the top.
- Having a street sign that says "Centre Street under construction ahead, drive at your own risk" is a bit disconcerting.
- Sara and I believe that the Big Dig in Boston has unleashed the deamons that were trapped under the city of Boston - hence the cold winter, the Red Sox winning the World Series, the massive potholes, the Bush election victory, and the never ending problems with the Big Dig itself. It could be that the gates to Hell were unlocked and Armagedon is about to begin. I will let you know if I see any horsemen riding around.
- The ANWR being opened up to drilling has me depressed.

That's all for now. I have a project idea that I may run by you soon. I need to think about it a little more...stay tuned.

I made it to San Diego.

It was a nice drive. It was interesting to see spring come into bloom as I made my way south. The trees were greener, the flowers brighter, and the birds friskier as I entered the lower latitudes.

It is strange that it is much cooler in San Diego than it was anywhere else on the way here, except for maybe LA.

Strange sight: somewhere in the San Juaquin Valley I stopped for gas in the evening. As I was pumping, a Greyhound bus stopped and let the passengers off for a break. I have seldom seen such a strange assortment of people: the weirdest eccentrics and the poorest Mexicans you can imagine. They all got off and immediately lit up, right next to the gas pumps. Needless to say, I was out of there pretty quickly.

Word of advice: avoid the Coalinga Motel 6. More on that later.

I am tired, so I will quit for now. Maybe more tomorrow.