Bad Rick, Good Rick

Yes, in some ways it was nice that the Snells appeared there in El Salvador and were so friendly and invited us to their beach house at least once where we hung out with the son Rick and he drove us around in his convertible with the top down and we all had a great time. On the other hand, it was sort of not good to have the Smeyas always hanging around because they were not really missionaries and we were not really sure exactly what they were doing there, something about being in business and doing business there, whatever. Also, the wife was not really Rick's mother but we were not sure about that situation or what to ask or say about that as we really did not know the Smeyas very well and had not met them before they appeared down there so no way to know anything about their history back in the United States. Rick might have liked my little sister although I really don't remember. Whatever. It is not like I ever had another thought of Rick after I returned to the United States to go to college. We did not stay in touch with the Snells, Rick and his father Al, later. I am not saying this to be mean but the Snells were really closer friends with the Buenos than they were with us. Rick spent a lot of time, sometimes almost every day, over at the Bueno house hanging out with the Bueno boys although I also remember him appearing at our front door a time or two. Rick rarely ever said anything to me and it is hard for me to remember anything about him. Poor guy! While we were attending high school Rick was hanging around doing nothing. I later heard that Rick married someone there, a national, and they later moved to San Diego. It is not like there would be any reason to get in touch with Rick as we were never really friends anyway. He only liked my sister.

Venus vs. Mars

I never did read that book by John Gray, "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus," which purports to explain the differences between men and women. Someone was carrying on about this book but I never read it. I sounded like it might be highly exaggerated and reduces people to simplistic cliches to say that men do nothing but confront each other in challenging ways as for example warfare while women are basically little more than sex objects. I think that these pop psychology books are not really helping a whole lot and might even create a lot of expectations in people of how everyone is supposed to fit into certain predetermined boxes that reduce society to little more than nomadic tribal groups warring amongst each other for survival of the fittest. Yes, men and women are very different but we all live on this planet called earth and therefore must get along. Are we really going to roll back centuries of progress and legalize dueling, white slavery, and other nefarious practices that have long been relegated to the darkest corners of society? I hope not but it is not really up to me. It is a group think kind of thing. Sometimes the individual just cannot win against the stupid group.

Houston

Yes, funny how these relocated nationals think that living in Houston makes them a United States citizen. Actually, there is no significance to living in the city of Houston, being as it is just another city in Texas albeit a rather large one, as opposed to some other city in the United States. If you actually were a rocket scientist on a mission to Mars then perhaps a Houston location would be important but you are no rocket scientist as we all know. You are just another immigrant wannabe just like all the other wetbacks streaming across the border. The only difference between you and the wetback is that you have lots of money in the offshore bank or else married in whereas the wetbacks did not have the money or else gave it all to the sharks. Perhaps you would feel more at home in China where everyone gets straight As. All the countries of the world are the same to you in this global network of rich people who have money in offshore banks. Wherever you go on the planet, you have the money to pay for the rich lifestyle so it really does not matter where they move you next, whether it be Bombay or Nairobi. You will always have your mansion fully staffed, etc., and your social network of rich people with money in offshore banks, those decadent movie stars and executives living off the corporate dole and also diplomats. A nice life for sure but it does not mean that you have a clue about my life or what it means to be a true citizen of the United States of America, home of the free and the brave.

Questions

Yes, I am still wondering why I should care about all these weeds that vicious bitch-witch Carmen planted all over the place, as if I would ever again want to see her arrogant, prideful face sneering at me in contempt and disdain as in high school days. So typical of these prideful Spanish people to think they are better than everyone else when actually they are very self-absorbed and full of themselves and think that they have to be in control of everything just because they don't like white people, not because they actually have anything intelligent to say that we don't already know.

Indigenous Americans

Yes, it might be interesting to know whether there could be such a thing as an indigenous church in the United States. Mostly we think of the indigenous church as being located in some other country, not here in the U.S. where all of the people are imported from somewhere else anyway and fly out of the country to do missionary service elsewhere rather than bother trying to witness to the people at home who don't care anyway. There is a major flaw in the indigenous church principle which is the assumption that we the people of the U.S. are the imperialist aggressors and they over there are always the victims. Have these bigwigs never considered the fact that sometimes it is the other way around? When will they finally put those bigwigs in a mental hospital to ponder the error of trying to apply a 1950s mentality to the realities of the 21st century? The answer to that question is not clear.

Typical

Yes, wee see that these silly Spanish ladies for whom those magazines were written so fascinated with these Euro trash monarchs. I vaguely remember reading somewhere about Prince Albert and his affairs out in the Palm Springs desert. We have no connection whatever to those people. However, I am not surprised to see in the newspapers these silly Spanish ladies fascinated and running to hear every tawdry detail of the sordid life of Prince Albert and his many descendants. One does feel sorry for the pathetic lady he finally married. And Princess Diana thought her marriage was crowded. Ha! We have our celebrity trash here in America but mostly they are Hollywood movie stars most of whom could not get elected president for love nor money notwithstanding the exception of President Reagan. We would prefer that our politicians concentrate on taking care of the nation's business and getting the nation out of debt please, instead of wasting our time on silly nothingness, thank you very much.

California

Yes, I sometimes wonder whatever happened to Candace Bennett who lived down the hall at SCC during my first year. She did not stay beyond the first year I think. I do not remember much about her. I see from the alumni directory that she lives in Rimforest, a town high in the San Bernardino mountains of California. I would not be able to comment on anything regarding Candy because, well, I do not remember anything, and anyway, it could get confusing because her roommate was Candy Higgins who was originally from San Diego I think, maybe. There were three of us with the same first name, sort of, on the seventh floor so I am not sure what your point might be as you never did have your facts right from the very beginning and, anyway, you filthy dogs of Chicago, it was never any of your business anyway.