Posted on 01/01/2012 8:10:22 AM PST by Gen.Blather
I met some illegal Mexicans last night at a party. Several years ago I stayed with a couple of wonderful Mexican families in the Baja below California. These were well-off people. The homes, on average were beautifully tiled and some of them had mahogany inlaid walls, bookshelves and cabinetry that would cost a hundred-thousand dollars here. So, Im guessing if they arent rich theyre very comfortable. The elderly not as well-off grandfather, while living in Mexico was receiving Social Security from the United States and owned a rent-free apartment in California which he used as his address to receive several forms of assistance checks from Californian agencies. He visited the apartment once a week to re-arrange things and make it looked lived in. He had a car, a Toyota Corolla that looked quite nice and had working air-conditioning. I gathered it was supplied as some form of assistance and he generally left it in California at the apartment. The apartment was about 1100 square feet and very livable. The grandfather told me most of entire complex, easily a 1000 units, were like him, on Californian assistance, but actually living in Mexico.
At the party were a couple of teenage boys from this family. Very nice kids. Id be proud to have them as my own; diligent, hard working, trouble-free and much more adult than youd expect from that age. They told me that theyd decided to go to high school in California instead of Mexico. They said that the (California) government gave them an apartment and they travel back to Mexico on the weekends. (I dont know if theyre staying alone or if a family member is staying with them, but if I had to guess, they came alone.)
When I posted information on this family last time, Freepers angrily asked why I hadnt reported them. Firstly, I was a well-treated guest. Secondly, this must be obvious to the casual observer. Even if I knew who to report it to in California, which I dont, it is obvious that this is how its done. These people are only taking advantage of benefits put there for them. Not to avail themselves of these benefits would be like deciding not to take candy freely offered to you.
Sorry, I didn’t notice.
LOL!
We’ve been seeing lots of tv programs set in Canada recently: Frank likes a show called “Mighty Machines,” which shows trains and construction equipment. DP found it streaming on Netflix.
Now there is a Blast-from-the-Past!
If it’s the same show, my son loved Mighty Machines when he was Frank’s age.
They cover some of the biggest equipment in the world.
See if the credits show a date. My son will be 21 this spring.
:-)
The Netflix listing shows 1995 as the date for the series, so that makes the episodes at least 16 years old.
Have you watched “Lie to Me” on Netflix? It's a fascinating fictional series about a scientist who knows how to read the micro expressions that humans show without even knowing it.
I also love the show “Bones”, based on Kathy Reichs, the anthropologist.
San was fourteen three years ago.
Is there a Chi on the horizon?
Scoutmaster has permission to procreate with Bernadette Peters and/or Nanci Griffith. Neither of them has shown any interest.
オッズ第三子に良いものではありません
Scoutiness in the works?
Mild Scoutiness. Awaiting surgery to rebuild left shoulder (right shoulder rebuilt in 2001). Something about rappelling, belaying, rock climbing, vertical caving, horizontal caving, bull riding, whitewater canoeing, canoeing-canoeing, kayaking, backpacking, road cycling accidents (see, e.g., right shoulder), skydiving, mountain biking, and the more vigorous activities don't agree with rotator cuffs, anterior biceps tendons, capsules, cartilage, and other minor elements of the shoulder. Only question is whether this one will be arthroscopic or 'laid-open.'
What have you been reading?
Last week? Chasing the Rodeo, by W.K. Stratton (best "true history of rodeos, rodeo culture" book, and probably the only one; I went to school with a National Finals Rodeo World Champion Barrel Racer); The Man Who Ate Everything, by Jeffrey Steingarten; No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy (re-read); and Unfamiliar Fishes, by Sarah Vowell (love Sarah Vowell, the raging liberal who makes history quirky and alive).
Prayers up for speedy recovery for San.
Thanks. She's already feeling better.
I like it! Email your grandmother about the radio, please. She’s grumping at me. She’s trying to recarpet and also find a regular aide for Dad, so as not to be stuck at home all the time, and it’s making her irritable, so please help by emailing her with vociferous gratitude, even if you have to make something up.
I just put “Lie to Me” up on the instant-view list. I’ll give it a try sometime when there are no kids around.
Bill has a guitar-playing friend over; it’s getting loud!
夜よく眠れるし、朝の前にすべての無愛想を取得するので、あなたの耳でワカモレを入れないでください。
And I thought I had it tough when my sifu didn’t *speak* much english.
I thought Chi would have been child number 4. Have I screwed up my counting?
No, I messed up my writing. We're lacking a child #4.
When counting n Japanese, 4 (四) can be pronounced either "よん" (yon) or "し" (shi).
よん is a kunyomi, or native Japanese, pronunciation, and し is a onyomi pronunciation, which means it's derived from classical Chinese.
My tiny little pre-Japan class said onyomi pronunciations are only to be used in counting. So I'd call child #4 "Yon" and not "Shi."
However, in very polite situations (and yet to me, the only times that aren't very polite situations in Japan are when I am the one adult at a noodle house table of Japanese Scouts dispalying their wristwatches that show YouTube Videos), you count with the kunyomi pronunciation, because し is too close to 死, which is pronounced "shee" and means 'death.'
You use yon when counting backwards, because it's easier on the tongue. Yonsan is easier to say that Shisan.
You also use shi in months, like 四月 - shigatsu, or April.
Maybe he’s counting dependents, which would be Ichi (for the wife), Ni, San (the children), and Shi if they had another or enumerated petz.
And good morning. I came downstairs to feed the baby and found Bill and his guest crashed in the living room. I should have mentioned that the day starts early downstairs - they should have gone up to the beds when they finished watching movies.
Ash got up and gave the inert forms a thorough sniff to see if either was Anoreth. Disappointment.
Good morning and thank you for the pronunciation lesson. You brought back memories w/the boys in the living room! Reading about your family is fun.
Have a great day!
Thank you for the Japanese lesson. When do you count backwards? The only time that comes to mind is when the anesthesiologist tells you, “Count backwards from one hundred,” and, next thing you know, it’s all over.
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