DEATH AND TAXES

Taxes. I hate doing my taxes. Well, actually hated, as in I don’t do it anymore, because I don’t have to, not because I decided to be a rogue citizen living on the edge by avoiding taxes.

A few years ago, I used to work in an office in which we had no contract whatsoever, and required to hand out receipts (which we had to pay for) for each paycheck. This means I had to either have some unknown CPA do my taxes for me, or ask my mother to do them for me. I went for option number 2, for obvious reasons. My mom used to work for a CPA, and I would send her all my information, regarding my monthly income and expenses via e-mail, since she lived about three hours away. She explained to me as much as I could wrap my head around the process of declaring one’s taxes. When she explained it to me she used words, she used charts, she used booklets with ‘simple’ useful information on them, dioramas, at one point there were apples, grapes and a watermelon, to no avail. I have no understanding for taxes. Not even Dora would be able to enlighten me on the subject. I’m an architect, I like math, I’m good with numbers, but when it comes to talking about revenues, interests, rates, proceeds, etc my brain gets overwhelmed and starts going like this.

Ultimately, she told me what to do with the information I had and she would do the rest. It was easier to leave me in the dark than explaining all of it to a blank face.

 Suffice to say that I never got the hang of it, and thanks to that resolve of having my mother take care of everything made me feel safe I wasn’t pulling a Wesley Snipes on the country’s big house of moneys, otherwise known as SAT.

About a year and a half later, my mom told me I needed to find someone else to do my taxes, since she was quitting her job, and she didn’t have the software at home, which is only acquirable if you are a certified CPA. I found one, and thankfully she was great, and also I needed her to only do my last two months of taxes and file my annual notice. I’m not even sure what the terminology is here, all I knew there were papers I had to sign and send. And then that was that, I had quit my job as well and only had to wait till April month of taxes swinged by to do the annual thing and then say buh- bye to the SAT. Or at least that’s what I thought.

About a year later I received an e-mail from the home treasury stating I had to update my status in order to declare my next taxes. First, I naturally went “Da fuuuck?” and then I decided it must’ve been a mistake. That night I called my mom to ask her what it meant if maybe I was missing something.

She didn’t answer the phone, but my dad did, and I started telling him about my conundrum, stating that I was probably making a bigger deal than it actually was. Then my dad, the prankster he usually is, tells me “Don’t worry, I’ll send you cigarettes so you can trade when you’re in jail.”

The conversation followed like this: “Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!! Daaaaaaaad!! Hahahahahaha… hmm... Hahahaha… Hahaha… Ha… Wait, you’re joking right? RIGHT? That can’t happen… Can it?”

"I'm sorry, I have to go watch Prison Break right freakin' now!"

To which my dad replied: “Well, I don’t know if you’ve seen the news lately, but a new law has been approved that if you haven’t declared your income while still being on their system you might go to jail, even if you’ve been unemployed, you have to report this kind of stuff… You sure you were discharged from the system?” I was like whaaaa? “Yeah, I mean, I think so… I told the CPA to do that… Imma look for those papers right now.” Which I did.

I dug out a bunch of papers I had on binders, folders and clips and there was nothing. Nothing that stated I was no longer on the SAT system. I wanted to die, of course, while my mom on the other end of the phone was driving us both nuts cause I couldn’t find those very important papers. I pictured myself behind the bars, a smoke on my left hand, a small knife concealed in the right one, talking to other female inmates who were there for manslaughter, theft, drug muling, and for wearing crocs (that is a crime, right?) Shivers were going up and down my spine like it was an amusement park ride.

After a while, like 30 minutes or so, my dad came up with the answer. He entered my information onto the SAT site and a click here, a click there, random keyboard noises, and voilá, there was my official status which affirmed my discharge in the system since May of the year before.

I felt like I had breathed for the first time since my dad’s cigarette comment and a huge weight had been lifted from my Al Capone shoulders. And then it hit me, like a train off the rails, that I could’ve gone to jail. I suddenly felt like a badass for being able to pen that down in my list of close call experiences.

100% Badass. Now I don't really need to
know how to do my taxes. No, wait.

Me. In jail. I couldn’t believe it, I don’t know anyone who’d been so close to saying the same thing, which made me more into a badass. I realize I was completely delusional like Ross was when he was sure someone made an attempt to kill him when he, Joey and Chandler went for a ride along with Phoebe’s cop boyfriend. But, I don’t care. Us badasses don’t care.  Right? I’ll ask my dad. 


Images by agstlm

KIDS + POLITICS = WTF?

Frankly, I did not have a subject about a specific theme to write about for today’s post. However, I will share with you something I heard yesterday at the park.

I was walking Passpartout around the park, he peed here and there, sniffed the grass, barked at some unsuspecting strangers walking by as well, went no. 2, you know, a normal walk for the two of us, while children  frolicked around the playground being supervised by some weary adults. 

Anyhoo, as we passed by the slides there were three 6-7 year old boys playing, and one of them, in an attempt to urge another who was on the top to finally slide down, yelled at him “HURRY UP, PEÑA NIETO!!” OK, so for those who might wonder, Peña Nieto was recently elected president in México and yet, he is one of the most hated men in the country for the last months. Understandably, the child must have picked that particular form of insult from one of his parents or a very opinionated adult. Of course, the kid doesn’t really know who the loathed politician is and what the whole deal is actually about, but he understands enough to use it as an insult with conviction that it would grant him what he wanted, in a verbally abusive way.

Nevertheless, what I feel is kind of sad, even though I did laugh when I first heard it, is the fact that an innocent child’s play was tarnished, albeit with certain naivety, with the politics of adults who don’t play nice either. Irony, or just the way life is, who knows? Either way, if the boy who verbalized the offense would’ve used another word, say like “A**hole”, I don’t think it would’ve sounded as spiteful and mean as the politician’s name did as he loudly uttered them at his playmate.

SEX AND THE CITY: The Love Interests Top 5

A few weeks back I wrote how much I liked Sex and the City, and how I would write about the different aspects of it, according to my very own point of view, even if I’m sooo very late to jumping on this bandwagon going to the closest Barney’s (the store, not the big purple dinosaur, of course). 

Logic would state that an accurate breakdown of the show should start with an illustration of each of the leading female characters, but since everything about the show has already been written and done I don’t see much difference if I actually start with the guys without whom the sex part of the show would be boring. Although, to be fair, my personal picks are a result of how much I liked them not only as their respective sex partners, rather more in a relationship level point of view.

So, without further ado, here are my top 5 in the order I personally like them best.

No. 1: Steve Brady

A down to earth man who saw no need for drama, Steve is totally an obvious first choice, because when you think about it, he is actually the perfect man. Sweet, charismatic, funny, and most importantly he wasn’t threatened by Miranda’s success, whom he loves deeply during the show, even when they were not together. I was so happy when they ended up together, especially after seeing how Miranda finally knew his worth but couldn’t do anything about it because he was already in a relationship with someone else. Ugh, the pain! But then they got married and all was well.

Then, in SATC The Movie, and he cheated on Miranda, (I’m probably about to say what no girl should say)  she did neglect him a lot, and even though it’s not an excuse, I do believe Miranda wasn’t being completely fair to him, and she definitely had to make a few changes if she really wanted her marriage to work, not just Steve. Anyways, Steve is perfection. Plus, he owns a bar. Super bonus points for that.

No. 2: Aidan Shaw

Of all the guys Carrie has been with, my favorite has got to be Aidan. Bohemian, artistic, a craftsman, passionate, he was a sweet deal compared to any other guy who ever saw the interior of Carrie’s apartment (you reading this Mr. Big? I’ll get to you.) Aidan was better in so many levels just with the fact that he wasn’t afraid of commitment, of stating that he was in a relationship, saying ‘I love you’ and showing it. How could Carrie ruin it? TWICE? First, she cheated on him with Big (major eye rolling over here), and then she wouldn’t marry him, for no good reason at all. Literally, she gave no good reason except the fact that she was afraid, which, okay, no one wants to get stuck with someone who’s afraid of being with them, so Aidan dodged that bullet. Why she cheated on him in the first place is beyond me. Had Big dipped himself in pheromones before they met at the hotel bar when it happened? I don’t get it, I don’t like it one bit either. Aidan was everything Big was not and Carrie, the masochistic, complicated, dramamonger that she is couldn’t handle it. Her loss, I think. 

No. 3: Jerry Smith AKA Smith Jerrod

Samantha struck gold with this golden haired smoldering hunk of a man. That smile, those dimples, the eyes, the abs, everything about him oozes sex and Sammy, sweet man-eater Sammy had to get her hands on him. The best part? Once he got his hands on her, he didn’t let go. As much as she tried, she couldn’t shake him off and for that I’m grateful, because it gave us a chance to see what kind of man it takes to finally see Samantha in a long term monogamous relationship. He stood by her when she was going through chemo and never flailed while being by her side. She turned him into the Absolut Hunk, an action movie star, a Hollywood household name, and he turned her into a woman who could see the perks of going to bed with the same man over and over again and be happy about it, which seemed even more impossible than anything else throughout the whole 6 seasons. Alas, their love was doomed in the movie, but still, I think theirs, was one of the best relationships in SATC.

No. 4: Harry Goldenblatt and Aleksandr Petrovsky

Despite being complete opposites of each other, Hairy Harry and The Russian come fourth in this list. YOLO, that’s why. Haha, I’m just kidding, I just wanted to use YOLO before it would be too late for this blog. Just kidding, again. 

Anyways, let’s start with why Harry is here. Though physically he’s not really my type (not even Charlotte’s type), Harry Goldenblatt, Attorney at Law, is one of the nicest guys Charlotte ever dated. He did come a little too strong at the beginning, but all’s well that ends well, I suppose. Although, I was a little annoyed at the fact that he led her on for a while before telling her they had no future unless she were Jewish, I completely forgive him for the level of  devotion he has for Charlotte which is simply adorable. Even if he was messy and a little less than refined, he was cute, like a big teddy bear.

Aleksandr on the other hand, well I have to confess I wouldn't be able to resist a sophisticated man with an artistic sensibility, and an accent to top it off. At first, I didn’t like him that much, but after a few episodes he won me over. He was mature (okay, older) and very cultured, without being too pretentious about it. Again, another man who’s everything Big was not. Not much into the drama, and also not ambiguous nor a complete mystery. In their relationship Aleksandr was an approachable partner. Okay, so maybe he neglected Carrie when they were in Paris, but, again, I think she could’ve done a little more, maybe go to some classes to master the French language and not feel left out when they are with Alek’s friends, or maybe say “Hey! You go do your thing, I’ll do mine, we’ll meet later. I’ve got fans waiting for me.”  Also, the reason she was in Paris was because of him, his work and all, so yeah, it was kinda obvious he was gonna be real busy. I would’ve stuck it out longer, since he at least asked her to go with him all the way to the city of lights, while on the other hand, Big didn’t even mention it to her. 

No.5: John James Preston AKA Mr. Big

Hey! How’d you get on this list?

Okay, so Big isn’t exactly my favorite and since I couldn’t decide who I liked more, if Harry or Alek, a spot was still open. I get it, he is tall, has dark hair, a deep voice, a mysteriousness to him, and I guess he is sexy. I have a problem with him because he is too complicated to be with, but at the same time, so was Carrie. I mean, the chemistry between these two is undeniable, and I guess it had to take him 6 years to realize that he never stopped loving her. So he had an undying love for her, you might say, and carried a torch for her as much as she did for him. They were meant to be, simple as that, even if neither is familiar with the term. And after all, Big did have his moments and a few grand gestures that melted Carrie’s little heart, and made her feel more alive than ever. That level of passion must be reason enough to be with the one you (sometimes) unwillingly love, even if all the drama doesn't really seem to be worth it. Plus, he must've been really good in bed if she ran back to him over and over again, heartbreak afer heartbreak.

All images are screencaps from Sex and the City, 1998 and here

IT’S NOT ME, IT’S EEW (EPISODE III)

This past weekend a group of friends and I decided we had to make a much deserved trip to the beach where we could relax, unwind and boost up energy and add a bit of oomph to our summer days.

As any trip to the beach, everything was quite idyllic except for the uncomfortable humidity, which could be fixed with a quick dip in the water. Pretty much the standard outing… except for the view.

We settled down right behind an older man who seemed to enjoy being splashed by the sea right on the shore. He was fleshy… very fleshy. Not at all appealing, but since we were in a public space there wasn’t much we could do about it except look the other way. Whatevs, right?

Later on, while soaking up the setting sun, we noticed a woman dragging her 9, maybe 10 year old son into the water right in front of us, and started, hmmm, how would you say? Splashing him and scrubbing him in his private area. Yep, right there, in public for everyone to witness. Apparently, the boy had something going on inside his shorts that made him itch. A lot. None of us could take our eyes off the scene we had front row seats to, and the mother didn't even flinch to the many pairs of eyes of those appalled of her inappropriate approach to an embarrassing problem her son was dealing with. And it didn’t end there. Whatever it was that had made the boy so uncomfortable in his nether regions, I don’t think that splashing salt water at it was doing the trick, and when it wasn’t working the mother proceeded to pull down the swimming short’s of the poor kid who was already mortified enough, and kept splashing more water at him. EVERYBODY was looking at them, and suddenly we saw the flashing of a camera going off right next to us. To make matters worse in the trauma this poor little fellow will have to endure, his own family took pictures of the whole incident with which I’m sure they will mock him for a very long time.

Oh, the old man and the boy? Probably related, since they were in the same group of tanned vacationers. 

Hopefully, the kid will brush it off and forget it ever happened, but if he doesn’t and ends up on a therapist’s couch wondering where it all went wrong, he could most likely pin- point it to the weekend he went to the beach with his family.

THE AWKWARD INTERACTIONS OF THE SOCIALLY INEPT

As I’ve mentioned before I am a complete spaz when it comes to social interactions, especially when it comes to being around people I don’t really know. Uncomfortable silences are my presentation card since I use these to rack my brain coming up with topics to talk about. And usually the only topics I come up with are those which are inherently associated (at least where I’m from) with people with absolutely no social skills. No one wants to hang out with a person who develops rashes when social situations put her nervous and it painfully shows.

A one sided conversation I’ve probably held in the last year goes like this: “So… uhm… you like zombies? Well, of course you don’t! Who likes zombies, right? But, uh… what’s your stance on zombies? Will you be ready when the zombie apocalypse arrives? Do you think they ever starve? Oh, you have to go? OK… nice talking to… they already left… Kay…” Then I wonder off and remain silent in order to not creep others out with an awkward smile in an attempt to make it seem like I’m socializing. Then I creep them out with a smiling silence.

Sometimes I forget these new people don’t know me and don’t know I often refer to my dog as my kid or my baby, so I get two sets of weird looks when I say “Oh, my baby is so adorable! He usually likes to hold my jeans with his teeth at the same time I’m putting them on, but other than that he’s just swell! Uhm, I mean my dog... my baby is actually a dog. Yeah.” At which point at least one person present will recommend I watch the Cesar Millan show. Trying really hard not to eye roll, and just smile and nod. Creep everyone out when I smile showing all my teeth while my head bops up and down with unblinking eyes.

It is too difficult for me to meet new people. It is something I almost hate and at the same time desperately yearn for. But I don’t really know where to start.

Recently I google searched “how to meet new people” and the automatic search completed it with “…without being creepy”. Read an article with that in the title. Didn’t help, either. See, the thing is, what I find a little exhausting about meeting new people is meeting new people. Not exactly because I don’t want to get to know them (most of the time), but when asked about interests or stuff like that I have to try to seem normal, can’t be myself at first and that is just bumming in itself.

That’s what introverts are. Weird people with somewhat weird interests (many of them turn into obsessions, in which we see nothing wrong about), and skittish around people in general. We kind of feel like that cat on youtube that fights with its own reflection. “What is that? How can it be? I wanna get closer! DON’T TOUCH ME!!” We should form a club, but as introverts that just defeats the whole purpose, I guess. Although, somehow Comic- Con still happens. (Jeesh, I wanna go to Comic- Con 2013 so badly).

Well, as I was saying, it’s hard. Although, I do try to make an effort when I walk my baby dog in the park. I’ve talked with so many strangers oohing and aahing at his cuteness. I’ve met a few people who, when I run into them while my pooch is relieving himself in public, I will say hello to and ask how they are doing. But sometimes I get a better kick when I scare people off when they ask if he bites and I answer stuff like “Not anymore” (with a disappointed tone), “Not yet” (with an enthusiastic tone), “Sometimes”, and “I don’t know… pet him so we’ll see.”

Feature image VIA

PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE. I VIRTUALLY HAVE NONE

YAAAAAAY!!!

Finally! At last! It’s here! I have it and I couldn’t be happier! My all new bright and shiny kitchen!

The other day I posted about me finally acquiring my very own bright and shiny new kitchen, and how it had been a bumpy ride. I’d decided to be patient and calm throughout what remained of the whole process, until, well, that ride got bumpier. Like no- brakes- thrown- off- a- cliff- while- juggling- pigs- in- the- air bumpier.

First off, the guys who were supposed to install my kitchen neglected to tell me that I first needed to make an appointment in person at the Home Depot desk, so when the guy said “Yeah, I’ll come by tomorrow afternoon” he was basically lying. I couldn’t afford to delay the whole thing another week so I asked my brother- in law, Al, to help me install it, and thank heavens, he was eager to comply, since he likes building, installing, and what not.

So, I started unpacking everything and I found that some pieces were missing, which I assumed had been placed inside one of the packages, maybe by mistake, maybe to save on that wrapping plastic that can actually take over all of a living area space. I called my sister and notified her of this and Al said they’d pick me up so we could all go together to claim the missing parts.

We got there, we asked around and got referred to Client Services, where the person in charge realized two things: 1) the girl who made the sale sold me the kitchen separately, instead of as a package deal, which was obviously cheaper, and 2) she charged something in there wrong, and I ended up overpaying. Not good. Al told me I needed to chill, and if necessary not be around even, because that whole patience plan was totally crumbling down.

After much ado, it was settled that I’d have to return the kitchen, I’d get a refund and then I’d buy it back with a refund and the missing pieces. Al tried another approach which was to get the refund plus the missing parts without having to tote the kitchen back to the store. The clerk said nope, no can do, standard protocol. Not getting around that, we bit the bullet and took the kitchen back the very next day, through our own means (we weren’t going to wait around for the store truck to come by), and handed in the kitchen and got the refund back.

When we got to the Client Services desk, there was some other clerk at the desk (of course) and we explained the situation, since we needed them to clear the refund. Want to venture a guess at what he told us? He said “Why don’t I just give you the pieces you need? Less hassle.” That right there made Al lose his cool and now he was kind of like I am when I threaten these people I will punch them in the throat just for not paying attention and not even being on the same page when these kind of situation happens. Honestly, these guys can really put your patience to the test.

Anyway, after even more talking and paperwork we drove off (about 2 hours later) with my new kitchen which, by the way, was the very same one only wrapped in even more plastic.

Between Al, my pregnant sister and I, we managed to build the kitchen in a span of 3 days (we took Monday off) and by Tuesday, more like Wednesday at 1 am, my house was the proud holder of the kitchen that drove me nuts all the way to tears of frustration and then finally joy.

So here’s to you Al, because you managed to keep me from biting people’s heads off, put up the kitchen and remaining patient with me all the while keeping my sis from hurting herself. Although, to be fair, I think her ego got pretty bruised from when she put that cabinet door upside down.

POST ELECCIONES. POST ACCIONES

This post is in spanish due to the message I want to send out, and to whom.

Miércoles, tres días después de las elecciones, y como era de esperarse, millones no están de acuerdo con los resultados. Los fraudes electorales son el pan de cada sexenio y evidentemente este año no ha sido la excepción, pero con herramientas como Facebook cualquier inconforme puede hacer uso de su estado actual para hacerle saber a sus contactos acerca de sus puntos de vista y hasta denuncias con respecto a boletas falsificadas, robadas, duplicadas, etc., etc.

Soy de la opinión que en efecto el 1ro de julio hubo fraude electoral en gran parte de la república, pero no creo que estas manipulaciones de los resultados se limiten a artimañas de un solo partido. Estoy segura que incluso el partido por el que voté hiso de las suyas. Aclaro, el hecho de ser objetiva en cuanto a esta triste realidad no me convierte en una ciudadana conformista, ni mucho menos apática. Y a eso es a lo que voy, con lo siguiente.

Resulta que, Facebook no solo brinda la oportunidad de difundir información que si bien, como mexicanos nos interesa o nos debiera interesar acerca del proceso electoral y las diversas actividades ilícitas que el PRI cometió, no solo el domingo de elecciones, sino a lo largo de toda su campaña electoral. Bien, estoy de acuerdo con ello. Con lo que no estoy de acuerdo es que la gente que decide hacer este tipo de ciber- manifestación al parecer cree que los que no lo hacemos es porque somos apáticos, que no nos importa lo que suceda con nuestro país o que estamos de acuerdo con el resultado. Yo estoy de acuerdo con que se haga un conteo limpio y transparente y que quede el presidente que la mayoría relativa escogió. Pero no a costa de agresiones pasivas- agresivas.

Uno de mis contactos en Facebook puso esta imagen con este mensaje:

Estoy de acuerdo, la historia no se escribió en un día y se requiere de mucha gente para realizar un verdadero cambio, pero ese el detalle, ¿cuántos realmente están dispuestos a hacer un cambio?

Lo que es peor, muchos de estos inconformes no sintieron este despertar social, ni su conciencia como mexicano les hablaba hasta hace poco, es casi como si fuera una moda. Por eso, muchos de los que aguardaban con ansias el 1ro de julio con la esperanza de que las aguas políticas se apacigüen y el ambiente hostil intolerante fuera terminado, llegaron a poner estados con mensajes como los que se quejan en dicha imagen.

Una de esas frases, si bien no lo puse textualmente en mi estado de FB, sí compartí un par de imágenes con mensajes acerca de que el cambio está en uno, si tú como individuo no te esfuerzas en hacer un cambio como ciudadano para con tus demás compatriotas, no esperes que los políticos de alto rango lo hagan también.

No puedes exigir algo que tú tampoco cumples. Ejemplo 1 (y no me canso, ni me cansaré de decir lo siguiente): ¿Haces caso de los señalamientos de tránsito como debe de ser? DIARIO me toca enfrentar conductores que no saben siquiera lo que quiere decir “CEDA EL PASO” si estás leyendo esto y no sabes a que me refiero, es este señalamiento:

Y quiere decir que si está de tu lado, significa que TÚ debes frenar y darle el paso a los automóviles que vengan y converjan con tu carril (porque ese es el caso en los que se usa esa señal).

Hay quienes ni siquiera hacen caso de los semáforos. ¡Más claros no pueden ser! Pero hay gente que se cree superior porque al parecer tienen mucha más prisa y cosas mucho más importantes que hacer que un insignificante semáforo no los puede detener.

Esos señalamientos, para que me entiendas, son como "pequeñas leyes" que debemos obedecer. Digo pequeñas, pero no por ello insignificantes, pues si las sigues puedes incluso salvar vidas al evitar ponerlas en peligro, no solo por si chocas con alguien más, sino porque es posible que lleves a alguien más en tu carro. Esa es una vida que está en tus manos cuando manejas. Estas “pequeñas” leyes son fáciles de seguir, ni pierdes nada acatándolas, ni ganas nada si no lo haces. Ahora, si eres de los que no te gusta frenar ante un alto en una intersección, yo te hago la siguiente pregunta: ¿Si tú no puedes respetar esta ley de tránsito, en la que no ganas dinero, cómo esperas que un político obedezca una ley en la que de lo contrario, se embolsaría miles de pesos?

NO EXIJAS ALGO QUE TÚ NO PUEDES CUMPLIR

Ejemplo 2: ¿Tiras basura en la calle? ¿Eres de las personas que se pasean en la plaza de la catedral, compras tus tostitos con queso o con lo que sea, vas y te sientas a una de las bancas y cuando terminas ni siquiera eres capaz de tirar la bolsa a la basura, que por cierto está a unos escasos tres metros de donde estás sentado? Yo no entiendo las personas que dicen que nuestro país es muy feo por sus políticas y corrupciones, pero ni siquiera se les puede molestar con que tiren los envoltorios en la basura, o si están en la calle, y como suele suceder, no hay botes de basura cerca, pues mínimo guardarlo en una bolsa o algo hasta encontrar propiamente donde depositarla.

Si tú no quieres cambiar tus hábitos de tirar la basura donde se debe, entonces no te quejes de la basura que hacen nuestros representantes políticos.

NO EXIJAS ALGO QUE TÚ NO PUEDES CUMPLIR

Hay muchos más ejemplos que puedo poner, pero por ahora la dejaré ahí, porque, en cuanto a esos dos ejemplos, todavía no termino. Tenemos el país que nos merecemos, punto. ¿Qué si cómo lo sé? Fácil te la pongo. Las veces que he ido a Estados Unidos me fijo en como los mexicanos que también van a hacer sus compras allá, sí respetan las leyes de tránsito, ceden el paso cuando corresponde, hacen señalamiento que van a dar vuelta, no tiran basura a la calle. ¿Y por qué lo hacen? Porque allá sí tienen miedo de que se les imponga una multa si cometen alguna infracción. Allá hay que comportarse cómo gente civilizada y de primer mundo porque allá las leyes no son un chiste como los aquí. (Aclaración, no digo que Estados Unidos sea perfecto, pero al menos podemos estar de acuerdo en que están mejor en muchos aspectos que en México.)

No se me olvida una ocasión en la que regresábamos de Douglas, AZ, y una Cherokee blanca con placas de Sonora que venía delante de nosotros, al introducirse a Agua Prieta aventó desde su carro una bolsa de plástico con basura a la calle, así sin más. Que poco le importa a esa persona su país.  Y así hay muchos que de esa forma no les importa México pero están dispuestos a manifestarse porque el resultado no “favorece al país”. Esos ciudadanos son los que no favorecen nuestro crecimiento como nación.

Dirán que porque no me levanto a manifestarme en público soy apática, y que no defiendo mi nación. Con el corazón en la mano le digo a esa gente, denme un país que se merezca esa lucha. No pretendo olvidar que sí hay gente buena en México que sí lucha y trabaja, pero para sacar adelante a su familia, y por ellos vale la pena esforzarse también para salir adelante, todos unidos como pueblo. Pero hasta que no haya un cambio en nosotros como ciudadanos en el que haya respeto mutuo y respeto por el suelo que llamamos patria, no creo que un presidente, de cualquier partido que sea, logre el cambio que todos aspiran.