Any fifth grade teacher who is worth her salt during this election year is, I’m sure, teaching her students all about the electoral process, what a primary is, why they should be thinking about the news critically, et cetera. My students are so interested - every day Elijah comes into class and announces that either of the Democratic potential candidates “will make history!” I’m pleased that they’ve noticed. Khadijah told me that her mom kicked her uncle out of the house because he voted for Hillary.

So today I told them that they would be planning their own run for our own special mock presidency, and they were totally thrilled. Their assignment this morning was to identify the issues that they believe are the most pressing in the United States right now, and we have some pretty interesting contenders:

Police corruption: Elijah is very worried about “bad police”. He tells a story involving pawn shops and police confiscated drugs, confusing but gripping. Balam says the police arrest “innocent kids and adults”. Gabriel says we need to “teach them to be fair”.

mebeliCost of Higher Education: Isabel believes college “should be free like elementary”, whereas Jessica believes it should cost “like $5.00 and up”. Natiyah puts the ceiling at 600 dollars. Paris says that “people can’t pay for college so they drop out”. Ramiro says “it’s better without paying”, and Kaija believes all tuition should be paid “by the government”.

Immigration Reform:компютри втора употреба Sandra says “we should give people papers”, Liseth wants to have drivers’ licenses for everyone, and Isabel advocates “equal citizenship of all”. Brayan, Gabriel, and Astrid specifically mention Mexicans as needing their papers, and Jessica doesn’t want “Latinos put back to Mexico”. Ramiro says “it’s not fair. I think everyone should have to right to go everywhere.”

Racism: Elijah advocates arresting racists, and Ramiro agrees it should be illegal “because it’s really hurtful.” Natiyah said “don’t call people black b—-’s.” (This refers to a racially motivated fight she had on the playground last year.) Vili’s entire platform rests on the historical atrocities that have been perpetrated by racism, mentioning not only the slave trade from Africa but Hitler as well.

Gangs: Francisco says that “gangs are people who live in a pack and fire at you.” Gabriel says “the gangs make crimes” and that we should “take them to jail.” Brayan advocates the death penalty for gang members, and Ramiro also advocates arresting them “because they kill people”.

There are lots of more specialized issues:

Jessica mentions the war, and says that “they need to stop war and just explain why they’re doing the war.”

Natiyah thinks all thirteen-year-olds should have the right to vote. (Natiyah just turned twelve.)

Kaija believes “little kids should be able to see their family in prison.” (Kaija’s mom’s in prison.)

Luz is a dedicated feminist who says “all women should have the rights that men have”.

Isabel is pushing for a national recycling program.

Paris is concerned “that if people have AIDS somebody should help them.”

Nicholas is a total iconoclast, only worrying about “hitting animals” (”animal hitting is bad for the animals”) and military spending. He says, “the military is costing us too much money.”

The kids all worry about gas prices, and health care, and paying taxes, and making sure that people have jobs that pay them well. You know, maybe I’m just superattached to them because we stare at each other for six hours a day, five days a week, but when they start talking about what’s wrong with the world and how they would fix it, I just think they’re the greatest kids ever. Idealism is the sweetest when you still think it could work, and when it makes you excited. Next they’re writing campaign speeches, and then they’re going to put on a debate and there will finally be the elections (primary and general). So thrilling! Isabel’s already picking her (all-female) cabinet, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Gabriel or Ramiro shows up as a surprise contender. It’s wide open right now, anybody’s game. We’ll see!

So on Saturday night we had Amber and Mike over to the house - Stephen and I both fell asleep during the day but we still managed to whip up some kind of puffed pastry mushroom thing with a fruit crumble for dessert (thank you, Barefoot Contessa!) The real goal of the evening, however, was to teach Stephen and Amber the basics of mahjong so that we could all play together.
It went smashingly - at one point, we started to wonder why the cats were looking so sleepy. Stephen checked the time and it was 1:30 in the morning - we swore only one more game before we wrapped it up. Mahjong is a blast.
So we ended up asleep somewhere between two and three in the morning, and I somehow or other woke myself up around nine in the morning and went directly to my computer and started playing mahjong online. I have caught a bug, and there’s no stopping me! I was looking for competitive rooms, and simultaneously scouring the apartment listings and reading the newspaper and what have you, when I happened on a certain article from the New York Times detailing some people’s quests to cut down on their gadget/internet/technology addictions.
Yes! That’s me! I hate my stupid cell phone, yet I check it compulsively during meals just to make sure that no one’s text-messaged me in the last five seconds! I waste hours upon hours digging through other people’s blog archives, or looking for pictures of cute babies on Flickr! I have a self-imposed ban on networking websites right now, just for my own sanity, but you know I have no problem signing myself up for this or this or this. So, I breathed a healthy sigh of relief, and I signed up for this one, too - just to try to make a dent in my internet addiction.
Yes, I do realize the irony in signing up for an internet group that helps you break your dependency on the internet. Regardless, I the rest of the day and evening yesterday (from about 2 pm on) with no cell phone, no TV, no computer, no iPod, no nothing except for books and the rotary land line (I only called one person) and my laundry to fold. I scooted to a yoga class, I walked around the Mission (somebody, move out of your apartment! Give it to me!), I finished two books, I cleaned out the shoes in my closet, I folded the aforementioned laundry, I got myself organized for the school day. I felt terrific. Stephen and I sat down and ate dinner without any television or computer screens on. I couldn’t even do all the things I wanted to do with myself (write letters, bake something, knit something, sew something), which just goes to show all the things I’m definitely not doing while I sit on the internet all day reading who recently died on Wikipedia.
So I’m going to continue, at least one night a week without all the internet junk I can bury myself in. We’ll see how it goes.

I have always thought that there is nothing more miserable than moving or finding a new job. Sadly, we can’t even get to the nightmare that is moving because our perfect apartment in San Francisco has not materialized, and it is making me insane.

We moved into the house we live in now in November of 2006 - Stephen had been living on Daniel’s floor on an air mattress in Hayes Valley, and I had come out on a weekend from Denver to try to help find us somewhere to live and take a teacher certification test (the first of many). Stephen had had an incredibly bleak experience of apartment-hunting in San Francisco for the past few weeks, running around on buses and borrowing Daniel’s car to try to make it to open houses just to find them already booked or with no rental agent in sight. We had picked a rent ceiling that Stephen assured me we could afford, so we went out to our appointment on a Sunday morning in Outer Sunset.

Sure, we thought, the location wasn’t as “urban” as we would have liked, and sure, it was at the absolute top of our ceiling, no room for mistakes. But there was a garage, and our new landlord didn’t seem to care if we had three cats or three hundred, and it was bright and shiny inside with a gigantic kitchen and walls already painted so what the hell? We filled out the applications immediately and by the end of the next week we had a house, or at least the top floor of one.

We can afford our rent, we’re not destitute, but this house is a two-bedroom and I can’t remember the last time I even set foot in the second one. Also, wouldn’t it be nice to not be paying a humongous amount in rent? And wouldn’t it be cool to be in the Mission, or in a closer, cooler area of the city instead of stuck out in the boonies, almost (GASP) to Daly City? Of course it would. So we’re looking, and looking, and looking. We’ve got and seen a few apartments. One was not exactly what we were looking for; one was fabulous and too expensive up front; and the third was snatched up by some other clever fellows who realized that if you bring a credit report you won’t have to have them run one for you. Sigh.

I just want to move. I just want to be living in the Mission, or maybe Noe, or even the Castro or Potrero Hill. I just want us to pay less a month in rent so that we can pay for other things instead. I want to be closer to my friends and closer to my job and Stephen to be closer to his shuttle. I also would like it very much if we could find a cool place that would let us move in for less than six thousand dollars up front.

I find that once I have decided to do something, I’m ready to do it right that second - there’s never been a lot of room for patience in my personal philosophy. But Stephen tells me patience is the thing! That’s the way to find an apartment we really like, he says; that’s the way to not end up with a ridiculously expensive house in the Outer Sunset. I am trying very hard to be patient. But in the meantime, I am checking craigslist compulsively, and considering where I would even like to move, because hopefully, I won’t be doing this again in a year. Ugh. Wish us luck.

Of all the candy-related holidays, every year I am astonished to realize that Easter is my favorite. Not because I’m such a fan of the Lord or of hollow milk chocolate bunnies (although the kitsch value=through the roof!) but because of those big jellybeans that they sell year-round, but somehow taste better with a side of Cadbury cream eggs.

My mom’s favorites are Peeps. I’ve known more than one person who says they prefer their Peeps slightly stale.

Everything is lovely in San Francisco right now - I stare out of the window when I’m driving over the bridge, and the sunlight is so yellow it’s orangey and gorgeous. Yesterday I wrangled Mike and Linda into coming with me to my first meeting of a Mahjong group at a Starbucks, and it was CRAZY FUN. Even though I couldn’t stop myself from constantly chirping comparisons with Gin Rummy as played by my family, I loved it, and I came home right after dance class and inspected my mahjong tiles I bought over the summer. Next weekend I’m going to try to talk Stephen and Amber into playing so that we can play as a foursome. Stephen says he thinks bridge is more glamorous, but I don’t know. He doesn’t watch a lot of Asian cinema, and they sure don’t play bridge.

Amber found the best karaoke bar ever; we discovered an amazing vintage store on Sunday on Haight St; someday Stephen and I will find a really great apartment, I just know it. Don’t you think you should move to San Francisco? I’ll teach you the difference between pong and kong and I’ll stuff you full with black, green, and yellow jelly bird eggs. But only if you have a strong stomach, those are the grossest colors.

We went to five weddings between August and November of 2007- we were invited to one or two others, but seven weddings is really a bit much, even for a fun-loving, jet-setting couple like us. (Not really - we hate jets, and I’m not so sure how we feel about fun.) Since I feel like summer is fast approaching, and wedding lessons of days gone by can always be used by future generations, it is time for me to (finally) post my humble assessment of what came to be known (to us) as Wedding Nightmare 2007, or We’re So Happy to Share Your Joy.

Here’s the breakdown:

August 4th, Itasca, Illinois - Rajani and Vijay

August 26th, Denver, Colorado - Miriam and Jason

September 15th, San Francisco, California - Lauren and Mark

October 13th, New Orleans, Louisiana - Amanda and Ben

November 25th, Denver, Colorado - Rebecca and Charlie

So far, everyone we know is either married or not-about-to-be-married-anytime-soon, with the notable exceptions of Erin and Girard (June 2008 - bridesmaid dress already purchased!), and Kim and Ryan (although Kim seems willing to wait until 2009, which, frankly, fine by me). This year for various wedded couples we have given an ice cream maker, salt and pepper shakers, a rubic’s cube, cash, flatware, and one of those things that keeps grease from popping into your eye while you’re cooking.

All of my best-of’s are obviously meant in the spirit of congratulations, not in the spirit of competition. All brides are beautiful, all weddings happy occasions, every instant was perfect in its own special way. Of course.

Coolest Invitation: Miriam and Jason - the postcard invite is awesome, especially when it’s designed by the couple’s artist-hipster friends, and features a bridge and groom being impaled by something large. Brilliant!

Best Location: Lauren and Mark - San Francisco Bay cruise, around Alcatraz and the Golden Gate bridge. Special bonus points because nobody got to skip out of the wedding early, we were all trapped on a boat.

Honorable Mention: Amanda and Ben, the Maison Dupuy in Downtown New Orleans, a little courtyard. Really quite lovely.

Best Wedding Dress:All brides are beautiful, but a special nod goes to Rajani with her golden sari. Amazing.

Honorable mention: Rebecca, in her black custom dress; Miriam, in her polka dots. I’m a sucker for polka dots!

Best Groom’s Attire: Ah, Charlie. Bonus points for lack of modesty.

Honorable mention: Jason, in his purple corduroy suit.

Best Ceremony: Miriam and Jason, in the boat house. It was the only wedding where the bride was actively crying (which, of course, made me cry like a little baby), and the family involvement was serious yet touching, without being maudlin or overimportant. Hats off to the guitar-playing rabbi.

Honorable mention: Rajani and Vijay - any wedding that involves the bride being led around by her toe is memorable, to say the least.

Best Vows: Rebecca and Charlie - vows that have a Dr. Seuss-esque rhyme to them are the best. Made me rethink my “they wrote their own vows” initial cringeing.

Best Toast:Rebecca’s dad, with his serious professor beard and demeanor, charmed all of us with his story about how Charlie gave him some fruit or something in order to allow the marriage, Africa-style. Brilliant.

Best Food: Rajani and Vijay, proving to all involved that three different meals of different style Indian food is really the way to throw any party.

Honorable Mention: Amanda and Ben’s wedding rehearsal dinner. A gumbo station, a poboy station, a bananas foster station, and everything kosher!

Best Dinner Conversation: Rebecca and Charlie’s crazy table of political activists. Since that particular happy couple met and got together while feverishly campaigning for Kerry/Edwards in ‘04, it was a definitely rather opinionated group at our table. I know I went to the restroom and when I got back there was a vigorous debate over the relative merits of going to war or something. Always interesting, at least, if a bit heavy, no?

Best Music: Miriam and Jason’s wedding was the only one without any attempt at dancing, which I loved - who says that a wedding has to be about a DJ and YMCA on the floor? No one. But the music they had pimping through the reception was charming, romantic, and simple. What else does one need at a life-changing event?

Best Dancing: Frankly, Stephen and I were a little disappointed that no one took it upon themselves to throw a lindy-hop themed wedding, giving us an opportunity to practice our hard-earned skills. But, since Charlie and Rebecca did have a rousing air guitar session, they win by default.

Our congratulations to all the happy couples - as far as I’m concerned, the arms race of baby production can now begin. I’ll be taking bets.