might have said this, but texas declared the fourth of july to be a ten-day holiday, and upped patrols throughout the state to make sure nobody is speeding. now i haven't exactly seen police on every corner, nor have i heard fireworks at night, but i decided to take their cue and begin celebrating the holiday early anyway. it supposedly starts this weekend, lasts right through the fourth which is on thursday, and goes right on through next weekend, covering a lot of territory.

gas has actually been cheaper than usual, so many people may be taking the opportunity to get out on the road, maybe go to cooler places. this place, lubbock, has been over 110 several times, but it's nothing compared to phoenix, which is 130, or parts of california and arizona where it has been over 120 for a while. i'm not sure how people handle it. i know that with the air-con on full blast, i can relax a little, but i get this steady feeling of being trapped inside with the same airconned air for long periods of time. that i guess would be cabin fever. and we're what, a quarter of the way through summer?

so in the spirit of patriotism, celebrating all that is good and bad about this country, i'll start with the good. the red and blue go together well, people wear them all the time here, often in combination with these "T" hats and wearing texas red & blue always go together. they wanted all the children to wear red and blue at sports camp and it looked good, a sea of red and blue, i imagine a ranger game would look the same. actually there is lots to be thankful about this country, cynical as i am about the economy, about fracking, about the downfall of the american university, etc. but i still have chosen this country over others and am here for the duration because, basically, people have rights, we try to maintain a sense of justice, we fight it out sometimes, but overall we do better by the women & children than most countries do. i mean this; i am always grateful to come back. and i always thought canada did an even better job, but i've found recently that canada in some ways is even worse. it's not embroiled in wars & occupations worldwide, but it's just as rapacious about its own resources and wild country, & getting worse. so i'm not sure i'm ready to trade in the usa quite yet.

on the other hand, there's something about race here that i don't quite like. i go out into town quite a bit, and my young son is very sensitive and has begun to notice this problem that will probably get worse. i myself have a pretty thick skin and they can look at me funny all they want. but sometimes i'm sick of it. about one in ten people smiles to see a mixed-race family and make the obvious conclusion; i do get some support out there. but the other nine constitute a majority & i'm beginning to wonder when the world will just take a deep breath, & support all the people out there who are trying to raise children. it's time to move on past this attachment to race as a category of people that determines how you live, how you feel, who you should be seen with, etc. i could be reading way more into people's looks than is really there. the little guy, though, gets a little uncomfortable, and doesn't know how to act. it's your country, i might tell him; you're stuck with it, for all its faults. there's only so much we can do, personally, to change it.