When the Almond Tree Blooms

Around this time last year I got sick. Ok, I admit, I wasn't really that sick. It was more that I hadn't taken enough time off from work during the past few months, my body was tired, and I was completely lost at my job. Zocalo, Cuidad de Mexico, January 2016 The timing for those days at home couldn't have been better. Not long after I became "ill", I saw a post from Remezcla on Facebook about streaming movies from the Morelia International Film festival for free.  I followed the link and as soon as I began watching the first film, I knew I had found something really good. In the company of a distinguished film critic (Mr. Roco), I consumed many bowls of Chicken soup and cups of tea, and I watched nearly all of the 2016 offerings. Caldo de Pollo, Estilo Peru Last year's films remain vivid in my memory. There was El Charro del Toluquilla , which was about a Mariachi singer in Jalisco living with AIDS; another film was set in a village in Chia...

It's summer time but the livin' ain't so easy when you're at a year round school and have to go back in mid-July. There's much to gripe about at the beginning of the new school year, but the garden is looking great. Check out the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/rfadam/SummerTimeInTheParkGarden# As usual, there is a lot on my mind, but for now, if you're checking out my blog, why don't you check out the photos and enjoy something nice?

Due to a lack of sleep as well as many other factors, I took a sick day today and am not at Park School today, which gives me the chance to do a little writing while I rest. After a suspenseful Tuesday evening, I've managed to gather some thoughts about the election, especially in regards to immigration, an issue I care deeply about. I'm pleased that Barack Obama did well, but disappointed that he wasn't as successful as I'd hoped in my 'home' state of California. It seems strange that Latinos--who heavily supported Clinton--voted for her, given that Obama's stance on immigration is more progressive (he supports driver's licenses for undocumented immigrants--a position I agree with). Immigration is one of the issues that matters to me most this election year, though my position differs greatly from the supposedly all powerful 'deport the illegals' camp. I work in Hayward, a community with many immigrants--some of whom certainly are undocumen...