Merry Christmas and Happy Hannakah

Hi Andy and anyone else out there! Andy, thanks for the link aboout the economy. I'm not sure anyone understands what is going on. The problems seem to be world-wide. Thank heavens Obama was elected! At least he is intelligent enough to maybe lead us out of the mess we are in. Ron actually got us tickets to the inauguration. He may still go but I decided that I did not want to be in the middle of 4 million people. I am claustraphobic ( is this how you spell it?) and I don't think I would do well in such a crowd of people. Also it is not a good time to be asking off work at school. So I guess I will be watching it all on TV like everyone else. I just received a Christmas card from Katie and it was so good to hear from her. She said that her DAd is doing pretty well. He is 89, the same as my Mom. Katie says she hopes we can get together soon. When? I'm ready!! Hope everyone has a great holiday. I know I am just looking forward to a little time off from school. Take care!


Lois

Economic crisis

Loise -- I should write this as a commentary on your entry but since we haven't refined our blog behavior seems better to just enter it in the main blog. First off congratulations on becoming a Grandmother. I have made it to great uncle but not yet grandfatherhood though I surely stand at that horizone. Secondly I wanted to recommend a program from Ira Glass's "This American Life" on the nature of the economic crisis -- it is really clear and offers a pretty good explanation of the main factors and give a very good idea of just how devastating the collapse of Lemands (I never could spell proper names) was. The web site is

http://www.thislife.org/Radio_Episode.aspx?sched=12

October greetings

Hi Andy and everyone - I'm sorry I haven't been on the blog as much as I had hoped. Andy you are right that everyone is busy and has a hard time finding time to write. However, I am not yet ready to give up on the blog. A reunion is a great idea! Let's talk about it. I don't know what has happened to Mike. He was posting at first. As always, I have been very busy at school, with my Mom, and also I am now a grandmother! Ron's daughter, Erica, had a darling little girl on September 22! Her name is Sasha. Sasha is my excuse for not writing recently. The gas shortage in Atlanta has been miserable. We have been through several weeks of sitting in hour long lines to fill up. No one even worries about the price; they are just thrilled when they find a station with gas. This weekend has been better. The lines are not as long and more stations have gas. No one has been able to explain to me exactly what the problem is. It is NOT all because of hurricane Ike. It was definitely not this bad after Katrina which was a much worse huricane and shut down more refineries. I think our whole country is in bad shape. People don't seem to want to face reality and try to solve problems. The financial crisis makes me so mad. All of the geniuses who run these financial institutions didn't see this coming? Why not? Maybe we are all too greedy. Does anyone know how to get us out of the mess? I wish Mike would give us his perspective on the situation. Oh well, one thing for sure is I don't understand it. I just know I have lost a lot of money. Will we ever be able to retire? On that cheerful note, I will sign off for now. Take care!

Lois

October

Its the end of September and I don't have much to tell. Lots of work but, alas, no closure. I am fascinated and concerned by what is happening in the States which will impact on all of us. But then that also reminds me that we all go back to 1972 and in 36 years (a lifetime by anyone's standards) so much has happened to change us and also compromise us, that maybe a blog site wasn't a good idea. Not only because we could all have very different views on things (seems that was also there in 1972) but also obligations both private and public that make this not a very perfect medium for communication. The modern public sphere is for me fascinating and, I confess, a source of optimism, but it does have it's risks and now days anyone (potential client, employer, investor, political adversary) can just google and find you hanging out with old friends who have been living totally autonomously for 36 years and so are capable of "who knows". Maybe the best idea is to use this blog to organize a reunion sometime.

end of August

So its the last day of August. Not much to report here. I'm basically living alone in Jacona while Cristina and Emilio and Andrea are in Mexico City where Cristina must take care of her mom for the next year. Leo, the eldest, continues in Brooklyn. I visit Mexico City about twice a month and otherwise am either working at home or appearing at work for office hours or classes. Work at home is nice. Our house is on the sloop of a hill and has a view of about 50 kilometers since below are is an ancient lake bed that Jacona and Zamora were built on. This used to be part of the Chapala Lake that lies between Zamora and Guadalajara but it was converted into irrigated agricultural lands. Now several US producers have relocated here. That way their former migrant labors can continue to help them produce berries (strawberries, black berries and so on) without the hassle from the US authorities -- seems relocating on rented land here was more economically feasible that trying to continue with production in California without Mexican workers.
Enjoyed listening to the Democratic primary on the internet. Great speeches, especially appreciated Bill Clinton's and Obama's acceptance speech was quite eloquent and clear. Reasons to be cheerful.

School Begins!

Hi Everyone - Well I am back at school. Last week was pre-planning (teachers only) and tomorrow the real fun begins with the kids! My summers keep getting shorter and shorter. This one seemed especially short since Ron and I did not get to go on a vacation. Ron lost his election but he gave it a good shot. The candidate he then endorsed will most likely win in Novemer so that is good. I am glad the whole thing is over. My Mom got a pacemaker 2 weeks ago, so taking care of her has kept me very busy. We hope that it is going to make her feel better and give her a little more energy. Only time will tell. Is anyone doing anything exciting? Mike, are you at the Olympics in China? Everyone take care!

Lois

Last Day of July

Boy these new years resolutions are demanding. But its the last day of July and as always the month has past. I'm still behind on everything with nothing news worthn to report. And anyways, now blogging is beginning to feel a bit like Stoppard's point in "Rosenkranz and Guilderstien are Dead" when he has the traveling theater director reflect on what it feels like to give a show and then realize you no longer have any audiance. Or better that great line in the movie, "The Ruling Class", when Peter O'Tool is interviewed by a psychiatrist in order to establish whether he is fit to enter the House of Lords. He comes from a long line of crazy aristocrats and his father has just commited suicide. The psychiatrist asks him how is it that he knows he is Jesus Christ. He answers, "It simple, I was praying and I realized I was talking to myself."

End of June

Well June has rushed by and I haven't finished half of what I planned. Probably the error is in the planning. As usual our children are scattered about the world: Emilio is in France for the summer, Leo starts a new day job today in New York City (he has been working night shifts for a cable tv editing company), now, he'll be an assistant editor for a British company that makes trailers for movies, Andrea is doing field work for her biology BA thesis (a inventory of reptiles in a rural part of the State of Hidalgo, Mexico). With children in so many places I have subscribed to a skype program which gives me unlimited phone contact via computer to 34 countries (I should check to see if Cyprus is on that list) -- actually an error on my part since I really only need access to the USA. So now I can call home and cell phones via computer which at least lets me stay in touch with Leo in NYC and now Emilio in Paris, as well as my Dad and my brothers and sisters. I not a great phone user and talking via computer is still a bit strange -- probably there is a slight delay in the transmission which throws off the conversational flow some what. Anyways if you ever get on this Blog, Mike, send your cell number since I know you are a heavy phone user -- maybe I can convince you to do some blogging.
Well not much to report this month. July will probably also race by, hopefully with lots of happy surprises and success for everyone.

June in Georgia

Hi Everyone - I hope I am writing to everyone but lately it seems Andy and I are having a dialogue. Where is everyone else? Andy, it sounds like your summer is going to be very busy editing two books. I admire you for doing something so intellectual. What are the titles of the books? I certainly wish Kristina well caring for her mother. My Mom is now 88 and doing very well considering her age. Her memory is definitely going and she can't hear anything which causes for much confusion. Aging is definitely a challenge!
I'm glad to hear that you are registering to vote. This year has certainly been an exciting election season. I too would like to see Edwards on the Obama ticket. I have no idea who it will end up being. Ron's primary is on July 15 and his campaign is in full swing. He has already had 2 debates and I believe there are 4 more scheduled. With 3 candidates in the primary, no one will win and there will most certainly be a run-off. We are just hoping now that he makes it to the run-off. We are going to participate in a local 4th of July parade. The cars in the parade are supposed to be convertibles, but Ron received special permission for my Smartcar to be in it. I always run in the Peachtree Road Race on July 4th (it is an Atlanta tradition and the world's largest 10K with 55,000 runners). This year I will run the Peachtree and then try to make it back across town to walk with Ron and the Smartcar in the parade. I just hope I can make it to the parade in time.
At the end of school, I was elected Teacher of the Year for my school for 2008-2009. Of course Milford is a very small school, but I was grateful to my colleagues for giving me this honor. My only other news is that Ron's daughter, Erica is expecting a baby so I guess I will become a grandmother in September. I don't like the name "grandmother". I've got to come up with another name for myself. Any suggestions?

Everyone, take care! Lois

end of May

Hi Everyone,

Another month gone by. Hope it was a good one for you, Mike, and that the trip to Asia led to interesting options and opportunities. I spent the month trying to move forward on two books (one in English and one in Spanish) I am currently editing. Its a pretty thankless job but one I must finish as soon as possible, so all this summer I will be holed up in my study and aiming to be free of both tasks by the end of August. In the meantime Cristina will be taking a sabbatical and working at the National University in Mexico City so that she can take over the job of caring for her mom this next year. She has two siblings, a brother and a sister, and they take turns living with and caring for their mother who is in good health at 86 but has no short term memory. At least she will be sharing a house with two of our children, Emilio and Andrea, so it shouldn't be too lonely. I will be commuting from Zamora Mich. to Mexico City most weekends.
Lois, election time must be coming up for your husband. I hope all goes well. The US elections are getting quite interesting now. I suppose in a week or so we will know who is Obama's running mate. I wish it would be Edwards but I suspect it will be Webb (the idea of a Reagan Democrat, as Webb calls himself, is, for me, a strange betrayal of the progressive stance initiated with Roosevelt and the New Deal, but then I guess Blair was a Thatcher-laborite). I did go to the US Consulate in Guadalajara to get a voter registration form, fill it out and have the consulate send it to my last state of residence in the US (Texas). The Consulate now reminds me of the US Embassy in Belgrade back in the 70s when the American Staff was not allowed to move outside the Embassy. That produced a strange situation where the Embassy was basically run by a local Serbian staff and it was extremely difficult to actually come into contact with any of the higher ranking US officials in their isolated and insular situation. In Guadalajara, post Bush-Cheny politics of fear, its the same. All the jobs of security and information-reception are now subcontracted to Mexican staff and one feels like there are going through the bureaucratic-labyrinth which I used to associate with Mexico or the old Yugoslavia. Anyways it will be interesting to see if I really do manage to register to vote. Though absentee-voting in Texas with my political preferences is not very effective.
Hope all are well.

End of Abril

This blog is now a year and a month old. I'm thinking that maybe I should send out a email to all with the site address http://romemates72.blogspot.com and advice for Ron about the need to sign in with his gmail address and password, since it may be that some have lost the contact. That just happened to me since my hard disk died a few weeks ago and Leo, my son, had to give me the blog address again.
Not much to report for the month I'm afraid. All is well. Glad to hear you are still running the half marathons Loise (I doubt I would finish). Also I do know a bit about the Smart cars they have been here in Mexico for a while and my wife, Cristina, has a bit bigger version which is a Merecedes Klass A, also with the five speed semi automatic. Merecedes never let those cars enter the USA (probably afraid of damaging their luxury image with a 4 cylinder economy car, I've never seen their truck or buses in the States either). So the one or two times I've driven up Stateside have caused quite a stir in car culture. Hope the campaigning isn't too tiresome. Georgia politics has certainly changes since I left the area. At least you may gain some common understandings with Katie; I have no idea what actually participating in a political campaign is like. I do know something about academic politics -- that is where people fight desperately over very little.
Hope I have more to report by next month.

April Greetings And Happy Passover

Hi Everyone! Andy, it was good to hear from you. Glad you had a nice family reunion and got to see some good old U.S. TV. I really think you should register to vote. This is such an important election. Ron's (husband, not friend) campaign is getting off the ground so he is really busy and we hardly have time to talk. I will be glad when it is all over. I ran the ING GEorgia half-marathon and finished (that is always my goal - I don't worry about time anymore). The weather was raining and cool, which is much better than last year when it was way too hot.
Atlanta is covered in pollen and almost everyone is suffering from allergies. They say that this is the worst year we have had in decades and I believe it!
The most exciting thing I have to report is that I bought a new car. I have been driving a 12 year old 1996 BMW 318ti. I really loved this car but I wanted something that got better gas mileage. I heard about the smartcar and decided to order one. It takes about a year to get one once you place the order. Sometimes people order one and then change their minds and don't take delivery. These are called "orphans" . I ended up adopting an "orphan" and so far I love it! It is really different from any car I have ever driven. It is a 3-cylinder, 5 speed automatic-manuel (you shift it but there is no clutch). It is a two-seater and very small. There are very few smartcars in Atlanta now so I get a lot of stares. These cars have been in Europe for years but are just now being sold in the U.S. WE are so far behind the rest of the world in bulding fuel efficient cars. Ron drives a Civic Hybrid so I guess we are a "green " family now.
That's about all I have to report. I hope everyone is well. If anyone is coming to Atlanta, I'll take you for a ride in the smartcar. Take care!

Lois

Last day of March

Time flies. Our son, Emilio, came for a visit with his girlfriend this last week. She is a french exchange student at the University of California in San Diego whom he met while he was on an exchange there last quarter. She came to see Mexico on spring break. We have also been on vacation for the last two weeks -- Semana Santa holidays. This at least has allowed us to catch up a bit on backlogged work and watch some movies and Dr. House, an interesting tv series which manages to create the same bourgeois moral/ethical tension as the Sherlock Holmes stories. The main character is supposedly based on Alfred Conan Doyle.
This week I have to go to Mexico City and plan to also try and register to vote at the American Embassy since the US elections are always significant but especially so this time round. For years I was convinced that my vote abroad made no difference since as a popular vote without state residence, it would not effect the electoral vote. Now it seems that my vote will count electorally in the last State I resided in before leaving the USA. But alas that is Texas where I might as well vote for Nader since the Republicans are sure to take the state. Maybe once my son, Leo, gets settled in New York I can re-establish residence there -- He has joined the Democratic party -- seems that after generations of independents in my family, he and his American cousins are all joining political parties.

Well its the second to last day of February. Hope all are well. Still have to write Ron who now is signed in at Google but has yet to make it on the blog site. This month has flown by and I dont have much to say for it. I did note that the declaration of an independent Kosovo coincided with the elections in Cyprus but I don't know enough about the situation to interprete the effects. Quite surprising when a Communist Party wins a national election in a world typically described in terms of a neoliberal postnational global economy.
Hope your half marathon went well Loise. I have to get back into exercising after several months of distractions (construction at our house and frequent trips to Mexico City). Next week our son Leo returns for a visit to Mexico City so once again we'll be on the road. We live in a small town in Northwestern Michoacán, a state in West Central Mexico. But are children are all living either in Mexico City (Emilio and Andrea) or Brooklyn (Leo), so family reunions tend to be in Mexico City.

Happy Valentine's Day

Hi Everyone - It was great to hear from Andy and Katie! Andy your trip and hiking sound great especially the volcanic crater. It makes me ready for a vacation. Unfortunately, I will definitely be stuck at home this summer. Katie, I wish you best of luck campaigning in the Presidential election. I hope your candidate does well. Also I admire Costas for trying to get the Cyprus Peace Centre going again. Best of luck to him! I'm glad your Dad is doing reasonably well. My Mom and aunt are also hanging in there. Ron is hot and heavy into his campaign for County Commissioner. The primary is in July and the race will be decided there. He is running against an incumbent so he has his work cut out for him. The incumbent is favored by the developers so Ron will not have nearly as much money. He is relying solely on contributions from individual homeowners. I'm not sure I was cut out to be a political wife. Ron is running for office; I am just running. I am signed up for the ING Georgia Half-Marathon the end of March. The older I get, the longer 13 miles seems! We'll see if I make it. I agree with Andy that we should do a post-mortum after the elections - Ron's, Katie's, and the Presidential. That should be fun!

Everyone take care and happy campaigning!

Lois

January

Well this is the last day of the month. What happened to January? Hopefully its been a good month for everyone. We've been doing the usual, all the obligations that come with the start of the year but did go off to a small colonial town in southeast Michoacan, Tacambaro, to celebrate Cristina's birthday over a weekend. Tacambaro is on a balcony between the Michoacán highlands and the low lying hotcountry and so has some really panoramic views as well as a volcanic crater filled with emerald green waters just outside the town. So we spent the weekend hiking and enjoying the famous local cusine generously served at stands in the central market.
Hope all are well. It going to be an interesting year what with political campaigns, elections and hopefully critical changes in the way this new century began. Remember the political analyst Joseph Lampalabara who was a speaker in Rome. I remember he suggested we do a "postmortum" of the Italian elections, which we never did but the clever metaphor stayed in my head.

Happy New Year 2008!

Dear all, very best wishes for 2008!

I finally made it back onto the blog thanks to Andy's e-mail -thanks Andy. I enjoyed catching up with the entries and seeing the Rome photos which I also have somewhere. What a long time ago it all seems. I was sorry to hear about your mum's acident Lois, I hope she is much better by now. My dad continues to do reasonably well all things considered.

We have presidential elections coming up in February so I am campaigning hard for our candidate. At the moment the three main candidates, the present President, the Communist Party leader and our candidate, Kasoulides, are pretty much neck to neck with Kasoulides slightly behind in the polls. If our candidate does not make it to the second round we will face a terrible dilemma which of the two other candidates to support, so we need to make sure we get through to the second Sunday; if we manage that we have a good chance of getting him elected.

In view of the electioniering I have not progressed much with the translation of my dad's book although I have a publisher who is interested. So as soon as the election is over I will focus on the translation.

My husband Costas, whom some of you know, is busy trying to revitalise the Cyprus Peace Centre an NGO which he was instrumental in setting up in the '90s and which provided the impetus for a lot of the bi-communal work at the time. It's proving more difficult than he anticipated, since political activism, outside of political party structures, is pretty weak at the moment in Cyprus.

Well, that's it for now, once again best wishes to all, hope to meet up soon,
Katie