-- painting by East LA's Jose Ramirez

So far, it's been over three months that I've been back in Los Angeles, California, USA.
No girlfriend, or even prospects to speak of.  I've been very hermit-like, trying to finish editing my book.
I lived in Asia for thirteen years and five months.

So far...

My Cadillac car is still NOT registered even though I paid for the smog check and mailed in my reg fees
long before the due date.  It appears that DMV hours have been cut -- to save money -- workers
there are pissed -- American pissed, not British pissed -- cuz they earn less and no one is in a hurry to
rush anything.  They told me it will be at least TWO weeks till my reg tags are mailed to me.

It was decided last month that 38 public schools will be run entirely by private funds, because the CA
School Board is bankrupt?  If California were a country, it would be the 8th largest economy in the
world.  But California can't afford to keep schools open or keep regular motor vehicle department
hours.

Oh yeah, that food poisoning debacle I had in early February -- the bill is over $1300
Thirteen hundred dollars!  What did they do?  I was on a bed in the hallway of the hospital
for a couple hours.  I got an IV drip and a sedative.  The asked me a lot of questions.  In fact,
many different doctors and nurses had me explain my condition to them, and then I'd never see
them again.  A nurse or doctor would come over and talk to me, and then never return.
Another would come and asked the same questions.  They were all nice, but it got really annoying.
 
They tested my blood and urine -- I never saw the results.  I have no health insurance.  If I get sick
or injured, I'm fucked.  I'll be in debt forever.  Or possibly left untreated.  California Dreaming.  "I wish
I had health care!"  That's California's biggest dream.

We're waiting to hear if the Rest's Insurance Company will cover my hospital expenses.
I kind of hope they refuse so I can have the lawyer my mother works for give them a call
and sue for 10,000 dollars.  That is, the hospital costs  PLUS pain and suffering -- for the
week of work that I lost and the pain and suffering I endured for an entire week.  I was
willing to eat the pain and just ask for my hospital bill covered.  But not any more!!!!

That's what America has driven me to.  It's made me like everybody else in California. 
Everybody wants to be a millionaire in America. Every woman wants to marry a millionare
, get knocked up by a millionaire -- they have TV shows about it.  Popular TV shows.  Being
a multi-millionaire, or even wanting to be one has got to be the most socially irresponsible
thing a person can do.  "We're trying to have a society here!"  -- George Castanza.

Everybody buys tickets when the California Lottery gets up to several million.  I remember when
they started the California Lottery in the 80's under Nazi Pete Wilson -- 'Part of the proceeds goes to
help the public schools!'  That was their TAG LINE when the lottery bill was put on the ballot.  Really? 
Gambling revenue?  That's how CA is paying for it's public schools?  Obviously, the schools are
coming up short.  In January they announced NO NEW HIRINGS at LA UNIFIED.  Sorry, college
grauduates, it's private schools, or Starbucks.

And in a high school in Mississippi near the Alabama border, in a county that was once under fire
for having bible classes taught in public schools, an 18 year old high school senior wanted to take
HER girlfriend to the prom.  They spoke with the girl's father, who is tolerant of his daughter's life style
and they contacted the ACLU who informed the girls that were totally within their rights to attend the
prom together, and for one of the two young women to wear a tuxedo, which they planned on doing. 

The school decided -- No 2010 prom.  Needless to say, the girls are now hated in their high school.

I can't wait till my book sells enough copies that I can buy a house in Canada or in the Philippines, or both
spend the winter in the PI and seven months a year in Canada.  I can always visit the USA.  That's what
I've been doing for the last 13 years.  It's worked out fine.

God Bless America!  She sure needs it.

          
                 front cover                                              back cover