how long does it take a couple to move from one home to another?  apparently, longer than i thought.  as i hinted in the previous entry we have purchased a house and, as of today, we are in our 3rd month of moving!  yes, it's startling.  but that's what's happening since we both have family in LA, jobs in victorville, and the double-edged luxury of an available house in whittier (the afore-mentioned neighbor home to my in-laws).  the "move" began with the purchase, then some minor improvements (a new fence, a pool pump, security system), some new furniture and re-furbished cabinets.  ****unfinished*******

i was in orlando this week for a work conference and i lost my wallet and cell phone.  we were given a one night pass for a private party at hollywood studios at disney and my stuff fell out of my pocket and into the car of the roller coaster.  of course it ruined the rest of the night, and sent me into a whole lot of precoccupation.

i did all the obligatory cancelations and notifications, but what i really wanted was for someone to yell out, "hey, you dropped your things!"  but that never happened.  the next morning i got a message to my room saying someone had called in about some belongings they had of mine.  i was cautiously optimistic.  sure enough, the wallet had been recuperated but no word of the phone.  for matters of contact info and images on the phone, i was more bummed about that than the wallet and the cash inside. 

so now i'm back home, negotiating a grateful recovery of the wallet, but still feeling lost, and strangely, a little guilty.  as if i had left the gate open and found my dog missing.  i feel as if somehow i have let my phone down.  i trusted it to hold my important information and it trusted me to look after it, to guard it so it could do the job of guarding my data.  i have disappointed my phone, and now, because i left the gate open, it's out there in the wild with no one to recharge its battery, or wipe its screen.  or maybe, worse.  maybe a new person has picked it up.  is this person treating it right? or is this person abusing it, mining it only for its hidden info?  i'm a terrible owner.  now, necessarily, i look towards getting a new one.  which brings in more guilt as i have reduced myself to believe that i will never see my old phone again.  if anyone who reads this knows of a disney hollywood studios ride attendant working at rock 'n roller coaster on wednesday the 15th at approximately 11:00pm who might have accidently picked up a motorola q, please contact me.  no questions asked. you can view (not download) the contents. a reward is waiting.  just like a piece of me will always be waiting for your return moto q9.  i will look in every roller coaster i can, hoping to catch a glimpse of your black and silver casing.  i will never forget...
so long.

JR "buy a damn belt clip" Alvarez

so check this out.  i work in one of the windier parts of southern cali and, as a restaurant manager, i am in charge of taking care of the flags that fly outside the store.  this means that on days when shit gets crazy outside with the wind i must bring down the u.s. and mcd's flags early. 

as i was doing this a man in the drive-thru yells out, "make sure that don't touch the ground!"  he wasn't mean about it but i could tell he really believed this was important.  of course i smiled and agreed and took care not to dirty the flag.  recently, i also heard another story of a customer who went to another mcd's and saw that their u.s. flag was out past sundown and took her complaint all the way to the national offices in illinois.  her outrage seemed genuine as she did not ask for free food or anything, as is usually the case.

now, i try to respect the viewpoints and opinions of others.  but say i had let the flag touch the floor?  i lost my balance and instead of landing face first on the asphalt i let the flag go and put out my hand to brace myself. or, in the course of folding the flag according to procedure the bottom sweeps the floor.  does this constitute an offensive gesture?

to me, the flag represents many, many things.  it signals revolution, and courage, and industry, racism, freedom (for some), oppression, and struggle towards democracy.  the list can truly go on and on.  and yes, it does remind me of the greatest of all sacrifices a person can make for a cause.  that is the willingness to give your life in defense of others, as our men and women do all over the world.  so, in the face of such stark reality, how can anyone say that such a simple piece of fabric dyed to match our "national colors" deserves more respect than some of our war veterans who come home with irreperable harm and find little to no resources for improved health?  why should a mass produced object cause such outrage when it is burned, or stomped on, or left out flying in the rain or past sun down? 

remember the saying, "sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me"?  well when some one chooses to spit on a flag, or puts a sticker on their car that says "free tibet", all they are doing is expressing their opinion, as words tend to do.  they don't hurt unless you let them hurt you.  but, if i take that flag and choke the shit out of you, i guess that might hurt.  and if a dollar-burger buying customer gets in my face about a flag, i might just choke the shit outa somebody!  haha

peace

Junior "salute to my flag" Alvarez