How dry I am.

[cactuswatcher]

We usually think of winter as being dry, but we've had record low humidity here in the last few days. My nose feels awful even though I've been drinking a lot of water.

It's Cinco de Mayo although there has been a movement in some places to push this mostly gringo/Norteño holiday to the weekend. I had Mexican for lunch last week on my usual expedition, so I'll probably get Chinese today and have a Marguerrita later at home. Not much of a party animal. ;o)

Word in the paper is that Illinois will get the grant originally projected for Florida to improve rail service. Since that usually translates to improving the Chicago-St. Louis corridor I'm pleased. I know Missouri wants money to do the same onward from St. Louis to Kansas City. It will be very nice to have my old home state ahead of the curve on transportation again.

ETA: A couple iced-teas and a blast of hot Chinese mustard at lunch and my nose feels much better.

Comments

[mamculuna.livejournal.com]

Chicago is getting the money that Florida turned down as well as some other state. It will be great--I think that's the most needed route around here, but hope they'll someday work on the one that goes to NY.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

I think Ohio also turned down money for higher speed rail service. It's not quite as bad as in the 1800s when the ferry owners tried to sabotage the first bridges over the Mississippi, but it's fairly clear some people in the transportation industry don't want to compete with better trains.

[ann1962]

this mostly gringo

This was my new fact for today. The moms at work let me know that only the more established immigrants celebrate this, and that no one does in Mexico. Also, several phrases they say, are never said in Mexico. I guess that is evolution of language at work. Hola here, and a different phrase of introduction in Mexico.

[cactuswatcher.livejournal.com]

I didn't know about 'hola.' But yes, Norteños even have there own particular style of music and according to the newspaper drink more Bud Lite than Dos Equis or Corona beer. Spanish in this country tends to mix Mexican Spanish with Puerto Rican Spanish, which I hear are very different. Most of the national news in Spanish comes from Miami and the presenters are mostly Puerto Rican. Throw in a little Cuban Spanish which is just about incomprehensible for those of us who learned our Spanish in high school and you've really got a different language developing.