Hotel California

For some reason, this song popped in my head as I'm writing this blog from a hotel room in California. I probably should be studying, but I'm pretty tired. Its 930pm here in Los Angeles and 1230am back home in Atlanta. Right now, I'm hearing the fireworks go off at Disneyland right down the street. Makes me wish Em was here with me right now. I think she's old enough to go to Disneyland even though she probably wouldn't remember it. I hate being so far away from her.

This is my first time here in California and I probably won't even get to see anything since I'll be working and studying all week this week. It was a long flight...well, short compared to China and Dubai. I'm actually getting use to flying now and traveling. The US is so boring. It all starts to look the same to me after a while. Guess thats what happens when your country is only 200 years old and thinks everything is the "best" and "biggest". I feel fortunate to be living here, but I'd rather be in Europe. Especially now. I think I figured out where I would like to live if I ever had the opportunity. Switzerland. The US is the land of opportunity as my father always told me. He came to this country because there was "freedom". Well, just a little more freedom than what they have right now in Cuba. They actually lifted the cell phone ban in Cuba recently. Total number of cell phone subscribers in Cuba...a whopping 200,000 out of 11 million people. The US has an 80% penetration rate. Cuba....2%. More than half of them are probably government officials and tourists visiting the country. But, when Cubans only make $20 per month and a cell phone costs over $100 and its $3.00 per minute to call the US, I don't think there will be many new adds. You do the math. Guess its a start though.

But my point is, this country is full of opportunity. But there's opportunity around the world too. Take Switzerland. Everyone speaks English...they also speak German, Swiss German (dialect) Italian, and French. Literacy rate is over 99%. Unemployment rate is under 2%. All the major companies have sites there. The banking system is a secret and their GDP is one of the biggest in all of Europe. Unemployment in the US is now at a record 6.5% (not sure exactly what that number includes). I'm earning more money in the savings account I had since I was a kid than Em's college fund and my retirement (which makes me sick to look at). Crime rates are rising and people are now shooting each other in schools. What a country. I'm not that proud. But I guess I'll stick around since Obama is coming to town. I can't imagine what Bush has to be thinking right now. How can someone look back at the last 8 years and think, hmmm "I did a pretty good job." I know there are approval ratings and all, but I would be kinda embarrassed if I had to do a self review and sit down with someone and go over it if I were him. Wish they actually did that and made it public. That would be a good SNL skit.