My old hood, Shangri La?

Since leaving San Diego we have found both positives and negatives about where we live now. San Antonio is a lovely place but like every place out there it has it's drawbacks. Really though the only things I'd change about this place is 1) the drivers, they can't drive worth a dick out here, worse than any place I've ever driven (So Cal, incl LA, Nor Cal, as in SF, St Louis, Wash DC yeah nasty, NYC not as bad as DC, Boston, yup it's worse than Boston here, and a few other small spots in the US) and 2)I'd like it if my mom wasn't here. Maybe if she moved to the other side of the world or maybe just kicked off and died it'd be a better city. A better world for that matter but I digress. At times people ask, both from San Diego and not, if I miss San Diego. It's kind of well known to be a sort of Shangi La I think but not all of us have those feelings for the place.

The answer to that question is both long and short. The short, hell no I don't want to move back there but yes I do miss it. Terribly even sometimes. Since it is both mine and my hubby's birthplace it holds almost all of our family there. And as much as we love them we don't need the drama. The only family I will ever be happy to live near is my father and my nephew. Everyone else can blow. I am going out on a limb here and saying that, for the most part, my hubby agrees. He loves his mom dearly but she causes serious strife in his marriage so it's kind of a double edged sword. I love her too but there are dominance issues. Like why is it every time she flies out and stays she must rearrange the silverware drawer. Why? I don't know. I'm not even sure she realizes she does it every time she's here, must be a compulsory thing, who knows. Plus we have friends in San Diego with issues. Sometimes you want to be there to help them, other times we are super stoked we aren't there for the stupid drama. Lets face it, there's always super drama with some people.

There are other things, grander scale things, that keep me from wanting to go back also. Even if I was rolling in the dough (which we are sooo not) and had the spare cash to own a house/piece of crap that they sell there I think the most I would get is a vacation home. And only visit once a year for 4 days or less. Not worth it? Yeah see now you know where I'm coming from. The grander scale things are basically child oriented. Their school system there is in the toilet and the dh and I are big into public schooling, we don't like the segregation of private schools. Our kid is spoiled enough as it is and I don't want to make it worse. Even then the public schools down there are fraught with peril. Skinny image much? So Cal? Yeah my entire cheer squad was on crystal meth in high school. Lots of energy, no need for food, it was a popular drug in the popular girls crowd. Also you had to be skinny and blond. It's bad enough at schools across the nation, it's amplified in So Cal.

Other issues, you know the state is practically bankrupt right? They are giving out iou's for tax refunds this year. So not only is the economy crap but the government isn't giving you your money back. WTF? Oh yeah that's a great state to live in. They are closing schools. In San Diego the school system has to cut $33 million this year and they've figured out how to cut all but $7.2M so far. Holy crap what? The city of San Antonio 'found' $30 million last month. Found. In my hood here in SA we had a new high school open for us last fall, and a new elementary and middle school slated to open this fall. Our elementary just opened 5 years ago and they are already having to open a new one due to overcrowding. And people wonder why we love it here. We're parents, there's no question where you're going to find us. We'll be in the hood with the best schools whose houses are just a wee bit above our means. The shit we do for our kids I swear sometimes I just want to live out in the country, work in a feed store and home school my kid. Then back in the real world....

The San Diego hoods in general are apparently going down the tubes too:
Violence...has got to stop
Apparently the gangs have switched modes and titles. They are now called "Party Crews" and they go around competing with who can have the coolest, biggest house party. The parents of this latest girl shot and killed thought she was at home in bed. Oh Hell the fook no. Not on my watch, not my kid. Upstairs with her door open and we can hear her breathing. I think we mentioned we're kinda paranoid. This girl is the third one murdered in the last 2 months. As a side note you'll notice that Point Loma High is mentioned there, it's my alma mater. They aren't gang related killings, these kids are being shot after they leave the party. Ah the logic of teens.

My old hood has gone down the crapper. Do I want to move back there? No. It's not good for my child. If it's not good for my kid it's not good for my family and no, that is not by any means a Shangri La.