Improvement in McAllen, Appreciated but Insufficient

       I was optimistic about my return home. I thought I would catch up on sleep, read a few books, visit with friends, but I naively chose to downplay the dark pit of boredom in which I would be buried. It was inevitable. Now I'm back from my "winter" break (can 70 degrees be considered winter?) It was during that time that I found my conscious life to be nothing more than interruptions from the time I spent asleep.

     My uncle came down from San Antonio for New Year's and asked me what I had done since returning from New York. He knew the answer, of course, and in fact when asked about the valley the question is basically rhetorical. "Sleep, watch TV, and eat," I answered. There wasn't a lot of socializing going on but then again, breaks are usually the most pathetic times in my life. More than ever I felt disconnected from the rest of the world. There I could go an entire day without going outside and worst of all I could go days without being aware of the latest headlines.

      But maybe my situation was worse than most because I don’t own a car and I was practically left stranded in my own home. My home is an island and the streets make up the sea that had enclosed me. Oh, why can’t I have my own little boat? Still, even with a boat I’d just be floating around wondering where to go and what to do. And of course I wouldn't be allowed to go to certain areas of the valley after dark considering the situation is getting worse (the war in question is no longer underground and the river no longer serves as barrier for the violence). However, more into this topic is better suited for another time.

    My dull time at home only reaffirmed the truth universally acknowledged that there’s something missing here. I do have to give credit to the growing nightlife in downtown McAllen. I’ve yet the pleasure of experiencing the fun for myself but I hear it’s become quite the scene. So at least for those who enjoy partying it up till dawn (and those old enough to do it) life in the valley perhaps isn’t so bleak. It’s heading in the right direction but it’s taking longer than anyone would like.