Estoy aprendiendo español

I'm learning Spanish.....the hard and painful way.  My lovely mother-in-law from Bolivia, Sofia, has arrived for a several months visit.  When I saw her last a year ago in Bolivia, I left with the promise to learn Spanish.  But I haven't.  Now I have this wonderful lady sitting with me for eight hours a day while my Latin Lover works.  She can't speak English and I can't speak Spanish.  I've become an instant fan of Google Translate.  If I need to express all but the most obvious (like "Do you want something to eat?" - [I gesture with my hand to my mouth]) I type it into Google Translate and out comes the sentence in Spanish.  What a way to learn.

Typical Cow Hand

I have also become a daily viewer of the novelas.  Our favorite at this time is Soy tu Duena, loosely translated meaning, "I am your master."  Thus far I've picked up that Valentina (pictured in this photo in the chair) owns a fabulous ranch in Mexico, wears VERY tight white shirts buttoned only so far, has shapely breasts, has a bunch of unbelievably ripped cow hands, and seems to have a mean streak.  Of course, I don't understand what she is saying, but she has very expressive eyes.  Wikipedia tells me, however, that this is the real plot:

Valentina Villalba (Lucero) is a beautiful woman with a fortune that she inherited from her parents. She has a mansion in Mexico City, where she lives with her aunt Isabel Dorantes  and her cousin Ivana . Valentina is engaged to Alonso (David Zepeda), but she doesn't know that Alonso is cheating on her with Ivana. Ivana has an additional lover, Oscar Ampudia (Claudio Baez), who is married. Ivana runs over Oscar with his car. Alonso stands up Valentina at their wedding. He has planned to run away with Ivana, but he ends up taking a different life.

Valentina decides to isolate herself at the hacienda Los Cascabeles, where she starts a new life and changes from a sweet, tender woman to a cold and bitter woman. When she arrives at the hacienda she finds Rosendo Gavilan (Sergio Goyri) abusing Iluminada (Fatima Torre), a servant who works at Los Cascabeles. Rosendo has raped Iluminada before. Valentina lays down the law and kicks Rosendo out of the hacienda. But eventually she hires him as her foreman. Most of the people of the region hate Valentina because of the things Rosendo does as her foreman, to their mind following her orders. They have given her the name "La Vibora", Spanish for viper or snake. Isabel, Ivana, and their servant Benita (Ana Martín), eventually move to the Cascabeles.

Valentina meets Jose Miguel Montesinos (Fernando Colunga), a rich land owner. She wants to purchase his land, but he adamantly refuses. Jose Miguel's parents, Federico and Leonor Montesinos, (Eric del Castillo) and (Jacqueline Andere), move into their hacienda. Leonor wants to return to Mexico City, but Federico Montesinos has only a short time left to live and wants to spend his remaining days on his hacienda. Jose Miguel becomes attracted to Valentina. Federico Montesinos was once in love with Isabel Dorantes and it turns out that he still is in love with her.

Rosendo kills Nazario, a worker in Valentina's Los Cascabeles in a stable belonging to Valentina, shortly after Valentina returns to the Hacienda. Valentina herself is blamed for killing Nazario..........

The plot goes on for about two more pages, so if you are interested, visit Wikipedia, or join Sofia and me every afternoon on Univision.

MY PAISANO - SECRETARY PANETTA

I was so proud when Leon Panetta was named as the Secretary of Defense...another paisano (NOTE:  Paisano is used by Italians toward other Italians meaning "Italian brother" sometimes shortened to Paisan) made good.   James Gandolfini (Tony Soprano), one of my favorite actors and favorite TV characters played Panetta in Zero Dark Thirty.  That was cool.

A little aside -- as stated above, I loved the Sopranos and the retched and conflicted Tony.  One morning James Gandolfini walked right passed me in the Pentagon.  It was me and Tony ALONE.  

BUT I WAS TOO SHY TO SAY --- HEY, TONY!   

What a wimp!

Anyway, I digress....  Secretary Panetta is quoted in the Washington Post as saying he thought Gandolfini did a great job, but he would have liked Al Pacino to play him.  I think he is right.  This is great.  I can write about three of my favorite Italians in one post.



I like to end my blogs with some comics, but this will have to do today.

Virginia House Approves Bill That Would Allow Commonwealth to Create Own Currency

 
What would you say to having Dave Matthews on Virginia's alternate currency?

Earlier this week the Virginia House of Delegates gave approval to a bill that would allow the Old Dominion to create its own currency based on the gold standard, reports Fox News. The bill, which now goes to the Senate, would authorize a $20,000 feasibility study on "establishing a metallic-based monetary unit.”

The alternate currency is the brainchild of Del. Robert Marshall (R-Prince William)—he of bills to declare fetal personhood and require teachers to be armed. Marshall has said that he is only preparing Virginia for the eventual collapse of the Federal Reserve; a similar bill he introduced in 2011 went nowhere.

In the event that the Senate approves this and Gov. Bob McDonnell signs off, what will Virginia's currency look like? Well, Marshall knows one thing: “We’re not going to be printing money with Dave Matthews or Jeff Davis on the front of it,” he said.

Consider us impressed that Marshall's list of Virginia historical figures includes the leader of the Confederacy during the Civil War and a guy whose music was the soundtrack for the lives of an entire generation of college town bros. That said, should the currency ever come to pass, it should obviously be decorated with Marshall's visage.

DAY 170 - My check was in the mail.

It has been another busy week.  Where to start?  I KNOW - I got my first consulting check in the mail this week!  WOW!!  Somehow it seemed much more exciting than it had been when I got paid from my regular job (back when I worked).  It reminded me of those many years ago in graduate school when I was a waitress.  It was great because you got your tips each day.  It was like instant gratification.  That's how this check felt, too.

OKAY, now the not so "WOW" news - I immediately set up an account to place my taxes for the quarterly estimates I'll need to make.  BLAM - gone 40% -- not even sure that will be enough.  Oh well, easy come easy go.  The rest will be saved for my African Safari.

Speaking of my old job --- thank goodness I got out when I did.  The Federal workforce is taking it hard.  No raises for two years, soon to to be three, maybe five.  Raised medical insurance premiums, higher payment towards retirement, and now a FURLOUGH!  You've got to be kidding me.  Hey Congress, how about letting the Department of Defense get rid of costly weapons programs that we don't even want or need?  No?  It is easier to let the Federal workers take the fall, than the  constituents in your district/State that make one of the parts for the system we don't want or need.  Isn't it interesting that one weapons system has to be made piece by piece in most of the 50 states?  'Nuff said.   I don't want to be stressed out in retirement.

Consulting Job 2 - I finished a second project this week.  It was submitted and I am waiting to see the reaction.  I'm hoping I nailed it because it will give me back a bit of confidence.  Believe me, after 170 days, you feel like you've lost your edge a bit.

I did get a call back from consulting job 1, so I guess I must have done something right. 

Those who don't like my humor, especially GET FUZZY, can stop reading now.  Love that Satchel.  He is trying to buy little Segways for short legged dogs.  So cute. 

DAY 163 - Live life to the fullest

What a great area in which to retire.  Today started off with a brisk walk in Old Town Alexandria with my boys.  The waterfront in Old Town cannot be beat on a crisp winter morning.  It was beautiful today.

Later I met up with my friend, Motorbike, for  a walk from Rosslyn to the National Museum of Natural History (4.5 miles).  The only really cold part was walking across the Key Bridge into Georgetown, but we made it.  We are both trying to become orchid growers and the museum had a South American orchid display.  

A little aside - did you know that "orchid" comes from the word in Greek for "testicles?"  Well, that is according to my favorite source, Wikipedia.  Wiki's explanation follows:

The Greek myth of Orchis explains the origin of the plants. Orchis, the son of a nymph and a satyr, came upon a festival of Dionysus(Bacchus) in the forest. He drank too much, and attempted to rape a priestess of Dionysus. For his insult, he was torn apart by the Bacchanalians. His father prayed for him to be restored, but the gods instead changed him into a flower.  ( I suppose the flower maintained the testicles?)

Anyway, I digress...

The day was to have ended with a BonJovi concert at the Verizon Center, but for one unplanned occurrence that changed the whole focus of the day....  

As we were getting things together to go to the Metro, an old man appeared at our patio door.  He scared the heck out of me as he tapped on the door and said he lived here.  I didn't recognize him as a neighbor, asked where he lived, and he said '525'.  That is not an address in our community, so I told him to come to the front door.  I started realizing that this man had dementia and did not know how to get home.  Luckily, he did know the name of the community where he lived.  I found it on-line, called, and the lady who answered said he was from there and they would send someone to pick him up.  As we needed to leave, I said we would bring him home, which we did---almost three miles from our house.  

I got a bit confused with the street address so I asked him if anything looked familiar.  He said it all looked familiar, but that wouldn't help.  Finally, I got him home, got back in my car, and started to cry.  All I could think of was that poor guy trying to figure out how to get home.

This is a great place to retire and I am going to enjoy it to the fullest until I get to that point where I can't find MY way home.  I hope all of you who are thinking about retiring or who have retired will follow my lead.  Live life to the fullest until you can no longer find your way home.

SOME DAYS ARE JUST A GIFT

I broke down and started getting the Post again.  Reading on line just wasn't doing it for me.  And then I opened up today's paper, and right there were GIFTS for my blog!  Love it.  So, today's

BECCA'S BRIEFS!!!

On the FREE FOR ALL Page, Washington Post, February 9, 2013:

How bad grammar propagates  A man or woman after my own heart.  Who is the Post editor who allows this headline?  "Who would the founding fathers deport?"  Come on, Our Lady of Providence High School graduates, we all know the problem --- it is WHOM.  R.B Estes from Kent Island, Maryland --- I share your pain.

An issue of butt out.  YES YES YES, Catherin Thibodeau of Olney, Maryland, I cannot agree more.  Why in the world would my hometown newspaper stoop SO LOW as to print an article about our First Lady's derriere?  I'd like to see some of the butts in the Post editorial room, in Congress, and in the WalMart.  For shame.

Whom are you calling old?  Martha Lewis of Bethesda - shout out to you!  I agree that these young whipper snapper reporters need to be more cautious in the use of the word "elderly."  How dare they call a 68 year old man "elderly!"

And in that same vein, I loved this story on AARP's website:

She is 62, and the smarty-pants scientists were sure her fertile days were long over. But then she (literally) gave them the bird by hatching a new little albatross chick.

Her name is Wisdom, and she’s a beautiful charcoal-gray and snowy-white Laysan albatross (see a typical one, pictured at left) who lives at the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge near the Hawaiian Islands.

Give 'em hell, WisdoM

I'm off to Yoga....give 'em hell, Becca!

It seems that I've gotten a bit lazy with my blog, but in truth, I'm just so busy.  I started and finished my first "consulting" job.  Of course, that required me to research taxes, deductions, social security payments and medicare.  Then, of course, I had to set up a spreadsheet (what is a consultant without her spreadsheet?).  I want to see how much I make per hour of work.  My retired time is valuable, you see.  Actually, it was fun to get back in the swing of things.  I like to write, but only in my own way.  Hopefully, there will be a fit.

I returned to Martha's Table for my volunteer day.  I can't help it but I feel like the "Una Bomber" in my ball cap and dark glasses.  This photo doesn't do it justice.  As soon as I put the cap on, the glasses and the jacket with the collar turned up I feel like I am in disguise.  Friend says I am still recognizable, however, if I lower my head quite a bit on the Metro, I'm pretty sure I could not be recognized.  

One benefit of Martha's Table duty is the opportunity to explore the many restaurants in the U Street corridor.  This week it was a Uruguayan cafe, in a gas station.  Fast Gourmet is a real treat.  I can recommend their pulled pork sandwiches, fries and their Cubanos without reservation!  You order your food (from I believe the owner) inside the gas station (really a small cafe in the same building).  Only a short time later your name is called and out arrives the largest order of crispy thin fries and a large sandwich.  We were starving after making (but not eating) food but still could only eat half of what was served.  $8.50 ---   Try it out.    That's the owner in the backwards cap at the register.

 FAST GOURMET

1400 W St NW
(at N 14th St)
Washington, DC 20009