Brand New Start

Welcome baby Kyan Blewett! Congratulations Mark, Shannon and Jayden on your newest little man. It's OK that you didn't name him Lisa. Next time, next time.

Monday, May 9, 2005, Bellevue, WA, USA.

Hable Con Ella

I am really starting to fret here, I am in full paper-writing mode, nothing like having a paper due in a few hours and it's still in the draft stage. But I'm too wound up to sleep even though I'm too frazzled to write--YACK. This is something I hate about what I do. But all the good stuff counterbalances it, yadda yadda...ok whatever, I'm going to have to pull this thing out somehow.

The thing is, I have Spain Spanish in my head and have been muttering things in what I think is Spanish all day. But I don't really speak Spanish...or do I? Claro que si! Pues...nada.

I never really realized this before, but I heart Almodovar. And not because I necessarily am a fan all of his films, but because they always pack a punch that no one can deliver but him. I think the fact that I recently watched "Bad Education" and then "Talk to Her", two peliculas which I very much did find fantastic, has something to do with the fact that I have rapid-fire Castilian and bright colors in my head. By the way, am I a nerd for recognizing right away that one of the protagonists in 'Talk To Her' spoke Argentinian Spanish and was clearly not a Spaniard? How did I know this? Where does this intution come from? It's not like I have many chances to hear variations of Spanish juxtaposed to one another. I could hear that he said things differently than other characters, that's pretty easy. But that I got Argentina? I have to start accessing my mystical super powers more often, here. I think it was actually a matter of deductive reasoning skills. Thank goodness for high school freshman geometry, the only math class I have ever used. OK, I'll admit to using algebra for calculating grades...but that's as far as I go.

See, I've been to Spain a few times but have no relationship to Spain. I don't get that rush I get for example the minute I step foot in Italy. I know some Spaniards, but I don't really have any Spanish friends. So maybe it's just Almodovar's films that rock me. I also realize that I have Almodovar to thank for exposure to Spanish from Spain...I believe the first time I heard this language and really listened to it for longer stretches was when I saw "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down" back in the day. Come to think of it, that was also the first time I saw Antonio Banderas on screen (Incidentally, he was on the same British Airways flight I was on once from L.A. to London and Melanie Griffin kept getting in trouble for smoking in the lavvie. At least that is what the flight crew kept telling me. But that's another story for another day).

So again to Castillian: I recall thinking 'what is THAT??", as it is so obviously different from the relaxing and sweet Mexican Spanish I had closer affinity to. And so opendeth the door to another language in the world. Aproposito (as they say) Mexico: Gael Garcia Bernal? Here he is, for your viewing pleasure: Many thanks to my Drunken Czech Psychiatrist for the photo! Ah Gael: not only a wonderful, talented actor but incredibly desireable in every way a man should be. Muy saboroso. Although I do not approve of his Bay City Rollers hairstyle here.

"Talk To Her" is still lingering in my mind. It's a whopper. I've been thinking about it all day. I can't even begin to explain it. See it if you haven't. You may not like it, but you will have to agree that it is something Most Interesting.