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Published: November 5th 2006
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Come and visit
Sit on the balcony and have a margarita with me, seriously. Come and visit. Something difficult; teaching the meaning of the vocabulary word “dishwater” to a bunch of young patricians. Dish
washer is a person, who neither they nor their parents have even been, and this makes it a little difficult. I finally just explained that it’s one of the reasons that while poor people stink, sometimes their hands smell good. Does anyone else think Velcro sounds like a bucket of water hitting the ground? Another teacher here, Brian, and his wife, the child psychologist for primary, are having a baby. Funny thing, any days he takes off get deducted from her maternity leave.
The below level students in my class, get taken out for English reinforcement. Funny thing, they always take them out during Religion class. I guess they figure if you are undereducated, the last thing you need is to be inundated with conservative religious talk. I think the world would be a much better place if we all learned that lesson. I’ve never reposted an email forward and I think my luck is pretty good. The doormen who restrict entry to my building don’t really make me feel safe since I get the impression that about half of them want to kill me.
Adam on Halloween
His expression sums up the whole week. Adam’s visit was nice, but man did it wear me out. This candle burns at both ends, it will not last the night, but oh my foes, and oh my friends, it gives a lovely light.*
One fairly random cultural phenomenon, people here are super touchy about how hard you close their car doors. It’s a nice way to indicate to cab drivers that you were less than happy with your service though. On that note, I just bought some really nice earplugs for the mp3 player that completely cut off all outside sound. Now I hear absolutely none of the extolling of my character as I walk away from screaming cabbies who received the proper amount of money, but had hoped to charge me a standard gringo fee. Speaking of gringo, let me take a sec to clear up a bit of fake etymology.
A recurring false etymology for the derivation of gringo states that it originated during the Mexican-American War of 1846-48. It has been claimed that Gringo comes from "green coat" and was used in reference to the American soldiers and the green color of their uniforms. Yet another story, from Mexico, holds that Mexicans with knowledge of the English language used to write "greens go home" on street walls referring to the color of the uniforms of the invading army; subsequently, it became a common habitual action for the rest of the population to yell "green go" whenever U.S. soldiers passed by. This is an example of an invented explanation, because gringo was used in Spanish long before the Mexican-American War. Additionally, the U.S. Army did not use green uniforms at the time, but blue ones.
** It’s really is a derivation of griego, meaning greek, since most early foreigners with light skin in southern Spain were greek. I think I’m going to start a lulo revolution.*** Or a lulution. I can’t believe we don’t have some semblance of this fruit in the US. If I started importing it, I’d
be filthy rich. It makes the most delicious juice ever, comes in concentrated form that you just add water to (a pulpy bag rather than a frozen cannister), and makes me wanna burn this mother out because I can’t handle the taste explosion.
Album of the Week: The Fray - How to Save a Life. It’s so good I can’t believe I haven’t heard of it.
Movie of the Week: Does season 2 of Lost count, it’s amazing. It’s made me reevaluate my life if only because I haven’t sat down and watched it before this. Seriously, what am I doing on this planet?
Book of the Week Burr by Gore Vidal. Probably as the critics say, our greatest living historical novelist. Is he still alive?
Rock,
~T. Biggums
If you're ever stuck in some thick undergrowth, in your underwear, don't stop and think of what other words have "under" in them, because that's probably the first sign of jungle madness.
~ Jack Handy
Back in my day we didn’t have Facebook, we had fun the old-fashioned way: by getting drunk.
~ Free For All, UDK, Nov. 3rd.
*From “A Few Figs From Thistles” - Edna St.Vincent Millay
**Thanks be to wikiwiki.
***More commonly known as the naranjilla (known as lulo in Colombia from a native language Quechua) it is a subtropical perennial plant from northwestern South America.
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PFunk
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I heart Chiefs
Well big news is good gnews with gary gnu. The old truck is gone. Yes, after driving it for 6 years with no AC, working windshield wipers, gas gauge, or pride, it is finally gone. I took the spirit of the truck, (known as "Slick Willy"; side note-I named it after ol President Clinton but always knew I had heard the name elsewheres, turns out it was my grandpas nickname back in the Korean war) and transfered it to a kick ass-business bought- 2007 rav4. Now what am I doin with a family style car like that you say? Well a little PFunk may be on the way. However we have sadly ran into some problems, such as no heartbeat yet, but we are keeping our hopes up and would appreciate a little love and hope or prayer ( whatever you feel appropriate-do a voodoo dance if it's yo thang). Any who I'm gonna go back and keep rockin the free world and you keep rockin in the not as free back ass world of good fruit. Love Pfunk