Friday, July 03, 2009

Gancho Friday July 3, '09 We Hold These Truths To Be Self-Evident...There'll Be Lots Of Roadblocks In This Romance

Yep, the incipient romance between Mauricio and Moni is in trouble again...and it's not Constanza's fault either. And while we're at it, Ximena's and Estrella's love life has taken a turn for the worse as well. Charming women, stupid choices tonight. Let's see how our three gals went astray.

Constanza has flopped down on Maricio's bed to whimper, after arriving at the house for the birthday party and finding Moni already there. The rest of the group is out in the other room singing "las Mañanitas" for Danny who's happy as a clam.

Beto suddenly emerges from the bathroom in full Fantasma Vengador regalia, scaring the bejesus out of Constanza. He's delighted to see her, of course, convinced she's ready to fall into his well-fed lap. She can't get through to him that she's an engaged woman (oh...you wanted me for your daughter's party? NO!) and she's beginning to think she's in the naco version of a Fatal Attraction movie when Ximena bursts in the door. Our spacey Valley Girl thinks Connie's up to something with this lowlife but she seems more amused than shocked.

Scene switch to the party room and Beto's Fantasma act isn't going over well. Danny knows he's not the real thing. HER Fantasma Vengador smelled good and was slender. This Fantasma is paunchy and smells raunchy (huele feo). Moni, meanwhile, is hiding out in the kitchen.

While they're partying at Mauricio's, the hired thieves have shown up at the office, knocked out Salvador, in turn been knocked out by Paula, wielding a wicked broom and dustpan, have recovered and grabbed Gabriela (they're molesting me!) taking her gold chain (present from great great-grandmother) snatching the briefcase full of cash from a desperately cooperative Jeronimo and also taking him along as a "hostage". Fine, sneer Gabriela and Salvador...take him! (Clearly they're on to this scumbag but Mauricio, as usual, is clueless).

Meanwhile Danny has forgotten her disappointment in the Fantasma and has dived into the cake. Beto, still in costume, is wheedling some booze out of Teresa, who won't deign to give him anything but cooking sherry. Moni, of course, is still hiding.

And Constanza still hasn't come out of the bedroom. Ximena is threatening to tell Mauricio she's cheating on him (with Beto! hard to believe) but she's sidetracked by their umpteenth fight. "I'm your novia!" "Quit making scenes". ( We may have to start saying Mau's lines, Connie's lines if this goes on much longer.)

The spat is cut short by a breathless phone call from Gabriela telling about the robbery. Mauricio's on his way and Moni insists on coming with him. Meanwhile, Salvador's passed out and Gaby tenderly lays her head upon his chest to listen to him breathe. (Here's a romance I definitely want to see flourish.)

Jeronimo has paid off the thugs, taken a generous cut of the money for himself, and is now handing over an insufficient sum to Bonilla who's so outraged, he pulls out a pistol and shoots at Jerry's feet. A fight ensues. Bonilla rolls down the hill, hits his head on a rock and appears dead. Jerry pitches over the side as well, scraping and roughing up his face as he rolls, grabs the briefcase with the money and is ready to play the injured hero.

The police arrive to investigate and both Gabriela and Salvador are convinced SOMEONE tipped off the robbers about the presence of the large sum of cash. (dar el pitazo...give the whistle, tip-off). Maury, clueless but loyal, defends his cuz as having sacrificed himself for you all and how could you suspect him of anything!?

Just at that moment, the elevator door opens and a disheveled, limping Jeronimo staggers out, playing his superhero role to the max (no mention of the missing money, of course)

From the seemingly sublime to the ridiculous....Beto, back at the house, is still trying to score with Constanza, who seems half-repelled, half-attracted. Maybe she finds his self-confidence sexy. He's certainly got a ton of it.

Aha...now it gets interesting. Tano, Maury's mechanic shows up with a present for Danny as well as plans to talk Ximena into having a drink with him. These two evidently have a history, and clearly he's the man for her (not the scummy Rolando). And just as clearly, it's going to take many an episode for Xime to realize it. Right now she thinks they're from two different worlds. He's not with it, not "fashion", not VIP, not "in". Oh get a clue, Ximena!. But she's not ready yet.

Jerry's theatre continues back at the office. He's working it for all it's worth, reminiscing about his childhood with Maury, bemoaning the loss of the money while Mau laps it up and Salvador and Gaby glower in the background.

Moni is also there and still trying to hand in her cellphone and disappear from Maury's life but he's not having it. But "su novia no me traga" (your girlfriend can't stand me). Okay...fasten your seatbelts 'cause here comes the big romantic scene. She asks why he's so attached to her...after all, she's a goof, uneducated, has a temper . The romantic music swells. But he says nothing. And yet his tender look says it all.

Still, she wants more. Why so quiet?
-When I'm with you, I feel confident....I feel "magic".
-Magic?
-Yes, no matter how tough the day is, when I look into your eyes, everything around me disappears. It's magic. The beauty of your eyes, your gaze, your smile....I need you. How can I live without seeing that smile every day?

Their eyes lock, their lips are about to, my heart's racing..........and Dang! Gaby busts in the door and the moment is over. But after Maury leaves with her, our Moni leans against the wall, starry-eyed, and the romantic music swells again. Nice. She's got an after-glow and nothing really happened. Way to go, Moni.

Our lovestruck hero returns home where Danny is still bouncing off the walls (Nunca se te acaban las pilas ). A tired Teresa looks appalled at all the toys lying around and Mauricio offers to help her (another sign he's a good guy, no?)

Rolando, on the other hand, is NOT a good guy. He told Ximena he was in for an early night in order to try out a new race car in the morning. Turns out instead he's trying out two chicklets (fulanas) instead and she catches him at it. He defends himself saying she's cheating too...having a drink with her "ex", Tano and breaking his heart. She wails and begs his forgiveness while he waltzes off with the babes. Turning on Tano, she accuses him of wrecking her romance. Oh wise up, Ximena. You're cute, but you're clueless. (Must run in the family.)

Jeronimo, now fully recovered from his little spill down the hill, is sniffing around Estrella's door. He lays a line on her (I tripped looking for a star (estrella) and here she is!) and she falls for it, just like she fell for the line about his contacts in the theatre. He proposes getting to know each other a little better and she's enthused. Beto arrives, drags Jerry off for a moment and decides to let Jerry contribute Gaby's gold necklace to his booty. Jerry thinks it's worthless but Beto, biting on it, declares it to be 24 carats and Swiss to boot. We end this series of scenes with a montage of Moni training to the catchy theme song and Mauricio smiling his dopey lovestruck grin, as he remembers their earlier conversation.

When we come back from the ads, we're in the kitchen. Ivan has snuck back to raid the fridge and Luisa catches him. She doesn't want him sleeping in the street...she cares about him...he decides to collect a kiss and whoops...another interruption. This time it's Mauricio, who wants to know where he's been and what he's been up to. And by the way, we've all been worried about you. (Not me, snaps Aldo, who's arrived as well.) To condense, Mauricio asks Ivan to stay the night and work out his differences with his grandmother. And then he takes Luisa aside tells her to chill the romance. She's not even 15 yet and Ivan is 19. Way too old for her. And otherwise, he'll have to assign Aldo as her bodyguard (guardaespaldas).

Okay. Back to the barrio. Estrella is all dolled up for her rendezvous. There's a knock at the door. Must be Jerry. No, it's Ricardo, with a bouquet of flowers and an invitation. Take it, Estrella. Forget that upper-class bum. But of course, she runs Ricardo off with a lame story about a late-night casting call (casting couch is more like it) and he slinks off but is clearly not convinced because he lurks around and catches her sashaying off with Jerry in his convertible (descapotable)

Before they actually leave, our Estrella and her creep Jerry have a sexy little conversation where she asks him if he likes this chick (pollo) and offers him a wing (her arm) while he protests that he'd rather have a thigh. And she does flash a great set of gams as she plops her body into his car. We see no more of this hookup but we can just imagine. And so can poor Ricardo!

Well I guess it's betrayal season because Beto's on the phone, trying to arrange a date with Costanza and offering the gold necklace as bait. Monita shows up and he quickly ends the conversation but she's still suspicious. Why are you all dressed up? And why do you smell good? Me, ripostes Beto, sniffing his pits, I always smell this way! She knows he's hiding something in his hand, rips it away from him, assumes the necklace is for her (of course, you know how thoughtful I am!) and asks him to put it around her neck. Scary music plays so we know this will lead to trouble.

Another ad and when we come back Gaby and Salvador are sparring in the office. She's reading from a magazine that says 70 per cent of husbands are unfaithful and 30 per cent are impotent. What percentage is he in? The percentage of men dominated by their wives. Ouch!

And now comes the fatal moment. Moni arrives for work wearing the necklace. Gaby spots it, hustles her off to prepare coffee and then rushes to tell Salvador "we never should have hired "la changa esa" (that monkey) because she's in with the robbers...she's wearing Gaby's great great grandmother's necklace!" Paula overhears this conversation and rushes off to confront Moni while Gabi calls the police.

While this is going on, Constanza has dropped by the house looking for her gal pal Ximena and finds Jerry instead. Our tireless Don Juan starts putting the moves on her, reminding her that Maury will never marry her, he's smitten with his new secretary.... and besides he's adopted three snot-nosed kids.

But alright, he'll help her get rid of Moni, if that's what she wants...but what will she DO for him? Connie gives the impression she's ready to go along with this scheme, whatever it takes.

Back at the office, Moni (who's spent a lot of this episode hiding and creeping around on her knees) is trying to sneak into the elevator to escape the police. But when the doors open, there's Mauricio. And the episode ends.

Previews: Mauricio confronts Constanza , who's clearly delighted that Moni's been accused of a crime. Then he confronts Moni, just wanting to understand how she came by the necklace. Her boyfriend gave it to her. YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND!!!???

Vocabulary:

ñero = buddy, pal
baratija = cheap junk (what Jerry thought the necklace was)
dar el pitazo =give the tipoff
dando largas = stalling (Bonillo accusing Jerry)
nunca se te acaban las pilas = your batteries never run down, you never get tired
guardaespaldas = bodyguard
descapotable =convertible (car)
hasta en la sopa = everywhere. Constanza complaining that Moni is always around
pollo = chick, chicken
dos fulanas = two so and so's, two babes in this episode
su novia no me trago = (lit. your girlfriend doesn't swallow me...your girlfriend can't stand me)
huele feo = smells bad

Dicho of the Day

No todo es miel sobre hojuelas = (lit. it's not all honey over flakes)
"It's not all fun and games". and no, indeed, looks like things
are taking a dark turn for our Moni

Labels:


Comments:
OMG you're too funny...Beto is paunchy and smells raunchy. You sure have a way with words amiga! Love the title, it's so appropriate for our holiday weekend. Nice job picking up on the theme of bad choices for our favorite ladies. I think we've been around long enough to know that smart women sometimes make dumb decisions when it comes to men.

Thanks Judy, fab recap and awesome vocab words tonight.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!
 

Oh, and I just noticed, force of habit for you I'm sure, but tonight is Friday...thank goodness.
 

Judy, what a nice surprise. Very funny as ever. Isn't this show fun? The dialogue is fraught with clever lines. One thing that stuck out for me was the exchange between Connie and Beto. Everyone who came within a yard of Beto was overwhelmed by his scent(and not in a good way), that is everyone but Connie. Hmm, she almost seemed pulled toward him by an invisible force. Hmm. Carlos
 

Thanks for the recap and vocab Judy. Also your title managed to capture the episode and the holiday.

I felt horrible that Ricardo found Estella cheating on him. He's such a sweetie and we know Jerry is awful. And our poor Xime... she needs to go back to her ex as Rolu continues to prove he is so unworthy of her.

Judy I loved how you described Mau and Moni's scene in the office kitchenette. Mau's look at her did say it all. And the way she says his name when he runs into to him unexpectedly must make his stomach jump.
 

Excelente como siempre, amiga! Wow. I laughed, I cried, I learned! Keep up the good work and have a happy Fourth!
 

Yikes...thanks for the heads up, Sylvia. I'll correct that.

And Happy Fourth everyone! We have many friends here from other countries and they're always telling me how lucky we are to live here. I agree.
 

Thanks also for the kind comments everyone. I love our blog family...so supportive.

Carlos...a big lightbulb went off in my head when I read yours. Yeeesssss....that is the clue. Everyone else, including Moni, is repelled by Beto's powerful aroma. Constanza is not. Clearly he's her biological destiny. How great!

In one of the gazillion books I've read on saving marriages, one author noted if you still like his smell, there's a chance of saving the marriage. Otherwise....forget it!
 

Hi, Judyb~~~Thanks for the recap. I've only surfed into this show a few times. I like Sebastion Rulli , and he is getting better with age, but I am hopelessly devoted to FC and MEPS. I'll try to catch this show . The Valley girl's facial expressions and body language are very odd. Have a great 4th everyone.
 

p.s. I've read that people are attracted to other people's scents. It must be so. I remember that when we first started dating , I was very attracted to the way hub smelled. I thought it was the laundry detergent his mom used [Amway] , but I think it was really just his natural phermones . Even after a wrestling match or baseball game, he still smelled great to me.
 

Exactly....that's why your marriage works so well Susanlynn (according to the experts anyway). Women who find their men smell good even after working out are mated with the right hombre fer sure.

Glad you check in with us from time to time. I need a full confessional from both you and Carlos about these long-lost loves.

Carlos, is the famous Timothy O. the same one whom Constanza resembles? And how did she get the name Timothy?

And Susanlynn...do you still see your long ago fickle-hearted algebra swain at reunions? And if so, do you still feel that little ache (why oh why?) in your heart?

Inquiring minds want to know.

And Carlos, the nice thing is, with good friends you haven't seen in years, one also can pick up right where one left off. The connection still exists.

As it does on this blog.
 

Excellent comments everyone. As usual our Dr. Carlos is super observant about sniffing out the most pertinent clue. I absolutely agree with you folks about the aroma thing.

I think I missed the thing about the famous Timothy O., but I do know a woman named Timothy. She was named after a type of grass called Timothy-grass. Her sister is named Holly so evidently the parents were into the plant thing.
 

Just had some time to read all of this week's recaps. From several days ago, what is "naco?" I used an online translator and it said naco means "I am born." Yes, but I don't think that is what you all are referring to. From the context of everyone's comments, it appears to mean "low class" or "hick from the sticks!!!!!!" Can anyone help me out here?
 

Anon, here is Jarocha's most excellent definition of Naco. Please note how spot-on your sense of the word is and how excellent your own sleuthing abilities are:

"... the word "naco", it comes from the words "nacido corriente" (something lilke "born vulgar") and it's used usually for people from the lower social clases because unfortunately they don't have much of an education and their actions reflect that, but sometimes people from other social classes can be nacos too, depending on their behaviours. By the way, the shirts Beto uses with words on them are part of a trend that was started by a company that called itself NaCo., you can find all kinds of stuff written on them, and in some scenes the message on his shirt is either an inside joke or has some reference to what is happening in that particular moment."
 

Well, Judyb~~~Carlos has his Timothy, and I have my Lee. My first adolescent love...very handsome but a little dim as a student. Once when I was trying to tutor him in Algebra, he asked if my eyebrows were real [teehee, makes me think of Fer from MEPS] and then said ''Let's go for a walk.'' He was an outdoorsman and a hunter who lived in the hills. Our dates were usually going to his house where we swam in his pond or had picnics or hiked in the woods where he picked wild strawberries and wildflowers for me. He taught me to shoot a rifle from his front porch. He was very romantic and also very free with the compliments which always seemed like a lot of B.S. [think Camilo of MEPS] . He liked to call me Luscious Lady. Sometimes he would come to my farm to hike or hunt or skate on the pond or watch Saturday Night at the Movies. My dad was a hunter and loved Lee. I was head over heels; however, Lee loved girls...all girls... and liked to make me jealous . Once, he was talking to me in history class, and the teacher [a friend of my parents] said to him ''Do you really love Susy that much?'' To which he promptly replied , ''No.'' This led to one of our many arguments. He would check to see if I was wearing a silver bracelet that he gave me for my 16th birthday, and if I wasn't, he knew that I was mad at him. On our last date to the movies doubling with his cousin , he just didn't talk to me. I think he had already started pursuing my friend Ruth. In our small school, there were always rumors flowing ,and I heard them all and believed them all. Maybe they weren't true. After months of dating, he just drifted away to Ruthie with no explanation. I was crushed, and it was hard because we were in a lot of classes together. A few months later, I had a bad car accident , and he never called or came to see me, but Johnny whom I had dropped for Lee came to the hospital and my home while I was recuperating. Johnny was a great friend and even volunteered to make Lee jealous. I dated a few classmates , and then a few weeks before my seventeenth birthday as I was standing behind the library desk , this big, blackhaired, guaypo guy wearing a letter sweater strode up to the desk to check out a book. That was the end of my pining...It was love at first sight, and we've been together ever since. The guy who had asked me to the prom was mad at me because I went out on a date with hub , so he threatened me about it , and I told him , ''No problem, Mike wants to take me, so I'll go with him.'' As for Lee, I haven't seen him since we graduated from high school. Ruthie broke up with him shortly after we graduated, and our mutual friend Sandy [who also had a crush on him] told me that he pined for Ruthie. [Such is life...What goes around , comes around.] Sandy always said that he was looking for the perfect girl. She used to call him Lover Boy. He didn't marry until he was about 40, and then he moved to Colorado. I don't know if he ever had kids. I have seen Ruthie at the last 2 class reunions. She is very pretty..prettier than when she was in school....maybe because she is a Mary Kay rep with access to lots of makeup now. She's married and has 2 sons. Sandy died a few years ago of ovarian cancer. She never married, and I always thought she was pining for Lee her whole life. Tommy, the boy who was going to take me to the prom has been married and divorced at least twice. He used to live near us and had 2 daughters the same age as our daughters, so we used to see him at school events. Mike hates him. Now Tommy is on the board of directors at the community college where I teach. I kept a diary of that fateful year, and I read about the good times and the bad times from time to time. I suppose you never forget that first hormonepumping adolescent crush. Thus ends my personal telenovela. FIN [Sorry you asked, Judyb???]
 

Ay yi yi...that does sound like a terrible heartbreak Susanlynn. When there's no explanation, there's no closure. So it's very hard. Particularly when it's your first love.

Howevah!!! when a guy like Mike comes along and sweeps you off your feet you gotta feel the Universe has done you one great big favor. Clearly Lee was not in your future (and probably the lady he married at 40 is miserable, no?)

I love happy endings and clearly you had one.

Sylvia...thanks for fielding the question about "nacos". I was off socializing at a 4th of July party, getting my calories for the week all in one meal!

Your Timothy/Holly story was sure interesting. Wonder if Carlos' Timothy has the same provenance.

And Anonymous...yes, you were inferring the meaning quite well. Bien hecho.
 

Susanlynn, what an interesting slice of life tale. Thank you for sharing.

Judy, glad you had fun and good food at your party. Will you be able to watch fireworks later? Today I'm working on the boat changing transmission fluid and servicing winches (not wenches!). Then later some friends will stop by for a grill-out and we will watch the local fireworks.
 

Well, someone has to service those wenches! but I'm glad it's not you, Sylvia. I know boats take much maintenance but they return the loving care with great performance and much joy, right?

Yep, we've got local fireworks tonight. The ones downtown are awesome but the traffic is crazy so we prefer the suburban shows. Where we lived before (same suburb) we used to be able to see them from our neighbor's front yard (from our own too, but more fun to sit with the neighbors!) and that was nice.

My daughter puts her children to bed so early I don't suppose they'll ever see them. But some little ones are terrified by the noise anyway.

Well, enjoy those winches, m'dear....and the cookout.
 

Wow Susanlynn, basically an entire TN. I was rapt. After that I'll need to wait a bit before offering up the prosaic tale of Timothy and Carlos. It involves band buses and science labs. She told me that her dad wanted a Timothy and her mom wasn't on board with giving him another shot at it so Timothy she is. My Connie look-alike is SherryB. She played clarinet and pretty well taught me to kiss. Now the scene in Connie's room was really cute. She screamed when he lurched in as Avenging Ghost startling her and she screamed again when he removed his mask. What a great funny show this is so far. Carlos
 

Carlos~~~Clarinet players are good kissers. It makes me wonder if FC ever played the clarinet considering his excellent kissing skilz. Heck...he must be proficient at all the wind instruments. Me....I tried the flute for a very brief period of time at about age 14 and was hopeless..also , I had trouble hitting the last key due to short arms. Que lastima. Lee didn't play a musical instrument , but as I recall, he excelled in Spin-the-Bottle. To tell you the truth, I was a little surprised when you mentionned ''Timothy'' as your first love...but then I thought..to each his own.
 

Susanlynn, Judy, Sylvia, imagine being the youngest looking , nerdiest and absolutely most terrified 7th grader in a strange school waiting in the bandhall for one of the last remaining ill-fitting, hellishly itchy wool uniforms (no telling what grotesque figure inhabited it last year) remaining, when unbidden up walks the most beautiful goddess he'd ever seen in his life with green eyes revealing centuries of Irish genetic input and asking his name. After first looking around to see who she was talking to, I stammered something incoherent. "What?" Dang I got a second shot at it. I summoned up all that bravado that a fearsome mama had instilled and a day that Lucifer had planned specifically for my entertainment suddenly became that moment that should last forever. For all I cared at that moment, she could have been named Howard. From that day forward we were the fastest of friends.
 

Okay...we'll be waiting for the rest of the story, Carlos. Both the Timothy saga and the Sherry romance...but at your own pace and in your own time, amigo. You're the boss.

You and your wind instruments, Susanlynn. Still think you should be writing bodice rippers and making a mint.
 

And then what happened? Come on Carlos, spill it.
 

Yes, Carlos. I missed your poignant comment as I was writing mine. And you have us on the edge of our seats, hombre. You can do that to us, you know. I have no problem understanding why your green-eyed Irish beauty drifted over in your direction.

And for both Carlos and Susanlynn, my treasured romantics, check out the country lyrics Sandy of TN posted on the MEPS line. The words are better than the youtube rendition (I guess because the melody is not up to the level of the lyrics) but anyway, I had you both in mind, amigos.
 

Turned out that we had the same homeroom /LASS (language arts and social studies ) teacher a lovely matriarch DAR/DOC from Georgia who would teach us for 3 hrs. each day. YESS!!! about rhat time a well-meaning bandmother called me into a huge closet that reeked of mothballs to try on one of the last uniforms. Meeting all my expectations it was created for someone 8ins. taller and 30#s heavier. When I came out to model it there was Timothy in a twirler uniform, short skirt, clingy top, perfect fit, you get the picture. Well while we were waiting for our respective uniform assessments we talked about reading. I am not kidding . Clearly hitting it off we were united in the same classes for the next 7 glorious, bittersweet years. Now though I don't thnk anyone will understand, I'm going to search for a cigarette. Carlos
 

You're breaking my heart, Carlos. And I DO understand, though I would be searching for a piece of apple pie. That consoles me far more than a cigarette would. (although a cig would make me so sick I might forget my woes for a while).

And now.... the rest of the story? Did you lose track of her in college? Did she marry someone else? Do you know where she is today and how she is....happily married or not?

See, you start this and now your queridas amigas will waiting, heart in hand, for the next installment.

It's your fault, you know. You tell it so well. As does Susanlynn. If she had green eyes, I might think she was your long-lost Timothy. But no....only in telenovelas.
 

Judyb~~~Nope...I have brown eyes and never played the clarinet, but maybe in another life .....who knows. Ihave always been incurably and hopefully romantic...I thought that tide and time would change that, but so far, it hasn't. Oh...two final points to my novela...I wrote to my good and faithful friend Johnny while he was in the army and I was in college and then lost track of him para siempre. The silver bracelet and all my old love letters were stolen when our house was robbed right after I had Daughter #1. I think the Universe wanted all traces of my illfated love to disappear, but a neighbor did find and return 2 of hub's old love letters. Prophetic, verdad?
 

Susanlynn, you've got me snfflling and all snuffled up. Timothy is special but there was at least one beautiful browneyed gir in my life. Timothy was that fobidden fruit you hear about. Carlos
 

Ay yi yi...long-lost love letters...forbidden fruit...thank you for those bedtime stories Carlos and Susanlynn.

Why the heck do we watch these telenovelas!? We could just write to each other and do our own!

Thanks guys... so much fun.
 

Hi friends. I am still not watching the new show, and I'm still enjoying the extra time in my life, but I miss the old gang and stopped by to visit. What stories you have!

Judy, for the pie, my friend makes the best apple pie in three counties and has the ribbons to prove it, but even hers doesn't measure up to what I had in the Condessa neighborhood of Mexico City, of all places! I'm convinced it's the best on earth (gee, maybe I should tell TBLMOE about it!).

I spent today at a BBQ chattering in Spanish (and English) with a 22year old woman from Beijing who arrived in the US two days ago. What a world!
 

Paula...good to hear from you, long-lost blog buddy. We miss your lines, your lists, your links....and most of all, just you.

Apple pie is the most comforting dish in the world, in my opinion. I'd love to taste your friend's and that famous pie in Mexico. But as for my kids, they think MY pie is the best they've ever tasted so I'll settle for that.

Now tell me...how was it that this young woman from China was speaking both Spanish and English with you. Mind boggling. But good on ya both, as Mike would say.
 

As they used to say on Monty Python, "And now for something completely different", here's an interesting post on another blog:

Mexamerica

The author's usual focus is the Middle East but every now and then he likes to toss out a geopolitical idea regarding another part of the world and see where the comments go.

Again, this is strictly for a little forensic fun and in no way should this be taken as a serious proposal.
 

Hi Judy. Stranger yet, we even had a brief discussion about Fea! I guess if anyone has seen ANY Fea, Paula will find them. Imagine the news story. NASA sends team for first contact with intelligent life on another planet. Paula discovers that they've been monitoring radio waves, and she engages them in a conversation comparing BLF vs LFMB!

Anyway, back to your question. Her undergrad degree in China was in English. She's here for grad school, a degreee in English Translation for Commerce o algo asi. Her university in China required all English majors to take another language as well, either German, French, Spanish, or Japanese. She chose Spanish because it's the easiest. She had seen one episode of Fea on a trip to Spain, but we couldn't figure out if it was the Colombia, Mexico, or Spain version. I'm going to set up a coffee date with an immigrant friend because she wants to practice Spanish with a native speaker.
 

Mike....verrrry interesting. His approach to starting up a discussion on the question of immigration was certainly creative. And I find the idea of uniting the two countries provocative indeed even if it was just for purposes of igniting a debate. Keep us posted on where this leads. I take it you read this blog regularly.

* * *

Querida Paula...yes, is there's a discussion of Fea or Jaime Camil, you WILL find it...in this world or in outer space.

How wonderful that you can set her up with someone to converse in Spanish. A heavy load language-wise, I must say.

When I was working in Austria, I could switch back and forth from English to German, and back and forth from English to French...but I could NOT, for the life of me, switch back and forth from German to French or vice versa. The synapses had not been set that way. Strange feeling.
 

Great recap, Judy, of another fun episode with all sorts of ups, down, coincidences, action and you ably described the "chain" of events.

I also enjoyed the various personal telenovelas.

I spent the weekend in New York for a wedding (my wife's cousin's son). It was July 4th evening, and from the penthouse of the hotel where they had the party, we could see the spectacular New York fireworks. They sure started off that marriage with a bang!

And Judy, your title says it all. All the little romances look as if they'll have roadblocks aplently. I guess we viewers can be happy that we know so much more than the characters, and would NEVER make all the bad choices they make! (Or would we?) :)
 

Hi Hombre...sounds like you had a fabulous weekend. The image of the NYC fireworks together with the wedding sounds magical. Quite a memory.

As for mistakes in life, at my age, I'm kinda wishing I'd made even more! Too late now.
 

Ahoy all, sorry I had to disappear from the conversation for a while. We ended up in a spot where I couldn't get an internet connection so I had couldn't reconnect until I got back home tonight. I was dying to hear if Carlos had added to his story.

How nice that Paula checked in to say hi to us. Paula, I'm sure you have mentioned that pie once before, and didn't you even have a picture of it too? Or maybe I just imagined it so vividly I thought I saw a picture. (Wouldn't be the first time I have done that.)
 

Hi Sylvia! I probably did tell you about the apple pie once before. And now that you mention it, I seem to recall posting the picture. These days, I tend to forget what I said to whom. Heck! I've always been that way. I probably did tell you about the apple pie once before. (jiji)
 

I have a rotten memory about most things. I tell myself I have too many irons in the fire, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. However I have always had excellent recall when it comes to food. You can tell us about that pie a million times and it will be OK with me. I love love love a good pie. I prefer a birthday pie to a birthday cake. I especially love pie for breakfast because my appetite and palate hasn't been compromised by a full meal. I wish I had a piece of pie right now!
 

The next time we're both in DF, we'll go out for another piece of that pie. Lo encargo yo. I do believe I could find the place again. We'll put that on the list, along with the chiles en nogada. In fact, I know a place in Monterey that serves a darned good olallieberry pie, too.
 

Add that olallieberry pie to the list! I think I know what I'm going to be thinking about as I drop off to sleep tonight. Thanks for that!
 

Ay yi yi..it's going to be hard to eat my oatmeal after you all have been talking about pie.

I love pie for breakfast and right now there is leftover apple pie I made for our son within a few feet of me. BUT I've noticed that when I eat pastries or chocolate these days, my face breaks out. Can you believe it!!!??? at 69? So I'm going to pass.
 

Oh, hi, Judy! Lucifer here with a temptation just for you!

Contact La Señora Emilia for her Pecan Pie recipe.

But act now and we'll double the offer: mi esposa also possesses a recipe for that exquisite pie which is traditional for the Kentucky Derby, but whose name has been copyrighted by some baker in Louisville.

Drool...
 

I DO want it. Write me Emilia. But Sylvia would probably like it too.

Although I distracted myself by making bacon-flavored cornbread and black bean soup today. When you pour the soup over a nice big slice of cornbread, it's twice as good!

Just can't slip that Kentucky DNA. Not even sure I want to....
 

Oh Judy, I could eat cornbread and black been soup until it comes out my ears!!

So, do you have a long lost love to make us all weepy?

I'll send you the pie recipes, probably tomorrow...
 

ummm.....BEAN soup. proofread, proofread....................
 

Emilia, for me it's turnip greens and cornbread. I suspect it's served on Thursdays in heaven.

Carlos
 

...And my mother-in-law's Swiss steak is on heaven's menu for Wednesdays. I'm sure that the angels are serving my mother's birthday pies every night for dessert...Dad got apple...I got peach or apricot...my hub got cherry [and I think longlost Lee dated me a few extra weeks simply for my mother's cherry pir]...and my sister and her hub always got lemon meringue [the best I've EVER tasted. ]
 

Carlos, I'll take the turnip greens also. Let's hope they serve them at least once a week in heaven
 

And ice cream for every meal! What's it gonna do, kill us??
 

Amen for turnip greens...with plenty of tender little turnips mixed in.

As for those long-lost love stories....hmmm...I'm going to hold off for a while, Emilia. Maybe one day.

Well, I could go back to my second serious fiance....in first grade. But later....
 

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