Caray, Caray!

There's a strange part of my mind which insists on reading "ganchettes" as "hookers"!

Thanks for the laugh!

All quiet here on the western front, but I'll be back later to see what's up.
 

Thanks for putting up this space Kris. Glad to hear you are well.

Classes are over and I'm working on essays for the summer. And I have also been enjoying watching novelas.
 

Kris, you've broken the TV addiction! Awesome. I read some very scary advice the other day (Mayo Clinic Diet). They want you to exercise an hour for every hour of TV you watch. Guess what! You don't have to exercise at all, amiga!
 

Kris, Julia, Karen, and Judy,

Good afternoon Ganchettes. Of course I use Ganchette only in the most affectionate sense of the word.

Kris, ¡No puede ser! Are you one of those who can take it or leave it? Or are you one of those just an episode away from falling off the wagon? Are there meetings? I vaguely remember posting a confession about my own unnatural craving for the stimulation of Mexican drama when I first began recapping. I suspect your self-control may be tested once FC shows up in STuD. Nonetheless I'm glad to see you hosting la Vida Gancho this week. Now where is the cochinita pibil?

Carlos
 

Yikes, if that's the equation, I should be stuck watching 12 hours of TV a day!!!! Ha...

Nah, I'm going with the "since I'm not watching then I must be otherwise moving" argument... :)

Julia where is your mind...?? :)
 

Carlos, the pibil is in Gancholand....now only to get there.... :)
 

Wait we figured that out at somepoint didn't we? Tour bus, and someone's VW...
 

Kris, it's just that I'm still at that stage of language learning wherein I translate everything to English in my head...gancho=hook, therefore ganchette=?.

I don't dare calculate how much I should be exercising, by that equation. At least it might decide to be summer-ish here soon and I can do some biking without freezing. The neighborhood kids have already been swimming in the pool across the street from me on the weekends, but I think they're crazy.
 

Kris, thanks for hosting. I guess I am watching a little less TV than before, now that Gancho is done.

Judy, did they add more hours to the day? Don't know how I will do all of those hours of exercise, what about sleep and eating pibil?

Carlos, I thought you were the pibil supplier?

Where do we catch the bus?

Julia, how about hookette?
 

Does "not sleeping" count as exercise? In that case, I'm all set.

I've had no time to watch telenovelas since... um... that last one I watched ended (I can't even remember what it was called!! with Fernando Colunga and Silvia Navarro). But with the regular TV season ending and my job MAYBE slowing down a little with all the managers taking turns going on vacation, I was thinking maybe I could start watching whatever telenovela's on at 9, at least during the summer.

But I see that the Dinero show goes from 8 to 10. Poo! That's too early and too long. I can maybe devote one time slot, but not two. (Differing availability of cable and recording devices in various rooms makes it infeasible.) :(

Ah well, it's not even officially summer yet... we'll see what happens!
 

Jeff,

It took me 3 days to make the cochinita pibil. The first day shopping for the ingredients. Day two for marinating the pork. Day 3 for slow cooking. It really was worth the effort. My current project is corn fritters thanks to Paula. Next Sunday, I'm hoping to try Emilia's cornmeal/buttermilk pancakes.

Carlos
 

Julie, are you ever in luck. New telenovela with Sr. Colunga starts at 9 on June 1. I do hope you'll join us; I miss your comments!
 

Exactly Julie. Dinero doubles will be over end of May. And their our love affair with Fernando can begin. Can't wait to have you back "on-line" with us.
 

One of the things that keeps me watching our shows, even when everything is going wrong, is that we alway know there'll be a happy ending. My wife tells me that tonight 24 is ending after 9 years. Lost just ended, and I think Law and Order is ending. And there may not be a happy ending among any of those shows. Also, she pointed out that the hero of each show was named "Jack". Hmmm, could there be a conspiracy to "jack up" the ratings?

I would never watch any of those shows, but if it's in Spanish, there's almost nothing I won't watch. I have to admit I LOVED the Gran Final of Nuestra Belleza Latina. I was so happy that Ana Patricia won! And although I never watched Survivor, I'm eagerly awaiting the Desafio show, which looks just like it, but in Spanish.
 

Ahoy all. Kris, we must be on similar food wavelengths today. I was thinking of all the new recipes I've learned since joining the blog...pibil, pastel azteca, huevos en salsa verde, esquites, etc. This will be short, my computer is acting up...
 

I don't know what's going on, I think the desktop is going through its monthly virus scan. Everything comes to a virtual standstill when that happens.

Hey, great to hear from Julie!! So it sounds like all or most of us are planning on watching STuD, that's great news. I haven't been able to get into either Pecado or Dinero; not their fault, I just haven't had time to watch. Also, I knew that the new Colunga would be coming up and I thought I could make an easy segue from Amor Real to the new one. I wonder...will there be any bathing scenes in STuD?
 

June first? Really?? Wow, I really am in luck. Thanks for the good news!! I've missed you guys and I'm looking forward to it.
 

Sylvia, not sure of bathing scenes, but there looks to be a lot of working outside in the heat. Gotta keep cool...... :)
Hmm, you would think you would have to clean up after that.
 

Hola amigos, Corrales Bosque has been in flames since last night and looks like it may have quieted this evening. 100 houses evacuated. The most impressive coordination was with the CHAMP (Corrales Horse and Mule People) who organized the horse trailers, moved horses, donkeys, llamas and other four-footed friends off to the other side of the village for safe keeping. This is in the exact part of the Bosque that Willa and I have been walking in a lot this week. So sad to see people displaced and especially animals. the KARMA people also helped with dogs and cats. Fortunately, so far no deaths and no lost houses. We are so lucky, but it is heart warming to see the villagers rally to help each other.
So that has been my day, now on to an evening of enjoying the telenovelas and friends here on CarayCaray. Can't wait for Colunga and Lucero and I also like Gaby Spanic. Both have starred with Colunga at least once. Looks like lots of fun.
 

OMG, is anyone else watching Cristina and her noche de bonbons? So much guapitude.
 

Thanks for the heads up Cheryl. I'll schedule it to record on Tivo in 45 minutes.

Wow, I am so sorry to hear about what happened in your area. Thank goodness no lives were lost and the animals were saved!
 

Hi Cheryl. Thanks for checking in. And glad to hear there was good news about the bad news.

Caught glimpses of Cristina while I was typing the Dinero recap. Sebastian Rulli looked really nerdy with his ponytail and glasses. Perhaps if he took his shirt off, the results would have been better.
 

Wow. I couldn't resist stopping by to say ''hi.'' Julie~~I've missed your comments which always gave me a giggle. I am looking forward to STuD. Sylvia~~It would be nice if the bathtub was featured as much as it was in Amor Real, but it does look like FC will be working outside a lot sin shirt according to the promos. . The thought of being able to watch novelas featuring FC and Big Ed at the same time makes me giddy. As to the weather, it's heating up today after some cool, rainy days....80 today and 89 tomorrow. I started teaching a summer grammar/writing class yesterday . It runs 2 hours a day ,four days a week for 5 weeks. We will continue watching our 2 year old grandbaby until our daughter's school ends in June. The new baby girl arrives in August. We are planning a trip to our other daughter in Toronto in July and a trip to Quebec. Also, we will be having a bathroom and powderroom remodeled. That's about it for me. I'm not watching much TV...just CS and Dancing with the Stars. See you all in StuDville.
 

Colunga, Colunga, Colunga, jeez..., Colunga, Colunga...

Enjoy, ladies! How 'bout a quick poll - how many of you agree that he really is TBLMOE, as Paula has styled him?

We took the doggie back up to Alington yesterday and he was delighted to see Greg & Megan again, yowling and yelping as he does. They both looked great and apparently had a lovely luna de miel. But it was a bit of a drive and the east coast folks appreciate the charms of driving I-95. I'll bring the leaf rakes in the house after while so we can start gathering the dog fur.

Cheryl, glad to hear there was no more damage than there was. What happened? I'd heard there were high winds and very dry conditions in the Southwest lately.
 

Hi Mike. Put me on board with Paula's assessment. He IS the best-looking. If he had a deep husky voice, he would be sheer perfection. Those high tenor tones dampen the mood for me a bit. But hey, the man still rocks.

Mmmmm....raking out the dog hair. Why price canine companionship? Have to admit, I vacuum every day with Miss Kizzie the cat around.

A great big "hola" to Emilia. I understand there are a lot of folks whipping up her latest rib-stickin' recipe this week.
 

Hi y'all, Yup, we're dog-free. Feels a bit strange but we're definitely ok with it. The dog learned to open the car window yesterday (probably an accident but he managed it about 30 seconds after we speculated whether he would be able to figure it out!) We had to use the child locks to keep him in the car!

Judy, the trouble with giving out recipes is that some people will hate the results and think you have no taste at all... That hasn't been an issue here and I have my fingers crossed that mine isn't the first!

TBLMOE just doesn't do it for me - please don't everyone come at me with skillets. Just more for you to enjoy, eh? We may watch anyway although 9:00 is awfully close to bedtime.

Has anyone heard from Elna June lately? Judy had asked us a couple of weeks ago. EJ, we miss you!
 

To each her own, Emilia. I like Colunga fine but wouldn't put him at the very top in a ranking. There's just so much competition!

Cheryl, are the fires under control? That's scary. It seems too early in the season for that.

Bummer that I missed all that guapitude on Cristina last night (even if Rulli looked nerdy). I was busy watching the season finale of Chuck, which was excellent.
 

Emilia, EJ has been super-busy with parents, a friends wedding (where EJ was officiating) and other stuff which my aged brain is not recalling at the moment.) I think maybe she will re-surface when STuD starts.

Me too for the bedtime hour. I'm usually in bed, if not asleep, by 10 pm and watching an über-drama last thing before bed is a recipe for tossing and turning in my book. Usually what I do is record the show and then watch it the next day when I eat my lunch (a real no-no, according to the nutritionists. Never eat while watching TV. I do....and I will.)
 

I think EJ was also putting her house on the market, if I recall correctly.

I almost always watch TV while I eat dinner, and I don't care what nutritionists think of that. Although sometimes I do regret it, like the other night when I was watching Mi Pecado and Carmelo and Justina...well, that was gag-inducing.
 

That's right, Julia. She was trying to sell her house. That's a full-time job right there. Nope, make that a 36-hour day, trying to get it ready, keep it clean and picked up, manage without all the things you put in storage to make the place look roomier. Ack. Hope to never move again. (Except up to the Big House, of course)
 

At least when we go up to the Big House, somebody else has to sell the one down here!! Works for me.
 

Exactly amiga. And our kids can deal with all those boxes of kindergarten drawings and report cards that we lovingly saved. Not to mention all the other crap we've managed to accumulate.
 

Cheryl,

I'm certainly glad that you're OK. The moving and subsequent care of all those animals sounds like a major undertaking that really requires a lot of cooperation and coordination. Good luck to you and the other villagers.

Speaking of Mother Nature's tantrums, I'm hoping that Sandy will drop by with an update from Nashville. What a great community effort by the folks there pulling together in the face of such a disaster.

Julie,

It's great hearing from you. I still crack up when I remember your magazine covers (that was you who did those, wasn't it?) Though I prefer FC in the period dramas I'll certainly give STuD a chance. It is certainly being anticipated by a lot of the Caray Caray crowd.

Our weather here is warm but very pleasant. It'd be nice to get a bit more rain to keep things green. Our big Magnolia trees in the front yard are full of blooms... more than ever before. They are breathtaking.

The local news here is that the county has a brothel (that they seized over money laundering) for sale. The price isn't bad and it comes complete with a stage that has a sturdy pole in the center.
Not quite as exciting, but preferable to floods and fires.

Thanks for the updates on Elna June, I've missed her and was getting a little worried.

Carlos
 

Love your county news Carlos. Perhaps some enterprising exercise maven will buy the studio. I understand pole dancing can be very strenuous, requiring strong legs, abdominals and arms. Perfect fitness routine. And presumeably the menfolk at home wouldn't complain about wifey's aerobic expenses.
 

Mike, I also think that Colunga Colunga Colunga is TBLMOE. Most likely his period dramas (the first things I ever saw him in) helped push me over to that way of thinking. But after years of objective scientific* observation** I do conclude that FC is the hunkiest man I have ever seen.

Emilia, I like your way of thinking. More hunkaliciousness for me and anyway I need your frying pan for fritters and corn cakes.

*lie
**not a lie
 

Thanks for the update on Elna June. I'm still stunned that she has to make a 1000 mile round trip each month to look in on her parents. Hope she'll rejoin this crew when her life settles down.

Carlos, if the price on the brothel facility isn't bad, what are you waiting for? Sounds like a ready made fitness studio for ladies. You could bring Judy on as a consultant and, hell, I'll come down and clean the place even if it's not in Tom Green county. You won't like my rates these days, though.
 

Thanks to all for the good wishes for our village and precious animals and for the great support of me personally. I always appreciate this site for the wealth of caring wonderful people we have here.

The fire is apparently under control and unfortunately as we suspected it was deliberately set. On the spot on the map where they surmised the flash point began is exactly where a camp with some homeless folk has been set up, destroyed, set up again and destroyed over and over but persists. The whole business makes me sad for all seem to be victims of a sort, the homeless and also their endangered neighbors Gracias a todos por su apoyo.
 

Cheryl, I was looking at some news video of the fire last night. It covered quite a lot of area! I think it's rather miraculous that people and animals were evacuated so efficiently and quickly. Fire is truly terrifying. Also, I read that the town has no fire hydrants, nevertheless fire crews trucked in water. Is that true? Wow! How is the air quality right now?
 

Cheryl, glad things are under control with the fire. So you are close to Albuquerque? I was thinking you were farther north than that. A few years ago we stayed in a B and B in Bernalillo. I think we drove through Corrales on the way to Albuquerque. We stayed there a few days, mainly wanted to hit the New Mexico state fair to see the quilts before heading to Las Cruces. :)
Not really a few years ago, thinking about it, back in 2001. Getting to be a long time now.
 

Hola, Ganchamigitos! I missed the posting of the new page.

Colunga, TBLMOE? Por supuesto que sí!

Those who don't get Telemundo, plug your ears and hum for the next part. Corazon Abierto has been on for a week and a half, and it's dynamite. Nice to find something besides romance on Spanish language TV. Of course there is romance, but there are gripping dramas in the show as well. Well acted, interesting stories, engaging characters. I'm really, really liking it. There haven't been any new novelas that have really grabbed me lately, so it was long overdue. And McSteamy (what I call the lead), my, oh my, oh my! Pictures don't do him justice. But when cameras are rolling, he just burns up the place!
 

Paula, I sense that you're beginning to feel conflicted. Perhaps we should examine your dilemma in the cold light of day. Therefore, please tell us, which is The True TBLMOE?

Colunga? or McSteamy?
 

Well, Mike, considering that I will leap at any excuse to talk about these galans, I think you're right. I think that we should delve exhaustively into the topic, examining the strengths and qualities of each. All for the sake of my mental health. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

You see, there is good looking, and then there is sexy. A good looking man looks great on a picture, a poster, a desktop. When I first visited Caray and saw TBLMOE's picture on the sidebar, it knocked the wind out of me. Still sometimes his picture makes me catch my breath. Yes, he's also sexy sometimes. Moderately sexy - it's unavoidable when you're that good looking. But he doesn't burn up scene like some people. Pierce Brosnan is incredibly good looking and moderately sexy. My dog, a yellow lab, was very good looking but I didn't find him a bit sexy.

Now, as for sexy. Some incredibly sexy men are not outrageously good looking. The best example is Sean Connery. In Red October, due to age he was only moderately good looking, but boy oh boy was he sexy. Sexy often doesn't translate well into photographs. It's something that emanates from the person and it really comes out when they are performing. I looked at a bunch of pictures of McSteamy, and most of them left me flatlined. Zilch. But when he's on the screen, oh my gosh, he just makes me melt. Jaime Camil is another one (you KNEW I'd shoehorn him into this topic, didn't you?). Granted, he doesn't have to sneak up on a glass of water. And for a well-engineered photo shoot (e.g. for a magazine cover), yes, he's top shelf. But in most photos, he's good looking, but not in the same class as Colunga or Pierce Brosnan. On the other hand, he has this presence that makes everything else disappear. When he turns on the sexiness, my gosh, smoke comes out of the back of my TV.

So there you have it. Colunga is indeed the best looking man on earth. But McSteamy and Camil are sexier.
 

Paula, you may have seen Vivi's remark towards the end of Gancho regarding "the two attractive but uninteresting lead characters."

So true, so true.
 

Sure do wish we got Telemundo!!
 

Me too, Emilia. I'd be watching and gasping right along with you, Paula. But alas.....

Reminds me of a whispered conversation between two of my 80-year-old exercise students. Naturally I had to barge in and find out the scoop. Seems one of them had seen an incredibly good-looking 50ish man jogging, no shirt, 6-pak abs....and it was such a delightful sight she practically pulled off the road. "There's still life in there," she sighed, somewhat amazed.

Let's hear it for thos marvelous "landscapes" that remind us all we're still ALIVE.
 

Definitely like those 'landscapes!'

What is everybody doing for Memorial Day weekend? We will go to the Yorktown Farmers' Market, stick close to home and visit Mike's mom at the nursing home. We need some vicarious living!!
 

No big plans for us Emilia. I'm going to try and plant some perennials and annuals if the weather is tolerable. Our big weekend will come in a couple of weeks when our Charlotte family arrives for a wedding. Can't wait!
 

I just came across a funny expression. The short form is, "Como huevo de perro," and it means tremendously drunk. The complete form is,
"Como huevo de perro, hasta atrás y cubierto de tierra."

Como huevo de perro: like a dog's testicle.
Hasta atrás: all the way back. But also slang for utterly drunk.
Cubierto de tierra: covered with dirt, like a street dog, or like a drunk who has fallen down too many times.

Don't you just love the rollicking fun that Mexicans have with their language?
 

That brings to mind a hilarious visual of a pack of drunk street dogs, staggering around barking lewd things at passing ladies and leaning against a brick wall for a smoke.
 

Good Lord...and WHERE did you come across that expression Ms. Paula!? Sounds like interesting reading.
 

OhPaulathatisdisgusting... but somehow reminiscent of times past. Ah, misspent youth!
 

And, Julia, great imagery though perhaps not this brick wall. Have you made a contribution there?
 

Well, Miz Judy, unlike our querido Carlos, I'm too lazy to read actual books in Spanish. I take my Spanish reading in small morsels, lately from Twitter, following comedian Derbez, journalist Carlos Loret Mola, radio host Javier Poza (a man of exquisite diction and a REALLY nice guy), and of course Jaime Camil, http://twitter.com/jaimecamil .

Camil thinks like a comedian. You see it in his tweets. His gears are always spinning, and he never stops playing. One thing he often does is to take a well-known dicho or phrase, and send it spinning in a totally different direction, something like our English one-liner, "He who laughs last probably didn't understand the joke."

I've picked up some really fun phrases from him that way. Today he only used the phrase, "como huevo de perro" so I had to go find the meaning. Another time he used, "El burro por delante," the donkey goes in front. You use it to point out someone's rudeness when he puts himself first. And one more: "Arrieros somos y en el camino nos encontraremos." It means, "We're cattle drivers and we'll meet again on the road." Huh??? Quiere decir, If you don't help me when I need it, watch out. One day you'll want my help.
 

Mike, I made my first "contribution" to the bubble gum wall in San Luis Obispo back in the 1980s. Does that count?
 

Eeewww, Paula! This must be a West Coast thing. Naw, Julia's comment made me think about getting all s-faced, fumbling for a smoke and getting stuck in the nasties leaning on that, er, THOSE brick walls.

That would be a memorable evening, don't you think?
 

Wow...some more dichos, thanks Paula.
 

Mike~~~Here's my list of the men bringing sexy back : my hub, FC, Marcelo Cordoba, Big Ed Yanez, Joe Lando, Dean Cain, Adrian Paul. Do you notice a pattern?...tall, dark, and handsome .