T-day

Tomorrow: Thanksgiving '06.

Time to celebrate, visit family, laugh, drink. All that good stuff.

Things in my weekend bag (among many other things...):
1 bottle red wine
Dried figs (my dad loves them)
3 books on Spanish golden age fiction by women
Cárcel de amor (prison of love? not sure how that title is translated into English)

Not sure how, but those things seem to complement each other in some odd way.

Poetry of Spain

Golden age poetry, by Luis de Góngora: just the first few stanzas for now...

Letrilla XLVIII (burlesca)
Ándeme caliente
y ríase la gente

Traten otros del gobierno
del mundo y sus monarquías,
mientras gobiernan mis días
mantequillas y pan tierno,
y las mañanas de invierno
naranjada y aguardiente,
y ríase la gente.

Coma en dorada vajilla
el Príncipe mil cuidados,
como píldoras dorados;
que yo en mi pobre mesilla
quiero más una morcilla
que en el asador reviente,
y ríase la gente.

Cuando cubra las montañas
de blanca nieve el enero,
tenga yo lleno el brasero
de bellotas y castañas,
y quien las dulces patrañas
del Rey que rabió me cuente,
y ríase la gente.

Busque muy en hora buena
el marcader nuevos soles;
yo conchas y caracoles
entre la menuda arena,
escuchando a Filomena
sobre el chopo de la fuente,
y ríase la gente.



Song XLVIII (Burlesque)
Let me be wildly enthusiastic,
and let the people laugh.

Let others deal with governing
the world and its monarchies,
while my time is spent
on butter and soft bread,
and on winter mornings
orangeade and brandy,
and let the people laugh.

Let the Prince eat on golden
plates a thousand cares,
like gilded pills;
for I, at my poor table
prefer a black sausage
bursting on the spit,
and let the people laugh.

When January covers
the mountains with white snow,
let me have my brasier
full of acorns and chestnuts,
and someone to tell me the old stories
of the king who went mad,
and let the people laugh.

Let the merchant,
with my best wishes, seak new suns;
I'll look for seashells and snails
in the fine sand,
listening to the nightingale
on the poplar by the spring,
and let the people laugh.

Opera

One of my neighbors is an opera singer.

Or rather, I should say developing opera singer.

Although this might sound interesting or intriguing in some way, think about this: I hear a developing opera singer warm up her voice for 30 minutes twice a day with exercises. No words, no real music. Mostly just EEEEEEEE on different notes.

Sometimes I get to hear real music. Okay, that's kind of cool. Sometimes.

It comes down to this

I've been thinking a lot lately about the future. While I should be preparing lessons for Spanish 105 or reading 17th century Spanish poetry or researching my final essay on depictions of muslim women in medieval exemplos I instead find myself searching the internet for short-term teaching positions in southern mexico, central ecuador, guatemala, chile, costa rica, somewhere in spain. 3-7 months would be ideal.

It comes down to this: in a few months I will have either passed my MA exam in Spanish or I will have failed it. And then I have to actually decide what to do with my life. What does one do with a Master's degree in Hispanic literature? Do I stay in Indiana? Do I buy a house? Do I continue to study Spanish literature? Do I switch career paths? Do I decide to stop?

It comes down to this: I don't know what it comes down to. There are too many variables in my life right now. I know my life isn't a chemisty lab experiment, but still... there are so many variables right now. And yet, at the same time, not enough.

I went to a poetry and prose reading tonight, read in Portuguese and Spanish, mostly. I was struck by the fact that some words just don't exist in other languages. Some words that exist in English, just don't exist in other ones (or some that exist in other languages, don't exist in English). Take toes, for example. There is no word in Spanish that just means "toes." There is something in Spanish that exists to talk about toes, but no one single word that means "toes." That's amazing to me.

Strength

NOUN
1. (de personas) (física) fuerza: you need to build up your strength;
tienes que ponerte fuerte.
(mental) fortaleza, entereza
strength of will, fuerza de voluntad

2. (de persona) número: we are below strength
we are at full strength, estamos al completo
in strength, en masa


Thinking about getting a tattoo lately. But the only thing I can think of wanting on my body for the rest of my life are words, and aren't tattoos supposed to be pictures?

Here's to red wine.

cheers.

Mother Tongues

I recently read that in a moment of great crisis, you will always revert back to your "mother tongue"; there is one mother tongue, one lenguaje materna which you will resort to in your moment of deepest need.

Now, I'm not sure if I agree with that. But it sounds beautiful, no?