Eight years ago today, I left a place that I called home for three months. I did not know what to expect since I was a whole day's worth of travel away from home and in a distant land where very few people spoke English. So there I was, a small town boy, arriving in a bustling city-- a capital originally planned by King Felipe II, and excited about the prospects of the unknown that was to be three months living in Madrid, Spain.
Seriously, I really did not know what to expect. I had never been out of the country for an extended period of time, save for an occasional long weekend in Monterrey or Saltillo, México. Up until then, Spain had been this far off destination that I had only dreamt about. Nevertheless, the excitement that awaited me outweighted any misgivings I had about leaving my family and friends behind in Texas.
I arrived with a head cold, which for two weeks, made my stay rather miserable. The cold had gotten so bad, that I even entertained the notion of leaving, but that thought was thankfully scraped after a visit to my local farmacia. Hurray for those green neon crosses!
Although I lived in Madrid for those three months, the town I miss the most is Granada. I was so enchanted with this town, that I paid it a second visit the last weekend before I returned home. I don't know what it was about this town, but it's like there must have been magic in those cobblestone streets. I was drawn to the Alhambra and to the Albaycín and to the people too. I used to say, and still say it to my friends, that if I had stayed one more week, I probably would've stay in Granada indefinitely.
Having lived in Spain for so long, I listened to my share of flamenco music and saw a couple shows, mainly in Madrid. A great number of flamenco troupes flock to the capital where it's more financially feasible. I've always found it difficult to put the passion of flamenco music to words, but I think the following piece does it quite well.
Spanish Dancer
by Rainer Maria Rilke
As on all its sides a kitchen-match darts white
flickering tongues before it bursts into flame:
with the audience around her, quickened, hot,
her dance begins to flicker in the dark room.
And all at once it is completely fire.
One upward glance and she ignites her hair
and, whirling faster and faster, fans her dress
into passionate flames, till it becomes a furnace
from which, like startled rattlesnakes, the long
naked arms uncoil, aroused and clicking.
And then: as if the fire were too tight
around her body, she takes and flings it out
haughtily, with an imperious gesture,
and watches: it lies raging on the floor,
still blazing up, and the flames refuse to die -
Till, moving with total confidence and a sweet
exultant smile, she looks up finally
and stamps it out with powerful small feet.
There were so many other memories I made during my short time there, that would take so long to jot everything here: Toledo was just brilliant- El Greco's El Entierro del Señor de Orgaz is one amazing piece of art. I certainly believe that his artwork is vastly underrated. Sevilla is a gem- I actually had time to visit the Archivo General de Indias for a project I was working on back home. Talk about old school. There's nothing like holding a 300+ year old document in your hands and reading the goings-on in colonial Mexico. And then there's Barcelona. Although I only stayed for a day and half, it was a dream come true of sorts. We had an exchange student in high school who hailed from Barcelona and I was captivated with stories of her hometown. My enchantment grew even more when Barcelona hosted the '92 Olympics. What I wanted to see more than anything there was Barcelona's grand, unfinished church, La Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudí.
Now that eight years have passed, I feel so far removed from everything Spain, literally and sadly, figuratively. I almost forgot this year's 8th anniversary and I do have reasons for almost forgetting: a death in the family and another relative diagnosed with stage 4 stomach cancer, all within a few weeks time.
I miss Spain tremendously. And my poem below gives you an idea how I feel.
my love
nothing’s diminished mi querida.
i still feel the same as if i were still with you.
the memories still feed the hole in my soul.
i still think of you often, on any given day.
the memories are wonderful, yet bittersweet.
oh how i miss your smile mi querida.
oh how i miss your warmth mi querida.
nothing will make me happier
than to hear your voice again
nothing will bring me joy
than to see your beauty again and again.
i wish for more time than
what we had the first go ‘round.
i wish to see more of you than
i did the last time.
how can i return to enjoy your charm and grace?
how can i regain that which is now unattainable?
songs and photos of you can only
distract me for so long.
dreams and thoughts of you can only
sustain me for so long.
oh how i wish i was with you again mi querida!
you are the stuff of dreams.
you are the dreams that i still have.
this relatively short time is getting too long for me.
it’s become too long to be without you.
eres la novia de mi ser,
you are my soulmate,
mi querida España.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
fj de g y l
28 I 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Musical recollections
I love music in most of its forms, hence why I've always said that listening to music is one of my favorite things to do. I've had the chance to check out some fantastic classical related cds lately, especially those that included songs that I had the pleasure to play when I was in high school.
One cd that I checked out from my local public library a couple months ago, included a song called Folk Dances by Dmitri Shostakovich. It's a lively piece that is compromised of several ethnic "folk dances" akin to the cultures of Russia. It had a lot of, what out director called, "noodles," lengthy run of notes usually done in complicated rhythms. I have many fond memories playing this song with my classmates, especially the times we spent practicing the song for competition.
Another song that I appreciated from the get-go, because I played it early on in my musical career, was Theme from Marche Slave an arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave. Playing these selections throughout my musical career influenced my tastes as I enjoy Russian themed music to this day.
American Civil War Fantasy by Jerry Bilik also brings back great memories of playing music. On the way to work this morning, I listened to a cd that included this selection. It was the first time in days that I listened to something other than John Mayer's Heavier Things, which is a great album, by the way. Bilik's ACWF is also one of those montage inspired songs, among which includes these Civil War era favorites: Dixie, Listen to the Mockingbird, Maryland My Maryland, Rally Round the Flag, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, The Yellow Rose of Texas, Just Before the Battle Mother, and a soaring finale made quite memorable with The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Now talk about a moving piece of music.
One cd that I checked out from my local public library a couple months ago, included a song called Folk Dances by Dmitri Shostakovich. It's a lively piece that is compromised of several ethnic "folk dances" akin to the cultures of Russia. It had a lot of, what out director called, "noodles," lengthy run of notes usually done in complicated rhythms. I have many fond memories playing this song with my classmates, especially the times we spent practicing the song for competition.
Another song that I appreciated from the get-go, because I played it early on in my musical career, was Theme from Marche Slave an arrangement of Tchaikovsky's Marche Slave. Playing these selections throughout my musical career influenced my tastes as I enjoy Russian themed music to this day.
American Civil War Fantasy by Jerry Bilik also brings back great memories of playing music. On the way to work this morning, I listened to a cd that included this selection. It was the first time in days that I listened to something other than John Mayer's Heavier Things, which is a great album, by the way. Bilik's ACWF is also one of those montage inspired songs, among which includes these Civil War era favorites: Dixie, Listen to the Mockingbird, Maryland My Maryland, Rally Round the Flag, When Johnny Comes Marching Home, The Yellow Rose of Texas, Just Before the Battle Mother, and a soaring finale made quite memorable with The Battle Hymn of the Republic. Now talk about a moving piece of music.
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Something to share
Pablo Neruda is one of my favorite poets, as you've seen on a previous post. Here again I am sharing another one of his pieces, but this time in Spanish. Check out this website: http://www.neruda.uchile.cl/index.html
¡Disfrute!
NO HAY PURA LUZ
No hay pura luz
ni sombra en los recuerdos:
éstos se hicieron cárdena ceniza
o pavimento sucio
de calle atravesada por los pies de las gentes
que sin cesar salía y entraba en el mercado.
Y hay otros: los recuerdos buscando aún
qué morder
como dientes de fiera no saciada.
Buscan, roen el hueso último devoran
este largo silencio de lo que quedó atrás.
Y todo quedó atrás, noche y aurora,
el día suspendido como un puente entre sombras,
las ciudades, los puertos del amor y el rencor,
como si al almacén la guerra hubiera entrado
llevándose una a una todas las mercancías
hasta que a los vacíos anaqueles
llegue el viento a través de las puertas deshechas
y haga bailar los ojos del olvido.
Por eso a fuego lento surge la luz del día,
el amor, el aroma de una niebla lejana
y calle a calle vuelve la ciudad sin banderasa
palpitar tal vez y a vivir en el humo.
Horas de ayer cruzadas por el hilo
de una vida como por una aguja sangrienta
entre las decisiones sin cesar derribadas,
el infinito golpe del mar y de la duda
y la palpitación del cielo y sus jazmines.
Quién soy Aquél? Aquel que no sabía
sonreír, y de puro enlutado moría?
Aquel que el cascabel y el clavel de la fiesta
sostuvo derrocando la cátedra del frío?
Es tarde, tarde. Y sigo. Sigo con un ejemplo
tras otro, sin saber cuál es la moraleja,
porque de tantas vidas que tuve estoy ausente
y soy, a la vez soy aquel hombre que fui.
Tal vez es éste el fin, la verdad misteriosa.
La vida, la continua sucesión de un vacío
que de día y de sombra llenaban esta copa
y el fulgor fue enterrado como un antiguo príncipe
en su propia mortaja de mineral enfermo,
hasta que tan tardíos ya somos, que no somos:
ser y no ser resultan ser la vida.
De lo que fui no tengo sino estas marcas crueles,
porque aquellos dolores confirman mi existencia.
¡Disfrute!
NO HAY PURA LUZ
No hay pura luz
ni sombra en los recuerdos:
éstos se hicieron cárdena ceniza
o pavimento sucio
de calle atravesada por los pies de las gentes
que sin cesar salía y entraba en el mercado.
Y hay otros: los recuerdos buscando aún
qué morder
como dientes de fiera no saciada.
Buscan, roen el hueso último devoran
este largo silencio de lo que quedó atrás.
Y todo quedó atrás, noche y aurora,
el día suspendido como un puente entre sombras,
las ciudades, los puertos del amor y el rencor,
como si al almacén la guerra hubiera entrado
llevándose una a una todas las mercancías
hasta que a los vacíos anaqueles
llegue el viento a través de las puertas deshechas
y haga bailar los ojos del olvido.
Por eso a fuego lento surge la luz del día,
el amor, el aroma de una niebla lejana
y calle a calle vuelve la ciudad sin banderasa
palpitar tal vez y a vivir en el humo.
Horas de ayer cruzadas por el hilo
de una vida como por una aguja sangrienta
entre las decisiones sin cesar derribadas,
el infinito golpe del mar y de la duda
y la palpitación del cielo y sus jazmines.
Quién soy Aquél? Aquel que no sabía
sonreír, y de puro enlutado moría?
Aquel que el cascabel y el clavel de la fiesta
sostuvo derrocando la cátedra del frío?
Es tarde, tarde. Y sigo. Sigo con un ejemplo
tras otro, sin saber cuál es la moraleja,
porque de tantas vidas que tuve estoy ausente
y soy, a la vez soy aquel hombre que fui.
Tal vez es éste el fin, la verdad misteriosa.
La vida, la continua sucesión de un vacío
que de día y de sombra llenaban esta copa
y el fulgor fue enterrado como un antiguo príncipe
en su propia mortaja de mineral enfermo,
hasta que tan tardíos ya somos, que no somos:
ser y no ser resultan ser la vida.
De lo que fui no tengo sino estas marcas crueles,
porque aquellos dolores confirman mi existencia.
Friday, March 16, 2007
TX A&M CC-inderella's gone dancing
In terms of sports, this time of the year is my favorite, handsdown. There's no other thing I would rather be doing than sit and watch as many NCAA basketball tourney games as I can. Because of my work schedule and a death in the family this past week, this year's tournament has not started with it's usual oomph. I did not get my tourney picks in time, so I can't see how my picks would have stood up with everyone else's. I only saw a few games on the tournament's first day because of our return trip back to town, so I'm looking forward to the games after work this weekend.
Since we drove down to South Texas Sunday afternoon, I missed one of the biggest games this season. Texas A&M Corpus Christi, new to the Southland Conference this year, was in their first conference championship game, and had a shot for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. I had my brother periodically text message me to update the game's score. Although I am not an alumnus of this university (UT-San Antonio, '97), the success that this team has had this year is a big thing for the Corpus Christi area.
This was the first year that A&M-CC was able to join an NCAA Division I athletic conference. The basketball program is in its eighth year and had struggled to get quality opponents to play them, much less make the trip down to Corpus Christi. Even though they beat Florida State in Tallahassee last season, this year they played, and lost, against three perennial winning basketball programs, two of them '07 NCAA tourney teams: lost at Purdue 79-61, lost at UNLV 67-57, and lost at Mississippi State 96-72.
I feel that the team deserved a better seed than the 15th they received. Considering that they had received votes in the last two AP polls, I hoped they would get at least a 14th seed or even a 13th seed. But at this point, tournament newbies can't really complain can they?
This season was full of firsts for A&M-CC. They won the regular season championship in their inaugural season to the conference. Then they won a conference tournament championship and a spot to the Big Dance all in their first season as newcomers to the conference. I hope that this will be the first of many conference championships and the first of many visits to the NCAA tournament in the years to come.
They'll have more than their hands full with Wisconsin, but this fan will be chanting what the student section at Islanders home games chant: A&M-C-C! A&M-C-C! A&M-C-C!
Since we drove down to South Texas Sunday afternoon, I missed one of the biggest games this season. Texas A&M Corpus Christi, new to the Southland Conference this year, was in their first conference championship game, and had a shot for an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. I had my brother periodically text message me to update the game's score. Although I am not an alumnus of this university (UT-San Antonio, '97), the success that this team has had this year is a big thing for the Corpus Christi area.
This was the first year that A&M-CC was able to join an NCAA Division I athletic conference. The basketball program is in its eighth year and had struggled to get quality opponents to play them, much less make the trip down to Corpus Christi. Even though they beat Florida State in Tallahassee last season, this year they played, and lost, against three perennial winning basketball programs, two of them '07 NCAA tourney teams: lost at Purdue 79-61, lost at UNLV 67-57, and lost at Mississippi State 96-72.
I feel that the team deserved a better seed than the 15th they received. Considering that they had received votes in the last two AP polls, I hoped they would get at least a 14th seed or even a 13th seed. But at this point, tournament newbies can't really complain can they?
This season was full of firsts for A&M-CC. They won the regular season championship in their inaugural season to the conference. Then they won a conference tournament championship and a spot to the Big Dance all in their first season as newcomers to the conference. I hope that this will be the first of many conference championships and the first of many visits to the NCAA tournament in the years to come.
They'll have more than their hands full with Wisconsin, but this fan will be chanting what the student section at Islanders home games chant: A&M-C-C! A&M-C-C! A&M-C-C!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Not much really
Not much to preface here other than to say that I came across this poem, a while back, in the first few pages of Martha McPhee's 2006 book, L'America. The poem's author is McPhee's husband. Although I haven't read the book, I thought the poem quite compelling and I thought I'd share it.
-------------
To an Unknown Poet, Dead at 39
Phil Perelson, 1956-1995
Love, it seems, when all is said and done,
kept you (maintained, withheld) indefinite.
In bits and pieces you offered your Te Deum.
To disappear was your "natural condition,"
but what to keep (guard, record) against the infinite,
when love, it seems, when all is said and done,
(so utter, complete) so obliterates someone?
Your "Five Keys to Anonymity," the ball & chain habits?
In bits and pieces you offered your Te Deum.
I still say "you," a mistake I see, for the third person
holds you (faithful, spellbound now) separate--
love it seems, when all is said and done,
need not answer back, or get a word in
edgewise, or feel at all compelled to speculate
in bits and pieces. You offered you Te Deum,
and what remains? What space along what margin,
what wisp in a rented room, what scrap, however delicate?
Love, it seems, when all is said and done.
In bits and pieces, you offered your Te Deum.
--Mark Svenvold
-------------
To an Unknown Poet, Dead at 39
Phil Perelson, 1956-1995
Love, it seems, when all is said and done,
kept you (maintained, withheld) indefinite.
In bits and pieces you offered your Te Deum.
To disappear was your "natural condition,"
but what to keep (guard, record) against the infinite,
when love, it seems, when all is said and done,
(so utter, complete) so obliterates someone?
Your "Five Keys to Anonymity," the ball & chain habits?
In bits and pieces you offered your Te Deum.
I still say "you," a mistake I see, for the third person
holds you (faithful, spellbound now) separate--
love it seems, when all is said and done,
need not answer back, or get a word in
edgewise, or feel at all compelled to speculate
in bits and pieces. You offered you Te Deum,
and what remains? What space along what margin,
what wisp in a rented room, what scrap, however delicate?
Love, it seems, when all is said and done.
In bits and pieces, you offered your Te Deum.
--Mark Svenvold
Monday, January 29, 2007
Yo, cover me Berlioz
I've never been a big fan of cover songs, but I've enjoyed a few of them through the years, most notably, Alien Ant Farm's cover of Michael Jackson's Smooth Criminal and 311's cover of The Cure's big hit, Love Song. However, the reason why I bring this up is because of another cover song of sorts.
Now with the NBA All-Star game just a few weeks away, you are starting to see some interesting NBA commercials in sports related telecasts, the best of which is Nike's newest. Nike has always been known for their fun and edgy advertisements, such as the contraversial Instant Karma ad with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen from the early 1990s. The newest one showcases some of the NBA's best young talent, including Amare Stoudamire, Chris Paul, and Tony Parker. But what really got my attention is the music used in the commercial.
The original song is not contemporary by no means nor is it a Top 40 hit from the late 20th Century. If anything, it's from one of my favorite pieces of music from the 19th Century. What the commerical uses as its background music is the Dies Irae portion of the Dream of a Witches Sabbath movement of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. The original piece is a fantastic example of what Berlioz called idée fixe or where a fixed melody or rhythm is figured prominently throughout a song or movement. The low tones from the Dies Irae portion is an example of this. And in the commercial, set with a kickin' hip-hop beat, the song sounds very interesting and great for that matter. Who was the creative genius to meld these two genres together?
I unfortunately am not as well versed into today's hip-hop as I was back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but either way, keep an eye out, or in this case, both ears out for this extraordinary entertaining bit of modern advertising.
Now with the NBA All-Star game just a few weeks away, you are starting to see some interesting NBA commercials in sports related telecasts, the best of which is Nike's newest. Nike has always been known for their fun and edgy advertisements, such as the contraversial Instant Karma ad with Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen from the early 1990s. The newest one showcases some of the NBA's best young talent, including Amare Stoudamire, Chris Paul, and Tony Parker. But what really got my attention is the music used in the commercial.
The original song is not contemporary by no means nor is it a Top 40 hit from the late 20th Century. If anything, it's from one of my favorite pieces of music from the 19th Century. What the commerical uses as its background music is the Dies Irae portion of the Dream of a Witches Sabbath movement of Hector Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique. The original piece is a fantastic example of what Berlioz called idée fixe or where a fixed melody or rhythm is figured prominently throughout a song or movement. The low tones from the Dies Irae portion is an example of this. And in the commercial, set with a kickin' hip-hop beat, the song sounds very interesting and great for that matter. Who was the creative genius to meld these two genres together?
I unfortunately am not as well versed into today's hip-hop as I was back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but either way, keep an eye out, or in this case, both ears out for this extraordinary entertaining bit of modern advertising.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
At last, good riddance
The news of Bill Parcells' retirement has Dallas Cowboys' fans breathing a collective sigh of relief. Jerry Jones brought him to town with the hope of restoring the team to greatness, but after mediocre four seasons, Cowboys' fans are bidding him a welcomed bon voyage.
I'll be honest, I have never liked him. I thought him to be overrated. He hasn't won a Super Bowl since his New York Giants days and I think it's because all his talented assistants were no longer with him. He had a terrific run with great assistants there in the late 1980s and early 1990s when his staff included the likes of current New England Patriots head coach and 3-time Super Bowl winner, Bill Belichick. I've been known to say that his assistants won him those two titles because he apparently can't win without them.
Could Parcells' meager 34-32 record over a 4 year span be traced to a lack of talented assistants? Or could it be attributed to other things? There were times during these past few years, where Bill looked tired and frustrated. I guess I can relate since I've gotten more irritable and frustrated as I've gotten older, but that shouldn't make or break the season of a fairly talented team, especially this year. I 've continued to say that the 'Boys did so well this season, in spite of Parcells shortcomings, because of Tony Romo's inspired play.
As much as I am happy to see Parcells leave, I was a little disappointed to have him leave so soon. My reasoning is that I would love to have seen Jerry Jones, finally make a great football decision, by hiring a real NFL coach. In that I mean, hiring longtime Steelers coach, Bill Cowher. If Parcells had stayed one more season, that would've given Cowher at least one "retired" season away from football, and then the 'Boys would be primed to hand the reigns over to Cowher.
The team could hire former offensive coordinator Norv Turner as "interim" head coach, and when Cowher's ready to come out of "retirement", Turner could become the new offensive coordinator. Who knows, Jones might make Cowher an offer he can't refuse.
This probably won't happen, but you never know. Can't a fan dream?!
I'll be honest, I have never liked him. I thought him to be overrated. He hasn't won a Super Bowl since his New York Giants days and I think it's because all his talented assistants were no longer with him. He had a terrific run with great assistants there in the late 1980s and early 1990s when his staff included the likes of current New England Patriots head coach and 3-time Super Bowl winner, Bill Belichick. I've been known to say that his assistants won him those two titles because he apparently can't win without them.
Could Parcells' meager 34-32 record over a 4 year span be traced to a lack of talented assistants? Or could it be attributed to other things? There were times during these past few years, where Bill looked tired and frustrated. I guess I can relate since I've gotten more irritable and frustrated as I've gotten older, but that shouldn't make or break the season of a fairly talented team, especially this year. I 've continued to say that the 'Boys did so well this season, in spite of Parcells shortcomings, because of Tony Romo's inspired play.
As much as I am happy to see Parcells leave, I was a little disappointed to have him leave so soon. My reasoning is that I would love to have seen Jerry Jones, finally make a great football decision, by hiring a real NFL coach. In that I mean, hiring longtime Steelers coach, Bill Cowher. If Parcells had stayed one more season, that would've given Cowher at least one "retired" season away from football, and then the 'Boys would be primed to hand the reigns over to Cowher.
The team could hire former offensive coordinator Norv Turner as "interim" head coach, and when Cowher's ready to come out of "retirement", Turner could become the new offensive coordinator. Who knows, Jones might make Cowher an offer he can't refuse.
This probably won't happen, but you never know. Can't a fan dream?!
Tuesday, January 02, 2007
Saving the Best for Last
January 1st is historically known as the day set aside for the best of college football, and January 1, 2007 was no exception.
Most of the bowl games were exciting in there own right, but two of them stood out more than the others. The first, played at the Gator Bowl, between West Virginia and Georgia Tech had most of the scoring done before halftime, but the second half had its share of offensive fireworks. During one stretch of the game, Georgia Tech was up by 11, 35-24, early on in the third quarter. At this point, I had to step out and when I came back, perhaps 5 to 7 minutes later, West Virgina had erased that aforementioned 11-point deficit and now led 38-35! I thought this would be the most exciting game of the day... but, THE game of the day, would occur much later and would end, excitingly enough near midnight. I'll get to that game in a bit.
What turned out the be the most disappointing game of the lot was the much anticipated Rose Bowl match up between USC and Michigan. The last two Rose Bowls went down to the wire, with both games coming down to last second plays to decide the winner and perhaps, interestingly, both games were won by the University of Texas. This years' game, however, did not live up to the hype. I hate to say it, but it was a boring game. Yes, the game had its exciting moments, namely when Michigan cut the USC lead to 8, 19-11, but that was the closest the Wolverines got to the Trojans in the second half.
The game was decided in the first half, even though the teams exchanged fields goals, when the USC defense stifled the Michigan running game. Wolverine running back Mike Hart, finished well below his season average, which in turn, made Michigan rely on the pass(I lost how many times UM QB Chad Henne was sacked). What really irked me was the lack of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties called on USC star wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, on two separate occasions. Jarrett blatantly showed up his defensie counterparts. The first occurred on his way into the endzone, and the second after an important third down conversion. Why wasn't he called for taunting on his way to his long 4th quarter touchdown? I guess pointing at your opponent on your way into the endzone is okay to do in southern California. Then a little bit later, after converting that third down pass play, the Jarrett handed the ball to the defender while he sat on the turf, in that "you-can't-cover-me" taunt. And I guess, showing up your opponent is not a penalty either.
[On a side note, I was given one of those Michigan wrist bands when a good friend of mine went up to Ann Arbor a couple months ago for the Michigan-Michigan State game. Well, I wore the wrist band to show my support of the Wolverines during the game, and as I took it off afterwards, the band snapped and broke. It's not big deal really, but it is telling because my friend and I are no longing on speaking terms.]
Anyway... the best game of the day, by far, took place in Glendale, Arizona at the Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma. And in my eyes, it was one of the best college games I've ever seen, second perhaps to last years National Championship game when Vince Young led Texas over USC in the Rose Bowl.
Boise State held a fairly substantial lead in the fourth quarter before Oklahoma mounted a comeback to tie the game with less than two minutes to go. I'll be honest with you, I seriously thought Oklahoma had the game in hand after that interception return for a touchdown. Once a team such as OU has been down and then gets the lead, one normally thinks that the momentum is now with them and the game is essentially over. Nope.
Boise State's QB Zabransky masterfully moved his team down the field with a quickly evaporating clock and thanks to a bit of trickery, the Broncos sent the game into overtime. Oklahoma scored first in extra time on Adrian Peterson's first down run. Boise State did not score as quickly or as easily as Oklahoma, but they did it with more style. On 4 and 2 on the Oklahoma 5 yard line, on a wide receiver option play, WR Vinny Perreta lobbed a touchdown pass into the endzone. And there was still one more trick to go. On the ensuing 2 point conversion, QB Zabransky acted out the "Statue of Liberty" play to perfection, when he faked a wide receiver screen pass to the right, while tailback Ian Johnson took the no-look handoff and ran into the endzone for the game winning two-point conversion!
It really doesn't get any better than that. Boise State showed the nation that an underdog, non-BCS program does deserve a shot at a BCS game. And being that they are undefeated, they should have a chance at playing for the national title.
Most of the bowl games were exciting in there own right, but two of them stood out more than the others. The first, played at the Gator Bowl, between West Virginia and Georgia Tech had most of the scoring done before halftime, but the second half had its share of offensive fireworks. During one stretch of the game, Georgia Tech was up by 11, 35-24, early on in the third quarter. At this point, I had to step out and when I came back, perhaps 5 to 7 minutes later, West Virgina had erased that aforementioned 11-point deficit and now led 38-35! I thought this would be the most exciting game of the day... but, THE game of the day, would occur much later and would end, excitingly enough near midnight. I'll get to that game in a bit.
What turned out the be the most disappointing game of the lot was the much anticipated Rose Bowl match up between USC and Michigan. The last two Rose Bowls went down to the wire, with both games coming down to last second plays to decide the winner and perhaps, interestingly, both games were won by the University of Texas. This years' game, however, did not live up to the hype. I hate to say it, but it was a boring game. Yes, the game had its exciting moments, namely when Michigan cut the USC lead to 8, 19-11, but that was the closest the Wolverines got to the Trojans in the second half.
The game was decided in the first half, even though the teams exchanged fields goals, when the USC defense stifled the Michigan running game. Wolverine running back Mike Hart, finished well below his season average, which in turn, made Michigan rely on the pass(I lost how many times UM QB Chad Henne was sacked). What really irked me was the lack of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties called on USC star wide receiver Dwayne Jarrett, on two separate occasions. Jarrett blatantly showed up his defensie counterparts. The first occurred on his way into the endzone, and the second after an important third down conversion. Why wasn't he called for taunting on his way to his long 4th quarter touchdown? I guess pointing at your opponent on your way into the endzone is okay to do in southern California. Then a little bit later, after converting that third down pass play, the Jarrett handed the ball to the defender while he sat on the turf, in that "you-can't-cover-me" taunt. And I guess, showing up your opponent is not a penalty either.
[On a side note, I was given one of those Michigan wrist bands when a good friend of mine went up to Ann Arbor a couple months ago for the Michigan-Michigan State game. Well, I wore the wrist band to show my support of the Wolverines during the game, and as I took it off afterwards, the band snapped and broke. It's not big deal really, but it is telling because my friend and I are no longing on speaking terms.]
Anyway... the best game of the day, by far, took place in Glendale, Arizona at the Fiesta Bowl between Boise State and Oklahoma. And in my eyes, it was one of the best college games I've ever seen, second perhaps to last years National Championship game when Vince Young led Texas over USC in the Rose Bowl.
Boise State held a fairly substantial lead in the fourth quarter before Oklahoma mounted a comeback to tie the game with less than two minutes to go. I'll be honest with you, I seriously thought Oklahoma had the game in hand after that interception return for a touchdown. Once a team such as OU has been down and then gets the lead, one normally thinks that the momentum is now with them and the game is essentially over. Nope.
Boise State's QB Zabransky masterfully moved his team down the field with a quickly evaporating clock and thanks to a bit of trickery, the Broncos sent the game into overtime. Oklahoma scored first in extra time on Adrian Peterson's first down run. Boise State did not score as quickly or as easily as Oklahoma, but they did it with more style. On 4 and 2 on the Oklahoma 5 yard line, on a wide receiver option play, WR Vinny Perreta lobbed a touchdown pass into the endzone. And there was still one more trick to go. On the ensuing 2 point conversion, QB Zabransky acted out the "Statue of Liberty" play to perfection, when he faked a wide receiver screen pass to the right, while tailback Ian Johnson took the no-look handoff and ran into the endzone for the game winning two-point conversion!
It really doesn't get any better than that. Boise State showed the nation that an underdog, non-BCS program does deserve a shot at a BCS game. And being that they are undefeated, they should have a chance at playing for the national title.
Thursday, December 28, 2006
In Alanis we trust
Among the gems of Alanis Morissette's 2005 release, Alanis Morissette, The Collection, is a great song called "Princes Familiar" from her 1999 MTV Unplugged gig. What I found fantastic are the chorus lines; it's like Alanis was telling me how I should be around my daughter and, come to think of it, those lines do make sense. Please take some time to read the lyrics and reflect on the chorus.
Princes Familiar
Please be philosophical
Please be tapped into your feminity
Please be able to take the wheel from me
Please be crazy and curious
Papa love your princess so that she will find loving princes familiar
Papa cry for your princess so that she will find gentle princes familiar
Please be a sexaholic
Please be unpredictably miserable
Please be self-absorbed much (not the good kind)
Please be addicted to some substance
Papa listen to your princess so that she will find attentive princes familiar
Papa hear your princess so that she will find curious princes familiar
Please be the jerk of my knee i've fit you always
You finish my sentences I think I love you
What is your name again no matter I'm guessing your
thoughts again correctly and I love the way
You press my buttons so much sometimes I could strangle you
Papa laugh with your princess so that she will find funny princes familiar
Papa respect your princess so that she will find respectful princes familiar
Please be strangely enigmatic
Please be just like my
Princes Familiar
Please be philosophical
Please be tapped into your feminity
Please be able to take the wheel from me
Please be crazy and curious
Papa love your princess so that she will find loving princes familiar
Papa cry for your princess so that she will find gentle princes familiar
Please be a sexaholic
Please be unpredictably miserable
Please be self-absorbed much (not the good kind)
Please be addicted to some substance
Papa listen to your princess so that she will find attentive princes familiar
Papa hear your princess so that she will find curious princes familiar
Please be the jerk of my knee i've fit you always
You finish my sentences I think I love you
What is your name again no matter I'm guessing your
thoughts again correctly and I love the way
You press my buttons so much sometimes I could strangle you
Papa laugh with your princess so that she will find funny princes familiar
Papa respect your princess so that she will find respectful princes familiar
Please be strangely enigmatic
Please be just like my
Saturday, December 23, 2006
South Texas Snow?
Yes Virginia, it snows in South Texas. The last time it happened was in 2004 and the Coastal Bend had it's first White Christmas since 1918. For it to snow in South Texas, many meteorological factors have to line up perfectly, and in my 30 plus years, it had never snowed in and around my hometown. I'll leave it to the experts to explain what exactly happened that December, so check out the website of the National Weather Forecast Office in Corpus Christi, TX, http://www.srh.noaa.gov/crp/stories/Christmas2004/christmas_2004.html. It is a fantastic site with amazing radar and satellite imagery, and photographs from the area recalling the storm's path through South Texas. Yes, I said storm. This was no mere dusting of snow that anyone in the northern parts of the state may experience anytime during the winter months, but with snowfall measurements ranging up 12 inches, what much of the Coastal Bend experienced that day, was indeed a winter storm.
This has to be my all-time best Christmas. It ranks up there with the time I got my first telescope, as mentioned in a previous entry. The days leading up to Christmas that year were fairly mundane. We were not planning a trip home that Christmas because of time constraints, so we were pretty down about staying in town for the holidays. But those sullen days turned exciting when my wife came home from work earlier that week, to say that she was able to get the 23rd off, which gave us an extra travel day. I, of course, was happy about going home, but I told her this: If we had just the slightest prospect of having a White Christmas here in town, we would stay here. The irony, right!
We left north Texas with snow on the ground and the temperatures hovering in the low 30s and as we trekked south, the temperature did not creep higher as it usually does anytime through the year. I know that before we left for home that there was an outside chance of some sort wintry mix over the holiday, so I kept that in mind as we drove home. Nothing frozen fell from the sky the 23rd, but Christmas Eve would be vastly different.
As the 23rd became the 24th, the weather folks said that we had a good chance of the frozen stuff, namely sleet and maybe a few flurries. They were right as we had a couple shots of sleets in the afternoon, with an occasional snowflake thrown in for good measure. As the afternoon progressed into evening, the sleet stopped and the white stuff turned from hard, icy pellets but to floating flakes of snow. Being a weather nut, I turned the TV onto the Weather Channel and by this time, we noticed that we were under a winter storm warning! What the...!!! Yep, this became the stuff you hear about happening somewhere "way up north," where they're used to this kind of precipitation. Even the Weather Channel's winter weather expert beamed with excitement to see this type of weather occurrence happen so far south! My brother and I ventured out after sundown and watched the flakes grow larger and with much more intensity and velocity. So here we are in South Texas, near Corpus Christi, on Christmas Eve, and we find ourselves right in the middle of a winter storm.
My aunt and uncle from Austin were driving into town, but were caught in the storm about 60 miles, or about a hour drive's away, but they didn't arrive until after 10pm. What is usually a 3 hour drive became about a 7 hour ordeal. My uncle said that he drove with his head almost out of the car's window, going about 20 miles an hour. No wonder they took so long to get home!
We all turned in early and didn't realize how much snow had fallen overnight. My dad, having worked overnight, woke us up and cheered us on to see what Mother Nature had left for us this Christmas morning. What greet us was simply awe inspiring: a winterland landscape with lawns and cars buried under several inches of snow, and all framed with crystal-blue skies (the snowstorm of the night had moved quickly away from the coast by daybreak). Needless to say I clicked away my camera's film, so much so that I had to borrow my mom's last roll of film. My aunt and uncle who drove through the storm just hours earlier, drove by while while I took pictures and asked if we had anymore film because all the stores in town had run out!
Now, whenever I hear Irving Berlin's White Christmas playing anytime during the holiday season, it takes on a whole new meaning after having endured my first White Christmas in my hometown. No longer was a White Christmas something out of a Christmas movie or something that happens in Michigan, year in and year out, but it was certainly something I will never forget. My first White Christmas was magical and holds an almost mystical place in my heart, especially because where it happened. Although two years have quickly passed by, I still cannot believe I was able to witness this event. I was lucky and blessed to be in in my hometown on that Christmas Day in 2004. Strike that... I was lucky and blessed to be in my hometown on that WHITE CHRISTMAS Day in 2004.
This has to be my all-time best Christmas. It ranks up there with the time I got my first telescope, as mentioned in a previous entry. The days leading up to Christmas that year were fairly mundane. We were not planning a trip home that Christmas because of time constraints, so we were pretty down about staying in town for the holidays. But those sullen days turned exciting when my wife came home from work earlier that week, to say that she was able to get the 23rd off, which gave us an extra travel day. I, of course, was happy about going home, but I told her this: If we had just the slightest prospect of having a White Christmas here in town, we would stay here. The irony, right!
We left north Texas with snow on the ground and the temperatures hovering in the low 30s and as we trekked south, the temperature did not creep higher as it usually does anytime through the year. I know that before we left for home that there was an outside chance of some sort wintry mix over the holiday, so I kept that in mind as we drove home. Nothing frozen fell from the sky the 23rd, but Christmas Eve would be vastly different.
As the 23rd became the 24th, the weather folks said that we had a good chance of the frozen stuff, namely sleet and maybe a few flurries. They were right as we had a couple shots of sleets in the afternoon, with an occasional snowflake thrown in for good measure. As the afternoon progressed into evening, the sleet stopped and the white stuff turned from hard, icy pellets but to floating flakes of snow. Being a weather nut, I turned the TV onto the Weather Channel and by this time, we noticed that we were under a winter storm warning! What the...!!! Yep, this became the stuff you hear about happening somewhere "way up north," where they're used to this kind of precipitation. Even the Weather Channel's winter weather expert beamed with excitement to see this type of weather occurrence happen so far south! My brother and I ventured out after sundown and watched the flakes grow larger and with much more intensity and velocity. So here we are in South Texas, near Corpus Christi, on Christmas Eve, and we find ourselves right in the middle of a winter storm.
My aunt and uncle from Austin were driving into town, but were caught in the storm about 60 miles, or about a hour drive's away, but they didn't arrive until after 10pm. What is usually a 3 hour drive became about a 7 hour ordeal. My uncle said that he drove with his head almost out of the car's window, going about 20 miles an hour. No wonder they took so long to get home!
We all turned in early and didn't realize how much snow had fallen overnight. My dad, having worked overnight, woke us up and cheered us on to see what Mother Nature had left for us this Christmas morning. What greet us was simply awe inspiring: a winterland landscape with lawns and cars buried under several inches of snow, and all framed with crystal-blue skies (the snowstorm of the night had moved quickly away from the coast by daybreak). Needless to say I clicked away my camera's film, so much so that I had to borrow my mom's last roll of film. My aunt and uncle who drove through the storm just hours earlier, drove by while while I took pictures and asked if we had anymore film because all the stores in town had run out!
Now, whenever I hear Irving Berlin's White Christmas playing anytime during the holiday season, it takes on a whole new meaning after having endured my first White Christmas in my hometown. No longer was a White Christmas something out of a Christmas movie or something that happens in Michigan, year in and year out, but it was certainly something I will never forget. My first White Christmas was magical and holds an almost mystical place in my heart, especially because where it happened. Although two years have quickly passed by, I still cannot believe I was able to witness this event. I was lucky and blessed to be in in my hometown on that Christmas Day in 2004. Strike that... I was lucky and blessed to be in my hometown on that WHITE CHRISTMAS Day in 2004.
Thursday, December 07, 2006
Sirius Redux
I initially posted most of this on a friend's blog a while back and I wanted to place it here on mine, albeit with a few updates.
Looking up into the heavens has been a part of my nightly routine for as long as I can remember. In the autumn night's sky, you'll be able to see the immense constellation, Orion the Hunter, rise up in the east and see it progress across the sky until morning. I have fond memories of seeing Orion's superstars from October through March, wherever I'd happen to be; either on the backroads of my hometown, or even seeing them out my bus window on my way to Sevilla, Spain. One of the legends surrounding this constellation has it that Orion the Hunter found himself in a battle with Scorpius the Scorpion in ancient times. During this battle, Scorpius fatally wounded Orion, and henceforth, one never sees both constellations at the same time in the night sky; Scorpius predominantly during the spring and summer, and conversely, Orion only during the fall and winter.
Orion is home to many wonderous stellar entities, including the Horsehead Nebula, and the Orion Nebula, which is a cosmic nursery of sorts. The Hubble Space Telescope has explored the region in and around nebula has found what could be future planetary systems. I go way-back with my astronomy knowledge. For instance, my first science fair project, in the second grade, was about stars and constellations. I remember Sirius, Procyon, Cetus, and Antares to name a few. But it was Orion's Rigel that has kept my attention through the years.
Rigel is a supergiant white, type B8 sequence star, that makes one of Orion's knees. It is one of the most luminous objects in the sky, ranking behind the Moon, Venus, Sirius and a few other notable stars, with a +0.12 visual magnitude; Sirius' magnitude is a -1.46. But what makes Rigel, perhaps more notable, is its tremendous luminosity. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky is only a mere 8.6 lights away. While Rigel on the other hand is a whopping 750 light years away. (A light year is the distance light travels in a year, approximately 5.88 million million million miles. For those of you who can remember, the speed of light is 186,000 km per second.)
If Rigel was as close as Sirius, it's magnitude would be -10 or about the same as one-fifth the Moon's brilliance. Not only that, you would be able to see Rigel during the daytime (!), read by its light on a moonless night(!!), and the night sky would have a bluish-lavender hue to it instead of the pitch black we all know(!!!).
Who knew that shimmering, varied hued star in my new, yet very meager telescope, that frigid Christmas night 22 years ago would hold such importance throughout my life? I'm just glad that I was able to keep pace with Rigel through the years.
Looking up into the heavens has been a part of my nightly routine for as long as I can remember. In the autumn night's sky, you'll be able to see the immense constellation, Orion the Hunter, rise up in the east and see it progress across the sky until morning. I have fond memories of seeing Orion's superstars from October through March, wherever I'd happen to be; either on the backroads of my hometown, or even seeing them out my bus window on my way to Sevilla, Spain. One of the legends surrounding this constellation has it that Orion the Hunter found himself in a battle with Scorpius the Scorpion in ancient times. During this battle, Scorpius fatally wounded Orion, and henceforth, one never sees both constellations at the same time in the night sky; Scorpius predominantly during the spring and summer, and conversely, Orion only during the fall and winter.
Orion is home to many wonderous stellar entities, including the Horsehead Nebula, and the Orion Nebula, which is a cosmic nursery of sorts. The Hubble Space Telescope has explored the region in and around nebula has found what could be future planetary systems. I go way-back with my astronomy knowledge. For instance, my first science fair project, in the second grade, was about stars and constellations. I remember Sirius, Procyon, Cetus, and Antares to name a few. But it was Orion's Rigel that has kept my attention through the years.
Rigel is a supergiant white, type B8 sequence star, that makes one of Orion's knees. It is one of the most luminous objects in the sky, ranking behind the Moon, Venus, Sirius and a few other notable stars, with a +0.12 visual magnitude; Sirius' magnitude is a -1.46. But what makes Rigel, perhaps more notable, is its tremendous luminosity. Sirius, the brightest star in the night sky is only a mere 8.6 lights away. While Rigel on the other hand is a whopping 750 light years away. (A light year is the distance light travels in a year, approximately 5.88 million million million miles. For those of you who can remember, the speed of light is 186,000 km per second.)
If Rigel was as close as Sirius, it's magnitude would be -10 or about the same as one-fifth the Moon's brilliance. Not only that, you would be able to see Rigel during the daytime (!), read by its light on a moonless night(!!), and the night sky would have a bluish-lavender hue to it instead of the pitch black we all know(!!!).
Who knew that shimmering, varied hued star in my new, yet very meager telescope, that frigid Christmas night 22 years ago would hold such importance throughout my life? I'm just glad that I was able to keep pace with Rigel through the years.
Neruda & and the Art of Happenstance
I came across a book of Pablo Neruda's poetry the other day, called The Essential Pablo Neruda, and wondered onto a particular selection that reminded me of a song from Sixpence None the Richer's 1998 release. The specific song is called Puedo Escribir and the lead singer, Leigh Nash, sings some of the verses from the following Neruda poem in Spanish. As you can see, I only put the English verse here for everyone's poetic perusal.
I can write the saddest verses
I can write the saddest verses tonight.
Write, for example, "The night is full of stars,
twinkling blue in the distance."
The night wind whirls in the sky and sings.
I can write the saddest verses tonight.
I wanted her, and sometimes she wanted me too.
On nights like this, I held her in my arms.
I kissed her so many times under the infinite sky.
She wanted me, at times I wanted her too.
How not to have loved her great, still eyes.
I can write the saddest verses tonight.
To think I don't have her. To feel that I've lost her.
To hear the immense night, more immense without her.
And the verse falls onto my soul as dew onto grass.
What does it matter that my love couldn't keep her.
The night is full of stars and she is not with me.
That's all. In the distance, someone sings. In the distance.
My soul is not content with having lost her.
As if to bring her closer, my gaze searches for her,
My heart searches for her and she is not with me.
The same night that whitens the same trees.
We, of the then, now are no longer the same.
I no longer want her, true, but how much I wanted her.
My voice searched for the wind that would touch her ear.
Another's. She will be another's. As before my kisses.
Her voice, her bright body. Her infinite eyes.
I no longer want her, true, but perhaps I want her.
Love is so short and forgetting is so long.
Because on nights like this I held her in my arms,
my soul is not content with having lost her.
Though this may be the last pain she causes me,
these are the last verses I write for her.
I can write the saddest verses
I can write the saddest verses tonight.
Write, for example, "The night is full of stars,
twinkling blue in the distance."
The night wind whirls in the sky and sings.
I can write the saddest verses tonight.
I wanted her, and sometimes she wanted me too.
On nights like this, I held her in my arms.
I kissed her so many times under the infinite sky.
She wanted me, at times I wanted her too.
How not to have loved her great, still eyes.
I can write the saddest verses tonight.
To think I don't have her. To feel that I've lost her.
To hear the immense night, more immense without her.
And the verse falls onto my soul as dew onto grass.
What does it matter that my love couldn't keep her.
The night is full of stars and she is not with me.
That's all. In the distance, someone sings. In the distance.
My soul is not content with having lost her.
As if to bring her closer, my gaze searches for her,
My heart searches for her and she is not with me.
The same night that whitens the same trees.
We, of the then, now are no longer the same.
I no longer want her, true, but how much I wanted her.
My voice searched for the wind that would touch her ear.
Another's. She will be another's. As before my kisses.
Her voice, her bright body. Her infinite eyes.
I no longer want her, true, but perhaps I want her.
Love is so short and forgetting is so long.
Because on nights like this I held her in my arms,
my soul is not content with having lost her.
Though this may be the last pain she causes me,
these are the last verses I write for her.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
Goo goo g'joob
Picture yourself in a seat at a concert with John, Paul, George & Ringo playing all of their songs. Well, not all of their songs but a good number of them. The first time I heard the Beatles' newest release, LOVE, I felt as if I was hearing a Beatles reunion concert.
If the Fab Four were able to cheat death and defeat their embattled egos, this is what we'd hear at a reunion concert. Infusing yesterday's magnificent music with today's techonology, we get tunes that are as inspiring as their original recordings. We have to thank the Fifth Beatle, Sir George Martin and his son for this amazing production. And I've come to realize that behind every great musical artist there is an equally impressive producer; for every Alanis Morissette, there's a Glen Ballard, or System of a Down's Rick Rubin, or even Café Tacuba's Gustavo Santaolalla. What the Martins created, on one side, is essentially a live-like recording, without the incessant screams of raucous, female fans that usually marred their live shows early on, and on the other, a treat for our ears and musical palette.
The only shortcoming that I have noticed is the lack of cuts from their early albums. This could be due to the recording processes of the early 1960s, where they were unable to make or create multi-layered sound recordings as they did with their latter albums. Even with this said, I assume that nary a Beatles fan will find fault with this record.
I am a Beatles purist in some ways, but I never thought that I would be taken so much by an album that is in essence one, big Beatles remix record. I would consider each song a classic, that each should be able to stand on it's own; an immovable object of sorts. But in the context of this medium, the Beatles' music has become a kaleidoscope of aural delight.
It must be said that the Beatles are still very relevant in today's musical mainstream being that they released their first album more than 40 years ago! I had a conversation with a friend a few days ago about specific aspects of their music and how gutsy they were to release songs like Eleanor Rigby (what pop artist releases a song made entirely with classical arrangement and instrumentation?), Norwegian Wood (a song that's set in a typical 3/4 waltz style), and All You Need is Love (the opening bars alternate between 3/4 and 4/4 time). You'd be hard pressed to find such musicality in today's popular music.
If the Fab Four were able to cheat death and defeat their embattled egos, this is what we'd hear at a reunion concert. Infusing yesterday's magnificent music with today's techonology, we get tunes that are as inspiring as their original recordings. We have to thank the Fifth Beatle, Sir George Martin and his son for this amazing production. And I've come to realize that behind every great musical artist there is an equally impressive producer; for every Alanis Morissette, there's a Glen Ballard, or System of a Down's Rick Rubin, or even Café Tacuba's Gustavo Santaolalla. What the Martins created, on one side, is essentially a live-like recording, without the incessant screams of raucous, female fans that usually marred their live shows early on, and on the other, a treat for our ears and musical palette.
The only shortcoming that I have noticed is the lack of cuts from their early albums. This could be due to the recording processes of the early 1960s, where they were unable to make or create multi-layered sound recordings as they did with their latter albums. Even with this said, I assume that nary a Beatles fan will find fault with this record.
I am a Beatles purist in some ways, but I never thought that I would be taken so much by an album that is in essence one, big Beatles remix record. I would consider each song a classic, that each should be able to stand on it's own; an immovable object of sorts. But in the context of this medium, the Beatles' music has become a kaleidoscope of aural delight.
It must be said that the Beatles are still very relevant in today's musical mainstream being that they released their first album more than 40 years ago! I had a conversation with a friend a few days ago about specific aspects of their music and how gutsy they were to release songs like Eleanor Rigby (what pop artist releases a song made entirely with classical arrangement and instrumentation?), Norwegian Wood (a song that's set in a typical 3/4 waltz style), and All You Need is Love (the opening bars alternate between 3/4 and 4/4 time). You'd be hard pressed to find such musicality in today's popular music.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Punt, Kick, or Tirar
I'm sure everyone in DallasCowboysLand is awestruck with Tony Romo's success in his first 4 NFL starts. All Cowboys' fans wish he had started the season instead of somewhere near the middle, but beggars can't be chosers at this point. I don't know if anyone noticed this, but just before the Colts kicked the ball back to the 'Boys in the 4th quarter, Romo ran down the bench and essentially high-fived everyone to get them ready for the pending drive. Wow, where did this come from? I do not know if any other quarterback does this, but with the way the team has played lately, it sure does make sense that the team is playing better because of Romo's attitude.
What I am very surprised to have not heard so far, media-wise, is that Tony Romo is the first Hispanic starting quarterback in Cowboys' team history. Maybe he isn't because I have yet to hear that specific item in all the hype that has surrounded him since midseason insertion, but it's wonderful to see and hear that he's doing so well.
I would like to share a fantastic website that has become one of my all-time favorites. I came across this site, maybe 10 years ago, and I don't remember if a co-worker told me about it, but what it is, is immensely entertaining, especially if you know something about Mexican culture. The context of the site, may be vulgar to some, but it certainly deserves plenty of recognition, in terms of the word it describes. The site is entirely in Spanish and it is called "La Chingada," or loosely translated as "The Screwed," in English and I like to visit it from time to time for a quick laugh. You'll find the site at: http://csgrs6k1.uwaterloo.ca/~dmg/chingada/ Although the website is quite lame in construction and lacks any visual effects, but it certainly makes up for in colorful context and philosophical connections. What I like about it is that it delves into the etymology of one of the most prolifically used expletives in Mexico's spanish vernacular.
The word chingar, with the verb meaning to screw, could be seen as a catch all, similar to English's usage of both s*** & f***, but it has a historical background and varied usage that its English counterparts do not have. Yes, you can say, "Ah, go f*** yourself," or "I had a s****y time" in English, but chingar has a breeding all its own, pun immensely intended, and it's inherently a Mexicanism. Ask any Mexican when the initial chingada occurred and they will tell you it came when Spanish conquistadores took Aztec women as their wives. Furthermore, you will see and hear the phrase, "Hijos de la chingada" throughout Mexican culture and you will know that they are referring to the "sons (& daughters) of the first chingada."
These are a quick sampling of Octavio Paz's interpretation of the word from the site itself:
[La chingada] es una palabra hueca. No quiere decir nada. Es la Nada.
[La chingada] is an empty word. It doesn't say anything. It is the Nothing.
El hijo de la chingada es el engendro de la violación, del rapto, de la burla.
The son of the chingada is the fetus of the rape, of the abduction, of the ridiculed.
Para el mexicano, la vida es la posibilidad de chingar o de ser chingado.
For the Mexican, life is the possibility of being the screwer or the screwee.
What I am very surprised to have not heard so far, media-wise, is that Tony Romo is the first Hispanic starting quarterback in Cowboys' team history. Maybe he isn't because I have yet to hear that specific item in all the hype that has surrounded him since midseason insertion, but it's wonderful to see and hear that he's doing so well.
I would like to share a fantastic website that has become one of my all-time favorites. I came across this site, maybe 10 years ago, and I don't remember if a co-worker told me about it, but what it is, is immensely entertaining, especially if you know something about Mexican culture. The context of the site, may be vulgar to some, but it certainly deserves plenty of recognition, in terms of the word it describes. The site is entirely in Spanish and it is called "La Chingada," or loosely translated as "The Screwed," in English and I like to visit it from time to time for a quick laugh. You'll find the site at: http://csgrs6k1.uwaterloo.ca/~dmg/chingada/ Although the website is quite lame in construction and lacks any visual effects, but it certainly makes up for in colorful context and philosophical connections. What I like about it is that it delves into the etymology of one of the most prolifically used expletives in Mexico's spanish vernacular.
The word chingar, with the verb meaning to screw, could be seen as a catch all, similar to English's usage of both s*** & f***, but it has a historical background and varied usage that its English counterparts do not have. Yes, you can say, "Ah, go f*** yourself," or "I had a s****y time" in English, but chingar has a breeding all its own, pun immensely intended, and it's inherently a Mexicanism. Ask any Mexican when the initial chingada occurred and they will tell you it came when Spanish conquistadores took Aztec women as their wives. Furthermore, you will see and hear the phrase, "Hijos de la chingada" throughout Mexican culture and you will know that they are referring to the "sons (& daughters) of the first chingada."
These are a quick sampling of Octavio Paz's interpretation of the word from the site itself:
[La chingada] es una palabra hueca. No quiere decir nada. Es la Nada.
[La chingada] is an empty word. It doesn't say anything. It is the Nothing.
El hijo de la chingada es el engendro de la violación, del rapto, de la burla.
The son of the chingada is the fetus of the rape, of the abduction, of the ridiculed.
Para el mexicano, la vida es la posibilidad de chingar o de ser chingado.
For the Mexican, life is the possibility of being the screwer or the screwee.
Monday, October 23, 2006
October chills
Goosebumps and chills kept me warm on the way in to work this chilly morning as I listened to The Essential Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. I can't remember the first instance I heard SRV's music, but it had to be some time in high school more than 15+ years ago. Tunes like "Pride and Joy", "Texas Flood", and "Sky is Crying" were the among ones I'd hear more often and of course, committed to memory. His sound is quintessentially Texan- the monster riffs and booming vocals that remind one of an April thunderstorm and yet he'll surprise you with the flowing melodies reminescent of a tube ride down the Guadalupe River. Although he is no longer with us on this plane, his music is still fresh and relevant today as it ever was.
Onto something else now. Seeing Kenny Rogers fabulous performance in Game 2 of the 2006 World Series, helped me confirm something that I have been thinking about for the past few weeks. Towards the end of the regular season, much of the baseball media commented on how being away from the Texas during the summer months has helped Rogers finish the season on such a strong note. Apparently he's found a comfort zone that has continued into the postseason. So with all this said, this is what I am proposing or hinting at: a domed stadium in Arlington.
I know that it's 10 years too late, but why didn't they think about putting a retractable roof on what is now Ameriquest Field in Arlington? It could be that the technology was not yet available for such an architectural endeavor, but if memory serves me right, Safeco Field in Seattle is about the same age as The Field. If seeing Kenny Rogers excell as he has this season in Detroit, you know there's something to that. I'll be willing to bet that many of the Rangers' former players are so happy and relieved that they do not have to play in the North Texas heat during the hottest months of the year.
The Texas Rangers had a dismal year at the turnstiles and you can say it was because of the team's poor on-field performance, but you've got to remember that this past summer was one of the hottest in Dallas-Fort Worth history. I was there a few times this summer and it was hot. I'm sure I wasn't the only one in the stadium worrying how the heat bothered our kids during games played in 100 degree plus temperatures, much less how it affected our team on the field. It's obviously too late to do anything about this, but I think the Rangers would compete more so in a climate controlled environment.
Onto something else now. Seeing Kenny Rogers fabulous performance in Game 2 of the 2006 World Series, helped me confirm something that I have been thinking about for the past few weeks. Towards the end of the regular season, much of the baseball media commented on how being away from the Texas during the summer months has helped Rogers finish the season on such a strong note. Apparently he's found a comfort zone that has continued into the postseason. So with all this said, this is what I am proposing or hinting at: a domed stadium in Arlington.
I know that it's 10 years too late, but why didn't they think about putting a retractable roof on what is now Ameriquest Field in Arlington? It could be that the technology was not yet available for such an architectural endeavor, but if memory serves me right, Safeco Field in Seattle is about the same age as The Field. If seeing Kenny Rogers excell as he has this season in Detroit, you know there's something to that. I'll be willing to bet that many of the Rangers' former players are so happy and relieved that they do not have to play in the North Texas heat during the hottest months of the year.
The Texas Rangers had a dismal year at the turnstiles and you can say it was because of the team's poor on-field performance, but you've got to remember that this past summer was one of the hottest in Dallas-Fort Worth history. I was there a few times this summer and it was hot. I'm sure I wasn't the only one in the stadium worrying how the heat bothered our kids during games played in 100 degree plus temperatures, much less how it affected our team on the field. It's obviously too late to do anything about this, but I think the Rangers would compete more so in a climate controlled environment.
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Gotta start somewhere
The weather is starting to get cooler, so you know what that means! It's time to start your Christmas shopping. Yeah, but... no! It's the good part of football season. There were some awesome games today and one of the best was the Texas vs Nebraska game in Lincoln. The 'Horns pulled out a great 22-20 win against a tough Cornhusker team. This game had all the Orangebloods breathing a big sigh of relief as time expired. Lincoln's never an easy place to play and today's game was no diffrent as the weather was a major factor in the game's playcalling, with a cold blowing and then a steady rain/snow mix. Can you imagine what the season would look like if Texas had kept up the run game against that porous Ohio State run defense early on in the season?
This is just the first of many varied postings. Stay tuned.
This is just the first of many varied postings. Stay tuned.
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