Month: August 2013

  • Volver a los diecisiete – Seventeen once again

    My wife Alicia’s rich mezzo-soprano voice gives me goosebumps, especially combined with the powerful lyrics of this song. The audio is a little distorted because the volume overdrove my phone’s microphone, but it should give you a taste of Colombia’s greatest female voice singing an absolutely lovely song. I recorded it two weeks ago at the Cali Viejo restaurant in Brandon, FL. 

    Alicia, being a professional musician, doesn’t like having unauthorized videos or recordings made public, so this may only be up a few hours or days. She’s presently in Colombia trying to get health insurance for her son. When she gets back, she will be singing every other weekend at the restaurant. Her sister Angela is there every Friday. (Don’t forget to say hi to the tall gringo with the ponytail.)

    The song was written by Violeta Parra, the Chilean ethnomusicologist and artist. Translated lyrics are below.  (Translating them has been a very moving experience. I started from someone else’s draft and made many changes.)

    To be seventeen once again after living a century
    is like deciphering signs without wisdom or skill,
    suddenly, again, as fragile as a second,
    with all the solemnity of a child before God.
    That is what I feel in this fertile instant. 

    Twining, entangling it grows like the ivy on the wall
    It sprouts and blooms like moss on the stone.
    Like moss on the stone, oh yes yes yes

    My steps withdraw while yours keep advancing
    The arch of alliances has penetrated my nest
    With its full palette of color it has wandered through my veins
    and even the hard chain with which destiny binds us
    is like a fine diamond that illuminates my serene soul.

    Emotion has accomplished what knowledge cannot
    nor can the most clearcut behavior nor the broadest thought
    The moment changes everything like an obliging magician
    It removes us sweetly from rancor and violence
    Only love with its science can make us so innocent.

    Love is a whirlwind of original purity
    Even the fierce animal whispers its sweet trill
    It halts the pilgrims and frees the prisoners
    Love, so hard-working, turns the aged into a child
    and only kind affection can make evil men pure and sincere.

    The window flew open as if by pure enchantment
    Love entered with its cloak, like a warm morning
    At the sound of its beautiful reveille, the jasmine burst into bloom
    Flying like a seraph, love placed earrings in the sky
    and the cherub made me seventeen once again


    Mercedes Sosa is famous for performing Violeta Parra’s music:


     

  • Our wedding video

    We held our Colombian wedding at the Hacienda Fizebad on November 25, 2012. It was a glorious event.

    This is a short video summary. Unfortunately the videographer didn’t stay around for the reception.


  • Saintvi’s survey

    What was the last thing you put in your mouth? A Dunkin Donuts cream-filled donut.

    Have you ever kissed anyone named Matthew? No! Yuck. He’s got a mustache, and besides, he’s a guy.

    Where was your profile picture taken? I think it was the inside balcony of the house in Pasto, Colombia where we lived in 1961. (Most older houses have an indoor patio.)

    Can you play guitar hero? No.

    Name someone that made you laugh today? No one, yet.

    How late did you stay up last night and why? Until after midnight. Because nunyabidness.

    If you could move somewhere else, would you? Yes, to a house with no mold and needing less remodeling.

    Ever been kissed under fireworks? My wife kisses me everywhere.

    Which of your friends lives closest to you? My friend Scott lives in Orlando, about 90 minutes away.

    Do you believe exes can be friends? Yes, but it’s not always a good idea, especially if you have a new love.

    How do you feel about Dr Pepper? I have no problem with Dr Pepper. In fact, some of my best friends are Dr Pepper.

    When was the last time you cried really hard? I think it was 2001.

    Where are you right now? Work. St. Petersburg, FL.

    What bed did you sleep in last night? The futon in my sister-in-law’s living room.

    What was the last thing someone bought for you for dinner? I think it was the margarita my sister treated us to last weekend.

    Who took your profile picture? A guy named Bill Smallman who visited us in Pasto, Colombia in 1961.

    Who was the last person you took a picture of? Probably Alicia and me.

    Was yesterday better than today? I don’t know. Today hasn’t finished happening.

    Can you live a day without TV? I rarely watch TV.

    Are you mad about anything? I don’t think so.

    Are you upset about anything? Yes. The moldy condition of my house and the fact that we can’t stay there because it makes my wife sick.

    Do you think relationships are ever really worth it? Most definitely.

    Are you a bad influence? Not to my knowledge.

    Night out or night in? Tonight my sister-in-law Angela has a singing gig at the Colombian restaurant. We’ll be there to support her and do some singing.

    What items could you not go without during the day? Cell phone. Toilet paper.

    Who was the last person you visited in the hospital? Alicia.

    What does the last text message in your inbox say? Ask agent about warranty on house. It’s standard here.”

    How do you feel about your life right now? Stressed. Our dream house has become a nightmare.

    Do you hate anyone? Not on purpose, but there are a couple of people that I wouldn’t miss if I never heard from them again.

    If we were to look in your Xanga inbox, what would we find? Other than a cryptic post by @JSolberg, mostly the same stuff as yesterday. Xanga is a ghost town.

    Say you were given a drug test right now, would you pass? Drug test? Like, Name That Pill? Identify antibiotics by their taste? Match parasites with the best treatment? 

    Has anyone ever called you perfect before? My wife thinks I’m amazing. That’s close enough.

    What song is stuck in your head? La quiero a morir (Francis Cabrel)

    Someone knocks on your window at 2am, who do you want it to be? Our cat Ruta. But she meows and sometimes pulls the screen off.

    Wanna have grandkids before you’re 50? Pointless question. I’m 53, and none of my four kids is close to getting married. My stepson is 15.

    Name something you have to do tomorrow? Seal an a/c chase into the attic.

    Do you think too much or too little? Too little, about things that really matter. Too much, about trivia.

    Do you smile a lot? Yes. I’m a lot happier than I was the first 45 years of my life.

    Who was your last missed call on your Mobile phone? My daughter Hannah. I called her on the way home last night, but my calls always drop on the St. Petersburg I-275 causeway.

    Is there something you always wear? Clothes, nearly always.

    What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Checking my other blog.

    Did you have an exciting last weekend? Alicia and I were in LA visiting my older sisters. We had an excellent time.

    Have you ever crawled through a window? When my best friend got married in 1980, one of the other groomsmen and I climbed up balconies to the newlyweds’ third-floor apartment. I helped the other guy climb into the bathroom window, which was out beyond the edge of the balcony, and then we trashed the apartment. I have climbed through windows myself, but can’t remember when.

    Have you ever dyed your hair? No. I asked my little sister (who works at a salon) about covering my gray but she said salt-and-pepper looks good on me. In any case, dyed hair on guys usually looks creepy.

    Are you wearing a necklace? No.

    Are you an emotional person? I don’t cry easily, but I try hard to feel my feelings. I get manic when I’m with my kids and when I’m with my wife.

    What’s something that can always make you feel better? Affection from my wife. A cold bottle of hard cider.

    Will this weekend be a good one? Mostly it will be hard work. Tonight, though, we’ll go to the Colombian restaurant to sing with my sister-in-law.

    What do you want right now? My house to be mold-free so we can live in it.

    Have you ever worn the opposite sex’s clothing? I wore a Little Mermaid sheet for a toga at a retreat in 2005.

    Have you ever worked in a food place? I cooked for a summer evangelism project in Aspen in 1982. That was fun. In 1984 I cooked lunches for a child care center owned by some friends. I was also Saturday cook for a fraternity. That didn’t go so well.

    What’s on your schedule for tomorrow? Working on the house: cleaning up mold, sealing an a/c chase into the attic, pressure-washing the back porch and patio.

    Does anyone know your Xanga password? Yes, my daughter who set my account up back in 2005.

    [Edit: Just discovered I missed these two questions]

    What do you want right now? A cold drink.

    Night out or night in? Tonight will be out, but in general my preference is night in.

     

  • Still the World’s Most Fortunate Man… but boy, does life suck!

    When I left for Colombia in late June, I closed up the house in case of storms. Like an idiot, I left the a/c off, since the duct cleaning people had told me there is a major duct leak somewhere.

    You can’t leave the a/c off and the house closed in the muggy Florida summer.

    Upon our return, we found the downstairs coated with mold: kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinet and door, living room walls, bookcases. I’ve cleaned everything in sight twice, but Alicia’s lungs react immediately when she enters the house.

    So we’re staying at her sister Angela’s, and I’ve called a mold remediation guy to come Monday. In the meantime, I’m going to keep on bleaching everything in sight. (Careful! If you keep still, you may end up blond.)

    Another sister is arriving Monday from Colombia with her three kids. They will also stay at Angela’s, and Alicia and I will check into an extended stay hotel.

    I had no idea that our dream house would become a nightmare.

    But I’m married to the world’s most wonderful woman. We’ll be okay.