Today's Happy Thought

Thank God I have a will...

Daily Numbers

1. 4 pm 12/26/05 149 Better than expected.
2. 4 am 12/27/05 169 Omigod!
3. 8 am 12/27/05 120 More like it should be.

Pleasant Thoughts About Diabetes

1. Do not get it.
2. Do not ever think you can't get it.
3. If you get it, do not forgo checking your blood sugar on a daily basis.
4. Do not ever think you won't pay a price for ignoring any of this advice.

Feliz Navidad, Everybody!

I won't be making any entries for the next few days for obvious reasons. So enjoy the holiday...

All the Things That I Have Seen (Thus Far This Week at Least)

A. Don't Go Ape to See This Movie

I finally saw the new King Kong movie yesterday. I found it amusing to see director Peter Jackson trying his best to out-Spielberg Steven Spielberg. The Germanic ship captain was an interesting surprise. So was the Joseph Conrad reference. (Major props to Joseph Conrad.) I'm sure I'll have more to say about this movie later.

B. “Lick the Lightswitch”

I'm also re-watching my copy of the Wonderfalls DVD. Easily one of the best TV shows I've seen in a while even if it was canceled after a shamefully small number of episodes. I still find it a bit scary to picture Diane “Christina Crawford” Scarwid as a matriarch though. And here I was just getting used to Sonia Braga's performance as a Mexican-American hausfrau in American Family.

Here Comes the Sun

Finally a day of sunshine here in Dallas after all too many days of grey clouds. True, we can always use rain but it just seems so depressing this time of year.

Speaking of depressing, my best friend is having surgery on her leg today. I expect it'll be just a simple operation but I worry about her all the same. She was just recovering from a bad car accident when she had yet another bad car accident this summer. She has a mother to look after her, too, but I still worry.

After all, I'm her friend. Worrying is part of my job description...

Why I Like the South

Everytime I start getting nostalgic for my hometown of Detroit, the temperature drops down to the 30s and 20s and suddenly I'm glad to be living in the South. I hate cold winters. Yes, I know. Hot summers are no fun either. But Detroit winters -- brrr!!!

Glossary of Words Frequently Used in This Blog

1. abrazo -- hug.
2. alma -- soul.
3. arte -- art.
4. amiga -- female friend. Sometimes used as an euphemism for “girlfriend” but I'll try not to use it that way.
5. amor -- love.
6. baile -- dance.
7. beso -- kiss.
8. canción -- song.
9. carne -- meat; flesh.
10. ciencia -- science.
11. cine -- cinema; movie theatre.
12. cita -- quote.
13. con -- with.
14. cosa -- thing.
15. cuento -- story; tale.
16. dama -- lady.
17. de nada -- you're welcome.
18. de nuevo -- again.
19. dicho -- saying.
20. El Norte -- The North. Usually a nickname for the United States.
21. éxito -- success.
22. familia -- family.
23. feliz cumpleaños -- happy birthday.
24. flor -- flower.
25. gato -- cat.
26. gobierno -- government.
27. guajolote -- Mexican Spanish for “turkey.”
28. güera/o -- fair-skinned. Can be used as adjective or noun.
29. hermana -- sister; female sibling.
30. hermano -- brother; male sibling.
31. hielo -- ice.
32. hombre -- man.
33. icono -- icon.
34. ignorante -- ignorant; ignoramus; term used by Californian Hispanics in the 19th century to refer to a member of the Know-Nothing Party.
35. ley -- law.
36. leyenda -- legend.
37. libro -- book.
38. lo siento -- I'm sorry.
39. Los Estados Rojos -- The Red States.
40. Los Estados Unidos -- The United States of America.
41. mentira -- lie.
42. mi mejor amiga -- my best female friend. In my case, literally my best friend period.
43. mito -- myth.
44. morena/o -- dark-skinned. Also an adjective or noun. Can also be used by some -- but not me -- as a synonym for “Black” or “African-American.”
45. moro -- Moor; Muslim.
46. muchas gracias -- thank you.
47. mujer -- woman.
48. musa -- muse; inspiration.
49. nada -- nothing.
50. nieve -- snow; Mexican Spanish for “ice cream.”
51. noticias -- news.
52. novia -- serious girlfriend or bride. Alternative name for the Uma Thurman character in Kill Bill.
53. novio -- boyfriend or groom.
54. palabra -- word.
55. pato -- duck.
56. pecado -- sin.
57. película -- film; movie.
58. pensamiento -- thought.
59. pero -- but.
60. perro -- dog.
61. piel -- skin.
62. poema -- poem.
63. por supuesto -- of course.
64. pregunta -- question.
65. prima/o -- cousin.
66. quien sabes? -- Who knows?
67. raza -- race or racial group.
68. revista -- magazine.
69. rubia/o -- Blonde. Either adjective or noun.
70. sin -- without.
71. sol -- sun.
72. sueño -- dream; sleep.
73. sureña/o -- Southern. “ ”.
74. Tejana/o -- Texan. “ ”.
75. televisión -- Television; TV.
76. tía -- aunt; female sibling of one's parent.
77. tiempo -- time.
78. tío -- uncle; male sibling of one's parent.
79. trabajo -- work; job.
80. verdad -- truth.
81. vida -- life.
82. zorro -- fox.

Day Two

Cast of Characters:

1. Tonio Kruger -- an aspiring American writer of Mexican and Polish descent. A relapsed Catholic with a streak of contrarianism.

2. His mother -- a former Kennedy Democrat turned Republican who once lit candles on behalf of Solidarity and now works as a bookkeeper. Went from being very Catholic to being merely nondenominational and then back again. Current religious status: unknown.

3. His father -- a Mexican immigrant who is now deceased. Former Kennedy Democrat who went from Catholic to atheist and then back again. Religious changes like that are quite common in this family. Used to counsel people in his spare time. Loved plants and children. Collected art books and once made paintings in his spare time -- usually copies but good copies -- not paint-by-the-numbers stuff.

4. His younger sister -- a self-confessed Republican and mother of two kids.
5. His middle brother -- a self-confessed Republican who never votes. The most mechanically adept of his four siblings.

6. His youngest brother -- a CPA who is basically following in his mother's footsteps careerwise and in his father's footsteps spiritwise.

7. His best friend -- a Southern woman who is in many ways the older sister Tonio Kruger never had. Of course, she prefers to be thought of as either the twin sister Tonio Kruger never had or else a second younger sister.

Hola

This is the first day of my new weblog. Mi nombre es Tonio Kruger -- no relation to the Thomas Mann character of the same name, natch -- and I'm an aspiring writer who probably reads too much for his own good. Right now I've taken a temporary break from collecting rejection slips and am now enjoying the holidays. I don't have much to write today pero tomorrow -- quien sabe?

By the way, the title of my blog has nothing to do with any of the Harry Potter books, but if you choose to see it as a homage, that's your choice.