Faces

Ivory quote # 2

True, natural beauty is in the simple things.

En vérité, la beauté naturelle se trouve dans le choses simples.

Winter... Spring..and then Winter Again

I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Minnesota is a state in the northern central region of US (known as Midwest). This state is known for its long (very long) winters. They are also very cold winters. But one would hope that by the end of March, and with Spring officially "announced", the snow would melt away and green would slowly start to surround us. And that DID happen. We had a few lovely and sunny days with temperatures rising up and signs of Spring everywhere: small buds on the trees, more birds flying around, etc.
But yesterday the Winter King decided to pay us his last visit of the year and everything went white again. Unbelievable! Well.. everything is possible in the land of 12,000 lakes. Anyway, we tried to make the most of it. I admired how beautiful the trees looked with snow on their branches and children everywhere made their (probably and hopefully) last snow man of the season.
Ok, now...that's it! We want the Spring Fairy to come and bless us with green trees, sun, warm temperatures, birds and lots of flowers! ... Achoo! Oh no.. what about allergies? Oh well, no season is perfect. Thanks mother Nature! :-)

Ivory soap and quotes

Ok, if this information is more than you wanted to know... let me know :)

It's been a long time that I use, almost exclusively, Ivory soap. Why?

The Soap So Pure It Floats!
An established American icon of pure clean, Classic Ivory Soap is a simple, pure formula that cleanses your skin by removing dirt and oils which can clog pores. The classic, 99 44/100% pure formula contains no heavy perfumes or lotions so it leaves your skin feeling naturally clean with a light, Ivory-clean smell. Discover the consistent quality and value that have made Ivory the leading pure soap on the market for decades.

For your convenience, Classic Ivory Soap is available in the family-size
4.5 oz bath bar and the 3.1 oz personal size bar
in a variety of package choices.

(source http://www.ivory.com/YourIvoryProducts_ClassicIvoryBarSoap.htm)

Last time I bought some it was a 12 pack but it wasn't until today, when I reached for the last bar of the packet, that I noticed that each bar comes with a quote. A different quote in each bar!
How come I didn't notice this before?

Anyway, I am glad I did and I will be paying more attention next time. But I identify soooooo much with this quote that I wanted to share it with you. It's in English and French on the wrap paper and I like both versions, so I am going to copy them literally.

"Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things."

"Profitez des petits plaisirs de la vie, car un jour vous vous rendrez compte qu'ils étaient vraiemnt de grans plaisirs."

Insomnia 2: mr. alien

What happened to mr. alien? What is he thinking? Why did he change color? Why did he run the other way?

If you have answers to any of these questions, please let me know (post a comment)

Insomnia 1: old habits and hobbies

This is what happens when I can't sleep at night. I go back to old habits and hobbies. I haven't done this in a while, so be nice... :-)

New phone and new mobile blogging

I got a new phone today. It has a camera on it. Finally I am catching up with cellphone technology. Now I will be able to send pictures from my phone directly to my new Paulino on the GO blog. Like this one:

I then I can edit the post and add some text to it... or not :-)

Patrick's Cabaret demo

Wow, more than a month and a half without blogging... what a slacker :-)
And I have so many thing to tell.. anyway until I get to them I will post a demo video I edited to promote Patrick's Cabaret.

Here it is:

Esperanto is not dead

Even though I haven't made much efforts to improve my Esperanto lately, I keep finding examples that show that this is not a dead language at all.

Look at this cute video:

Let's burn down the house!

Well... not literally.
I just started experimenting with a new home project: Melting Crayons.
I was going pretty well... until I have a little accident in the oven and now it's partially covered in crayon wax... oops!
But I have been more careful lately and I am having fun and some good results.
This is my last badge:

Before melting

After melting

Esperanto>Youth>Spain>Madrid

My friend José is one of the organizers of this really cool gathering for young people (like me!) who would like to learn more about Esperanto or practice this interesting language with other cool people. If you are near Madrid, don't miss it! I wish I could be there, guys! Good luck!

ENCUENTRO IBÉRICO 2007 Del 9 al 11 de marzo en el albergue juvenil "San Fermín" (Villaverde-Madrid). Organiza HEJS, la Sección Juvenil de la Federación Española de Esperanto. Para más información: www.esperanto.es/iro2007/index.htm IRO 2007 Iberia renkonto Okazos de la 9a ĝis la 11a de marto en la junulargastejo "San Fermín" (Kvartalo Villaverde de Madrido). Organizos HEJS, Juna Sekcio de HEF. Pli da informoj : www.esperanto.es/iro2007/index.htm

EPOTI featured on the Bob and Rob show!

This is a post from a blog where I collaborate English Practice over the Internet

------------

By now most of you know about podcasts and how useful they are for learning English. One of the ESL podcasts we (EPOTI group) like is "The Bob and Rob show". It has very good information on language and culture and it's very educational yet informal and even funny.

Some EPOTI members have developed a relationship with Bob and Rob. I think Ignacio has been mentioned in several lessons and the rest of us post comments quite frequently on their blog.

In their Latest show Lesson 72: Money they mention our website www.letslearnenglish.info! They even added the link to their side bar. Thanks Bob and Rob!!!

May be they did this because I (Paulino) have been helping with corrections to their transcripts (listen to voice message on Lesson 72 or find corrections on their discussion board -registration needed-) OR maybe because another EPOTI member (Jiri) sent them some beer and chocolate!

In any case, we are honored to be part of the Bob and Rob show!

Posted by paulino brener at 3:28 PM

Wash your hands! Lavate las manos!

Last week was pretty hard at school. We had a lot of sick children (i.e. absent) and a few teachers as well. I usually start teaching my Spanish classes at 11:10 am but I had to teach Morning Lesson (8:30 to 10:30 am) on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday for 2nd Grade that week. After having been teaching ML for the two prior weeks I was hoping to rest a little but it was not possible. At least I am glad that I didn't get sick.
During that week I taught all the lower grades (1st through 4th) how to say "lavate las manos" (wash your hands) and we actually washed our hands in class! It was a wait to contribute and to minimize the spread of whatever was out there (norovirus and influenza according to one school email).

Mayas and Folk dances

What an amazing and busy week! Classes resumed at Spring Hill School. Besides my regular Spanish classes I am teaching a block of two weeks to the 7th grade titled: Ancient Civilizations of Mesoamerica. This course concentrates on the Mayas and Aztecs. Mayas last week, Aztecs this week. It's very interesting being a class teacher. I am enjoying it a lot.

Also on Fridays 5th and 12th I taught Argentine and French folk dances at Tapestry Folkdance Center. I had a warm (even a little nostalgic I must admit) feeling when I had more than 30 people dancing gato or carnavalito with me. I'll teach my last class on Friday 19th.

Talkcast at Talkshoe

Lately I've been pretty hooked to Skypecast on Skype. But yesterday I took part of a new type of online show. This time hosted by my friend (and EPOTI member) Marian. He knows a lot about internet, blog, podcast, etc. and he has a very interesting blog.
Marian used a new website called Talkshoe. "TalkShoe™ - a new way to create Interactive Podcasts and talk with interesting people with similar interests around the world.
Other uses of TalkShoe include talk shows, discussion groups, fan clubs, and friends & family chats.
TalkShoe is also being used by businesses and organizations to improve communications with customers & suppliers, get out marketing messages, and facilitate better employee communications." (from Talkshoe.com)

If you are interested joining Marian here you have more information:
Talkcast information:
Talkcast Name: Webtutor: Internet Magic made easy
Host: Marian Heddesheimer - mh@rent-a-tutor.com
Next episode: EPISODE2 - Talk about Podcasting and Blogging, Thu, January 11, 2007 02:30 PM EST
This Episode is dedicated to podcasting and blogging. I will tell you how to start your own blog at blogger.com or your own podcast at blip.tv. We will also discuss how to promote your blog and podcast in some detail.
Phone number: (724) 444-7444
Talkcast ID: 12267
PIN: The phone number or 10-digit PIN you signed up with

Or click here:

Happy Birthday Song in Chinese

I have just received another cyber-present from Lingual Bee (David). He is originally Chinese but he lives in USA now.

Here is his song


powered by ODEO

Social interactions: breaking the ice

I went to a New Year's Eve Eve (12/30) party this afternoon with my friend David. I haven't seen him for a while so it was great to see him again and to be out and about and social.. well.. I don't know why but I was not that social today. I am usually pretty good at parties at talking to different people both known and new. Was I shy? Is that possible? :-) May be just pensive. But I was not sad or having a problem or anything. Just quiet. I guess that might have seem strange to some people since I was asked "everything OK?" a few times. And yes! Everything was OK. Perhaps many people are not used to see me pensive or without a smile from ear to ear :-)
I really enjoyed the party, in a different way. I enjoyed observing people interacting. I liked eavesdropping here and there and mainly I got to observe body language. Something that helps me a lot when I am acting or creating a character.

One of the things that stuck in my mind was a question that my friend David used as a conversation starter. He is very original at times... well.. most of the time. ;-)

So, I would like to ask YOU (the reader) this question.

As we welcome the New Year I’d like to leave you with a question that calls for a little bit of reflection (although I hope you don’t have to think too hard to answer it). For some reason the coming of a new year calls people to reflect a little bit. I certainly hope that people develop a habit of reflecting a little more every day.

So here it is:

What makes YOUR WORLD a beautiful place?

I hope to hear from you, or anyone who would like to answer that question, at email@paulino.info


Take and give care,

paulino

Unexpected and Unrequested Xmas present

Credit Card companies can be so generous sometimes!

I just checked my bank balances online and found out that my bank had double my credit line! According to the representative "they check my credit activity and payments regularly and give me an automatic courtesy increase in my credit line if everything looks good".
Ugh! I couldn't believe it! Why wasn't I asked first! I actually think that is kind of rude. But then, there are many things that I don't understand about economy in general and US economy in particular. That's why I am a Spanish Teacher! And a very happy one! :-)

Hasta luego!

The b-day songs are coming in!

So, I have 3 songs so far. Two in German and one English.

The first song in German is by Patrick Scully. Patrick is a little taller than me and he is the director of Patrick's Cabaret, a place where I usually perform or curate shows. Shameless plug: My next show at Patrick's Cabaret will be in June, 2007: "Noche Hispana 3"


Here is Patrick singing in German:


powered by ODEO

The second song in German comes from Marian. He is a part of the EPOTI team (English Practice over the internet). We organize Skypecasts weekly, keep a blog and a Moodle site called "Let's Learn English" where people can find plenty of things to practice English.

Here is his song



powered by ODEO


And the third is by Duan Atter, the director of "The Warren: an artist habitat"

Here is his song:



powered by ODEO

Enjoy!

And what are you waiting for to send yours!!!

I've been good

It seems that I've been a good boy this year.
Santa visited me and early!

My Birthday: Cyberfiesta or Cyberparty, Cybercomments, Cybersongs

(Puedes ver este mensaje en español abajo)

As most of you know this friday, 12/22, is my birthday. I'll be 33!

I don't usually make a big deal of it in they real world but I am a little more liberal in the cyber-world :-)

I like my Cyberparty!

So what is it? Very simple!

You have from now until January 6th 2007 to send me your Cyberpresent. I have to give a little more time for those who need to think about it. And I always liked the Three Wise Men better than Santa Claus anyway (they are diverse, wise -duh!- and have thoughtful presents).

So, be creative and send me a cyberpresent: a simple "hello", a note, a story, a joke, lyrics of your favorite song, an anecdote about that time you and I got drunk... ehmm.. no, just kidding.. I don't drink :-) Anyway... send anything to mail@paulino.info

This is year I also would like to add a theme: Happy Birthday Songs in Foreign Languages.

If you have a mic and recording capabilities (software) in your computer, and you know how to use it, please record the traditional happy birthday song of your country and in your mother tongue and send an mp3 to mail@paulino.info

If you don't know how to do that but you still want to do it.. get a mic, connect it to your computer and click on this lovely pink "comment" button below (it even has a star! ah...!), it will take you to a website where you can record your song. You can also record any other type of messages (if you are sing shy) but please keep it clean: this is a family show :-) You can send some extra text with your recording on that website, too



Well... now stop reading and do it! HAVE FUN!

and thanks...

------------
Como muchos ya saben este viernes, 22/12, es mi cumpleaños. Cumplo 33!

Usualmente no le doy mucha importancia a esto en el "mundo real" pero soy un poco mas liberal en el mundo ciber :-)

Me gusta mi Ciberfiesta!

Que es? Muy simple!

Tienes hasta el 6 de enero, 2007 para mandarme tu ciber-relago. Tengo que darle un poco de tiempo a aquellos que necesitan pensarlo bien. Y de todas maneras siempre me gustaron mas los Reyes Magos que Papa Noel.

Pues, utiliza tu creatividad y mandame un ciber-regalo: simplemente un "hola", una nota, un cuento, un chiste, la letra de tu cancion favorita, alguna anecdota de cuando tu y yo nos emborrachamos.. eh.. no.. solo bromeada.. Yo no bebo :-) En fin, cualquier cosa. Mandamela a mail@paulino.info

Este año tambien quiero agregar un tema: Canciones de Feliz Cumpleaños en Idiomas Extranjeros.

Si tenes microfono y programa en tu compu para hacer grabaciones, y sabes como usarlo, graba una cancion de "feliz cumpleaños" tradicional en tu pais y en tu lengua materna y mandame unmp3 a mail@paulino.info

Si no sabes como hacer eso pero igual queres mandarme una grabacion... consigue un microfono, conectalo a tu compu y apreta ese hermoso boton de "comment" que esta abajo y te llevara a una pagina donde puedes grabar tu cancion. Tambien puedes grabar otro tipo de mensajes (si no quieres cantar) pero por favor nada de palabrotas :-) Tambien puedes enviar un mensaje de texto junto con tu grabacion en esa misma pagina.



Bueno, deja de leer y manos a la obra! Diviertete!

y gracias...

a new road...

ehem... first day of Capricorn (hint... hint) :-)

soon... 33...

Joseph again: 20 years after...

When I was young (10.. 13 years old) I used to participate in many activities in my local church (Roman Catholic). One of those activities was the "Pesebre Viviente" (the nativity scene). I remember once, I think I was 13 years old, I was one of the shepherds. Now I am 6'6" tall so you can imagine I was pretty tall then, too. During one rehearsal, when the shepherds come to visit the new born Jesus, the director realized that I was taller than the guy doing Joseph (who was much older than me). So asked us to trade characters. The guy didn't like it at all but I did. You know I was born for the stage :-) I was a better Joseph than that guy... My mom told me and I believe everything that my mom says ;-) Anyway, almost 20 years later (hint, hint, I'll 33 on December 22nd, 2006) I get to be Joseph again. This time with a bigger production put on by a really cool theatre company in Minneapolis: In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre.

La Natividad

December 15-17, 2006 - one weekend only!

The Nativity Story According to St. Matthew and St. Luke

La Historia de Navidad de Acuerdo a San Mateo y San Lucas.

“En el nombre del cielo pedimos posada...

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre is taking the Nativity story to the streets!

• Come experience the Christmas Story as you’ve never done before. The story of the hol

  y child being born in our midst – here in Midtown Minneapolis.

• This innovative holiday presentation will combine puppetry, street theatre and a traditional Latino “La Posada” procession. And you’ll be a part of the action!

Audiences will move with the performers among three different locations:

• First, meet “Maria and José” in the Mercado Central.

  

• Across the street in the Avalon Theatre, you’ll discover shepherds and st

  ar-seekers.

• Then, in a colorful torch-lit procession, follow Maria & José (THIS IS ME) as they look for refuge down 15th Avenue to St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, where all will be welcomed for the Nativity.

• Finally, join the fiesta in St Paul’s Fellowship Hall
  

  -- complete with music, food and games.

Told with HOBT’s signature visual beauty and soulful live music, “La Natividad” will be an utterly unique community celebration.

Besides being "Jose" in the procession I manipulated a stork puppet in the Church. I got quite a few compliments for that bird even though it was first time with that type of puppet. I hope to perform with HOTB again, soon. (I just did May Day Ceremony with then a few years ago)

I got to know a lot of new people in this production. And I also had fun sharing the stage with a family from my school (Spring Hill School), Tanja and Olivia (pictured below).

Kinder Surprise

Yesterday I received a package from my mother. Since I came to USA she has this habit of sending me a nice small package with a few items that I like of that she manages to put it without going over the weight for a certain postal rate. This package is for my birthday, of course: December 22nd. So this one came a little early.
It included a few healthy granola bars, a small calendar (theme this time: angels. It's usually "saints"), a b-day card, needles (yes, needles... since I am into knitting and sewing now) and a Kinder Surprise chocolate egg. This latter is my favorite candy! I used to eat a lot in Argentina and then during my travels to Europe. They don't sell them here.
Inside the chocolate egg there is plastic egg and inside that one there is a surprise. Usually a small plastic toy that you have assemble. Over the years I have collected many of them. Don't ask my why but I brought them with me to US and now they are on display! Yes! I almost forgot to post it here. My collection of Kinder Surprise has been on display at my local library (Franklin Library in Minneapolis) for about 3 weeks now. Here are some pics:

Walker Church Craft Sale

Walker Church is a very inviting and warm community. I performed at their church with Paper Boats and attended a couple of their services. They are full of music, energy and sense of community.
Margo, a member of this community, invited me to be part of their Annual Craft Sale. I was not sure if I was ready for that, yet. I am not a regular crafter. But at the last minutes I just put a few things together (bags, my knitted horse, etc.) and make a few more (little Christmas stockings, etc).
I participated at the craft sale Saturday 9th from 10 to 4 pm and Sunday 10 from noon to 4 pm. It was a fun experience. I did sell a few things but not much. Anyway, selling was not the main purpose for being there. At least not for me. I just wanted to be part of the experience. I had a lot of time to work on other projects, like the One Square a Day knitted quilt which is coming out pretty well. A big plus of the weekend is that I got to meet, chat and have fun with Angela and Nicole: two crafters that were on a table by me.
On Sunday I brought my felted balls and taught Angela how to needle felt. She really got into it and made a lovely chicken with to of the felted balls. She finished it around 3:30 pm (30 minutes before the craft sale closed). The funny thing is that she put the finished chicken on my table and withing minutes a couple of nice smiley ladies saw it and immediately fell in love with it. And they bought it! That was awesome. It was my first craft sale and it ended on a high note: selling a craft which was the result of a collaboration between Angela and I!

lag and vs. lack, same vowel sound

As most of you know I have been pretty active lately with some Skypecasts for people to practice English. I am also collaborating with a group of active English learners on a new website dedicated to practice English. It's called Let's Learn English .
That type of work has taken me to discover the world ESL (English as a Second Language) or EFL (English as a Foreign Language) on the internet. There are several websites for ESL/EFL learners and many interesting podcasts.
One of them it's called Speaking English Podcast,a young guys that gives tips so learners can "sound like a native speaker'. One interesting aspect of his website is that he posts all videos instead of just audio.
While I was looking in his archives I discover Episode #22 – leg vs. lag vs. lack posted in the month of October, 2006
In this episode he presented the words "lag" and "lack" as having different vowels sounds. I was pretty sure they had the same sound and emailed him about it.

His response:

"hi paulino,
one word features a long vowel, the other one a short one. that in itself makes them different. as you know i like to over-pronounce the words so that the difference becomes really obvious. in every day use by a native speaker the difference might be minuscule ;-)

thanks for the feedback.
sebastian"

To which I wrote back:
"

well.. in all the dictionaries (regular dictionary and phonetics dictionary) i found that both lag and lack have the same vowel sound

if you know about IPA pronunciation they would look like this

lag   /læg/

lack  /læk/

keep up the good work!

take and give care

paulino

ps: and yes, i am aware of your over-pronunciation.. but that's not what i was referring to. :-)"

Finally he was kind enough to include my correction in one of his recent podcasts. My phonetic teachers at Cervera (institute in Santa Fe, Argentina where I was studying to be a Teacher of English) would be so proud of me!!

Thanks Sebastian and keep up the good work!

Here it is
December 03, 2006

Episode #27 – pen vs. pan

Today, it is pen vs. pan, here is the direct link.

Skype, synchronicity and Esperanto

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary

"synchronicity is the coincidental occurrence of events and especially psychic events (as similar thoughts in widely separated persons or a mental image of an unexpected event before it happens) that seem related but are not explained by conventional mechanisms of causality -- used especially in the psychology of C. G. Jung "

Lately I have been "playing" with Skype a lot. Skype is a little program for making free calls over the Internet to anyone else who also has Skype. It has pretty good quality. One of the features I like (currently on beta version, though) is the Skypecast. With it you can create your own room and "host" a conversation (if people join in to your room). It's very similar to a radio show but with people from all over the world! You can give the mic to people, you can ask question, propose a topic, etc. I love this feature and I usually find myself wondering around different Skypecasts. You can find some interesting one by browsing the Skypecasts directory.

Lately I've been visiting many Skypecasts devoting to teaching English or practicing English (just like the EPOTI group I belong to). But I was curious about Skypecasts in other languages as well. I have been able to get to a few in French and practice my French a little bit.

One night, while I was waiting for a French Skypecast to start I was wondering if there would be a Skypecast to practice Esperanto. A constructed language that I have been fond of for quite a while. And to my surprise when I looked again in the Skypecasts directory, there it was: a Skypecast about Esperanto.

And that's why I started this post with the definition of synchronicity. I think that is a clear example of it.

I was very lucky that not many people was there. After a short while I got the host, Jose, all for myself. Jose is a young Esperanto enthusiast. Not only he is fluent in the language but he is also involved with a Esperanto group in Madrid, where he lives. It was very pleasant to meet Jose and get infused with his love for that mysterious language. That gave me enough motivation to continue my Esperanto studies again (which I am doing at www.lernu.net)

Jose has been very patient with me as I start catching up with Esperanto. I am really happy not only for getting motivated again about a language (I love that feeling) but also for making a new friend through Esperanto.

gxis la revido!

Buzzed again

Since I was quite young one of my favorite activities has been buzzing my head. YES! Cutting it all out! I still remember the first time I did it. I must have been around 15 years old. I waited until I was alone at home, got into the bathroom and cut all my hair with a electric cutter. When my family came back home: my sisters laughed, my father said "oh, well" and my mother shouted and cried! :-) I have buzzed my head many times since then. Sometimes by myself, sometimes I ask someone else to do it for me. Many people ask me "WHY?"... My usual answer "Because I can!"... There is no mysterious reason behind it. I do it mainly because it's very practical. This is what I look like today (11/21/06):
For I have played with my hair a lot over the year, look.

Thanksgiving Assembly at Spring Hill Waldorf School

Today we did an Thanksgiving Assembly at my school. I know it sounds a little early but we are taking the whole week off next week. Isn't that nice? I'll be working on my curriculum and studying Math ALL WEEK! :-)
I love the assemblies at my school. In them you can see a nice sample of what's going on in the classes since the verses and songs presented are usually part of the daily routine and not necessarily something new and prepared for the occassion.
I was very happy because I was able to present something from my classes (Spanish) with all grades: (in order of presentation)

2nd grade: "El león y el ratón" (Fable in Spanis in verse form)
3rd grade: "San Severino" (A songs that mentions different professions/jobs)
1st: We did a series of short songs and verses that we use at the beginning of each class (Hola amigos, Sale el sol, El sol es la vida, Donde estas?)
4th: Tonguetwisters with movement (Como poco coco... and Erre con Erre guitarra...)
5th-6th-7th: Guantanamera (and I accompanied them with the guitar. it's the first time I play the guitar in front of a big group of people in 20 years)

and finally 7th grade did "Zamba de mi esperanza" a lovely song from Argentina.

I am so proud of my students! (and why not... of me and my work!)

ClustrMaps of paulinoblog.blogspot.com

ClustrMaps of www.paulino.info

English Practice Over the Internet

This week I have been playing with Skype (www.skype.com) a lot!
Specially with its Skypecast feature. It's a great way to get to know people and have conversations/discussions with people from around the world!

I have also joined a group of people interested in improving their English and helping others to do the same. They have a weekly skypecast called "English Practice Over the Internet". You can find more info by clicking here

I have been experimenting with my own English Practice skypecasts and I must say I like them a lot. After all I was studying to be a teacher of English when I was living in Argentina. My English is not perfect but I think it's pretty good. Well, at least good enough to help those who are just starting to learn English. I might do them more frequently when I have more free time.

IWLA 2006

I love conferences! Specially if they are Language Conferences. This month I am participating (and presenting) in two.

IWLA, October 6 and 7

and MCTLC, October 19 and 20

This weekend at IWLA I had a lot of fun, as usual. Mainly because I got to spend time with my good friends from El Lago del Bosque (Concordia Language Villages). Together we like to present a dance session called "Bailemos Juntos". Another reason that added to the fun is that I presented my one-man-show "The Adventures of Don Quixote" to all the teachers. It was the entertainment piece at Friday reception. It was so much fun to do this show for adults! It was very well received and I got lots of compliments! I might do "Paper Boats" next year!

In two weeks I will be doing "Bailemos Juntos" by myself at MCTLC. Fun!

My fingers hurt!!

My fingers hurt. I haven't been hammering on them.. or doing some intensive labor. They are not frozen from the very cold Minnesotan winter yet...

They hurt because I have started to play the guitar again. And I say again because I took some guitar lessons when I was a kid... Hm... 10 or 12 may be? Anyway... I was never very good with the guitar but I decided I needed to go back to it.

It all started with the songs I do in my Spanish clases at Spring Hill Waldorf School. Songs like Guantanamera o La Bamba sound a little dull if you don't have some instrument to accompany them. I have tried with some shakers or maracas before but it's not the same. I needed to get back to the guitar.

I am a lefty -meaning left-handed person...I am not stating my politival views here :-)

When I was a child and I was taking guitar lessons I used to have the strings in reverse order of the regular guitars. This I could do the chords with my right hand and the stroke with my left hand.

This time I wanted to try something different and challenge myself. I bought a cheap beginner guitar and I didn't change the strings. I had this idea that I should learn to play with a regular guitar so that I could play with any guiter everywhere I go. I tried very hard to learn to do the chords with my left hand. It was very very hard...and I got discouraged and stopped practising after a while.

About a week ago I had the realization that all I wanted was to accompany my songs with the guitar and nothing else. Besides it's not like I go to dozens of parties or meetings were there is a guitar and I have the opportunity to play it.

Mr. Jansen, our first grade teacher helped me last Monday to change the strings in my guitar and gave me a 30 minutes crash course. I was pumped! My right hand immediately started to remember some of the chords. When I got home all I could do was practice with the guitar and look online for the chords for the songs I wanted to play.

This practice was interrupted by my trip to Iowa this weekend, but today I played my guitar again and I was able to do (in an almost acceptable form) "Zamba de mi esperanza". I beautiful dance/song from Argentina. May be I will post a song or two in the future... I have to practice way more!

funny/weird face

For those of you who still might doubt that I am able to do funny/weird faces, here is the proof. My friend Heidi Edwards took this pics of me during my school event: May Fair 2006. Which one is the funniest/weirdiest of all? Enjoy

My issues with hot spicy food

This is the last week before I start teaching again. I decided to treat myself. I bought more RAM memory for my desktop computer and I went to Chinese restaurant (Big Bowl) for lunch. I never really like my food to be spicy or hot spicy. Most people are suprised when they hear this because they think we, "latinos", ALL like hot spicy food. This stereotype probably comes from the fact that most of the latino population in the states is Mexican. And most Mexican, but not ALL, like spicy food. But anyway, I don't usually go to ethnic restaurants either. I just don't want to think too hard about food. I just want to eat. With the help of waiter I order some corn dish with chicken that was not spicy at all, according to her. When they brought it to me it looked great! A really big place full of rice, corn, chicken and vegetables. Unfortunately, it was spicy for me. I really try to eat it but after a few minutes it was just too much for me. I wonder if I have become to sensitive to spicy food and if there is a way to change that? I didn't want to waste all that food but the waiter was very nice and changed my plate for another dish. Some orange chicken with rice. This was not spicy at all. The chicken was breaded and cooked with soy sauce so to meet it had an interesting take, but at least I was able to eat it without thinking if it was going to upset my stomach or me! :-)

Elvis and I @ Madame Tussaud's Museum

Have you ever felt like a superstar? Or have you ever seen one (on the street, at a bar, etc.)? Or have you ever taken a picture with superstar?
A visit to Madame Tussauds Las Vegas (or any other location for that matter) can give you a little bit of that. Except that all the famous people you'll find there won't interact much with you since they are made of wax. They are very well made, though. And you can take as many pictures as you want with them :-)

I really liked the museum. I went there Sat 8/12. It was very interesting for me to imaging how all these famous people would look like in real life. Most of them are very short :-)

A few years ago I personified Elvis Presley in the play "The Ballroom" at the Theatre de la Jeune Lune, so I was very excited to have a picture with the King!

Las Vegas, LA, San Francisco and Sacramento

Last Saturday I took a plane from Minneapolis to Las Vegas and stayed there until Monday. Now I am in LA until tomorrow, when I head to San Francisco for the weekend. Monday and Tuesday (8/21 and 8/22) I will be working with Diamela Wetzl (an experience Waldorf teacher) in Sacramento and then get back home.

I am taking tons some pics (some good, some not so good) and collecting many stories. I'll write more when I get back to Minneapolis.

Fringe Festival 2006

Minnesota Fringe Festival 2006 started 2 days ago. Since I didn't see any shows last year I forced myself to see a few this year by buying a 5 tickets pass. Yesterday I did a mini-marathon and saw 4 shows in a row:

Die, Clowns, Die!
Presented by Joseph Scrimshaw

To the Winners
Presented by Wilson Loria from St Petersburg, FL

Dance Hall Days
Presented by Christopher Street Dance

Miss Margarida's Way
Presented by Teatro del Pueblo

I liked them all and I was going to write audience review for all of them. That way I could feel part of this year Fringe a little more. But I haven't gotten inspired to write 4 reviews yet. I know.. I've been very lazy this summer :-)
I have worked with Teatro del Pueblo before so I'll start with their show.

Excellent choice
* * * * *
Teatro del Pueblo couldn’t have done a better job choosing a play for the Fringe. This is a very incisive, strong and controversial show. Miss Margarida uses devices such as repetition (or more like drilling!), provocative comments and direct insults to the audience while explaining her unique teaching methods. It’s hard to miss the underlying political statements and many metaphorical insights. I attended the Saturday 8/5 at 10:00 PM performance. I thought the actress did a very good job but some hesitancy in her delivery made me wonder if she was not completely comfortable with the role yet or if the show was a little under-rehearsed. The apology given by her at the end of the show led me to think it was a little bit of both. I say, “Don’t worry, even if we look like eighth graders to you, we are adults and we can take it. Bring it on!” Bravo! And keep it going!—paulino brener

New project: One Square a Day (c)

Finally! I have (at last) written most of the description of the project to open it up to anyone who wants to join it. It might need some editing but at least it's out there and I hope to start getting contacts from all over the world soon!!! :-)

visit the blog http://onesquareaday.blogspot.com/

A small change...

I have decided to make a small change in the title of my new play. Now it's called:

"barcos de papel - paper boats"

4th of July fireworks

Yesterday my friend Mark and I went to see the 4th of July fireworks by the riverfront in Minneapolis. He took lots of pictures. I posted some of my favorites. They look very artistic.

Fun at the lake!

Today it was an unusual Sunday for me. A friend took me to the lake to spend part of the afternoon. He had just changed the oil in his jet-ski so he was excited to try it again. I was scared. Well.. not really scared scared.. But like that type of scared you get at an amusement park. You feel a mixture of nervous and afraid (at least I feel that) but you enjoy it! I haven't been to a lake for a long time and I have never being on a jet-ski. This one was a pretty good one and I was afraid it would go too fast... too fast for me. :-) He took me for a ride and I must say it was quite enjoyable. Again, as much enjoyment as you can get for a ride at a park. Now, if you have ever been on the back side of a jet ski (or a motor bike for that matter) you probably know that there are not many places to grab on. There was a handle on the back but I didn't think it was very safe. I put my arms around his chest and grabbed (very firmly) from his life jacket. The fastest he went and the more waves we jumped, the tightest was my grip. He was lucky I didn't break any of his ribs. Although I think he complaint about some bruises on his chest, oooops! But he didn't seem to mind my occasional screaming either. AAAAHHHH!!! But it was a lot of fun. We also tried some tubbing (an inflatable tube attached with a rope to the back of the jet ski). That was kind of fun, too, but I had a strange grip and I was so tense that I think I hurt my shoulder a little. Finally, I insisted I wanted to try to water ski, why not? After 4 failed attempts I declared that my experience was complete and I was very satisffied with my water adventures. It was, indeed, a very fun afternoon. Well, at least I had a lot of fun. We'll see when I ask my friend to take me for a ride in his jet ski again if my idea of fun was shared.

It has a title!

I've been having a real bad artist block lately. For the last several weeks I was supposed to work on my new play, another one-man-show. This one will feature several folktales from different countries in their language of origin. Don't ask me how people will understand! :-) I know that will be a challenge and that's exactly why I've been having a mental block. It has been difficult to find a good structure around it. Last night I was talking to a friend about different issues (not about the play). He was down and I was a little down, too. We talked for a long time and very late at night. When we ended the converstion I think we were both feeling much better. I attempted to go to bed but it was impossible to sleep. Then many ideas just came to my head, like rain, like a cascade, like a big storm. I immediately went to the computer and started to put all that down. I ended up with
1) A title for my play: "barquitos de papel - paper boats"
2) A draft of the dramatic framework for it
3) And a picture for postcard and promotion, here it is
More updates about my new play soon...

Signing more and more

I love my ASL 1 class. Sometimes it feels like we are moving a little slow, but it’s just that I have learnt other languages before and I like to go faster. I am trying to be a patient student though. I haven’t met any deaf people yet (other than my teacher). In the next few weeks we have to do some activities outside of class and that will give me more exposure to deaf culture. I can’t wait!

See more progress on: Learn ASL

Juana again!

Today I went to the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis to see a Juana Molina concert again. I saw her last time in November at the Walker Art Center. My friend Vessela was with me this time. It was fun! The night started with a cool band called PSAPP and Juana followed them. She is great. She makes all her music live even though it might sound like it's pre-recorded. This time I was able to get a picture with her.

New project coming soon...

Last day of school

Yesterday was our last day at Spring Hill School. We had a long but lovely closing ceremony. Each class did at least 2 things in Spanish. Sixth grade presented a short simulation of a Mexican market and the other grades did verses and songs. I was very proud of all of them!

Have you ever danced so much your legs gave up?

What a weekend! I was invited by my friend Vessela to June Camp. An International Folkdance Camp in Beloit, WI. We went there in Mary's van together with Anna and Dennis. We had quite a fun trip, although Vessela didn't seem to enjoy much my signs (I was studying ASL for part of my trip).
The Camp was a lot of fun. We had a free party on Friday night with different dances that people requested. All day Saturday and Sunday morning we had workshops. The teachers were Michael Ginsburg and Belle Birchfield -Balkan dance; and also Daniel and Gaylen Beal -Scandinavian dancing. I loved all the dances and I particularly enjoyed Michael's style of teaching.
Workshops and dance parties happened in a big gymnasium, a short walk away
from the dorms. After class Saturday, everyone (except me because 1) I don't drink and 2) I was having a nap) relaxed at the "Happy Two Hours Plus", which included culture sessions, impromptu
song and music sessions, and dancing, all in a lovely lounge setting. Then, after dinner, some people dressed up in their ethnic best for Saturday
evening's dance party, which featured the great music of Orkestar Sloboda. The late night Ice Cream Social refueled our energy for the nightowl
request dancing, which continued until very late (we are talking about 4 am here)
Mary and the rest of the people in her van returned to Minneapolis right after Sunday lunch but I stayed for the big review. Unfortunately I could review visually since my legs gave up by then. I was soooooooooooo tired but I had a really great weekend. Besides all the dancing that I did, on of my most fond memory was the image of the (approx.) 130 participants dancing together in a big circle or spiral at the gym. The power of a dance tradition with a strong community building function. All ages, all sizes, all colors and walks of life united by the enjoyment and passion for dance.