I haven't blogged in a while, or at least not a blog of any significance. Therefore, this blog will cover multiple topics and serve multiple purposes.
Besides, I like it that way.
This past week I started my latest mini-career as a landscape designer, consultant, and quality assurance bigwig. Th verdict is still out as to how well this job and I will suit one another, but it's a paying gig, and that's more than enough for now.
The job has actually been pretty cool so far. I work for a couple that kind of remind me of the wife and I. They are both intelligent and reasonably well-adjusted, and each one plays a specific role in the marriage. She's the organized and responsible one who makes things happen, and he's the easily distracted, music-loving artist with a strong creative drive. Very much like the family Yankee, as it happens.
The employees consist of myself and six Latino gentlemen, no two of whom are from the same country, and only one of whom speaks what you might call a significant amount of English. My Spanish is improving rapidly.
I'm really telling this story in order to introduce you to one of my co-workers, who I will call "Ignacio."
Ignacio is the one worker who speaks a significant amount of English. He has a great love of American music, and specifically American popular music from the '30's through the '60's. He sings this music ALL DAY LONG. What makes this tolerable is that he unintentionally sings his own versions of the songs. These versions are inevitably hilarious when you are not expecting them.
By way of example, I offer this 100% accurate sample of a Christmas song, as rendered this very day by Ignacio. (my comments will be in parentheses)
(Ignacio's version of "Let it Snow."
"Oh the weather is very bad,
but in here is no so bad,
so since because we don' know,
Let it go, Let it go, Let it go...
Ou'side the snow is blowing
And how long, we are no knowing...(this verse apparently ends here)
Oh the weather is getting better,
and the children play together,
An' inside is very warm
and we have some good popcorn!"
What's even crazier is that he'll get other songs right. Word for word, in fact. You just never know, and that's a lot of the fun for me.
For a change of topics, I'll tell you about my weekend. Friday night started at about 15:00, when I went to go help get ready for what turned out to be a great night of MMA fights at a club here in Atlanta. I worked the fights, and headed home a little after midnight.
Saturday morning, I got up and headed over to the Jason "MayheM" Miller and Jorge Gurgel seminar over at a local gym. Jorge Gurgel made an appearance, but in the end it was a MayheM seminar all the way. I learned a lot and had a great time. When I got home from the seminar I had an e-mail inviting Jenny and I to attend the sold out "Passion and Poetry" concert/poetry jam at a club in Atlanta that night. We of course accepted gladly, and headed out at about 22:30 to be sure we could get in for the midnight show. We were able to get excellent seats and had a really great time listening to some of the best spoken word artists around deliver poetry and prose with precision and flair. The crowd was very animated, which made it all the more fun. There is more that I could say about the performance, but I may save that for another blog. I'll just finish by saying that MJW preformed, and he absolutley killed it. (this is a good thing.)
On a more serious note, Mrs. Yankee and I were two of the only white folks in the entire place, and I can honestly say that it did not matter one bit. We didn't get looks, we didn't get comments, and everyone was as friendly as could be. What strikes me is that I'm not sure that a black couple in an otherwise all-white event in Atlanta would have gotten quite as warm a reception.
That reminds me, I still have to type a part II to my last race and culture blog. This is forthcoming.
I wish you all could taste the chili I'm eating right now. I made it, and I'm a damned good cook, if I do say so myself. (And I do.)
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