37 years old...

Today is my birthday. I turn 37 years old. It's not as scary as a few years ago when I turned 34. I remember that day, because it was the day I finally made up my mind to go back to school and study Spanish seriously. Growing older isn't bad, when you've got something to work for, as opposed to feeling like you are just swimming in that working-for-a-living numbness that swallows most of us up from time to time.

We had my party yesterday. It was really great. I made such a haul! Here's what I got:

-Three Diego Rivera Art books
-The DVD "Romero" about Salvodoran Archbishop Oscar Romero.
-"Versos Sencillos" by José Martí-One of the classics of Latin-American poetry.
-"Pensées"("The Thoughts")-By Blaise Pascal-great apologetical writing.
-Chocolate!
-Coffee!
-Money!

We had Papa John's Pizza, Chocolate Eclair Cake and Mango Jello Cool-Whip cake, and played cards afterward for a few hours, and I actually won! It was one of the best adult birthdays I have ever had in recent memory.

Here's a picture from one of the Diego Rivera artbooks I got for my birthday. Its called "Night of the Poor".

Marion Fouty

My great Aunt Marion died around 9 am in the morning on Tuesday the 11th of January. She was a teacher for many years near the Mexican border. She taught classes with Native and Mexican-Americans in her classroom. She was extremely intelligent, and one of the most independent women I have ever known. However, I was glad I was never her student, as she was never described as a "softy".

That does not mean that she was not a loving person. There is a memory I have of her that means a great deal to me. When I was sixteen, I dropped out of high school and took the GED exam. I passed the exam and went to some technical classes and later on went to a two year school called Rhema. Now after all of these years, I am on my way to getting a degree. In some ways, Aunt Marion was an impetus to continue school.

After I took the GED, I struggled with a kind of academic inferiority complex for a while. Even though it is the equivalent of graduating high school, some people look down on it. I remember very clearly on several occasions when I was a teenager how Aunt Marion looked me in the eye, and with a very serious tone and said "John, don't you ever feel ashamed about taking a GED! You can still go to college and do well!".

The look in her eyes explained very clearly that there was no discussing the pros and cons of the issue. I had been told the truth, period. For years after that, she was always one of my "boosters". When I graduated from Rhema, when I got published, and other times in my life, she was always there encouraging and supporting me. She was very excited when I started studying Spanish and encouraged me to continue. She always sent hand written cards for my birthday, our wedding anniversary and so on.

Besides her loving actions, the way she and my uncle John presented themselves was always an inspiration to do better. She was an educated person who made the world a better place, and he was a celebrated World War II pilot. They always made me proud to be part of this family. I will miss her very much.

-John

Spanish For Teachers..

Today was the start of my new Spanish class here at Indiana University. It's called "Spanish For Teachers". Its actually a class devoted to oral Spanish and learning how to speak Spanish in different situations, such as to children, or in a professional situation, etc. I really like my professor, she is from Puerto Rico and seems very smart and kind, but also has real plans to make us all work very hard.After class, one of my classmates said "Tengo miedo!"(I'm scared!). I felt the same way.

Fear aside, I really want to put all I can into this class. Sometimes I get sloppy in my Spanish, since I know that Spanish speakers will cut me some slack just because I'm a gringo. But if I truly want to make a living at this, I have to bring my speech up a notch, so I can gain the respect of those I speak to, and not just amuse them with "restaurant Spanish".

-John

My Mission Statement

I hate "corporate-speak". You know what I mean, such as when people throw words like "resource" and "shifting paradigms" into every sentence just so they sound intelligent(most of us can barely spell paradigm, let alone shift one). Multi-syllable words filling vague sentences are not the same as plain, coherent speech.

The company I work for actually has a very succinct mission statement:"We are committed to reducing downtime and repair expense for our customer's trucks." At least that's how I remember it in orientation.

Recently, I was asked in a class we have been attending, what was my personal mission statement. That's a good question. I'm still thinking about it, but here's what I have for now.

I want to be a bridge between English and Spanish-speaking cultures. I want to help the two groups understand the differences between them.

I guess thats as good as I can come up with for now.

-John