La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
IN AN EPISODE OF THE American television series “Modern Family” (we were only briefly fans; don’t get me started), Gloria, Colombian and speaking English as a second language, says: “It’s a doggy dog world” instead of “It’s a dog-eat-dog world.” I saw a dog on the beach yesterday and that’s all it took to make me think of it. I’ve included the clip below so you’ll understand.
I spoke with The Kid Brother Tuesday. As I always do, I asked if he had received any mail in the previous week. I send him a postcard every week and my sister-from-another-mother, Susan (in Oregon), sent him a number of cards and letters — although she has never even met The Kid Brother, which gives you an idea of the kindness of Susan. The mail has been slow, to say the least.
Anyway, in response to my question, The Kid Brother said, “I got that postcard.”
“Which postcard?”
“You know!”
“From me?”
“No!”
“From Susan?”
“That’s right.”
He doesn’t say proper names (except accidentally) and never when speaking to someone directly. San Geraldo is known as The Big Guy (which, in essence, has become his proper name). Our Mother the Dowager Duchess was “The Old Lady” or “Granny” or simply “Her.” When he talked about me with The Duchess, he might refer to me as “Your Big Son.”
But back to postcards. After we talked about how nice it was of Susan to think of him, I told him I had to buy more postcards; I had run out. His comment: “And get good ones this time!”
I guess my scenic postcards form the Costa del Sol aren’t cutting it. I managed to find six new postcards that I think will suit him. Also, I shopped online and put together a care package for him: pretzels, granola bars, breakfast cereal, cashews, and more. I tried to get input before placing my order. “Hey, Chuck, what kind of cereal do you eat?”
“Any kind.”
“Do you like Froot Loops?”
“No Froot Loops.”
“Corn Flakes?”
“No Corn Flakes.”
“Rice Krispies?”
“No.”
“Special K?”
“Special K’s good.”
“You like those breakfast bars, too, don’t you?”
“Yeah, those are good.”
“What flavours do you like?”
“All flavours.”
I knew for a fact he didn’t like blueberry. “Blueberry?” I asked.
“No. I hate blueberry!”
“What about strawberry?”
“Not strawberry!”
Well, that was helpful (not). The box will be delivered Saturday. I’m sure he’ll tell me what I got wrong when I phone him again next week. Talking to Gloria from Colombia would have been easier.
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EN UN EPISODIO DE LA serie de televisión estadounidense “Modern Family” (sólo fuimos fanáticos brevemente; no me hablen) Gloria, colombiana y que habla inglés como segundo idioma, dice: “Es un mundo de perritos y perros” en lugar de “Es un mundo donde perros come perros”. NOTA: La expresión en inglés “Es un mundo donde perros come perros” significa que las personas harán lo que sea necesario para tener éxito, incluso si eso significa dañar a los demás. Gloria dice: “¿¡¿Quien quiere vivir en un mundo donde un perro come otro perro?!?” Ayer vi un perro en la playa y eso fue todo lo que hice para recordarlo. He incluido el clip a continuación para que lo entiendas. Lo siento porque es solamente en inglés.
Otra cosa sobre Gloria:
Llamó a la secretaria de su marido y le dijo que le pidiera una caja de baby cheeses [quesos pequeños] … excepto que sonaba como si dijera Baby Jesus [bebé Jesús].
Hablé con El Hermanito el martes. Como siempre hago, le pregunté si había recibido algún correo la semana anterior. Le envío una postal todas las semanas y mi hermana-de-otra-madre, Susan (en Oregón), le envió varias tarjetas y cartas, aunque ni siquiera conoció a El Hermanito — lo que te da una idea de la amabilidad de Susan. El correo ha sido lento, por decir lo menos.
De todos modos, en respuesta a mi pregunta, The Kid Brother dijo: “Recibí esa postal”.
“¿Qué postal?”
“¡Ya sabes!”
“¿De mi parte?”
“¡No!”
“¿De Susan?”
“Así es.”
No dice nombres propios (excepto accidentalmente). San Geraldo es conocido como The Big Guy [El Hombre Grande], que, en esencia, se ha convertido en su nombre propio. Nuestra Madre la Duquesa Viuda era The Old Lady [la anciana] o Granny [abuelita] o simplemente Her [Ella]. Cuando hablaba de mí con La Duquesa, podría referirse a mí como Your Big Son [tu gran hijo].
Pero volvamos a las postales. Después de hablar sobre lo agradable que era Susan al pensar en él, le dije que tenía que comprar más postales; me había quedado sin. Su comentario: “¡Y consigue buenos esta vez!”
Supongo que mis postales escénicas de la Costa del Sol no sirven. Me las arreglé para encontrar seis postales nuevas que creo que le irán bien. Además, compré en línea y preparé un paquete de atención para él: Pretzels, barras de granola, cereales para el desayuno, anacardos, y más. Traté de obtener información antes de realizar mi pedido.
“Oye, Chuck, ¿qué tipo de cereal comes?”
“Cualquier tipo.”
“¿Te gusta Froot Loops?”
“Sin Froot Loops”.
“¿Corn Flakes?” “Sin Corn Flakes”.
“¿Rice Krispies?”
“No”.
“¿Special K?”
“Special K es bueno”.
“A ti también te gustan esas barras de desayuno, ¿no?”
“Sí, esos son buenos”.
“¿Qué sabores te gustan?”
“Todos los sabores”.
Sabía a ciencia cierta que no le gustaba el arándano. “¿Arándano?” yo pregunté.
“No. ¡Odio los arándanos!”
“¿Qué hay de la fresa?”
“¡No fresa!”
Bueno, eso fue útil (no). La caja se entregará el sábado. Estoy seguro de que me dirá en qué me equivoqué cuando lo llame de nuevo la semana que viene. Hablar con Gloria de Colombia habría sido más fácil.
Supuse que el niño y el perro estaban juntos. No lo estaban. Ni siquiera se dio cuenta cuando el perro le pateó arena.
• Isabel dijo que mientras limpiaba la cocina hoy, sintió que la estaban observando. Se dio la vuelta y vio esto. ¿Hora de los aperitivos?
.
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Dos de los postales nuevos para El Hermanito.
It is a “doggy dog world” around here, for sure, with our two trying to out compete Moose and Dudo in control of their respective humans. That shot of the cats is so, uhm, is the word that describes it best. Good choices for Chuck (I hope!).
Wilma:
Isabel texted the cat photo to me while she worked. She said they follow her around the house and the only times they leave her alone are when she’s got the vacuum going and AFTER she’s given them their treats. She calls herself their godmother. Chuck will love his care package, but he’ll definitely have a complaint. He always does. I think he inherited that trait from my mother… and his lack of filters. “Um, ma, you just said that out loud.”
I love to see dogs on the beach…they seem to enjoy it as much as us humans. Buster will dig hole like that too, but in this case it’s nice it’s not in the garden!!!! So I let him go to town. Just what he’s looking for is beyond me. And those two woman in their swim finery is priceless. Glad the Kid is doing well and hanging in there.
Mistress Maddie:
Those two women immediately caught my eye. And, yes, I also love seeing happy dogs on the beach… as long their owners pick up after them.
I’ve never watched that show but that clip had me laughing out loud! I still won’t watch, tho. That tree looks like a cabal of giant mutant yams 🙂 I love the post cards, Scoot. Would Chuck be willing to call you that? A cat staring at me like that always gives me the willies, and I love cats. My maltese, Cujo, however will stand and stare at me like that, as still as a statue, and I just say “What’s up, stupid?”. Dogs don’t have the same feel as cats. I hope your Thursday was good. I’m just starting mine. I do like this time warpy thing 🙂 I’m rambling and manic right now (can you tell?) so I apologize.
Deedles:
Isn’t that tree something. It’s a ficus. They were all along the paseo when we moved here, but they’re the type whose roots don’t go very deep and spread forever. They destroyed the pavement (and they’re known to destroy pipes and sewer. A few remain on the beach where they can’t do much damage. And, no, if I told Chuck to call me Scoot, he would say, Don’t be a wise guy! Thursday was OK. Friday has been OK. You know how it is. Please never apologise to me! I love when you write stream of consciousness and I never find you manic. Hope Friday is going well!
I used to have a five -foot fake ficus in my foyer. It bore no resemblance to a yam, or a tree for that matter. Oh, sorry for apologizing 😀
john gray would LOVE that last postcard! the ever-helpful moose & dudo stare…
anne marie:
Who can ever look at a bulldog again without thinking of John Gray?!?
The video clip is worth watching all the way to the end. Someday I would like to speak french as well as a french 2 year old, with a bad accent.
David:
I was here in Spain on business in early 2006. I hadn’t used my Spanish for a loooong time. I had to take an hour-long cab ride and the driver knew no English but liked to talk. We talked for an hour in Spanish. I thanked him for his patience with my Spanish. He said my Spanish was very good. I said, “Sure. Like a 2-year-old.” He laughed and said, “No. Like a 5-year old.” I was elated.
When you mentioned the Gloria story from Modern Family, my mind went right to the Baby Cheeses/Baby Jesus, and then there is was.
Better still was the Kid Brother chat that always make me smile, and then Dudo and Moose who always make me swoon!
Bob:
I will never hear baby Jesus or baby cheese without thinking of Gloria. Priceless. The Kid Brother chats can be entertaining. And now that I have you to share them with, I can enjoy them even more.
Baby Cheeses… I busted out laughing! BTW, you’re boat’s on fire.
wickedhamster:
Some days, every boat on the beach is on fire (OK, not EVERY… but a lot).
Those new doggy postcards are great! I hope your brother enjoys them!
Debra:
I’m sure he’ll like the new cards. I got a couple of cat cards, too, and two others I can’t remember right now. I have to go find more. Or maybe I should make my own.
I loved you photos…….so crisp and clear.
The last one is so good! Those cats crack me up.
I think the Kid Brother will giggle at those postcards….but you may never know that.
Jim:
Chuck will definitely like the postcards. I can’t way to hear the critique of the care package!
I always love your photos. The dog digging in the sand I enjoyed especially as I am a dog lover!
mcpersonalspace54:
That dog first went for a swim, shook himself off, and then went nuts in the sand. He was so happy.
The life of a dog!
Idioms do no translate well
Those cats are up to no good that’s certain
Urpso:
Some expressions are exactly the same. Others have absolutely no meaning in the other language. It’s not easy to know.
You should have some of your photos made into postcards! Or maybe not… the kid brother sounds like a harsh critic. Third base.
Walt the Fourth:
I actually should select photos to print as postcards for Chuck. He would enjoy that. And, yes, he is the harshest critic (almost as bad as our mother). I don’t know Who’s on third base!
Catching up on a few days — it’s so relaxing to see your ocean photos, and Dudo and Moose!
Judy C:
Just got back from a sunset walk on the beach. More photos and video. Ahhhhhh. Hope school is going well. If you have time, I have a math problem I’d like help with.
OMG ~ this is what Sophie used to do! Digging a hole to anywhere, being exhausted and HAPPY! Tks I needed that!