La versión en español está después de la versión en inglés.
When I saw The Kid Brother last night, he called from his bedroom where he had the television on in the background. It was loud and hampered our conversation. I would say something. He would say, “What?” I would say it again and he would say, “What?” I repeated myself and asked if the TV was too loud. “What?” “Are you watching something on TV?” I shouted. “It’s OK. I can hear you.” he replied. “I don’t think you can and I don’t want to make you miss something if you’re watching something good.” “It’s not that good.” “But you can’t hear me.” “What?” “I shouted, ‘You can’t hear me. Do you want to get back to the TV?” He leaned to the side and then said, “I turned it down.” Sheesh! I could still hear it, but it was more subdued. Conversations with Chuck! He said his money was coming Friday. I said that was great and that he needed to be much more responsible from now on. “And no more gambling!” I said. I asked if he ever goes to the casino (I didn’t think so but San Geraldo was wondering which got me wondering). He responded, “The casino? How do I get there?” Argh. I said, “You don’t. No more gambling. Even if you win one time, we all lose most of the time.” “What about a big win?” Again argh. “You always lose more than you win. That’s how the casinos stay in business. Jerry doesn’t gamble anymore. He hasn’t gambled in seven years.” “Why not?” “Because he gets carried away. It’s dangerous.” KB is clearly not convinced, but knowing I won’t bail him out, maybe we’re making progress. As my mother used to say when I’d put my foot down, “I don’t know how you can be so cold-hearted.” Thanks again, Mom. This cold heart has nights of lost sleep over The Kid Brother. Here are some weekend away photos for de-stress.
Anoche, cuando vi al Hermanito, me llamó desde su habitación, donde tenía la televisión encendida de fondo. Estaba muy alta y dificultaba nuestra conversación. Yo decía algo. Él decía: “¿Qué?”. Lo repetía y él decía: “¿Qué?”. Repetí lo que había dicho y le pregunté si la televisión estaba demasiado alta. “¿Qué?”. “¿Estás viendo algo en la tele?”, grité. “Está bien. Te oigo”, respondió. “No creo que me oigas y no quiero que te pierdas nada si estás viendo algo bueno”. “No es tan bueno”. “Pero no me oyes”. “¿Qué?”. Grité: “No me oyes. ¿Quieres volver a la tele?”. Se inclinó hacia un lado y luego dijo: “Le bajé el volumen”. ¡Caramba! Todavía podía oírla, pero más bajo. ¡Conversaciones con Chuck! Dijo que su dinero llegaría el viernes. Le dije que era genial y que tenía que ser mucho más responsable de ahora en adelante. “¡Y nada de apuestas!” le dije. Le pregunté si alguna vez iba al casino (no lo creía, pero San Geraldo se lo preguntaba, lo que me hizo preguntarme a mí también). Respondió: “¿Al casino? ¿Cómo llego allí?” Dios mio. Le dije: “No vayas. No más apuestas. Incluso si ganas una vez, todos perdemos la mayoría de las veces”. “¿Y si ganas mucho?” Otra vez, dios mio. “Siempre pierdes más de lo que ganas. Así es como los casinos se mantienen en el negocio. Jerry ya no apuesta. No ha apostado en siete años”. “¿Por qué no?” “Porque se deja llevar. Es peligroso”. KB claramente no está convencido, pero sabiendo que no lo rescataré, tal vez estemos progresando. Como solía decir mi madre cuando me ponía firme: «No sé cómo puedes ser tan insensible». Gracias de nuevo, mamá. Este corazón insensible pasa noches en vela por culpa de El Hermanito. Aquí les dejo algunas fotos de la escapada de fin de semana para desestresarme.
• La llaman “La Puta”. Hay “hijo de puta”. Hay “puta madre”. Sin embargo, hay “de puta madre”. Así que, simplemente nunca uso esa palabra. Aun así, quiero esta puta para nuestra casa.
• El sujetador perfecto para un vestido de verano.
• Una zona comercial elegante en el centro de Fuengirola.
• No encontrarías los eslóganes de esta tienda en Estados Unidos.
• Especialmente para la Mistress Maddie. ¡No son Crocs! Los zapatos de verano perfectos para Olive Oyl, Minnie Mouse o Daisy Duck. ¿O para mí?
• No sé por qué no compré este. ¡Claro, era la gorra de béisbol y el medallón morado en la pierna! Además, el estampado no coincide en toda la camisa. ¡Qué hortera!
• Uno de mis diseñadores menos favoritos (tengo unos cuantos, entre ellos Dolce & Gabbana). En el centro comercial outlet, esta gorra estaba rebajada de 350 € a tan solo 192 €.
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Ohhhh, my goodness, quite the shoes!
Such a different set of visuals you encounter down in Fuengirola, from the life in Córdoba.
Your recounting of the conversation with Chuck and his TV gave me another good (needed) chuckle… ha!
Holy cow… I just checked weather in Saint-Aignan (France), after Ken said that it was going to be in the 90s F today… it’s freakin’ 91°F…but, that’s nothing, I see, to your freakin’ 96°F, currently! Yikes!
Judy C:
Ah, Chuck. As Joni Mitchell said, laughing and crying, you know it’s the same release. As for freakin’ 96, we at least have air conditioning! I don’t know how those guys manage.
Amazing how some people think if they put their name on something common it makes it worth an outrageous amount of money. And yeah, the shorts don’t align with the shirt, tacky.
Leave it to the stick up their ass Abrahamic religions to turn a sacrament of Goddess worship and fertility rites into an insult.
ellen abbott:
Even worse about the pattern. The shirt panels don’t match up.
Given the space and the money, the art we could collect, and I still would not buy a $200 baseball hat.
David:
Plein’s prices are obscene and insulting.
Ah, Fuengirola fashion. How I’ve missed it! At least the woman’s bra matched her dress. That patterned shirt made me dizzy. Having a cartoon person’s feet myself, these would be perfect for me. I hope you can rein in Chuck’s gambling. It’s such an insidious addiction (aren’t they all?).
Deedles:
And the bra matches her skin tone perfectly, so it’s not even noticeable. I actually love the cartoon style of the shoes. The entire outfit should be based on that style. Ah, Chuck.
That sundress photo sure got me to laugh. What a perfect shot! I don’t know how you do it! Your conversation with KB kind of sounds like an Abbot and Costello routine. And you definitely do not have a cold heart. It is anything but.
Michael:
Most of my conversations with Chuck sound like (and feel like) Abbott and Costello routines! My mother and brother used to visit us together. There was a major scene and temper tantrum every visit that left my mother crying about how he ruined her life. After their first visit to San Diego (during a huge fight) she said she was never coming with him again. The next time we were making arrangements for her to fly out, she asked “What about Chucky?” I said, “Remember? You’re not coming together anymore.” She said, “I don’t know how you can be so heartless.” It didn’t matter that we were flying him out for a visit a couple of months later.
Mitchell, you truly are a saint.
Chuck, Chuck, Chuck, your brother has such patience, you’ll never know.
Fuengirola Fashion, a contradiction in terms, but good comic relief. Whatever you wear someone will look more moreish! Boud.
Boud:
Chuck does appreciate me on some level since I get away with lecturing him. The things I see in Fuengirola. I missed so many photo opportunities.
Oh, KB, the source of so much drama. I shudder to think of him gambling.
Apparently it’s all the rage to let bra straps show nowadays…but I’m not sure she’s pulling it off.
I saw resort wear suits like that when I was in Palm Springs. I thought they looked ridiculous but now I see them more and more and I kind of want one!
Steve:
Letting bra STRAPS show is one thing, letting the entire bra show is another. Those “cabana suits” are awfully popular lately, but that pattern would tire me out.
SO prudish over here across the ‘pond’!
Chuck was in good form by the sounds of the conversation. Hopefully he will ‘see the light’ soon.
Jim:
That sneaker shop cracked me up.
I admire you, Mitchell. You’re a good man and a good brother.
We all loved the word “puta” in ninth grade Spanish class. 😂
Kelly:
Thanks. I wish I felt “good.” In my nearly 7 years of studying Spanish in school, I never learned the word “puta.” Clearly my education was limited.
Some of those pictures just hurt my eyes. The optic outfit could trigger a seizure. And some of the things people wear are just signs that they’ve completely given up. I feel like the people wearing them must be such miserable humans.
I think a conversation like the one you had with KB would leave you feeling worried and pained. It’s not funny at all. Tough love is fucking hard to do even though sometimes it must be done.
HOWEVER! I want that puta with all my heart. How large is she? My home needs her too.
Ms. Moon
Ms. Moon:
The optic outfit was a bit much. Unfortunately (for us), many people think their fashion choices are good ones even though we don’t. They actually give a lot of thought to those outfits. I worked with someone who I thought was one of the worst, most tasteless, most unflattering dressers I’d ever met. I found his home decor awful, too. He was gay and regularly commented that we both proved a gay stereotype true, thanks to our exquisite taste and sense of style.
Puta fits my love of whimsy. I want things like that all over the house. I suppose she was over 4 feet tall. Look at the chairs to the right for comparison.
Do you ever look at someone and wonder if they have a mirror and if so, did they look in it before they left the house and think, “Yeah. I look good.”
The “perfect bra” made me laugh!
Oh, Chuck. What a character. He shouldn’t make his good brother lie awake worrying about him!
Jennifer
Jennifer:
I’ve been lying awake most of Chuck’s life!
I don’t gamble, though when I lived in California we’d often get a group to go to Reno or Tahoe or Vegas and I’d gamble … for no more than half an hour and then I was done. I would get bored and wanna get outta there.
I won big once but it didn’t make me wanna continue cuz I knew I’d just lose it!
Almost like I nearly lost It looking at that woman’s backless dress and her brassiere showing.
Someone get her a three way mirror STAT!
Bob:
I would enjoy gambling every so often, but I now won’t go at all… to se an example for SG who is really not impressed. The best part of that woman and her sundress was when she had to pull it out of her panties every time she stood up.
Sex Shop. Well, that being honest about it. Usually, it’s something like Adult Books and Toys.
Kirk:
I never even thought about the fact that all the sex shops are so unsubtly signed.
Oh, I hate when I am trying to talk to someone over a television set in the background! Augh!
Ahhh… summer attire.
Rade:
So do I. My mother used to do that to me, too.