Thursday, April 19, 2012

THROWBACK THURSDAY: "Home"

Mom (right) pictured with friend. 

This week I'm participating in a meme called THROWBACK THURSDAY started by my friend Tara at Me and the Mexican. I don't know if it's because I'm missing my Miami Amigas, or if it's because I've come down with a nasty cold, but I'm feeling a little melancholy today. So I've decided to go waaayyy back in time.

I start by sharing an old photograph taken of my mom in front of the house where my brother, sisters and I grew up in Santa Ana, CA. When I think back to when I was a little girl, I remember this white stucco, two bedroom, one bath duplex, whose hardwood floors my mom shellacked ever year, being the most beautiful house, ever. It had a towering oak tree that stretched into the sky, rose bushes, night jasmine and birds of paradise. Summer nights were the best because we'd sleep with the windows open to enjoy the sweet fragrance (along with the neighbor's 8-track tapes and roosters).

My happiest memories living there are of big family get-togethers, roller skating, playing pranks with my sisters and graduating high school. My saddest memories are of when the City came to cut down the tree because its massive roots had grown under the sidewalk, and of years later, when my mom, whose hair had turned grey, stood on the front steps waving good-bye when I left for the East Coast.

The Internet can be our best friend or worst enemy.

I recently went on Google Earth to see what my childhood home looked like and was saddened by what I found. Years had not been kind to it: The lawn had been replaced by concrete, there was no vegetation and the impersonal structure sat desolate, nearly swallowed by the vacant lot alongside it.

It couldn't be.

The beautiful thing about memories is that they're our own. I've cast aside the image of the strange house I saw online. What I see pictured, here, is what I'll always remember as "home."

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

MIERCOLES MUDO: #TargetLuxeLounge at #Hispz12











Monday, April 16, 2012

Butterflies in Miami

JW Marriot Marquis, Miami


By Ezzy G. Languzzi

They descended on Miami
Butterflies in a mist
Wings touching, souls dancing
Hearts open in earnest

From faraway places
Seen only in dreams
Wedded by language
Yet not all the same

colombianas
guatemaltecas
boricuas
cubanas
venezolanas
uruguayas
Y unas cuantas mexicanas

Women stunning
Unforgettable
Both in heart and mind
Giving and sharing
Not one unkind

Mothers, wives
Sisters, daughters
Journalists, fotógrafas
Fashionistas y artists

Butterflies embracing life
With vigor and laughter
Stars and sparkle in eyes
Aspiring to be better

After many tears and much banter
These butterflies
Returned home
Hermanas, amigas
Seeds of friendship sown

They captivated my mind
Set on fire my imagination
Mis hermanas
Mis amigas
Left me longing for more time
Mariposas bonitas
I didn't want to say, "Good-bye."




Friday, April 6, 2012

SPANISH FRIDAY: El Perrito Habla


Albert el perrito Labradoodle | Albert the Labradoodle Puppy
Aqui, tiene 11 semanas de edad. | He's 11 weeks old, here.



Hola! *levanta la pata*

Se que no han oído hablar mucho de mí últimamente. Creo que mi dueña se encuentra sin palabras a causa de todas mis averías. Me da un poco de vergüenza admitir todo lo que ha ocurrido a causa de mí curiosidad, pero ahora entiende esta familia que no se deben de descuidar cuando ando afuera de mi "cajón." Soy perrito y todavía no me puedo controlar.

Me da gusto reportar que el niño no ha tenido ningún problema con sus alergias, así que me quedo! Soy un perro extremamente feliz. Me dan muchas caricias y hasta me sacan afuera a las dos y tres de la mañana. Lo que me ha gustado mas? Los cinco baños que he tomado en el fregadero la ultima semana. Jijiji ... eso que soy un perro bien limpio.

Bueno, me tengo que ir. Me llaman los zapatos, calcetines y papel higiénico.

Hasta la próxima.

Albert

***

Hi! *lifts paw*

I know you haven't heard much about me lately. I believe my owner is speechless due to all the mischief I've caused. I'm a little embarrassed to admit all that has happened due to my curiosity, but this family finally understands that they can't lower their guard when I'm outside my crate. I'm a puppy and still can't control myself.

I'm happy to report that the little boy hasn't had any problems with his allergies, so that means I stay! Makes for an extremely happy dog. They feed me and give me lots of love, even taking me outside at 2 and 3 o'clock in the morning. What do I like the most? The five baths I've taken in the kitchen sink the last week. Hahaha ... guess you could say I'm a very clean dog.

Gotta go, now. The shoes, socks and toilet paper are calling.

Until next time.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

MIERCOLES MUDO: Un Gato Arrugado




#BanningHistory: Reading From Cisneros' Classic THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET

In protest of the recent book banning and dismantling of the Mexican-American Studies program in the Tucson Unified School District, I've recorded myself reading from a book that conveys many of the feelings I experienced growing up a bicultural Latina. Incredulously, Sandra Cisneros' THE HOUSE ON MANGO STREET, a book that explores Latino identity, community, family and poverty, is one of these books that's been banned. (To view a complete list, which includes Shakespeare's THE TEMPEST *you heard right*, follow this link.)

Please visit www.banninghistory.com to learn more about the book banning and to view readings by others, like my friend Bella Vida Letty, who reads from Laura Esquivel's LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, and where I contributed a poem entitled I WANT TO BE EDUCATED, when this news first broke.