Author: marga (Page 11 of 158)

SPD: Not quite the blind leading the blind

March 14, 2013 / / 1 Comment

The Spanish proverb of the day is:

“En el país de los ciegos, el tuerto es el rey”.

“In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king”.

This ancient dictum came to us via Eramus’ Adagia. Originally written in Latin (“in regione caecorum rex est luscus”), it’s been translated and adopted into many other languages, including English. However, I’ve never heard anyone actually say this proverb in English, while in Spanish people say it all the time.

It means that when you are surrounded by people who are incompetent, you only need to have a smidget of competency to shine. This refrain invariably comes to mind when I attend a City Council meeting.

And, indeed, it may be also help explain the election of Cardinal Bergoglio as Pope.

Spanish Proverb of the Day

March 13, 2013 / / 0 Comments

If you speak Spanish, read my comments often or watch the People’s Court with judge Milian, you know that Spanish is a language rich in proverbs. English has them too, of course, but proverbs are part of every day speech in Spanish, recognized as actual pearls of wisdom.

That’s probably why every time I’m discussing a topic, a Spanish-language proverb pops into my mind.  I love proverbs so much that I’ve decided to take a page from Hayward Councilmember Francisco Zermeño‘s book and do a “Spanish proverb of the day”. It’ll help you learn Spanish, por supuesto.

Today’s proverb is: “Todo tiempo pasado fue mejor“ – literally “every past time was better”, but better translated as “the way things were in the past was always better”. The idea is, of course, that we think of the past with nostalgia, remember the good and forget the bad.

This is something to keep in mind whenever anyone starts a conversation with the phrase: “En mi época…” or “en mis tiempos…” (literally “in my time” but really meaning “when I was young”). I’ve noticed I’ve started using those phrases myself 🙁

An Invitation to the Presidential Inauguration – Not!

February 2, 2013 / / 1 Comment

inaugurationLast month my husband, a member of our local School Board, got a thick envelope on the mail purportedly from the White House.  Inside, there was a crisp invitation to Barack Obama’s inauguration.  Or so it seemed.  I was a bit suspicious, I must admit.  The previous month he’d gotten a lovely Christmas card purportedly from the President – but actually paid for by the Democratic National Committee.   It has a cute picture of their dog in the snow in front of the White House.    It seemed to be black and white, but maybe that’s how things look when it’s snowing.

In any case, upon further digging inside the envelope I found out that this was not a ticket to the inauguration, but a commemorative invitation.  I’m not sure why he would actually want to commemorate not being invited to the inauguration, but perhaps teasing people is a good way to fleece them as well.  Along with the commemorative invitation there was a catalog of  “collectibles” to help you remember this not-so-historic day.  For $50 you can get your own Second Inauguration bronze medallion with a profile of Obama and Biden, or spend $400 and get a panoramic photo of the President taking the oath of office.  That’s too much for you? Well, for a mere $25 you can get your own coffee mug with the gold Inaugural seal.  And while your commemorative invitation wouldn’t actually let you into the event, your friends don’t need to know that.  For just $50 you can get a custom-size frame for it with the signature of Obama and Biden.  Won’t that make everyone jealous?

And people accused Clinton of being greedy.

 

Nail Polish = Nail Polish Remover

October 23, 2012 / / 0 Comments

  I am sure it’s happened to you: the polish on your nails has become brittle and/or you want to change colors but don’t have any nail polish remover at home.  What to do that does not involve going to the drug store for some?  Use nail polish!

No, I’m not saying that you should just cover up your old polish with new polish, rather if you apply a new coat of nail polish, it will dissolve the coat underneath it, and then you can wipe them both off.  Use clear polish if you have it, to make the cleaning up easier.

I just tried this method after my daughter made a mess painting her own nails – and then tried to use a knife to remove the polish – and I was surprised at how amazingly well it worked.  Indeed, it worked better than actual nail polish remover (it’s also more expensive).  I can’t believe I didn’t find out about this until my mid-forties, but better late than never.

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