tUESDAY tUNES : MUSIC TO MY EARS, A DIFFERENT KIND OF SONG.
Music comes in different rhythms. This is music to my ears that I must share from LSU Baton Rouge's Women Basketball Hall of Famer. Listen to the entire clip.
Since it was just International Women"s Day so here also is a wonderful interview with Seimone:INTERVIEW
To help celebrate International Women's Day NETFLIX decided to point me in the direction of Women in Focus with shows with strong women like Just Alice, Bridgerton, The Big C, Nurse Jackie, etc...
So what did I watch of their list which hadn't I seen nor felt would be different and mindless: Boyfriend on Demand and when I bored with that series, Rizzoli and Isles. Strong women figuring out how to deal with what life deals them.
When I met Natureman, my partner in crime for 20 years, he really didn't watch TV nor movies. But he read a lot. We're talking about reading at least six books all at once per week. He had a memory to regurgitate all sorts of facts among his many talents, including his knowledge re: people behavior.
Natureman commented that my art centered on women. He was right and subconsciously, my choices did center around women.
Look at what came back with me from my month in Costa Rica. My Tico family's uncle painted me a picture to take home. It just returned from the framer and is now joining all the other women in my abode.
Heart-wrenching film but we didn't have to watch it on an empty stomach...
What a spread!
MIDWEEK MUSINGS & TBT: I posted this 2015 clip 10 years ago and ironically watched the Iranian film Separation today in my film class. Not much has changed...
I will post the 10 yr old video clip by Fareed Zacharias
What hit me hard was our class discussion seemed to center on the cultural differences rather than the film's universality. Ironically, this film was chosen before the U.S. decided to convince Israel to join them in bombing Iran. We should be questioning the reasons why we are there. And how will this affect our Muslim brethren here in our country? Conspiracies? Fear mongering. Moral character?
The lines blur...
If they are ever in your 'hood performing, go treat yourself to some easy listening. This tune was on tiny desks...
.JOY
Musing about my classes this quarter as I was truant for the beginning couple of weeks as they started during my volunteering in Costa Rica. Most, fortunately, are not dependent upon previous classes. Also there was a week wo classes due to ice so the quarter will be extended.
This quarter I registered for :
Socialism: HISTORY and Significance is held mostly on Zoom as our instructor lives in Fayetteville. The course synopsis caught my attention I have shared that Natureman's parents are buried in the Socialist Jewish Cemetery in the Twin Cities. I never met them but I lived with their son who ensured his life would embody their socialist thought in protecting our society's socialist programs. He always pointed out how socialism is misunderstood and scandalized in American politics as does the class...
Socrates Cafe:Exploring participant's life questions in a public, non academic dialogue. Last week's class voted for the discussion question "What is a friend?"
On Screen with Philip Martin; a film critic who gives us insight and review of themes, actors and their work in various films/ TV series.
Line Dancing with a variety of genres: country, pop and classics. This class is a terrific way to exercise both the mind and body. It gives my cowboy boots a workout.
LifeQuest is so blessed with teachers who love their subject matter. New brochures arrived for the next quarter. It's wonderful to have the time to participate and learn with seniors 52+ and make new friends too!
FOTO FRIDAY: You never know what might come home in your suitcase as a memory but after having eaten GALLO PINTO, dirty rice, the Costa Rican daily staple almost once a day. It now is part of where I spend a lot of time -my kitchen.
This year, there's another difference as I have to drop the papers in a 'portal' for my accountant. My scanner is being fickle, and I'm super frustrated and ready to throw in the towel.
Then, wouldn't you know my financial advisor also decided to go out on his own in December, meaning he and his people no longer have access with the info re: stock gifts I made last year. You know like : number of shares and company. So I am yearning for yesteryear when it was so much easier... I have some legwork to do.
It's one of those weeks... I am super thankful my plumber made it out to fix the faucet that burst while I was away!
Never a dull moment!
One out of 534 Central High graduates was black and her name was Sybil whom we met this afternoon as Dr. Sybil Jordan Hampton. Not one of those 534 white students ever dared to befriend her/even speak to her during her high school years there. It was a tumultuous time for racism especially in this all white Southern high school.
In the Q&A we heard about Dr. Hampton's neighbors read about community affairs in the NAACP newspaper.
Dr. Hampton grew up where on opposite sides of the street of one block there were 2 grocery stores, one for the whites and one for the blacks. Little Rock was a very segregated city in the '50s.
Forgiveness and grievance helped Dr. Hampton survive her past. Yet, race relations are still an issue in our country and sitting idly by is not helping anyone. Change is possible. May we all have the patience and calmness Dr. Hampton exemplifies... We are all one race- humans. Let's share accountability.
Thanks to UALR's English department for sponsoring these readings.
MONDAY MUSING embraces the possibilities to be introduced to strong but very different authors and their writings and their life experience due to Black History month.
Today I will write about Thursday night's speaker, the unabashed prolific writer Reshondra Tate born in Smackover, Arkansas, who has penned 54 books.
Her audience got to hear many details and inspiration after her newest published book, With Love from Harlem, about the 'bold, brave and flawed' Hazel Scott, the fearless 1940's- 50's, Queen of Jazz Piano, the first woman to have her own television show. a powerhouse who blended classics with swing, boogie woogie and her own wild improvisations. A powerhouse who was blacklisted during McCarthyism.
An activist who surrounded herself with legends like Billie Holiday, Langston James, James Baldwin, Nina Simone, Miles Davis and Quincy Jones. The main man in her life was her husband Adam Clayton Powell, had the wedding of the century with 3 thousand guests, power couple whose light eventually was dimmed by him... This book is historic fiction using researched facts including others's autobiographies to validate Ms Tate's work.
Ms Tate followed her own advice to a young author during the Q& A : "Don't wait for someone to validate you. Do your own self promotion" and then she videoed the audience holding up their new copies of With Love from Harlem...
She won at least one new fan in me Thursday night...
Thanks to our library system for their wonderful programming.
Last week's FOTO FRIDAY was ENYUCADO, a world away.
TBT: Racism is still running rampant as folks forget we were all strangers once in this land unless we're indigenous.
The La Crosse Shoulder to Shoulder group joined others to speak up against Islamophobia since racial slurs had been sprayed on this taxi's garage door now painted over with ' Our community, our family, Hate has no place here.' 2017, My Natureman left front always speaking out against injustice."
Decided to switch it up today a bit with tUESDAY tUNES and instead of concentrating on the lyrics just hear THE instrumentall rendition of Chaka Khan's Sweet Thing played by Demola... Enjoy. I think this instrumental can bring up the images for you.. Just ry to sit still...
MONDAY MUSINGS: Saturday was a day of travel. I enjoyed my last panqueque breakfast prepared by my Costa Rican daughter, Marcela. Gallo Pinto, rice dish, is more common for Tico's breakfast. I have been so spoiled as I haven't cooked a meal in a month. Will I even remember how to go grocery shopping, much less cook? Wink, wink.
My participation in the program included a home stay, 2 meals per day, $18 round trip bus transportation from San Jose to Quepos, during my volunteer stint, along with an art class, weekly cooking and salsa dance classes, along with a beautiful pool to do short laps, cool off, and shower at Máximo Nivel...
In addition the tuition for participating I also paid out of pocket for lunches, laundry, field trips, and my daily $1 roundtrip bus fare to my teaching assignment. Didn't do much shopping, yet my suitcase is expanded as far as it will go. It's what I get for travelling light.
The bus trip was going to be a long one as my supposed 3-hour bus arrived late due to construc-tion, and we would be facing the same construction heading the opposite direction with a bit less traffic.
I enjoyed the scenery on the return to San Jose as my last trip on this route had been in the dark.
We had a lunch stop and I grabbed a chicken empanada and a bottle of Tropical peach tea. We still were an hour out from the airport.
By the time I got to my gate it was 1pm and they changed gates 3x- eventually transporting us to the runway by a small bus. Departing about SJO @ 5pm arriving Atlanta at 9pm. A long, long day...
A new fried dish for me, as it's made from yucca. It was as good as it looks.
 |
| Croquet like shape |
then mashed to make a puree-like consistency.
Margarine is added, as well as shortening, 2 eggs, and salt to taste.
TBT: It's definitely time to post this article on witch hunting again as that is exactly what is going on in our country today with our ICE witchhunt... And the Peter , Paul and Mary lyrics keep playing "When will they ever learn? When will they ever learn?"
Destination: Privately owned Rainmaker Conservation Park, 1500 acres, a less frequented rainforest reserve where one can walk along suspension bridges, preserving vegetation and wildlife around you.
The day's guide, Kevin, a university student whose English and patience was put to work with a Chicago family of 5: a very active Grandma, her sister, son, daughter-in-law, 5 yo grandson and yours truly.
The path was challenging as we climbed the paths into the canopy of the rainforest with the use of tire steps, brick stairways, dirt pathways, lots of metal railings and some rickety wooden ones and then suspension bridges to killer views and down to waterfalls and pools where we could cool off.
Thank goodness we were spared snakes, but I did add a colorful poisonous dart frog, helmet lizard and millipede to my rain-forest critter collection.
 |
| ants go into this tree at the round dot |
It was a terrific last excursion for my last week living the Pura Vida.
Today's tUESDAY tUNE holds a special memory in my heart now and I don't think it would have until the following happened this week. You see my home stay family listens to very conservative music so that's what I have heard for the last month.
So I have to tell you that was when my bus driver Angel switched his route and his personalized license plate was not hanging in the front window, but COYOTE's was 
Take a listen to Yeison Jimenez's Aventurero and you'll understand...
CATCHY AVENTURERO.
MONDAY MUSINGS: Last night I joined a packed restaurant La Gran Escape ( pronounced Es - Kah- Peh) across from Quepos 's boardwalk here in Costa Rica. Where else could be better to watch Superbowl's LX half time performance by Bad Bunny? Remember I've been an a'sportual for the last 25 years.
I definitely wouldn't want to be renting a car here!
But I actually want to talk about another kind of park'ing, the Manual Antonio National Park, a must, especially with a guide otherwise you will miss out seeing many of the park's residents.
A long line awaits entrance to the park which see 2500 guests per day. Tickets must be bought ahead. Non-residents cost ~$18, 5.65 for kids under 12. Residents about $2 .
His high power binoculars took us into the canopy above us to spot a sloth mommy and her baby and howling monkeys chilling.
spiders on the leaves and gorgeous butterflies.
Lizards abound hugging the shade.
and even a red crab!
My Facebook friend Kathy and I really had a terrific visit and it was definitely worth the tour to enjoy some of the residents of the park. We didn't partake in the waters of the park's beautiful public beach; mia culpa as we had frequented one of Manuel Antonio's other 2 beaches the previous day and yours truly had too much sun that day... but the park is a must see.
