As Seen on TV...

Our Chat with Espresso this morning was about the influence that TV has had in our lives. There's been a TV around me from the day I was born in January of 1952. Looking back it seems like such a long time ago when TV was still Black and White. The one thing I recall vividly for some reason are some of the different TVs that we had in my house when I was a child. I recall this large piece of furniture I must have been 2 yrs. old, today with a surface of that size you can put up a large screen TV that looks like you're in the theater maybe a 52in. screen or a bit larger and that big piece of furniture then only held maybe a 20 in. screen that if you were sitting far back enough you may not be able to make out some of the details.

Of course there were no remote controls, not even to turn it on of off, which to me it was a good thing, every time you got off your butt to change a channel you had a chance to stretch your legs, mingle with the family, maybe go to the bathroom, pour a cold glass of carbonated water for you and your husband, you know detach from that hypnotic state that we get into when we watch that box.

I lived the era when we had these see through harder plastic covers with colors on them. You would place them in front of the TV screen and it turned the black and white into the colors that were on the plastic. Why this was invented and why my dad would buy it I have no idea, I mean what was the chance that the pink would be on all the faces and the green on the grass 0 so it must have looked distorted at best.

And do you remember how deep those screens were? I had an Uncle, my father's only brother I have very fond memories of him, el Tío Pepe we called him. He was a TV repairman. His house was always full of TVs that he was repairing, there were these bulbs you used to have to change from the back of the TV, the bulb would burn out and the TV would stop working, so you had to carry that huge glass screen and take it to a place like my Uncle's and they would fix it for you, it wasn't that cheap even then and what a drag. Then repairmen got smarter and started making house visits charging extra. 

TVs were expensive for a middle class family of 5, you could only have a medium size one in the living room for the whole family to sit and watch. That was actually nice because it kept us closer together as a family. The kids were allowed to watch till 8:00 pm on weekdays and 10:00 on weekends. 

Some of my fondest memories of my childhood come from the shows on TV I used to watch. Cachirulo and his Fairy Tales, Club Quintito, Topo Gigio, talent, game shows, comedies. 

There are many shows on TV that I like, but I don't really seem to find any when I'm alone. I rather spend my time with the things I want to do like writing than watch how others do things while I'm sitting here watching them.

My husband on the other hand can't live without TV, so the moment we wake up he turns it on. He loves to watch the news, re-runs of our Argentinian Soap Operas from the day before he missed because he was at work and sometimes I notice that he leaves on whatever, like sports for example that he doesn't really like. I think it's just this need to hear sounds perhaps to relax his own thoughts. I rather put a meditation tape and set my intentions for the day, recharge my energy, increase my vibrations, or listen to whatever music puts me in the mood that I want to be at that moment, perhaps nostalgic, maybe happy, or to concentrate and write and anything in between. 

Lately I've been proving to my husband how what we watch on TV first thing in the morning changes what happens throughout your day. Instead of watching news or soaps we watch re-runs of some of my favorite shows like Frasier. We both laugh so loud every time we watch Frasier even though my husband doesn't really understand what they are saying, they speak in a very tight and more polished English, but they're so expressive in their actions and their relationships are so consistent that you get to expect the reactions and it keeps you happy and laughing, such a magical way to start the day for me. 

It's unusual that once he leaves the house I would keep the TV on unless of course I know there will be a re-run of one of the shows I follow and couldn't watch last night, like The Voice for example. I adore talent shows, always have, so much amazing talent out there it's a privilege for me to watch them. I even get up and applaud. I keep it on many times because right after Frasier comes Cheers. Another well done clever, intelligent and charming. Makes me feel happy, as if I was there at the Bar flirting with Sam and laughing with them. I think I'd order a frozen Mango Margarita.

I wouldn't have dreamt that one day we could watch TV on a wristwatch like Maxwell Smart, in the car, on the Airplane, have a movie theater inside the house with surround sound a huge flat screen and front row recliners, program it to record what you want to watch and of course no more getting up and changing the channels, nowadays they even make it hard for you to find the buttons on the TV you have to push to change the channels, sometimes you have to read manuals or watch videos to know how to work some of these remotes. I rather push the on and off  button if you ask me.

I wouldn't mind going back to black and white if I had to erase a few of the advances we have that make us put more and more distance between each other, that reminds us every day of all the cruelty that exists in the world and how in spite of the fact that we know that and all the best intentions of some many good people out there in this Wonderful World of Ours, EGO is at an all time hi. As Seen on TV...

Hugs xoxo

@nit@

A Long Time Ago in a Far Away Land...

Today the protagonist of my story will be Bobe Etko. She was my maternal grandmother RIP and it's only now at this age the I can understand how amazing a woman she was and with how much dignity and integrity she lived her life. I don't remember her being all lovey dovey at least not with me, my older brother was her favorite grandson and with good reason, he was her first grandchild and on top of that it was her only daughter's son, I didn't come around for another 2-1/2 yrs. and I was the second grandchild, so she had a whole 2 1/2 yrs. to interact with my brother before I got here.

Even though I don't remember her being that demonstrative I remember how well she managed her life and helped her two kids, my mom and her son Juan.

My mom made it her mission in life to take care of all her family while they were alive and once they were gone someone else would take their place in her mission to take care of whomever needed her care until the day she died. Her mom was no exception, if she needed her help at the store she had there she was, if she needed help at home my mom ran to help her out and when she was in her deathbed it was my mom who cared for her until her life quietly left her hard working somewhat lonesome life.

My grandfather had passed away in his early 50s, she had to be the one to continue on with the store to finish raising her two kids and once they each went off into their own lives, she continued to help them, I remember her giving her son some money for a downpayment for his apartment. He was a doctor and his wife an interpreter and yet it was Bobe Etko who had to come and help them out with a downpayment.

She also managed to maintain a group of girlfriends that she frequented every week. They played cards or went to movies and they traveled extensively all over the world as a group. She went on trains and planes and even cruises. I always admired how well she dressed, how she maintained a good figure, I never saw her have to lose a pound a day in her life. She had very good taste and she would match her outfit with her jewelry, if the silk knit suit she was wearing was turquoise she would wear turquoise to match, so she had a good selection to go with everything she had.

Her hair became white at a very early age but she would go to the hair salon once a week to get her hair coiffed and her nails done, even in her deathbed when she had to be on oxygen because the one nasty thing she did most of her life was smoke cigarettes, even there she asked for her hairdresser to come and fix her hair and nails, She died of emphysema, as did my mom, same reason around the same age.

Her beginnings were nice, she had many brothers and sisters, a religious father and a stay at home mom who had many children to raise. Her grandparents were around them too, all religious family, I remember one of her grandmothers, Ita was her name, she was this tiny little white haired lady with a hump on her back, I saw pictures of her, she passed away as I was being born.

I don't remember how many they were, my mom told me many times but it's one of those things I forgot, she was born in Poland back around the 1910s, I actually have her passport somewhere that I'll recover one of these days.

Between her who was the youngest child and her oldest brother José aka El Tío Pelón there were 20 yrs. difference. I kept her passport after my mom passed away. My mom always kept everything she could of all those she loved who left her behind to endure life that in all sincerity was a very difficult life.

Bobe Etko came to America when she was 15 yrs. old. Seide Pépe (her husband and my beloved grandfather RIP) came first. The story goes that they were girlfriend and boyfriend in the town of Mlawah, Poland. Bobe used to work at this factory that produced grenades. I still have a hard time believing that but why would she say that if it wasn't true. Seide was enrolled in the armed forces in Poland, I'm sure it was mandatory at his age especially in those years of Pogroms and anti-semitism and who knows what other turmoil there was. He was a cavalry soldier and one day on this mission he was carrying his nephew who was a little boy, they were hiding in trenches from the enemy whomever that was at the time, in one of these humid trenches full of mold he contracted typhoid fever. This was the start of what eventually would kill him, it weakened his heart and he had heart problems until he died from them in his early 50s.

Seide was also a tailor, that's how he earned his money, so once he was feeling better physically he decided to leave Poland to find a better life for him and his wife to be. Even though they were very young that was a normal age to be in a relationship at that time.

He took his suitcase and got on a ship with his brother and they went off. The ship landed in Veracruz, Mexico, a lovely port. My mom used to tell me how when he got there without speaking the language or any money for that matter he would sell sox on the street and then use the money to buy fabric to make a coat or a dress or anything he could sell for more to invest and create more to live off and save to bring Bobe from Poland to start a life with him.

I'm not sure how long it took him but it wasn't too long, perhaps a year, so Bobe Etko got on the ship from Poland to be with Seide and when she got to the port of Veracruz the captain wouldn't let her off the ship because she was a minor. So they tell me that Seide got on the ship and asked the Captain to marry them.

I remember the picture they had of that wedding, she was so beautiful and young, leaning against Seide who was an incredible handsome man. She had this little bouquet of flowers that she kept because they were made out of silk and covered in wax. It's hard to describe but they were really beautiful. I remember she also kept the little dolls that were on top of the cake. They were so well made, their little faces were made on a little circular bead hand painted with these huge eyes and they were each standing on top of a little heart. I kept those too, who knows where they are now, I feel one day I will recover all those little things that were so important to my mom who asked me to keep them and my life has taken me to so many places that I lost track of all those wonderful mementos that mean so much.

Bobe and Seide eventually moved to Mexico City, they lived downtown, they started a women's clothing store in the heart of downtown, Creaciones Estela on the corner of the Streets of Tacuba and Motolinia, it was small but it was successful with her customers and the people who walked by.

She had beautiful dresses, coats, suits, scarfs, blouses, sweaters even gloves. At the beginning some of the things they sold were Seide's own creations then they started buying from factories. I kept the little coats Seide made for me when I was an infant, I had two huge dolls that used all my outfits he made me, not to mention the dresses my mom knitted. She even knitted some slippers for my Barbies, I can't imagine how she did that.

Some of my fondest memories are from that store. I used to accompany my mom when she went to help Bobe. I loved arranging the window displays, folding the clothes, selling to the ladies, grandma didn't let me do that too much, perhaps she should have, as a little girl I could have convinced the ladies to buy more. But what I loved the most about going to the store was taking my lunch pail, there were these stackable metal small pots covered with porcelain and held by two long metal rods on the sides that created a handle on top.

I would go to a restaurant a block away by the name of Café Tacuba. It was popular then but nothing like the popularity that it has now, over the years they even used the name for a popular singing group. I'd buy the menu of the day, it was the surprise of what it was that I loved the most, I could find things like Sopa de Tortilla, Chile Relleno, Mole con Pollo, Arroz,  Frijoles Refritos, Caldo Tlalpeño, Puntas de Filete a la Mexicana,  Enchiladas,  Camarónes al Mojo de Ajo, you name it, I loved it all, it was the Mexican food I grew up with and loved eating every day of my life, I still do funny enough. And then for dessert there was flan, or caramel pudding, churros con chocolate, ate con queso, pastel de 7 leches, crepas de cajeta, buñuelos, tamales dulces, chongos zamoranos....

Later on things changed, like life always does, Bobe had to close the store because the city decided to build a Metro stop right there in that very spot so the store that gave here the ability to live a good life and feel the freedom of being a self sufficient woman in a country that took her in when she was still just a child was now gone.

From that point on Bobe was never the same, she had lost very precious members of her family. She had to watch her son die in his 40s from a terrible type of skin cancer and also had to watch my younger brother die, no Bobe should have to experience that much pain in her life.

I'm so grateful that I had these people and these experiences in my life, that I come from their genes and their incredible strength, kindness, perseverance, powerful dignity and commitment to life and family. Those are the values that I hope to maintain, the ones that in my own way I tried to pass on to my children, the ones that comes from A Long Time Ago in a Far Away Land...

Hugs xoxo

@nit@

You are an Explorer/Negotiator

The other day I decided to take a test on one of those dating sites, just to see how I was perceived according to my answers. Since I really like learning as much about myself as I possibly can, so that I can make better use of my strengths, while working on my weaknesses, I made sure that I answered all of their questionnaire truthfully, and these are the results of that questionnaire.

It made me very happy to see that it described me pretty much the way I see myself, so I guess I must be getting close to vibrating at the same frequency as my Source Energy. Here are the results of that test.

"You are an EXPLORER/Negotiator. You are a highly spontaneous person who always likes to try new things. Novel and unpredictable situations don't bother you; instead you find them challenging and exciting. You tend to be focused and resourceful and you are able to juggle a lot of projects at the same time; as a result you are sometimes a whirlwind of activity. You have a firm grip on reality and enjoy living in the present tense. But you have a keen imagination that enables you to lift off from time and space to be remarkably creative. You are humorous.

You are able to laugh at yourself, and you like entertaining others. You have a deep sense of compassion. You can show genuine insight into the needs of others; you are good at listening and talking; and you express a genuine desire to be helpful. Yet you are easy-going. Your tolerance for others and their beliefs, your lack of prejudice, your ability to compromise and your occasional antics make you popular with others and a great companion.E-Explorer - 31%
N-Negotiator - 25%
B-Builder - 22%
D-Director - 20%
How your personality breaks out :
Explorer - 31% of your personality
Known for high energy, high creativity and spontaneity. Seeks novelty, risk and pleasure. Intellectually curious and not easily swayed by opinion.
Builder - 22% of your personality
Usually very popular. Deep attachment to home and family. Calm demeanor and low anxiety. Often consistent, loyal and protective.
Negotiator - 25% of your personality
Excels at seeing the big picture, long-term planning and consensus building. An intuitive thinker who is flexible, verbal and socially skilled. Imaginative, empathetic and nurturing.
Director - 20% of your personality
Daring, original, direct and inventive. A non-conformist. Skilled at abstract thinking and short-term planning. Often assertive and quite competitive. Tough-minded and efficient."



How do you see yourself?

Hugs xoxo
@nit@