MindWindow

  Well… It really is not as dramatic as the title might suggest. I am talking about that kind-of-lost string of days between Christmas and New Year’s Day. Everything and everyone moves along at a snail pace. In some cases, due to an overabundance of cheers on Christmas Eve and Christmas day and, at other times, because it just seems that every-body we see is simply plodding on at a slower pace than usual. We had a quiet Christmas this year. This was in part to make up for a Thanksgiving when there were some19 revelers adding to the noise and subtracting from the food and drink to be had. And the other part? Well, many of those said revelers came from out of town and it costs money to do this. Too close to part with the money it implies to come out again. Even if to revel with “free” food and drinks. And, frankly, we were a little tired of all the reveling as well. So, we ordered take out from a local restaurant, to be followed by treats and a movie. At home. For those who may ...

           Today I sit here just to pass the time and try my luck at actually writing what I hope can morph into a blog entry. Since it is my commitment ( to self, anyway ) to begin again to write at least one entry per week, I guess this exercise is in anticipation of next week’s delivery. Perhaps a meandering exercise while later getting into more defined topics.           Wally’s Pond is a mental… oops, that’s a dated term… a virtual place where I can retreat to think and to just let my imagination fly. I am noticing, however, and with a degree of concern that my imagination’s take off and flight is more cumbersome than it may have been some time ago. Like everything else in life, it may be due to a lack of practice since, for reasons primarily beyond my immediate control, my time has not allowed me to do this writing exercise, which I truly enjoy doing.        ...

No, I am not talking about the political panorama, though this would certainly give much to comment on . It has been now some 3 months since the magical ( really??) threshold of Gulp!!! 70 was reached, breached, and pushed aside. Well I do believe it is magical for, in today’s environment, they ( whoever “they” are ) say that 70 is the new fifty. Nifty. ( well, that last one gave me away !!) When I was young eons ago, those who were over 65 were considered venerable folk, worthy of befriending and listening. Well, for politeness sake if nothing else… What I do remember is they tended to be paunchy, with less hair ( well, got me on that one!), unable to do much more than walk around, talk about “good ol’ times” and go to a friendly get together, or two, of similar folks. And yes, I do enjoy looking back to earlier years of my life ( how else could I have completed these 400 entries ?) to reminisce but certainly not to live there. Today, at age 70 one is wont to have as man...

Along the byways of this life the years pass, sometimes without much ado; other times there is a splash of some sort… Just yesterday I was worried about what was I going to do about my hair and ho to comb it for the prom… today, well, let’s just say that hair is not my most pressing issue. In fact, its relative absence from the top makes it easier when it comes to just pushing it back… Life is worth celebrating. Life is worth living. Yes, there are moments when these concepts or if you will, feelings, are put to a harsh test but in the end, they do, like the mythical Phoenix, manage to be reborn and help you face whatever comes your way. Well, almost any “whatever”… Sometime ago, a friend of mine who has been following the blog for a number of years (actually, since it began some 6 years ago… ) said to me… “why don’t you do a compendium of a chosen number of entries and put it together into a manuscript or, perhaps even a book?” I have to say that the idea sounded a bi...

This is a longer entry than usual. I debated (a short debate) whether to break it into two entries or not and the "not" won out. Maybe I just wanted to "get it over with" since it was not easy to put on paper...  One morning, not long ago, started with some news I had been afraid would come at almost any time. As I was getting ready to leave for my first morning class, the phone rang. I saw the name of my sister in law on the screen and, at this early time of the morning, the thought of some negative news immediately came to mind. Her voice was a little shaken when she said  –“Rafo”, “your mom passed away last night”. I saw her last some 34 years ago, when she was given the opportunity to come and visit us ( my sister and I ), after 20 years of not seeing each other. This is the very high price paid by all who leave their homeland searching for a better tomorrow or because, simply, there is no choice. It often means the past is left behind, to be re...

NOTE:  While in the process of doing a compilation of selected blog entries for possible publication, I came across this one which definitely is one of the chosen ones. Came to me from a dear friend almost 2-3 years ago and I thought  it was good enough to republish. Read and think. A couple of days ago, there was an entry was titled.. “Life isn’t Fair” and a dear old friend who actually takes the time to read and comment, sent me these… 1.Take into account that great love and great achievements involve great risk. 2. When you lose, don’t lose the lesson. 3. Follow the three R’s:           - Respect for self,           - Respect for others and           - Responsibility for all your actions. 4. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful        stroke of luck. 5. Learn...

With this electoral “Highway from Hell” we are going through this year, being a Latino becomes relevant… but not always in the right way. Never before in the 54 years I have lived in this country has an election so polarized people. For the right or wrong reasons. I am Hispanic by birth, a naturalized US citizen, this earned after serving in the army during the VN conflict. In other years, I always tried not to get involved in political discussions for, after all, it is very rare that a point of view will be changed. If for no other reason that by changing it you may feel you are giving in to someone who is convincing you that what you espoused was and is wrong to begin with. But, some of my Hispanic friends whose view differ from mine (I am a conservative by life’s teachings and not a supporter of HRC ) are hell-bent on trying to get me to change my mind. In doing so, the basic arguments used are: 1- He’s abusive 2- He’s anti Hispanics 3- Will deport everyone 4- H...

About two years ago I came across this letter from a young Cuban. Of course, it was sent out anonymously and in Spanish. It hit me very hard, where it counts. Having nephews and other family still in Cuba, I know these situations are real. Specially when this young man talks about the inability to express his thoughts if against the government.   I translated it with only one comment inserted, and this to explain a term of common usage in today’s   Cuba . It expresses what many Cubans go through on a day to day basis while the communist/socialist elite and their children live a very capitalistic, opulent life, studying and often vacationing in Europe's best places at the expense of the people. Despite the so called opening by Obama's visit, the control of everyday living is oppressive, it has not changed one bit for the street citizen. I thought it was worth a second view.  It says: “ I was born in ...

There are places and there are places. In the end, people make those places… - “Avere un buon viaggio di ritorno, tornare al piu presto!!”   - “Have a good trip home, come back soon!!” It was 4am on Sunday in the small city of Lido, Venice. Actually, an island city where we had ended during the last three days of our vacation by luck, sheer good luck. We and our suitcases were at a local dock waiting for our airport taxi ( yes, dock … this was a water taxi ); many late night-early morn revelers were on their way back home and as they saw us there waiting, either shouted while passing nearby or came to us to say the above in one of several versions… View from our balcony This capped a three day stay in this small city. A city I only knew from mentions over the years and from knowing that in the 50’s-70’s it was considered a prime vacation spot for many wealthy Italians and tourists. I mentally compare it to the much more renowned port-o-calls visited during th...