Archive for May, 2010
I would like to hear from Native Spanish speakers. What do you think of this short story?
I enjoy writing short stories about my childhood in North Alabama. I write all of my short stories in Spanish and I would like to know what you think. This is a true story. Thanks for reading it.
Una tarde en la hondonada de oposum, mi madre estaba pescando en el río. Mi hermana y yo estábamos en la orilla del río. Teníamos una cesta de picnic llena de pollo frito y galletas. Era una tarde soleada y perezosa. Había un señor que pescaba allí, también. De repente, una serpiente venenosa, llamada un mocasín de agua o boca de algodón, apareció en el río y comenzó a nadar hacia nosotros. Mi madre y el señor vieron la serpiente al mismo tiempo. El hombre le dijo a mi madre con voz fuerte y viril, "no se preocupe pequeña señora, conseguiré mi rifle de mi camión y tiraré al blanco a aquella boca de algodón directamente del agua." Mi madre le dijo al señor, "usted no tiene que ir a su camión y conseguir ningún rifle, porque tengo mi pistola grande en mi cesta de picnic." Con esto, mi madre abrió la cesta de picnic y quitó el pollo frito y galletas. Ella entonces agarró su arma de fuego fiel y le dijo: "tiraré al blanco a aquella boca de algodón exactamente como le tiré al blanco a mi último marido." Ella entonces se rió y le dijo: "estoy bromeando, sólo le disparé a él." El hombre le contestó a mi madre: "pequeña señora, usted no tirará al blanco alguna vez a una serpiente que nada en el río con una pistola. ¡Esto requiere a un hombre y un rifle!"
Le dijo mi madre al pescador: "le apuesto diez dólares que tiraré al blanco a aquella serpiente del agua en tres tiros o menos." El señor la dijo: "estoy de acuerdo con esa apuesta." Mi madre entonces apuntó su pistola negra de veintidós calibres con el mango de marfil a la serpiente y tiró. La serpiente nadaba rápidamente y en una formación ondulada y ella la perdió por una pulgada. La serpiente estaba quizás cuarenta pies de distancia de nosotros y nadando con la gran determinación. Entonces, con cuidado y exactitud, mi madre disparó la segunda bala a la boca de algodón. Ella le pegó a la serpiente peligrosa y venenosa directamente en la cabeza. La serpiente dio una voltereta hacia atrás del agua como un acróbata de circo. Mi madre le dijo al pescador, "Señor, eso será diez dólares. Nunca fallo cuando disparo mi pistola bonita." El pobre anciano estaba confuso y mudo. Él simplemente puso su mano en su bolsillo y sacó diez dólares y se los dio a mi madre. Mi madre le agradeció y volvió a pescar para darnos de comer nuestra cena aquella noche.
About me: I am bilingual in English and Spanish. I am studying accordion and traditional music from México. I am learning how to play Conjunto, Tejano, Tex-Mex and Norteño.
Have a nice day, John
¡Qué tenga un buen día! Juan
Sources:
4 years of study at the University of Cabrillo 2005–2009 **4.00 GPA**
I attended part time and I took all 4 levels of the grammar courses as well as the 2 conversation courses: Spanish 1, 2, 3, and 4 and Spanish 10A and 10B
1 year of home study with the Cabrillo home tele-course: Spanish 1A and 1B; Spanish 2A and 2B
6 week conversation course of the Santa Cruz Parks and Recreation Summer Education Program
3 months of private lessons at home with a tutor (twice a week). The tutor, who is now a close friend, is a native speaker, very-well educated, 3 college degrees, completely fluent in Latin, Spanish and English; also, during these 3 months I completed a 4 level course of conversation on CD with a book called Speed Spanish by DV Mikels, PhD.
Thanks guys, I appreciate that! "calibre veintidós" instead of " veintidós calibres". The light bulb just came on inside this Gabacho’s head! I understand it perfectly now. Thanks again.
About your story:
I dont wanna be your mother’s enemy, she is a fantastic shooter
About your spanish:
pretty good, I can see you have studied very hard and because that, your spanish is very, very good, almost perfect, on this story, I saw just a little things to be changed
conseguiré mi rifle de mi camión — traere el rifle de mi camion — or –traere mi rifle del camion
usted no tiene que ir a su camión y conseguir ningún rifle — usted no tiene que ir a su camión y traer ningún rifle
nadando con la gran determinación — nadando con gran determinacion
de veintidós calibres — calibre veintidos
en una formación ondulada — en forma ondulada
Do you like Cajun food , music or people?
cajuns rule,gator boy.
The Balfa Brothers – Parlez Nous A Boire
Track: Parlez Nous A Boire
Artist: The Balfa Brothers
Album: The Balfa Brothers Play Traditional Cajun Music: Vols. 1 & 2
Label: Swallow Records
This is a studio version of the wonderful track featured in the movie Southern Comfort. Unfortunately, as best I know, the complete movie soundtrack was never released, so if you want to hear it in all its glory you’ll have to buy the DVD. It’s a good movie and the soundtrack, produced by Ry Cooder, is excellent.
Here’s Dewey Balfa describing his 1964 appearance at the Newport Folk Festival, the first time Cajun music had featured there –
“I had played in house dances, family gatherings, maybe a dance hall where you might have seen as many as two hundred people at once. In fact, I doubt I had ever seen two hundred people at once. And in Newport, there were seventeen thousand. Seventeen thousand people who wouldn’t let us get off stage.”
http://www.balfatoujours.com/brothers.html
Duration : 0:3:13
Pegleg Breakdown – Melodeon, or Cajun Accordion
- a composition from astro or Nout Grupstra – inspired by a dancing feller with a wooden leg and the soulful accordion playing of Tracy Schwarz – key of G on a C accordion made by Jr.Martin with his fabulous bellydancing crayfish to boot – all © artpurg SABAM 2008 – see http://www.crooks-stringband.nl and http://www.astromusic.org for more …
Duration : 0:2:16
How could you adapt this lesson plans objectives to a first/second grade lesson plan?
Grade level-Fifth and Sixth grade
Making a chinese dragon
Objectives:
Draw a dragon on black paper
Use the color red
Dragon must have head, tail, and body
Use 1 chinese symbol
Use accordion fold somewhere
holy crap we are in trouble, thats what they are doing in 5th grade? wow.
ok but here’s what i wuld do.
each student uses a ruler. the teacher helps them with the ruler to bend the paper evenly.
the pages to be colored on all have dashed likes of different chinese dragons. use like 10 different shapes, thickneses and different facial profiles, thee are different shapes of chinese dragons.
there can also be an outline of the chinese symbol on that paper.
1) students color in the lines
2)students color in the symbol
3) then the teacher helps them with the folding.
4) students use the kid safe siccors to cut out the dragon and symbol
5) then glue the symbol on the dragon,
6)they put their names on the back
7)the teacher hangs them on the wall for a week.
Why does Irish and Cajun music sound alike when they aren’t even alike?
Cajun are of French decedents, French have "Gaelic/Celtic" root ( Brittany) ,they also play Big Pipes like Irish s and Scottish. Spoke Gaelic, very similar to the Scottish, Irish, and Welsh,
The instruments they are playing is "accordion", and "Fiddle" , same for Irish, and Cajun. So automatically, the sound will be similar.
Yet, the Cajuns sing in French 90% of the time , when the Irish is Gaelic or English.
Most Cajuns Play Waltz’s ( slow 2 steps),and Jitterbug( fast 2 steps), few play ( Gigues). < "Not sure of the spelling"
Irish ,as fare as I know play most Gigues and slower dances.
BTW, Scottish have a similar music also, extremely close to the Irish, as most where deported from Scotland to Ireland and become " Scotch- Irish".
I live in deep South Louisiana now for 30 years , and I am from Paris, France. Visited Scotland few time . That how I know . Yet, I am not a Musicologist.
Lapbook Lessons: Accordian Book
This is a really quick way to make a couple basic accordian books. You only need one sheet of paper. More free lapbooking lessons at www.lapbooklessons.com
Duration : 0:1:43
How to Tie Dye Shirt Designs : Vertical Accordion Patterns for Tie Dye Shirts
Learn how to make a vertical accordion pattern or design on a tie dye t-shirt in this free instructional video clip.
Expert: Alvaro Fernandez
Bio: Alvaro Fernandez is an expert tie dye artist who has sold thousands of his creations. He is also a producer, writer, photographer, traveler, and adventurer.
Filmmaker: Alvaro Fernandez
Duration : 0:2:50