Sista Is Published?

I tell ya…this blogging thing has opened up my world in ways I never dreamed it would.  The biggest thing it’s done for me is that it’s sent some precious people into my life that I probably never would’ve met and it’s gotten me into writing everyday rather than once a year "This Is What The Smiff’s Did This Year" Christmas letter.  

I just got an email from one Dan Waldoff in Japan. He is an editor for a publisher in Japan and he wanted to include excerpts of the Whiff in Journals of 30 Americans Vol 2 that is to be published in March of 2007.  Dan put it this way:

We hope to show the Japanese reader a view of ordinary life in the USAEnglish-speaking countries and the use of English in everyday circumstances.

You know who I can’t wait to show that moi has been published because of my use of everyday English?  My former sister in law, who is Japanese.

Former Sister In Law Smiff did not think much of your Sista. I know what you’re thinking…"How could anybody not love my Sista?"  Yes, yes.  Hard to imagine, but, tis true not everybody loves Sista Smiff.   I don’t know what it was…but she just did not get me.  She always spoke to me as if I were a few steps lower than her and I always felt she thought I had the intelligence of a bottlecap. 

I also think part of the issew between the former sister in law and me is she didn’t always understand what I was saying. She spoke great English, in fact, she was an English major, however, when she learned English, she learned British English and not the Sista’s English.  I use a lot of slang when I talk and have an ever so slight bit of sarcasm in me.  She didn’t always understand everything I said.  She pretended she did, but, she didn’t.   

You can see the book here.

Vaya Con Dios, Freddy Fender

I had to listen to Before The Next Teardrop Falls in honor of Freddy Fender.    I also had to listen to Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer by the Texas Tornados in Freddy’s honor.  I love it when he sings it in Spanish.  Good stuff. My kids don’t know "Teardrop" but they know the Tornados doing Rudolph.  They’ve heard it every Christmas since they were born.  Now, that’s not right…they do know "Teardrop" cause the Mexican Trio at El Rodeo sang it for us that night their daddy was throwing money at them, requesting stuff.

Freddy was big stuff back in the 70′s.  Remember Wasted Days and Wasted Nights played constantly on the radio?  He was so big, his name was the only English Juan Epstein’s girlfriend could speak. 

His real name was Baldemar Huerta.  He shoulda kept that  name…what a great name.

Sniffles, Miracles and Totally Useless Benson Trivia

A ding danged cold has invaded the Smiff House this beautiful Saturday.  Both #1 and #2 Boys have had this crud all week and it hit me last night just as I was "preparing" dinner…in line at the drive thru at McDonald’s.

Whilst convalescing from the Crud today, I just happened to have the good fortune to watch a movie I haven’t seen in years and never saw all of.  I remember seeing just enough of The Miracle Worker when I was a youngun.  I saw just enough then to take great delight in acting like Helen Keller, or rather, Patty Duke as Helen Keller.  Me and my real, birth Sista used to imitate her.  Yes, we were charming.  That was almost as charming as when we’d be out in public and start babbling, pretending we were speaking Spanish or some other foreigh language.  Funnier, we actually thought people bought it.  People probably thought we were just slow or something.

Anyway, if you ever have a chance to see The Miracle Worker, you must.  Patty Duke and Anne Bancroft are like buttah. No wonder they both won Oscars.  Sheee-at.  Even more amazing that Patty Duke was just a kid and in real life, at the time this movie was made, was enduring a real life hell of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of every kind by her managers.

It’s rather exhausting to watch the movie as Anne Sullivan tries to teach Helen manners and the concept that things have a name and then when she finally gets it….geez.  #2 was watching with me and thought something was terribly wrong with me cause I was bawling my eyes out when she finally says "water" and spells out "teacher." 

It was after the movie was over and I looked it up on IMDB that I realized that the woman playing Mrs. Keller is Krause from Benson!  HA!  Who knew she wasn’t really from Germany and that accent on Benson was just pretend?  Oh and Inga made records too!

Dramas-Pretend and Real

I almost forgot, Hazel’s new CMT series, Southern Fried Flicks, returns tomorrow (Sunday) on CMT.  Brad Paisley is with her and from what I hear, it’s pretty funny.  I wasn’t there when they taped the show cause I was babysitting my niece so her dad could assist with the taping.  I think the movie tomorrow is a Dukes of Hazzard Reunion (woo hoo).  It will come up on the tv listings as "Dukes of Hazzard" so look for it. 

Mr. Smiff called this morning from Japan and I swear, he sounded like he was next door.  The connection was better than I get half the time when I talk to him and he’s in say, Kentucky. He said everything in Japan is swell.  3 of the 6 guys in the band have never been out of North America, so they’ve had their mind sufficiently blown.  They looked down in a volcano today (like that’s something one does regularly) and the funny thing, well, it’s not funny, but, I told him about the Sara Evans thing and he said they had heard about it over there.

Elrod and Judy Seale (she’s the lady that puts this Country Gold festival together on the American end) were talking on the other end of the lobby.  Apparently, Judy was sharing with Elrod some of the details of the Evans/Schelske mess and all Mr. Smiff could hear was Elrod holler "Anal sex?!?!?!?!?!"  Wonder how you say that in Japanese?

I’m really, really surprised all this Evans stuff is so public.  I know Sara’s manager well and I’m quite shocked that they have decided to make this such a spectacle, especially with there being 3 kids involved.  It totally makes no sense to me.  She was getting some great publicity on Dancing With The Stars and it almost makes me think they’re trying to milk the whole divorce/poor Sara thing to get even more attention.  I dunno. 

I also found it interesting she complained about Craig’s drinking because Sara likes her drinkie, too.  I imagine Craig will fire that back at her with accusations of his own. He’s already denying some of the claims Sara’s made.

Craig Schelske (pronounced "Shell-skee") is a perfect example of why men who are married to succesful women need to have a career of their own rather than live off what their wives have done.  Now, it is true that Craig himself was a musician at one time and gave up his thing to help make his wife a star.  He tried to be a politician, but, that didn’t connect.  He’s not had anything to do the last 8 years or so that Sara has been succesful.  Not good for anybody, especially a man.  The whole thing is really sad.