Yes, sí, ya lo sé, I'm working on the profanity post...still. It's the one I'm going to write in Spanish so as not to offend the native English speakers. The Spaniards won't mind it. They'll just laugh at me and say "Pero hombre, ¿qué va?" Why so uptight? I'm really not that uptight - have hardly ever been - and now am even more lackadaisical than ever. But for those of my acquaintances back in the states who may shun this post, for you, hopefully some of the translation will be lost in the google translator above. It's taking me a long time because my entire existence of 42+ years of life has been that of dutifully trying NOT to swear and use profanities, except when, I was, from time to time, intoxicated during my university years or if I spilt the milk, then it was ok to yell "oh f@#k" (But, then, if I said it in front of my kids, I would immediately cover my mouth, eyes open wide, and apologize profusely for my maladies and horrible, horrible modeling skills.) Here, in Spain, I use a nice, flowered version of "oh f@#k", yes, in front of my kids, on daily basis, multiply times. The word is jolín. Rolls off the tongue nicely, doesn't it? By the way, the "j" is pronounced like an "h" in English. Correct intonation is a very important part of this expression. As you gently force (yes, you can force something, gently) out the sound from the depths of the back of your throat, you will tend to physically project yourself forward, ever so slightly, giving dramatic life to the expression. I wish I were a fly on your wall right now watching you practice.
Jolín is a mild way of saying joder (f@#k), and is sometimes used by children to avoid inciting the wrath of their parents. Let's just say this, jolín "softens the blow". Other forms that you might hear are (these are more often used by adults to avoid swearing)... jó, joer, jóe, jole. These can also be used to exagerate statements such as ¡Joer tío, es que me encanta esta canción! (holy s%%t dude, I love this song!) etc. I JUST couldn't resist on embedding this one...
Moving forward...I will save the rest our speech revolution for the future post.
Actually, this particular post has to do with a devastating event I witnessed in Granada yesterday. I can't begin to express the depth of our sadness towards this loss. In order for you to understand the magnitude, I'll take you back a few months and tell you the complete story. It all started with this act...
Yes, this poor gal carried her man around for various weeks, doing her duty as an advocate of species conservation. Little did she know, that her laborious efforts were all in vain.
She and her sistahs laid hundreds of thousands of eggs which snaked down the acequia above the Alhambra.
I would run by her daily, check on her status, say hello and give her a thumbs up.
The boys and I would rally to go up for walks and record the life cycle of a frog. They were devastated when the acequia began to dry a bit in between rain showers here and there.
They even went so far as to carry water up to help keep the area moist.
We became obsessed with the life of these soon-to-be amphibians, learning that they were a vital contribution to our healthy planet. They had to survive for the well-being of Granada!
Yesterday, this is what I saw on my run.
The acequia was recently shoveled clean, down to the bottom of the ditch. It is now bare.
The evidence was still fresh and wet, wriggling in the midst of metamorphosis, spewed all over the trail. DAMN those Alhambra greenskeepers!
I don't have the heart to tell the boys.