In Recovery...AGAIN

Well, I am back in a therapy/rehab facility because I got my other leg amputated below the right knee.  That surgery was on June 9, 2015, under the wonderful supervision of Dr. Kreuger.  I won't go into details, but just know you must take care of your self, especially if you are diabetic, and watch for any signs that may signal illness.  As a stubborn Hispanic male, I waited until the last moment.  My surgeon liked the fact that I was not in denial and my spirits are positive; he reassured me that I'd be walking again, albeit with another prosthesis.

I am currently in a Kindred Healthcare facility in San Francisco- not Tunnell but Lawton on 7th Avenue.  This place is more cheerful and bright.  The staff is wonderful- nurses, CNAs and therapists.  The therapists work me to the point of sweating and I have already "walked" 15+ steps.  In my mind I can see me walking but in reality it is going to take many days of therapy and practice.  My goal is to return home by mid July.

The food is bland; occasionally they will have great offerings such as hot dogs, hamburgers, pizza or lasagna.

I have met interesting patients as well.  Lots of elderly but have met a few people my age or younger who have had surgery or survived a coma or leg/his breakage.

Sleep is a luxury and lately I have been able to sleep from 11 P.M. til 6 A.M. for my blood sugar test.

I admire the men and women in the medical field- the patience they have in dealing with belligerent patients and demanding families.  I try to make them laugh; ask them how their day is going because they are human as I am.  If they smile or laugh at one of my bad jokes, my day has been worth it!

I miss writing in my blog and I have so much to tell.  Please keep me in prayers and send me positive vibes; I cannot deal with the negative folk out there at this point.

My friend Lori comes everyday and we laugh and chat.  My friend Len in Atlanta makes me feel wonderful when we talk...these two (besides my family) are my angels and I love 'em both.  God does send us wonderful people to cope with life.

Well....that's it for now...I will try to write more later in July.

And the Oscar went to...

Here are the Oscar winners!  My nominations/Winner

 Picture- The Grand Budapest Hotel/Birdman
 Director- Richard Linklater, Boyhood/Birdman
Actress- Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl/Julianne Moore- Still Alice
 Actor- Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game/Eddie Redmayne- The Theory of Everything
 Supporting Actress- Meryl Streep, Into the Woods/Patricia Arquette-Boyhood
 Supporting Actor- J.K. Simmons, Whiplash
Original Screenplay- The Grand Budapest Hotel/Birdman
Adapted Screenplay- The Imitation Game
Film Editing- The Grand Budapest Hotel/Whiplash
Cinematography- The Grand Budapest Hotel/Birdman
Production Design- The Grand Budapest Hotel
Animated Feature- How to Train Your Dragon 2/Big Hero 6
Foreign Language Film- Ida (Poland)
Costume Design- Into the Woods/The Grand Budapest Hotel
Makeup and Hairstyling- Guardians of the Galaxy/The Grand Budapest Hotel
Visual Effects- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes/Interstellar
Sound Mixing- Interstellar/Whiplash
Sound Editing- Interstellar/American Sniper
Original Score- The Grand Budapest Hotel
Song- "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" /"Glory" - Selma

See you next year!!

Oscar Predictions

Here are my predictions for the Academy Awards....

 Picture- The Grand Budapest Hotel

 Director- Richard Linklater, Boyhood

Actress- Rosamund Pike, Gone Girl

 Actor- Benedict Cumberbatch, The Imitation Game

 Supporting Actress- Meryl Streep, Into the Woods

 Supporting Actor- J.K. Simmons, Whiplash

Original Screenplay- The Grand Budapest Hotel

Adapted Screenplay- The Imitation Game

Film Editing- The Grand Budapest Hotel

Cinematography- The Grand Budapest Hotel

Production Design- The Grand Budapest Hotel

Animated Feature- How to Train Your Dragon 2

Foreign Language Film- Ida (Poland)

Costume Design- Into the Woods

Makeup and Hairstyling- Guardians of the Galaxy

Visual Effects- Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Sound Mixing- Interstellar

Sound Editing- Interstellar

Original Score- The Grand Budapest Hotel

Song- "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" 

We shall see tomorrow evening.

Starlight Express Meets the Ice Age

 I love science fiction- from aliens from space to apocalyptic adventures.  One sub-genre is the social science fiction- no aliens, spacecraft, UFOs.  All the drama is based on humankind's humanity or inhumanity towards humankind...uh, did that make sense?  Some films that I'd classify as social sci-fi would be Z.P.G. and the classic Soylent Green.  Snowpiercer falls into this category.  I had read about this film in Entertainment Weekly and a friend told me about it.  The story reminded me of the classic Metropolis.  

Apparently the cure for global warming went awry and global freezing was the result.  The powers that be created a trans-global railroad that would traverse the planet in one year.  As the film begins, we are in the 17th year of the Train.  The name of the train is the Snowpiercer and on board are the remnants of humanity- from the privileged rich to the poorest of the poor.  The tail section of the train is the home of the ones who are poor; the front of the train has the rich.  Between tail section and front are middle class, an aquarium, hydroponic garden, schools, businesses...in essence the entire world has been compacted into this humongously long train.

What happens when the slum section decides they have had enough?  The front section comes daily to take a head count (population control) and for some reason children are taken from their parents to help out (servants?) in the front section.  To get to the front the revolutionaries need the help of a man in the prison section who designed the train's door system.  Chris Evans is the leader, Curtis, totally unrecognizable from his Captain America films.   Accompanying him are John Hurt, the patriarch of the end section; Octavia Spencer as a mother looking for her son who was taken to the front.  The trials and tribulations the group encounters are engrossing and you have to remember it all takes place in the confines of a train!  Oh, and when Curtis discovers the source of their protein blocks (food for the tail section) it's not a pretty picture

Tilda Swinton portrays a wickedly marvelous villainess that oversees crime and is judge and jury when a crime is committed.  Karma does meet her eventually.  

The film is a South Korean produced and directed film.  Song Kang-Ho portrays the prisoner who helps the group enter the doors of each coach.  It is a gripping film and will hold your interest to the very surprising end.  The score by Marco Beltrami is wonderful- Jerry Goldsmith would be proud!

It is one of the best science fiction films of the year.  Check it out and enjoy!

So Long

It is hard to believe that one of the funniest men in the entertainment world has died at the age of 63.  Robin Williams made us laugh and even cry.  His films ranged from hysterical to thought provoking to mysterious.  I will remember him as the alien Mork on the sit-com Mork and Mindy.  His Holocaust dramatic film Jakob the Liar showed how this funny man could handle serious subject matters.  And his wonderful Patch Adams showed a nobleness and humor in the medical profession.

He leaves us a wonderful entertainment legacy.  Thank you Robin Williams for the laughter; our world will miss you!

Eres Mi Tesoro

Soap operas have become an endangered species.  I recall that every day each of the major networks had soaps that had a loyal following.  In the 60s, my two back-to-back favorites were One Life to Live and the cult classic Dark Shadows.  Today there are just a few remaining…but, I digress.  Unless you watch the telenovelas.  Those notorious Spanish language soap operas that are made in Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina and Mexico.  The titles of the soaps range from character names, such as Esmeralda, Rosalinda or exotic titles such as La Pasion de Gavilanes (The Passion of Hawks) or La Mujer del Vendaval (The Woman of the Vendaval).  I normally do not watch the hardcore nighttime soaps because they conflict with the other networks.  Since January I have been hooked in a particular soap Que Pobres Tan Ricos which has become a wonderful guilty pleasure.  

Pictured above are the Menchaka family and their friends: La Guendi, Tizoc, Don Chuy, Perla Ivette, Carmelita and little Emiliano.  They live in a "colonia" or neighborhood in Mexico City that is not quite for the wealthy, rather a blue collar neighborhood where the Spanish sounds very uneducated yet colorful.  La Guendi, hysterically portrayed by Gloria Zamora, owns a beauty salon.  Don Chuy was a professional wrestler, "El Hijo de Sumatra."  He now runs a restaurant that his daughter Guadalupe and their friend Carmelita cook for.  Guadalupe is portrayed by Zuria Vega- a tough single mom who will do anything to protect her family.

In the above pic you can see the wealthy ones, the Ruizpalacios…Miguelangel, Ana Sofia, daVinci, Frida and Leonardo.  Apparently, Miguelangel has been accused falsely of laundering money from the family's publishing company.  Their home is taken away and they accompany Miguelangel as he flees from the law.  The family claims to move to Italy, but end up in hiding in the Menchaka home.  The stories revolve around the mishaps of the rich vs. the working class.  Miguelangel is trying to find out how to clear his name and the family must adapt to their new social class.  Miguelangel is comically portrayed by Jaime Camil and he seems to have mastered slapstick comedy that works well in this soap.

Mark Tacher portrays Alejo, the villain of the story, who is the one who robbed the money and has accused Miguelangel of the wrongdoing.  His attorney, Vilma Teran, is hopelessly in love with Alejo and will do anything to grab his attention.

The villainesses of the piece are wonderfully portrayed by Ingrid Martz, as Minerva Fontanet, and her deliciously wicked mother Isela, portrayed by Raquel Pankowski.  These two get into hair brained schemes and malaprops worthy of Lucy and Ethel.  Minerva loves Miguelangel, but when he flees, she eventually marries Alejo.  Oh, both mother and daughter are nouveau riche and gold diggers extraordinaire.

The soap is midway through its course.  Spanish soaps usually have 150-200 episodes and come to a big happy ending.  The villains also face their just desserts.  This soap also reflects social problems that the world faces:  dealing with the elderly with dementia; battle of the social classes; homosexuality; alcoholism. These problems are treated with tact and humor as not to offend.  

As stated, watching the Spanish soaps is a guilty pleasure.  Entertaining and fabulous even though join-Spanish speakers label them as vehicles for over-acting.  But that shows the passion of the Latin!  Some Spanish networks have closed captioning in English; worth a viewing even if you do nor speak Spanish.

Zuria Vega (Lupita) and Jaime Camil (Miguelangel)

Thoughts Whilst in Recovery

So much has happened since Thanksgiving 2013.  I got deathly due to diabetic complications and needless to say I had a below the knee amputation.  I am living with this consequence as I did not take care of my health.  It's that damned Latin image that "I'm alright and I will survive."  Wrong!  It's a lesson learned that I will have to live with the rest of my life.  Currently I am in a rehab center working with great therapists.  Essentially I am learning to walk again.  My upper body strength is the pits and I am slowly working on that.  The prognosis is that I will be getting a prosthetic as soon as the leg heals.  This is where time is a factor…and I am learning patience.

This experience has also shown me  the love and warmth my family, school family, and friends had shown me.  I still need to give a  good hearty cathartic tear fest.  It isn't until you are in such a situation that you realize love has surrounded me but I failed to recognize it.  My nieces and nephews: Julie, Christina, Lorenzo, Andy; my brother Sergio and sister-in-law Miriam; my other sister-in-law Gloria.  The Gonzalezes: Aunt Amanda, Rudy, Beta, Rick, Raquel, Lexy and Tori.  Manuel and Pat Mondoy.  Dorita y Enrique; Enriquito and Veronica (the other Perezes) and my wonderful school family: Pat Keeley, Grace Rigor, Danny Ballesteros, Dorothy Vigna, Sheila Guzman.  Their visits have added energy to my healing process.  Not to forget Sister Chris, Sister Lisa, Sister Marianne and Sister Elizabeth.  And all the phone calls from distant friends and family.

Rene Bonilla is taking care of my beloved Papi and the best neighbors, Wolf and Gloria have offered to help.  And Lori Hartwick has been an angel visiting with her roommate Leigh Ann.  I am truly blessed.

Now, this is not a feel sorry for me episode.  I encourage positive thoughts and lots of laughter my way.

I plan to be back at work and life resuming to its full potential.  Please keep me in your prayers and good thoughts.  Until soon.  

Bravo! Brava!

Upon the recommendation of a friend, I purchased this film.  I am glad I did.  What does happen to celebrities that once bathed in the limelight and are forced, due to illness or other things, retire in a home?  That is basically the story of QUARTET.  

My favorite British actress, Maggie Smith, is wonderful as Jean Horton, former opera diva.  Unbeknownst to her, her former husband is also a resident.  He does not want anything to do with her and she is ready to apologize.  Tom Courtenay portrays her ex, Reginald.  He does have a wonderful scene with young students who come to hear a lecture about opera.  He tries to explain opera; he even does research on rap and hip-hop.  He explains that in opera, the character is stabbed in the back with a knife, then sings about the betrayal before dying.  The young student also tries to explain rap to the opera singer by rapping a comparison of opera and rap.  It's a clever scene.

Billy Connolly and Pauline Collins round out the quartet.  Billy loves to flirt with the director of the home who is married.  Pauline Collins, also a former diva, is beginning to show signs of dementia and her character is very childlike and innocent.  Their goal is to have Jean join them in the Quartet from "Rigoletto."  Do they succeed?

What brought me to tears is the fact that the elderly are an aspect of society that we forget about.  The residents of the home were famous in their heyday, and now they are forgotten or are voices on recordings recalling their glory days.  Makes me think of contemporary singers and how they will live their lives when they are past 60.

It is a bittersweet comedy to be thoroughly enjoyed.  The opening song is "Brindisi" from LA TRAVIATA, I believe.  My knowledge of opera is non-existent, as my knowledge of musical theatre is  

existent.  I believe this film has opened up my curiosity into the world of opera.  Enjoy!

And now Mr. De Mille...

Recently I purchased The Cecil B. DeMille Collection of DVDs.  One of the films in this set is The Sign of the Cross.  I had seen this film many years ago on TV and always wanted to have this in my collection.  I would say it was the Quo Vadis? of the early 1930s.  In fact, I found it a tad better than the technicolor spectacle of the early 1950s.

This film was made before the notorious Hollywood Production Code existed, therefore the scenes were very racy, to say the least, and provacative.  Example:  Claudette Colbert as the villainous empress Poppeaea is introduced bathing in the milk of donkeys.  And in her bathing pool you could see her rather seductive curves being caressed by said milk.  There is a scene later in the film depicting a Roman "orgy" that has subtle lesbian hints!  Quite a risk taker that Mr. De Mille!!

The plot of the film is Roman military officer, Marcus Superbus,  meets young Christian woman, Mercia,  and it's love at first sight.  

Nero is portrayed by Charles Laughton.  He seems bored with his job as emperor and would rather be delving into the arts.  Perfect casting.  I wish he had more scenes, but his portrayal of Nero is decadent, much like Peter Ustinov in later years.  Claudette Colbert's Poppeaea is sensuous; her costumes are ever so Hollywood "Roman."  

The scenes depicting the games, where gladiators and martyrs meet, are pretty racy for the time.  Gladiator battles depicted are gory, by 1930s standards.  The demise of women martyrs, scantily clad, leads me to believe the Romans loved to add sex to people about to die.  Kind of scary since today we have crowds cheering at events where women, and even men, are in skin tight clothing and ready to do battle be it at wresting or some other athletic event.  These arena scenes are probably the closest Roman recreation of the debauchery that was Rome.

Of course, the Christians sing hymns on their way to martyrdom.  The closing scene is very reminiscent of 1953s The Robe.  I did shed a tear or two.  

Overall, an excellent retelling of ancient Rome.  Watch it with an open mind and realize it is the product of an era where film making was still a novel art.  Cecil B. De Mille was a pioneer at directing films with casts of thousands.  It's easy to day, with technology and CGIs to recreate any epoch of history; but there is nothing like watching films where the only technology was the camera.  Films of this type would be an expensive undertaking today!

Iditarod 2013

Today is the ceremonial start of this incredible 1000 mile race across the wilderness and scenic beauty that is the grand state of Alaska.  Sunday the 3rd of March the race begins.  Over 60 mushers and their sleds and amazing canines.  

This past week and the upcoming week my students have been doing research on Alaska, picked a musher to follow and have started to record the Alaskan weather to later create a weather bar graph.  My students have also researched hypothermia and how it may affect both human and canine contestants.  They have been very receptive and happy we've put our traditional subjects to the side for a few weeks.  Fear not!  They will be reading, writing and solving math problems...but with an Iditarod theme!  On Friday the 8th of March, we will have a school assembly with three huskies that have raced the Iditarod and their owners.  I am looking forward to this a lot!   Will keep you updated this week...hopefully!!