‘Chutzpah’ is a Yiddish word meaning gall, brazen nerve, effrontery, sheer guts plus arrogance; it's Yiddish and, as Leo Rosten wrote, "No other word and no other language can do it justice."
Read the story below the picture and then you will understand.
A little old lady sold pretzels on a street corner for 25 cents each.
Every day a young man would leave his office building at lunch time and as he passed the pretzel stand, he would leave her a quarter, but never take a pretzel.
This went on for more than 3 years. The two of them never spoke.
One day, as the young man passed the old lady's stand and left his quarter as usual, the pretzel lady spoke to him.
Without blinking an eye she said: "They're 35 cents now
Thanks Annie for sending this one to me…
Carolyn sent me this one!!!
No English dictionary has been able to adequately explain the difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED. However, in a recent linguistic conference held in London, England, and attended by some of the best linguists in the world: Samsundar Balgobin, a Guyanese, was the clear winner.
His final challenge was this: Some say there is no difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED. Please explain the difference between COMPLETE and FINISHED in a way that is easy to understand.
Here is his astute answer: "When you marry the right woman, you are COMPLETE. But, when you marry the wrong woman, you are FINISHED. And when the right one catches you with the wrong one, you are COMPLETELY FINISHED!"
Tuesday morning so two hours of tennis which goes without saying I really enjoyed….then it was straight to pick up Paola and take her to the dentist to have two fillings fixed…..Paola was bright and happy and she was good in the chair.
Dr.Laura is very gentle and she filled the cavities without freezing and no problems and she charged me 200 pesos about 17 dollars.
I dropped Paola back home as she had to get ready for school.
I then went to Casa Hogar as I had an appointment to see the coordinator there….I have not talked too much about Casa Hogar and the changes there with three new Madres coming in and my friend Robin no longer involved with CH but I had some concerns that I wanted to address.
I met with Barbara and it was a good meeting and I was told that the girls have Seminary classes every third Saturday of the month and the Madres wanted to spend time to get to know and talk with the girls so I have been given permission to have Daniela every second and fourth Saturday of the month…..which is great because now I can make plans and can have Paola too so we can do some outings together….I have also asked if I can have her on Mondays for 2 hours before English class and will be informed about that later…so it was a productive meeting.
On the way home I saw this parade of vehicles…I do not want to get into the moral, ethical, humane debate about circus animals but I do want to say the faces and eyes of the kids on the side of the road that will probably never see these kinds of animals again was priceless!!!
I came home and relaxed outside for a while before coming inside to cook myself some nice pork chops and mashed potatoes for supper…then homework time and now ready for bed.
Tomorrow is the start of the Day of the Dead Celebrations and the next few days are going to be really busy!!!!
Honoring Dead Relatives ... It’s Fun!
To many Westerners, a holiday honoring dead relatives sounds sad, even lugubrious, and the idea of creating an altar exotic and witchy. But in Mexico, the spirited and spiritually imbued Day of the Dead holiday is a pleasant time of fond remembrances.
The Christian holiday was actually superimposed on the pagan holiday Samhain, marking the end of summer and the “death” of the year. The tradition was brought to Mexico with the conquistadors. Like other imported traditions, it absorbed local culture and products, morphing into something unique.
November 2 is All Souls’ Day in Mexico. On this day adults who have passed on are remembered at home altars and in graveyard vigils. Pagan and Christian calendars alike mark November 1 as All Saints’ Day. Mexicans dedicate November 1st to children who have died, calling it “El Día de los Angelitos,” or “Day of the Little Angels.” “Hallow’een,” October 31, ushers in this holiday period just as Christmas Eve ushers in Christmas the following day.
In preparation for October 31, families clean graves and tombs, painting headstones and pulling weeds. Flower ladies set up stalls outside the cemetery with enormous buckets of flowers for sale. The most traditional, the marigold, or cempasuchil, is used throughout Mexico.
The composition of altars varies by region, but they do have some commonalities. Symbols and iconography stem from a blend of indigenous, pagan, and Christian traditions.