Xilófono
There are about as many Spanish words beginning with X as there are words that start with W. They are both pretty rare letters to begin with in Spanish, but the letter X at least has some purpose and precedent. And this time, the Spanish word I chose should be fairly obvious. Xilófono [zee-LOE-foe-noe] is the Spanish word for xylophone. In Spanish, there is no such thing as the 'ph' making the [f] sound like there is in English and in Greek. For example, the word 'philosophy' would be 'filosofía.' The chemical element 'phosphorus' is 'fósforo.' And 'telephone' is 'teléfono.' But anyway, as a quick example of how to use 'xilófono' in a sentence, we'll say, "I cannot play the xylophone." "Yo no puedo tocar el xilófono." In Spanish, the word for to play (when talking about an instrument) is 'tocar.' So that's today's Spanish word. If you have questions about this or any other Spanish word or concept, just let me know in a comment. It's free!
Anyway, The Osprey Open is next weekend. I went to it last year and had a good time. I said my goodbyes to Coach Preston who was retiring. And then afterwards, a small group of us went to that restaurant to have some brews and food. It was a great time. I hope something similar happens again this year. Nobody is retiring, but it should still be fine. This year, it's happening April 6. The events begin at 10am, but the running events don't start until 11. And the good events (sprints and hurdles) probably won't start until noon. It's tough to say. Floating schedules are tricky like that. It'll be nice to see some old friends again. And I'm pretty sure Coach Curll said that W. L. Goodfellows is going to be the yearly hangout spot for the team after every Osprey Open. I'm looking forward to it.
Also coming up quick is Shea's wedding. The RSVP date is April 12. I haven't replied yet, but I'm going to go. The wedding itself is on May 4, but why do I feel this inexplicable urge to just keep to myself? I KNOW it's going to be a fun time. After the dull ceremony is going to be an awesome reception with alcohol and everything! There are going to be plenty of people there that I know, and one is never forced to stay for terribly long. In all honesty, I can leave the reception anytime I choose, but that probably won't happen. Inexplicable anxiety. I mean, there's a hotel right there that very many of the guests will probably stay at. The Westin Governor Morris in Morristown sent me some paper publication on how the bride and groom have arranged for some rooms to be set aside for those who need it. Plus, they'll be available at a special rate. So that's cool. It's strange to be the age when some of your friends are getting married. Why do some people need love? Why do some people treat love as if it were the pinnacle of the human experience? People are weird sometimes.
In other news, I've started reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell at work. At first I wasn't too thrilled with it. The first chapter was full of words I'd never seen before and had a narrative structure that took me a few pages to get used to. But, I kept with it and was enjoying an intriguing narrative with convincing characters, sensible situations, and confusing connectedness before too long. I'm only on chapter three (The chapters are huge.), but this book to me resembles a singular thread and needle piercing through different textures and colors of thread. There is a clear sense that something larger than the immediate narrative is happening, and I am completely happy with my inability to figure out how any of this will end up. Granted, I am still in the beginning of the novel. And maybe it's possible that this collection of stories will merely exist on their own and only connect in basic and rudimentary ways. I like it a lot so far. It's a very pleasurable read while I wait for the third book in the 'Unwind' trilogy to be released this October. Recommended.
Today was Zombie Jesus Day. Honestly, I couldn't give a crap. Interestingly enough, what I do care about is the very stuff that requires me to give a crap- literally. Food. I'm talking about food. The only part about Easter I give a crap about is food because it makes me crap. Yesterday on March 30 we went to Memere's house up in Long Valley to feast on ham, potatoes, yams, carrots, green beans, and so forth. Dessert was pineapple upside-down cake. Uncle Mike, Ben, Shaun, Dad, and I threw around the football before dinner. Then today at home we enjoyed a very similar dinner, except the ham wasn't as charred and the pineapple upside down cake was sweeter, fluffier, and had more brown sugar. Then Dad and I played several many games of ping pong. He won three or four. I won at least ten. It's kind of funny how I have memories of him beating the pants off me when I was younger. But now I win most games without even using spins. He is improving, though. Our volleys are getting longer and more complex. It's just a shame that our basement doesn't have more room to move around so we could open up and get really crazy with our games.
Finally, my weekly question is food related. In particular, I'll be talking jelly beans. More specifically, I want to ask you about your three favorite flavors of Jelly Bellies. Maybe you like cherry, watermelon, and blueberry because it reminds you of fruit salad? Maybe you prefer chocolate, lemon-lime, and cinnamon because their resulting flavor combination is equal parts sweet, tangy, and hot? For me, I like juicy pear the best followed by buttered popcorn, and then Dr. Pepper rounds out my top 3. Juicy pear is an easy top choice for me because of its explosion of flavor that almost perfectly matches its name. Buttered popcorn does, too, but there's that inescapable sugary flavor in the background that I simply can't ignore. The flavor is so realistic that I love it. And I love the Dr. Pepper flavored Jelly Belly because it's Dr. Pepper. If Jelly Belly would make an apple cider flavored bean, that would be awesome!
I still have to do my taxes.-
Bryan