Latin Love for Nightshift

A definition essay about Latin love may consist of the following:

1. Saying what Latin love is not: Gringo style love. The latter consists of the attempt to have a healthy, normal relationship including trips to the marriage therapist. The couple supposedly treats each other as equals. They are supposed to be equals, but they have separate bank accounts and live different lives professionally and socially. They carry on in puritan fashion with their marital obligations long after the love and passion is gone. When one says divorce, they do divorce. Language equals truth. No extended family allowed. No visits from the motherinlaw. They make love every two weeks when they are not tired and stressed. Love is one thing; love is another. She may love you but can't stay married to you.

2. Expects on Latin love: passion, love and hate. The whole tribe. Women live almost separate lives. She always comes back to you, more so after all the big monthly fights and problems with the motherinlaw, who shows up whenever she wants and tries to influence you and your children. You give her money and send her to your sisterinlaws. Your wife, meanwhile, wants to be treated like a princess in the marriage, or at least a queen. It is your fault she has wrinkles and gray hair so you have to pay for the frequent treatments. She says she married you for your millions but she is still waiting to quit her job. Love and money are one and the same. She wants a new dining room set, a place for the dishes and a brand new SUV. You tell her tomorrow....

3. Your opinion: marriage is hell but you love her for all her twists and turns. You forgive her for acting like Taz and throwing dishes at you. She does love you, you think. She is very uptight and you promise yourself to tame the shrew. You are getting older so you feel like getting your mujer pregnant again to put her in her place: barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen and you think secretly this is what she wants, as long as she does not have to work...You sugre does help sometimes.

4. Synthesis? how? bring it all together: expects and opinion... Gringo love is too tempered and boring; besides you like the color of her skin. You must continue to tame the shrew, but ironically you are happy most of the time.

Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility....

So the big question: why is it some women (from all diff. races) expect to be treated like queens and princesses? If this is your belief, then who is making the decisions in the family? If the husband pays all your bills, then where is your responsibility? Where is the equal responsibility? Are you not going to be set up to be more like a prosty than a wife? If he pays for you, then he may treat you like a piece of property and a sex object that he can own and abuse as he sees fit.

Motorcycle Ride on the Sea of Tranquility....

The Sea of Tranquility is the new for a crater or body of water or ice on the moon: it has been named as such... What does the moon symbolize for us? luna, etc, lunacy.

Now to the Big Question of the novel: Yolanda, as a maturing Mexican American teenager, is trying to make sense of her life: her family, brothers, sisters, the changes in her body, the difference between how females are treated in family as opposed to outside...

Aura...

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, an aura is an emanation (oh thanks), a distinctive quality of a person or an atmosphere.

So how would you describe the aura of Aura? Dark, gloomy, gossamer, cobwebby... To me it has a nightmare quality to it: the scenes, the commands, the style to me all speak to a dream or nightmare.

It also has to do with personal identity: how are we the same person when we are 20 as at 80 years old? We don't like the same; we don't feel the same... so how is it that

Defining the step wife....

So to say what it is not: a step wife is not cohabitation, or common law wife. You really married her, at least in a civil ceremony.... And that was the beginning of your troubles. The step wife is not amigos con derechos. She is yours when you can catch her, and each time is like the first time, which ironically makes you love the step wife more, even tho she is still the step wife.

The experts, the "marriage therapists" all tell you without asking to divorce. That is their summarily advice at the beginning, middle, and end of therapy. Therapy has nothing to do with it. The other expert is Father Lopez and he says under no normal circumstances may you divorce her.

Your opinion of the experts? Both views are valid and seem more than true, and that is the basis of your problems. You don't want to divorce her, but she does not really fulfill the daily need for a relationship with someone--neither intellectually or in any other regard. Yet, you do see the truth in both experts: no, she does not live up to your expectations but on the other hand, you don't think she is so horrible that you must divorce her.

Furthermore, after so many failed relationships in your life, there is the hint or faint hint at least of the good times. When you have too much time on your hands, she does not suit you. During the regular busy life you have, you hardly see her but she is there sometimes when you need her.

You go on living the ambivalence with the step wife. Yes, you need each other but not daily. You do talk every day but usually via cell phone and the conversation is always the kids. Vas a recojar la nina? cuando? Your mind thinks of something else besides re-cojar. But that occurs later. Si, voy por ella, no te percupas. Hija, estas pensando en mi? click, she has already hung up, or closed her cell. There will be time to discussion later, much later, when you finally see the step wife as a shadow and a snore next to you in the final quiet of the night with some moon glow coming through the blinds. Should I surprise her? No, that snoring is practically my snoring and now the nina is snoring between you and the step wife.

Trying to define a "Step-Wife"...

So for the definition essay, some reminders:

1. Define by contrast, what X is not.

2. Bring in expert opinion to back up your points.

3. Bring in your take on the experts... are they correct or not?

4. Bring it all together, synthesis. And then conclude.

classification/division essay

The music essay was interesting but ended up being about the Kabbala and God and each paragraph ended with, "If God had wanted to create X, He would not have created Y." Really, the essay was about her--yes, Fran--pet peeves about Music: music in elevators, muzik; music you hear on the phone; music on the streets; music on the clock radio...

Talk about hangups: I have some serious competition... But if God had wanted it, then ... enough.

Disappointed....?

The day after the big election, I guess I should be happy. Yet, i admit, I am a little disappointed that the election results are happened very early. I was expecting a long, prolonged fight over many states, but this did not happen. So frankly, I was a little bored with the evening. I wanted a close fight and more controversy but again clear, early success for Obama.