Haircut and an Attitude

Okay, so for those of you who wanted clear proof, here it is.
A haircut, in three pics...

Que Dia MAS BONITO!

Anoche fui a una cita con mi doctor y encontre una noche PRECIOSA. La luna estaba casi llena en un cielo azulito - color del mar oscuro. Y habia puntos de estrellas tambien.

La noche estaba FRI-ITA!

Entre una tienda, buscando un regalo para mi doctor y unos libros nuevos para leer.
Buscaba, pero no encontre algo que me interese...hasta que vi DOS libros en la seccion marcado <>. Habian dos biografias que me interesaba MUCHISIMA...sobre la vida de Celia Cruz, la dona de la Salsa, y la vida de Django Reinhardt, un genio de la guitarra y jazz de las 30s (siglo XX). Tenia que comprarlos! Soy loca leer de musicos!

Y para la doctora encontre un calendario sobre las maestras de vida. Ella es una maestra muy poderosa en mi vida y quiso darle algo para decirle las gracias.

Esta manana levante muy lentamente...pero vi que el cielo estaba azul clarito...azul como los huevos de pajaritos de la primavera. Empeze con mis ejercisios de <> y yoga.

Todavia estaba FRI-ITA, pero el dia esta bonito! Sol brillando, y la Luna todavia en el cielo, diciendo <> al Sol.

Que lindo puede ser las cosas sensillitas, no?

Gracias, Jose Padilla

Until there was a terrorist named Jose Padilla, there seemed to be an language barrier with my last name.

Growing up I had a lot of folks think I was Italian until they encountered our family. Not really sure what made them change their minds.

The pronunciation outside of family ties was always /puh DILL uh/. There was always a polite apology for messing up the pronunciation since it was such an uncommon name. I thought this was a decent excuse until I made the connection with strangers in NYC when we visited relatives who pronounced our name without any issues whatsoever. And some of these people were even born Spanishly-challanged.

In High school I concocted a clever retort and asked if anyone ever ordered a /tore TILL uh/ at Taco Bell. Invariably my peers giggled as if that was the most stupid thing they ever heard. I thought the stupidest thing I ever heard was an excuse to botch my name and yet have an A+ aptitude to order the foodstuff.

Padilla and tortilla are not so far apart in pronunciation, you see.

Fast forward 12 years: June 14, 2002. The news is ablaze with a terrorist and the commentators are flopping in pronunciation like a ritalin-filled 5th grader during the afternoon cartoons. Within the same conversation the name is pronounced with a more Iberian flair and a more accessible Midwestern affect. It hurt most to hear Ray Suarez of the News Hour (Lehrer Report) go back and forth. That man should KNOW better.

For me it's upsetting. I don't want to claim Mr. Padilla, but it IS a matter of principal. If you can order the dish at Taco Bell, you can respect a person's name.

Thank you, Mr. Dirty-Bomb guy. Thank you for starting the dialog.

Today I heard it right, at least more consistently.