Skip to main content

Technicolor Rainbow

when i was small i used to watch old movies from the 50's. i began with black & white's and eventually got sucked into the comedic life of I Love Lucy on Nick at Nite. in fact, my family used to joke that Nick at Nite was my dad... there was something i always found so great about those movies and shows. the endings were always better than the current shows on, the clothes were better, and the whole world just seemed happier.

the first movie i saw in technicolor was The Wizard of Oz. after seeing it in black & white on previous occasions seeing it in technicolor was amazing, even for me who had grown up with color television. the technicolor was bright the color's more vibrant. i was entranced! later watching other movies in the magical technicolor i saw just how fabulous the clothes really were, how shiny and slick the mens hair looked, and how bright everyones smile were. i was in love with technicolor Rock Hudson. i was in love with the technicolor bathing suits in Gidget. well, as i'm sure it has become obvious i was in love with technicolor. 

today i was thinking about the things that make up our lives. defining moments, moments that will never be forgotten, and missed moments that leave you with regrets. i thought about some of those moments for myself and visualized myself going back and forth between black & white and technicolor, a little like the film Pleasantville, and i thought about how if i had to choose, i would rather live my life in technicolor than black & white. how do you do that though... when the people that matter, and for yourself, how do you keep from fading into black & white and how can real life compare to the technicolor brilliance?


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Para Las Nietas

Cuando se van las abuelitas, se va una parte fundamental. We are pulled from the brown soil. Roots exposed. We falter, droop. How can we continue without the cariño of their warm hands to support us? Nourish us con sus caricias. Cuando se van las abuelitas, se van los almuerzos y cenas que no más ellas hacían. Las comidas that tasted of their love can no longer exist. The tacos crispy and brown, won’t taste the same. The flavor, like a duende, can’t be caught no matter how hard we try to capture it in our own kitchens. Cuando se van las abuelitas, se nos va el lenguaje, porque ellas nos hablaban en español. Nuestros apodos como Güera, Prieta, Niña, Mima, y Mija se desaparecen. We ache to hear the sounds of our names from their lips and grasp for their words. The ones we didn’t know we would miss. Cuando se van las abuelitas se nos va el amor duro. We lose the sharp tongues quick with consejos we didn’t want to hear at the time. Se nos pierden los dichos and the wisdom we...

¿Y la Prieta?

My grandma, Ita, called me Prieta. She called me this because my skin is toasted brown. When I was born my mom says I was light skinned, but she knew “que iba ser morena” because the inside of my little baby thighs were already darker than the rest of me. In the sun, I turn a darker brown. I get even more Prieta. It was a term of endearment. My sister, who has a light complexion, was called guera or guerinchi. When I tell people who don’t speak Spanish what Prieta means, dark or the dark one, their eyes open wide and a small gasp escapes. I see the offense they feel for me sprinkled on their faces like the freckles I will never have. When I try to explain, the offense still shadows their eyes. That is the problem with Spanish. Wait, maybe, that is their problem with Spanish. Even when I explain, they are suspicious. Their faces ask, “Is this true?” as if I am setting them up for a joke. But how can I explain the cultural and literal meaning of a word at the same time? ...

Spring Break Lists Fall by the Wayside

This week I'm on spring break. I had many plans. I wanted to work on my book. I wanted to spring clean the house. I wanted to tackle the garage. I wanted to post and sell more things on Craig's List. I wanted, I wanted, I wanted. So, far I've checked my email, emptied my DVR, and slept. This week has been good though, hermit-ish, but good. There's something odd that happens when you allow yourself to just be. I let my brain stop dictating what I was going to do and let my body chose to sit on the couch, to take a nap, to go back to the couch. Usually, I have lists constantly running through my head. Imagine a computer updating, white texts filling up a black screen,  that is my brain adding more tasks to the queue. But, the last few days my brain has frozen and the cursor is just blinking waiting for me to hit enter, to restart. The best part is that this is very rare for me. I think it is very rare for everyone, but I recommend it. Especially at this time of year...