Tag: Humor

¿Se Habla?

~ JodiLea ~ 1 Comment

Topic #84: If you could master any skill instantly, what would it be? The first thing I thought of is something I’ve been wanting to do, but haven’t had the time to pursue.

Se Habla

I want to speak, read, and write in Spanish. This would be a handy skill to have since I live in California and there are many people here that speak Spanish fluently. I want to communicate. I want to know what they are talking about, and if it involves me in any way.

Occasionally I dream that I speak and understand  Spanish. I even think to myself in the dream,  “Hey! I can speak Spanish!” Is this weird? Do other people dream in foreign languages from time to time? I think I know the answer to those questions already…

I remember a lot of words and phrases from my 7th grade Spanish class. I know the pronunciation fairly well. When I habla to a Spanish-speaking person they understand me. But knowing a tiny amount of the language is useless because  I can’t understand what they say back. And that could be critical.

I am also tired of pressing “1” all the time.

Restaurant Review: Chelas

~ JodiLea

Chelas Logo

A new restaurant opened just down the hill from my mom’s house in Laguna Niguel. Sis and I have waited for them to open since August. We saw a sign on the vacant space last summer saying “Coming Soon! Chelas Mexican Grill” Yum! We love Mexican food.

When we walked in the door a heavenly aroma enveloped us. Our first impression was a mixture of “this is a fast food place!” and “OMG, it smells incredible!” Chelas menu is posted on the wall and you place your order at the counter. The interior walls are painted a light drab, and the vinyl flooring is black. They have chairs and tables available, and you can order food to go.

This was not what we expected.

The menu was far different from the Mexican restaurants we usually went to. No Enchiladas, Chili Rellaños, Soups, or Salads listed. What was on the menu seemed weird to me. I never had a taco made with shredded cabbage instead of lettuce. Their burritos also had cabbage. My sister wanted a Chimichanga and I wanted a Chili Rellaño, so we felt disappointed. We settled for a ‘La Gringa Taco’ – recommended by Edward, who waited on us. I also ordered a Quesadilla and sis ordered a Chili Verde Burrito.

While waiting for our order, we were a captive audience for Chelas lively background music. It was as jarring as it was unconventional. The volume was too much to suit me – no surprises there. If asked to describe the genre, I would say it was ‘Mexican Polka’. The tempo was crazy fast and the lyrics were in Spanish. I’m embarrassed to admit that I caught myself bobbing my head and dancing my shoulders along with it at times.

So why am I giving Chelas ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (4 hearts out of 5)?

The food is that yummy. Period.

I think we will order it to go next time. Unless of course we’re in one of our Mexican Polka moods.

How I Got My Name

~ JodiLea

The Yearling Gone With The Wind

My mom was under the influence, of Hollywood, when she named my sister and I. Our names came from movies that she saw while pregnant with us.

When mom was pregnant with me, she saw “The Yearling”. She really liked the name of the little boy in the film. His name was Jody. Mom dropped the “y” and put an “i” – so my name is Jodi. I knew I had a cross-gender name, but to find out I was actually named after a boy character in a movie, I was irked about this.

This was totally unfair! I wanted mom to take it back and name me a girl’s name, but she would not do it. “Be glad you have a unique name,” she told me. “The world has way too many Mary’s, Karen’s and Cathy’s.”  I could not argue with that.

Four years later, my sister got the pretty and feminine name. The movie mom saw was “Gone with the Wind”. Her name is Melanie.  It was bad enough to have a boys name without dealing with a younger sister having a girl’s name. I was extremely irked about this discrimination.

Mom, why the hell didn’t you name her ‘Rhett’?