I agree but if anything, Pio lingered waaaay too long in Plan A. I think he is in unchartered waters at this point. Caught somewhere between Plans A, B, C and D.

Nams,

My hat is off to you. You summed it up perfectly.

Thanks for the Spanish lesson larousse.

I think nams is closer to my thought process. A Plan A-, if you will. It takes two to begin R. if gemela is not prepared for that, neither am I. I do intend to say and do all the correct things but I have little to no attachment any more. I need to get some motivation from gemela.

I was sitting on my bathroom floor this AM just thinking. (I do this a lot BTW - it is the only quiet place I really have in the house). I was asking myself why I don't feel anything at all about gemela coming back. I don't look forward to it and I don't dread it. It almost doesn't feel real. I just have the strangest feeling of non-feeling and I can't explain it or understand it.

Did you see DD's goal? I was directing other girls so I didn't really see it that night. Now I see it on video and I just can't believe it. Nothing was going to stop her. Last year she was nothing like this. She would have kicked the ball the first time and never gone after it. It makes me wonder what went through her head for that instant she was just standing there watching it and then she took off like lightning. I'm sure that poor little Reneé girl took an elbow or two to the face. Makes a daddy proud!

My pleasure Nam.

Todd,

holitas, qué onda?
I read you had inmigration manifestations on Atlanta.
Ugh. There was someone with the phrase: "Mexico is not our friend" to which I would have replayed, "Has US goverment ever been our friend? " Is it a matter of either you are with me or you are against me...
Oh well. I'm the only one who wants to import a gringo? Lol
I never call him that by the way. He does call himself that.
Lol.

I thought it was a great goal and what a celebration - she ran right for you Pio.

I see no harm and a lot of good in being welcoming - so flowers and cheesecake speak volumes. Gemela is no doubt quite fearful about her return.

Que tal makes no sense in English. I think it translates to something like "what of that". Many Spanish greetings are slang terms and vary by country. In Venezuela (excuse the language), the common expressions are:

¿Qué fue? (what did it go?) or the longer form: ¿Qué fue, pajarito?

¿Cómo está la vaina? (How is the bean pod?)

¿Cómo está la verga?) (How is the penis?)

This last one is used many times to greet a woman although it is considered a little rude. Some men say it and some don't. Some men will substitute "vaina".

In Venezuela, bothe words "verga" and "vaina" are liberally used simply to mean "cosa" or thing. In fact this makes it very hard to really learn Spanish in Venezuela because almost every thing is either a vaina or a verga. If you want someone to pass you a book, for example, you say "dame esa verga". If you lose something, "¿dónde está la verga?". I had to leave Venezuela and move to Mexico to learn that there were actual words for things like tables and chairs.

¿Cómo está la cosa? I have heard in Mexico and is similar to "How's things?"

Conversely, expressions like "what's happening?" or "what's up?" would not translate well into Spanish as a greeting.

I have two really great books: "1000 Spanish Modismos" and "Wicked Spanish for the Traveler". The second book is also available in German, french and Italian at the very least. The french version is particularly enjoyable and I highly recommend it for humorous reading.

Luna, I'm sorry to hear about your father.

Perhaps a bunch of simple flowers in a vase on the table, not a bouquet.

Good luck Pio.

Well she was a cake-eater for a while. I hate for her to come back and think I am willing to let her be a cheesecake-eater too.

Pio - I think you need to be prepared to take a small chance here.

Pio said it well. He needs to get motivation from G.

Your daughter is quite the fierce little player.

It's just like when the policeman pulled me over in Tabasco and asked me why I didn't have a motorcycle helmet and told me it was unsafe and I could be killed. I replied "so that's one less gringo to you, isn't it?". He let me go. He said I had a good point.

Yes that's another good one.

Thanks Nams.

Luna - I'm sorry to hear about your father too.

larousse,

I don't mean to offend but I am reading in the news that the US and Mexico are now fighting over a wall. First, if they build a wall, I am sure they will hire Mexican laborers to make it and they will construct it out of Cemento Cruz Azul so you guys will know where all the weak points are.

I was trying to put this in perspective. How would I feel if Canada decided to build a wall all along their border between them and the USA? Would anyone care? The only downside I see is that it would seriously limit the talent pool in Hollywood.

The fact that G was a cake eater says a lot about how Pio should proceed. If he welcomes her with grand gestures she may feel entitlement. If there is some reserve on his part she get the message it's her turn to step up to the plate. As she should.

G being a little fearfull of her return is as it should be. She was on vacation for how long? She was bored & wants to come back. I wouldn't welcome that with a band & parade.

copied and pasted from a different thread:

The Mordida

The following accounts are true stories from my time in Mexico and can help save you some money in case you are "stopped" by the police. Now, being stopped by the police in Mexico is not actually very easy so, if it happens to you, you should already be embarrassed. The reason is that most Mexican traffic police do not actually have vehicles. They stand by the side of the street and flag you down. Now, if you don't stop, you are thinking that he will write down your license number and track you by computer. Rest assured that this would never happen - mainly because they either don't actually have computers or, to track you down, would require additional work with no compensation which is simply not in their best interest. So the trick here is "eye contact". If you avoid eye contact with the policeman, you can continue driving with no consequences. If, however, you happen to make eye contact, you must pull over. Failure to do so would be disrespectful and respect is very important in Mexico. If you are stopped, there are four directions you can take the conversation. I have personally tried three of them and all are equally good and effective.

The fourth option is to actually accept the ticket. Now, please understand that this is an option that neither you nor the policeman actually wants so both should work together to avoid it unless absolutely necessary. Accepting the ticket will not cost that much money but it will cost you one to two days in the police station and in court where you will suffer the additional indignation of being ridiculed for actually having gotten the ticket in the first place instead of going for one of the other three options.

Option one - the bribe or "mordida". Once I was driving along in Villahermosa with my future wife (Gemela) and her sister and I was probably speeding although the policeman had no radar gun to support his case so technically it was his word against mine (advice - never argue with a Mexican policeman). I already knew to avoid eye contact but, what can I say, this man just had a "presence" about him. He was a magnet. I could not have avoided looking at him if I had tried. He had truly missed his calling. The man should have been an evangelist but, him being Catholic, I am sure that is a conflict of interest. Oh well - damage done. I pull over. He walks up to the car and I roll down the window and he asks me for my license and tarjeta de circulación (registration). He makes a couple of notes and SLOWLY walks back to his motorcycle. Meanwhile, the three of us are in a panic and wondering what to do so we come to the consensus to try to offer him a mordida. My fiancée taps the horn to get his attention so he turns and comes back. Well Gemela says to him something like: "excuse me officer but isn't there some way we could resolve this situation which is an obvious misunderstanding" and reveals a 50 peso (5 U$D) note I had given her. He calmly says "double it". Well, I am thinking $10 dollars is not a bad way out of this so I pull out another 50 peso note and he says with slightly more emphasis "double it". Now I pull out a 100 peso note and he says "double it". Now I am starting to weigh the pluses and minuses of the bribe versus the actual ticket and am also starting to get a little perturbed at this guy's audacity but I now pull out a 200 peso note and hand it to Gemela and he is now becoming very angry and once again says "DOUBLE IT". Well, I am now out of money and also a little angry myself so I pull out my bank card and am about to say "here - take this to the cash machine. This is my PIN number. Take what you want" when he reaches in the car and takes the original 50 peso note and nothing else and folds (doubles) it so he can hide it, hands me back the license and registration and walks off. Obviously it was a language problem.

Option two - the language barrier: Another option to avoiding a ticket is the language barrier but does not always have predictable results - especially if, it turns out, that either he speaks English or you speak some Spanish. Remember that neither one of you actually wants to end this in a ticket and that usually won't happen if you both do your jobs. The problem is that it requires significant concentration to maintain the façade. If either one of you breaks down even for a second, the whole gambit is lost. It works like this: you start with "sorry officer but no habla español". This is bad grammar. It should have been "no hablo español" but you knew that - this is all part of the ploy. If you start conjugating your verbs correctly, it is your first sign of weakness and he will catch it. Once he does, he knows he has you and will try to "up" the negotiation. Now, if you hold fast and he cannot break you down, he MAY try to start speaking English because he doesn't want to let a fish off the line. If he does this, get a perplexed look on your face and say "WHAT?". Many Mexicans are embarrassed about their poor English so, rather than face further shame, he will give up at this point. If, however, his English is better than yours, it is now just a matter of negotiating price. You can get by with 50 pesos if you live there but if you are a tourist plan for something like 100 pesos. Trust me - he'll know the difference so don't haggle. If you have both been able to maintain your ignorance of the other's language and this is dragging on for an extended period, one ploy which I have successfully used on several occasions is to get out of your car, appear very agitated, throw down your keys and start to walk off. You won't get very far. The policeman will pick up your keys and motion you to get back in your car and just drive away. The LAST thing he wants to be stuck with is your car and you'll see why in option three.

Option three - be logical: I used to ride a Honda 1100cc Shadow (motorcycle) in Mexico. It was far bigger than any other motorcycle in the south of the country so mostly people left me alone. I never used to ride with a helmet which is strictly against the law in Mexico but is, as we all know, a safer way to ride because you have better visibility, better hearing and generally better awareness of all that is around you. Because Mexico has a helmet law but most people cannot afford helmets, it is not uncommon to see people riding around in hard hats or even imitation baseball batting helmets. Sometimes I used a "doo rag". I rode for years like this. Even the "federales" never bothered me and they are generally more strict. One day I got pulled over in Villahermosa by two police in a patrol car. I got off the bike and they approached and asked me where my helmet was. I explained I did not have one. They countered that I had to have one because it was the law in Mexico. Flawed logic at best but I let it go. One of them even went back to the car and brought back the book of ordinances and showed me that it said so in the book. He said that helmets were necessary to prevent injury. I told him that, if I had an accident, one less "gringo" would actually be an improvement. He had no argument there so realized I had him trapped so he goes back to the book again and asks me for my license. At this point I am oozing with confidence so I give him my license and registration. He looks at it and says "no - I mean your motorcycle license". Uh-oh. "What motorcycle license?" I ask and he says that, in Mexico, you need a special license for a motorcycle. I told him that this was the only license I had and knew nothing of a "motorcycle" license. He then adds "and, by the way, this license expired two months ago". (This is not going as I was wanting). I got out my cell phone and called the office and asked the secretary to send a car for me. I start unpacking all my stuff from the saddlebags and hand the key to the officer. He says "what are you doing? Do you really want us to impound the bike?". I told him I was in violation of several ordinances and I would just have to sort it out later and that I had to be at work right then. He said that I needed to follow him to the impound yard and get a receipt for the motorcycle and then I could go to work. I explained that a) I had no helmet b) had no motorcycle license and c) had no valid license at all so I could not possibly drive the bike to the impound yard - he would have to do it. He said that if he were to drive it and any damage occurred that he would be liable and I could sue him (he needed lessons in negotiation). I said that was his problem so he had better be extra careful with the motorcycle and not damage it. Poor guy. He was really frustrated. Things were not going his way. He finally handed me back my license and registration and said "I am giving you back your license so you will just......GO" but that I had better go buy a helmet. I got on my bike, left and never bought a helmet. I have to admit I think I got a little lucky here but I took a position of weakness and made it into a position of strength and got away with it.

Note: the above-mentioned price ranges apply to the "locales". If you get stopped by the "federales", the price is more in the 200 to 500 peso range depending on the infraction. Just remember - they don't want your vehicle either.

Okay it seems we have a difference of opinion about the flowers so I will compromise and I will send bigK flowers via FTD. Roses okay big guy?

Hi Larousse,

I am not aware of about which you are speaking. Was there a protest in Atlanta? If so, I aplogize for my narrow minded idiots. Like the Steppenwolf song goes, "you're so narrow minded that if you fell on a pin you'd be blind in both eyes."

It is interesting that the great immigrant waves of Germans, Irish, Italians and others were accomplished during a time when there was no mass communication. I think that is the differentiating factor these days. Too much coverage by the media, in fact, too much negative coverage.

We have many Mexican friends here who are doing nothing but working their a$$es off to better themselves. They are succeeding. Of course, those same idjiots would be campaigning against my WW and my sons. They best not be allergic to bullets if they do so.

No I am not going to repost for my own reasons. I cannot send you an email because it goes against a very good guideline. If you and ToddAC can come to an agreement, I can send him the URL and he can email it to you. You two just let me know.