I very well may be the luckiest girl in the world. I'm sure there are other girls that think that, but I bet I can make a pretty good case for being the luckiest. (This is Kikita, by the way, Marta's eldest daughter. <-- That alone makes me pretty lucky, but that's not important right now ;-D) A little over a week ago, my timbales ...
Music
On the stage of the Hollywood Bowl (Pinch me.)
I'm going to write about the Hollywood Bowl today. Just as a warning - this post may get all emotional and gushy (<--is that a word?) because I LOVE the Hollywood Bowl. I love it so much I want to marry it. There's going to be gushing. And photos. And videos. And more gushing. Yes. It's uber-nerd heaven. The Bowl is just so ...
Classic.
My dad and most of the Verdés side of the family grew up playing multiple instruments. He loved, loved, loved any kind of music, but was an afficionado of classical and played both the piano and the cello. As much as I love my salsa music, oldies, and classic rock, I love listening to classical when I'm working on an art project. I think it ...
Southern California Cuban Festival 2011 in San Dimas
The following post was written by Kikita. It's that time of year again! Time for the Cuban Festival! It's been a few years since I've been, but I'll definitely be there this year! So... COME AND DANCE WITH ME! (Seriously, if you're a blog reader and you decide to go to the festival and you do see me, please come up and say ...
Home Alone
For years now, Eric and I have been home. He works here at home. I have been homeschooling for years. Our house is always full of noisy, happy, busy people. Whether they are our own kids or their friends, we've always had a full house. But now, Adam is gone. And Amy, who has spent the summer here with us, is leaving, too. Lucy and ...
When is a Pitbull NOT a pitbull?
It seems that lately I've been getting invited to all kinds of "events"- apparently bloggers are the new press. Who knew? Iwas invited by a fellow Latina blogger, Ana Flores from Spanglish Baby (Thanks again, Ana!) to come to the launch of the new Victoria's Secret perfume called Bombshell. It turns out that one of ...
Demanding Equal Time
I have four offspring. And although they don't come right out and say it, there's still a fair amount of sibling-rivalry-mom-always-liked-you-best moments. So, my son, Jonathan was complaining. Not too loudly, but still... The last few months have been all about Lucy and Russian Jews and Fiddling on the Roof. "Mom," he protested, "you wrote about ...
Las Terrazas
This is another Kikita post about her trip to Cuba. Several years ago a cousin I had never met before was visiting from Cuba. Since he had never been to Las Vegas, Mami, Luza, my tia Helen, and I drove out there to meet him and then bring him back to California. It was a whirlwind adventure riddled with cucufates, but that is another story. On ...
The EPIC Mr. Don’t Touch the Banana
The following post was written by Kikita, whose appreciation for bananas has led to endless laughter and entertainment. I can't tell you where or how it all started, but it started. I can only guess it happened on facebook because that's where most things happen these days.Let me be clear about something . . . I am not particularly fond ...
All Desi. All the time.
So we went to Vegas and Boulder City the week before Thanksgiving to see the fabulous Tormé Sings Tormé show. It was absolutely delicious and satisfying in every way. First of all Steve March Tormé's tribute to his incredibly talented dad (Mel Tormé) was both exhilarating to watch and yet tugged at the heartstrings as he sang while ...
He Danced With Me
The following post has been brought to you by the lovely and talented (and oh-so-humble) Kikita. About 10 years ago, when I was an adorable teenager who didn't remember much of the Spanish she'd spoken as a child, I saw the movie "Dance with Me." It was magical. There was a beautiful Puerto Rican guy (Chayanne) who was playing ...
Magical Summer Moments
Sunday, September 6, 1970. My very first concert. Smokey Robinson and the Miracles at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. Their opening act was Little Stevie Wonder who had just had a big hit with "Signed, Sealed, Delivered." This was my very first concert. I found the ticket tucked away in my high school photo album. Thirty-nine years ago ...
My Redemption Song
This post was written by Kikita. A few months ago I received an email in my inbox and all it had was a picture attached.This picture: Did I notice "El Gran Combo" (a group that, as a salsera, I have grown to love)? Of course not.I only had eyes for Willy.Immediately, I send Mami an email. There was no question as to whether we were ...
Como Su Ritmo No Hay Dos or What Cuban Music Heaven Looks Like
We live about an hour south of Los Angeles. (That's how you calculate distances here in Southern California; by how long it takes you in traffic to get from one place to another.) This is a wonderful thing because that means that we can go see shows in L.A. but not have to live there. See what I mean? Win-win. ;-) And when summer begins the ...
Let the Cuban Festivals Begin!
Hola, hola, Coca-Cola!Kikita here, reporting live from . . . ok, not live. But here comes the full report! This may get a bit convoluted, but it will still be fun, I promise! Last Sunday, April 19th, a new Cuban Festival was being held in downtown LA. Of course I had to be there.Mami & Dad were excited to go, but I knew they would probably get ...
Pure Imagination
This was a magical weekend for my son, Jonathan (the 13 year old). He actually became Willy Wonka. Our homeschool drama group put on the play/musical Willy Wonka Jr. No, seriously. He wore the purple coat and the trademark top hat in a remarkably comfortable manner. He wielded the glass-top cane as if he had been doing it all his young ...
