girandole

gosh, i don't know about anyone else, but i had a really tough time thinking of a good topic for the word of the day:



gir⋅an⋅dole 
1. a rotating and radiating firework.
2. an ornate bracket for candelabra or the like, sometimes with a reflecting mirror at the back of the shelf.
3. a brooch or earring consisting of a central ornament with usually three smaller ornaments hanging from it.

finally today it dawned on me. i've been working on my honors thesis this semester, which deals with the famous catalonian painter, salvador dalí. this definition doesn't remind me of his art in general, but one of his works in particular kind of made the light bulb go off:



this painting is titled "galatée aux spheres" or "galatea of the spheres," and was completed in 1952. it currently resides at the fundación gala-salvador dalí in figueras, spain. the woman in the center of the painting is his wife gala, who appears in a great number of his works. she was said to be his muse (as well as the muse of a number of other surrealist figures. in fact, it was said that if a surrealist had been inspired, it was likely that he had been with gala). she was a secretive woman, and not much is known about her today other than that she was promiscuous - she was married to poet paul éluard upon meeting dalí, and was known to have many lovers throughout her marriage to the painter.

dalí claimed that he did not paint with intention; in other words, he was unaware of the meaning of his paintings. he simply painted what he drew up from his subconscious. the story with this painting is that dalí was intimidated by gala's many lovers throughout her life, and although she was his wife she was still unattainable to him. the orbs represent gala's lovers overshadowing her, and you will notice that they have sort of taken over her face. it is still very obvious that the woman is gala, but her features are not as distinct as they are in other works.

this is obviously not a traditional example of "girandole," but the orbs sort of reminded me of a "rotating or radiating firework."

later this week... whipsaw. hmmm, this should be interesting.

reconcile, reconciliarse

so, thanks to ice storm 2009 i am admittedly behind on my blog posting! so here we go with a quick game of catch-up.

the word of the day for last week was:

rec⋅on⋅cile 
–verb (used with object)
1. to win over to friendliness; cause to become amicable: to reconcile hostile persons.
2. to compose or settle (a quarrel, dispute, etc.).
3. to bring into agreement or harmony; make compatible or consistent: to reconcile differing statements; to reconcile accounts.


although there are endless examples of reconciliation in latin american culture, the first thing that comes to my mind is the relationship between mexico and the united states. since we are neighbors, it is important for us to reconcile our differences, or bring them into agreement or harmony. numerous debates are taking place about immigration, how it should be regulated, how illegal immigration should be punished, etc. opinions on the subject are as varied as the immigrants themselves, but it is incredibly important for us to reconcile our differences and build a mutually beneficial relationship among ourselves in the united states and our southern neighbors.

introducción

Hello all! This blog is for our FLAN 4023 class, and the title I chose comes from the Spanish equivalent of the nursery rhyme, "Hey Diddle, Diddle." For those who don't know, it means "the cow jumped over the moon." There's really no significance to that, other than being one of my favorite rhymes as a kiddo, and also my daughter was watching a Baby Einstein Language Nursey DVD, and this rhyme was on there in both English and Spanish. I thought it was pretty neat. :)

Anyway, my name is Monica Smith, and I'm a senior here at the U of A. I'm graduating this semester (Cum Laude! Yeah!!) with a degree in Spanish/Latin American Studies, and, although I have lots of big plans for the future, for now I hope to find a teaching position somewhere here in NWA. Fingers crossed! I've been with my boyfriend Jacob for 6 years now, and we just welcomed our little girl, Penelope Layne, into the world last November. It's been a more fun than I ever could have imagined. We also have a dog, Frankie, and two cerebral palsy kitties, Nell and Arnie (named after the films "Nell" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape"). They're perfectly smart and healthy, but they have zero equilibrium so they wobble and walk kind of like they're drunk. Here are some pictures of my cute little family:

Jacob and I at one of my brother's football games

Our hyperactive Boston Terrier, Frankie (aka "Frank the Tank")

Arnie, one of our "special" kitties

Nellie, our other "special" kitty

And finally, this is our pride and joy, Penelope Layne (aka, "Peepers").


Other than that, my interests are pretty varied. I enjoy art, literature, water sports, hiking, traveling, trying new foods, cooking, drinking coffee, live music, and spending time with my friends and family. :)