Café crazed 1st Gen Cuban-American raised in Miami. 62 and starting anew!! Spanglish speaking Mother of 3, Abuela of 6; a human shot of espresso and earnest in my extremism. An adventurer, dancer of life; loving its’ locuras and celebrating the "humanness" of all people. The binding ties of family, being female, getting older and day to day life while hopefully enlightening and entertaining- this is the reason for Babushka and her dance.
♪A BAILAR SE HA DICHO!!♪
And so we've made it to 2021. ESO!!! Ok si, all the weird juju is still around ( political poo play), but better days are nearer, y BB thinks we all sense it verdad? Bueno, here are some carcajadas that hopefully will be winding down with the pandemic.
After tonight.......2020 never happened......we went from 2019 to 2021.........Understood??? pic.twitter.com/EjnaELNVL3
The Bohemian Babushka – BB for short – is a cross-cultural sensation. She is the Cuban-American creation of Florida’s own Sonia Guerra, whose wry, wise insights into what it means to be a Hispanic woman living in an Anglo world have won her more than 30,000 followers on “Feibu,” “IGrammy,” and “Tweety.”
You can meet her everywhere. In addition to her monthly column in Conexión and her blog “Babushka’s Baile,” BB has been known to appear – cloche hat on her head, iridescent-blue eyeshadow on her eyelids, and “JU SO FONI!!!” on her lips – at conventions in Miami (she has an international following at Hispanicize), tourism conferences in Orlando, historical reenactments in St. Augustine, press conferences in Tallahassee, and tour buses guiding folks through a pilgrimage to Hispanic heritage sites statewide.
This month, Babushka is making a new departure. She is Zooming into 1615, starring in TWAM Virtual’s Ark of Wonders.
A new translation of a snappy satire that was written in Spanish by Miguel de Cervantes just over 400 years ago, Ark of Wonders tells the juicy story of what happens when a tiny troupe of actors arrive in a little country town on the same day that the local bigwigs are celebrating a high-society wedding. The actors sell the bigwigs one performance of “miraculous and spectacular sights” for the wedding reception – sights that only people whose bloodlines are perfectly pure and whose parents were properly married will be able to see.
Babushka plays Chirinos in the Ark of Wonders, the “autora” who takes care of business for the actors who dream up the show. As Chirinos, Babushka sells the town council on the idea of buying a performance of this magically exclusive play, collects payment for the performance in advance, and produces most of the wonders that the bigwigs “see,” ranging from a charging bull fresh from Salamanca, to a “mischief of mice” right off of Noah’s ark, “two dozen raging lions and huge, fanged bears,” and a dancing lady from the holy land, “the one they call Herodias, whose dancing placed the head of John the Baptist on a plate.”
Theater with a Mission (TWAM) selected Ark of Wonders for TWAM Virtual because the play offers a vibrant invitation to visit Spanish La Florida. By bringing us face to face with how our Spanish-speaking ancestors laughed and worried about purity in our bloodlines, security in our status, and living up to what the neighbors think, Cervantes’ sparkling satire functions like a time machine. This half-hour play, breezy as a BB blogpost, tells us secrets about our past that the history books miss.
TWAM asked BB to play Chirinos because she is “a human shot of espresso” who is completely “upbeat but keeping it real.” Her patented sense of fun with a serious purpose is perfect for the role. Don’t miss Bohemian Babushka’s history-making performance.
If you visit www.comedias.org, you can see BB play La Chirinos for an international audience of theater aficionados who live in towns that stretch from California to Spain, during the Association for Classical Hispanic Theatre’s first online conference on July 17. If you visit www.theaterwithamission.com, you can catch BB in Cervantes’ Ark of Wonders, newly translated by Kathleen Costales and Ian Borden, any time you please. For more information, and for future installments of TWAM Virtual, follow Theater with a Mission (TWAM) on Feibu, IGrammy, and Tweety.
This July, Zoom back into Spanish Florida with the Bohemian Babushka! As BB says, “HolaHolaHola Beautifuls – there’s no time like the present for getting up close and personal with our pasts… (and don’t miss my grandson EO playing Sobrino)!”
Hola,Hola,Hola Beautifuls! BB is planning a restart porque really 2020 we need it. Sooo, while she's getting the pics y historias together, here is a post from the primero Abril- 2012.
Still as true hoy as it was then. Maybe even mas.
Row, row, row your boat- gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily,
Life is but a dream.
Wow- how deep is that? Almost scary the simplicity and how "in your face" that is.
¿Que creen? What says you? Should we go gently but with a smile on our face? No se, I'm Cuban- the smile esta bien, pero the "gently"? Ok, Si, I hear you. "Pero BB dear, you're getting older you should start doing gentle." JU SO FONII!!! Slower mayyyybbeeee pero gentle? So sorry, can't do it. It's not in my constitution, not in my soul.
Perhaps it was all the sofrito, but I need a bit of "oomph" in life, a bit of spice. I need the passion, the energy- everything felt and done with every atom of my being and down to my very essence. There is no gentleness there, for even in a tender caress the intensity of my beliefs come through, and though "this ol' gray mare ain't what she used to be", she can still give a pretty good kick!
"Life is but a dream"? No, no, no- it's not how most interpret that. Life is not something that happens to us while we're in a dreamlike trance. Bueno, if you think about it, maybe that's why it's usually interpreted that way- because most people are living lives that were pre-programmed by someone else. Por fa gente, MAKE your life YOUR dream. Set your own sights, chart your way, and since you picked the destination, don't fight the voyage. Si, in this way you truly can go merrily down the stream.
BB is living her dream merrily, still with gusto, focus and style. Perhaps the pace has slowed and the baile is now a waltz, but the choice of song is always mine.
Babushka Besos a todos. Cuidensen.
P.S. The video is from YouTube titled "Viennesse Waltz". A waltz performed by the SUU Ballroom Dance company during their 04 Spring concert Music by Goo Goo Dolls, song title Iris, posted by willowbrook32. BB thanks them all for the brilliance and beauty of this piece.
It's been years since Babushka has had cable in casa. Honestamente, there wasn't that much variety and the cost was getting prohibitive. Felizmente the variety and amount of things we can stream nowadays has improved, pero lamentablemente the price of watching them hasn't. Until Now. The Google Chromecast Streaming Media Player, ahora en Best Buy. As part of the Best Buy Bloggers, Babushka loves learning about the latest gizmos y aparatos and sharing them with you Beautifuls, and this one esta BUENISIMO!! Miren lo que dicen- Stream to your TV from all of your family’s devices No more squinting al celular!
The Google Chromecast Streaming Media Player lets you watch movies, shows, live TV, YouTube, and photos streaming on your TV from all your family’s devices.¹
How happy La Tata will be to see the home videos y fotos of The Grands! Plug Chromecast into the HDMI port on your TV and you can power and stream your favorite entertainment right from your phone with just a tap. Watch shows, listen to playlists, and more. And while streaming, you can still use your phone as you normally do. Works with the streaming apps you know and love. Enjoy TV shows, movies, videos, songs, games, sports and more from over 2000 apps like Netflix, YouTube, YouTube TV, and HBO NOW. Find more at g.co/chromecast/¹
You can start streaming with just your voice. Imaginate eso!
Just say what you want to watch from compatible apps and control your TV hands-free, with Chromecast and Google Home working seamlessly together.² Just say “Ok Google, play Stranger Things from Netflix on my living room TV.” ¹ Yes that’s it!
Upgrade your TV for less BB can go for that!
There’s no need to spend on a fancy new TV. You can expand your home entertainment with Chromecast. It’s so affordable you can get one for every TV in the house. And Chromecast is compatible with your existing HDTV. It easily connects to high-definition televisions with HDMI connectivity. High-speed wireless connectivity
Built-in 802.11ac Wi-Fi connects to the Internet through your wireless home network (wireless router required and sold separately).
¹ Subscriptions are required to view some content.
² Google Home, Chromecast, and compatible content required to cast to a TV using Google Home.
Web-based services and content require high-speed Internet service. Some services may require a subscription.
Vieron Beautifuls? Babushka pay high priced cable?
This is a sponsored review of Huggies® Little Snugglers.
All opinions are BB's, Cristyl's, and Dr. J's.
HolaHolaHola Beautifuls!!
If you’ve been following BB on the redes sociales you’ll know I’ve been all over the place. Unfortunately that’s also true about my postings. Even though his mom @CristylsCorazon knows better, apparently the need was urgent and she opened the box. The samples sent to review the new Huggies® Little Snugglers diapers were opened and used before Babushka even had a chance to photograph my nieto Dr. J in them!! Felizmente they were worth buying again because Babushka did just that!
Estos nuevos diapers have been my daughter’s favorite Huggies so far and says the following is true for her and Dr. J:
"oGentleAbsorb* Liner for a cushiony layer of protection with hundreds of tiny absorbent pillows to help draw mess away from your baby’s delicate skin
oCottony-soft inside and out to help keep new baby comfy
oWetness indicator lets you know when it’s time to change
oFlexible, pocketed waistband to help keep in mess
oUnique stretchy SnugFit* Waistband provides a gentle, secure fit"
The Selfie of mom and Dr. J, happy with the Huggies®Little Snuggler Diapers and looking forward to more nights of sound sleeping and no bed wetting leakage. The pañales really do snuggle and hug his bello y bountiful baby booty. EVERYONE gets a good night sleep with these! Don't believe BB? Here is an expert opinion from Dr. J himself!!
If one of your resolutions was to start blogging or how to better your blog, then BB knows just where you should be this Tuesday. Quee?? JU SO FONII!!! Ok si, it's Reyes Magos, the Epiphany, and that's why we picked that day. A perfect present for blogueras. Here are the details:
Need help building a better blog? Join Bloggin' Mamas Tuesday, January 6th for a twitter chat to help you do just that.
It's a New Year, so out with the old doubts on blogging and in with new tips and insights. The Bloggin' Mamas Team is looking forward to helping you be #2015Ready !!
Prizes: Prizes for a total value of $1000 will be given away during the party to help build up your blog. Winners will be selected from Tweet Chat Share, RSVP, and those most engaged in the discussion during the chat and will be announced at the end. TWEET SHARE: I’ll be going to the @BlogginMamas#2015Ready Twitter Chat on Tues. January 6 at 9p EST for blogging tips & Prizes. RSVP http://bit.ly/2015Ready RSVP:http://bit.ly/2015Ready Have any questions you want answered? Comment on the RSVP page with your question and twitter handle and Bloggin’ Mamas might just answer it during the chat!
And there you have it Beautifuls!
Sign up, send in your questions,get your Dr. Scholls, and join the Tweety Fiesta.
At almost 3 years in the blogging gig, I've been to a few events and press junkets, but I must say nada and none had the special touch of this one. A small group of bloggers for an intimate gathering and personal attention. It truly did feel like a group of friends just hanging out, enjoying the good things in life and each other.
By the end of the evening BB could tell this was a true representation of our hostess Ambar.
For those who don't know who she is, she is a multitalented singer who put her career on hold while she raised her child.This kind of dedication to the "realness" of life eminates in her. In her toast she stressed that Valentine's Day wasn't only about romantic love, that there were so many other types just as, if not more important.
She dedicated the evening to family, friends and self love.
Ambar instructed us to follow our dreams and our hearts- and this is one lady who did and does just that. After leaving "show business" to care for her son, shes returned como si nada- without skipping a beat. But she's definitely has lots of people dancing to one!! Her new CD is BUENISIMO!! Honestly, Babushka isn't much of a follower of the newer musica, but I definitely can bailar to this one. See if you don't agree with BB.
Who say's you can't go back again?? Not only is she back, but she's focused and with fervor. She has her cd and also shows her love of fashion by bringing us her own line of designer watches. Although they were debuting in March, she was the perfect hostess and gave her guests autographed, numbered timepieces before the official launch.
With all her wonderful qualities, vision, and genuine generosity,
Ok si, Disney's Sofia the First CD no es free- but definitivamente it is Fun & Fabulosa!!
When Babushka was offered the chance to review this CD you KNOW La Princesa came to mind, and good Cuban Grandma that BB is had to aceptar! Say no to Sofia the First?? JU SO FONII !!!
Now the review.
Sofia the First- Songs from Enchancia
Did you notice it has Karaoke tracks? Oh Si it does!!
As always, the artwork is digno of Disney with details and beauty.
They've even included coloring book style artwork you can cut out to enjoy.
So, the cover is Fun, but the musica- is it Fabulosa?
Bueno, BB enjoyed the first track "Sisters and Brothers" where the simple truth of sibalry is shared, but the favorite has got to be Track Ten. Digan lo que digan, they can say what they want, but I still believe Sofia's got a bit of Salsa in her. Ok, maybe she's like a lot of us latinos who don't speak Spanish well, or maybe not at all, but there's no denying la sangre- it's in the blood, and "A Recipe of Adventure" definitely has that Latin beat. Besides, isn't that a perfect title? But of course Babushka would love that one- combo Broadway style music/Latin Beat/Food/Adventure. Mas perfecto, more perfect it couldn't be!! Actually, it can be more perfect- you can get it free.
Si My Beautifuls, the wonderful people of Disney Music are going to give 3 of you a free copy of
Free entrance tickets, but this post is all BB. Ok, si- and del Dr. HolaHolaHola My Beautifuls!!
As you well know, Babushka does not do heat. Not too convenient considering I live in Florida, pero I do have ways to combat that heat aversion. Queee?? JU SO FONII!!! Si, I do leave the house once in a while- if it's worth it, and making a grandbaby smile is sooooo worth it. But it does have to be BB style.
I needed a place that was cool in every sense of the word- and I found it inANTARCTICA.
Ok si, it's in Orlando and not real ice, but this was the week of escaping the real and facing fears.
El Dr. was up to the challenge- as a matter of fact, it was his idea!
He decided to meet his fear of roller coasters, heights, and fast rides.
Ejemplo: In the Empire of the Penguin ride you could choose a mild or "wild" ride.
He chose the "wild".
Stock pictures yes, but very true to experience.
Here's El Dr. in one of the entrances toAntarctica.
Luckily for us the day was overcast, not many people were there, so we saw almost everything. Suggestion, bring comfortable shoes and time to see it all. As I said, it was late and had been raining so many had left- otherwise, I'd suggest at least 2 days to really appreciate all that's available. Continuing.
El Dr. bravely wanted to overcome his fears, but he started off slowly- at Shamu's Happy Harbor.
My grandsons brave, not bobo.
Unfortunately the same can not be said of BB-
those little cups are not made for Cuban Cabooses.
'Nuff said.
El Dr. Fearless in Seaworld
Once he had conquered the kiddie portion, my grandson decided it was time for the big guns.
Ok si, another stock picture, pero in my own defense, I didn't take a pic because I was shocked that he truly wanted to ride this, but ride we did.
He taught Babushka a lot that day, but he learned a couple of things too.
Not only did he learn a lot about himself and the creatures of the sea,
but he learned about his Babushka.
Babushka Besos a todos. Cuidensen. P.S. This trip was made possible by the Maravilloso people of VisitOrlando and Seaworld. Mil Gracias for the entrance tickets y'all, and for helping to make this summer a good memory for El Dr. These are my sincere thoughts and opinions written with mucho, mucho gratitude. P.P.S. Este post is part 2 of My Week w/El Dr. Here's part 1 in case you missed it. P.P.P.S. Check out BB's YouTube Channel & Feibu page for more videos and photos of the trip.
