HUJAMBO BWANA. COMO ESTA, GOAT?

I studied Spanish for eight years. But I'm not one of those to whom second languages come easy. Though I kept studying Spanish, I never practiced it beyond the classroom entonces mi vocabulario es basically nada. In fact, as an undergrad at Barnard College, I felt myself hit the learning-ceiling on Spanish after one year of studying it there. That was a problem because one had to have two years of a foreign language to graduate. So, I switched to Swahili.

Yep, I fulfilled my foreign language requirement with two years of Swahili, taught by a guy who, as a student at Columbia University, had been one of the original members of Sha Na Na (y'all know that that band started as a Columbia men's glee club...?). I couldn't remember the prof's name (though recall he was a lovely gentleman) so I Googled and this link identifies him as Rob Leonard, "professor of linguistics and Swahili". I vaguely recall learning though don't hold me to it that the prof had parlayed some Sha Na Na earnings into a stint in Africa, where he learned Kiswahili. Anyway, I found Swahili easier than Spanish and so I stuck with it ... Prof. Leonard had given me the Swahili name of "Sharifa"...

Anyway, the gods have a perverse sense of humor and now Sharifa must face the necessity of knowing Spanish. SPANISH FOR DUMMIES is in the house! Mostly, I fear I'm going around calling everyone and everything a goat. Relatedly, at the moment I am looking at a poem by Venezuelan poet Hanni Ossot which I hope to translate. I hope my translation doesn't end up being

Goat goat goat
goat goat
goat

along those lines. Ah well. And as I whine, here's my latest list of Relished W(h)ines below.

As for that 1970 Leoville Las Cases below, it was interesting but I wouldn't call it delicious. But because it was interesting, it offered a certain pleasure. Similar to how I respond to poetry. Got that, goats...I mean, Peeps?

PUBLICATIONS:
CHINESE, JAPANESE, WHAT ARE THESE?, an absolutely brilliant poetry manuscript by Nick Carbo

MAUVE SEA-ORCHIDS, poems by Lila Zemborain, Trans. by Rosa Alcala & Monica de la Torre

BEHIND MY EYES, poems by Li-Young Lee

BEHIND THE WHEEL: POEMS ABOUT DRIVING by Janet S. Wong

THE BOYS I BORROW, poems by Heather Sellers

THE HEART THAT LIES OUTSIDE THE BODY, poems by Stephanie Lenox

THAUMATROPE, poems by Joanna Sondheim

IMAGINING A BABY, poems by Bob Marcacci

MIDNIGHTS, poems by Jane Miller and drawings by Beverly Pepper

TODAY I WROTE NOTHING: THE SELECTED WRITING OF DANIIL KHARMS, Ed. and Trans. by Matvei Yankelevich

CLEAVING, poems by Dion Farquhar

DEATH IS, poem by Lars Palm

SHRUG, poems by Nate Pritts

THE CANCER JOURNALS by Audre Lorde

FOURSQUARE, Nov. 2007 featuring Michaela A. Gabriel, Bonnie Roy, Jenn McCreary and Megan Kaminski, Edited by Jessica Smith

FOURSQUARE, Dec. 2007 featuring Pattie McCarthy, Ivy Alvarez, Jo Cook, Wanda Phipps, Edited by Jessica Smith

HIDDEN PATH, art monograph by Sven Kroner

OUR HIDDEN LIVES: THE EVERYDAY DIARIES OF A FORGOTTEN BRITAIN 1945-1948, Ed. Simon Garfield

THE FAMILY ON BEARTOWN ROAD: A MEMOIR OF LOVE AND COURAGE by Elizabeth Cohen

BLOODLINE, novel by Gerry Boyle

ZERO COUPON, novel by Paul Erdman

THE ROMANCE READER, novel by Pearl Abraham

DANCING SKY, novel by Bethany Campbell

CLAIMING HIS WIFE, novel by Diane Hamilton (both this novel and the previous one by Campbell are "Harlequin Romances" which I read because I thought to do a subversion of said Harlequin Romances for a poetry project...said poetry project didn't work out, sadly, for the slogging my mind had to go through...fortunately, to ease pain there's wine:)


WINES:
1970 Leoville Las Cases
1990 Prunotto Cannubi Barolo 
1994 Remelluri Rioja
1990 Terrabianco Campaccio
1990 Domaine Trevallon
2002 Marques de Riscal Rioja Reserva
1990 Clerico Barolo Bricotti Bussia
1990 Clerico Pajana Barolo
1987 Mondavi Reserve Cabernet
2005 Fratelli Cigliuti Serraboella Neive Barbera
2006 Hoenig sauvignon blanc
1989 Ch. Pichon Baron
1994 Henschke Mount Edelstone shiraz
1995 Ravenswood Monte Rosso zinfandel Sonoma Valley