When Life becomes a Telenovela

Funny thing it is, or is it tragic, that when one makes a popular culture reference that they believe has finally made it into mainstream consciousness and makes this remark as a framing reference for events in their personal life, the person or persons of whom this remark is addressed to JUST DON'T GET IT! And they are professionals? Either that or I have become so removed from the average zeitgeist that I have to "dumb" myself down more often than not in order to get my analogies understood. Such is the case with a particular reference to my personal life events, that of the TELENOVELA analogy.....

Telenovelas, or soap operas (daytime drama in the new parlance) en Espanol, are uber-cheesey or as we would say in Mexico, muy grande queso de vida!!! They are even cheesier than their American counterparts and much more fun to watch. Remember Dos Mujeres Camino starring Erik Estrada?

That particular show catapulted Estrada out of celebrity Siberia and right back into the slimelight...I fondly remember when I lived out in the Bay Islands of Honduras what would happen everyday at lunch hour....shops would be locked up and the women who ran them would crank up their televisions and block out the rest of the world because that show was on. It was a great way to learn Spanish and if you got into the show, a great way to win the hearts of the local women.

Ahhh, but back now to how I use this reference as it pertains to my life.....and no, sorry, no super gory details for as much as I love to share stories of misadventure (and I have many) there are just some stories that are too hard to tell and because they are still unfolding, a little too close to the surface to make jokes....those come later once all parties involved have more or less finished with their fuckery (god, I love that Caribbean word "fuckery"). Always better to say it funny than try to gain sympathy as everyone has shit to deal with and may just want to sit back and laugh for a change?

Laughing at myself is sometimes the only way I can get through some events, hence the reference to cheesy Latino soap operas. When I tell folks that my life has become a telenovela they laugh if they get the reference and then the story can ensue. It's a good process for either party especially if the story can be filed under the heading of TRUTH IS DEFINITELY STRANGER THAN FICTION category. Unfortunately though the punchline is lost on those who have never made that discovery of Latino soap operas. Oh well, give them the reference and if they are still willing to listen? Go for it.....

I am working up to something here and yes, I am more than a little cautious about spilling the frijoles so to speak because as much as we live in a culture that encourages us to share our bowel movements via Twitter I still believe that there are some things that should be kept reasonably private or at the very least, hinted at....in other words if you cannot read between the lines then perhaps you should take me out for drinks, get me hammered and then I will gladly talk until you are ready to kill yourself like in those scenes in AIRPLANE! where everyone who listens to the lead character's tragic tale of lost love wind up snuffing it in some very creative ways....hahaha.

Seriously, I do not wish to be called an emotional vampire anytime soon....this is why laughing at oneself is an exercise that should be undertaken every single day no matter how down one may be feeling. Shit, when did i get so touchy-feely? Where is that inner-curmudgeon hiding today? Get your ass out here woman!!!

Allusions, foreshadowing - techniques that the writer employs or in the case of a good telenovela, the director will zoom in on a character's face as a tool for the viewer to get that sense of apprehension or anticipation as to what my happen in the next episode. The cheesy music builds up and then as abruptly as it ends you know you have to come back for more because you curious fool you need your fix.....ahh, but what does one do when they find themselves, reluctantly, engaged as a lead character in a telenovela that they are not scripting?

Stay tuned.....mas queso arribe pronto!!!! (I have this propensity to mix Spanish and Italian) And yes, laughter should prevail....ESPECIALLY if I start to make edits to that particular script?