I'm Gonna See Oprah Live!

The line at Radio City Music Hall for Oprah tickets.

In the fall I, like many others, was intensely engaged in watching the broadcast of Oprah's Lifeclass, a self-help and motivational series of shows that lasted about three weeks. You had to register on the OWN site to become a part of the virtual class, making you a captive audience for any promotional materials sent out by the site. Several weeks ago I received an email from The Oprah Channel that LifeClass was going on tour and would be filming two segments in New York City at Radio City Music Hall. Tickets to the show would be given away by lottery to all the people who entered the contest during a very small window of opportunity. Of course I entered. And of course I was lucky enough to score a couple of those coveted tickets or I wouldn't be writing this post.

The taping is on Monday, April 2, 2012. Tickets could only by picked up on the two days immediately prior to the taping, could only be picked up by the person whose name appeared on the original entry and only after presenting valid photo ID. These precautions are nothing compared to the restrictions imposed on the day of the actual taping which I'll go into in a bit. So I drag myself out of bed and brave the cold, wet and damp weather to stand on line with several hundred other lucky people who also showed up to pick up Oprah tickets. In the photo you can get an idea of the number of people in front of me. The line extends out the front door of the Music Hall, around the corner and up the block. The small square of light  you see in the upper left corner of the photo is where the line makes a turn from the front of the building around the side. In spite of the number of people, it moved relatively quickly once the doors opened at 10AM. I was done by 10:50AM.

Now, about those restrictions. First, the usual stuff: no cameras or any type of recording device, no food or drinks, no drugs, no weapons. Then comes the rest: no large purses, bags or backpacks will be allowed; security checks to be performed on all bags and persons entering the Music Hall; doors open at 12:30PM, taping begins at 2PM but if you're not there by 1PM you forfeit your seat to the anxiously awaiting crowd of stand-bys waiting in a holding area just across the street. You're advised to dress well and wear bright colors, not to wear all white or all black or graphic tees.Once inside there will be limited or no concessions so you are advised to eat well before the show because you will not be able to leave again before 4:30PM. So I have to eat big before 12:30 because I won't get another chance before 4:30 and I can't even bring in a bottle of water. At this point I'm beginning to wonder...after I have had to stuff a large meal down my throat before noon, will I be allowed to use the restrooms when Nature's call inevitably arrive? No wonder Oprah has such lively crowds. They're all sitting on the edge of their seats because they've got full bladders. Note to self: buy Depends.

Anyway, I'm off to see Oprah with my sister on Monday. I sure hope the show is good enough to be worth all these restrictions. I sure hope my bladder can stand the strain.


Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

In Search of the Past

For as long as can I remember, I have been collecting information about our family tree. This is no small task when you consider that prior to my generation birth control was inconsistently (if at all) practiced and, in some religious circles, actively discouraged. Add to this the fact that Latino men not only considered it their privilege to carnally enjoy any woman they so desired, they considered condom use an affront to their manhood. The ultimate result of this was an abundance of progeny. I have more aunts, uncles and cousins than I will ever know in my lifetime. This richness of family member makes researching them all a bit overwhelming. No sooner do I get them cataloged than they begin reproducing, adding another layer of branches to the tree.

Lately I've been using the considerable resources available on Ancestry.com to look for family members unknown to me and, in most cases, long gone. The experience has been eye-opening and immensely satisfying, allowing me a small glimpse into the lives of those walked before me. Through census, military and other records, I have been able to find family members I had never heard of. My parents, particularly my father, seem to enjoy it when I tell them I found one of their family members while trawling through the census records. The calls I made to them in an attempt to verify some random fact would trigger waves of nostalgia, with long buried memories coming to the surface.

One of the ancillary benefits of genealogical research is not only to uncover the past but, in many cases, to connect with the present. Just such an experience occurred today. I recently received a response to an inquiry I had posted to a family tree owner on Ancestry.com whose family members seemed to correspond to some of  my own. A few short email messages transpired until today when I called and connected with a daughter of my great uncle. She, as it turns out, was also trying to piece together the branches of her father's family tree, a task made somewhat difficult by the fact that her estranged father died a few years ago, leaving her without much information to go on. She and I spent some time on the phone trading information and we hope to meet up in the near future to continue the dialogue. This now leaves me with yet more information to input into the family tree. No matter. Bit by bit I will build this tree until the day comes that I can hand over the reins to my future generations and give them the thing that was so sorely lacking in my own life...a sense of personal history.

Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

I went dancing last night...

On the wall of my basement workshop hangs a framed poster touting a performance headlined by Orquesta Aragon, a well known Cuban music group. My husband has had this poster for over 25 years as a reminder of an enjoyable concert he attended during his bachelor days. When he discovered that this group was brought into New York from Havana for a one-night-only performance, he was all over it. The ad for the performance said, "Bring your dancing shoes." With our marching orders firmly in hand, we headed into Manhattan for a 10 PM show.

The Metropolitan Pavilion on West 18th Street provided a perfect venue with great sound, good lighting and plenty of room to dance comfortably. The crowd was an eclectic mix of Latin music enthusiasts that included a fair number of dance school students eager to practice their Latin social dancing skills to live music, as well as old school Cubans dressed in spats, fedoras and guayabera shirts. (What I thankfully didn't see were dance studio instructors showing off their best "Dancing with the Stars"  moves.) The music reminded me of the sounds I used to hear coming from our record player when I was a child.

What I noticed most was my husband who seemed to be totally relaxed and in his element. This is the man I remember from our courtship days, the man who enjoyed sharing a good time with his lady, certainly not the tired and dour individual who comes home from work and parks himself in front of the television and grunts occasionally by way of conversation. He kept me on the dance floor for the entire, albeit short, duration of the performance (only an hour and a half), brought drinks to the table in between songs and just enjoyed himself thoroughly. He even proposed a toast to the beginning of our anniversary celebration.

Our anniversary falls on Hallowe'en day, Oct. 31 and this year will mark our silver wedding anniversary. After so many years together, going through the ups and downs of life with the same person, it is easy to become jaded. Tonight I caught a fleeting glimpse of the man I married. If I can get him off the sofa and into the dance hall once in a while, maybe I can get to see that man more often. And maybe, just maybe, I can see myself sticking around for the next 25 years.

Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva

Too Much Time...

(Click on photo to view a larger image.)

I'm not even going to attempt to play catch up with the events of the last six months.There's far too much to remember so I'll start with the most recent events. Last Sunday, July 3, 2011, three of my father's siblings gathered at his house: his oldest sister, Iris and her daughter Joann, His brother Manuel and youngest sister Gladys and her husband Sammy. Of them, Iris was the one who drew my attention the most because I hadn't seen her in over 30 years. As a result none of my children ever met her and I didn't remember my cousin Joann at all. Manuel and Gladys have been to my father's several times in the past few years so I've been able to catch up with them. Since Gladys lives in Florida and Iris lives in Tennessee, it's not likely they will be able to get together very frequently in the future so I took this opportunity to gather some genealogical information for my family tree.

Out came the old photo albums, the reminiscences, the laughter and the inevitable difference of opinion as to how things really happened way back when. My son and nephews were pretty much out of the loop since the events being discussed occurred close to 50 years ago but I'm glad they were there to share the moment. I remembered to bring my camera and tripod and managed to snap this family portrait to commemorate the moment. I have no doubt that this will become one of those treasured images in the years to come.


Ballo ergo sum,
- Gitana, the Creative Diva