My Big Fat Cuban Family

Summer Movie Must-See: Monsters University

2013-06-17T14:22:01-07:00

We are kind of serious movie nerds around here. If you've been reading this blog for a while you already know this. We're also serious Disney fans and faithfully worship at the altar of the gods at Pixar. (Oh, you know what I mean. Don't get weird.)

You would think that with no young children in the house the days of must-see-animated-movies be over. You would think seriously wrong. If anything, my artsy clan has a much better appreciation for the genius artistry and storytelling achieved by Disney/Pixar than their usual younger audience.

We were already salivating at the thought of the new installment to the Monsters, Inc. family, Monsters University.

So much so, that my husband insisted we watch the first movie last week. Which we did and were reminded once again why we love Disney/Pixar so much.

You can imagine that when the good folks at Disney/Pixar invited me to a pre-screening for Monsters University, I jumped at the chance.

It would be shown at the Disney's El Capitan Theater in Hollywood. (Double win.)

Which is how we found ourselves in the car early on a Saturday morning heading up to LA. (We live about an hour south of Los Angeles, so this became an Official Road Trip.)

Our expectations were super high and Monsters U did not disappoint.

Usually I don't enjoy 3D, in this case, I loved it! Don't we look appropriately nerdy in our 3D glasses?

The entire cast, not just Mike and Sully were even more lovable than in the first installment. I know. You wouldn't think that was possible, but believe me, you will fall in love.

Wait. Did I just refer to them as the "cast?" How else do you refer to characters in an animated film that makes you forget they're animated and that they are MONSTERS? Still pondering....

So, I'm encouraging everyone I know to go see Monsters University.

It was laugh-out-loud funny. It had poignant moments and drama and all the elements that make for a wonderful story. The cast characters made you want to see more. I loved that there were so many nods to the first film. That made me really happy. (We have already decided we definitely need to see it again, but that's not important right now.)

We got so into it that we may or may not have come home with some Monsters University memorabilia. Also, do yourself a favor and go to the M.U. site. Here's the link: Monsters University. (WARNING: prepare to happily lose hours of your life.)

Genius. Seriously.

Ah, Disney/Pixar, we are soo not worthy. *bows down*

{Disclaimer: I was not compensated by Disney/Pixar for this review. They invited me to the screening of the film. Thank you, Disney/Pixar! The opinion that it was fantastic and soo worth going to see, is my our own.}

Thirty.

2013-06-16T06:35:00-07:00

My girl is 30 years old today. Let me tell you about her...

She is the real deal.
She has the most beautiful blue eyes you have ever seen.
She doesn't like to hear the word, "no."
She has a raucous, distinctive, infectuous laugh.
She feels things deeply.
She is a fiercely loyal friend.
She is tenacious.
She is oh-so-very funny.
She is stronger than she knows.
She has tremendous passion.
She is fantastically resilient.
She is comfortable in her own skin.
She can be fierce.
She can be tender.
She is more Cuban than anyone I know.
She has amazing spirit.
She is infuriatingly independent.
She is much more creative than she admits to.
She has a deep and steady faith.
She is beautiful.
She lights up a room when she walks in.
She is warm and sincere.
She is brave.
She forges her own path.
She says "Buenos Dias" and "Good Night."
She can dance. Oh, can she dance!
She plays a mean timbale.
She celebrates. Often. And well.
She is fearless.
She is my first-born. My cubiche. My comrade-in-arms. My partner-in-crime. My friend.

Amy Jean Jelly Bean is thirty years old today. And there is much rejoicing in the land.

I love you, Mimi. Happy Birthday.

~Mami

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From the Youngest to the Supreme Sibling,

"Amy's birthday is coming, make her something nice."

"Okay" said the youngest, "Something with Cuban spice?"

"No." said mom, (as she often does.)

"Write her a post." "Why?" "Because."

He thought long and hard, about what he could do.

"Miami Heat? Bananas? But she likes drums too."

What could he do, to make Amy happy.

A 'Happy Birthday' is good, but a little too crappy.

"Lucy!" He said, "What do I write?!"

"Post an awkward picture!" "She'll kill me!" "She might…"

"You need something with a theme!"

"Things you have in common?" "A MEME!"

"Early March", he remembered, is when the memes began.

"I need something tropical, perhaps A TOUCAN!"

No Jon. No. A Toucan is bad.

Happy Birthday Amy! I hope this makes you glad.

~Jon

***********************************************************

To Amy, my sister:

I'll stop the world and melt with you.

~Adam

***********************************************************

My Big Fat List of Things That Remind Me Of Amy

('cuz Mom isn't the only one who's good at making lists!)

- - - FOOD AND DRINK (mainly desserty things) - - -

1. a really really delicious Coke.

2. Nutella (in a vat, of course)

3. Poptarts (the chocolate fudgey kind)

4. Popcorn (but only with...)

5. ...M&Ms

- - - RESTAURANTS - - -

6. Ruby's (for indifferent days)

7. Mimi's (for happy evenings)

8. Pick Up Stix (for party nights)

9. Gulliver's (for Christmas only)

10. McDonald's (for lazy weekend sleepovers)

- - - MUSIC - - -

11. The Surprisingly Good Pussycat Song

12. One of Our Many Car Dancing Songs

13. Remember That Time You Tried to Teach Me Spanish With This Song

14. Best Concert Ever

15. The Smiling Song

- - - TV SHOWS - - -

16. New Girl

17. Smash

18. Our Secret Donut Show (!)

19. The Gilmore Girls

20. The One Feat. Jeff and the Giggle Loop

- - - THE BEST TIMES - - -

21. Everytime we've texted each other the "reminds me of you" songs

22. The walks we take around the Lago.

23. That time we drove to that one place.

24. Laughing about everything (ermahgerds, food towels, drive-thru moments, and all the rest)

25. Sharing our music, our books, our jewelry and our time.

- - - 5 MORE FACTS ABOUT MY SISTER - - -

26. She buys children's picture books because they're awesome.

27. She makes me laugh so hard that I sound stupid.

28. She gets me.

29.We have a secret language (all the best sisters do).

30. "You may be my half-sister, but I still whole love you!"

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMYFACE!

Love, Loop.

P.S. This is only small handful compared to the 30,000 memories we have together. But I thought they made for a nice reminder that I love ju bery bery much. ;-)

Tickets Winners for Cubamerican, the Movie

2013-06-12T11:34:41-07:00

Thanks to all who entered this giveaway. I can't tell you how much I love hearing a little bit about all of you. Especially about when you came here to the U.S. and where you're from.

I used Random.org to choose the winners of the movie tickets to see Cubamerican at the Tower Theater in Miami on Friday, June 14th.

And the winners are......

*******************************************************

Congratulations to all four winners! You've each won two tickets for the showing of Cubamerican.

Please send me an email: m darby (at) cox (dot) net. Put HEY, MARTA! I WON STUFF ON YOUR BLOG! in the subject line so I won't accidentally delete it.

I'll make sure you get your tickets to the film. Trust me, you will love it.

For those of you who didn't win, please try to get to the screening anyway. Trust me, you will love it.

Cubamerican will be showing beginning Friday, June 14th in Miami at The Tower Theater • 1508 Southwest 8th Street, Miami, Fl.

WARNING: take tissues.

Cubamerican at the Tower Theater, Miami - Ticket Giveaway

2013-06-06T14:40:43-07:00

As you know, I love to promote projects by and for Cubans. In the month of September, I usually showcase the stories of Cuban exiles in my blog series, Cuando Sali de Cuba.

Our shared history is so compelling and our contributions and accomplishments are many and varied. The film, Cubamerican beautifully and artfully showcases the stories of many prominent Cubans. Their stories, like all of ours are filled with both unbearable sadness and unquenchable hope.

I had the privilege of seeing the film in a rough version last summer and I was blown away. This is a must-see, not just for Cubans, but for all lovers of liberty.

Here's an interview with José Enrique Pardo – Writer/Producer/ Director

Q: What spurred you to make this film?

A: My father’s death. After he passed away I felt like my connection to Cuba had died with him and I wanted to commemorate his experience and mine. I also wanted to provide a portal for my children and their children to remember the lives of their Cuban ancestors. As it turned out, making the film revived my Cubania. It was my father’s last gift to me.

Q: Of all the stories chronicled in Cubamerican which one is the most powerful to you?

A: All the stories are powerful, and though they share similarities they are all unique. Anytime one is forced into exile from one’s homeland, it is a tragedy. However, for me the stories of those characters who lost their parents and their families, who were never able to reunite with them, are the most compelling; they have an almost unbearable sadness.

Q: What would you like to see happen in Cuba?

A: The existence of a pluralistic democracy with free elections, which incorporates the philosophy of the American Declaration of Independence. Namely, that we are all created equal and are endowed with the unalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That government is necessary to secure those rights and derive their power from the consent of the citizenry not the military or a dictatorship. And that whenever any government abolishes or infringes upon those rights, as the Cuban government has done for so long, it is the right of the people to institute a new government that can effect their safety and happiness. None of this exists in Cuba today.

Q: What is the purpose of your film?

A: I hope that the purpose of my film is to bring all Cubans closer together. To show that hatred, force, and repression is evil and a curse on humanity and that it is forgiveness and compassion that bring us closer to the divine.

Q: What place do you think your film will occupy in Cuban history?

A: I don’t know if it will occupy a place in Cuban history I think it will occupy a place in Cuban-American history. My film presents Cuban history as background and explanation for the Cuban-American condition but it does not dwell on Cuba. More than anything else, my film shows the resiliency of the human spirit embodied in the characters of the film and the million more like them that risked everything for freedom and ultimately triumphed because of it.

Cubamerican will be showing beginning Friday, June 14th in Miami at The Tower Theater • 1508 Southwest 8th Street, Miami, Fl.

They have graciously offered to give away 4 sets of 2 tickets to the Friday, June 14th showing of the film to MBFCF readers. Of course, this is available only to my South Florida friends. (Don't hate.)

In order to enter the Cubamerican Ticket Giveaway, please leave a comment here on this blog and answer the following questions:

What year did your family come to the U.S?
What part of Cuba are you from?

Please go "like" the Cubamerican La Pelicula Facebook page for an extra entry and come back and leave another comment saying, "I like Cubamerican."

I'll choose the winners on Wednesday, June 12th, 2013 at 11:00 AM PST.

About the Director:

José Enrique Pardo was born in Havana, Cuba, raised in Union City, New Jersey, and now resides in Los Angeles, California. He has written three novels (Dealing from Heaven, Leverage, Hurricanes) a collection of stories (Poised Upon the Precipice) and three screenplays (Persuasion, God’s Law and Feelanthropy). José Enrique has previously produced and directed two short films (Proposition, Birthday Boy}. Cubamerican is his first feature film.

How to Make Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz

2013-05-26T08:30:00-07:00

I've been up to my eyeballs in costumes, props, and set painting for my son, Jonathan's high school production of The Wizard of Oz.

Unlike some of the other shows he's been in, this one has a lot of moving parts to it. (Which, I'd like to just say right here that the original creators of the old-school 1939 Wizard of Oz were genius. *bows down*)

And like every single other time my kids have been in stuff and especially when I vow I'm just going to sit it out, I've done nothing of the sort. In fact, I'm not only designing and gathering costumes, I'm building and painting sets and making (technically begging, borrowing, and stealing) props. (And chewing on Tylenol like it was candy, but that's not important right now...)

Jonathan plays the Cowardly Lion (one day he'll forgive me for putting him in that uber-furry suit under the hot lights. I don't think today's that day) and our sweet next-door-neighbor and good friend, Tessia is the beautiful Dorothy.

So again, I've been collecting/creating costumes and props and all that and the most famous prop of all was a little disappointing. The Ruby Slippers.

I looked. In costume and party stores and online and all the Ruby Slippers I found left me wanting. Besides the shoe itself, my Dorothy has tiny feet. 5 1/2. So, I was a bit discouraged, but then I remembered that, "Hey! I can make stuff!" And so the quest began for the perfect Ruby Slippers to fit our very own Dorothy With the Tiny Feet.

As it turned out, Tessia had a pair of old character shoes (those are the Mary Janes with the slight heel used for stage people) that she was willing to let me mess with. Plus, they fit her uber-tiny feet perfectly.

Here's the instructions:

DIY - How to Make Dorothy's Ruby Slippers in the Wizard of Oz

You will need:

A pair of shoes to be sparkled.
Sandpaper.
White fabric glue. (Very important that you choose fabric glue. It works 100% better than just regular white glue and adheres beautifully to the leather. Trust me.)
Super fine glitter. In this case, Red. (Don't choose Kindergarten craft type glitter. You will not be happy with the result. Again, you really must trust me on this.)
Clear Spray sealer.

1) Start with a pair of shoes you want glittered up. Once you commit, there's no going back.

2) Make sure the surfaces are all clean and sand the shoes very lightly, just to rough up the surface. This was kind of painful. They were really nice leather shoes.

3) Generously paint the white fabric glue on one side of the shoe.

4) And add glitter immediately. You're going to do a few coats so don't make yourself crazy worrying about getting perfect coverage on the first pass.

5) Take your time with the glue and glitter and do one side at a time. Be very patient with the spots you may have missed and just wait until the first pass is dry before you go filling in. (I found this out the hard way because I got so excited I tried to do more and ended up with bald spots in the shoe from where my fingers had accidentally touched some spots.

So, again. Just wait between coats until everything is dry.

6) Paint the other side and sprinkle with glitter. You will already be thrilled at this point with how beautiful it's turning out. Go ahead and celebrate. Just be patient and wait for the coat to be dry before applying the next one.

7) You're halfway there and they look fantastic. This is the point where you start looking around the house for other things to glitter. You're so good! You're a Glittering Goddess! Resist the temptation and just get the shoes finished, please.

8) In this case, the shoes had a strap which I waited patiently (!) to paint until the rest of the shoe was dry. It was at that point that I also addressed the bald spot issue. The glue goes on easily over the dry glitter and that second coat just makes it sing,

9) Spray the finished dried shoes with a Clear Sealant in a well ventilated area. And wait for it to dry.

10) You've spent about three good days on these shoes. It's best to wait until they're completely sealed and looking fabulous.

11) Dorothy was thrilled with her new shoes. The glitter held up beautifully under the lights and because we had sealed them she wasn't constantly leaving a trail of glitter. WIN!

12) I love the added special effect, too. Kudos to our photographer, Dan Shalaby for that.

I'm sure you're anxious to try this yourself.

However, if you're in the South Orange County area next weekend, I'd like to personally invite you to see the Ruby Slippers live and in person and the cast of Pacific Coast High School Drama perform The Wizard of Oz. You can see my props, too. And of course, my son, the lion.

Performances are on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. May 30th, May 31st, and June 1st at 7:00 pm. The tickets are reasonably priced at $10 apiece and there are also 2 matinees on Friday, May 31st and Saturday, June 1st at 2:30 pm.

The shows will be performed at: the Attic Community Theater • 2834 S Fairview Street • Santa Ana, CA • 92704

My Big Fat Cuban Family

Summer Movie Must-See: Monsters University

Thirty.

Tickets Winners for Cubamerican, the Movie

Cubamerican at the Tower Theater, Miami - Ticket Giveaway

How to Make Ruby Slippers from the Wizard of Oz

DIY - How to Make Dorothy's Ruby Slippers in the Wizard of Oz

"Oh, Auntie Em! There's no place like home!"