seven day challenge – day 2

7 days
7 posts
7 albums . . . day 2

three words that became hard to say
i and love and you

there are times when my writing is not grammatically correct. i am not a huge fan of capitalization {you couldn’t tell?}, <– commas definitely retain the power to beguile me, and if “lol” can be included in an official dictionary, then so can any word that i come up with. if i happen to use a strange word but can accurately illustrate what i mean by it with context clues, let it be. language is constantly developing, changing, growing – i just like to help it along.
anyway, i do have a point with all of this mumbogrumbling . . .

el duende.
some say el duende [or tener duende] is the hardest word in spanish to translate {to english anyway.}
many use it to mean “magic” or “spell” or “spirit.”
effectual and omniscient wikipedia quotes,

“duende or tener duende (“having duende”) loosely means having soul, a heightened state of emotion, expression and authenticity often connected with flamenco. the artistic and especially musical term was derived from the duende. a fairy or goblin-like creature in spanish mythology. el duende is the spirit of evocation. it comes from inside as a physical/emotional response to music. it is what gives you chills, makes you smile or cry as a bodily reaction to an artistic performance that is particularly expressive. folk music in general, especially flamenco, tends to embody an authenticity that comes from a people whose culture is enriched by diaspora and hardship; vox populi, the human condition of joys and sorrows.“

i have to hand it to wikipedia, i found this description to be extremely beautiful. especially, “the spirit of evocation … it is what gives you chills, makes you smile or cry as a bodily reaction to an artistic performance that is particularly expressive.” wonderful, just wonderful. others use “el duende” when referring to a fairy or goblin-like mythological creature from various collections of folklore.

{you can find this little guy when google image-searching ‘duende’ – mitoelduende.blogspot.co.uk}

{also found this lovely lady in the search results, a gorgeous oil painting done by matt abraxas, ooh la la!}

both meanings of the word duende are equally as charming but i can’t help but be drawn to the first, having soul.
i set out to write a post where i could include a mishmash of media and art that i find particularly haunting. the kinds of things that have, at one point or another, or still to this day, taken me to a heightened state of emotion, given me chills, or simply – made me smile. i chose the avett brothers “i and love and you” as my album today because their songs continuously procure those types of feelings in me. mirthful or melancholy, i always turn to the avett brothers.

mishmash commence . . .

1) the entire movie but specifically, this clip

2) children’s book by elke heidenreich “nero corleone”

3) artist. jason de caires taylor.
you must check out his work, his underwater sculptures are absolutely breathtaking

4) latin music, especially cuban
i can’t sit still when around it

5) meeting this woman in person

{yes, i took the photo!}

 

6) poet/singer/songwriter tanya davis, video by andrea dorfman

7) to this day, true romance still gives me chills.
i love every minute of it.

8) anytime my mother tells me about my grandmother –
i love being reminded of our similarities

9) disney. my favorite ride.

10) hot chocolate

{whether it’s at a restaurant . . }

{or homemade over the stove – served in my adorable teacup collection}

11) and finally, these guys.
and the video of the first time they played that song.

 

it’s the book that you just can’t put down,
it’s the unexpected song that comes on the radio and gets your heart pounding,
it’s falling in love.
for me, el duende is everything i mentioned above and so much more.
what does it mean to you?

 

: : : today’s album : : :

the avett brothers
i and love and you
2009

favorite song beforehand – “the perfect space” , “head fullof doubt / road full of promise”
pleasantly surprised the second time around – everything
favorite song after today – “the perfect space”

: : : memorable lyrics : : :

if you’re loved by someone,
you’re never rejected
decide what to be and go be it

:::

i wanna fit in to the perfect space,
feel natural and safe in a volatile place.
and i wanna grow old without the pain,
give my body back to the earth and not complain

:::

i haven’t finished a thing since i started my life
i don’t feel much like starting now
walking down lonely has worked like a charm
i’m the only one i have to let down
but watching you makes me think that that is wrong

until tomorrow,
{rosaliemelin}