Begoña Martínez Pagán's Blog, page 3
June 9, 2016
What if I had a year to live?
On Tuesday my Interpreting students at University brought to class, as practice material, an interview with the star of Breaking Bad. The text contained the question:
What would you do if you had a year to live?
It was funny, at the time, to think that it’s just one year sinceBenita, my German mom, left us, and that if I had a year to live, I would be doing just what I was doing, at that time.
If I had a year to live, I’d have more reasons, and not fewer reasons, to try and transmit whatever...
Scruples
Look at this fascinating word:scruples.Just like “Paul” comes frompaulus, small, “scruple”derives fromscrupŭlus,fromscrupus paulus: small stone.
If you get a stone in your shoe, you’ll be uncomfortable, you won’t be able to walk in a dignified manner, sure of yourself. Todayscruples are that part of your mind that makes you uncomfortable when confronted with moral choices you’re not sure of. In those times we don’t know if something is good or bad, right or wrong.
In that sense, this uncomfor...
June 2, 2016
I had to see Van Gogh with my own fingers —painting at MOMA, New York
Pictures above by Natalie Hope, Calgary, Alberta.
I had to see Van Gogh with my own fingers.
Viendo a Van Gogh (completo) from Begoña Martínez on Vimeo.
I’ll update this with more pictures from other people. 
April 14, 2016
¿Y si te quedara un año de vida?
El martes trajeron tres alumnas a mi clase, como práctica, una entrevista al actor que protagonizó Breaking Bad. Contenía la pregunta:
¿Qué harías si te quedara un año de vida?
Se me hizo curioso pensar, en ese instante, justo ahora que hace un año que se fue Benita, mi madre alemana, que si me quedara un año de vida estaría… justo en este lugar, en ese momento.
Que si me quedara solo un año, tendría más motivos y no menos para intentar transmitir lo [¿poco?] que he aprendido en estos casi 35...
March 11, 2016
Machete
More info on the song: http://bit.ly/AFPMachete.
MACHETE, by Amanda Palmer
i have never liked the box of knives
you said was a paradox because you’re kind
but withstood a childhood that robbed you blind
of love that was safe and so you learned to fight
x3
what do i do with this stuff?
it seems like yesterday i called you up
i had a terrible case of the past
i didn’t know how to get it off
i didn’t know how to get it off
and you t...
February 1, 2016
Am I a cat? [poem]
Am I a cat?
I bask in the sun,
I lay in your lap,
I find my own way,
I don’t like other cats.
You find my white hair
On anything black.
I’m fastidiously clean
And I love to nap.
Am I happy to see you?
Without a single doubt.
It’s not like I chase you
But I’m always around.
I’m sure that you know
What I do at night.
I come back to you
I’m glad it’s enough.
When I climb to bed,
I claim the warmest spot.
Those arms on my chest
Make me wanna purr.
Except when they don’t.
I’m up, I’m awake.
I...
January 26, 2016
Nicaragua: revolution and boots
Writing about Nicaragua got hard when I came back.
@jose13bis La situación en casa, como en el equipo. Escayola incluida. twitter.com/NdeBasket/stat…
— Pablo Mira (@NdeBasket) April 26, 2013
First my son broke his leg while I was away, just like Kobe Bryant. He slipped on a toy. I came back, the holidays were over and we could not take him to kindergarten with his leg on a plaster cast. We made turns to stay with him at home. It was a bit of a chaos, because I counted on coming back and work...
January 23, 2016
Spanish for Spain or for Latin America? For Susie Bright
With Spanish, a language that is used so widely all over the world, with so many differentcultural differences, how do you approach a text? Is there a marked different between Spanish for the European market versus Spanish titles for the Mexican, Central American, and South American market? I was overwhelmed when Ifirst considered it.
—AskedSusie Bright.
Don’t feel overwhelmed by my long reply below. The TL;DR version is: for most academic content one translation will do. For sexy content,...
December 1, 2015
From where I stand
I’m an artist first and foremost. But people just want to hear about how I make money. It puzzles me, because don’t make that much. I just save beautiful things.
Yet above the frustration of bringing something up and out and not seeing it shine like it did on my mind, I’m thankful.
My mind tends to forget, and art, or whatever you want to call it,captures stuff.Makes itnot go away. There’s a wonderful thing with art and it’s that makes things simultaneouslyover andnever over. In the liveable...
November 1, 2015
Maths taught me how to share my husband
When his mind is idle, he thinks of her.
—What are you thinking about?
—Maths.
If he’s with her, he loses track of time.
—So late to get home, why?
—Maths.
She wants long periods for herself.
—Why are you going away for the weekend?
—Maths.
—Why are you going to Brazil, again?
—Maths.
She doesn’t like the same things I do.
—You didn’t leave the hotel room, why?
—Maths.
She requires him in the middle of the night.
—You left our bed at midnight, why?
—Maths.
She texts him at the movies.
And he...
