¨Brainstorm¨ is not PC

My course started yesterday, but we met our new English learners today. A collection of people from the area, these were generally wealthier than the average gaditano, as all eight had computers at home. One of the girls in the group likes Manowar, for those who remember my semi-obsession with the ridiculous heavy metal band…

I learned that it is no longer PC to say “brainstorm.” Apparently, the epileptic community was offended, since that term is “appallingly similar to what occurs during a seizure.” Therefore, we have been instructed to use the term “thought shower” instead. I’m not making this up.

My hosts are great: an Irish girl who speaks Gaelic and Spanish and her Spanish boyfriend Jimmy, who also speaks Spanish. We generally talk in Spanish, which is good for me. Jimmy doesn’t have a job. But it’s cool because no one does: the unemployment rate in Cádiz is 44%.

Instead of subtitling the movies (like the US does), Spain shows American movies, dubbed, on about a three month delay. So Señor y Señora Smith just came out and it’s pretty big here. And I watched El Simpson today, but it just wasn’t the same with a slick talking Hispanic Homer that sounded just like the Hispanic Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, and Bruce Willis all do. Apparently, however, the Spanish can recognize the voices of their favorite actors: the same guy dubs Eddie Murphy in all his movies. He’s terrible. As is the voice for Will Smith. The whole “black thing” doesn’t really translate too well…

I teach tomorrow for the gaditanos for the first time. Today I taught a bunch of Brits how to play Texas Hold’em in an 8 minute session to warm up for tomorrow. They seemed to like it. But I almost volunteered “playing strip poker” as a possible reason for wanting to learn to play poker when there was an awkward silence. But I decided better of it.