clever, but devastating

The morning email brought this gem to me. From Jack Brock, a friend of several bloggers. He thought I might see a resemblance.

I confess I do like the sentiment. A little bit of research would probably disclose that "Say something clever, but devastating" is a family motto somewhere back in the foggy swamps of time.

The fact that I find the piece funny says a lot about me, I suspect. And it simply underlines why, even though I find Downton Abbey to be boring, I continue to watch it simply to catch one of Maggie Smith's bon mots.

I am not surprised that I do not care for Downton Abbey. After all, it is nothing more than a soap opera tarted up with period costumes.  Admittedly, the stories are a bit wittier than the drivel that makes up what passes for writing on As the World Turns or any of its American cousin soaps.

That is why I have great doubts about trying to learn Spanish by watching Mexican soap operas. But the method comes highly recommended by at least two fellow bloggers -- and I respect both of their opinions in most matters.

The only question is where I will watch them. My television set in the library is used solely as a movie machine.  And I have no interest in bringing cable television into the house. I went cold turkey on it decades ago.

But Mexico offers some solutions. Almost every restaurant in town features a television blaring some program or other. Soccer. The news. But, most often, a telenovela. 

I should just pick a restaurant that serves up soaps with its sopa, and become a regular customer.

And, if I apply myself, I will soon have a flock of clever and devastating comments dancing around in y head -- all of them in Spanish.