Archive for June 22, 2006

The Sao Paulo diaries

So there I am in Brazil. I’m lecturing with the help of my wonderful translator Lulu (who is very sweet and pretty; I’ll have to post a picture).

She is having fun with me. When I get lost in my notes, I tend to say “ba-ba-ba-ba” which, when typed, makes me look like a drooling idiot, but in person, is just a more bouncy version of “ummmm…”

So I’m lecturing. I say something, Lulu translates. I say “ba-ba-ba-ba”. Lulu says “ba-ba-ba-ba”. She got a big laugh too. Who knew that was a cognate?

A movie prop worth having

If I had thirty-three grand to blow, this would be a good way to blow it.

The steel-rimmed derby used by the villainous Oddjob in the James Bond movie “Goldfinger” has been auctioned for $33,600.

…The hat was from the estate of Harold Sakata, who played the villain in the 1964 Bond movie. The buyer, Anthony Pugliese III, is a collector of Bond memorabilia in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He wants to display the hat in a pop culture museum…

One of the great movie props of all time; up there with the ruby slippers.