what the frijoles...

People, what's the deal with poor folks and accordians? That was meant to be said in the way that Seinfeld would say it but due to the very nature of a blog, just like instant messenger or any other written medium, the intonation is a little tricky to convey... like sarcasm. God I'm good at tangents, and no I don't mean the ones from geometry. I sucked at geometry. Here I go again..

ANYWAY, this trend has honestly had me confused since Betsey's European adventure round 1. I'm not criticizing it- my mind just can't grasp the concept with any degree of success. I find it to be an extremely odd coincidence that 3/4 of the homeless people that I see in the streets play the accordian, which, to me, seems like a tricky instrument to play and one that demands some sort of training. I mean, it's like playing the piano while simultaneously using a thigh-master... except with your hands... like Karen used to do on the beloved family sitcom Step by Step because she thought it'd make her boobs bigger. Anyways. The trend also calls to mind the example of the chicken and the egg- which came first? Were these people accordian players and then beggars in the street or beggars in the street who then learned to play the accordian? It has baffled the minds of many a great philosopher. Or I could be flying solo on this one...

There are a few logical explanations that have come to my mind to explain this phenomenon... amongst them...

Possibility 1: There is an underground, government-run university that teaches the accordian to people who can prove their homeless or poverty-stricken status. (the egg came first)

Possibility 2: Anyone who dedicates themselves to playing the accordian will inevitably be unsuccessful due to lack of demand and therefore end up on the street. (the chicken came first)

Possibility 3: They are aliens who are almost undetectably infiltrating our society and their secret language/code involves musical combinations that can only be achieved on an accordian.

Possibility 4: Being homeless automatically gives you super-human accordian powers! They see an accordian and automatically know how to play it.

Possibility 5: It's inherited. They're all from one huge homeless extended family who pass down accordian-playing generation to generation like an antique pocket watch from one's great-great-great-grandfather.

Possibility 6: The same man disguises himself and follows me around Madrid/Europe making it seem like the city is overrun by accordian players when really it's just one elusive guy.

Possibility 7: They're all members of the CIA or some other undercover agency whose aliases (does that become plural??) are poor accordian players. Meanwhile they're watching our every move and overhearing our conversations... right now... and now... and now...

Possibility 8: There is a surplus of accordians and therefore the manufacturers just hand them out to people on the street. Due to lack of job and probably a whole lot of boredom, they start fiddling around with it and before ya know it, an accordian player is born.

Possibility 9: Accordians are unexpectedly cheap and easy to learn.

Possibility 10: There remains a possibility which has failed to come to my mind.




Other thoughts:
--> Happy Valentines Day to all! Ok, now everybody go make out!
--> Thank God for www.youtube.com for providing me with my favorite Winter Olympics sports videos- anyone who likes snowboarding should check out Shaun White, Hannah Teter, and Gretchen Bleiler's kickass halfpipe runs- they all won medals (gold, gold, and silver, respectively). And screw you, Spanish tv, for barely showing the Olympics.