Café cubano y Desi Arnaz... Saturday 9

Today's Saturday 9 is about Desi Arnaz and his song about a straw hat.
It got me to thinking how much I like Cafe Cubano, Cuban coffee and Cuban Black bean Soup.. with a touch of lime in it. Oh, baby!
If you've not tried doing a Saturday 9. why not consider joining in? You let your blog friends get to know a bit more about you that way.


The Straw Hat Song (1955)
Unfamiliar with this week's song. Hear it below:


This presentation of the song is adorable and was featured on an episode of I Love Lucy.

1) In this song, Desi Arnaz encourages us to laugh and sing instead of concentrating on our troubles. Is this an approach to life you could adopt? Or are you a worrier?
Yes, this is a philosophy anyone can and probably should adopt. Worry brings nothing but a waste of days and time.

2) Because Desi's public persona was carefree, people are often surprised to learn his early life was hard. In 1933, his wealthy family was targeted by Cuban revolutionaries. Their home was destroyed and were forced to flee the country. In Miami, they lived in a warehouse and 16-year-old Desi helped support the family by cleaning cages for the man who sold canaries outside a drugstore. Think about your friends and acquaintances. Whose life story turned out to be very different than you originally thought?
No one really because I generally knew about their circumstances for a long time. I also don't really assume much about people.
I also grew up with Cuban refugees who had a difficult time there but made a big success in America.

3) While still in his teens, Desi got his first job as an entertainer. As a boy in Cuba, he expected to be a lawyer, not a musician. He only began playing guitar because he noticed girls like musicians and he liked girls. Tell us about a hobby of yours, and what inspired you to pick it up.
I have several different hobbies.. if they are considered hobbies really.  I play piano, paint and like reading history and science.
I don't really know what inspired me, if anything. They are just things I like doing very much.

4) He discovered he was not only a talented musician but a natural leader. By the tender age of 19, he had organized The Desi Arnaz Orchestra and they were performing in Miami hotels. Have you ever been a boss? If so, did you enjoy it?
Yes and sure, it was okay to be a boss and I think I handled it well.

5) When he was 23, he went to Hollywood to try his hand at movies and met a 28 year old actress named Lucille Ball. In Hollywood back in 1940, it was considered embarrassing for a woman to date a younger man. Their initial attraction was so powerful she quickly got over it. Do you think age matters when it comes to romance?
It matters if the person is way too young, yes or if they are way too old.
But an age difference is alright if you are over 30.

6) Desi was the first person to call that famous redhead "Lucy." Throughout her entire life, friends, family and coworkers always referred to her as "Lucille," as she preferred. But Desi insisted on "Lucy." He said that name was his and his alone. Ironically it became the way the world referred to her. Do you have a pet name for anyone?
I had pet names for my pets but not really for people, though I used to call my youngest daughter Zoo Little. It was kind of baby talk for  You Little based on a set of little  rubber squeeze animals I had gotten her called Zoo Little Pets.

7) Lucille and Desi named their son and daughter after themselves. Were you named after anyone?
I am named for my paternal great grandmother. She is buried in Scotland and one time my aunt took a photo of the grave stone and there was my complete name on it! I have her first name, her maiden name and he married surname.

8) Desi was the founding force behind Desilu. One of the first great production studios of the television age, Desilu grossed $15 million in 1957 (more than $135 million in today's dollars). He credited his success to his unconventional and creative approach to problems. Are you a good problem solver?
I can be yes. I research and go deep on finding solutions.

9) Random question: Who annoys you more, a know-it-all or an ignoramus?
Always an ignoramus because it is usually willful ignorance or stupidity from laziness.
Some so-called know it all people, really do know quite a lot and people just feel a bit stupid next to them so they put them down for being smart and knowledgeable.

Meanwhile.. back at the ranch, Bill Cabrera will show you how to make a dynamite cup of Cuban coffee and if you don't try it then we will all know something has gone terribly wrong with your brain... just saying... Oh, Bill plays a mean guitar too.