Rebeca: HOW I MET MY ESTROGENUINAS

Hi everybody! Today you’re going to be witnesses to the story of ‘How I met my Estrogenuinas’. Chill out, guys, I’m not Ted Mosby (the protagonist of the TV series “How I met your mother”) and this won’t last seven seasons.

Myself on the drums!

But before wondering ‘How I met my Estrogenuinas’, you should know how I got into the world of music. Well, it was many years ago, fourteen to be precise, when I decided to start my music studies – to be fair, my parents decided it for me and it’s one of the greatest presents I’ve ever received from them - at Santa Cecilia, a music academy in Garrido – hey, you see, Garrido is not as bad a neighborhood as people say… we even have a music academy! We are creating artists!

The instrument that I chose was the marvelous flute. I can’t exactly tell you why I took this decision but I’m so glad I did … really you won’t believe how it changed my life, as this choice helped to intensify, even more, the love that I professed to music.

Once I ended my flute studies, I thought about pursuing my music career, so I decided to learn how to play a new instrument. I don’t know what kind of strange paranormal force entered my mind, but it had a voice that convinced me to choose the drums. I think I obeyed those chants because they were sung with a voice similar to this mesmerizing one from Green Day’s drummer, Tré Cool.

Green Day's Tré Cool

Really, I don’t know why the hell I picked out such a noisy big instrument. Nor did my mother, but you know, I think this choice was due to the ever so wise fate, because thanks to it, I was lucky to meet my beloved Estrogenuinas – here comes the crux of the yarn.

There is a fantastic rule in Santa Cecilia that forces you to join a class whose task is teaching you how a band works by making your own one. And guys, here was where I met one of my current best friends: Carolina, the girl who, a few months later, became Estrogenuinas’ bass player. Although I’ve been 14 years in Santa Cecilia, I still get lost, and Carol was the fantastic compassionate person who guided me to the class.

We hit it off as fast as punk legend Sid Vicious got on well with drugs – just joking, but this is true - and after a few weeks she asked me to join a punk band that she wanted to form with her twin, Ángela. The sinister force that made me choose the drums, also made me say ‘yes’ to her proposal immediately – God damn it! I didn’t even know how to play in a decent way, but I supposed that in a punk band it was not so important … well, I’ve never been so wrong!

The humble beginnings

I met Carol’s twin in a barbecue. The first thing I remember that Angela said to me was: ‘the hamburgers are very tasty’; I immediately predicted that I would love that brilliant girl. That event is said to be the beginning of Estrogenuinas because it sounds cool, as if we are an American band, right?

But Estrogenuinas was not complete until the precious María joined us. I met her in our first rehearsal, which took place at her garage. I didn’t have a drum kit so I improvised one by mixing a detergent bottle, a ladder and an old broken chair, we were so, so punk … Have you ever listened to ‘Las Vulpes’? Well, we were even worse!

And now, look at us! After lots of rehearsing we are … you know … well, we are not as bad as when we began. But at least we are better than ‘Las Vulpes’… or rather, we can say that we are halfway between ‘Las Vulpes’ and ‘The Clash’. In Salamanca, we are more famous than Jesus Christ … NO WAY!

This year is going to be the third anniversary of those “dog days”. Right now we are trying to record our grand EP ‘De Guijuelo a Wisconsin’ – if money allows us.

The "more glamorous" band today

Folks, nowadays Estrogenuinas have become one of my "Wonderwalls"proposition – the other two are B movies and ramen (= Japanese noodles, that is). It has totally changed my life. Estrogenuinas was the excuse which led me to know the true meaning of sacrifice, but above all to discover the true meaning of friendship.

Finally, this is a clip of one of our songs, called "Bïke Punx Fest". You can also read more about us on MySpace.

Thanks Rebecca, I've really enjoyed reading your "musical journey". I can only say it was great fun to see you and your mates live in concert at the CAEM in November, wasn't it Ana? We wish you and the band the best of luck! Who knows if one day you'll be touring the world with Estrogenuinas!

Nuria: The Grinch

The Grinch is one of the most popular “Christmas characters”, mainly in the United States. Dr Seuss, who created this science fiction character in 1957, wrote the first book about the Grinch: How the Grinch stole Christmas.

The Grinch is known worldwide as an anti-Christmas figure. The impact of this book brought Dr Seuss into a new project and he directed a chapter for the ABC, which was called “Halloween is Grinch night”.

Dr Seuss describes him as a black, white and red giant who lives in an isolated cave near a village. But this image has changed throughout the years. Nowadays, young people will describe him as a green “monkey”, with extremely big eyes and a sinister smile. This change comes because of both the TV series and the movies.

Since Dr Seuss published the first literary work, many companies and enterprises have bought the image rights.  We can find comics, books and chapters in different series like The Simpsons or Family guy … and indeed films.

But, not only has the Grinch’s appearance been contaminated, but also the ideology underneath him has been forgotten too.

Originally, Dr Seuss wanted to portray the Grinch as a character against the extreme consumerism that Christmas brings, and also to show that the real meaning of Christmas, the spiritual meaning, has been killed.

But today’s youth don’t remember this lesson, only the 2000 film, “The Grinch”. In this movie, the namesake character (played by Jim Carrey) hates Christmas because of a childhood trauma … we can't see the criticism against society. So the most important lesson, “enjoy family and friends, not only presents”, is lost.

I find the film quite funny, but I prefer the book ☺


Thank you so  very much, Nuria, I was kind of sad because no-one was sending any stuff for the blog over Xmas and you sort of read my mind! I guess this is as suitable as a topic can be for the merry season.

I remember how much my kids and me loved the film when it was released in 2000. So, instead of the short film trailer you sent me, I've inserted below (hope you don't mind me doing so!) one of my favourite scenes, where we can also listen to the extraordinary voice of the narrator, the great Anthony Hopkins. Enjoy!

You know what ... I sometimes like to think of myself as a kind of Grinch, ha ha! 

Merry Christmas everyone!

The Film Corner: Sara Sáez - Date Night

The film is about a couple, Mr and Mrs Foster (Steve Carrell & Tina Fey), who are going through a minor crisis in their marriage, and apparently out for a quiet night. They go to a restaurant, but they haven’t reserved a table, so he comes up with taking the seats from a couple who haven’t arrived yet. Actually, the table has been reserved by Mr and Mrs Tripplehorn, two robbers who have been arrested by two corrupted policemen. 

Like the Tripplehorns, Foster gets into trouble and, unwittingly, the couple are involved in many adventures all night long, including persecutions by the police. The film ends with a romantic, passionate kiss, as most “rom coms” do.

Personally, I’m really into romance, so I really liked Date Night. Before watching it, I thought it’d be just another classic romantic film. However, it wasn’t because of the mixture of adventure and love. I strongly recommend it, especially if you are looking for a different romantic comedy. 

Thanks a lot, Sara! Honestly, I don't remember the film too well but I've always liked Steve Carrell's comic vein (The Office is brilliant!) and Tina Fey is a lovely comedy actress indeed. I really laughed my head off while watching her impersonations of Sara Palin on Saturday Night Live, simply hilarious! So perhaps I should watch Date Night again ...