Johnny Joo-man was a Huevo

One of my father’s favorite stories about his son,William, involved a television show about a cowboy named Johnny Joo-man. The story involved my dad singing the television theme song as his son did and then as himself. I’ve heard the beginning of this song so many times that it holds a special place in my heart even though I did not grow up watching the TV show. Once, I went to some underground comic film fest and in the midst of some older television snippets they played a few seconds of the song and my ears perked up and my whole body strained to capture it all in my head. I felt this sense of recognition that made me nostalgic for something I never experienced first hand from the source. But the clip was short and the effect was fleeting.

Now with the wonder of the Internet, I have seen the opening credits of the show and some episodes on YouTube. But I didn’t find it right away because I didn’t know how to spell Johnny Joo-man. It certainly couldn’t be spelled how it sounded. There never was a Hollywood cowboy called Jew-man spelled J-E-W-M-A-N, was there? Or J-O-O-M-A-N? After a couple of searches I found it and as with many little things involving my father’s stories, it made sense. The show was called Johnny Yuma, Y-U-M-A and the theme song was sung by Johnny Cash.

The way my dad tells it, William, his second born son, liked to watch that show. He’d be decked out like a little cowboy with his hat on and his holster around his hips with the toy guns. (It was the tale end of the 50’s. But I was born in 69 and even though I was obviously a girl there is a picture of me at around age 3 bare-chested with a cowboy hat on and a holster and gun set sitting on a rocking horse. Yea dad.)Anyway, according to dad, William was very skinny; so skinny that his holster would slide down his hips and onto the floor. Remembering this would make my father laugh and shake his head at skinny little William.

So dad punches a hole in the holster so it can fit snug so William could be a proper cowboy.

One day William began loudly singing the theme song. “Johnny Joo-man was a huevo!”

My dad started cracking up. He interrupted the singing. “Johnny Joo-man was not a huevo. Johnny Joo-man was a rrebol.” William, ornery cowboy that he was, got annoyed. “Joo feo, daddy.” was his very clever retort.

But when the song came on for the show, William was obviously listening more carefully, because this time he heard Johnny Cash sing clearly, “Johnny Yuma was a rebel,” and he turned around stunned and said, “Joo right, daddy.” So I know the moment when my brother learned the difference between the English word rebel and the Spanish word for egg.

Super Aikido Girl

Super Aikido Girl begins the day in meditation aligning all the energies of the universe within herself.  The time taken to do this is a worthy investment because it makes the world clearer.  The colors are sharper.  Her eyes and ears are more observant.  In turn, the universe  offers many gifts.  She catches sights of great acrobatic squirrels in the tree outside of her apartment.  She notices the surprised smile of the CTA worker at the train station when she nods a hello.  People make space for her on the train platform.  When you make space for the universe, the universe makes space for you.  Ahhh, yes, young grasshopper

But it is not all sweetness and light, because I did say she has aligned all the energies that are darker, murkier than others.

She can see pain.  The woman with the scrunched up face on the train.  She looks constipated.  No, she looks wretched.  Super Aikido Girl, acknowledges the wretchedness--there's no worse thing to do that to deny wretchedness.  Whatever you deny will present itself over and over again, louder and bolder and more forcefully until you acknowledge it.  So she does.  And she imagines a smoothing out of the lines on the woman's face.  A release of weight....