Chapter Seven shows David getting serious about testing the limits of his invention, but he manages to find an unexpected way to enjoy this "research." Do you think it's more fun when romance occurs unexpectedly?
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I decided to throw myself into the experiment where I tried to find out how much the sonic stimulator helped me learn Spanish. It seemed to be working, but I wouldn't know for sure until I finished the instructional program and asked an expert how much I'd learned. I spent so much time going through the lessons that it got tedious. The stimulator seemed to make it a lot easier to concentrate on the subject matter, but anyone would find it difficult to focus on lesson after lesson after lesson, day after day after day.
I finished Friday morning. That day I went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant, and it took no effort at all to order in Spanish. My server acted as though I was doing fine, but she might have been trying to be polite. For all I knew, she went back into the kitchen, laughed, and told her co-workers "You should hear the gringo I'm serving. He thinks he knows Spanish."
I needed an expert opinion. Help was nearby. The Department of Modern Languages was in a building near my lab, and there were several professors who concentrated on Spanish. As I scanned the list, I saw that a faculty member named Mariana Kahlo had doctorates in both Spanish and linguistics. That's exactly what I needed. She'd know precisely how well I'd done working to achieve fluency in Spanish.
I sent her an email explaining that I could use her help with my research, and she agreed to meet with me after lunch. When I arrived at her office, I learned that Mariano Kahlo was a very handsome woman. I later learned that her ancestry was French, Mexican and African. It gave her an exotic, ethnic look that I found especially appealing. Her long wavy black hair was fashioned in an updo. Her skin looked a bit darker than a typical Mexican descendant of the Mayans and Incas. She had a broad face, wide nose and thick luscious lips that must have been part of her African heritage. I find women who look like that to be very attractive, and it took a bit of effort to untie my tongue.
"That's an interesting name," I said. "Are you any relation to the artist, Frida Kahlo?"
I was just making conversation. I expected her to say no.
"She was my great grandfather's niece," Kahlo said.
"Really! Wow! I LOVE Frida Kahlo! Wow. Just wow. I'm sure I've seen every single painting she's done. I also love the work of her husband. What was his name?"
"Diego Rivera."
"Right! Diego Rivera. Man, he was really something. Seems like he was a bit of a dick, though."
"Frida shared that opinion."
"Wow. I'm having trouble stopping myself from going total fanboy. You must get reactions like this all the time."
Kahlo smiled. "I do, actually. But I only get reactions like this from women. I can't remember ever hearing this much enthusiasm from a man."
"Well, that's sexist bullshit, of course, but I guess it makes sense. I've always thought that a lot of Kahlo's paintings just shimmer with feminist values."
"Most art critics agree with you. So do I."
"Damn. I'm having trouble remembering what I came here to discuss."
"That's fine," Kahlo said. "I'm giving a seminar on Frida in a few weeks. You are welcome to attend."
"I. Will. Be. There."
Kahlo smiled indulgently. "I understand. Frida was very special. But maybe you should tell me why you're here. You said you need help with your research, and I see that you are a neuroscientist. What possible assistance can I offer you?"
"I know your time is valuable, so I'll make this quick. I'm working on a process that might make learning easier. I've been experimenting on myself. I've been using it to study Spanish, and I need an expert opinion to tell me how much I've learned."
"OK. I can evaluate your fluency fairly quickly. I'm going to ask you some questions, and I want you to answer in Spanish, alright?"
"Sure."
"Give me directions to the store where you buy your groceries."
I told her where to go, including a route that works better during times of very heavy traffic.
"What is your favorite movie, and what did you like about it?"
In Spanish, I said "I don't have a favorite movie, but I'm very fond of the film
Frida
, starring Selma Hayek. I'm sure you know that it's a film about your famous ancestor, and it makes clear that she was an amazing woman who is rightfully remembered as being one of the greatest fucking artists of the whole fucking 20th century. And honesty compels me to admit that I think Salma Hayed is so beautiful I can't take my eyes off her when she's in a movie. I loved
Frida
, but I don't know if it accurately told the story of Kahlo's life."
"Well, it's not really possible to compress the life of someone like Frida into a two hour film, but it's very accurate otherwise."
"So Diego Rivera really was a dick, right?"
Hayek laughed. "I think Frida did the right thing when she kicked him out. But he had many fine qualities, and he loved Frida. Most of the time. But let's get back to business. Tell me something about the college where you got your undergraduate degree, and why you decided to go there."
It went on like that for about 10 minutes. Obviously, Kahlo wanted to hear me use Spanish in different contexts. Most of the questions were about fairly simple things. Until the end.
"As a neuroscientist, I assume you are familiar with Noam Chomsky's theory of universal grammar. Describe it."