This map (created by a generator thing) show all the countries I’ve passed through. Sita’s would probably have a lot more red. I passed up the chance to go with her to Morocco one weekend, Italy another. And I never went to Portugal that time because I had to work… Still it’s quality, not quantity, no?
Today we’re off to Tequila again, their festival finishes tomorrow. I want to be here in Gwod tomorrow because it’s The Virgin of Guadalupe’s saint day and there are various processions and other photo ops going on. Also it’s Sally and Martin’s 35th wedding anniversary- Many congratulations and best wishes. Traditionally coral or jade, apparently.
And here’s the US states I’ve been to: Basically, Massachusetts and California and everywhere in between. Also if the American Sociological Association held an annual conference in a state in the last 5 years, that’ll be there too. Now all that remains is a map of Somerset where you select the postcodes you’ve been to and it tells you what percentage remains to be seen. Minus Bridgwater. And maybe Chard. I’m not sure about North Petherton neither, last time I passed through someone had scrawled Royston Vasey over the name of the place on the ‘welcome and please drive slowly’ sign.
And while I’m here, there’s some new photos from Friday on Flickr that include the world’s biggest coffee, autostitched terracing, dancing (not me, obviously), and what is currently the only picture on Flickr tagged “Otorrinolaringologos”. Echate un vistazo aqui, guey
and are generally v. happy with the site. They weren’t keen on the dark colours though, which is a pain. I was quite chuffed with the autumnal shades, still there’s no accounting for taste. First draft of what it might look like in minty fresh sky-ee colours, here. I’m not going to do the whole site until they get their whims straight though…
And that’s the picture of the tequila, miniatures, book and I forgot to mention the agave honey…
I dropped Sita off last night at a renowned Tequila historian’s office for an interview. For an hour and a half I wandered the streets of central Guadalajara listening to Radio 4’s The Consultants on my spanking new MP3/Radio/Recorder player. When her time was up I sneaked into the building and was invited to listen to this bloke’s lecture- he had lots more to impart it appeared and was glad of the audience. It was fascinating stuff. I can’t pretend I remember it all, but he was talking all about the Aztec history of the Agave and its by-products. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject. When he wasn’t cross referencing the Aztec calendar with a page of scribbled astronomical calculations, he was relating the family history of the Gods leading up to Mocteczuma’s defeat at the hands of Cortes and co. He even had PowerPoint slides to back up his one-on-one lecture. Incredible bloke. Of course, he owns an agave plantation, is related to a major tequila company and has several books on the subject. One surreal aspect of the interview/lecture was the tiny little chihuahua dog he was looking after. Apparently earlier it’d pissed on the desk narrowly missing the laptop and when I arrived it was tearing the stuffing out of a toy twice its size, making impotent little squeaking noises as he did so. I never understood how we got from wolves to this? Anyroad… We’re invited to his casa de campo sometime in the near future. I said I was into photography and really wanted to take some shots from down amongst the plants and the workers, and he said no problems. So I’m looking forward to that.
He was also showing us his own photography. He’s a really good photographer and I love the volcanic scenery around Tequila. My favourite was the picture of 3 jimadores (Agave field workers) with pinas de agave on their shoulders walking through the rain. It had it all, the drama of the landscape, the tradition of the workers, with their weatherworn faces, loading their burro, and the rain made everything more vibrant. Two slides later, the camera pulled back to show the water tank, sprinklers and American camera crew who had set up the whole shot with actors. When I’m a millionaire I too am going to provide my own rain for dramatic effects in my snap shots. Can’t help but admire the effort though. Great pictures. (I just followed this tutorial to create a similarly dramatic effect in photoshop, see Sita and Panquiman photo in the rain. Yet indoors!)
Of course, no one leaves the office empty-handed, we walked away with our Blankety-Blank Chequebook and Pen 1 hardback book, 2 miniature tequila bottles (’para el camino’), one high class tequila reposado from his distillery, 2 DVDs and 90 minutes of esoteric mesoamerican hisory on a cassette. All gratis and for nothing. Bless this man and his generosity of spirit, time and fermented agave drink.
Of course, I’ve had me guestmap going for a year or so now:
This was before Google Maps hacks were so widely available… Add yerself if you haven’t already, the last one was from me Mum and Dad when they were in Tenerife.
People know you’re serious when you make it in TequilaAficionado.com! Check out the 2nd to last paragraph…
Tequila attracts academic study Thu, Dec 08 @ 02:01 AM
An education program in Jalisco offers a course on the role of tequila in rural development and popular culture.
During the week, Agustín Arce, 27, teaches administration to high school students in Tequila, Jalisco. On the weekends, he studies the fiery spirit that made his hometown famous.
Last month, Arce and 14 classmates began delving into topics as diverse as tequila’s origins, its role in rural development and its growing influence on art, music and popular culture through a new continuing education program at the University of Guadalajara (U de G). The program takes an academic approach to the subject, which most people only learn about in a bar and truly appreciate the next day.
“We think that people should know more about tequila — not only as a drink, but its origins, the (agave) plant and the process,” said Marcela García Bátiz, publicity director for U de G Virtual.
While a diploma program in tequila perhaps looks frivolous at first glance, numerous universities have offered courses investigating other alcoholic beverages, including beer, wine and Scotch whisky. And with tequila reaching dizzying levels of popularity both at home and abroad, García Bátiz said it was a pertinent topic — especially in Jalisco, where residents take a special pride in the drink.
‘JALISCO IS MEXICO’
The state’s history in fomenting the popularity of tequila — along with mariachi music and charreria — makes Jalisco the most Mexican of the Republic’s states in the eyes of local boosters. The state adorns its license plates with the image of an agave plant and its tourism secretariat coined the slogan “Jalisco is Mexico . ”
The drink, which previously masqueraded under the names vino de tequila and mezcal de tequila , played an important part in Jalisco’s development. A special tequila tax funded the construction of the state legislature and the implementation of Guadalajara’s first public waterworks system. The nature of agave cultivation influenced the architecture of Jalisco’s haciendas. Since the passing of appellation of origin laws in the 1970s, only beverages made from blue agaves grown in Jalisco and designated regions of Guanajuato, Michoacan, Nayarit and Tamaulipas may use the tequila name.
“Tequila is a beverage that identifies Jalisco and Mexico in the entire world,” García Bátiz said.
A PLANT WITH MULTIPLE USES
It’s also “a very broad subject,” she said, which U de G researchers have studied for decades. Recent research has also focused on the agave plant, tequila’s principle ingredient.
Research points to some of the agave plant’s properties, which include insulin, possibly benefiting diabetics. Rural development officials are pitching miel de agave, or agave syrup, as a sweetener that is ideal for soft drinks. Increased miel de agave production could also provide another market for agave growers, who in recent years have been receiving record low prices for their harvests.
The U de G course, officially titled “El Tequila, su cultura y su entorno,” enrolled an eclectic mix of teachers, foreign graduate students, tourism officials and journalists. All signed up for different reasons, but everyone expected to profit from the experience in some way.
“I live in Tequila, was born in Tequila, I’ve always worked in that community,” Arce explained, adding his knowledge of the beverage was previously somewhat limited. But as a teacher, he saw growing opportunities for his graduating students, equipped with an in depth knowledge of tequila, to find employment in his hometown’s burgeoning tourism industry. “I’m taking this course so I can pass on the information,” he said.
STUDYING COMMODITY CULTURE
Sita Gaytan, a graduate student in sociology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, serendipitously found the course. She is spending several semesters in Jalisco researching her thesis, which explores tequila culture from a crossborder perspective. The course offered her the chance to gain a wealth of information, she said, as well as access experts from academia and the tequila industry.
“I’m interested in how commodity culture shapes ideas about national identity and citizenship,” she explained.
Along with teaching academic modules, the course organizers scheduled trips to a tequila distillery and a hacienda and also planned sessions with culinary experts.
The non-credit course runs until March, when García Bátiz said the university would decide whether or not to offer it again. It could eventually become part of a degree program, she added.
BY DAVID AGREN Special to The Herald Mexico El Universal
Just got back from a job interview as a quality control tester for educational software. It would involve being in front of a computer 8 hrs a day M-F trying to make their programs crash and explaining how I did it to tech support in Utah. I think I did an excellent interview. The questions were better than at the English school- What primary school did you attend? ones- they asked what’s 19 x 32? What’s SQL? How would you test a DVD player? And the classic: Think of a situation where you had problems with a co-worker, how did you handle it?
Wondering why the page takes longer to load and is no longer standards compliant? That’ll be the Flash header I shoved in. It’s a tad controversial in the web design world for all kinds of reasons. Reason #1 being it’s more often than not completely pointless. I’ve never let that stand in the way of my blogging, and I’m not going to start now…
There’s going to be an overhaul of this here blog one of these days, so check back often or you might miss some of the steps along the way. And you know you’d be kicking yourself for weeks if that were to happen. *fights urge to type “NOT! (c)1992″*
Answer: I alerted the appropriate authorities, made clear my expectations, documented everything, then he was ‘restructured’ and left me threats, insults and other puerile crap on my answering machine. And now he’s on the streets, if there’s any justice in the world. Actually I skipped that particular anecdote and gave the answer they were probably looking for… anyroad, should hear back in a few days.
Went to a great restaurant for lunch today with Sita, Karne Garibaldi. Shall have to see if it’s open for Xmas dinner (cos Sita’s going back to CA for a few days and me mate Ed’s coming over to stay). Carne en su jugo (Meat in its own juice), their speciality, is a stew-like meal, with less vegetables and more steak, bacon and frijoles. They give you a bottomless plate of grilled onions and tortillas and all the cilantro and salsa you can stomach. All for 65 pesos. Which wouldn’t get you a Big Mac Meal in Taunton. They’re in the Guinness book for speed of service too. So they’re faster than Maccy D’s in Taunton too. Top restaurants in Guadalajara so far:
1. La Matera- Argentine grill. 2. La I Latina- Fusion food in an achingly cool setting 3. Karne Garibaldi- fast, local, cheap and filling
You may have seen I’ve changed the blog header a little bit. I don’t think it’s going to stay like that. One of these days I’ll do a complete overhaul of the place. Sita says it’s not bad for “someone that hates pets” which is a bit strong. I’m quite fond of them but think life is a LOT easier, cheaper and less stressful without them around 24-7. I can’t deny they’re cute, mind. I was going for a Charlie’s Angels pose in the header, mais non.
Other local news: Shoes in Guadalajara only go up to size 10. So it’s trainers for tomorrow’s interview.
I’m trying to learn flash online from the free bits of tutorials offered by sites trying to sell you whole courses. It’s a bit hit and miss. I managed to get the fade in/out thing easily enough: see here. But the animation bit needs work. This took far too long to make and really is for want of a better description, piss poor:
I’m embarassed for myself. And Klem and Lulu. Still you’ve got to start somewhere, no?
If you’ve ever wondered, as I have, what would happen if we let Atticus keep digging and didn’t try and didn’t dissuade him with a blast from the hose pipe? This site has the answer. If he was in Guadalajara (which looks increasingly unlikely given his ability to charm his ‘grandparents’ in Downey, CA) he’d end up flooding the garden when he reached the middle of the Indian Ocean. Jed would end up just off the coast of New Zealand so Stu’n’Anne could look after him for a bit- they’ve just arrived there and already bought some wheels. Don’t know what it is about Taunton that makes people want to travel as far away as humanly possible from it…
Jose’ll be round any second to help us get through the Noche Buena seasonal beer and whatever Sita’s scheming to cook (curry I think). That’s if the paint fumes haven’t knocked her out. Taupe is today’s colour it appears…
There was a “here comes the science” explanation of the algorythm used to calculate this, but I just kept clicking around the site trying to find out where I can redeem this voucher.
So matey rings our doorbell yesterday, strimmer in hand, promising to work wonders on our front garden, lawn and trees, ‘Bien profesional, bien bonito’. I feel quite chuffed that I manage to haggle him down from 300 to 150 pesos (15 of your earth dollars). I close the deal with a handshake and leave him to it, wandering back to my design stuff. I hear the strimmer (weedwhacker in US parlance, I believe) whirring away. The doorbell rings again, he needs to go and get seed and fertilizer for the lawn and can I give him the money in advance. If this was the UK/ US I wouldn’t have done it, but after my dealings with the gasfitter bloke who sorted out the boiler, this is the level of service I was expecting. If you cut lawns for a living, you won’t have much in the way of pesos to buy extra stuff. So I gave him 130 pesos and he saunters off. This was yesterday. No sign of him today neither.
Then my hopes were raised when some gardeners pulled up outside the house today, but they were there for Senora Teresa next door. I asked if they knew about this landscaper from yesterday and they patiently explained, ‘parece que te chingó ese jardinero’ (Oi reckon you got screwed over by that there gardener bloke in Wurzel) which I’d sort of worked out for myself. Ah well.
It hasn’t put me off gardens, though. Oh no. In fact I went for a meeting with the director of Guadalajara’s Metropolitan Park to offer my services. I’m going to make them a website to attract corporate sponsors and more volunteers to the, frankly, near-insolvent parque. I had a wander round and it’s a big old space, but there weren’t many people there today. They come in the mornings- 6am, evenings, 5pm and weekends apparently. So the photos I took to put on the website are a little unappetizing for now. Bless them though, it’s had a rocky old history. In 1992 a local politician tried to sell it off as a golf course and pocket the change but got caught last minute during a close analysis of accounts after the streets exploded (long story), and since then they’ve got by with volunteers, military and community service people. They can’t afford to buy trees so all the new plants are grown from cuttings from local forests and they’re looking for sponsors for the BBQ areas. The plan is to be a world-class, self-sustaining tourist attraction by 2010. I reckon they’ll do it too, and let’s see if I can’t help with a bit of HTML.
I’m sure that in 2 years time we’ll look back and laugh from within our virtual reality tacto-suits with neuro-implants, but for today I’m mightily impressed with Skype’s beta video conferencing thing. Had a lovely chat with me folks and could see them in as much detail as the unnatural light of 11pm GMT would allow. Even Sita joined in the fun. It also allowed them a chance to comment on the latest paint that Sita’s selected and to see this picture of her levitating behind our settee.
This map (created by a generator thing) show all the countries I’ve passed through. Sita’s would probably have a lot more red. I passed up the chance to go with her to Morocco one weekend, Italy another. And I never went to Portugal that time because I had to work… Still it’s quality, not quantity, no?
and are generally v. happy with the site. They weren’t keen on the dark colours though, which is a pain. I was quite chuffed with the autumnal shades, still there’s no accounting for taste. First draft of what it might look like in minty fresh sky-ee colours, 
I’m sure that in 2 years time we’ll look back and laugh from within our virtual reality tacto-suits with neuro-implants, but for today I’m mightily impressed with 