Atticus est arrive

Posts in my native tongue to return “pronto”…

Estaban dos nios jugando fútbol en un parque en Guadalajara cuando uno de ellos es atacado por un feroz perro “Rotweiller”.

Pensando rápido, el otro nio arranca rápido una tabla de una cerca y le da un golpe en el cuello del perro, matándolo instantáneamente.

Un reportero que se encontraba cerca observa la escena y corre a entrevistar al valiente nio mexicano y escribe en su libreta:
“VALIENTE FAN DE LAS CHIVAS SALVA A SU AMIGUITO DE LAS FAUCES DE AGRESIVO PERRO”

a.. Yo no le voy a las chivas, replica el pequeo héroe.
b.. Perdona, como estamos en Guadalajara asumí que le ibas a las chivas.

Entonces escribió: “VALIENTE FAN DEL ATLAS SALVA A SU COMPAÑERO DE TERRIBLE ATAQUE”

a.. Tampoco le voy al Atlas le dice el nio…
b.. Asumí que estando en Guadalajara le irías a las Chivas o al Atlas. Entonces, ¿A quién le vas?
a.. Le voy al América le dice el nio…

Entonces el reportero escribió: “CHILANGO MANIATICO ASESINA A INDEFENSA MASCOTA DE FAMILIA JALISCIENSE

Alas, we’ve come to the end of out initial lump rent payment of 5 months + deposit, so I had to go to the bank and pay April’s installment. First off, my (may very bad things happen to them) Wells Farrago card wouldn’t cough up enough money to cover it so I was forced to use my offshore Barclay’s card, but even that wouldn’t give me enough. I hightailed it over to another bank with my WF card and it gave me just enough that I could pay the rest with my remaining 40 dollars in my wallet. All this is happening on a very hot afternoon and involves crossing an 8 lane carriageway to move between banks… Anyway, I take a number and wait my turn (40 minutes) to change my remaining dollars, hand over the cash and pay the rent. When it’s my turn at 3:50 I go up to counter number 3 please, and say “well first I need to change these dollars”. And she tells me they don’t do that after half past three. I have this reaction in banks where the red mist comes down and I can barely suppress my anger. I managed not to swear too much and just pointed out how displaying this piece of information could save people a lot of time in the future and she agreed. It’s not her fault, I suppose… but you can choose where you work, same with traffic wardens, immigration officials and Nazi stormtroopers…

There, I’ve vented. And now on to the V for Vendetta review…

The Skype me button on the right… Very soon we’ll be in Mexico and at TelMex’s mercy once again, so download Skype by pressing that ‘call me’ button and give us a ring on the computer… Tanya…

Also, I’m working on some interwebbery for a local nutritionist- have a gander at the design, the brief for which was “lush and green”. Am quite chuffed with the look, but it’s preliminary draft.

So on Saturday we went to an Indian restaurant called Goa or somesuch with Victor, Jana and Sarah and it lived up to expectations. It’s only been open a few days but I fully expect it to do well. Tell your friends, it’s on Lopez Cotilla and on the Minerva side of Chapultepec … Apparently it’s nigh on impossible to import curry powder into the country so they have to get visiting friends and family to supply the restaurant. The owner also runs an Indian goods shop (clothes with little mirrors and that kind of thing) so there’s fairly frequent visits. Presumably curry powder would put drug sniffing dogs at the airport completely out of action for a few weeks so the dishes were lightly flavoured but very tasty. The wine’s a bargain too. I asked to ramp my dish up to vindaloo which they did using chilis instead of the powder but it was very effective. Afterwards onto La Bodeguita del Medio for Bertha’s birthday. Bertha’s a spanish / French teacher and Sita might be taking classes with her soonish, anyroad she had a nice bunch of friends and we had a grand old time singing along to Chan Chan and other cuban clasicos.

Sunday started off very dubiously. Some translation and then (cos our cable tv came back after 4 days) surfing whatever was on while my headache receded. I watched El Santo in Operación 67 which outbonds bond with a fraction of the budget (3.5 lulus). Little Nicky, if you like talking dogs, you’re in luck (2.5 Lulus) and Misery (5 Lulus), no review required… Towards the end of the afternoon we headed off to Victor and Jana’s where we were plied once again with fine wine and fine food before heading to a free concert in Zapopan where no less than Lila Downs was playing. I can’t say I was overly familiar with her music beforehand, but now I’m a convert. Photos of the event flow like wine over at Flickr. She does updated versions of Mexican classics and is something of a feminist icon round these parts. And france apparently. I’m getting to work on her back catalogue today.

Puff and Merlin are being picked up in a couple of days. We’ll have to have some kind of celebration/ tea party to see them off. I don’t reckon Merlin will notice any change, mind. Puff will be missed.

On me way home to blighty t’other week, i listened to the Jon Stewart’s audiobook on America- Democracy Inaction- a grand listen and the best bit is he’s off promoting it around cable TV land, so yesterday we got to watch him on “The O’Reilly Factor” (A Rupert Murdoch-sponsored, right-wing talk show bastard-fest) defending all that is true and right. O’Reilly scolded him for saying “Je ne sais quoi” since they’re boycotting France for their Iraq stance on the program. Stewart says that’s bollocks and why not boycott Saudi Arabia, then? Anyroad, long story short, O’Reilly came off worse for once, having invited someone with an ounce of intelligence. Huzzah.

On the techie front, i’m switching my browser to Firefox, it’s ace. Especially with the new Explorer that installed itself at me with the XP Service Pack 2 thingy and seems to rival your average bonfire night for pop-ups. Can’t recommend it enough.