I just went to get some photocopying done and they asked if I wanted it “Engargolado”. This is a Mexicanismo according to the RAE (Spanish version of the Oxford dictionary) meaning “bound with a plastic spiral ring thing” (see photo). I asked what the origin was and she said she didn’t know but it probably comes from “gargola”, a gargoyle. Now maybe it’s because of my life-long fascination with Ghostbusters, but I think that’s a great image, a gargoyle’s claws holding together your document for you. I’m presuming that’s the origin, but I’m about to start work and I can’t be trolling around the internet for hunky-punk related info… Photos from another successful trip to Tequila coming soon : )

And for phrase of the week (these are going to be almost all from José): Ay, el equipo de México, jugaron como nunca y perdieron como siempre… Which doesn’t really survive translation well as: Ay, the Mexico team, they played like never and lost as ever. If you can do better than that, feel free to comment a translation : ) Hasta pronto…

Not feeling at all inspired for bloggery of late. Not even the What I Had For Breakfast type posts (Leftover pizza, pepperoni / hawaiian, for the record). Right now I’m designing/printing fliers for the web designery to try a bit of door-to-door sales drummingupping. I was going to start today but I forgot to have a shower & shave and don’t think if I turn up unannounced at people’s businesses I’d inspire too much confidence. So that can wait till Friday mayhaps, cos tomorrow we’re going to Tequila again. I’m hoping for lots of rain clouds to provide a different perspective from the last cloudless photos I took.

Tonight, I’m being taken (against my wishes) to the cinema to watch the lastest Jennifer Anniston travesty. Wish me luck… Normal service, etc, etc… soonish : )

Am now officially knackered after my 3am drain unblocking, computer unplugging, sandwich eating antics last night… Couldn’t sleep even with gentle music in my earphones and my eyes covered by the sheets… So apparently, the rainy season has started…

Just going through my early morning RSS feeds, the following stood out from boingboing and TCAL x 2 respectively:

and Hitler Cats and Peugeot Parking Game

Here’s the latest thing keeping me from blogging, the design of it, not their services… Last night I met up with Chiva for a few pints to see how things were going. Lovely bloke, and nice to catch up. I also got recognised on the bus. “¿Eres inglés?” someone asked me and it turned out he was one of the Portico regulars from 8 yrs ago (since closed down) I was getting off the bus so I gave him my card. I hope he gets in touch because apparently he still knows Adriana and Raul from there and it’d be grand to see them again.

I’m going to find a meme to post just for the sake of posting summink… The traffic through the blog was at an all time low yesterday, must be a glitch in the matrix. Mememos…

Last Road Trip– That’ll be the adventure that was Los Angeles to Guadalajara via Arizona, Guaymas, and Mazatlan. With no air conditioning. Lovely though, recommend it to anyone who has the funds to pay for luxurious toll roads.

Last Bad Advice– When I was experiencing my gastric unpleasantness, Jose (kindly, and with the best will in the world) offered the following recipe:

Fill a normal sized glass with 1/3 soy sauce (best quality available, so that it really does have soya in it, Kikoman for example), and 2/3 of mineral water. Stir, and drink the whole thing down in small gulps. It will clean your stomach and always works very well

Maybe it would have worked but I’m going to consider it bad advice since instinctively it sounds like an unholy thing to drink while sick or otherwise.

Last Movie I Saw in a Theater Cinema, dammit… Anyroad, it was X-Men 3 and despite the critical panning it’s received is top notch entertainment. You will believe a man can make Strontium claws come out of his wrists…

Last TV Show Watched Probably Dr.Phil through no fault of my own… or The Surreal Life.

Last TV Show I Enjoyed Watching Lost. Lostity lost. Lost. LOST. LOOOOOOST…

Last Book I Tried to Read Tried? As in tried but was too tired, or didn’t speak the language or found the book too full of half-baked symbology and Opus Deity to perservere with? Right now I’m reading the Kite Runner and it’s dead good. An Afghan rite of passage. Santa Cruz just got a mention to top it all.

Last Thing I Left Home Without My keys 2 days ago. I got home and banged the door, rang the landline, the cell phone and screamed up a storm but it appeared Sita wasn’t home. So I broke in and half an hour later, Sita saunters down the stairs…

Last Take Out Meal BigMac and a vanilla millshake. The two cornerstones of the nutrition pyramid. My lame excuse? I had to break a 500 peso note. And I like big macs…

Last Celebration Mexico’s win last Sunday. Hopefully to be repeated tomorrow.

Last Item Loaned Out and Haven’t Gotten Back The only thing that springs to mind is my Day Today videos. About 5 years ago. To Stuart. Ya git. Generally I don’t expect things back and just give them away. Such is my nomadic lifestyle.

Last New Word Added to Vocabulary Fulguration- “The act or process of flashing like lightning”. I’m all about the vocabulary. www.kith.org/journals/neology/ is a grand site to subscribe to if you’re up for it.

Last New Word of a Foreign Language Learned Good question. Aside from hairdressing terms, none spring to mind from the last few days. I looked up the origin of “anfitrion” the other day, though. It means ‘host’ and seemed such an odd word for a common word that it might have an interesting description, sure enough it comes from a king of Thebes who was famous for his hospitality. Good to know… Ooh, here’s one: “Sabadazo” from the word for Saturday “Sabado”, it’s when you get arrested and put in a cell, but because it’s the weekend there’s no judge so you have to wait 48 hrs instead of 24. Courtesy of Jose again…

Last T-Shirt Acquired We won one at the music quiz t’other week, but Sita’s adopted it. So before that my Pocilga Beat one that Fernando gave me.

Last Package Received Probably Homeland Security sending back my application for Parole or somesuch because they changed the photo regulations without telling anyone. Or that book I won t’other day.

Last Web Site Visited www.divinesalon.com.mx, for all your Mexican beauty product needs…

Last Injury Overzealous scratching of mozzie bites led to my foot looking like the bloke’s skin in V for Venganza. Other than that I’m unbreakable.

Last Run In with the Law Getting pulled over by the Mexican police when Jose was driving, and having to bribe our way out of it.

Last Place I’d Want to Live Bridgwater, Somerset, UK.

Last Physical Fight Does getting punched outside Henry’s 12 yrs ago count? Yes? Then that one.

Last Magazine Read Q (UK music magazine) thoughfully imported by Sarah. Thanks again.

Last Thing I Broke Honestly can’t remember. Our car’s air conditioning?

Last Thing I Fixed Sita’s pedometer. Briefly. Before it breaking again…

Last Thing That Made Me Laugh This from the Onion “Devastated By U.S. World Cup Team’s First-Round Loss, Nation Grinds To Halt“

The new Google Earth version has all the topographical info and the occasional 3D building. It’s like travelling the world all over again. Absolutely breathtaking,. It’s like air travel without the horrors of immigration awaiting you at the other end. They’ve still got to improve the resolution of Kingston, mind. maybe when the population hits 4 figures they’ll upgrade it…

This just in from London’s premier ecologically-minded design agency, Sprout, aka Bert’s Big Green Business: Binvention is now on sale and apparently in a range of hues.

“Gets your recycling sorted” ain’t a bad tagline. Don’t think it’s bin done before. Looks like an offer too good to refuse. Can‘t think of any more crap puns. It wouldn’t be of huge use here in Mexico, as recycling of cans as part of household waste is something only done by the extremely conscientious. If you’re dead set on saving the world, your best bet is to collect your cans, in a Binvention or otherwise, then leave it next to the rubbish which gets collected 3 times a week. Either it’ll get taken away by the dustmen and shoved in landfill or it might just get picked up by someone collecting cans to sell to metal yards for a few pesos. Interesting that household waste is the only thing that doesn’t get recycled. Everything else seems to get fixed and live forever womble style, fridges, tvs, cars, furniture etc…

Anyroad, here’s Bert’s junk email in full:

Our binvention is now on sale!
We have Limited Edition batch of binventions in red, green, dark turquoise and plain aluminium and you can get yours here: http://www.sproutdesign.co.uk/buy_a_binvention.htm or return the order-form we’ve attached. They are also available for collection from our studio in Hoxton and you can arrange a time by replying to this email.

Competition Winner and Results
Thank you for your votes and wonderful comments – in all we had over 300 votes! Our lucky winner was Saara Renvall, from Imu Design in Finland. She said ‘I never win anything! This was a GREAT surprise!” see all of the results here: http://www.sproutdesign.co.uk/competition_results.htm

Binvention shortlisted for the Grand Designs Magazine Awards
Our recycling bin is up for an Award in the ‘eco product’ category.

Eco Design Summer Fair
The Eco-Design Summer Fair returns this year with a host of British-designed, ethically manufactured and
fairly-traded products. We’ll be there selling bins so come find us — it is on Sunday 18th June in Islington. More details here: http://www.ecodesignfair.co.uk/

Do you need sprouting?
Sprout Design is an award winning innovation and design consultancy and our main business is product, packaging and furniture design. Our designs are characterised by being clever, friendly and easy to use – we put people first. We’ve also got experience designing websites, leaflets, books, posters, cards etc. We’re currently available for work, so please have a think about whether you or anyone you know might be needing anything and get in touch at info [at] sproutdesign.co.uk

Click the pic above for the photos from today celebrating the Mexico’s victory. We joined in for a bit then retired for an aerial view courtesy of Starbucks. Then a swift pint and on to Centro Magno for X-Men 3 (really enjoyed it), then Chili’s…

I’ve a few video clips too I might post later. A bientot, mes lecteurs.

EDIT: Some Web 2.0 site asked for permission to use some of my Minerva photos, help yourself I said:

Eat my goal… Classic Alan Partridge:

We’re off to the Minerva to shout a bit and have a coffee to celebrate.

Well the plan was to go to La Fuente cantina @ 8am (when the England vs Paraguay match starts over here), but I didn’t make it after a latish night sampling the wares of Sacromonte (new top 5 Guadalajara restaurant) and a few drinks at the bar opposite. i can’t remember its name, but its logo is the same as Enron’s (a slanted E) and finished off with Dr.Who (Cheap and cheerful cross between The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, The Matrix, The 5th Element and er, Dr. Who). A well nice evening all round. So I watched the match at home, good first half, dull second half… but we won… Then I spent an hour or so pestering people around the world on Skype and now I have to do stuff: Sort out the divine salon . com .mx website, source a Sopranos DVD set and a few other minor errands. Sita’s got the camera cos she’s off with her professor friend and a gaggle of reporters interviewing tequileros in the countryside. It’s harder to motivate myself to go out if I don’t have my camera on me, but I’ve got a few new podcasts to keep me busy. Found a great kareoke program too, more of which later. Comment if you’d like me to post my rendition of The Bangles’ Eternal Flame… Darlin’

Instead of full blown reviews, check out the ‘Consumed’ iFrame to the right (bottom IE users) in 10 minutes or so… Righty, a la chamba…

Friday’s Ocio is usually Guadalajara’s events listing, new reestaurants, gigs, exhibitions, etc. This week an article caught my eye on home chemistry and DIY. It’s gearing up for a thunderstorm right now and hopefully I won’t ever have to mix up this concoction:

Tiempo de lluvias, tiempo de frescura. Pero no todo es felicidad, porque algunas veces las goteras invaden nuestras casas y entonces llega el tema de impermeabilizar. Si no se cuenta con mucho presupuesto la solución más recomendable es la cal. La fórmula es simple: 70 litros de agua, tres jabones Lirio y un kilogramo de alumbre. Acto seguido, hay que hervir los jabones y el alumbre de manera separada en un gal’n de agua. Luego se diluye la cal en los 70 litros de agua., y después se revuelve con el alumbre y la cal. La mezcla se aplica sobre el techo (dos o tres manos mínimo) con una escoba y listo. La cubierta lo protegerá por lo menos seis meses.

(translation:) The rainy season, a season for freshness. But it’s not happiness all the way… because sometimes the rain gets into our homes and that’s where the whole waterproofing issue comes up. If you don’t have much in the way of a budget then the best solution is lime (calcium). The formula is simple: 70 litres of water, 3 Lirio soaps and a kilo of alum. First thing to do is boil up the soaps and the alum separately in a gallon of water. Then dilute the lime with the 70 litres of water and then mix it together with the alum. The mixture is applied to the roof (A minimum of 2 or 3 pairs of hands will be needed) with a mop and Bob’s your uncle. The covering will protect it for at least 6 months.

I worry most about the thousands of “roof dogs” across this vast metropolis though…

They need to get this bloke: Things That Make Me Angry on Room 101 asap.

Just saw an ad for the new(ish) Dr. Who series on megacable (People & Arts), tomorrow at 10pm… Shall have to interrupt whatever I’m doing, grab a cushion and watch that one. We’re also about to embark on The Sopranos season 6 too. Saw the first one yesterday and it was like it never went away shall try and buy the Official Box Pack down at San Juan de Dios maana.

We went to the cinema this evening to see Good Night and Good Luck, but it wasn’t on till 10pm so we thought bugger that and went for a coffee and are about to play online boggle… Yeah, that’s living alright…

Just got another freelance job, audio editing some tracks to remove vocals and transpose them a couple of tones down. I think there’s plenty of freeware that’ll do just that. Ka-ching!

I’m developing a new habit of writing about myself in the first person plural… Anyroad, just posting this as a SEO thing and it’s a handy article for people wondering how business gets done round my way. It’s on my main site in Spanish, but it doesn’t hurt to have keyword rich articles under the same domain name and since I wrote it in English first I’ll shove it up here. Still trying to summon up the critical skills for those films I mentioned a few posts back. There’s a good few books too, but they’ll get short shrift here.

How does the whole AgaveWeb design process work?

We don’t expect you to be experts in web design, that’s what you’re paying us for! However if you do know about the process so much the better! For that reason we encourage you to ask questions throughout the process if there’s anything you need clarification on. What follows is a description of how your site will be built from the initial ideas to going live and updates thereafter.

Hi, I’m Gwyn and I’ll be your bilingual web developer…

Firstly there is an initial meeting with the client, preferably in person but also by phone or email, during which we establish the goals of your site. Once we have discussed your requirements we can decide on a package or a bespoke solution. What we need to know before starting are the following:

The domain name you’d like, eg. www.midominio.com or www.minegocio.com.mx, etc.

We’ll help you decide on a good name. The best names are short and easy to remember. A name you won’t have to spend time spelling out for people, eg. http://gwyn2xyg.net.uk . If you already own a domain name you’ll have to give us the details of the company you bought it from so we can use it. If you don’t have one yet we can arrange it for you (prices vary according to whether it’s a .com, .org, .com.mx, etc.)

The full name of your company and tag line/ slogan.

All sites we produce are optimized for search engines, Google, Yahoo!, etc. This means including all kinds of invisible meta information which gets picked up by the ‘search robots’ that crawl the web in order to provide them in search results. Your company name will be prominently displayed on all pages in text and in the form of your logo.

Your site objectives

This is the most important piece of information we gather. The more specific the objective, the better. For example, ‘increase sales” is a feasible goal, but it is better to define how to do this. For example, to provide an online catalog so that clients can see what products you offer and make it easier to contact you. Or to improve efficiency by reducing time on the phone explaining common questions such as your location or opening hours. This will help us decide the next point:

Pages / Sections in the site

On the downloadable form there is a list to give you ideas. We will suggest the main parts you need based on your answer to the last question. Pages or sections might include: Welcome, Contact Form, Gallery, Catalog, Blog, FAQs, etc.

Design information.

Is there an existing colour scheme for your organization?
Are there any competitor’s sites you like? Which elements?
What adjectives would you like to describe your site? eg. Modern, traditional, youthful, colourful, sober, exciting, etc.
Do you have a logo?

If you prefer not to have to think about this design information now, leave it to us! We’ll make sure the overall look of the site perfectly compliments your company’s image and objectives.

Hosting options.

All websites need a hosting service. This is where the files that make up your site are stored and are sent from whenever someone goes to your site. We can arrange this or we can recommend a hosting provider for you. We generally recommend paying for this annually for a reduced price (between 50 and 70 US dollars depending on optional extras)

Photos

Do you have any images, on paper or files to use for the site? If not we can arrange a time for a photo shoot.

Content

It is up to the client to provide the text for the site. We’ll need to have the contact details of the person who will be responsible for this. If your site is going to be bilingual we’ll also need to know who will approve the translations.

You can download the form that we use during this first meeting here. (PDF) Once we have all this information we can decide on which packet suits your needs and produce a timeline and cost estimate.

A typical timeline for a small to medium sized site looks like this:

• Day 1:Client pays 60% of the design total. We contract the hosting and domain name and forward payment details to client.
• Day 3:Photoshoot and delivery of text from client.
• Day 5: First page and one other section design ready for approval from client. Email accounts created.
• Day 6:Client approves, offers feedback about the design.
• Day 7:Changes made, client approves, rest of site built.
• Day 8:2nd meeting with client. Explanation and approval of each page. Any technical info explained, eg. How to set up email, access it, view statistics, etc.
• Day 9:Changes made. Site goes public. Site submitted to search engines.
  After the site is live 2 batches of minor revisions are included in the total price of the package. Any extra work after is contracted separately.

about the distinct lack of blogging of late, the blame lies with www.viveajijic.com now with less lorem ipsum and more English… Click on the pinche US of A’s flag for a preliminary English translation of the jewel of Lake Chapala’s premier events listing service… I’m chuffed with the guestbook and gallery. I’m also planning on having javascript see what language settings your computer has and sending you to the appropriate page. I’d really appreciate it if you could comment whether the photo gallery page works since I’ve had problems with simple viewer and cross browser compatibility before now. There should be 30 or so photos popping up to click on. Thanks in advance 😀

Coming soon to these agave/paint/bunny-filled pages, reviews of: Spanish film: Crimen Ferpecto (The Ferpect Crime), United 93 (Truly distressing ‘entertainment’), and if tonight goes as planned, ‘Good Bye and Good Luck’ which has only just come out in Mexico. Also a bit more info on Pocilga Fest 2006 from last Sat.

Lastly, I’m well happy with a new Flickr toy that “Hockneyizes” your photos. Here’re a couple:

Also considering a jaunt back to the UK in early December, anyone around then?

I’m going to have a go at embedding a Flickr slideshow. Pics are from the Colomos Park in Providencia, filled with joggers and too-bold-by-far squirrels. And the occasional rabbit. Rodents galore, basically. Did lots of playing with the depth of field…
Next mission is to work out how to stop it autoplaying…