Provo Falls

Last night I went cantina hopping with Jose, his sister and a couple of other peeps, it was grand to be out of the house again after what seems like an age. La Fuente first, which was packed. It’s going through a fair few changes. It’s one of Guadalajara’s oldest cantinas but recently it’s been refurbished, expanded and now features art exhibitions and several plasma flatscreen TVs which really don’t help the ambience. There’s a bike above the bar that someone left in 1947 or thereabouts saying they could keep it until he came back to pay his tab. Needless to say he never returned. Anyroad, it was missing last night with a plaque saying it’s been leant to an exhibition on collectibles in the Casa de Cultura. Once they replace the live musicians with a video jukebox we’ll know it’s all over… Anyroad, after there on to El Rincón de la Doa in Calle Heroes, not far from the Coliseo (The lucha libre arena). Much more sedate… We were there till around 1:30 then headed to Los Famosos Equipales where I got involved in a very strange argument about bullfighting.

Strange because I completely agreed with the bloke arguing with me. My every other word was, “exactly”, or “I completely agree”, or “you’re totally right” but it seemed like after years of arguing bullfighting ethics with foreigners he didn’t believe anyone who wasn’t Spanish or Mexican could possibly be in favour of it. I’ve never been to a corrido de toros which is pretty odd considering my lifelong obsession with all things hispano. When I was vegetarian for 3 years I was passionately against it but once you’re an omnivorous, leather-wearing, animal-tested-medicine-taking co-conspirator you’ve not got a leg to stand on. It’s all about using animals for non-essential human ends, and in for a penny, in for a pound reckons I. Bullfight bulls certainly have a better quality of life than your average dairy cow or battery hen. And on their last day alive at least they have a chance to get even in front of a paying audience rather than being transported across the county in a small box, shot up with antibiotics, shuffling into an abbatoir and having a bolt put through their brain…

Today if all goes according to plan, off to the Tianguis Cultural downtown, then watching native Guadalajaran, Guillermo del Toro (coincidentally enough)’s new film El Laberinto del Fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth) which has been getting impressive reviews.

Went out for a fantastic fondue meal last night. Two parts cheesy bread to one part steak washed down with Casillero del Diablo. I felt a little sketchy afterwards though. I blame the cheese… anyway thanks to a relatively early night I’ve been very productive today working out a pricing schedule for the website. I’m trying to get my head round which reseller hosting service to use, any ideas? I’m hoping Flash might be able to help on this one… I’m also working on a logo for a local political candidate to put on t-shirts, mugs, business cards, etc… to run past him on Monday. Sita’s been v. helpful with nods and shakes of the head. She hasn’t seen this one yet cos she’s at the gym… never mind…

I’m in two minds as to whether to go off photoing stuff in the fading light this afternoon. Jose hasn’t rung- last night he turned up to tell us he was feeling very ill. And contagious. So we packed him off back to his flat and went out on our own. Me and him were going to go off filming in a barrio across town but that’s looking unlikely. I think we’re staying in this evening for Capote and wine. Not too much though cos we’re going to see Manu Chao in concert tomorrow evening. I’m more than a little excited about this… I hope they let me take my camera. It’s in the bull ring and should be fantastic. He’s one of the few acts I still own a T-shirt of… My Suicidal Tendencies ones have disintegrated since I got them at Clash of the Titans 15 years ago… Jose had a photo from ’98 he showed me where I’m proudly wearing my Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles shirt. Wish i still had it. Anyroad… Busy busy busy and all that might post more stuff in the near future. NB. Designing political propaganda does not mean I neccesarily endorse the party…

I’m thinking of phoning…

More HERE… Happy weekend
Off to Oakland soon to catch up with Meg, Matt, Monica, and the non-alliterative Daniel soonish. And not before time, neither.
b3ta.com‘s weekly round-up of internet nonsense included a link to this Face Transformer– you upload a picture of your face and then tell it to morph it into ape, child, drunk, or (below) boss-eyed-beardy-manga-man among others.
. Email me any good transformations and we can have a guess-the-nerd competition.

normal blogging will be resumed shortly…
quick stream of consciousness from last Wed to today… meetings… reports… fielding phone calls… reporters cancelling… final preps for social… dog… sita in miami… sita back… dog… social event… tables… bert and dad arrive… barby in the back garden… party round gerwin’s… breakfast on the wharf… rehearsal for queer youth awards… played guitar… asparagus… atticus… anarchist… ciao bella… “‘china” the cat… car hire… workworkwork… pope… dentist… budgets… next week planning… dr. bert’s friend… Red? Tomorrow… berkeley… first 5… scrabble… thurs… INS/Dept of homeland nonsense… passport photos… announcements at work… ian’n’yuri’n’william… on sunday he rested or had a stab at it… monday… training… tues -> berkeley… trianing… training… training. dentist again. 3 x fillings, 1 x crown replacement.

The strangest weather’s going on right now. Huge bolts of lightning arcing across the sky, no rain. And thunder that’s setting off car alarms. Feels very apocalyptic. We’re not in Kansas anymore, Toto…