Shakirita

ByGwyn Fisher

What can I say? She surpassed even my high expectations singing her little heart out and shaking it like a poloroid picture for a good 2 hours. Because of the rain, lack of infrastructure and tapatian penchant for heading to these things at the last minute it took a few hours to get there (normally a 30 minutes journey), involving a tire change among other things… so she waited for most people to arrive before taking the stage. “”Es un honor estar en la casa del gran Vicente Fernández. Gracias por su paciencia por el retraso. Espero que la pasen bien, que canten y bailen”” Gracious to the last. That means that all the reviews in today’s local papers start with this info and her first song, and that’s all they could phone in before going to press…

I definitely wouldn’t have been able to get me camera in, but there were enough mobile phones for some photos to surface soon. 20,000 people were there and it felt like it. I happily joined in with songs way out of my natural “range” and it was a fun smiley evening out with a lovely atmosphere and stellar presentation. Thanks to all the many people who got it together to make it happen, Javier, Meghan, Luisa and co 😀

For those of you interested in the set list, this is nicked from Wikipedia with a few edits “#”s denote my top 10 favourites choons:

* Estoy Aquí #2
* Te Dejo Madrid
* Don’t Bother #10
* Antología #8
* Hey You
* Día de Enero
* Inevitable #7
* Si Te Vas #9
* Obtener Un Sí
* La Tortura # (And yes she dances just like in the video in the last post but one, where does she get the stamina?)
* No #1
* Suerte
* Whenever, Wherever #6
* La Pared
* Pies Descalzos, Sueos Blancos
* Ciega, Sordomuda #4

Encore:

* Ojos Así #5
* Hips Don’t Lie #3

Morissey’s next on the list for world class concerts… We’ve got people waiting for the phone lines to open as I type…

I almost knocked myself out cold yesterday afternoon trying to throw a towel up onto the landing. I was in the act of throwing then suddenly a loud noise, bright lights and me wandering dazed around the room holding me head. So instead of Shakira photos today, have one of me with my special icepack fashioned from my headphones, two plastic bags and the contents of me freezer:

And here’s today’s wanderings around town trying to find an exhibition on “Tequila- Que haría sin él” and then some (quite a distance…)

pano

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Au revoir, Martin

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Martin, Ana´s bloke has been here for the last month or so and today sees him heading back to Belgium. It´s been grand having him around and not just because he bowls as badly as I do… Don´t be afraid to leave comments, Sr. Devos 🙂

In other news, this video is painfully funny and comes from Sita via Notorious Fig…

Shhh

The password for link below of DrSita’s latest posters is the name of our dog. No capitals.

Click here

The Running Man

The above’s a short video of the charming little animated ‘green white man’ on all the pedestrian crossings in Oaxaca. I like how he encourages you to run, not walk, the closer it gets to the stop again. I also wonder if there’s a backwards setting in there somewhere…

As you know, no news on this blog means there’s lots of news occurring, but no time to write about it. In brief, we made several gourmet home-made pizzas last night with a couple of lovely folks from Bowdoin. Today’s Wolfe’s Neck with dearest Atticus, picking up Blackcurrant & Apple juice, Twiglets and as many Creme Eggs as I can stomach, from the UK Essentials shop in Freeport. Tomorrow, if the weather holds, tis a Flickr meet in Brunswick of all places… so maybe some more Mainecentric photos will follow soon. And that is the mere tip of the iceberg in terms of current events round our way.

Mexico, Mexico, Ra, Ra, Ra

Eat my goal… Classic Alan Partridge:

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

Back to normal, whatever that is

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.