Slang in Castellano

I was looking forward to wandering round the International Book Festival, but as Sita and I approached the entrance I was turned away because I didn’t have a press pass. So the only photos i have are from hanging around outside. Sita picked up some bargain books on Tequila and we’ll go back tomorrow when they allow gente de la calle like me in. I also had a bit of a wander around the barrio while Sita shmoozed.

Anyroad, from FIL through traffic chaos to Starbucks (their coffee’s good, what can I say?) and onto Santa Teresita to try and find more gaudy paint than Walmart were prepared to sell us. The sun was setting and the xmas decoration stands were out, have a butcher’s here. We didn’t find any paint shops but it was a nice little stroll. Sita’s cooking now, chicken and ginger I believe, and I think later on a quiet night in watching Jonathon Ross interview Gorillaz.

I’ve got an meeting with the Guad. parks authority on Friday. Which sounds promising, voluntary, but promising. May the floodgates be flung open. And thanks Arturo for long distance proof reading and thoughtful and entertaining emails.

Hasta pronto,
gwyn

It’s made a huge difference having a decent hosepipe. My tip for the day is ‘You’ll always remember the quality but soon forget the price’. I reckon the front garden is as good a place as any to meet people. Folks park in front and ask if it’s okay, I’ve been asked for directions a goodly few times, and I’ve chatted with Seora Tere from next door about horticultural issues. No philosophical debates just yet. Maybe if I start weeding though… Maybe I’m tired, or maybe I really am posting an entry about watering the front lawn… anyroad, there’s also a Mexican tradition I’m glad to be keeping up that involves filling plastic bottles with water and distributing them round the garden to stop cats coming and crapping there. It doesn’t work. But they’re a cheap and tasteful alternative to gnomes and now the garden fits in beautifully with the other houses in the neighbourhood. Other garden news? Well, Sita decided that cilantro/coriander and basil is a faster growing alternative to grass for those pesky bare patches in the lawn and it’s coming along a treat. We’re going to have the best tasting lawn in all of Guanatos.

All the design projects I hinted at earlier are out of my hands for a day or two so I’ve been chillin’ listening to Top of the Pods and playing guitar along to VH1. And now, dear weblog, I’m writing again. Hang on, just been called to light the oven. Sita’s still ovenphobic after her near death experience 2 months ago… wish me luck… back again with just minor burns. Sita cringed in the garden while I lit it… Maybe this is why she wants a microwave. Laters…

A fair while ago near Mexico City, in 1531 if Google serves me correctly, the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego. Juan was a young Indian boy and spoke Nahuatl, just like my Dad (see comments in the previous post). La Virgen told him to build a church on that there spot. He was on his own, and an Indian to boot, so the Catholic priests didn’t believe him. He went back to the place she’d appeared and she made a rose bush bloom (not common in the winter). He took the roses back to them as proof. The blanket he’d wrapped them in had a Turin-shroud-like perfect impression of said Virgin. Not long after, most natives converted to Catholicism. So the Virgin of Guadalupe is sort of representative of the mestizo (mixed) heritige of Mexico’s native and European roots. She incorporates all kinds of indigenous Nahuatl female deity imagery with her moon, stars and sun and is a more palatable version of Christianity for the local populations.

Apparently the celebrations kick off in a bigger way come 5pm, but I’ll be hungry by then and fixing to go and see films about wardrobes and allegorical big cats. So I left at around 12ish and asked our neighbour, Sra Teresa where the church with all the celebrations take place, she pointed me in the right direction and I started my pilgrimage. 24 blocks later I arrived at a church/fairground filled with kiddies in traditional Mexican garb being photographed with the virgin, blessed in the church and some were lucky enough to get tied to giant bungee cords and flung into the sky (I have pictures…).

All very nice. I also found a place in the city center that does courses on Flash and other stuff pretty cheaply so I may look into that soon too. That’s all for now, off now to eat and watch CGI lions. Cheers. Click HERE for a slideshow of all today’s photos.

Doubtless you’ve heard the furore surrounding it as American Christian Fundamentalists adopted it as their own citing the penguin’s incredible journey as evidence of God’s work and pro-family values. The other side came back with, but they’re only monogamous for one year, it’s a very hard life for a benign deity to proscribe, and that’s not even mentioning the whole gay penguins “thing“. If you never got round to my review (and I won’t blame you) here’s an easy to follow link to the review I wrote in August. On Amazon.com, 1 of 5 people found it helpful, so there you go.

I went to the Parque people today to find out the latest on the site and they’re only asking for it to be a scalable size, ie. 95% of the screen rather than a fixed width. That’s not a minor change. But they’re on ‘oliday till 6th Jan so that gives me a chance during the “Guadalupe Reyes” period (an expression Jose explained last night as being from the 12 Dec to 6th of Jan). Oh, and they’d like a visitor counter too. See here under “You Know You’re In Content Hell When You See…”. Ah well, I’m just the designer… Jose reckon’s there’s a 90% chance I’ll get the kindergarten gig though v. soon and he’s invited me’n’Ed to christmas dinner round his house. So it’s all good.

If you’re internet obsessed enough to read other people’s blogs you probably have about 3 email addresses already. But if you’re interested in a Gmail account, there’re about to become a lot less exclusive since I now how 50 invites to give away. Add yerself to me guestmap and I’ll email you an invite. You can zoom in on the map if you don’t think there’s enough space…