Independence Day

Yes, in case you didn't know, this past weekend was Mexican Independence Day. And how did I celebrate? Good question! Because our school was one of the only to give Friday off (hardly anyone else was on holiday), I decided to go with a couple of girlfriends to Guadalajara. They stayed in Tlaquepaque, and I went on in to Guadalajara to visit MPM and his roommate. The first day, when I was dropping them off, we shopped a little bit around Tlaquepaque, but found the prices a bit too high. Friday evening, I hung out with MPM and his roommate, then on Saturday went back to meet the girls in Tonala for more shopping. That was it. We bought the place out. We had so much, I had to tie crap on the top of my car. They had a lot of stuff, but I had some big stuff--mirrors and such. Then Saturday afternoon I went back and met the boys for lunch and free time, then later we went down to the centro for the Grito.

If I were a good blogger, I'd explain all of this, but I think for now I'll just put the pictures, with a little explanation.... (That first picture up there is of some masks in the girls' Tlaquepaque hotel.)

We got lost on the way there (a 2-hour detour), but found the Alabama Restaurant somewhere. I asked the guy why he called his place the Alabama Restaurant, and he told me that he had lived in Birmingham (Pelham, actually) for over 8 years! We were neighbors of a sort. He also had the cleanest bathrooms we saw anywhere on the road.

I bought coconut with salt, lime, and chile from a little old man in Tonala. It was delicious.

A day of the dead skeleton, decked out for Independence.

The fireworks in the centro for the Grito were really great--sparks fell on my head, on the buildings nearby, on the trees around the plaza, and just about everywhere else. No fires, though.

Road adventure #2--we almost ran out of gas somewhere in Michoacan. Seriously, we were about 40 miles from the nearest gas station (we asked at the tollbooth), and below the red line on the fuel gauge. We thought our luck had changed when we saw one of the Green Angels on the side of the road (you know, the trucks that patrol the highways 'helping' stranded motorists). Well, of course the guy didn't have any gas, but he did direct us to the next little town, where this cool old guy and his grandson (?) sold us some gas out of a bucket. The girls tell me that it was the highlight of their trip. I don't know if I'd go that far, but it was pretty fun. The people at the carport gas station were all really nice, cracking jokes and such.

I guess that's all for now. I need sleep.


Now playing: Billie Holiday - Don't Explain (Dzihan & Kamien remix)
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Another Pleasant Valley Sunday

So, after the dogs and painting on Saturday, Sunday was also pretty cool. First, I woke up early and did stuff around the house, but then went to el Jardin del Arte, a big market of, for, and by artists. They sell paintings, sculptures, photos, and also canvases, paints, brushes, frames, etc. At the back they also sell fruits and vegetables, and raw meat. Anything an artist could want!

Some of the art was really cool! Some was of dolphins and whales. But I met this really cool old (85--he told me) photographer who had years and years of photos. He'd shot Diego Rivera, and some other historical/famous people, and would tell stories about all the pictures, all the while with a big cigar hanging out of his mouth. I wish I had taken his photo! But he wanted 1,000 pesos for each one. Way out of my price range. As was just about everything else there, except the fruit and meat.

But as I was walking back, Cristina (another friend/coworker) called and asked if I wanted to go get martinis. Of course I said yes! But these weren't any ordinary martinis. They were made with absynthe, which may or may not be illegal in the U.S. We couldn't decide, and didn't ask or research, so we agreed to think that it is illegal there.

We kept waiting to have hallucinations, or something, but they just did us like normal martinis. They were tasty, though, with watermelon juice and something else. No hallucinations.

But the fun didn't stop there! As we were finishing our non-hallucinogenic drinks, another friend (Amy) called and invited us to her house to see the MTV video music awards. So we went, with the main purposes being 1. look at some JT. 2. Laugh, but also feel a little bad for, Britney. Poor thing. As they say in the south "God love her..." with the unspoken "...nobody else will!"

And that's all I want to say about that.


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Now playing: Dinah Washington - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't My Baby? -Rae&Christian Remix-
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Man-About-Town (and at home)

I had a great weekend, if I may rub it in a little. Saturday was nice, and sunny, and I had two delightful companions to keep me company. I was dog sitting for a friend/coworker while she went to Taxco for a day of shopping. They are two tiny little Chihuahuas: the white one is named Chicle, and the black one is named Lola. They have color-coded collars, with diamelles spelling their names. They were fun, but I was a bit embarrassed taking them to the park. Luckily I'm secure in my manhood to do that. I had to carry Lola in her dog-carrier (okay, it's a purse) because she gets nervous walking around cars, people, other dogs, trees, and just about anything else. But I have to say, if I had to worry about everything stepping on me, I'd be a little nervous too.

The doggies helped me paint as well, (which is more than I can say for my pal Jeff). They stepped in the paint and left little paw prints, but Jeff just sort of sat on the sofa. The hall was a boring white color, but since it is dark and long I had a long interior monologue about what color to paint it. This is the before picture. See, it's long and dark. But I decided to be bold, and paint it a gunmetal gray/blue color. I thought it would draw together the gray in the other rooms, the navy blue carpet, and the blue lamps and accessories that came with the apartment. Good plan, right?

So, I hiked myself down to the paint store, and took a good 40 minutes choosing just the perfect shade. The paint store guy thought that I could do it with two gallons (this, of course, after I explained to him that the hallway was smaller than the store, but bigger than a breadbox. Did I have any measurements, or any idea of how many square meters? NO!) So I bought three gallons just in case. You know, three gallons of paint don't seem so much when you carry them from Home Depot to your car in the parking lot. But after a few blocks walking, they got really heavy! I had to stop for a cappuccino on the way back.

But I made it, and with no help from Jeff, started to paint. I had originally planned to do the whole hallway, but one wall seemed sufficient to add color and interest. Plus I was tired of it.

But as I was painting it became clear (as it usually does), that the color I chose was not the color on the walls. I reserved judgment until the second coat, just to be fair, but then I ended up with this:

It's waaay more blue than I wanted. But, the wall looks much better not white, and I did a pretty good job of it, if I do say so myself. But what else could I do? Maybe later I'll get another gallon of a darker color and put it on top, but for now I'm done with painting.

And it only took 1/2 of a gallon! So if you like the color, let me know and I'll hook you up.

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Now playing: Frank Sinatra - Send In The Clowns
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