Coyoacan

I spent my last day in Mexico City walking around the charming neighborhood of Coyoacan.
Founded on the shores of the ancient lake, seat of government during the reconstruction of Tenochtitlan and home to magnificent residences grouped around the 16th Century Franciscan convent. Coyoacan played host to Leon Trotski, and famous artists such as Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Celia Nutall and Salvador Novo. Their presence can still be felt, not only in their former residences, but in the intense cultural life that fills the streets. Cafes, bars, bookstores, museums, theaters and galleries create a unique bohemian atmosphere.
I finished my day with a slice of a one-of-a kind apple tart.

driving in Mexico City

Driving in Mexico City is quite the adventure. I used to think that it was like driving in NYC or Paris. Now I believe it is more like driving in China or India. Not only are street signs missing, but in some cases they are misleading. Asking a cop or someone else for directions is risky since you don't want others to know you are lost. A million different roads and millions of drivers all trying to get somewhere.
The second floor of the periferico, currently under construction, is supposed to alleviate traffic jams. It is a beautiful and expensive piece of civil engineering, but a dumb way to dissolve the bottlenecks that are what cause the main slowness in traffic.
Last Friday night I tried to go from the north, near Satelite, to Coyoacan. It took me 1.5 hours and I felt like a 5-year old playing bumper cars. I made it in one piece. Though I was cranky for the following two hours and four vodkas until me and my partner won the last round of domino.

City of Puebla

I spent last Friday and Saturday in Puebla. Also known as "Puebla de los Angeles" because leyend says that angels drew up the streets straight to ease the route of traffic around the city.
Founded in April 16, 1531. During the colony, Puebla became an important stop for travelers because of it's strategic location between Mexico City and the port of Veracruz.
Nowadays it is ranked as the 3rd most important city in the country due to the leading edge technology utilized in diverse industries such as automotive, textile, metalmechanic.

One of the largest Volkswagen's manufacturing/assembly plants in the world is in Puebla.
I was lucky to catch with my camera an engineer testing a Golf 2005 on the highway. Note there are no logos, or license plates. I love the blue paint job!

thanksgiving thoughts

some things I am thankful in 2004 are:

the love and support from my old friends
the love from my family
new friendships
finding inspiration again
playing with my nieces and nephews
summer afternoons playing tennis
all the fun trips to Vancouver BC
my herb garden
the delicious organic roma tomatoes I grew
a new boss and teammate
new recipes
being fortunate in so many ways

downtown mexico city

I spent yesterday afternoon at "Palacio de Bellas Artes" (Palace of Fine Arts). Then I walked to what is known as Zocalo, the main square downtown where the "Catedral" and "Palacio Nacional" (National Palace) are located. I am always mesmerized by the beauty of the colonial architecture.

blogging from Mexico

I finally landed in Mexico City. As the plane aproached the airport, I was welcomed by the sun setting down in between the volcanos.

i finished it

I finally finished the hat I've been knitting since October 2003. That is what happens when a lot of fun things get in between me and my knitting projects.

letter to my lover

It's been two weeks since you left us to chase your dreams. I hope by now you found a warm shelter.
I still sometimes miss you. Though lately, my memories of you fill the spaces of your presence.
There are so many things I couldn't understand before. Only time and distance have brought clarity to my mind. You continue to close your ears to me, and I understand. It is most important for me now, to voice what it is trapped in my body, deep in my heart. For what I feel I was given a gift, the gift to know you and be touched by you. And now it is my time to give back. In the only way I know, with the gentle touch of my words.
Thank you for teaching me the meaning of love with no attachments. Thank you for exploring the wholeness of my being, free of fear and judgement. Thank you for showing me the dualities of our existance. Thank you for healing my broken wings in more than one occasion, for that I can continue to fly, and fly.
And now go on, go on in your journey, my dreamcatcher. And may our paths cross again one day, sometime.

filosofia de los blogs

(Inspirada en parte por un reciente post de Magda titulado "Filosofia de la vida")
El domingo pasado, un amigo me platicaba que tenia que escribir un resumen acerca de la teoria de De Spinoza para su tarea de filosofia. Mi curiosidad por aprender de De Spinoza me empujo a ofrecerle que yo le hacia la tarea. Me alegro que haya rechazado mi ayuda, porque asi tengo mas tiempo de seguir leyendo los quince libros que tengo apilados en mi buro. Ademas de que no seria justo quitarle oportunidad a el de aprender. Me imagino que es por eso que va a la escula y hace todas las tareas.
La conversacion me dejo pensando que ya pasaron muchos muchos anios desde que estudie tres anios de filosofia en la preparatoria. Tantos, que con tristeza reconozco que es muy poco lo que recuerdo. Y casi podria apostar que los grandes y pequenios filosofos que se estudian en la prepa hace 15 anios, son los mismos que se estudian ahora. Muero de ganas de leer a un nuevo filosofo de nuestro tiempo; un filosofo del siglo XXI, de habla hispana de preferencia. Uno de nosotros que tenga la curiosidad, la iniciativa, la paciencia, la dedicacion, el valor ... y todo lo demas necesario para explicar una nueva teoria acerca de la existencia y trascendencia del hombre a traves de los "blogs".

yellow

In many cultures, the color yellow means hope. Yellow is warm, bright, and cheerful. Yellow like the morning sunshine. Yellow are the sunflowers that cover the summer fields in France. Yellow is the color of the maillot jaune jersey that the overall lead of the Tour de France wears. For years yellow ribbons were worn as a sign of hope as women waited from their men to come marching home from war.
Today I am wearing a mustard yellow coat, yellow-amber earrings, and my yellow LIVESTRONG bracelet. I am full of hope for a beautiful woman who has been fighting cancer for seven years. Her birthday is in two days. I have hope that her soul and heart will always be stronger than the disease.

morning pleasures

Macrina bakery makes the best lemon-lavander coffee cake.

sweet and scented flavors
melt slowly in my mouth,
lemon, lavender and honey
magically transport me
to a foreign land.

nostalgia

cuento los dias,
cuento las horas,
para el dia que volare
hasta llegar a ti,
a tus brazos,
mi madre,
mi madre patria.

Como diria la cancion....
Mexico Lindo y Querido,
si muero lejos de ti,
que digan que estoy dormida
y que me traigan a ti.
Mexico Lindo y Querido,
si muero lejos ....
que quemen lo que quede de mi
y arrojen mis cenizas
a las aguas del mar de Acapulco
y a los pies del Popocatepetl.

Le septième ciel

I saw the movie Le septième ciel (Seventh Heaven). A married woman, Mathilde, heals the drama in her life (kleptomania, frigidity, dyspenia, etc) with the help of a therapist who uses hypnosis and Feng Shui. The role of the therapist is portrayed simply as a tool in the healing process. The movie is not explicit at all, which is what makes it so good.

tus manos

Una hermosa descripcion de sus manos escrita por Sergi, me recordo este bonito poema de Mario Benedetti.

only in seattle

Seattle is famous for being the city with the highest number of boats per capita in the country. Here is a police car/boat crusing down the Washington Ship Canal.

comments are back

My comments are back online. I am still working on retrieving archived comments. And then I plan to add RSS feed, tracking and some other fancy features. So much to do and learn, so little time.

election day 2004

People in the street greeted me this morning with "have you voted yet?" instead of the usual "good morning". This is the first time I am old enough to vote for a president. And it is the first time I am allowed to vote in this country.
The one thing I don't understand is why one must vote on a weekday. Maybe it is one more thing to add to an already convoluted voting process.

pan de muerto

I started my morning with a stop by a local bakery after I heard rumors they had traditional pan de muerto (day of death bread). Rumors were right and I bought the last three loaves they had left. The attendant assured me they will make it again next year. What a treat considering I am thousands of miles away from the closest border with Mexico.