DOS PELICULAS EN UN DIA. . .

is probably one too many to watch in a day.  Godard's Socialisme was playing yesterday for one day only at the Teatro Rosalío Solano.   

I didn't even know Godard was still alive.  The film wasn't really long at 110 minutes, it just seemed three hours long so, of course, it was nominated for a Palme d'or.  If you wanted to cure someone of socialist tendencies, this is the movie to show them.  Lots of confusing symbolism:  animals, gold, water; unattributed quotations from famous philosophers and others; untranslated dialog in various languages; self-conscious acting ("Brilliant!" "Thank You!"); Patti Smith carrying a guitar;  loooong shots, and a plot loosely wrapped around  a Mediterranean cruise ship's stops at several ports of call whose histories involved grievous crimes against the social and moral order.  The behavior of the ship's passengers provided lots of opportunities for witnessing capitalist excesses--a "ship of fools" (or "tools") to be sure, but as viewers we were drowning in the filmmaker's excess, not the passengers'.

Still Alive

We saw that one at 1:00, came home for a quick lunch and then went around the block to see Emir Kusturica's Underground, a Palme d'or winner at three hours long.  As el sr J said, it was the history of the former Yugoslavia in real time.

A scene from the movie

The music was fun, unlike Socialisme it did have a plot, it was funny and tragic, the acting was good (mostly).  It was just soooo long.

Mr. Kusturica

FLOR DE JAMAICA

Hibiscus flowers.  In market they're in big burlap bags and they cost about $1 for 100 grams.  I rinsed half of them and put them in 3 cups of boiling water.  I let them steep for an hour and strained them and added some sugar and six more cups of room-temperature water.

Add ice and a twist of lime and there you are.  Refreshing.  Good for you.  Lowers high blood pressure. Check it out on Wikipedia.

OTRO RESTAURANTE CERCANO

The Oaxacan-themed restaurant, María y su Bici, is a block and a half away from us, so we decided to go there Friday night.  This is a new, larger and more upscale version of the "original" restaurant on the same street, where we had eaten before and thought it was OK.

We ordered tlayuda for two.  It has a thin, crispy tortilla crust on the bottom; it is sometimes described as as pizza-like.  We got cochinita pibil--slow-cooked Yucatecan-style pork--mixed with other toppings (including mole), as you can see.  Pizza-like in shape, maybe, but with toppings no pizza has ever seen.  El sr J had never seen Querétaro-brand artisanal beer (described as ale, but not really) in the stores, but they had it at María's.  Good stuff.

A waiter, some cacti and a view from the patio where we sat.

A salad to go with the tlayuda.

We like this place.  Good food, good ambiance. Better than OK.

EXPO AMBIENTAL

We went to the environmental exposition in the Plaza de la Constitución, a few blocks from our place, today.  It was another warm, sunny day, but luckily we were under cover.

Several exhibits were selling washable diapers.  We were tempted to get some, but I think the twins  already have a supply.

El sr J explored the solar and biking exhibits.

I bought some organic personal care items:  soap, shampoo, lavender oil, and oregano ointment which is supposed to cure muscle aches, skin infections and toe fungus.  We also bought a basket made out of pine needles.

And, since our rosemary plant is refusing to grow, we got another one.

We've often wondered why solar generation of household current (or solar-heated hot water) is not more common here, where the sun seems always to be shining.  A big reason, of course, is cost:  the initial outlay for the technology is more than most can afford, even if the long-term saving would eventually compensate.  There is no long run in real life, after all, when quotidian concerns occupy your mind and budget.  

Today's exposition is certainly a step in the right direction, at least in terms of informing people about what's available in the solar/energy-efficient realm, and what individuals can do to re-use and recycle.  And note that there is no denying the fact of climate change, which would be a politicized and criticized term in the US.      

PROTECCION DEL SOL

Decent sunscreen here costs between $15 and $20.  That's dollars, not pesos.  Why it's so expensive, I don't know.  What comes to mind first is that many Mexicans have darker skin than anglos, so the price reflects the practice of gouging the anglos (as in the price of pickles, sauerkraut, and cheese with flavor).  Second, and less pigment-related, the brands are the same as in the US and thus the prices reflect the shipping and handling costs.  But, just as there are many tall Mexicans here (thwarting the stereotype) so there are many light-skinned ones who would be in the market for sunscreen, one would think.  A lot of Mexican women here carry parasols or umbrellas to ward off the sun.  I don't know if the rest can afford sunscreen, but I can't.

The tube on the left that I brought from the US is almost empty.  I bought the one on the right from a departing American for 10 pesos.  So what to do when that tube is empty?  I looked on the internet, and, sure enough, there are many do-it-yourself recipes for homemade sunscreen.  One woman in CA said she likes to make her own toothpaste, sunscreen, deodorant and shampoo so she can "stick it to the man."  I hadn't heard that phrase for a long time and it made me smile.  I want to "stick it to the man," too.

Basically, what you need is a cream, like cocoa butter, beeswax, or Shea butter.  Our friend Grace gave me the Shea butter on the right.  She has a friend in the States who goes to Africa for it, although I think you can get it more easily than that.  On the left is zinc oxide, which lifeguards at the beach/shore put on their noses.  You can use either zinc oxide or titanium dioxide for the screening function.  Titanium dioxide (carcinogenic in mice) is used in toothpaste and skim milk (yuck) to make them whiter.  I opted for the zinc oxide, which I bought in a pharmacy for 8 pesos.

Then I needed some kind of essential oil.  I looked all over, but to no avail.  Then we discovered a new walkable-to mall.  The store named on the bag below was in this mall.  There I found the mint oil above and I also bought, on impulse, the brown stuff, which is bee glue or propóleo.  I'm a sucker for bee products.

This is the final product.  Smells good.  Let's hope it works.  Now I'm off to make toothpaste and deodorant.  I may even make my own glue so I can stick it to the man.

LA SINFONIA Y EL CORNO

Friday evening we went to the symphony.  That guy on the left of the program below was the guest conductor, Richard Markson, a Brit.  The concert featured a French horn concerto written by a Ukrainian and performed by a Mexican.  Globalization in the concert hall.  Our experience was marred by a couple in back of us who talked throughout the second half of the concert, in spite of our turning around and giving them dirty looks.  Not the first time this has happened.  What is wrong with these people?  And why are they even there if they don't want to listen?

CONSTRUCCION AL LADO DEL RIO QUERETARO

Here are the photos I promised of the Querétaro River and the construction of an "urban greenway" along one side of it.  It's a mess right now and Alma and Jean Michel of the bread store are very much affected.  Dust, no parking for customers, difficult walking for pedestrians like us.  It will be nice when finished, however.  Two and a half miles of walkway and maybe bikeway also.  Alma says it should be finished in December.  I hope they can stay in business that long.

This (above) is the bread store side.  The workmen have to provide little bridges to get into the stores.  The city is also fixing up and painting the facades of the stores and homes facing the street.  This makes the job even bigger and longer-lasting and creates even more dust.

These photos were taken from a bridge.  The color of the river reflects its level of pollution.  The greenway would be nicer if the water weren't so sickly green.

When it's windy, a choking, sun-shrouding dust blows around from the construction site.  Today, fortunately, it was clear and calm.  And that projected completion date of December?  You should ask what year.