LA SINFONIA, MILHAUD Y EL SOLO SAXOFON ALTO

Yesterday (Sunday) at noon we went to the Sinfonía.  The concerts are usually Fridays at 8:30, so maybe that's why there was not a full house.  Or maybe it's because at the last noon concert the conductor stopped the music and told the people with yammering kids to get out.  Or maybe it was because of the program!

All these years of going to the symphony and we've never heard one saxophone solo, let alone two.



We usually watch José Guadalupe Flores from the back.  He only had to turn around twice with dirty looks for a door slamming and people talking during the solos.  Otherwise he conducted in his exuberant style and gyrated jazzily during the Milhaud number.

We've also never heard Darius Milhaud's works at the symphony before, even though he's described as one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century.  Hmmm. . . .  Could it be the jazz influences and/or the polytonality?  And any rate, el sr J and I were exchanging sideways glances, smiles, and elbow pokes at the atypical sounds coming from the stage.  If you want to hear it too, click below.
One version

Here's the soloist we heard

The Tchaikovsky was included in the program to give others' ears something familiar to hear.  As for us,
 viva Milhaud!

PESCADO

We didn't get to the river construction site due to strong winds and thunderstorms.  Not pleasant to have winds blowing construction dirt in one's face.

So, my sister asked for a post on fish.  Coincidentally, we went to market today and bought some mero fillets.  Mero is grouper.  There are several different fish stands from which to choose.

Lenguado is sole, huachinango is red snapper, robalo is sea bass, cazón is shark or dogfish (!).   One of these days we're going to have to buy pulpo, that red octopus you see above, and figure out how to make a cocktail out of it, a ceviche-like concoction that is a favorite of el Sr J.  Except without the catsup/ketchup (ugh), which is included in the seafood cocktails here.  And when the family gathers at the beach next January, we will treat everyone to serrandeado/zarandeado.  That one you'll have to look up.

LOS PAVIMENTOS

The pavements are being repaired all over the Centro Histórico.  This is what they look like on our way to the film series.  It's a major thoroughfare.  

All this construction makes me wonder about the blind people.  There are more blind people out walking here than I've ever seen in a city before.  Sometimes they're alone, other times they're in twos or threes in a line.  The first one has the cane that s/he swings left and right until it touches the base of a building.  The other one(s) put one hand on the shoulder of the one in front of him/her.  Just think how difficult this would be given the state of the paving stones (missing, uneven, concave, pushed up by tree roots) and the buses and taxis whizzing by.  It's bad enough for sighted people.  Ask Alain.  I don't know what the blind do when the sidewalks and streets are in this kind of condition.  I did see a workman helping a blind woman navigate on the street I'm going to show you tomorrow.  It's by the river (what river? you ask) on the way to the bread store.

CICLO DE CINE INTERNACIONAL

The Teatro Rosalío Solano is showing a series of films that won the Palme d'or in Cannes.  Admission is free.  The judges favor very long films (2 hours or more), or films that seem very long (Gus Van Sant's Elephant).  They also seem to like confusing and/or murky themes and symbolism.  The films are shown in chronological order.


So far we've seen:

WWII in the USSR:  the cranes (looked like geese to us) come back, many of the soldiers don't.

She tries to be good, but she only wreaks havoc.

Duarte's Keeper of Promises (cross-bearing peasant vs the Church)

Altman's M.A.S.H. (very sexist for modern taste)

See a pig slaughtered and butchered from starting squeal to chops.

Man kills wife and replaces her with an eel.  Not "erotic" by my standards.

and Angelopoulos's Eternity and a Day.  The movie seemed longer than that except for the scenes with this young Albanian:

We don't mind the length of the films too much because it's been very hot here (90s) and the theater is air-conditioned.  There are four screenings daily and we attend the 4:00 showing because that's the hottest time of the day.

We skipped a couple,  Elephant and Man of Iron, not just because we had seen them before, but mostly because we had better things to do over the weekend.  We're going to see The Wind That Shakes the Barley today.  No murky theme there.  We've seen it before, but it's not the weekend.  And it's still hot.  And it's in English. 

UN TORONJO

We saw this grapefruit tree on our walk this morning.  As an East Coaster, I don't think I've ever seen a grapefruit tree, let alone one pendulous with fruit.  Very impressive.  But dangerous for passers-by?

JAZZ GITANO EN LA PLAZA DE ARMAS

We saw a great gypsy jazz group Friday night.  The group's name is "Palinka," also a Hungarian brandy which looks very much like my favorite, Slivovitz.  The music may be gypsy, but the musicians are French.  Apparently these guys have experienced the barbs of the authenticity police.

They were so very talented and tight.  Have a listen.

 For one musician's opinion on "authenticity," see this discussion.

CERRADURAS

We were in el Museo Regional (the Regional Museum) yesterday.  There's a section devoted to the Church, and we took a photo of this monk:

He has a lock on his mouth and the title of the painting is "Silencio."  It reminded me of another locked mouth, this one, however, is locked open:

I should say something clever about these images, but I can't think of anything.  Any ideas?

HOMBRES PODEROSOS COMPORTANDOSE MAL

Oh, Arnold, how could you!  

There are been so many powerful men behaving badly these days that I'm going to have to digress from my Mexico themes and think about them now.

I've always argued that Americans need to have a more nuanced evaluation of sexual peccadilloes and sexual offenses.  How about a point system?

Here goes:

Unprotected sex.  You fathered a child! -10pts.

Sex in the family's home.  (I'm assuming) And your wife's children live there! -5 pts.

Sex with your employee.  Bad form.  -2 pts.

You waited ten years to blab?  Worse form.  -3 pts.

Dominique Strauss-Kahn, alleged rapist

Is oral sex sex?  (See Bill Clinton) -1 pt.
It's still unprotected! (I'm assuming)  -10 pts.

You're a somebody; she's a nobody (see various sports star alleged rapists).  Good for you, but no points from me.

Are there witnesses? (if so, -100 pts.)
Bad hotel behavior.  -5
You're French.  You probably think most sex is normal and public life should be separate from private life.  +2
I'll re-evaluate when we know more.

John Ensign

Your employee and best friend's wife? -10 pts.

Mr. family values man, you're a hypocrite.  -10 pts.

You paid bribes to get out of it.  -10 pts.

You got your kids and parents involved.  -10 pts.

John Edwards

Another unprotected sex guy.  -10pts.

Your wife had cancer.  -10

You lied about it, but eventually acknowledged your child  -5

You asked somebody else to take the rap.  -10
You were running for President!  -5

Eliot Spitzer

Sex with a prostitute.  If you're going to do it, this is the way to go, IMHO.  +5 pts.

You paid way too much for it.  -2

You manned up to it pretty fast.  +5

Strom Thurmond

You're a racist.  -20

And yet, you had sex with the black help.  We're not sure how the word "consensual" applies here.  -10

Unprotected sex.  She had a child.  -10

You didn't acknowledge your child.  -10

Thomas Jefferson

Well, I had to include a founding "father," didn't I.  As we all know, this business didn't start yesterday.

Unprotected sex.  But it doesn't count in the 18th century.  

We don't know if it was consensual or not, but

Sally Hemings was your slave.  -20

You didn't acknowledge your children.  -10

You kept so quiet about it that those old history profs at UVA didn't believe it until there was DNA proof, and even then they doubted.  -5

And there are so many more.  This is just a sampling.  Let's add up the scores:

Arnold:  -20

Strauss-Kahn:  -14 (because we don't know the whole story yet)

Ensign:  -40

Edwards:  -40

Spitzer:  +8

Thurmond:  -50

Jefferson:  -35

Other opinions?  Discussion?

SILLAS BARATAS Y FEAS

I decided to do something about our cheap, ugly chairs.  Filet crochet.

After finishing one with this abstract design, I got the idea of doing the others as a homage to revolutionary women.  "Why pass up the chance to be didactic during dinner?" comments el sr J.

In case you can't recognize it, this is an "A" in a "circle:"  the anarchist symbol.  Appropriately, it's a little out of control.  The seat's not quite done yet.

From the left down, you may be able to make out "Emma Goldman."  El sr J has been critical of the quality of the letters.  In his heart he probably wanted me to do "Sasha Berkman" instead.

I think the next one will be Sojourner Truth although I won't have room for Sojourner so it'll be S. Truth on one side, and "Ain't I a 

on the other side.

Any suggestions for the other three chairs?  Some of those revolutionary women from the 60s and 70s are almost forgotten.