I'm expecting to see these words appear in a giant spider-web in my office sometime soon. I appear to be living inside a reenactment of Charlotte's Web by E. B. White. I have seen between 7 and 10 spider babies in the last few days, and I can only assume that they hatched from a magnificent egg sack produced by a versatile spider like Charlotte. I haven't seen Charlotte herself, and there are not (as far as I'm aware) any pigs around who need to be saved from slaughter, but the spider babies made me think of Charlotte.
I'm not a big fan of spiders, to be honest, but I usually can't bring myself to kill them. Maybe it's because I read Charlotte's Web, or maybe it's because I don't like the feeling of their bodies being squished under my feet. But I'm a catch-and-release spider hunter, whatever the reason.
I will keep my eyes open but so far the only web-writing going on has been me updating twitter.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
My $0.02
I have to admit, I've been plagued by thoughts of the cent symbol for a while. Where is it? There must be a keystroke for it, so why can't I find it? But I haven't been bothered enough to actually Google it, especially out in the land of slow internets where the simplest Google search can take a frustrating 10 minutes.
But I have wondered...where IS it? I assume that it's not part of the keyboard because it's not really used any more. What costs less than $1? Okay, downloads from iTunes maybe...oops, not any more. So I guess that means we don't need the cent symbol.
But I need it! I like to say to friends, in e-mail or chat, "that's just my two cents, take it or leave it." But it's e-mail or chat--I don't want to write the word CENTS. And I CERTAINLY don't want to write "$0.02"! What is that?
So I Googled it, and I found it. You'll be happy to know that you can get the cent symbol on a Mac simply by typing option-4 (which happens to be where the dollar sign is, so it is easy to remember). I have no idea how to get it on a PC--probably Alt + some combination of 7-10 numbers typed on the number pad.
A quick scan of the search results confirmed that the cent symbol fell out of favor because it's such a small and meaningless unit of currency. Although, with the economy the way it is at the moment, I think every penny counts.
That's just my 2¢.
But I have wondered...where IS it? I assume that it's not part of the keyboard because it's not really used any more. What costs less than $1? Okay, downloads from iTunes maybe...oops, not any more. So I guess that means we don't need the cent symbol.
But I need it! I like to say to friends, in e-mail or chat, "that's just my two cents, take it or leave it." But it's e-mail or chat--I don't want to write the word CENTS. And I CERTAINLY don't want to write "$0.02"! What is that?
So I Googled it, and I found it. You'll be happy to know that you can get the cent symbol on a Mac simply by typing option-4 (which happens to be where the dollar sign is, so it is easy to remember). I have no idea how to get it on a PC--probably Alt + some combination of 7-10 numbers typed on the number pad.
A quick scan of the search results confirmed that the cent symbol fell out of favor because it's such a small and meaningless unit of currency. Although, with the economy the way it is at the moment, I think every penny counts.
That's just my 2¢.
Friday, April 3, 2009
What's in a name?
I am driving myself completely crazy trying to come up with a name for my company. It doesn't seem like it should be that hard--after all, I didn't have any problem naming Solo Vino (although I think we should change his name to Eeyore, but that's another story).
I have tried English words, Spanish words, Spanglish words and made up words. I've tried colors and animals and plants. I've gone back and forth on whether I should include the words "digital" and "interactive" (is "digital" sooooo 90s?). I've tried anagrams for crying out loud. ANAGRAMS!
I tried to give myself a deadline of this weekend to pick a name, but I don't know if I'll stick to it. I mean once I name it, that's the name, right? Maybe it's because of my own name that I feel such pressure to come up with something perfect. My name has always, always, always been a topic of conversation when I meet people, which makes the whole idea of a name seem really important. And at the spa for the last eight months, I've been meeting dozens of new people every week, and every single one of them asks me about my name. So HOW am I supposed to come up with the right name for my business?
I have the same problem with all kinds of naming. I don't have any kids, but I have a hard time thinking what I would name any potential kids I might have (yes, I know someone else would likely have input, but still). Fortunately, I don't think I'll be facing that dilemma for a while. I also have a really hard time naming characters in stories I right. It's torture. And I usually change the names at least once in the revision process.
I am pretty good at naming animals, or at least small animals. I named a cat Seldom, which I think is the coolest name ever...although I have to give some credit to my then-boyfriend for that one. His dog was named after a character called Hayduke, and Seldom Seen Smith is a character in the same book. But I also named cats Baghira (from the Jungle Book), and Fermata (a musical symbol indicating "to hold"). I named my budgerigars Honeysuckle and Avocado. I named a beta fish Cobalt Permanganate Iron III. I named a puppy Luna (okay, maybe not brilliant, but she was the color of moonlight with gold paws, and she died when she was a baby so she's very special to me). I'm not as good with naming horses--I've named three: a big black stallion I named Cheyenne, a young male I named Canelo (masculine of Cinnamon), and a gorgeous moro I named Silver, which I admit is VERY unoriginal.
The point is, I am capable of coming up with really good names. I've even contributed good names to friends' baby-name discussions, although I don't think I've ever submitted a winner. But then again, I don't expect to.
So why is this so difficult??
I have tried English words, Spanish words, Spanglish words and made up words. I've tried colors and animals and plants. I've gone back and forth on whether I should include the words "digital" and "interactive" (is "digital" sooooo 90s?). I've tried anagrams for crying out loud. ANAGRAMS!
I tried to give myself a deadline of this weekend to pick a name, but I don't know if I'll stick to it. I mean once I name it, that's the name, right? Maybe it's because of my own name that I feel such pressure to come up with something perfect. My name has always, always, always been a topic of conversation when I meet people, which makes the whole idea of a name seem really important. And at the spa for the last eight months, I've been meeting dozens of new people every week, and every single one of them asks me about my name. So HOW am I supposed to come up with the right name for my business?
I have the same problem with all kinds of naming. I don't have any kids, but I have a hard time thinking what I would name any potential kids I might have (yes, I know someone else would likely have input, but still). Fortunately, I don't think I'll be facing that dilemma for a while. I also have a really hard time naming characters in stories I right. It's torture. And I usually change the names at least once in the revision process.
I am pretty good at naming animals, or at least small animals. I named a cat Seldom, which I think is the coolest name ever...although I have to give some credit to my then-boyfriend for that one. His dog was named after a character called Hayduke, and Seldom Seen Smith is a character in the same book. But I also named cats Baghira (from the Jungle Book), and Fermata (a musical symbol indicating "to hold"). I named my budgerigars Honeysuckle and Avocado. I named a beta fish Cobalt Permanganate Iron III. I named a puppy Luna (okay, maybe not brilliant, but she was the color of moonlight with gold paws, and she died when she was a baby so she's very special to me). I'm not as good with naming horses--I've named three: a big black stallion I named Cheyenne, a young male I named Canelo (masculine of Cinnamon), and a gorgeous moro I named Silver, which I admit is VERY unoriginal.
The point is, I am capable of coming up with really good names. I've even contributed good names to friends' baby-name discussions, although I don't think I've ever submitted a winner. But then again, I don't expect to.
So why is this so difficult??
Saturday, January 24, 2009
Oh, Solo Vino
There are a lot of dogs at the spa. Some are permanent residents (Preciosa and Lucy), some have owners, (Panchito, Max, and of course Biscuit), and occasionally there are other dogs who pass through (Percy, Falcor, and many others who've been adopted by guests and taken to the States).
A new dog showed up in September sometime, and he's trying to make himself a permanent resident of the spa. He's white with black ears and spots, and bigger than most of the dogs here--he's probably 75 pounds and pretty tall. He's sweet, gentle, and ultimately VERY lazy. He goes on the hikes with guests in the morning, and the rest of the day you can find him sleeping. Sleeping on the lawn, sleeping on the patio, and mostly sleeping on the lounge chairs at the pool.
When he first showed up, someone told me he was Fernando's dog, so when I saw Fernando with the dog I said "¿Como se llama su perro?" I don't speak much Spanish, but I can manage that, at least.
Fernando replied "Solo Vino." So the dog's name is Solo Vino.
Except...it's not. Because "Solo vieno" basically means "He came by himself." So when I said "What's your dog's name?" Fernando said "He came by himself." As in, he's not mine.
It took me about three months to figure this out.
I think Fernando calls him Kujo.
A new dog showed up in September sometime, and he's trying to make himself a permanent resident of the spa. He's white with black ears and spots, and bigger than most of the dogs here--he's probably 75 pounds and pretty tall. He's sweet, gentle, and ultimately VERY lazy. He goes on the hikes with guests in the morning, and the rest of the day you can find him sleeping. Sleeping on the lawn, sleeping on the patio, and mostly sleeping on the lounge chairs at the pool.
When he first showed up, someone told me he was Fernando's dog, so when I saw Fernando with the dog I said "¿Como se llama su perro?" I don't speak much Spanish, but I can manage that, at least.
Fernando replied "Solo Vino." So the dog's name is Solo Vino.
Except...it's not. Because "Solo vieno" basically means "He came by himself." So when I said "What's your dog's name?" Fernando said "He came by himself." As in, he's not mine.
It took me about three months to figure this out.
I think Fernando calls him Kujo.
Friday, January 16, 2009
Ole ole ole!
My friend Alicia came to visit me all the way from Switzerland. The last time we met up was in Paris, now Mexico...I can't wait to see what's next! It was so fantastic to have a friend here.
She was here on Virgin of Guadalupe Day, so we went into La Venta to go to the rodeo. Of course I would have never gone without Alicia--safety in numbers. Not to mention she's a native Spanish speaker. There was a guy sitting next to us with two young boys (10 and 2). Alicia spoke with them in Spanish for a while, and the the 10 year old turns to me and says "So where are you guys from?" in archetypal American English. Turns out they live in Oklahoma but they're here visiting--or sort of visiting, because they've been here for six months, they're running a store, and the kids are in school. That's a very long visit...later in the evening we met his wife and other two sons. Very nice people.
But back to the rodeo. The cowboys are insane. First of all, there are tons of people in the ring during the ride. I've been to a couple rodeos before (I did grow up in Montana, after all), and as far as I remember, the ring is empty except for the rodeo clowns who are there to distract the bull if things get out of control. But there were five or six guys on horseback in the ring, along with one ballsy freaking macho dog. While they were prepping the bull and rider, the guys in the ring made their horses dance to the music.
There was a 10 or 15 piece brass band playing some crazy Mexican music. Alicia translated the songs for me. They're ALL love songs. "I love you. Why don't you love me? I don't care if you don't love me but really I do." Oh, and there was one about drugs and one about losing weight. The horses that dance in the ring are GORGEOUS.
Finally they had the bull ready. They get them into a little pen so they can't move and put the ropes on. In the States they have one set of ropes just behind the front legs, and the rider uses the ropes as a handhold. In Mexico they have two sets of ropes, one behind the front legs and one in front of the rear legs. The rider doesn't use his hands at all. Picture this freaking guy sitting on a bucking bull and holding on only using his legs. Some guys didn't last too long, but a lot of them didn't fall off. In the States you have to stay on for eight seconds. I don't know what it is in Mexico.
The bulls' horns are capped, which is a good thing, because one guy got flung up in the air a few times and landed on the bull's head. His foot was caught in the front ropes, so he was bounced around before they got him free.
After the ride is over, the mounted guys in the ring converge in on the bull. One guy will lasso a front leg, and another guy will lasso a rear leg on the opposite side. This way the bull can't buck. If the bull is really pissed, the give him a little room to run around, but they're always tightening in on him. They use their horses, their fearless, beautiful horses, to press against the bull with their chests and subdue him. Well, I don't know if he's subdued, but it restricts his movement and they are able to get control.
I can't say that rodeos will ever be my favorite pastime, but I'm really glad I got to go and experience a little bit of real Mexico.
 |
| From Rodeo |
She was here on Virgin of Guadalupe Day, so we went into La Venta to go to the rodeo. Of course I would have never gone without Alicia--safety in numbers. Not to mention she's a native Spanish speaker. There was a guy sitting next to us with two young boys (10 and 2). Alicia spoke with them in Spanish for a while, and the the 10 year old turns to me and says "So where are you guys from?" in archetypal American English. Turns out they live in Oklahoma but they're here visiting--or sort of visiting, because they've been here for six months, they're running a store, and the kids are in school. That's a very long visit...later in the evening we met his wife and other two sons. Very nice people.
But back to the rodeo. The cowboys are insane. First of all, there are tons of people in the ring during the ride. I've been to a couple rodeos before (I did grow up in Montana, after all), and as far as I remember, the ring is empty except for the rodeo clowns who are there to distract the bull if things get out of control. But there were five or six guys on horseback in the ring, along with one ballsy freaking macho dog. While they were prepping the bull and rider, the guys in the ring made their horses dance to the music.
 |
| From Rodeo |
 |
| From Rodeo |
There was a 10 or 15 piece brass band playing some crazy Mexican music. Alicia translated the songs for me. They're ALL love songs. "I love you. Why don't you love me? I don't care if you don't love me but really I do." Oh, and there was one about drugs and one about losing weight. The horses that dance in the ring are GORGEOUS.
 |
| From Rodeo |
Finally they had the bull ready. They get them into a little pen so they can't move and put the ropes on. In the States they have one set of ropes just behind the front legs, and the rider uses the ropes as a handhold. In Mexico they have two sets of ropes, one behind the front legs and one in front of the rear legs. The rider doesn't use his hands at all. Picture this freaking guy sitting on a bucking bull and holding on only using his legs. Some guys didn't last too long, but a lot of them didn't fall off. In the States you have to stay on for eight seconds. I don't know what it is in Mexico.
 |
| From Rodeo |
The bulls' horns are capped, which is a good thing, because one guy got flung up in the air a few times and landed on the bull's head. His foot was caught in the front ropes, so he was bounced around before they got him free.
After the ride is over, the mounted guys in the ring converge in on the bull. One guy will lasso a front leg, and another guy will lasso a rear leg on the opposite side. This way the bull can't buck. If the bull is really pissed, the give him a little room to run around, but they're always tightening in on him. They use their horses, their fearless, beautiful horses, to press against the bull with their chests and subdue him. Well, I don't know if he's subdued, but it restricts his movement and they are able to get control.
 |
| From Rodeo |
I can't say that rodeos will ever be my favorite pastime, but I'm really glad I got to go and experience a little bit of real Mexico.
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Making it work.
It's hard to get around when you don't speak the language. Really hard. Before I go anywhere, I print out maps, in case people don't understand me when I give the address. And so I know approximately where I am. I'm starting to find a few neighborhoods that I know reasonably well, and I have a favorite cafe, so at least I have an answer better than "Starbucks at the mall" if someone asks me "Where do you go in Guadalajara?"
I've also just found a little guesthouse near the center where I can stay for about $15 a night, which means I can start coming into town much more often.
Next step: Spanish Tutor.
I've also just found a little guesthouse near the center where I can stay for about $15 a night, which means I can start coming into town much more often.
Next step: Spanish Tutor.
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