Porthole

Cinco de mayo

Response to Robert: "Yep. When I was in school a friend wanted to go visit her boyfriend (who just happened to be the brother of a friend from high-school) ... on the spur of the moment. I talked to my Spanish prof and off I went. To Connecticut. To Yale. Quite an impact on my life. It helped me decide to transfer to Kansas.

These days? I thought about a mini-trip to Greece or Turkey or Iceland or Costa Rica... but it's just too risky. I've been vaxxed but countries opening, closing, changing restrictions weekly is just too much for a budget traveler like me."

Bloggerz annoyed:

33. cathartes02
34. fathertymme
35. wordgeek
36. judithd
37. sumojo
38. spacefaction
39. bookmeister
40. cookson2

38 degrees, calm and clear at 7:46 a.m.

I responded to Kiyasama regarding Mexico: "Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera immediately come to mind. A friend wrote and performed a one-woman play on Frida. Also... I've visited her Blue House in Coyoacan. I have heard of José Clemente Orozco.

"Como agua para chocolate" (Like Water for Chocolate, 1991) and "Doña Herlinda y su hijo" (1985) are two films I remember well. I may have watched "Amores perros."

History? Hernán Cortes, Antonio López de Santa Anna, Pancho Villa. American p.o.v. is skewed towards military not cultural icons or internal political figures.

I decline to write an essay at this point. All of the above have been overdone. When I walked the streets of Mexico City, Coyoacan and Puebla I was impressed by the weight of history. The Aztec stones are 'light' and mostly shades of black, grey and red tuff in CDMX; they were reused as the early Spaniards were 'canabalistic' in their efforts to wipe away local culture and history. The remains of the temple in Mexico city are still impressive.

The real heroes of Mexico are the indigenous people who survived the onslaught of colonialism and still practice aspects of their culture that have influenced the world without any 'awards' for over 500 years. Most know the agricultural gifts of corn, tomatoes and cacao, but a trip to local restaurants and markets reveals foods never talked about north of the Rio Grande or south of Chiapas, like armadillo and deep fried scorpions. Like China... anything edible is eaten.

Me? I'm happy with dozens of different pastries at Ideal on Calle Uruguay in CDMX or a pollo con mole poblano in Puebla. I wasn't there long enough to do more than a taste test. "

Now 9:03 and a sunny 46 degrees. It will be warm today.

Wrote a poem: "Delta [77] " 

58 at 11:37.

I scored a Little Debbie. She's history now. I told Billie Jo that I was going to hunt the wild loaf of bread, as in "Stalking the Wild Loaf". I trapped an unsuspecting Multi-Grain and brought it home. I grocery-shopped as well. Rice spaghetti. Peanut-flax spread. I'm good.

63 at 2 p.m.

Not motivated to clean so I need to find something else to do. Catch up on poetry? Contests?

59 calm degrees at 9:25 p.m.

I missed the sunset. I live on the wrong side of the building. If I get distracted time flies by and I miss it.

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