the minor fall, the major lift

Hm. Well, after last post's rant about different things, I had a lot of extra thinking to do, mostly to assuage my melting pot of feelings or whatever. Mexico is treating me very well. Because we run in such tight circles, we tend to see folks from the nonprofits we work with when we go to different events. This is extremely comforting. We also have a better grasp of what's going on, and I think I generally feel like more things are possible, which is a great feeling.

I guess I got a little weirded out after my father left. I am still trying to work through that.

But there's been neat stuff going on! Our Pema reading group meets tonight, there are Almodovar movies (my favorite) at the CASA, and there are a couple of neat things I am going to try to figure out to do with Aaaaali! I am so excited to have a visitor! Friends are fun! :)

Yesterday we went to an all-day meeting that was being held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of a fair trade organic coffee cooperative based here in Oaxaca. It was basically a crash course in fair trade organic coffee cooperatives and I have more questions than I did before we got there and now I know people who can answer them, which is a pretty good place to be. We didn't drink as much coffee as I thought we would. The meeting was held in a town that is famous for black clay pottery, which was mostly boring besides a few spectacular exceptions.

Then, on our way home we stopped at one of the many, many tiny hair salons right outside Abastos (the hell market, which I honestly like) and got our hair cut. The whole experience took maybe 15 minutes and cost about three dollars USD (for both Tony and me). (You just have to be really specific.)

Last night, we were going to go to some Mixe music presentation at the Graphic Arts Institute, but we went at the wrong time and missed it. Instead, we ended up meeting with a friend and her new friend and talking in Carmen Alto, one of the plazas in Oaxaca, this one generally full of hippie traveler jewelry-making kids. I got into a conversation with one of these kids, who was actually from Oaxaca, and it quickly got kind of awkward because, well, he was pretty drunk. He was explaining to me the origin of these dangly earrings he had made by saying "well, you have to understand the history of the conquest of Mexico. The Spanish came with their huge bows and arrows--"
(me) "and their horses!"
(kid) "Yes, and our arts were nothing in the face of their weapons--"
(me) "and of their horses!"
(kid) "Well, now we suffer so much. You people need to understand this."
(me) "Who is you people? What are you implying?!"

Anyway, the whole converation ended in the guy calling me easy and difficult at the same time (but not that kind of easy! as he then clarified), and then I walked away.

Then we came home and I was going to make cookies but realized I was missing some rather important ingredients, so I am making the cookies today. We ended up sitting around and discussing the art projects we're all either working on or thinking about and then we listened to Jeff Buckley, which was a good way to end a ridiculously long day.

Well, if all this stuff is going to get done, I'd better get started!