tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33546252010-02-27T17:13:44.483-06:00Oaxaca Experiment BlogFive characters (and their guests) in search of something.Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.comBlogger30125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1114488065767508622005-04-25T22:47:00.000-05:002005-04-25T23:01:05.770-05:00ECLIPSE AND CLOUDSA few shots of our observance of the latest solar eclipse combined with some Oaxaqueno cloud studies.You'll find the sun in the middle of the above photos, behind the clouds. Kept hoping I wasn't going to burn out the CCD. I didn't.These were the clouds preceeding the eclipse and following the eclipse. In some ways more appealing than the eclipse itself.An example of the Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1114481174370803252005-04-25T20:10:00.000-05:002005-04-25T22:46:23.466-05:00PHOTO ESSAY: GRAFFITISIGN ARTThere is a great deal of folksy sign painting happening in Mexico.[Cd. Oaxaca][Welder, San Cristobal, Chiapas][Cocina Zapatista sign near Ocosingo, Chiapas][Zapatista Papeleria (paper store) sign near Ocosingo, Chiapas]B/W STENCIL ARTWhen we first arrived in Oaxaca there was an art show at IAGO featuring the work of El Grupo SUMA. SUMA is a graphic design group (looseThomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1111762621883593582005-03-25T08:17:00.000-06:002005-03-25T09:57:43.950-06:00ZAACHILAYesterday Kelsie, Ella, Muriel, Leland and myself had a fantastic visit out to Zaachila, which is a small town about a half hour outside of Oaxaca. First, we spent a couple of hours out at the livestock market which is on the outskirts of the town. It was truly incredible--none of us had ever seen anything like it. When we first got out of the taxi, we managed to wander into an area Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752542424384764313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1110914098345019902005-03-15T12:45:00.000-06:002005-03-15T13:41:35.600-06:00March is here, the weather is heating up, visitors are pouring in, and the end of our time in Oaxaca seems to be spiraling closer at an alarming speed. Ann Hatch and Paul Discoe left yesterday morning after a fun four day visit. Saturday was spent out in San Augustine de Etla, where we toured the paper factory, the upcoming art school, and visited with our friends Marietta and Antonio.The paperTracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752542424384764313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1110399926515392072005-03-09T14:04:00.000-06:002005-03-15T10:40:45.076-06:00The night before we left for our week in New York (visa renewal and seeing The Gates as our major excuses), we went with our friends David, Elizabeth and Leila to the Circo Franzatti/Rudy Brothers Circus. It's been I don't know how long since I've been to a "traditional" circus, and this one proved to be quite exceptional in it's starkness, it's frayed edges, it's sweetness. We all had a Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752542424384764313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1110357241163654262005-03-09T02:20:00.000-06:002005-03-09T02:45:06.370-06:00We Live!In the past weeks we have burrowed deep into ourselves. Taking care of the pains of being separated from our friends, getting rid of colds and flus, renewing our visas in NYC while "the gates" were standing.It is hot and getting hotter in Oaxaca. We can see the insects flourishing after a relatively dormant period. We feel heat in the house for the first time, when previously there had Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1108963038265584102005-02-20T23:01:00.000-06:002005-03-09T02:43:51.910-06:00QUICK LOOK AT MURIEL AND LELANDJust a look at Leland during the morning we observed him at school.OYE! MIRA!The school's materials are limited, but Leland likes it there.The chicas dig Leland.One example of Leland's inspired art. I love it.SACABEE'S BIRTHDAYDuring our doldrums, Muriel was missing her friends quite a bit. She came up with the idea of making it Isa's Birthday. Once Leland heard Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1105765552503496822005-01-14T22:16:00.000-06:002005-01-26T22:34:14.970-06:00LA GRIPPA BRINGS DOLDRUMS
Two years ago I started getting the flu shot provided by Cornell University to its staff. I know, I know, it probably had some sort of mellowing agent or anti-depressant or something--it came too close to the secret envelope that carried news of your miniscule raise from your shrugging boss. But I decided to start lining up for the shot when I realized that I was Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1104388930704548902004-12-29T16:25:00.000-06:002005-01-03T23:18:42.283-06:00CHRISTMAS AND INNUNDATION IN OAXACA
Well, it made me wonder why everyone we knew was going out of town for the holidays. No longer. The innundation of Oaxaca by tourists is now complete, and the tide has receded somewhat. On Macedonia Alcala (one of the primary streets from the north to the zocalo) you were ten times more likely to hear English than Spanish. The very poor know this too and you Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1102958562930611962004-12-16T09:13:00.000-06:002004-12-19T11:31:55.663-06:00LA VIRGEN DE GUADALUPE
"Dark hair and dark eyes, just like me."
In 1531, recently after the Spanish razed the breathtaking Aztec capital Tenochtitlan to make Mexico City AND had destroyed their sacred places and outlawed their religion, an Indian named Juan Diego was walking through the hills just north of the new city. The region is arid, rocky and inhospitable for most life forms. Desert. As Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1102998072720909392004-12-13T22:17:00.000-06:002004-12-13T22:26:34.936-06:00MEXICAN LIFE, ALTA TINGLE 13 DEC 2004
Make no mistake, Mexico is not tranquil. Here in the city center, we hear bands playing, fireworks exploding and a general hustle of traffic and conversation that starts early and goes well into the night. This is a culture rich in history and pageant. And it happens on the street. On Friday mornings a woman parks her not new station wagon on our corner, Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1102302474358981732004-12-05T19:36:00.000-06:002004-12-05T21:07:54.360-06:00ANY QUESTIONS?
This blog has been a bit one-sided. Most of you who are reading have yet to comment. Here's how. At the bottom of the entry there is a
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Follow these steps to post a comment.
Click the comment link. This takes you to a page with only one blog entry on it.
Below the end of the entry Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1102269169795559262004-12-05T11:11:00.000-06:002004-12-05T19:34:57.766-06:00We're just about at our first 3 month mark. Amazing to think of that. It has that strange sensation of not being that long, and simultaneously being much longer than that. Daily life here is still foreign, though there is a familiarity that comes with time and repetition. I am still enamored with the day to day events...bus ride to Muriel and Leland's school; walks through town; visits to Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752542424384764313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1101681822910322012004-11-28T16:40:00.000-06:002004-12-02T10:25:36.013-06:00OVERNIGHT: HIERVE EL AGUA
We had been to Monte Alban and to several other pueblos within an hour's drive, but our trip to Hierve el Agua was the first overnight for us. We went with Lauren and Mark Beam (Lauren is a local tour guide and consultant), their family, and a family of their friends from San Francisco.
Hierve el Agua is a mineral spring that spews its salts over the edge of severalThomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1100801239467722712004-11-18T13:03:00.000-06:002004-11-19T01:05:22.873-06:00FEATURE: OAXACA SUMMARY #1 [TR]
Every two months Tracy and I have agreed to try to capture the flavor of the city as we know it. The idea is to be able to track the changes in our perceptions of Oaxaca over the time we are here.
At this point I am sorry that I haven't done this each week, since I feel we have gone through a lot of changes in the past two months. From a need to defend to feelingThomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1100737809206572522004-11-17T18:20:00.000-06:002004-11-19T01:06:39.533-06:00Note From Leland
Dear classmates, I love you. I like playing with you, Ramon. You're my best buddy in the world.
Oli, I'm happy that you turned 3, soon you're going to turn 4. And then you're going to turn 5. 1 2 3 4 5. And then you're going to turn 6.
The costume that I love the most is my "El Santo" wrestling outfit. It is very fun to wear. When we wrestle, I put my costume on. When I am ElThomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1100737050690719842004-11-17T18:14:00.000-06:002004-11-17T18:19:43.450-06:00
"I think I see it!"
Muriel and Leland wait for the bus. A hot afternoon in October.Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1100652886886379752004-11-16T18:41:00.000-06:002004-11-19T01:07:43.573-06:00Note From Muriel
Oaxaca is so nice. I loved the Day of the Dead, it was so fun. I am having a very good time here with my family. I am meeting lots of people and I love going to school. My school is a Montessori school called "Casa de los Ninos". I like writing and drawing pictures. And I have an English class, which helps, because I hardly speak any Spanish so far. Some of my friends are named Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1100230885824738282004-11-11T21:37:00.000-06:002004-11-17T19:10:46.673-06:00We needed some images in this blog. Here is Tracy's photo of a rare burro in the city limits of Oaxaca. Hauling alfalfa (aka:rabbit food).
Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1100054678903018652004-11-09T20:33:00.000-06:002004-11-09T20:48:39.170-06:00First real day of film writing here in Oaxaca. I spent the morning preparing a cataloging system for script ideas and typing up some script ideas from the past. It is important to me that I give myself some writing time to unwind and consider many possibilities.
Then in the afternoon, I met with Guillermo Monteforte and the filmmakers from Ojo De Agua Communicacion. Roberto, Kim, Clara, Sergio, Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1099622916034600482004-11-04T20:28:00.000-06:002004-11-04T20:54:58.863-06:00Nov. 4
The house is quiet. Bob, Tony, Donna and Alta left this morning to return to the States (Alta will return in 2 weeks). It's been quite a week. Dia de los Muertos culminated on Tuesday....Hope terminated on Wednesday a.m.... Half the household left Thursday a.m....
We had our first dinner party here Tuesday evening. Tony and I made carnitas; the pork was fantastic--a highly Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752542424384764313noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1099611676167105712004-11-04T17:40:00.000-06:002004-11-04T18:49:32.476-06:00Just lost this post, but am going to try to rewrite it from short-term memory.
I think this must be how those out of the country during Sept 11 must have felt. A sense of great pain from family and friends, but very little to do about it. And to think that George Bush is claiming that this narrow victory is a mandate, only a bit more substantial than the one he was handed by the Supreme Count inThomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1099329675650006682004-11-01T13:25:00.000-06:002004-11-01T22:44:56.103-06:00Nov. 1st
Last night Thom, Bob and I went out to Xoxo (pronounced "Hoho") to witness the first night of Dia de los Muertos. It was so incredible--virtually every grave adorned with flowers and candles. Some had food, drink, cigarettes, balloons. Some had elaborate designs made out of flowers (marigolds mostly, and coxcomb), or out of dirt and colored sand. Many families were gathered around Tracyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04752542424384764313noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1098844080307285772004-10-26T17:47:00.000-05:002004-10-26T21:29:33.876-05:00Slow day. Some sort of bone crunching fever today, coming on yesterday. Spent most of day in bed, but watched two fun Mexican films: La Oveja Negra (the black sheep) and La Ilusion viaja en travia (Illusion (or dreams) travels in streetcars). The latter is a film by Luis Bunuel about two guys who bumblingly steal a streetcar and give away free rides throughout Mexico City while trying to get the Thomas Richardsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13954729687748953975noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3354625.post-1098636105495598452004-10-24T10:35:00.000-05:002004-10-27T09:06:36.856-05:00Once upon a time, in a vast, sunswept desert, a beautiful, perfect cactus stood. The sun that shone every day upon the arms and prickles of this beautiful, perfect cactus knew what anyone else would if they could see the cactus - that this was a beautiful and perfect cactus. It had perfect form, beautiful shape, wonderous coloring. It's prickers were displayed in constellation-like bcnoreply@blogger.com0