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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 2, 2012 18:42:04 GMT
Ha! Why would you think it's any different here? There is one man, a retired teacher, who makes my heart go gray with dread when he stands up to drone on and on and on, just regurgitating stuff that was already said. I think I've told this story before, but ......... when I lived in Port Isabel I used to go to all the City Council meetings. This was partly because the area where I lived was all on canals dredged back in the 50s when there was even more laissez faire about raping Mother Earth. Because the lots there had become more valuable with time, a good bit of regulating, bickering, etc. had evolved. One neighbor had really worked himself up a week or so before one meeting, making notes & vowing he was going to tell Them what was what. The night of the meeting everything was going quite well, with reasonable discussion and agreeable compromises. Just as everyone was relaxing back into their chairs, the neighbor, who'd been actually moving his lips as he pored over his notes, leaped to his feet and blasted the Council with abuse that was not merited, as we'd already been granted what we wanted. Well, I'm sorry not to see more of your fun take on Mardi Gras this year, but also glad that you ditched the camera and just had a good time. You look absolutely fabulous!!!
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Post by tod2 on Mar 16, 2012 14:20:50 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 16, 2012 22:42:27 GMT
So hard to choose my next look!
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 18, 2012 15:07:22 GMT
Tod is that common where you live -- to have several of one kind of business close together like that? I can think of one street here that has one "estética" after another, and often there are stationer or hardware or eatery zones.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 18, 2012 21:41:10 GMT
In Europe it is common, so I would imagine that it is common in other parts of the world. That's how a lot of medieval streets got names like "Butcher Street" or "Silk Conditioning Street." Obviously, it is a bit less common in modern times, and yet.... no. There is a whole new area in Paris devoted to computer equipment and another street devoted to electric guitars.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 18, 2012 23:43:57 GMT
I'm pretty sure that it's not common in the US nor Canada, since it's something people from those countries always comment upon here.
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Post by rikita on Mar 19, 2012 13:16:13 GMT
i don't think we have much of this in berlin - other than areas with many pubs or restaurants maybe. in those cases i suppose it makes sense to be close together, as people go to the area specifically to go from one bar to the next...
the village in peru where i did my field research was specialized in cuyerías (restaurants where you could buy cuy al horno, i.e. grilled guinea pig), while a neighbourvillage was specialized in bread, and another in chicharrones. when i asked people in my village what they'd do if they had some money, a lot replied they'd like to open a cuyería. it surprised me a bit, as even the ones that were there (about 20) were usually almost empty...
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 19, 2012 15:47:28 GMT
Interesting, Rikita, as that has also always been my perception about several of the same businesses crowded together. It's as though someone walks down a street, passes a locksmith then later thinks, "This would be a good location for a locksmith" and opens one. Then someone else does the same, etc.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 20, 2012 6:27:08 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 20, 2012 7:15:08 GMT
Children seem to be an extremely important part of all Mexican celebrations.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 20, 2012 21:05:44 GMT
I think this was a specifically kid-based parade. However kids are included in everything, sometimes to the dismay of people not from this culture.
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Post by Kimby on Apr 5, 2012 4:51:01 GMT
Just another shop in the Haight.
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Post by Kimby on Apr 5, 2012 15:38:28 GMT
Local color that's also colorful! San Francisco's "Painted Ladies"
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 5, 2012 22:18:41 GMT
Ohmygawd ~~ the pink one! It's really wonderful.
I wonder if they've offered to repaint the hideous lavender one next door.
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Post by Kimby on Apr 6, 2012 14:07:19 GMT
And the one behind the tree is green.
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Post by tod2 on Apr 6, 2012 14:32:35 GMT
Wonderful parade Bixa - when you look at all the work gone into decorating the vehicles and the kids costumes, its really a terrific effort.
You asked about the same businesses being all clumped together like that. Not common except when an opportunity arises. I can see this might have happened when one person set up a hairdressers next to the taxi ranks and more followed because the space they're on is rent free - municipal land and in actual fact, the sidewalk! They may be paying a small fee.....? Other businesses that have sprung up in my city are the corner 'tuck shop' variety where a vendor has a supermarket trolley, a chair and an umbrella. No rent, just catching the passers-by. Some stock to non-perishables like sweets and cigarettes, others try fruit selling. There is hardly a corner without one now.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 17, 2012 0:24:15 GMT
Kimby, the green next to the pink would be quite nice, I think. (I just generally hate lavender. *shudder*)
Interesting about the ad hoc commerce there, Tod. It's pretty much the same here, except for that odd thing of sometimes having several businesses of the same type quite close together. People here pay some kind of fee for their weekly spots in the market, & some markets are really strict about "vendedores ambulantes". Whenever there is any kind of people vs. govt. thing going on here (often), the vendors come out in force on the main square & the adjacent one in front of the cathedral.
Here's just a little part of what went on in front of my house all day yesterday. There was a kermis -- a fund-raising event for the chapel. I only learned the word kermis or kermiss when I came to this country. When I looked it up, I was amazed to find that it's originally a Dutch word.
At any rate, it started off with a child orchestra. All kinds of folk dancing followed. There were tables of food to buy and different bands, culminating in a dance which lasted until fairly late last night
Here's the kid orchestra. They did pretty well, although y'all might be wincing at some of the notes. That's my next door neighbor Abril in the pink stripes, playing with her cousins.
Keep your eye on the little girl in the olive green skirt with the red shawl -- she can really dance.
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Post by lola on Apr 17, 2012 1:35:59 GMT
Adorable, Bixa. How fun to be part of that community.
I guess the little girl in the top one is wearing tall black boots for style?
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Post by tod2 on Apr 17, 2012 7:13:58 GMT
Bixa, I am fascinated to hear the word KERMIS is used in Mexico! It is most definitely a Dutch word and here in S.A. the Afrikaaners call Christmas - KERSFEES. Which translated is 'Xmas Feast'. I am not 100% sure but I think the word Kermis here refers to Easter OR if I'm wrong, could also be the word used for a Fete. I'll try and find out just for mos. I noticed the little girl you pointed out had the most incredibly L O N G braids! Her hair must go all the way down to her bottom
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Post by bjd on Apr 17, 2012 11:23:31 GMT
"Kermesse" is used in France for a Fete -- like at the end of the school year in many primary schools when there are draws for prizes and performances to show off some school activities.
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Post by fumobici on Apr 17, 2012 14:18:18 GMT
Kermesse in Italy means a meet-up or show of some sort. It's a little different from the French meaning and a reasonably common word.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 17, 2012 17:09:23 GMT
I looked up kermesse in my Robert historical dictionary, and it says that the word arrived in France in 1397 from the Flemish kerkmisse ('church mass') and the meaning quickly spread to describe church bazaars and later on to any charity bazaar.
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Post by rikita on Apr 17, 2012 19:59:09 GMT
in german we have the word kirmes... from kirchmesse or kirchweih - i think originally celebrating the day a church was inaugurated...
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Post by Kimby on Apr 17, 2012 20:17:02 GMT
Kimby, the green next to the pink would be quite nice, I think. (I just generally hate lavender. *shudder*) I'm not a fan of ANY of the Easter egg colors, including pink AND lavendar.
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Post by Breeze on Apr 17, 2012 20:47:48 GMT
Brueghel has a painting called The kermesse, and I never knew exactly what that meant.
Now I know it's a church fundraiser involving kids doing Mexican folk dances. Somehow the artist failed to convey that as clearly as Bixa did.
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Post by bixaorellana on Apr 18, 2012 7:18:56 GMT
Thanks, Lola! Yeah, that bunch of little girls is fashion conscious. One of them passed by today wearing some slouch brown leather boots that I quite coveted. Interesting, Tod, along with the other comments about the word kermis. Kerouac, that entry from the historical dictionary really explains it. Tod, the little girl might really have long hair, but if she does or not, she's almost certainly using "braid extenders". They're extremely common here and older women, especially, might still use them, even if they no longer wear traditional dress. For this kind of dance event, the braids might be extended even further with black yarn. Check out the headdresses in these women from Yalálag starting at the 6th picture in #5, here. They are yarn "hair" coronets. I was told once that the ribbons are supposed to make the braids grow, but I don't know if that's a common belief or not. And now that Breeze has gotten her art history straight ( ;D), here are some more pics of the dancing. I have to admit that there were a bunch more dancing groups after this one, but due to my extreme boredom in the face of folk dancing, I only photographed this group. The colors are pretty & the girls are darling. Braid close-up:
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Post by tod2 on Apr 18, 2012 8:09:42 GMT
Breeze .... ;D
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2012 17:48:20 GMT
I left the office as usual at 4pm today (our special Friday closing time) and saw this unexpected crowd in front of the Virgin Megastore. I didn't know what star they were waiting for. Elton John? Alicia Keys? Youssou N'Dour? So I looked it up. They were waiting for CM PUNK, THE MIZ and DIVA EVE at 17:30. They are professional American wrestlers. What is the world coming to?
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Post by Deleted on Apr 20, 2012 20:49:41 GMT
, sad indeed.
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Post by Kimby on Apr 23, 2012 19:55:46 GMT
The end of the ski season is usually good for some local color, especially if it's a beautiful day (They are not posing for me, but for the photographer crouched almost below the skyline at right.)
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