December 8, 2007
Since they have reorganized the hierarchy at the Tribune, I’ve been asked to attend a weekly meeting again. Those were cancelled when our General Director left, back in May. Though no one has replaced him yet, we do have a new Commercial Director, Sr. Cesar Hernandez, who has been working with us in a valiant attempt to eliminate the glitches in the paper’s operations. Consequently, once a week for the last few weeks, I’ve been driving back out to Lomas del Coapinole, there where the map says "Sierra Madre Occidental" as there are no more streets beyond… The trip used to take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. Today, with all the increased traffic in PV, we’re looking at a minimum of 45 - each way.
Anyways, last week’s meeting lasted longer than usual as we had to redo the layout of various pages in order to accommodate late-coming ads. It was pitch black outside, and as the City still hasn’t discovered that part of town, there are no street lights anywhere in sight.
I took what I thought was my usual route back home, but as none of the streets are identified, I obviously made a mistake. So there I was, climbing higher and higher into the hills (thank goodness for my little old Tracker’s 4 x 4), until I realized that I was totally, totally lost. And there was no one around, not even a dog. Plenty of houses, unpaved streets, some lights, but no humans. So I kept on driving, laughing at myself. It was 9:30 p.m. and I was starving. I even talked to myself…
Finally, I saw a young man walking along. I pulled up, rolled my window down, and told him that I needed his help… I was lost. He laughed, and asked where I wanted to go, to which I responded «Puerto Vallarta!» We both laughed. He said, «No problem. Just go one block, and you’ll find a paved street. Turn left and just keep following it. It will bring you into town.» I thanked him profusely, we laughed some more, and off I went.
He was right. I did find the paved street one block further, and I did follow it, and it did lead me back into town.
So there you have it. My adventure in the dark, in Colonia La Vena.
Next evening, I had the honor of being invited to the big do at Hacienda San Angel (see separate article) where I had the added pleasure of spending time with Luciano, my fellow Romanian, the artist who painted the whole place. There's something very special about finding someone with whom one can speak in one's native tongue... What a delightful gentleman, and what a gorgeous daughter he has!
I noticed the new sushi place right across the street from the Santa Barbara Theater. If any of you have tried it, please let us know so that we may share your comments with the rest of our readers.
I also stopped to see the wares in the back of a pick-up truck that was parked on the street. There was a very nice gentleman standing by, whose name turned out to be Sr. José Luis Bazo. Sr. Bazo was selling the most beautiful baskets and tall vases made of woven materials, in all sorts of different colors and textures, the kind of stuff I’ve seen in many of the interior decoration shops that have sprouted all over town recently, but whose prices are beyond my budget. Turns out that this gentleman has a shop in Plaza Villas Vallarta, Local B-20, where he sells all these items which he brings in from Guadalajara - at the reasonable prices for which the capital of Jalisco is known. No mark-up for us furrners. In case you want to call him, his number is 224-7056.
If you get a chance to go see Sol Rose’s one-man show at the Santa Barbara Theater on Tuesday, do so! The place was Standing Room Only, and this, the 2nd version of «Siempre Sol» is even better than his first was last season. All new songs, lots of audience participation, a little more risqué, multi-media presentations, anecdotes about Barbara Streisand (his friend, who always drops in to eat at Café Bohemio when she’s down here on holidays) and other big showbiz acquaintances, excellent sound and lighting by Bill Deavenport, and always top notch professional! Sol’s voice is superb, and his sense of humor is a delight to one and all, causing him to be recalled for an encore.
On the topic of excellent voices, I finally snuck away from my computer to catch the "Oldies but Goodies" performance at the Cecatur Auditorium. All I can say is: unfortunately, by the time you read this, this show's run will have ended and if you haven't seen it, you've missed a truly fun performance!
Len's professional past as a stage performer was evident, Mikki Prost showed off not only her voice, but her dancing skills as well (sexy, sultry stuff with a yummy partner...)and the rest of the cast, all combined to make us remember those very special moments we (older folks) associate with our youth, sock hops, and other escapades...
I loved it. And if the new show T.J. has in store for us at the Auditorium, "The Bench", is as much fun as this one was, I highly recommend that you make an effort to see it! By the way, newcomer Lieutenant Patterson Jr., is really good! And having seen Jace Damon in various other performances over the years, well... just go!
Until then, I'm going to get ready for our Hanukah dinner at Café Bohemio. It should be a lot of fun. Sol tells me that someone gifted him an 8-foot tall menorah! And I really like his latkes, his brisket, etc. etc.
Before I forget, I want to extend a very special thank you to the lovely lady who brought me a very special chocolate bar in lieu of "Hanukah gelt" at the Bingo game last week. Bless you!
I wish you all a wondrous week, take in the processions, enjoy all the old Mexican traditions that make this country so fascinating, especially at this time of year.Take care of each other and do share your good fortune with the less fortunate. Hasta luego. pvmom04@yahoo. com
posted by Anna Reisman @ 11:00 AM
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