tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-516332009-06-25T12:26:19.517-07:00... consistently inconsistent ...TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.comBlogger1360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-69592883542633085442009-06-25T12:26:00.001-07:002009-06-25T12:26:14.842-07:00

See if you can spot the creatureOriginally uploaded by DulcePicosoBeautiful weekend. Spent some time at Baker Beach. The fog was back with a vengeance last night, but that suits me. Sweatshirts in summer = win!

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-31579377845344154992009-06-16T16:03:00.000-07:002009-06-16T16:28:03.264-07:00

So, I got pretty lucky with the timing of my Mexico trip, no? I made it home the second week of April, before swine flu hysteria reached a fever pitch. I also avoided a pretty powerful earthquake. Add a crazy (tragic) fire and spikes in headline-grabbing violence and it looks like the country just fell apart without me.Fortunately, my Spanish isn't falling apart without Mexico. But the danger is

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-72826082224129137172009-04-07T13:33:00.001-07:002009-04-07T13:33:50.419-07:00

Lady of the HausOriginally uploaded by tjdeeLeaving for the airport soon and thinking about a few things I haven't mentioned:- I have never seen more people with neck braces than I have here. I've spotted 6 or 7 people with their necks wrapped up in Mexico City. I blame the insane driving (la ley no aplica).- Just over 9 weeks and no Montezuma's revenge, bitches! Top that! (Although, to borrow I

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-2460388096635659862009-04-04T11:35:00.000-07:002009-04-04T11:44:15.360-07:00

Last class was yesterday. En cuanto a las clases, the week started off with me being super frustrated -- de muy mal humor -- but it quickly improved and the rest of the week was pretty fun. I had to write up a little something, which I may as well throw up here:Llevo casi 9 semanas aquí, así que es un poquito difícil tratar de resumir toda la estancia en unas frases, pero voy a identificar tres

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-23882216493754924572009-03-21T17:40:00.000-07:002009-03-21T18:21:00.225-07:00

Working during my Mexican adventures (save one week when J came down) has been wonderful for the obvious reasons: I have been able to spend a significant chunk of time in another country without having to quit a job, live off of savings and risk long-term unemployment upon my return. I'm working 4 days a week, so I have three days every week to enjoy the city (although the addition of classes

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-24216866147180161512009-03-19T17:29:00.001-07:002009-03-19T17:29:16.784-07:00

Mariachi on the PatioOriginally uploaded by tjdeeMariachi band performing in the garden on a random Wednesday night? Sure, why not?Working upstairs in my new room, at first I thought the owners of the Red Tree House, where I'm staying, had bought some wicked new stereo speakers because the music was super clear and loud. Took me two songs to realize what was going on. After about 45 minutes I

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-39439475718648578212009-03-17T14:26:00.001-07:002009-03-17T14:26:11.847-07:00

Strike a PoseOriginally uploaded by DulcePicosoSince my trip to Madrid in 2007, I've realized that I'm a very good solo traveler (better than expected). Add another person, with his/her opinions, desires, preferences, etc. to the mix and that's where problems can occur. That said, last week's stays in Guanajuato and Querétaro, both colonial cities to the northwest of Mexico City, were pretty fun.

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-29416523915372742462009-03-02T19:21:00.001-08:002009-03-02T19:21:21.461-08:00

Zócalo - View from Torre LatinoamericanaOriginally uploaded by tjdeeWent to the Torre today. For 50 pesos you take one elevator to the 37th floor, another to the 41st floor and then walk up a couple of floors to an observation deck called El Mirador. There's a nice place to have coffee, a little museum and a fancy restaurant up there too. Vale la pena.

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-54417711418610725062009-02-27T16:28:00.001-08:002009-02-27T16:28:36.124-08:00

¿y 'no son enchiladas' no es raro?Originally uploaded by tjdeeI got very defensive in class today for a hot minute. But as the kids say (if you get in a time machine and go back to 1996), I checked myself before I wrecked myself. After immediately jumping at her with "cómo que no se usa así, está en mi libro de slang mexicano y es muy común y qué diablos me estás diciendo," I stopped arguing,

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-72962268399596498802009-02-25T16:01:00.001-08:002009-02-25T16:01:24.253-08:00

Bella RomaOriginally uploaded by tjdeeThis is one of my favorite photos of the trip so far. First, it was taken (today) on another ridiculously gorgeous day here in Mexico City. It's on one of the main streets in Colonia Roma, a neighborhood I wasn't really feeling the first couple of times I wandered through it. But Roma really grabbed me today. I even started debating whether Roma or Condesa

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-17604094975635207432009-02-24T20:43:00.001-08:002009-02-24T20:43:45.785-08:00

Mi SalaOriginally uploaded by tjdeeI am digging my new teacher here at International House. She cracks me up. Today I showed her a video of her boyfriend, Gael García Bernal, singing a cheesy song from his new Mexican movie and she seriously said, "Órale ... óoooorale ... óraleeeeeeee." This was after completing a reading about gender roles in Mexico and saying, "Gracias a Dios, nunca he tenido

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-16561493163190400572009-02-18T18:42:00.000-08:002009-02-18T18:49:06.481-08:00

1. I have an upsetting blister on my left foot that won't go away.2. There's now a hole in my left shoe and I can't bear the thought of having to learn all the freaking shoe-buying vocabulary and dealing with attendants at shoe stores, which I refuse to deal with in the U.S.3. I've met as many gay San Franciscans in the two weeks I've been here at the house than I do in the same time period in

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-2042182322248257692009-02-14T16:37:00.001-08:002009-02-14T16:37:31.966-08:00

Día de San ValentínOriginally uploaded by tjdeeWell, I'm here by myself on Valentine's Day, working 12 hours no less, but despite this, the trip has been great so far. There are frustrating moments, for sure, but overall it's been wonderful -- challenging without being overwhelming. Balancing classes and work this week has been a bit tough, but that's only really a problem toward the end of the

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-5132215288912280302009-02-08T18:37:00.000-08:002009-02-08T18:45:41.025-08:00

I may have had a bit of a tomato breakthrough today.After a couple of hours of wandering through Condesa and Chapultepec Park, I made my way back to an Italian/Argentine café in Polanco and ordered the margerita pizza, expecting the few bits of tomato that usually come in such pizzas. But this thing was cut up into squares, with whole slices of tomato. Fail. Or was it? I don't know if the

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-60766272567908674652009-02-05T17:06:00.000-08:002009-02-05T17:13:04.080-08:00

I whipped out my iPhone a few seconds too late to catch this, but I was struck by the scene and how typically Mexican it was: a vendedor selling nuts or something and an acordeonista crossing paths and chatting, perhaps checking in re: how business had been that afternoon.And me? I was sitting outside Frutos Prohibidos, enjoying a freshly squeezed orange juice on a cool -- but not cold -- day,

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-9434189598173725542009-02-03T20:14:00.000-08:002009-02-03T20:24:43.311-08:00

I'll no doubt be blogging a lot more frequently while I'm here, working and studying, in Mexico City. My instinct is to try to jot down everything I've done and have been thinking about, but instead, how about some vignettes? Crazy idea, no? Those will be coming, but for now, some links: Photos will be in this new Flickr set (the one from my 2007 trip, with all 197 photos, is here). Tweets are

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-36131505415956471892009-01-31T16:57:00.001-08:002009-01-31T20:11:32.064-08:00

The best way to learn a language, obviously, is to immerse yourself, hence the trip to Mexico City (2 days!). But as I have learned during the past several years, there are tons of online resources available for people who want to brush up on or improve their language skills, but who lack the ability to take off for a couple of months. Some of my favorites include:Spanishpod went from totally

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-1870420518202016752009-01-26T18:31:00.000-08:002009-01-26T18:34:30.980-08:00

Jesús ripped into me a little bit last night for not responding to him in Spanish when he was talking to me en español (I do believe the word coño was used once or twice). Sigh. I continue to sabotage myself because of my flat-out refusal to allow myself to make mistakes in front of people I'm close to. I think he's worried I'll shy away from opportunities to charlar while in Mexico, but I don't

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-90261340080562520152009-01-14T15:11:00.000-08:002009-01-14T15:20:35.567-08:00

A lot of my Christmas gifts were tied to my upcoming trip to Mexico City. Among the least costly but most useful has been a book of Spanish slang, expressions and grammar rules, tied specifically to Mexico. I'm trying to attack the book one section at a time. Some of it is review but probably an equal portion contains idioms and customs with which I'm entirely unfamiliar. For example: No son

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-85555810893225006902008-12-16T12:50:00.001-08:002008-12-16T12:51:28.806-08:00

My favorite photos of the year, from New Year's Eve in Brooklyn to the Digg holiday soiree in San Francisco:

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-74571468441200447122008-12-04T12:27:00.001-08:002008-12-04T12:34:09.009-08:00

NHOriginally uploaded by tjdeeThe reunion could have been a disaster. My ridiculous decision to shave despite having forgotten shaving creme could have screwed me big time. If I had been the only guy to go the semi-casual route, I would've felt like a tool. Frenemies could have shown up with attitude, holding grudges. And while my friendship with Alli, the organizer, gave me access to the

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-25683730505204476982008-11-21T16:44:00.000-08:002008-11-21T19:51:23.521-08:00

How do we learn? Sometimes, for me, acquiring a new Spanish word -- like, for realsies, not just for a fleeting moment -- requires the creation of a mnemonic device and other times it requires an embarrassing situation.I just hadn't been able to keep the word(s) for "straw" in my brain until about a month ago, when I met Jesús at a taquería in downtown Oakland. I had finally remembered bombilla,

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-29560975641762610052008-11-20T17:17:00.000-08:002008-11-20T17:28:35.143-08:00

It's hard not to focus too much on the impending 9-week trip to el D.F., but it helps that the next month and a half will be full of travel, work schedule-shifting and moving-related tasks. First up is a trip to NYC/NJ for Thanksgiving at my aunt's new place and my freaking high school reunion. A week from tomorrow, I will be back at the hotel that hosted my senior prom, living out a movie scene

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-10680650242643432072008-11-18T14:20:00.001-08:002008-11-18T14:20:33.156-08:00

Summer/fall of 2001: Book it to the Bay Area. Summer/fall of 2003: Back to NJ. Summer/fall of 2005: Another cross-country move. Summer/fall of 2007 seemed to break the cycle, but a year later I was planning another escape of sorts. A mini-escape, but enough to shake things up and feed the wanderlust the seems to overtake me every couple of years.Thanks to the relative location-independence of my

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51633.post-42514975102142152542008-11-10T11:29:00.001-08:002008-11-10T11:29:51.779-08:00

One of My FavoritesOriginally uploaded by tjdeeFrom Sunday's Prop 8 protest at the Capitol Building in Sacramento.As I walked around these days I decide which group each person passing me is in. It's a fun game.

TJhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04295336921729905229tjdegroat@gmail.com0