Around Town, Jan 26, 2007

Contributors are responsible for all information submitted. Event details are published as submitted by the deadline on Wednesday at 2pm; Atención is not responsible for changes or cancellations after the submission deadline.

Meetings and Lectures

Unitarian Universalist Fellowship

The topic for this Sunday’s service at the UU Fellowship is “The Faith of a Unitarian Universalist.” Knowing that faith is often used as a synonym for a system of beliefs that has no basis in fact (and some would say are antithetical to our understanding of reality), Rev. Jeff Jones will explore the idea of faith in the tradition of liberal religion. 

He will address the questions: Are there any guarantees in life?, Is there anything in which we are willing to put our faith and trust? and finally, What would it mean to give assent or affirmation to a principle that cannot be proven but that we want to be a guiding standard in our lives?

Rev. Jones has been the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Fredericksburg, Virginia, for more than six years. He earned a six-month sabbatical and has chosen to spend it with his family in San Miguel de Allende.

The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30am in La Posada de la Aldea, Ancha de San Antonio 15. Visitors are invited to attend the service and then join the UUs in the hotel restaurant for brunch. For more information about Mexico’s only chartered UU Fellowship, visit portalsanmiguel.com/lifestyle/unitarians/unitarians.html.

Midday Rotary Club

On Tuesday, January 30th, Richard McClarty, founder of Select Real Estate, will discuss the SMA real estate market and the potential impact of some proposed development projects. There will be a question and answer period after his talk.

McClarty has over 20 years of sales and marketing experience. After graduating from Illinois Wesleyan University with a B.A. in English, he received his Illinois real estate license and successfully marketed homes and commercial properties. During this time, McClarty successfully entered the foodservice business, opening a Colombo Frozen Yoghurt shop. He eventually became National Sales Manager for Colombo. Over the next 17 years, he assumed positions of greater responsibilities as an executive specializing in turnaround situations, including executive positions with Heinz Foods, the world’s largest ketchup producer, and McCain Foods, the world’s largest manufacturer of frozen French fries with annual sales in excess of US$5 billion. After semi-retiring to San Miguel de Allende, Richard decided to go back into real estate. 

The Rotary Club of San Miguel de Allende-Midday meets every Tuesday at 12:30pm at the Villa Jacaranda Hotel, Aldama 53. Visiting Rotarians and others interested in Rotary are invited to attend. Lunch follows at 1:30pm in the hotel dining room. For more information, please check our website: www.rotarysma.org 

Opportunity for actors 

Auditions are being held for a new comedy to be presented at the Teatro Santa Ana on February 28 and March 1–4. There are three female and three male roles. One male is mid-40s or younger, and one female is mid-50s or younger. All others are older.

The play, written by Dean Taylor, is called Them. In the play, the residents of a neighborhood are upset over the attention their neighborhood is getting. It was written up in papers coast-to-coast and featured on a national television show as the best neighborhood in the world in which to live. Now out-of-state cars are starting to drive through, and a tour bus has even shown up. 

The residents fear that the world is discovering their perfect haven and that all sorts of undesirables will want to move there. They determine to do everything they can to keep “them” out. They scatter trash, stage fake burglaries, and even collectively buy the house of someone who is moving out so a wealthy outsider doesn’t get it. 

But they go too far and their efforts backfire with disastrous results. And yes, it is a comedy, though some may view the premise as a serious one.

A read-through and auditions will be held Wednesday, January 31, at 10:30am at Orizaba 7A. Orizaba runs off Ancha San Antonio, opposite the entrance to the Instituto. The play is being directed by Tony Napoli, formerly of New York City.

Fun with Yiddish

Come meet with a friendly group and practice Mommalochen. Meets every other Thursday from 10:20am to noon, starting February 1. Phone 152-4610 for details. 

Fifth gathering of facilitators for healing

The fifth Gathering of Facilitators for Healing, an “energy exchange,” takes place at noon on Thursday, February 1, at Privada de Pila Seca 5 (turn into cul de sac opposite Pila Seca 45.) Every meeting is different. The meeting is free and open to the public, including those in need. Facilitators are invited to participate. Call 152-0376 to reserve a place on the program.

Classes & Workshops 

Sazón cooking classes 

Sazón will host a class and tasting on “A Menu for Elegant Entertaining, Mexican Style” on Friday, January 26, from 11am to 1pm; cost is US$55. This menu can be prepared with a minimum of fuss but a maximum of elegance. You will also receive wine pairing suggestions and tips for creating a festive table. Recipes include sopa de albóndigas de camarones, chile poblano relleno de elote, pato asado en escabeche and pay de coco.

On Tuesday, January 30, a market tour and class will be held from 10:30am to 12:30pm at a cost of US$45. Our chef takes you on a culinary tour of San Miguel’s colorful mercado, where you’ll meet women from the campo who bring in local vegetables, fruits, cheeses and flowers. Get pointers on how to pick the best of the crop. Then select unfamiliar items you want to know more about. Back in the Sazón kitchen, the chef will explain your mystery items and create a menu of seasonal items garnered at the market, inspiring you to be more adventurous at your farmers’ markets at home.

On Wednesday, January 31, the class and tasting is on “Chocolate: Mexico’s Gift to the World” from 11am to 1pm at a cost of US$55. With Valentine’s Day comes chocolate, an exquisitely romantic food that came to the world from Mexico, of course. Ana Elena Martinez, owner of a successful catering business, produces her own signature line of chocolates in Puebla and travels the world looking for interesting flavors to enhance her creations. Class begins with a discussion of the use of chocolate at the Aztec rulers’ court, and then how it was transformed into a whole new product once it reached Europe. Your delicious journey winds up when Ana Elena teaches you to make your own picture-perfect truffles. Yes, it is a messy job, but who minds licking their fingers?

Computer Obedience Training: the next level

Roger Hind will be teaching Level 2 of his Computer Obedience Training class beginning on Tuesday, January 30. This class is designed for people who have mastered Windows basics (covered in the Level 1 course) and who wish to progress to the next level.

The classes will be held in the computer training room at the Biblioteca Pública and will cover protecting and maintaining your computer, customizing Windows and a wide array of shortcuts.

Classes will run from 10:30am until 1:00pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays over a four-week period, beginning Tuesday, January 30. Pre-enrollment, including payment of the course fee of 350 pesos, is required. The class is limited to 10 people, who must have either temporary or full membership at the library. A temporary membership costs only 150 pesos, 100 pesos of which is refundable when you leave San Miguel.

To enroll please take your membership card and 350 pesos to the front desk.

Hind has written a detailed manual that will be used as an adjunct to the class. The manual will be available for purchase for 150 pesos at the first class.

Enrollment is also open for Hind’s Level 1 (introductory) course, which begins on February 27. Class times, costs and requirements are the same as for the Level 2 course. Please note that these classes are for PC users; we do not have Macs.

For more information about the course objectives and content, you may contact Roger by phone on 154 6552 or by e-mail at rogerhind@hotmail.com 

Amherst artists’ and writers’ workshop

Kimberly Kinser is beginning the 2007 workshop series at LifePath (Recreo 80) on January 30. The group meets for 10 weeks, every Tuesday from 10am to 1pm. Writers at all levels benefit from a weekly commitment to their craft in a safe and supportive environment. Each session includes two to three writing periods with a wide variety of prompts provided by Kimberly. Members have an opportunity to read aloud their fresh, new writing and receive immediate feedback on the strengths of the pieces from the other participants. Manuscript review and personal conferences are also included. The cost is US$200 or 2,200 pesos for the entire 10 weeks. Please contact Kimberly at 152-1024 or by email kekinser@mac.com  to register or for more information.

Querétaro Aikikai joins with Aikido San Miguel for workshop

On Saturday, February 3, members of the Querétaro Aikido community will come to San Miguel to participate with our Aikido community in two classes at Aikido San Miguel, Ignacio Allende 57. Rowland Sensei of San Miguel will teach a class at 11am, and Avila Sensei from Querétaro will teach at 12:30pm. Free admission.

Aikido is a noncompetitive, defensive martial art that uses circular movements to redirect the aggressive energy of an attacker and defeat him without injury. It is practiced with a partner, and observers often describe the graceful interplay between participants as dancelike. It is practiced by men and women of all ages.

Anyone with Aikido experience is welcome to join the practice. (Please arrive early enough to change and stretch before the starting time of class.) All community members are welcome to watch and learn about Aikido. Those without experience who are interested in trying a class may do so without cost during normally scheduled Aikido San Miguel classes.

Contact Ken Rowland at 152-3709 or email Aikidosma@yahoo.com  for normal class times and other information. 

Intuitive nutrition and the path of harmony and healing

The New Year is a time people often think about ways to achieve health and a sense of well-being through diet and nutrition. Yet it is difficult to find a balance. One common struggle is weight management—most commonly weight loss. The middle path of science-based knowledge coupled with intuitive body-based listening will allow you to slowly find some degree of balance and peace in this area. This class explores the areas of food, nutrition and movement. The instructor has a BS degree in food and nutrition and is currently facilitating a local ecstatic dance and movement group called Danza del Alma. She will host an Intuitive Nutrition Group beginning January 26 from 2 to 4 pm at LifePath Center at Recreo 80. For more information or reservations, call 154-8465 or email info@lifepathretreats.com. 

La Cocina cooking classes

On Tuesday, January 30, from 4–7pm, La Cocina’s cooking class is devoted to naturally healthy Mexican food. On Thursday, February 1, from 4–7pm a mole class will be offered. Cost of each is US$55.

Tuesdays and Thursdays are devoted to traditional Mexican cooking. Hands-on classes are taught by Kris Rudolph, owner of El Buen Café, and encompass such dishes as sopes, moles, chile rellenos, cactus salad and tres leches cake. It’s not just a cooking class but a fun evening out with a full dinner and margaritas. The cost is US$45 per person.

For more information and registration, stop by El Buen Café, Jesús 23, between 9am and 4pm.

The Artist’s Way: creative recovery course for women

A 10-week creative recovery course for women will be offered at Lifepath Retreat Center starting Friday, February 2, based on the highly successful book The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. This guided course focuses on creating pathways into your consciousness where blocks (we all have them) are dissolved, allowing you to regain your creativity. The author states “no matter your age or lifepath, creativity is your true nature.” 

Using a proven set of basic tools, principles and exercises, as well as the guidance of an experienced facilitator and the synergy of like-minded participants, inhibiting forces such as self-limiting beliefs, fears, sabotage, jealousy, blame and guilt will be replaced with artistic confidence and productivity. Patricia Mahan will be the facilitator. 

She has been involved in the arts for over 25 years and has led Artist’s Way courses last year at Lifepath in Albuquerque, Portland and Sayulita, Nayarit. She reinvented herself as a visual artist after taking this course herself in 1998.

The workshop is held on Fridays, beginning February 2, from 1 to 2:30 pm. Cost is US$120. For more information, contact Beverly Nelson at LifePath: Docbeverly@aol.com or 154-8465.

Tours & Excursions

Saturday Adventurers 

The best papier mâché comes from the factory of the Hernández family. Juan, who has been making molds of beautiful fruits, vegetables, chiles and clowns for 18 years, will demonstrate the step-by-step process to produce a single perfect, realistic-looking apple, clown or rattle. There will be time for you to buy a string of chiles, a set of fruit napkin holders and more.

From there we travel a short distance to Rancho La Loma, an equestrian center for training Andalucian horses. On a tour of the beautiful, extensive grounds, we will see a couple of trojes—typical houses brought up from Pátzcuaro. One is now a chapel and the other a guest house, with many modern amenities added, such as baths and kitchens. You will enjoy seeing the great collection of antique carriages, one of which served as the first taxi in Mexico City. You will also witness how these exquisite horses are trained for dressage. The tour leaves from inside the Jardín, across from the Parroquia, at 10:30am. Don’t forget to bring your camera. 

Instituto field trip to city of Guanajuato

Instituto Allende tours heads to the colonial city of Guanajuato, the state capital, on Saturday, February 3, departing at 9am. Guanajuato is about an hour west of San Miguel.

The city’s narrow streets wind their way between flower-bedecked plazas and give way to unexpected balconies, bridges and red-tiled roofs that lie level with the street above. Travelers are reminded of the hill towns of Italy and jewels of places in southern Spain. 

Guanajuato was once Mexico’s second-largest city and was one of the wealthiest cities in the world due to local silver mining. It’s a somewhat flamboyant city, a maze of plazas, by ways, dramatic tunnels and picturesque streets.

The city has been deemed a World Heritage site by UNESCO. During this outing, special attention will be given to the preserved colonial architecture in residential areas. The city’s center is a good place to stroll and shop, for which time is allotted.

We will visit the university and the stately governmental buildings, Museum of El Quixote and the home of native son and famous painter Diego Rivera, which has been turned into a museum. Cost of the tour is US$55, which includes transportation, all fees, a restaurant meal and snacks. 

A free lecture at the Instituto on Wednesday, January 31, at 4pm previews this trip. Bilingual guides lead all tours and offer rare insight in a secure environment. Visa and Master Card are accepted. Reservations are required. For more information, call Instituto Allende at 152-0226 or visit at Ancha de San Antonio 20.

Botanical garden tour 

Every Tuesday morning discover the marvels of cacti and other Mexican plants as well as the history of El Charco with Martin Smith, curator of plants. Additionally, you will have the opportunity to see the plants in the nursery, which is not ordinarily open to the public. Many rare species and plants threatened with extinction are protected and propagated at El Charco. Entrance fee is 30 pesos (waived for members) and the tour is 50 pesos. All proceeds benefit the garden. The tour is in English and starts at the main entrance at 9am and lasts about two hours. Bring a hat and water. Space is limited, so reserve by calling Martin at 154-8838 or 154-4715 or email charco@unisono.net.mx. 

Performances & Events

Robert de Gast talks on Pozos

Mineral de Pozos, the abandoned mining center east of San Miguel, is only an hour’s drive away via excellent roads, but for residents and visitors to San Miguel without a car (or a guide) it is a three-hour, four-bus expedition, a difficult and demanding enterprise. But you can experience Pozos vicariously with a slide show called “The Romance of Ruins: A Visit to Pozos.”

For a long time, Pozos was wealthy with mining operations yielding silver, copper, lead, magnesium, mercury and many other metals, but after the Revolution the town was virtually abandoned and mining was suspended due to a lack of manpower, capital and spare parts for the mining machinery. Today, fewer than 2,000 people live in Pozos. In the last few years, however, a number of foreigners have begun new businesses: there are several bed-and breakfast hotels, three small restaurants, a half-dozen art galleries and studios. Still, the overall sense of the place is one of utter abandonment.

On Friday, January 26, at 5 pm, long-time San Miguel resident Robert de Gast will present a talk and show his photographs of Pozos in the Teatro Santa Ana at the Biblioteca. The talk and slide show will last about an hour, with a question-and-answer session. The admission charge is 50 pesos and benefits the library’s many programs.

CANIRAC food festival

In recent years, the growth in San Miguel tourism has created a demand for excellent service and good food, thus converting this beautiful and multicultural town into a gourmet paradise. This culinary development has attracted well-known international chefs who have further enhanced San Miguel’s reputation for great food and great ambience. You can find all kinds of restaurants here serving food from Mexico, Spain, Italy, France, Argentina, the Middle East, Uruguay, China, New Orleans and Tex-Mex, among others, in gourmet, fusion or traditional styles. 

CANIRAC, the restaurant industry chamber, proudly invites you to our traditional food festival on February 10 from 1pm to 4pm in the Jardín. You’ll be able to taste many different foods from our member restaurants. The cost is 100 pesos for all you can eat. ¡Buen provecho!

Raffle prizes pile up for chili cook-off

San Miguel’s charity chili cook-off to benefit Centro de Crecimiento will offer lots more than just chili and beer. Many restaurants and other businesses have donated prizes to attract more attendees. You may win a balloon ride for two, a day at a spa or a meal for two at one of San Miguel’s best restaurants. Music, 10-peso beer, hot dogs and other goodies will be available all day. Tickets are available in the Jardín or at the Longhorn Smokehouse behind Espino’s.

The chili cook-off, loosely based on the famous Chili Appreciation Society International (CASI) competition, takes place Sunday, January 28, in the vacant lot at the corner of Calle Nueve and Suspiros, behind Espino’s. Tents, stoves, water and ice will be supplied to contestants, and the public will be able to taste all the entries. 

Contestants are asked to make six liters of their chili so that all may enjoy a sample. The entries can be cooked at home as warming equipment will be available. For more information about entering the competition, contact Keith at Longhorn Smokehouse. 

The Centro de Crecimiento (center for disabled children) was founded nearly 30 years ago with the vision to help children with disabilities such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, spina bifida and other congenital malformations. The Centro offers several programs to help these children, including hydrotherapy, speech therapy, diet, early stimulation, Special Olympics and special education. For more information, call Gordon Jett at 152-2621.

Films & Videos

Pema Chodron and Bill Moyers, On Faith and Reason

When religion and secularism meet, the result is often a labyrinth of misunderstanding. In this video, Bill Moyers is joined by Pema Chodron, one of North America’s most prominent practitioners of Buddhist monasticism. Chodron has written extensively on Buddhist principles in the context of everyday living. Bill Moyers talks with the author of When Things Fall Apart, The Places that Scare You, Start Where You Are and No Time to Lose about ideas and teachings that have special significance for western Buddhists and will resonate with Buddhists and non-Buddhists alike (57 minutes).

The film is presented at The Meditation Center, Callejón Blanco 4, at 5:30pm, Thursday, February 1. Arrive early, as seating is limited. Suggested donation 20 pesos. Questions: call Christina at 152-5814.

Volunteer Opportunities

Library volunteers needed 

The Biblioteca Pública needs volunteers in several departments. In the Tienda, we are looking for people, preferably with retail experience, to work morning and evening shifts during the week (10am to 2pm and 3pm to 6pm). 

In Teatro Santa Ana, we need hands-on gadget men to help José Luis with ticket sales and other tasks from 10:30am to 3pm. 

Volunteers with basic computer skills are needed in the computer center from 4pm to 7pm. Bus guides for the House & Garden Tour are needed on Sundays from noon to 2:30pm. 

A minimum three-month commitment is requested for these positions. If you are interested in volunteering, please send an email to Judy Boston at volunteers@bibliotecasma.com.

Atención volunteer sought

To provide improved service to our advertising clients, Atención is seeking the short-term assistance of an experienced consultant, specializing in client relations and sales administration to work with the editor and her sales and reception staff. Some knowledge of Spanish would be helpful. If you are interested, please send an email to edit@atencionsanmiguel.org  with “sales consultant” in the message line.

See you in the funny papers

Mark Saunders, creator of Atención’s “Más o Menos” cartoon, invites suggestions from readers for funny material about living in San Miguel that would lend itself to a cartoon. Selected ideas will be drawn by the cartoonist, and authors will be given credit as well as a signed copy of their cartoon. Please send your “expat” cartoon ideas to edit@atencionsanmiguel.org  or drop them by our office at Insurgentes 25, Centro (upstairs at the Biblioteca Pública).

San Miguel science camp 

The directors of the San Miguel Science Camp, Rita and Alicia, are looking for the help and interest of scientists and others who wish to be involved in a fun local project. Science Camp San Miguel is a summer day camp that offers children in-depth studies of the natural world. They hope to find amateurs and professionals who would be willing to contribute their ideas to enrich the science-based curriculum and help raise funds for local San Miguel children. You can contact them at sciencecampsma@gmail.com or visit www.sciencecampsanmiguel.com  to learn more.