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Around Town
March 9 2007
Meetings & Lectures,
Unitarian Universalist Fellowship
Rev. Robert M. Eddy, Minister Emeritus of the Pensacola Unitarian Universalist Church, speaks on the continuing struggle for women’s rights at this Sunday’s UU Fellowship service. His talk, entitled “Bread & Roses,” addresses the similarities and differences between the activists of the first decade of the 20th and the 21st centuries. He’ll also discuss the charge of “misandry” (hatred of men) lodged against “uppity women” then and now.
The UU Fellowship meets every Sunday at 10:30am at 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, March 13, be prepared to laugh! The guest speaker at the Midday Rotary Club is laughter coach, Dr. Annette Goodheart, PhD.
Dr. Goodheart is a licensed psychotherapist, international presenter, trainer, laughter coach, and author of Laughter Therapy: How to Laugh About Everything In Your Life That Isn’t Really Funny. She shows us how to relearn the art of laughter. Dr. Goodheart (her real name) uses laughter as well as everything else she’s learned in the past 37 years as a therapist to help us see our lives in a whole new light. She has been featured on Oprah Winfrey, CNN, CBS TV and many other national and international programs. Please join us—some serious laughter could be right around the corner! In the meantime, check out her website www.laughtercoach.com.
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 visit our website at
www.rotarysma.org.
¡Ándale!
Ándale is a nutrition and movement group for women of all ages. This new program is dedicated to your good health through expert guidance and caring support. Ándale is all about nutrition, movement and team spirit. This week’s meeting is on Wednesday, March 14 from 2–4pm.
The weekly gathering features an hour of movement through exercise and an hour of nutrition education; the session also includes individual assessment, recipes, snacks, tips, plus loads of inspiration and fun.
To find out more about the program, directions or to reserve your spot, call or email Rachelle Schaff at (152-4342) or
rachelle@schaff.com or Jill Gottlieb at(152-6433) or
brightangel35@yahoo.com.
Classes & Workshops
The Art of Living workshop: part I
On Saturday and Sunday, March 10 and 11 a five-part course entitled “The Art of Living” is held with Alejandro Negrete. In this workshop we study the fundamental truths of esoteric spirituality, thus obtaining a clear understanding of how to embark on the journey of self-realization. We analyze the multiplicity of the ego within the psyche and it’s detrimental effects in our life as well as consciousness as the fountain of happiness and the path leading to liberation.
We learn a variety of meditative practices, including “The Circle of Light,” “Serene Observation,” “Pneuma Breathwork,” “Prayer” and “The Dynamic of the Divine Mother.” These disciplines have the power to expand our consciousness, allowing us to awaken and liberate our true self. In the process, we observe all that is within us which hinders our spiritual evolution and learn how to transcend it.
On Saturday from 11:30am–3pm at the Meditation Center on Callejón Blanco 4 the main topics covered are “Man’s Inner Constitution,” “The Ego: The Source of Conflict” and “Consciousness: The Source of Happiness.” On Sunday from 11am–3pm at En Forma Aerobics Studio on Mesones 14, Int 2 we breathe intensely while accompanied by inspiring music, connecting with our inner self in order to have a transpersonal experience of truth and love. Includes mandala drawing. Eat lightly. Bring comfortable clothing, a pillow, a blanket and water.
Alejandro Negrete is a trained breathwork facilitator and teacher from the Pneuma University and has received a B.A. in Western and Oriental Philosophy and Human Nature from The Colorado College. He has also studied and practiced Tibetan and Zen Buddhism at Vajrapani Institute and the San Francisco Zen Center.
The cost for the workshop is 600 pesos with breathwork or teachings costing 300 pesos each. For further information, contact (415) 152-7854 or email
alepneuma@yahoo.com.
La Cocina cooking classes
Tuesday, March 13 from 4–7pm is devoted to Mexican food—traditional dishes, as well as a few with a modern twist. The menu includes roasted tomatillo salsa, chile pasilla salsa with skirt steak, grilled vegetable and goat cheese chile rellenos, chayote salad, raspberry chipotle brownies and café de olla.
On Wednesday, March 14 from 2–5pm, savor some traditional dishes made with corn—the soul of Mexican cooking. This popular class, taught by Mercedes Arteaga, owner, of La Bugambilia restaurant features pozole, tamales, quesadillas and corn flan. The cost is US$55 per person.
Thursday, March 23 from 4–7pm is mole class. After snacking on freshly made sopes con tinga, you’ll learn the secrets of making homemade mole, one of Mexico’s most festive dishes. The menu features black mole cheese enchiladas, green mole with chicken, cactus salad and tres leches cake.
Tuesdays and Thursdays are not just cooking classes, but fun evenings out with a 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 or go to
www.mexicocooks.com.
Self-publishing workshop
Are you writing, or have you written, a book but can’t find a publisher? Today’s technologies have made it possible for anyone to be their own publisher. All it takes is planning, discipline, and follow-through. Independent publisher Jon Sievert leads a self-publishing workshop sponsored by the Author’s Sala on Saturday, March 17 that shows the pathway to successfully writing, publishing, and marketing your own book.
The four-hour session addresses issues such as getting started, vanity and subsidy presses, creating salable material, forming a publishing company, design and production, creating marketing plans, printing the book via both traditional methods and print-on-demand, the business of self-publishing, distribution, working with online bookstores such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble, internet marketing, and resources for publishers.
Sievert has successfully published two books and has in-depth experience with the world of independent publishing. He was the president of the (San Francisco) Bay Area Independent Publishers Association for three years, an organization of nearly 200 small publishers. As such, he was actively involved with more than a dozen like-minded organizations throughout the US, regularly attended national and regional book shows and organized and taught self-publishing workshops throughout Northern California.
The workshop, which is from 10am to 2pm, is conducted in a private residence and is limited to 12 people. Admission is 350 pesos. For more information or to sign up, contact Sievert at
jon@humblepress.com or by phone at 154-5058.
Tours & Excursions
Saturday Adventurers
On March 10, the Adventurers are off to Store Apolonio’s, Rancho La Romita, where sheep are raised for their milk. He uses the milk to produce delicious cheeses, including a fantastic ricotta. Ham, salami and cold cuts are also made, along with wine. It’s a perfect opportunity for a picnic. Señora Estela also believes in giving back to the community and has been doing so by teaching disabled children from the Centro de Crecimiento how to ride horses. This is one of the best therapies available for disabled children.
Next, the Adventurers learn from Tomas LeNoir, the “Amber Man,” all about this 30-million-year-old gem that is mined in Chiapas. We will learn about the difficulty of digging out these ancient pieces of resin and see how, under the talented direction of LeNoir, he turns them into glowing baubles for necklaces and rings. Did you know there is a rare moss green amber, and a wine red? His settings in gold or silver are exquisite, and you won’t be able to resist making a purchase.
Global Justice trips
Next Saturday visit the rural town of El Moral where some dynamic women have built a remarkable project to help develop their community—they created a cooperative sewing factory. Talk with Angelina Sotto Rios, its animator and organizer. Faced with the common dilemma of needing cash income and having to choose between sending a family member north or selling ejido land (legal since 1992), Angelina and the women in El Moral decided to try another solution—organize a cooperative to produce clothes and sell them. This is an inspiring story of poor people helping themselves through imagination, hard work, and persistence.
The campo trip to El Moral is on Saturday, March 10 from 9am to 4pm. Cost is 300 pesos. Advance registration required at Center for Global Justice, Calzada de la Luz 42. Contact us at 150-0025.
Instituto Allende schedules field trip
On Saturday, March 17 at 9 am, Instituto’s weekly field trip heads first to the quaint village of Bernal and then to the city of Querétaro. Bernal’s landmark is a towering boulder that looms over the village. Local weavers produce good quality wool blankets, sweaters, wall hangings, shawls, vests, rugs and pillowcases. The town is also renowned for semi-precious stones.
Afterwards it’s off to nearby Querétaro. We stop at the famous Aqueduct, the Cementerio de los Hombres Illustres, the Plaza de Armas and Querétaro’s centerpiece, the Villa del Villar del Aquila Fountain. Our trip includes a visit to the popular outdoor market and a walking tour through the typical colonial streets with the house of La Marquesa, now a luxury hotel. Lastly, there will be a visit to the Hill of the Bells where stands the Benito Juarez Monument along with the Chapel of Archduke Maximilano. Cost for this all-inclusive trip is US$55. Each Wednesday, at 4 pm the Instituto offers a free preview lecture on the upcoming weekend’s field trip. Native-speaking, bilingual guides lead all tours in a safe environment. Reservations are a must and fees must be paid in advance. For more information, visit or call 152-0226.
Lions Club trip
The International Lions Club of San Miguel is sponsoring a three day trip on March 30, 31 and April 1 to Uruapan for the Palm Sunday celebration. Attendees will enjoy a visit to the annual huge fair in the zócalo, featuring crafts and other items from all over Michoacán. Accommodation is in the Plaza Hotel. Visits to Santa Clara, the copper towns, Morelia and Pátzcuaro, Tzintzunzan and the reed factories are on the itinerary as well.
The trip is priced at cost, plus a contribution to the Lions clinic, which dispenses glasses to the needy, and now also tests for diabetes. Total cost is 1700 pesos each for double occupancy and 2280 pesos for a single. This price includes all breakfasts, hotel, first class bus and tips as well as the contribution to the Lions. Reservations and payment must be made by Tuesday, March 13. For information, call Jean Schickel at 152-0934.
Performances & Events
Croquet is hot!
The Croquet Club of San Miguel is swinging. February 21 to 25, saw the most successful tournament in the club’s history. For five days 20 members played as many as four games a day in an effort to reach the Finals. The women proved they can play as well, and better, than the men. Hope Harmon and Donna Houdray outpointed Gerry Siskin and Bob Van Tassel to win the February trophy.
As always, a fiesta and comida took place after the event, with over 70 members, their families and guests attending. A number of the guests, intrigued with what they had witnessed, signed up to become members of the Croquet Club. Experts say it’s a mixture of billiards (hitting the ball) and chess (planning two and three moves ahead). Interested people are always welcome, whether they are visiting or are full time residents. There are always qualified people ready to help newcomers with lessons in hitting the ball and the fascinating strategy. Anyone interested should call Gerry Siskin at 152-5310 or Jean Crane at 120-0827.
Volunteer Opportunities
House & Garden Tour volunteers needed
The House & Garden Tour desperately needs volunteer cashiers to work on Sundays. This sensitive work requires familiarity with handling and counting money, numbering tickets and consolidation. Cashiers should be year-round residents willing to work most Sundays of the year. Hours are 10am until 12:30 or 1pm. The current cashier is leaving in mid-April and will offer training to any applicants. The position calls for two cashiers (with backups when needed) on a regular basis as soon as possible. Thank you!
Library volunteers needed
The Biblioteca Pública still needs volunteers in several departments. In the Tienda, we need 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 email Judy Boston at volunteers@bibliotecasma.com.
Atención volunteers needed
Atención seeks volunteer proofreaders. If you are obsessive about grammar, spelling and punctuation and would like to contribute your expertise, contact Atención at
edit@atencionsanmiguel.org.
Teachers needed for English classes
The Biblioteca Pública needs people who are willing to volunteer just three hours a week to teach English to children or adults. To volunteer or to get more information, call Gerald Camp, coordinator of the Biblioteca English program, at 120-0951 or email at
smacasamilagro@yahoo.com.
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
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