Recap: Good Morning, From Here, September 21 to 27
Monday
Goodbye, Summer, and hello to Autumn, which will be with us until just before Christmas Day, which means there are only 90ish more shopping days.
Today, I am facing an almost insurmountable problemita. How can I write about M-A-G-I-C? We know it exists because we were all children once where every single we had to learn was magical, at least the first time it happened, and we acknowledged it with screams of glee, shrieks of delight or a wide, still toothless grin that said, whatever that thing was that just happened, that inexplicable thing that I just heard, felt, saw, tasted, smelled, was magical.
Magic is as real as smoke and mirrors, but what if the magician doesn’t need all those “production values” that serve as super distractions; what if he can amaze and confuse with a simple pack of playing cards?
And, as Mauricio Andrade pointed out at Casita and Garden for his second show in Vallarta, those playing cards might not be so simple:
How many weeks in a year? 52, like the number of cards in an entire deck.
How many seasons in a year? Four, like the number of suits in a deck of cards…
And the analogies go on.
About 20 of us sat at tables that horseshoed around Mauricio last Friday so we could all see him (and those tricky hands) perfectly. His sleeves were eventually rolled up, eliminating that aspect of the trick-pool. He didn’t wear a hat, so no bunnies were in the offing.
Just one new pack of cards.
Sorry! Make that one new pack of MAGIC cards.
Well, they BECAME magic after they were opened and examined by one of us in the audience, then handed over to the Mago, Mauricio.
His involvement with each of us was warm, sincere, and charming (trick word!). He did not stop chatting – in three languages – except for scattered applause. It is tough to clap your hands when your brain is rushing to shut down before any more MAGIC can creep in and confound the balance of everything else you know about space and time.
One of the definitions of MAGIC is “the art of producing illusions by sleight of hand.” It was not a good example in this case because it seemed to me that Mauricio only used his hands to shuffle the cards, thereby making them magical.
It’s the only way a single card could get across the room without anyone seeing it go by. Or, how 4 cards in one closed hand could become 17, again without anyone seeing anything fly across the room. See? Everybody knows that cards can’t fly…or can they if they have MAGIC?
To say we were confused, befuddled, and gloriously entertained would understate the entire evening.
We left Casita & Garden knowing sleep would not be an option. Brains work overtime trying to do their job of figuring things out. Mauricio is an enigma, and his extraordinary talent is abundantly joyous. Who wouldn’t enjoy leaving a group of adults completely and happily baffled? He hung around and talked with us after the show, continuing with the card tricks like breathing.
Keep your eyes here and VallartaCalendar.com for Mago Mauricio Andrade’s next enchantment, er, sorry! performance.
Big bingo game tomorrow, 9:00 to 11, at Studs Bear Bar. Yes, Ladies! We are welcome this one time only to try and win lots of money and an overnight stay at Casa Karma to benefit the Gay+Community Center
There are 5 games and here are the prices:
* Pack of 1 card for each of 5 games: 200 pesos
* Pack of 2 cards for each of 5 games: 300 pesos
* Pack of 3 cards for each of 5 games: 400 pesos
* Special VG+CC set with 1 set of 6 cards for each of 5 games, plus a t-shirt or cap for 1,000 pesos. Plus, a free bonus card for the last game.
A sweet duo of Kimberly G. and Jo Woon kept us up late in Casa Karma’s living room last night. I had not heard Jo perform before but knew she was good, having worked with Broadway star Kevin Anthony for years. Kimberly, I know from last year’s RISE competition, Open Mic at Incanto and Act 2, and David Sabella’s Voice Workshop at Ovations Piano Bar.
Jo, accompanying on piano, shared the playlist, singing the newer Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, et al., and leaving the early 20th century songs and a thrilling Agnus Dei Requiem for Kimberly to shine. Andrea Jupina, a flautist for the Vallarta Symphony, joined Jo and Kim for a couple of songs. Hand-painted thank you cards were given to each member of the audience; sweet.
Learn more about Mauricio, Jo, Kimberly and Kevin in the Artist Spotlight, and plan your week’s entertainment at VallartaCalendar.com. A little rain has freshened the air this morning; it will be a beautiful Fall day From Here.
Tuesday
The great thing about Monday is most places are closed to regroup from a busy weekend. For me, last night meant a(nother) cozy evening at home with my kitty, Bogie, my strangely fascinating book, and dinner while tucked in bed. There is nothing the matter with pistachios! It’s tricky to balance a book and one bowl containing whole pistachios and the spent shells. I remembered the first time I served those delicious green-tinged nuts to a Californian who immediately asked where the hell was he supposed to put the shells? I invited him to use the same bowl. No way! The harangue went on. And on. Until I finally got up and found something for the detritus. Then, he saw me toss a big fat, almost closed nut into the dead-shell bowl. His hand plunged into the mess to retrieve the hard-to-crack nut and instructed me with an adjacent pitched half-shell how to pry open the recalcitrant pistachio. Last night was far less stressful, with no comments forthcoming from Bogie.
Guess who is back in town after a summer in North Vancouver? Yep, the super mom of Patriz and Artemis, Selena Luna, was available for mango smoothies yesterday! And long, blessed, overdue hugs. Two hours sped by, not nearly enough time to get anything more than surface information exchanged. She is home again, and I am delighted to pick up our bubble-protected ‘Waldorf and Statler’ get-togethers that will help keep us focused on the upcoming season.
Tonight, bingo fundraiser for the Gay+Community Center at Studs Bar. Everyone (including women!) is welcome to play. The fun starts at 9 pm; not sure yet if I can stay up that late. There are going to be strippers, however…From Here.
Wednesday
Every Tuesday, Studs Bear Bar throws a bingo game from 9 to 11, but last night was also a fundraiser for the Vallarta Gay+ Community Center. Hosted in two languages by Drag Queens Wendy Warhol and Tia Gloria, both buried in gorgeous sequined gowns. The place was hopping with Casa Cupula and PVRPV, which were well-represented. It was so good to see Mike Owens, Don Pickens and Mitch Kushner for hugs, and volunteer Charles, who I met eight years ago at an Arte Vallarta event.
It will be a day or two to know how much money was raised for the Vallarta Gay+ CC, but it all helps. Don Pickens said the Center has served over 500 clients with free testing and treatments for mainly sexually transmitted diseases. And, the Center was just founded nine months ago!
The highlight of the evening was the two “models” (read “strippers”). While Carlos is yummy, my favorite dancer in Vallarta is Francisco “Paco” Guizar. So, I was quite happy sitting at the end of the bar, catching occasional glimpses of him passing by, dancing and becoming less clothed as the night wore on.
Qulture for Scrabble at 12:30 today, and Bingo resumes at Nacho Daddy at 4 pm. Sunset at Casa Karma at 6:30 features classical guitarist Jacob Ordoñez. See you everywhere From Here.
Thursday
Two out of three ain’t bad – my mantra for yesterday. The concert at Casa Karma was canceled late in the day, so my concentration was on Scrabble and Bingo. Both went well.
The first 2024/25 season bingo for Colina Spay and Neuter took place upstairs at Nacho Daddy. The atmosphere was giddy, with Rose Kennedys flowing like margaritas for our sassy ball caller, Lydia Damato. Janathan Rios was in the sound booth, adding to the carnival atmosphere of a bunch of old friends getting together for a couple of hours of banter and day drinking! It was the best afternoon I have had in months! We, the residents of Vallarta, are anxious for the weather to change; for our darling snowbirds to come back, to shake off the damn lethargy that tropical humidity imparts that makes us slow down, and to get this party started. That exuberance will last until Christmas, and we’ll all be fine. The lull after New Year’s will have us anxiously biting our nails, where the hell are all the tourists? Then they arrive mid-January, and we do not come up for air until Easter.
So goes living in a touristy place. My only suggestion would be to spread the love a little more evenly over the year. And I think that’s coming but not from tourists. Vallarta is shining like a beacon for people wanting to change their lifestyles, to live somewhere where you can have almost all the amenities of an enormous city and still walk everywhere you need to be and get there within ten minutes. And we can live outside nearly every day of the year in the snowless mountains or close to the sea. How perfect is that? Our entertainment standards have reached NYC levels. As a matter of fact, much of NYC will be visiting Vallarta in the spring!
Stay tuned here and check VallartaCalendar.com daily to see what’s going on or what you are missing if you are away From Here.
Friday
I do not know how it can be Friday already. I swear Monday morning I got up to go to the gym and boom! Friday. That being said, a month tomorrow, my sister Patrice arrives from southern Alberta for her winter visit. Lots to do in the house before then but the time will obviously fly away and she’ll be here momentarily!
Last night I met Sandra Bradley at La Catrina Cantina to celebrate Luis Villanueva’s eighth anniversary of moving to Vallarta. Luis and I are compulsive about remembering the precise date, how we felt, what our plans were (kinda sorta) and how we feel today about our adopted city. I have watched him grow as a singer and love his voice more each year as it matures.
Sandra and I sat with Donna Rauch and David Flannery and listened to a gorgeous duet with Luis and Sargento. In the audience, Ms. Selena Luna sat with Lupe Patterson, who I had not seen for three months! Also, Donald and Mary Ann Runaldue are back! And Alberto Mendoza has come home from touring every inch of Italy!
A close to-packed house enjoyed the excellent service and music when the lights went out. The battery-operated table lamps added a romantic, soft glow to the evening. It didn’t last long – maybe ten minutes, but affected all of the Colonia. It went out again just as I passed the old Incanto location on my way home, walking into the light that stayed on in el Centro.
I will be going to the sold-out fundraiser tonight at Casita & Garden for Vallarta Gay+ Community Center starring Effie Passero, aka Francesca Bavaro. Full report Monday morning. In the meanwhile, check VallartaCalendar.com and try to keep up with all the shenanigans happening this weekend. Join me for David Duvall’s show/birthday party at Casa Karma tomorrow at 7 pm From Here.
