the guest

at long last, i am presenting the first guest 'stache. this picture was not taken in mexico; however, i wanted to post this for 2 reasons: it's a great 'stache, and more importantly, it's a virgin mustache for the subject. my guest, bardia (a friend's brother) hesitantly decided to grow a mustache earlier this year. i was very supportive and couldn't be more impressed. the length is great, good thickness, well-groomed, just good balance all around. although he could use a fresh shave, bardia rocks the mustache extremely well. congratulations on a spectacular effort.

i was disappointed to learn recently that he shaved his 'stache; however, i can report with confidence that his first go-round with the moustachio was generally a positive experience. because bardia and i share a fondness for a certain school attended by zack, slater, screech, kelly, lisa and jesse, we're calling this the "bayside 'stache".

we'll be back tomorrow or the next day with an update on El Bigote and another mexican 'stache. until then, i leave you with more words of wisdom.

** a man with a 'stache never hesitates. **

manu

i promised a guest 'stache in my last post; however, that program has been pre-empted in favor of a report from a crazy concert in mexico city on sunday march 26, 2006 (same day as my sister's b-day. happy birthday, barb!)

as part of the Festival Internacional por Agua (International Festival for Water), the city hosted a free concert in the zocalo (city center/square - same location for AMLO rally) starring Los Estrambóticos, Panteón Rococó, and the headliner . . . Manu Chao.

a quick background story: while working in heidelberg, germany during the month of january, i saw a poster advertising what i thought was a night with manu chao. although i did not know much about mr chao (can i call him that?), i was assured that he was quite the performer and a good musician. based on this information, and a quick internet search, it seemed like he was the real deal. i am an easy sell. i was excited that i was going to get a chance to see this international music star in heidelberg, of all places. well, as the 'concert' date approached, it became clear that i was not going to have time to check it out because i had too much work to do. when i later saw the poster, i realized two things: 1) i had the date of the show mixed up, and 2) it wasn't manu chao live, it was a "tribute to manu chao". they suckered me with the ole small font-big font trick. the "a tribute to" was about times roman 10, and MANU CHAO was times roman 5000. regardless, i was duped by some german club promoters. all i really missed was some DJ spinning manu's music all night . . . so, really i didn't lose out too much.

you can imagine, then, how excited i was when i realized upon my arrival to mexico that not only was manu chao coming to mexico city, but that it was a free concert in the zocalo. i love big crowds (usually), and, again, it was free. the following is my helter skelter account of my evening with manu and the mayhem that ensued.

i got to the zocalo with 2 friends (both female) around 4pm, based on an estimated start time for the concert of 6pm. the zocalo was already packed, and was rocking about 80,000 people strong. after grabbing some food, walking around the square to scope out a good spot, we made our way into the crowd.


the picture above captures the calm before the storm. by this time, we're about 100,000 people strong, with no room to move. a quick survey of the crowd revealed: punked-out kids, a plethora of che guevara shirts (don't get me started on this), red stars, black masks (zapatista supporters), enough camouflage gear to clothe a real army, piercings galore, and A LOT of people fucked up (pardon my language). at one point, there was a crew of 5-8 kids behind us, each with a small rag bunched up in their fingers and pushed up to their nose, sniffing in all the wonderfully aromatic vapors of their favorite shoe glue. fantastic!

in general, however, i was digging the crowd. good energy, excitement, all walks of life, etc. this quickly changed just before 6pm when the first band started. apparently, the two bands not named manu chao were both ska bands. not a big fan of ska. based on the reaction of the crowd to the first song, i was a minority of miniscule proportions. the whole crowd around us went nuts and started gyrating and jamming to the music. this sounds cool, but at the same time, everyone was swaying in unison because of the sheer mass of humanity, and you had to spend the majority of your time making sure you didn't fall. i was not into the mosh-ing (which started right in front of me at one point, and i nearly punched a kid when he got too close to me), so i basically spent the first 15 mins of the concert making sure that i wasn't crushed and that my (much smaller) friends were OK. after about 10 mins, the 3 of us exchanged a look of solidarity: it was time to make our way to another part of the zocalo.

after catching a river of people flowing out of the crowd, we managed to regroup and find a much calmer area from which to enjoy the show. rather than re-hash the remaining parts of the concert, i will say that the set that manu chao and company did was really fun and well worth the trip. he's an older guy (40s-ish), but still jams and dances around stage (and not in a creepy way like the rolling stones). his personal connection to his music and overall enjoyment while performing is infectious. final estimate of people by the time manu chao performed: 200,000. final analysis from the sage 'stache: well done manu.

despite how good manu chao was, there was still some serious problems with the crowd. i've selected 3 random tidbits of information that i found disturbing and/or funny. i saved the worst for last . . .



+ grab-ass: one of the ladies i was hanging out with got a full one-handed ass grab at one point. she was pissed off and actually kicked the dude as he walked by. oddly enough, he didn't stop to discuss his action or her reaction. another woman i know who was at the show, had a gentleman jab his thumb into her butt. absolutely shocked (naturally), she turned around, and not only did he stick around to see her reaction, he was giggling. seriously, what's wrong with this guy? who thumb gooses some unsuspecting poor guera in the middle of a crowd? this girl is still disturbed by what transpired. as am i.

+ hypocrisy: one of the over-arching themes of the performers was anti-privatization of utilities (specifically water), and there was also a constant reminder that they were sympathetic to the zapatista movement. the lead "singer" (i hesitate to use that word for this guy because he screamed a lot) of the second band even started the set with a black mask on - a trademark of the zapatistas. at one point, a guy came on stage and held a poster up of a masked zapatista as he ranted and raved for several minutes. more power to the people. that's all great, as far as i'm concerned. i don't know enough about mexico's problems to prescribe a solution, and if they are convinced that they should not privatize water, then i'm sure they have some good arguments. i'm even down with the zapatistas, for the most part. their entire message, however, was diminished in my eyes when my friends and i decided to take a quick break and grab a (non-alcoholic) drink near the zocalo. actually, i just wanted some ice cream. naturally, we ended up at . . . mcdonald's! if there is a better symbol than mcdonald's for capitalism, yankee imperialism, globalization, and other existing "evils" in the world today, then i'm not sure what it is. despite the anti-privatization, anti-globalization message delivered repeatedly to the crowd through lyrics, interludes, posters, etc., and despite the fists raised in support of this powerful message, mcdonald's was PACKED. isn't this the type of place that a zapatista-loving leftist crowd should boycott/avoid? apparently not. even zapatistas love american hamburgers! (for the record, i just had ice cream. i don't eat meat products at mcdonald's any more.) who would have guessed it? i couldn't help but get a good chuckle from the red stars and che "supporters" that waltzed right into the golden arches.

+ the worst display of humanity: this award goes to the gentlemen that would piss into empty water bottles and hurl them across the crowd to ruin some unsuspecting person's evening. this award is accepted on behalf of all pissers out there by the group of gentlemen that a friend witnessed pissing into the same poncho (it rained for the first hour of the concert), only to see them tie it up and then chuck that into the crowd. seriously, who throws a poncho full of 3 people's urine into a crowd of people? this is perhaps the grossest thing that i've ever witnessed in person. fortunately, i avoided all flying urine. i cannot write much more about this subject, as it is too disturbing.


on to the 'stache of the day . . . we're back to another shot of El Bigote, and this one was taken at the conclusion of the concert, on the walk to the subway on my way back home. based on all that happened over the previous 6 hours, i call this the "survival 'stache."

** a man with a 'stache never throws urine at another person. **

the informal goodness of street food

mexico has a vast informal economy. whether it be food, CDs, toys, hand-carved wooden furniture, or sunglasses, you can buy it on the street here in mexico. i don't know the exact statistics, but i've read that as much as 70% of their economy is 'informal' within DF, and that only 25% of citizens here have a bank account. enough with the numbers though, because i'm not an economist and i'm not going to drown anyone with figures and statistics. regardless, firsthand experience tells me that informality in mexico is rampant.

early on in the campaign, a colleague of mine realized that he'd forgotten his cell phone charger in the states. no need to worry though, these things are readily available at any mall, right? well, we took a trip to a local mall and were told by the people at a cell phone dealer to just go across the street from the mall and check out one of the vendors over there. sure enough, the second shack we went to had a suitable phone charger . . . for a whopping 40 pesos (rougly US$4). this thing was "made in china" and made it all the way to mexico, through a variety of people's hands, into my friend's possession for a total of US$4. and someone still made a profit? you figure that out.

in general, i would say that mexicans have a total disregard for copyright with respect to CDs and DVDs. you can sell a burned CD for 10 pesos on the subway, and nobody will stop you. the same is true of bootleg DVDs. back when ebay was first on the scene nearly 10 years ago (i know, a long time ago), i tried to sell some bootleg 2Pac albums (they were post-mortem releases), and my auction was shut down within 24 hrs for potential copyright violation. the authorities at ebay weren't even sure if it was copyright violation, but they didn't even want to take a chance! needless to say, i'm thinking about buying some movies and shelling out the 30 pesos for the movies (some of which, are somehow still in the theaters . . .).

with regard to food, you can buy anything you want from a variety of vendors on any street corner. some of them, i'm sure have licenses or whatever the local/state government may require, but i'm sure a greater number of people don't. before i get into how good the food is, i should mention that the campaign organizers for this project did all they could to frighten everyone coming from the United States or Europe that street vendors were selling poison straight from the bottle, and that eating food from the street was a guaranteed ticket home in a box. i was initially amazed at the general reluctance and unwillingness of my colleagues to try food from the street here. i recognize that there are risks; however, they are not nearly as high as some people made them out to be. fortunately, i (and others, for that matter) have generally shown people that you can eat food from most anywhere you like without risk of dying. now, people are exploring all sorts of places for lunch, rather than hitting up the same-ole-cafeteria at the institute. there is no guarantee that someone might not have stomach problems, however, this is a reality that travelers anywhere deal with, as far as i'm concerned. being smart and being adventurous are not mutually exclusive.

i should mention, however, that the "don't drink the water" mantra is generally true. mexicans buy more bottled water than any other nation, with the exception of the united states. (what's wrong with tap water in the states??) my point, then, is why do we need to remind travelers to not drink the water if the locals don't? this confuses me.

anyway, today's mustache comes from a guy who makes a mean hamburger, and sells them just outside of our host institution. it's a tribute to all the food vendors - informal or formal - that work so damn hard to supply great food for an unbelievable price (burger w/ cheese, all the fixins and pineapple - 21 pesos). also, an overwhelming majority of vendors are more than happy to strike up a conversation with a traveling "guero". much appreciated. i call this the "have a seat and stay a while 'stache".

** like most anything, you shouldn't knock the 'stache until you try it. **

triple the fun

my last post was exceedingly long, and i realize that it was a bit of overkill . . . but i had a lot to say about the metro. to make up for such a long ass post, i am making this one picture heavy. today is a triple dose of mustachio fun.



i caught this guy on the subway the other morning by chance. i find both him and his mustache frightening. i didn't even have to get him to pose like this . . . he was just chilling like this when i happened upon him. seriously, he has more mustachio hair than i have hair on my head. what this picture doesn't show is the man that "scary 'stache" just killed. he is holding what's rest of the man he murdered with his left hand out of the picture. insanity on the metro!



had a great saturday night here in the city. tons of people were out for a variety of free concerts and events as part of a spring festival. all the venues were open-air and there was a lot of energy in the centro historico. the people i was with were great too. the best discussion of the night was between a black guy from barbados and a white girl from switzerland regarding dancing. while talking about what constituted dancingm, my friend from barbados was hoping to catch some reggae and/or some reggaeton and dance with some ladies, while the swiss girl was insisting that when she went out to dance, she didn't want a guy rubbing up on her. clearly this was a cultural clash of epic proportions. the discussion ended when the gentleman from barbados calmly, yet triumphantly decleared (with a caribbean accent): "if we ain't touchin', we ain't dancin'". i still laugh to myself thinking about this. anyway, the guy in the picture with the "saxy 'stache" was jammin' on the street and was rocking the theme to the pink panther when we strolled by. seemed to be enjoying himself despite the other more popular gigs on the streets of mexico city.



finally, an update on El Bigote. this picture was taken from the roof of the building i work on and i call it the "too cool for school 'stache". i trimmed the edges of the 'stache a bit so it doesn't come down quite as far past the edges of my mouth and i thinned it out slightly. i'm pleased with the grooming effort and generally happy with progress to date. i've been thinking about going to the very thin 'stache just above the lip, but cannot bring myself to do so. it's a bit cheesy. but, obviously, that hasn't stopped me before . . .

coming soon . . . a guest 'stache! in the mean time, remember that . . .

** much like girls, a 'stache just wants to have fun. **

el metro

i love the metro in mexico city. absolutely adore it. i have mentioned similar sentiments previously in this space, but i will expound upon it in more detail here. as there are many things to love, i will detail some of my favorites over the next two posts - there is that much to enjoy.

first, however, a little background on the evolution of my love affair.

for the first 2 weeks upon my arrival to mexico to work on this air quality project, i was staying at a hotel. there was not a metro stop near the hotel, and most travel required taking a taxi, or a mini-bus/colective/pesero (for the more adventurous travelers). most of my time was spent between the hotel and our host institution, Instituto Mexicano del Petroleo (yeah, we're hosted by what is essentially the research arm of the state-owned oil company, PEMEX - how ironic for an air quality project, no?). it's about a 10-min taxi ride between the hotel and IMP, and very boring. the roads are packed, and the surrounding neighborhoods are nothing spectacular (although recent lunch-time exploration has revealed some excellent spots for food). as one can imagine, this monotonous shuttling between work and the hotel was insular and stifling. i was fortunate enough to spend some time running around the city for work-related issues, but this was only a brief respite from said monotony.

on march 2, everything changed when some friends/co-workers and i moved to a house located south-centrally in DF, just blocks from a metro stop. (a keen observer who checks the timeline of the Sage 'Stache will realize that this move corresponds to the nascent stages of El Bigote). my commute to work from the house is about 35-40min and requires only one change of lines. over the first several days of the commute, my fondness for the metro and its charming hustle and bustle grew. it is worth mentioning that part of this love affair is a function of the flow of people in the morning. to get to IMP, i travel north; the trains traveling south are much more packed (the centro comercial and other areas with lots of jobs are south-central) - so packed, in fact, that i can say with little reservation that my current love affair would be described more as a claustrophobic nightmare. it probably was a full week before i realized that riding the metro was an essential part of my day, as it offered me an opportunity to clear my head, relax, read (that is, when i can track down my favorite publication, the economist), and, most importantly, people-watch. this last item proved the most influential in my increasing respect and admiration for the diversity of mustachios here in mexico. one hour a day on the subway is like a virtual who's who of mustaches. or is it a what's what? either way, it's a pleasure to spend time on the metro relaxing and scoping 'staches.

in addition to the known plethora of mustachios, here are some other things i love about the metro:

+ it costs 2 pesos. that's 20 cents. you can buy a stack of tickets that will last you a week for 5 bucks. government subsidies are nice to my wallet.

+ 5 million. that's the number that i have heard quoted for the number of riders per day on the metro. unbelievable. for the sake of reference, that is more people than live in the entire state of Alabama (according to the 2000 census). i think this is awesome.

+ the local vendors that step on the subway and bust out in their own distinct tone about: what they're selling, how much it costs, how great it is, and if it's music, a sample. on public transport in the united states, you just don't get this opportunity. some things i've seen for sale on the metro in my short time here: CDs (far and away the most popular - in fact, i thought about making a post of a transcribed version of a vendor's sales pitch, in spanish of course. maybe i'll still do this . . . ), batteries, crossword book, children's drawing book, mathematical tables and basic algebra (who is sitting on the subway and realizes that their math could really use some polishing?), place mats, permanent markers, address books, recipe books (need some ideas for dinner on the way home?), and fans. i'm sure there are more, i just cannot think of them. oddly enough, there is never any food for sale. i can only assume that this must be a no-no, as food is regularly sold in the metro stations, just not on the trains.

+ the metro is the only place where i've seen a guy walk around with his shirt in his hands, give a spiel about how poor he and his family are, followed by him placing his shirt on the floor of the train and revealing that there are shards of glass balled up in it. he then proceeds to do push ups and somersaults on the same shards of glass as a demonstration of his destitution. i'm not encouraging that, so no pesos from me. sorry, buddy. the first guy to do this was an innovator, i'm sure. this guy is just a clone. i'm not rewarding that. i've since heard variants of this routine, including sharp metal objects, leaving the 'performer' with a stream of blood running down his back. i like the dedication, but still not giving pesos. and this is gross.

+ despite its sometimes cramped quarters, the metro is inifinitely more spacious than a green volkswagen cabbie. lately, i've had to take a couple of cabs because of late night travel, and i've been fortunate enough to get cabbies who think they are gangstas and that they should pimp back their seat. you never know when you're going to have to pull over and smack your HOs up, ya know? it's really cool when you get stuck sitting in the seat behind the gangsta cabbie. also, it's worth mentioning that traffic in mexico city is insane. this is a proven fact. there are studies to back me up. each cab should be required to add another "oh-shit" handle. this would make me feel better, and i've petitioned the local government to consider my proposal. (by the way, the local politician i referred to in my AMLO post, is the new mayor of mexico city - marcelo ebrard.)

+ people make-out like crazy on the metro. public displays of affection are rampant. for the most part, i'm not down with PDA; however, based on cultural circumstances, kids have nowhere else to make-out than in public. the family couch is not a place you want to get caught making-out if you are 13. so, they go to the metro, naturally! i'll give younger couples a pass (if they limit their PDA to kissing . . . anything beyond that and you're crossing the line. this space is G-rated, so i won't describe what i've seen.) those older couples out there (21+) don't get the same treatment; it's time to find somewhere else to make-out guys. let's get creative as we get older, please. a kiss, holding hands. go for it. the pressed-against-the-train-seat-make-out-session is not cool. this is a whole separate post and i will come back to this, i promise. i'm working on a mustache corollary. preliminary evidence suggests that men with mustaches do NOT make-out on the subway.



+ the early morning metro train ride is very subdued and has a great vibe. the pics for today are taken from an early ride on the metro (about 545am) and give one an idea of the environment. this is just too damn early in the day, regardless of who you are. i know there are early risers out there, but evidence on the metro suggests these people are in the minority. nobody likes getting up early. if you're one of these people that claims as such, i call shenanigans. i would say that 80% of people on the metro in the morning are snoozing (including yours truly, for the parts of the trip where i can score a seat). another 15% are zoned out to the point that they might as well be asleep. a scant 2-3% are reading. the remaining are either making-out or selling something. kids are passed out on book bags. heads are bobbing all over the place. i have yet to encounter anyone snoring or drooling, but i still have time. many women are in business attire, looking ready for the day as far as their clothes and make-up are concerned; however, their faces reveal otherwise. ditto for the guys in suits looking to muster up enough concentration to look like an early riser. the most awake people i've seen, actually, are those in white coats. that means they could be a doctor, dentist, nurse, pharmacist, etc. a lot of health professionals wear white coats here. even the students studying to enter these professions wear their white coats. i've also seen guys carrying a basket of churros, looking to beat the rush of morning traffic to get their food stand set-up in time. my personal favorites are the people who are awake, but sleepy not because they got up early, but because they just finished working. respect to the late-night shift. although the vibe on the trains is relatively subdued, once you step off that train to the platform and head to your connection or the exit, it's game time. no more bobbing heads or sagging eyelids - it's all business from there on out. the rush of mexico city hits you right in the face: it's a battle for space, steps, and time. this is probably my favorite thing about the early train: it's a calm before a veritable storm of people places noise pollution cars more cars and life.

there is a lot more to love about the metro, but this post has gone on long enough. i'm hoping to expand the make-out section into a full post, complete with some G-rated pics. we'll see how that shakes out. i've been getting better about taking pictures (see *timid* post for details), but taking pictures of people making-out is another battle.

today's mustache, inspired by some great morning metro rides, is the "subdued 'stache". originally i thought that the "sleepy 'stache" would be appropriate, but that doesn't tell the right story. don't let this guy's closed eyes fool you - that mustache means all business and he knows exactly where his stop is and he'll be ready to roll as soon as the train's doors open. in the mean time, let him rest.

** a man with a mustache means business. disturb at your own risk. **

DOAS

i've been working a bit more lately. scratch that . . . i've been AT work more lately. the instrumentation that we are using - Differential Optical Absorption Spectrometers - require a certain amount of baby-sitting. if something goes wrong for whatever reason and the program stops, we lose our continuous data set. and that's just not what we came down here for. unfortunately, we have had no luck setting up a remote connection so that we can check the instruments from the comforts of our beds at 5am (note: this requires a dial-up connection. the first time i tried connecting via dial-up using the telephone at the house, i was transported back in time to the first internet connection i had growing up with the *beep* *bop* *fizzle* of the modem. what a classic sound . . . and yes, i am technologically spoiled). instead, i have been rolling my sorry bum out of bed and racing the sun to work. i've won the last 3 days in a row, which kind of makes me a loser. at least science is winning, i guess.

the picture today pays homage to the instrumenation here at Proyecto MILAGRO and El Bigote. i call this one the "DOAS 'stache", or alternatively the "science 'stache".

** nobody likes a tired 'stache. so get your rest. **

AMLO

before the sage 'stache came to fruition, i was just an average tourist/scientist living in mexico city like any other guero. i arrived in DF approximately one week before the equipment i use (as part of a larger team, i should say) arrived. as one can imagine, getting scientific equipment through customs can be a bit of a challenge. it's an art form, really. regardless, i had some time to kill as i was not actually that busy at the early stages of my tenure here.

while walking around the zocalo (i.e. town square) in mexico city with some friends/colleagues, i noticed an advertisement for a political rally for Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, the former mayor of mexico city and leading 2006 presidential candidate. with a keen interest in politics, and only a very basic knowledge of mexican politics, i figured that this would be a great opportunity for me.

the rally was held on sunday february 26 with a kickoff time of 11am. i arrived to a relatively packed zocalo, with a crowd that already numbered near 100,000. (a paltry number considering this is the same man who led a 1.2 million person march in april 2005 to protest against nervous incumbent federal politicians seeking to eliminate him from the 2006 election. take that farrakhan!). it was not a particularly hot day, but DF is pretty dry and we're at about 2200m elevation, so the sun is intense regardless of the temperature. fortunately, some clouds seemed to come into the area and save this guero from getting too much sun. the zocalo was split into a number of areas that were operating as holding pens for attendees, but not in a negative way. they were simply designed to improve the flow of traffic and aid in the case of an emergency, as far as i could tell. (side note: as a matter of reference, i was living in cambridge/boston during the 2004 Democratic National Convention and witnessed the startling and stifling design of the "protest zone" adjacent to the then FleetCenter. the set-up here in DF bore no resemblance to that.) there was a giant stage set up at one end of the zocalo, with a giant mexican flag (which is always there) flying in the center of the plaza. the stage was flanked by two large projection screens complete with a booming sound system so that everyone could see and hear the main attraction when he made his appearance.

most of the people selling something were relegated to the outskirts of the crowd, and only a handful of the braver saleswo/men made their way through the crowd. the guy selling helado made a big splash, as one would expect on a sunny afternoon. AMLO's supporters waved orange and yellow flags supporting their candidate and his party, the Party of Democratic Revolution (PRD). "Por el bien de todos, primero los pobres" (For the good/welfare of all, the poor first). the crowd was jovial, and occasionally an "obrador" chant would break out, but nothing too sustained. most of the noise was generated by the event organizers, as a variety of songs and jingles filled the square and created a party-like atmosphere. the songs were a bit hokey- one was all about AMLO and had some of the cheesiest lyrics i've heard in some time. regardless, based on this experience, we definitely need more music at political rallies in the united states.

around 12:30pm, AMLO finally made his appearance and made his way through the crowd. (much to my dismay, and yours, he has elected not to grow a 'stache) . the section i was in was about 50-100m away from AMLO; however, based on the raucous crowd around me, you wouldn't have known it. all of the sudden, the aforementioned "obrador" chants were louder, sustained, and more passionate. the standard politician-meets-crowd took place: AMLO shook hands, signed some autographs, stopped and chatted with random people begging for a moment of his time.

after a good introduction from a local politician (cannot recall his name), AMLO took to the microphone and immediately made an impression: before even thanking his friend for warming up the crowd and a kind introduction, he called for a moment of silence for the 60+ mexican miners who had recently died in the north of mexico. a simple gesture, and thoughtful way to start.

with regard to the rest of his speech (of which i understood about 80%), it was not brilliant, but nonetheless skillful. he spent most of his time re-iterating the same themes even as he counted off a list of things he would do as president - he just kept counting! i think he made it to 50? i'm not a native spanish speaker and don't consider myself 100% fluent, but i am pretty sure that there were some redundancies in his laundry list. generally, that's a good thing though, as issues worth talking about require a certain hammering home. i was particularly impressed by how the crowd carried AMLO through the speech and cheered his every move. regardless of someone's politics (and i'm not convinced either way of AMLO, to be honest), it's still an amazing thing to see 150,000 people (final estimate) simultaneously stand behind a candidate in a legitimate democratic system.

enough about AMLO . . . and back to the 'stache. the picture above is of a gentleman standing near me throughout most of the rally. although this isn't the greatest picture as it is only his profile, notice the great slope from the top of his 'stache (near his left nostril) down to the side of his mouth. factoring in the near-straight line (slightly cut-off) from left to right across his nose, he's almost got a perfect trapezoid going there. very cool. not the fullest mustache you'll ever see, but great shape and a classic salt-and-peppering make it a keeper. based on AMLO's message, and the generally festive atmosphere at my first mexican political rally, i call this one the "hopeful 'stache".

** behind every good 'stache is a better man. **

timid

it's a sunny sunday morning here in mexico city. i've had an excellent last couple of days with regard to work and, more importantly, with regard to mustache sightings. this country is hands-down the tops on the list for the mustachio. maybe i'm jumping the gun on this, but i am pretty confident in my assessment. call me strange or slightly obsessed, but i am not joking when i say that the grooming and general maintenance of mustaches here is nothing short of impeccable.

yesterday i had about an hour ride on the metro - which in and of itself was a great experience. i love riding the metro here. SO many people, and on a saturday afternoon no less. it should go without saying that claustrophobics need not apply. but i digress. on that ride alone, i saw 3-5 great mustaches. i am willing to estimate that some 30% of men in this country have a mustache, and an overwhelming 90+% will have a mustache at some point in their life. one of the variables that is skewing the percentage of mustachio-ed men at any given point is a rebellious younger crowd that is inclined to grow alternative forms of facial hair - the goatee, sideburns, etc - but they all return to their mustachio roots at some point. at least most of them. (note: these numbers are based on scientific sampling by the author.)

unfortunately, my project is suffering from a fatal flaw: surrounded by a plethora of mustaches, i find myself too timid to take pictures of all these people. how do i go about taking a picture of some random mexican guy (generally a bit older than myself) on the metro without making him think i'm some sort of freak?? i still haven't figured this out.

a quick example of my timidity and hesitancy to take photos:

on friday i was riding the metro to work and i saw a fantastic "dad 'stache." this guy had his 10-12 year old daughter with him. she was already starting to act, dress, be more like a 'young woman' than a 'little girl'. this, i can imagine, is an awkward transition for any father. the girl was certainly going to be pretty, but was still slightly awkward and the scales were temporarily tipped towards innocent girl rather than troublesome teenager. the father was working on his protective streak, getting ready for many years in overdrive. there was a great shot of the two of them sitting together in one seat on the metro. his mustache was assertive enough to keep interlopers away, but endearing enough as to not scare his daughter. a fine balance, as you can imagine. and herein lies the problem: i am describing it to you rather than showing you a great pic. i just didn't have the balls to snap a candid picture, or the deathwish for that matter, to ask this guy permission to take a picture of him and his daughter. i saw no need to accelerate the development of his protective streak.

because of my timidity, i have only had pictures of myself and el bigote. and no self-respecting mustache connoisseur wants a blog with just pictures of his own mustache. so, i held out until i got the "security 'stache" as seen above on the right. i caught this guy at a mall in the centro comercial here in mexico city. great thick stache. lots of body, well-groomed. perfectly authoritarian. for a mall security guard, at least. you need to be imposing when making sure people don't get out of hand while drinking their starbucks coffee.

my goal for this week is to shed my reluctance to take random photos of people. in the mean time, i'll leave you with some sage-ness inspired by the meticulous mustache management by my mexican compatriots:

** respect those around you. keep your mustache clean. **

bienvenidos

good day. welcome to the sage 'stache. this post will serve as an introduction of sorts.

i am a scientist currently living in mexico city as part of a research project measuring air quality in mexico city. the short answer, without looking at a shred of 'scientific data', is that the quality is poor. but, it's getting better. and it's a great place to learn about atmospheric dynamics.

outside of my work as a scientist, i'll be focusing on life in mexico city with special emphasis on the mustache. apart from random experiences i have, i'll be posting pics of mustachios that i find striking, shapely, or different. growing a mustache is a fascinating experience, and should be shared with more people. at least, i'd like to think so.

a brief personal history of my own mustachio trials and tribulations: in the summer of 2004, i grew my first official mustache. my mustache took on the moniker of "summer 'stache", and i was known to morph into an alter ego known as havana felipe during certain crises. i would be hesitant to claim that i look good with a mustache, and would even argue that there is an exceedingly small percentage of the population that looks better WITH a mustache. but, i digress. at the conclusion of that fateful summer, i put my stache to sleep, for what i thought would be a very long time. more recently, however, i have been inspired by the local population to re-visit my inner stache and subsequently decided to begin growing/grooming version 2 of my outer stache, "El Bigote".

i think that serves as an adequate introduction to the stache. but, this is the "sage stache". as such, i'd like to end each post with some (encouraging) words of wisdom for all the mustachios out there:

** a man never forgets his first mustache. choose wisely. **