Monthly Archives: January 2007

January 29, 2007 · 12:59 pm

Defensa Curiosa

Acabo de leer este artículo curioso (a continuación) donde un acusado de violación alegó en su defensa que violó a su primo por confundirle con su novia.

Ahora me preocupa que la gente puede usar defensas parecidas con el router WiFi La Fonera, que es fácil de instalar (casi plug and play), y con ello compartes un poco y ganas mucho. Los manueles de instrucciones son muy buenos y los insoportables de Soporte ayudan mucho con cualquier dificultad. ¿Pero confundir el primo con la novia? Esto nos va a exigir publicar una nueva lista de precauciones de seguridad y de responsabilidades civiles y penales. Que nadie se equivoque de puerto al instalar La Fonera.
Continue reading →

Leave a comment

Filed under FON, Living la vida española

January 26, 2007 · 8:14 pm

My name is Iñigo Montoya

Have you ever seen The Princess Bride? This is a pretty funny movie that first came out back in 1987. There are a couple of hysterical and memorable lines including the repetition of the sentence, “My name is Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die.”

Strangely enough, on my way home from work this evening, I walked past a day care center where two kids jumped out into the street play fighting with swords made from balloons. One of them stopped suddenly, looked at the other one in the face, and said in Spanish, “Me llamo Iñigo Montoya, mataste a mi padre, preparate para morir.” I thought this was just too much. It is nice to see that something that made me laugh 20 years ago in a different contintent is making kids laugh today here in Spain.

Leave a comment

Filed under Digressions, Living la vida española

January 25, 2007 · 11:31 pm

Time and Distance

I am about half way through The Spider’s House by Paul Bowles which takes place in 1950s Fez, and I just read this sentence:

Even the smallest measure of time is greater than the greatest measure of space.

This immediately reminded me of “Being and Distance“, the first post that I ever entered into this blog. “Being and Distance” is fictional prose about how the measure of distance in kilometers (spatial terms) is ontologically irrelevant without factoring in all of the other essential things that one has to traverse through space and time (i.e., all that we gain or lose during our course of travel). In any event, the above quote pleasantly brought me back to my first blog post, almost a little more than 11 months ago. It also made me feel like I was not completely out of my mind when I wrote it.

1 Comment

Filed under Digressions, Literature

January 25, 2007 · 9:21 pm

Apartheid in American Cities and Suburbs

My bro has just published another article on the Safe Democracy website. This one is entitled “Is Urban Revitalization Tantamount to Redlining” and discusses how gentrification and urban revitalization projects in American cities are once again segrating cities for the sole benefit of the rich.

These videos are of the Cross Bronx Expressway that I made along with others in the Bronx.

Leave a comment

Filed under Essays, Friends / Family

January 25, 2007 · 6:36 pm

La Reina de Úbeda en la Nieve

La reina de Úbeda, mi querida Laurita, se ha levantado hoy con su ciudad, Patrimonio de la Humanidad por UNESCO, cubierta de nieve.

Leave a comment

Filed under Friends / Family

January 24, 2007 · 6:31 pm

Member of a huddled mass


Two weeks ago, I took part in phase one of renewing my Residence and Work Permit in Spain. The first phase was comprised of filing a request for renewal which I was able to complete in Alcobendas in only 2 hours. Today, I completed the second phase which required me to file paperwork and get fingerprinted. This took me to Aluche in south western Madrid about 45 minutes away from my apartment on the metro. Maybe it was fate, but today was the coldest day so far this year in Madrid, and I waited in line for 3.5 hours outside (and in the shade). By about 1:30pm, I was getting a bit nervous because I was about the third in line to go into the building when it looked like they weren’t going to allow anyone else proceed until after their 2 hour lunch break. That would mean that I would have to wait an additional 2 hours in the cold. Thankfully, I was allowed to enter and was the last person to get fingerprinted before the lunch break.

Now I only have to wait 40 days to return again to Aluche to retrieve my new Residency Card. Yeah!!! This is valid for 2 more years, and then I get to start all over again.

1 Comment

Filed under Living la vida española

January 23, 2007 · 11:51 pm

The Moralization of Everything in America

Today at lunch someone was discussing whether Hillary Clinton was going to be the next president of the United States. I then brought up her other two principal Democratic rivals, Bill Richardson and Barak Obama (who I have mentioned previously). For the time being, Hillary and Obama seem like the most likely front runners for the Democratic ticket. It appears to me that Hillary would have a better chance at winning the Democratic primaries while Obama may have a better chance at the definitive presidential elections — my argument being that Hillary is more likely to arouse the negative passions of Americans than the good. And after W., that’s the last thing we need. Of course, now it is simply too soon to tell. There are still a lot of things that can happen and plenty to learn about the candidates. Here’s what bothers me:

Continue reading →

20 Comments

Filed under Digressions, Essays

January 22, 2007 · 11:09 pm

Chicken Soup with Rice

Whenever I go home to the States, I always come back with children’s books and music in English for my goddaughter. It’s quite interesting, but she actually prefers books to toys. And she loves music. So, I always bring her all of my favorites from when I was kid. Believe it or not, but I really get a kick out of revisting all of those books and music from my childhood. Today I was thinking that I also wanted to get some books for the son of one of my other friends. I went onto Amazon to search for Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. That was the story that taught me not to be afraid of the dark.

While looking for it, I realized that Mauric Sendak had also written Chicken Soup with Rice and a host of other stories that were put to music by Carole King. I had completely forgotten about these stories and how in elementary school we used to watch their animated TV production entitled Really Rosie when we’d be rained in for recess. Just reading the title “Chicken Soup with Rice” and I remembered the choruses to almost all of the songs. I can still see the classroom in first grade with the lights turn-off and the image being projected on the big white screen covering the black board. Unfortunately, the memory is better than rewatching the videos years later.

3 Comments

Filed under Digressions

January 22, 2007 · 9:49 pm

She’s already made up her mind

I was meandering through Youtube and came across this video of Lyle Lovett’s song, “She’s already made up her mind.” Now let that be a good lesson to all you out there trying to hold on, thinking you’re still in control or have a chance. She’s already made up her mind, and once that happens, there ain’t anything you can do about it. Sorry. Even Florentino Ariza had to wait for fifty-three years, seven months, eleven days and nights, and start from scratch.

1 Comment

Filed under Digressions

January 20, 2007 · 10:28 pm

Rose Superstar is Back in Town


A pesar de que cayera el Barça ante el Estudiantes (su ex-equipo) (81-75) en Madrid, nos alegramos todos de ver a nuestra Rose Superstar otra vez.

Fue un partido emocionante, muy igualado y con mucho ritmo donde el Estudiantes jugó un muy buen partido y al Barça quizás le causó alguna baja importante. Rose Superstar que en el Barça juega de “play maker” destacó en todo momento, llevando el ritmo de su equipo. Como siempre, cuando está ella en el campo, el partido lleva otra emoción.

Que bonito es disfrutar con los amigos cuando uno ya no los puede ver tan a menudo por causa de la distancia. Pero ahi estuvimos Laura, Alex, Elio, Yuyu, Sara, y yo. Hasta vino Berga para conocer a mi ídolo, la Rose Superstar.

Leave a comment

Filed under Friends / Family, Rose Superstar