Thursday, February 28, 2008
Fin
Well, since I am back in Barcelona, I am going to close the blog. And you can see I wasn't updating much lately. And some idiot is leaving me spam in the comments, so I am going to disable commenting. Thanks for reading me and see you soon.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Superbowl
Today is Superbowl Sunday. The Patriots (my team!) and the Giants are playing. Here I am watching the game with my Patriots shirt on.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
Snow
I mentioned when I was leaving for Boston that I wanted to see snow, because I hadn't seen it yet in the City. Well, I saw snow all right. Here is the Bowdoin College campus, compare how you saw it in October.
I was reminded why snow, being so pretty and giving picture-perfect sights, is so inconvenient, both to drive and to walk. Including how I slipped on a patch of ice in Boston.
I was reminded why snow, being so pretty and giving picture-perfect sights, is so inconvenient, both to drive and to walk. Including how I slipped on a patch of ice in Boston.
Parks
I'm always surprised at how they love to forbid things in this country. I already mentioned it in the post about what's not allowed in the New York subway. Here's a couple more examples, which I think are quite interesting.
In Somerville, the Boston suburb where I used to live, there is this little park, just a little extension of grass, on Holland Avenue. In the gate you can find all these signs:
Let's see. Can't bring your dog. It's closed from 10pm to 8am. Can't play golf. But the funniest thing is that you can't play soccer or football. So, what can you do in this park? There's a baseball diamond in a corner, so I imagine you can play baseball, but it appears that's the only thing you can do. If you feel like kicking a ball, or throwing a football around, you're screwed, even if the park is completely empty.
In St. Nicholas Park, right next to my NY apartment, you can bring your dog. There's a dog area. Yay! Of course, it's fenced in. Here's a picture.
In the little green sign it says: "No people except in the company of a dog." So, there's a dog area, and you can't enter it except if you have a dog. Of course, they weren't going to refrain from forbidding something. If you are just a dog lover and you like to sit and see dogs play, you can't do it. Or you do it from behind the fence.
In Somerville, the Boston suburb where I used to live, there is this little park, just a little extension of grass, on Holland Avenue. In the gate you can find all these signs:
Let's see. Can't bring your dog. It's closed from 10pm to 8am. Can't play golf. But the funniest thing is that you can't play soccer or football. So, what can you do in this park? There's a baseball diamond in a corner, so I imagine you can play baseball, but it appears that's the only thing you can do. If you feel like kicking a ball, or throwing a football around, you're screwed, even if the park is completely empty.
In St. Nicholas Park, right next to my NY apartment, you can bring your dog. There's a dog area. Yay! Of course, it's fenced in. Here's a picture.
In the little green sign it says: "No people except in the company of a dog." So, there's a dog area, and you can't enter it except if you have a dog. Of course, they weren't going to refrain from forbidding something. If you are just a dog lover and you like to sit and see dogs play, you can't do it. Or you do it from behind the fence.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
One month
Today is January 26th, and exactly on February 26th I am scheduled to fly back to Barcelona. So I have a month left in Harlem. I will try to make the most of it. For now, tomorrow I am driving to Boston for a five-day trip, together with a quick swing by Maine on Monday and Tuesday. I will post pictures, hope to see some snow, since I haven't seen any so far in the city.
Guitar Hero
Today I went with Albert to MicroCenter in New Jersey. As you know, if you have followed me for some time, MicroCenter is one of my favorites stores. Today they had an Xbox360 ready to play Guitar Hero, and we have made our first hesitant steps in playing this game. I had never played before, so I can understand now why it's so addictive and people get hooked up on it so much.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Not allowed in the subway
Today I found out that there are several things that are not allowed in the subway. For instance:
- Consume alcoholic beverages of any type.
- Take any kind of drink into the train if they are in an open container (you could be so stupid with all the shaking the train does).
- Lie down (Huh? Why? And if you feel bad? You get a fine on top of feeling sick?)
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
German plates
The other morning I was going to work and I saw a car with a front German plate. This is not as surprising as it seems, because as you know, many states only require the back plate to be official, and there's a large number of cars with flags, sports teams logos, or foreign plates (especially French and German) up front. As the car was parking, I walk to its back and I see, to my surprise, that in the back it also has a German plate, and a different one to boot.
This is now quite surprising, so since the guy (a uniformed soldier, Hispanic, last name Quiñones displayed in his breast) was walking towards me, I tell him: "We don't see too many cars with German plates around here." Very friendly he answers: "Yes, I just got back from being stationed in Germany for two years." So I ask him the 64-million-dollar question: "So why are the front and back plates different?" He laughs and explains to me that since in his home state of Connecticut only the back plate was required, he had bought in Germany an old plate and put it up front just for display, but that having just arrived to the US he still had not had time to change the back German plate for the Conn. one. We keep walking together and talking in Spanish, me and soldier Quiñones, he was very nice and friendly. And not stupid at all, since he had taken advantage of his post in Germany to bring back a nice BMW with him.
This is now quite surprising, so since the guy (a uniformed soldier, Hispanic, last name Quiñones displayed in his breast) was walking towards me, I tell him: "We don't see too many cars with German plates around here." Very friendly he answers: "Yes, I just got back from being stationed in Germany for two years." So I ask him the 64-million-dollar question: "So why are the front and back plates different?" He laughs and explains to me that since in his home state of Connecticut only the back plate was required, he had bought in Germany an old plate and put it up front just for display, but that having just arrived to the US he still had not had time to change the back German plate for the Conn. one. We keep walking together and talking in Spanish, me and soldier Quiñones, he was very nice and friendly. And not stupid at all, since he had taken advantage of his post in Germany to bring back a nice BMW with him.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Shattered Dreams
I've just finished a book that has left a big impression on me. It's called Shattered Dreams, My Life As A Polygamist's Wife, by Irene Spencer. It's the autobiography of a woman who was the second wife (out of a total of ten) of a fundamentalist Mormon polygamist.
The book explains how supporters of plural marriage convince and trick young girls (who grew up in polygamist families themselves and don't know better) to marry them to be their wives, many times under age, telling them that this is the real mormonism and that they will go to heaven. That if they have doubts is because their faith is not strong enough. And everything to fulfill the lust of some pitiful disgusting idiots who take advantage of the gullibility of fourteen-year-olds. And then, the big problem is that the husband many times cannot provide for all his wives and children. Since legally he can only marry one, the other wives appear to be single mothers, who keep whelping a baby every year, so they go on welfare, becoming a fraud to the state. A real scandal.
It is estimated that 40,000 people remain living in polygamist families in the state of Utah.
The great channel HBO has a series called Big Love, which is about a polygamist with three wives in current day Salt Lake City, and his relationship with a fundamentalist polygamist clan (whose leader is played by the great Harry Dean Stanton). It's a great series, I am so sorry it hasn't made it to Spain yet.
The book explains how supporters of plural marriage convince and trick young girls (who grew up in polygamist families themselves and don't know better) to marry them to be their wives, many times under age, telling them that this is the real mormonism and that they will go to heaven. That if they have doubts is because their faith is not strong enough. And everything to fulfill the lust of some pitiful disgusting idiots who take advantage of the gullibility of fourteen-year-olds. And then, the big problem is that the husband many times cannot provide for all his wives and children. Since legally he can only marry one, the other wives appear to be single mothers, who keep whelping a baby every year, so they go on welfare, becoming a fraud to the state. A real scandal.
It is estimated that 40,000 people remain living in polygamist families in the state of Utah.
The great channel HBO has a series called Big Love, which is about a polygamist with three wives in current day Salt Lake City, and his relationship with a fundamentalist polygamist clan (whose leader is played by the great Harry Dean Stanton). It's a great series, I am so sorry it hasn't made it to Spain yet.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Prices
I continue with prices. In the corner convenience store, the 2-liter Pepsi bottle costs $1.99, while the 1.5-liter costs only $1.39. Huh? How come? Well, every time I go I buy several 1.5-liter bottles...
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Jamón ibérico
Today I went to buy some chorizo at Formaggio Essex. For the first time, they had jamón ibérico in stock [a special type of Spanish ham, supposed to be the best], which has recently been approved by the FDA for its sale in the US. But the ham cost $99.95 a pound, which translates to more than 150 euro per kilo. I understand it's the best, but I believe they have gone a bit overboard.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Back in Harlem
As it happened my first day in Harlem, I got up today very very early, and again I saw the Sun rising from my window. Although this time it wasn't very spectacular, since it's pouring buckets. I am back in Harlem, after a flight with no incidents and a very pleasant holidays with my family.
I have two more months in Harlem, until February 26th, and I will keep posting here my impressions, trips and ideas about Harlem, New York, the USA and life in general.
I have two more months in Harlem, until February 26th, and I will keep posting here my impressions, trips and ideas about Harlem, New York, the USA and life in general.
Friday, December 21, 2007
The orphanage
It gives me certain patriotic pleasure to see Belén Rueda in places like ESPN, in the commercial for the movie The Orphanage, the Spanish movie of the year. It premieres in the US on Friday, December 28th. I recommend all of you go see it, I will while I am in Spain.
Lottery
When I realized I was arriving in Barcelona on Saturday afternoon, that is, after the annual Christmas Lottery draw [always on December 22nd, one of the most important lottery events in Spain, everybody plays, I mean everybody], I thought it was a bummer I couldn't play. Until I remembered the Internet lottery sale service offered by La Bruixa d'Or, [The Golden Witch, link goes to the English page] which is the most famous lottery vendor in Spain. And yes, there I could buy a ticket to play, even though I am in New York, and I am now the proud owner of a one-tenth part of the number 76071. Wish me luck!
[La Bruixa d'Or became famous because it's in a city called Sort, which means "luck" in Catalan. They foresaw very early the power of the Internet, and they started selling lottery online a few years ago. Thanks to that, they are now the vendor which sells more lottery in the whole country, even though Sort has a population of about 2,000, and obviously, by sheer force of numbers, they get a piece of the price almost every year. This only helps its popularity...]
[La Bruixa d'Or became famous because it's in a city called Sort, which means "luck" in Catalan. They foresaw very early the power of the Internet, and they started selling lottery online a few years ago. Thanks to that, they are now the vendor which sells more lottery in the whole country, even though Sort has a population of about 2,000, and obviously, by sheer force of numbers, they get a piece of the price almost every year. This only helps its popularity...]
Going back!
Tomorrow Saturday the first leg of this New York adventure comes to an end, and at 8:45pm I catch my plane back to Barcelona, to spend the holidays. I will try to update the blog from there with interesting things I find worth posting, but in any case, I will be back in Harlem on January 10th, 2008. Happy holidays!
Herbie
Herbie is the City College math department chairwoman's secretary. Herbie is also one of the funniest persons I've ever met. He always has a new twist on things, a joke for you. He sends e-mails to the department that are hilarious, they're really something. Herbie has an office which is completely covered in clutter. Figure dolls, newspaper clippings, magazines from 1967, you name it. You enter his office and you don't know where to look, there's interesting stuff everywhere. He even has some football helmets in a corner, maybe he knows why. But the best thing he has is this little wonder:
This is an acoustic coupler, i.e., a modem from the Stone Age, one of those where for the two computers to speak you had to put the phone handset on top of it, and they would communicate using beeps of different frequencies. Incredible.
This is an acoustic coupler, i.e., a modem from the Stone Age, one of those where for the two computers to speak you had to put the phone handset on top of it, and they would communicate using beeps of different frequencies. Incredible.
Nixon
I'm back in New York. Today I was walking around Union Square, and in one of those anti-Bush stands they had a T-shirt I found very funny. It said: Never thought I would miss Nixon. My laughs must have been heard all the way to Barcelona XDDD
Friday, December 14, 2007
San Francisco
So today I went to San Francisco. I did all the touristy things, I crossed the Golden Gate, I walked on Fisherman's Wharf, on the Italian part, on Chinatown. I drove zigzagging down Lombard Street. Didn't take a cable car, way too touristy for me. I did go to the Apple Store though :-) Here are a few pictures of San Francisco.
The view from the top of Lombard Street.
A seagull in the Marina. Behind it, the Golden Gate Bridge.
The view of San Francisco from the other side of the Golden Gate.
The view from the top of Lombard Street.
A seagull in the Marina. Behind it, the Golden Gate Bridge.
The view of San Francisco from the other side of the Golden Gate.
RIP Cody's Books
Telegraph Avenue, the most emblematic street of Berkeley, is always bustling with people. Students, street vendors, homeless people, all mingle among the street stands, stores and restaurants. It was the epicenter of the student protests in the 1960s and 70s, and it still has that hippy flavor that makes this city so famous.
This afternoon I went for a walk on Telegraph, to walk among people, and also to visit a couple of important bookstores in the area. In particular, I wanted to go to Cody's Books. Located on the corner of Telegraph and Haste Street, Cody's was a gorgeous bookstore with a list of over a million books, and whose selection of math books was legendary. People said (half joking) that when Berkeley mathematicians wanted to find a book they didn't go to the library, they went to Cody's. Last time I was in Berkeley in 2004 I bought a few books there.
Besides, Cody's always preserved that hippy character from the protest era. In 1968, when police hit demonstrators in Telegraph Avenue, Cody's would shelter them and become an improvised hospital. Cody's kept in its shelves the "Satanic Versos", by Salman Rushdie, when all major chains had retired it, and that cost Cody's a bombing attack in 1989. Cody's Books was a symbol of Berkeley, and of freedom of speech, as well as an icon for the math community.
Cody's Books has closed, a casualty of the Barnes & Nobles and Fnacs of this world. Couldn't compete with the big chains, the Walmarts and the Carrefours. And ultimately the Internet finished it off. Today I got the disappointment of the year when I saw Cody's closed and with a large sign saying "Available."
This already happened to me in one of my trips to Boston, when Avenue Victor Hugo closed down. Later in Barcelona, when the historic Librería Francesa liquidated its stock. Now Cody's. Nothing makes me sadder than seeing a great bookstore disappear. Rest in peace, Cody's Books.
This afternoon I went for a walk on Telegraph, to walk among people, and also to visit a couple of important bookstores in the area. In particular, I wanted to go to Cody's Books. Located on the corner of Telegraph and Haste Street, Cody's was a gorgeous bookstore with a list of over a million books, and whose selection of math books was legendary. People said (half joking) that when Berkeley mathematicians wanted to find a book they didn't go to the library, they went to Cody's. Last time I was in Berkeley in 2004 I bought a few books there.
Besides, Cody's always preserved that hippy character from the protest era. In 1968, when police hit demonstrators in Telegraph Avenue, Cody's would shelter them and become an improvised hospital. Cody's kept in its shelves the "Satanic Versos", by Salman Rushdie, when all major chains had retired it, and that cost Cody's a bombing attack in 1989. Cody's Books was a symbol of Berkeley, and of freedom of speech, as well as an icon for the math community.
Cody's Books has closed, a casualty of the Barnes & Nobles and Fnacs of this world. Couldn't compete with the big chains, the Walmarts and the Carrefours. And ultimately the Internet finished it off. Today I got the disappointment of the year when I saw Cody's closed and with a large sign saying "Available."
This already happened to me in one of my trips to Boston, when Avenue Victor Hugo closed down. Later in Barcelona, when the historic Librería Francesa liquidated its stock. Now Cody's. Nothing makes me sadder than seeing a great bookstore disappear. Rest in peace, Cody's Books.
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