Today, two days before the big day, it was time to say goodbye to my car. I took it to my sister's house because my brother-in-law has room at work to keep it. It would be sooo nice to be able to drive my little car in New York...
Don't worry, little baby, you'll be all right here, and it will only be six months. Will miss you so much...
Monday, August 6, 2007
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Bags
Today, after several laundry rounds, I am starting to pack my bags. I have all my clothes and other stuff on top of my guest bed and the two bags ready to be filled...
Turns out that a few months ago, with the excuse of protecting the backs of their delicate baggage handlers, the airlines decided to lower the maximum weight for a checked-in bag from 70 pounds (32kg) to 50 pounds (23kg). At least you can take two bags, but when one travels alone, it's much more comfortable to travel with a single bag, even if it's big, than with two. But there we are, ready to pack the two bags, with the bathroom scale on hand to check they don't go over 50 pounds. And I am sending some of my winter clothes in a box by mail...
What drives me nuts is that, if you pay a fee (25 dollars last time),then you can have heavier bags (until 70 pounds) and the handlers' backs don't matter anymore. Which shows which was the real purpose of the reduction in allowable weight: to charge you if you go over. Duh! What was I thinking? :)
Only three days to go!! :)
Turns out that a few months ago, with the excuse of protecting the backs of their delicate baggage handlers, the airlines decided to lower the maximum weight for a checked-in bag from 70 pounds (32kg) to 50 pounds (23kg). At least you can take two bags, but when one travels alone, it's much more comfortable to travel with a single bag, even if it's big, than with two. But there we are, ready to pack the two bags, with the bathroom scale on hand to check they don't go over 50 pounds. And I am sending some of my winter clothes in a box by mail...
What drives me nuts is that, if you pay a fee (25 dollars last time),then you can have heavier bags (until 70 pounds) and the handlers' backs don't matter anymore. Which shows which was the real purpose of the reduction in allowable weight: to charge you if you go over. Duh! What was I thinking? :)
Only three days to go!! :)
Saturday, August 4, 2007
Fifth place in Google
Hey! I put "noches de Harlem" in Google and the blog appears in fifth place! I guess it helps that it's hosted in Blogger (Google's property).
But you know what's the ultimate goal: overtaking Eddie Murphy! :)
But you know what's the ultimate goal: overtaking Eddie Murphy! :)
Barry Bonds and the home run record
(Sorry to all Americans who already know all this, but in Spain nobody knows squat about baseball and its history).
Baseball is my favorite sport. It's the sport of numbers, so it's not a surprise it's my favorite... :) But precisely at this moment we are witnessing a feat which only happens once or twice in a lifetime: the breaking of the career home run record. And even more, there's a huge controversy. Hi ha marro, as we say in Catalunya (it means "there's turmoil").
A home rune happens when a hitter manages to travel all four bases with a single hit, almost always because the great hit has sent the ball out of the playing field. Everybody considers Babe Ruth put the home run in fashion, and he was the first great slugger in baseball history. Before him, the most a player would hit in a year was about 20, and he hit 60 in 1927 (and 59 in 1921, 54 in 1928...) Between 1915 and 1935 Ruth sent the ball out of the field 714 times, a record considered unbreakable during years.
But between 1954 and 1976, Hank Aaron, without the benefit of a single-season record, but being quite good for a looong time, managed to break the record, hitting 755 home runs in his career. Aaron, being black, had to endure all sorts of threats, including death threats, from all sorts of racists (including the Ku Klux Klan) for daring break a white man's record.
Well then, as of today, August 4th, 2007, Barry Bonds has hit 754 home runs. So we expect him to break the record any day now. I pray for him to wait until Thursday, so I can see if live :) But the point is that Bonds's record is tarnished by controversy...
Bonds is suspect of doping. Evidence of him being on steroids is overwhelming. When he started his career in 1986 he was skinny and fast, whereas now he is all muscle and power. But with a humongous difference. On top of it, when his career should have started to decline (at 37) he broke all barriers and started playing better than at 25, staying this way until now, at 43. And even more, Bonds is related to the BALCO case, the doping laboratory infamous for having Marion Jones and other athletes as clients. To the point that Bonds's personal trainer, Greg Anderson, is in jail for refusing to testify in a grand jury hearing against Bonds, and Bonds himself is suspect of perjury (he said he didn't know if what he took were steroids). Bonds has never tested positive, but then again, baseball is not known for performing many anti-doping tests.
If on top of all this we add that Bonds, as a person, is despicable, arrogant, selfish, rude and a liar, we'll understand why 90% of baseball fans all over the world would love it if he breaks a leg today and gets stuck at 754. A fascinating case.
Baseball is my favorite sport. It's the sport of numbers, so it's not a surprise it's my favorite... :) But precisely at this moment we are witnessing a feat which only happens once or twice in a lifetime: the breaking of the career home run record. And even more, there's a huge controversy. Hi ha marro, as we say in Catalunya (it means "there's turmoil").
A home rune happens when a hitter manages to travel all four bases with a single hit, almost always because the great hit has sent the ball out of the playing field. Everybody considers Babe Ruth put the home run in fashion, and he was the first great slugger in baseball history. Before him, the most a player would hit in a year was about 20, and he hit 60 in 1927 (and 59 in 1921, 54 in 1928...) Between 1915 and 1935 Ruth sent the ball out of the field 714 times, a record considered unbreakable during years.
But between 1954 and 1976, Hank Aaron, without the benefit of a single-season record, but being quite good for a looong time, managed to break the record, hitting 755 home runs in his career. Aaron, being black, had to endure all sorts of threats, including death threats, from all sorts of racists (including the Ku Klux Klan) for daring break a white man's record.
Well then, as of today, August 4th, 2007, Barry Bonds has hit 754 home runs. So we expect him to break the record any day now. I pray for him to wait until Thursday, so I can see if live :) But the point is that Bonds's record is tarnished by controversy...
Bonds is suspect of doping. Evidence of him being on steroids is overwhelming. When he started his career in 1986 he was skinny and fast, whereas now he is all muscle and power. But with a humongous difference. On top of it, when his career should have started to decline (at 37) he broke all barriers and started playing better than at 25, staying this way until now, at 43. And even more, Bonds is related to the BALCO case, the doping laboratory infamous for having Marion Jones and other athletes as clients. To the point that Bonds's personal trainer, Greg Anderson, is in jail for refusing to testify in a grand jury hearing against Bonds, and Bonds himself is suspect of perjury (he said he didn't know if what he took were steroids). Bonds has never tested positive, but then again, baseball is not known for performing many anti-doping tests.
If on top of all this we add that Bonds, as a person, is despicable, arrogant, selfish, rude and a liar, we'll understand why 90% of baseball fans all over the world would love it if he breaks a leg today and gets stuck at 754. A fascinating case.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Sir Elton is senile
Elton John has demanded Internet be shut down for five years (link in Spanish). Let's send down the drain big businesses like ebay or amazon and their workers to unemployment. Medical operations that take place by IP videoconferencing? Bah, who cares, I can afford the best private care. Access to the whole world newspapers, plurality of ideas, freedom of speech? That's just bullshit. The only thing that matters to Sir Elton is that his last album hasn't sold as he would like. Elton, buddy, maybe it is because the CD is not that good? Maybe you should accept your music is kind of worse than the one you made thirty years ago? Come on, Elton, fucking retire already. The only thing that should be shut down is your big selfish mouth.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Harry Potter 7
Helping to endure the long wait, I just finished the seventh book in the Harry Potter saga. I must say that this series has something magic (pun totally intended), because it grabs you and doesn't let you go till the end. This book starts slow, the first adventures seemed boring to me, but at some point the action takes a fast pace, sustained until the end. Harry's fans will enjoy it as usual, and those of you who aren't fans, what are you waiting for?
As I was saying, I got bored at the beginning, with Harry and co. traveling from one place to another in their tent, without seeing anyone. But starting at their capture at Malfoy Manor, and then the break-in at Gringotts, Dumbledore's brother's house and the final battle, the thundering action doesn't let you go for a minute. As usual, great fireworks and endings worth of Ms. Rowling. Who wants to bet with me for new books with the adventures of Harry's kids at Hogwarts? She said she wouldn't write any more Harry's stories, but she didn't say anything about his kids, and Ron and Hermione's kids, and Draco's kids. After all, a millionaire has to keep earning her millions, she is not likely to stay put without writing anything else...
By the way. What was all the hubbub with the death of characters? I know some people die, but Dobby? Fred? Tonks? Give me a break! I resent the happy ending, one of the three main kids should have died. J.K., you're now officially a wimp. You need to go to the George R.R. Martin school of killing characters. Then we'd see real deaths, and not this.
SPOILERS
(highlight with your mouse to read them)As I was saying, I got bored at the beginning, with Harry and co. traveling from one place to another in their tent, without seeing anyone. But starting at their capture at Malfoy Manor, and then the break-in at Gringotts, Dumbledore's brother's house and the final battle, the thundering action doesn't let you go for a minute. As usual, great fireworks and endings worth of Ms. Rowling. Who wants to bet with me for new books with the adventures of Harry's kids at Hogwarts? She said she wouldn't write any more Harry's stories, but she didn't say anything about his kids, and Ron and Hermione's kids, and Draco's kids. After all, a millionaire has to keep earning her millions, she is not likely to stay put without writing anything else...
By the way. What was all the hubbub with the death of characters? I know some people die, but Dobby? Fred? Tonks? Give me a break! I resent the happy ending, one of the three main kids should have died. J.K., you're now officially a wimp. You need to go to the George R.R. Martin school of killing characters. Then we'd see real deaths, and not this.
7 days for D-day
A week. I have a week left. Still a week. When I bought the ticket for August 8th I knew this was going to happen. With all work done by July 20th (classes ended in June, and then all the department planning that comes for being vice-chairman), I knew these last days were going to be veeery looong. I can't wait to leave, if it were for me I would have left a week ago already... Oh well. Patience.
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