
As of Wordpress 2.8.2, this plugin no longer works. I recommend switching to use the [PHP Code Widget](http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/php-code-widget/). It's exactly the same as this one, except that it requires you to use <?php and ?> tags.

There are many Wordpress plugins that should be converted into sidebar widgets, made compatible with the [Automattic Widget Plugin](http://automattic.com/code/widgets/), but, for whatever reason, have not yet been converted. Wouldn't it be nice if there were a generic way to call other plugins from within a sidebar widget? Now there is! Introducing.... Widgetize Anything! Basically, it works just like the built-in text widgets, except that it allows you to put in PHP code into the body of the widget.

[widgetize-anything.tar.gz](/downloads/140/widgetize-anything.tar.gz)

[widgetize-anything.zip](/downloads/140/widgetize-anything.zip)

### Features

- Create any number of Widgetize Anything widgets
- Paste PHP code directly into the widgets in the widget admin
- Built in optional "Title" property.

### Requirements

- A [WordPress](http://wordpress.com/) Blog
- [Wordpress 2.2](http://wordpress.org/development/2007/05/wordpress-22/) or greater **\-OR-** the [Automattic Widget Plugin](http://automattic.com/code/widgets/)

### Installation

1. Download the plugin here: [widgetize-anything.tar.gz](/downloads/140/widgetize-anything.tar.gz) (2.3 kB)
2. Unzip the plugin into your /wp-content/plugins directory.
3. Activate the plugin in your WordPress admin.
4. Choose how many Widgetize Anything widgets you want under Options --> Widgetize Anything (see [screenshots](#screenshots))
5. Enter the desired PHP code into the widget on the Sidebar Widgets page in your WordPress admin (see [screenshots](#screenshots)).
6. Drag the widget onto the sidebar where you want it on the Sidebar Widgets page in your WordPress admin.

### Screenshots

![Widgetize Anything Options](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-30-widgetize-anything/538823865_3b3d9f3d15_o.jpg "The options screen")

The options screen

![Hello World](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-30-widgetize-anything/538823857_574d427eba_o.jpg "Simple ")

The simplest example: Hello World

![Highest Rated](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-30-widgetize-anything/538823871_638598fc15_o.jpg "Calling WP-PostRatings")

Calling the [WP-PostRatings](http://www.lesterchan.net/portfolio/programming.php) plugin to display the highest-rated posts.

### Troubleshooting

It's important to understand that the code that you put into your widget must be valid PHP code. You may not open or close PHP blocks with "< ?php" or "?>", nor can you place straight HTML code into the widget content. You have to [echo](http://www.php.net/echo) out all the HTML code that you want to show up on your page.

### Change History

1.2

2007-06-25

Fixed a bug caused by Wordpress 2.2.1. They changed the way widgets are registered once again.

1.1

2007-05-17

Fixed a bug caused by Wordpress 2.2. For 2.2, they incorporated the sidebar widgets plugin into the main codebase, and a few things changed.

1.0

2006-10-24

Original version

### Questions and Comments

You may leave questions and comments on this blog, or email them directly to me at erikwordpressplugins -at- gmail.


Widgetize Anything


We saw this bench in a hotel that we stayed at recently. It was just there in the middle of the hallway. <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-29-bactrian-bench/536723547_ff92fc3fdb_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2916.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-29-bactrian-bench/536723547_6486f5ca24.jpg" alt="CIMG2916.JPG"/>
</a>

Pretty neat, huh? I didn't try it out, but it has to be more comfortable than sitting on an actual camel.

Note that this is a [Bactrian Camel](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bactrian_Camel), not a [Dromedary](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dromedary), due to the fact that it has twice the humpage.

Am I the only one that finds the phrase "[even-toed ungulate](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Even-toed_ungulate)" funny? It sounds like an insult from one taxidermist to another. "You even-toed ungulate!"


Bactrian Bench


My buddy Jacob just sent me this awesome picture he took last week. <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-29-natures-altar/309526586_71e0a36705_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nature's Altar">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-29-natures-altar/309526586_71e0a36705.jpg" alt="Nature's Altar"/>
</a>

**Nature's Altar** - Jacob contemplates the beauty of nature at the [Lost Cove Cliffs](http://nc.sierraclub.org/pisgah/ras/lostcove/lostcovewsa.html) in western North Carolina.

It's not unlike this other picture taken nearby a few years earlier...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-29-natures-altar/157817265_206351aeef_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Top of the World">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-29-natures-altar/157817265_206351aeef.jpg" alt="Top of the World"/>
</a>

**Top of the World** - This photo was taken from on top of Table Rock in Morganton, North Carolina.


Nature's Altar


I've just watched two of three National Geographic documentaries that I've recently "acquired", collectively called "The Secret Bible". The first one was about the Knights Templar and consisted almost entirely of speculation, and no facts that I (or anyone that's read or seen [The Da Vinci Code](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code)) didn't already know.1 Part two was called "Rivals of Jesus", and talked about the other cult religions that competed with Christianity throughout the first three centuries (a time scale arbitrarily defined by the success of Christiantity, of course).

Unfortunately, I can't find much about the series beyond links such as:

[http://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/watch/series\_details.aspx?id\_series=214](http://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/watch/series_details.aspx?id_series=214) [http://www.guardian.co.uk/TV/nationalgeographicdigital.html](http://www.guardian.co.uk/TV/nationalgeographicdigital.html)

Frankly, I'm not surprised that such "heresy" can't be found on American television.

Despite the eye-opening "Jesus wasn't the only 'messiah' who was born on December 25th and rose from the dead after three days???" message of the documentary, I must say that I am quite appalled at the kind of historian (all with conspicuous American accents) that claims that a document written 50 or 70 years after events occur can be considered truthful. All of the sources for the information about Jesus' life in the documentary are taken from the New Testament. Keep in mind that this is the equivalent of my blog being the only written detailed account of the lives of [Winston Churchill](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston_Churchill) or [Arthur Conan Doyle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle), who died in 1965 and 1930, respectively. And this is in an age of illiteracy, when I certainly wouldn't have read anything by a biographer or historian from their era.

Without putting into context the writers which you are using for your "facts", you are simply being a bad historian if you quote me for information about someone who died 76 years ago. Despite this hugely Christian bias, did you know that the following rituals/beliefs did not originate from Christianity, but, in fact, were adopted by Christianity in order to recruit new members?

- The virgin birth of the Messiah
- Three kings bearing gifts at the Messiah's birth (Merry Christmas, by the way)
- The ritual consumption of bread and wine to represent the body and blood of the Messiah
- The birth on December 25th
- The crucifixion
- The image of mother (Mary) with baby (Jesus) in her arms
- The parading of the above motherly image at Easter, the Spring equinox (still popular in Catholic countries, such as Spain)
- The resurrection after three days
- The body of the Messiah rising into the sky, leaving no evidence of earthly existence
- The Messiah as the son of God
- No news about the Messiah between childhood and adulthood
- The Messiah dies at the top of a hill
- A last supper, where the Messiah's followers are told of their mission to spread the word
- Baptism. Even Jesus was supposedly baptized by John the Baptist.

All of these myths predate Jesus or are part of competing cult religions in the first two centuries of Christianity. I find it quite fascinating that so many people can take the Bible so seriously, when there is so much evidence that Christianity is such a conglomeration of other mythological belief systems with most of the surviving documents written so far after the events they describe that most all of it should be called into question by even the most slightly skeptical among us.

Oh, wait, I forgot... Religion encourages unquestioning belief without (or in opposition to) actual evidence, and discourages skeptical, critical thinking.

Part three of the series is called "The Apocalypse". No doubt that the trilogy finale will be full of provable facts and not pure myth or speculation. I look forward to that one tomorrow...

1Long live [October 13, '07](/wedding/)!


Rivals of Jesus


On Friday, we drove to Vitoria to Marga's orthodontist appointment, did some shopping, and drove to Mondragon. On Saturday, we had a family dinner of wild hare that Grandpa Ramón brought back from his trip to Extremadura for [All Saints Day](/2006/11/01/all-saints-day/). All the big family dinners, with the exception of those around Christmas time, are held at the Centro Extremeño, where our [wedding party](/wedding/) will be.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536703433_3e5c326bf3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2895.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536703433_48f81cfab7.jpg" alt="CIMG2895.JPG"/>
</a>

Grandpa cuts the cheese. Stop snickering.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536590946_5161d6a7b6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2897.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536590946_686520cbba.jpg" alt="CIMG2897.JPG"/>
</a>

Marga helps prepare a salad.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536591782_376bdf538b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2898.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536591782_ba1ed39a22.jpg" alt="CIMG2898.JPG"/>
</a>

Alejo, a close friend of the family, stirs the main dish, hare with rice.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536707431_32933535b7_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2900.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536707431_4911cf1925.jpg" alt="CIMG2900.JPG"/>
</a>

Members of the Centro Extremeño can use the kitchen if they sign up for it.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536708499_0176455d4a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2901.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536708499_e29c4898aa.jpg" alt="CIMG2901.JPG"/>
</a>

We did quite a bit of damage. Aunt Inés prepares to serve some cookies she made. They were each like two nilla wafers put together oreo-style with cream between them, and then they were covered in coconut shavings. Mmm!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536596122_15780d7f8e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2902.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536596122_89a03fbdd8.jpg" alt="CIMG2902.JPG"/>
</a>

The cousins: Gorka, Ion, Rubén, and Maikel.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536711675_9850c8f33e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2903.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536711675_faf53662d7.jpg" alt="CIMG2903.JPG"/>
</a>

Ion has let his hair grow out, and I must say that it suits him quite well. When he first walked in, I thought, "How strange that Gorka brought a friend to a family dinner!"

Before dinner, I had a marathon conversation with Gorka. It must have lasted all of four minutes, and I probably got 50 or 60 words out of him, thereby more than doubling the total number of words he's ever said to me. We talked about driving tests. He got his license a couple months ago.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536599086_97fd39bc94_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2905.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536599086_560fd42817.jpg" alt="CIMG2905.JPG"/>
</a>

Candi, Alejo's wife, makes some killer flan. Good thing we put that paper tablecloth on the table, huh?

After dinner, the men often retire to a table to play cards. The game is always the same, [Cuatrola](http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cuatrola). The closest American equivalent would be Spades. You play in teams of two, and you have to get as many points as you can for your team for the hand. Point values are assigned to each card by its rank. So if you play an ace and are sure to win the trick, then my best play would be the king, or my highest ranking card in the suit, because then we get the points from your ace and my king, plus whatever cards the opponents throw. When I'm sure you will take the trick, I try to give you my highest card so that it won't be captured by the opponents on some other trick. There is a trump suit on every hand, determined by the first card that the dealer turns over and gives to himself. So when you're dealer, you're guaranteed to have at least one trump. Everyone has five cards dealt to them. Only the highest ranking cards in the deck are used (kind of like pinnacle). The rest of the smaller cards are used to keep score. The only bidding that takes place is that everyone is given the chance to "go solo". If you go solo, your opponent doesn't play that hand, and you have to beat, take more points than, the opponents yourself. And if you have a _really_ strong hand, you can go "cuatrola", in which case the point system goes out the window, and you have to take four of the five tricks yourself. The rewards, and penalties for failure, for the two solo attempts are doubled and quadrupled respectively. It's a very fun game, and I enjoy playing it when I can.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536714907_e0285c0019_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2906.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536714907_ecf5541a47.jpg" alt="CIMG2906.JPG"/>
</a>

Grandpa plays the "As de copas" (ace of cups).

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536602860_620043dfde_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2907.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-26-rice-with-hare/536602860_76c58f6c1a.jpg" alt="CIMG2907.JPG"/>
</a>

The green felt mat is great for raising the [coefficient of kinetic friction](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coefficient_of_friction) of the playing cards.

You may now watch a video of a hand. Note how the dealer, Grandpa, leaves the first card down so that everyone is sure of the trump suit. And then notice the big difference. They deal and play _counter-clockwise_! As wrong as it may look, as with the Brits driving on the wrong side of the road, you have to admit that it's completely arbitrary. Also notice how, after the hand is over, a card (one of the small, unused cards from the full deck) is taken from the "bank", almost always Juan, and given to his partner, Alejo, because their team won the hand. When your team gets up to twenty of those, you win. But you have to get exactly twenty. You can't go over.

revver(106549)


Rice With Hare


In my search for a video that might be considered interesting by other bored internet surfers, I asked myself, "What can I do that is remotely interesting?" The answer I got back was, "Well, I know how to fold a piece of paper into a flower!" Thus, the origami flower video was born... After practicing twice, and recording one video with [the url at the beginning](http://origami.rasman.one.revver.com/) missing the important "one" word, I finally got it right. With a little video editing to speed up the boring parts, I posted it to [Revver](http://www.revver.com/).

revver(105704)

In the first day, it shot up to the front page of [Video Bomb](http://www.videobomb.com/), which is better than I can say for any of my other videos. No one thought it [digg-worthy](http://digg.com/design/Cool_Origami_Video), though. Oh well.

The flower is all I know how to make, really, but I might try to learn another form and record another video. I think the concept isn't a bad one.

By the way, have you ever tried writing upside down and backwards? It ain't easy!


Origami Flower


My "What I'm Listening To" links on the left now go to [iTunes Store](http://www.apple.com/itunes/) when they can. This was made possible by a search page provided by [Link Share](http://www.linkshare.com/), the company that runs the [iTunes Affiliate Program](http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/). I figure that purchases will be more likely at the iTunes Store than at Amazon, where it used to link to. So go buy my current track! It's only $0.99!

The code that gets the link goes and runs a search on Link Share, parses the resulting page, and extracts the link to the iTunes store, all when you request the page on my blog. It caches the value in the database, and only fetches it again if my current song has changed. Actually, the link passes you through Link Share's site, so they can count your click and attribute whatever you buy to me. When it can't find the song on iTunes Store, it defaults back to Amazon. Although quite a few of my Spanish songs can't be found on either iTunes or Amazon. Oh well. It tells you in the tooltip that pops up when you hover on the link which vendor the link will send you to.

If you don't have iTunes, [get it](http://www.apple.com/itunes/). It's fantastic!

I'm having trouble figuring out how I can bundle this magic into a Wordpress plugin to give out to the masses, since it depends so heavily on my hacked up version of the [CG-Amazon](http://www.chait.net/index.php?p=238) plugin and is specifically tailored to what I wanted to accomplish with my current song listing.

Also, the iTunes links at the bottom of my blog entries are now randomized. There are 20 different ones that are chosen randomly for display. All of them were hand-chosen by me as artists or programs that I enjoy and endorse.

So get clicking!


iTunes Enabled


The accelerated motion of my favorite star. I've noticed recently that the sunsets that I see out my office window happen quite quickly. So one day, I set up my video camera and recorded a video of it. Unfortunately, unlike [other days](/2006/10/26/sunset-pics/), the atmospheric properties of that particular day didn't make for a very beautiful sunset.

What's interesting about this video, however, is that it isn't made in the normal way of making timelapse videos: 1) take a single frame, 2) wait a bit, 3) repeat. This was actually recorded at full speed. The whole video was about five minutes. And then I sped it up digitally with [my video editing software](http://www.apple.com/imovie/ "iMovie").

revver(104585)

Is the title too sensationalist?

Can you see [the green flash](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash)?

For multiple viewings and better slider control, [download the video](http://media.revver.com/qt;sharer=20700/104585.mov).

The vertical stripe is caused by the CCD being overloaded by the direct sunlight. I can't find a good web page explaining it, but I've seen it happen on all digital cameras I've ever used.


Falling Fireball


The driver's license saga continues... Good news first. I passed the theory exam. Yay. As I expected, I had to call several times, talk to four people, and deal with them not knowing how to enter an immigrant's national ID number into the computer.

So I went directly to the local autoescuela (driving school). The dialog went something like this:

**Me:** Okay, I've passed the theory test. What do I have to do to take the in-car test? I'd like to make an appointment to do that as soon as possible.

**Her:** Well, you have to enroll as a student at the driving school, and take some classes first.

**Me:** No, I already know how to drive. I just want to take the test.

**Her:** Well, no driving instructor is going to get in a vehicle with you without giving you some classes first.

**Me:** \[fibbing only slightly\] Why not? I can legally drive in Spain!

**Her:** Imagine that he gets in the car, and you go through a stop sign.

**Me:** But that's ridiculous. I've never gone through a stop sign in the _thirteen years_ that I've been _legally_ driving!

Marga later had a much better response to this stupidity: "But that's what the instructor has a brake pedal for!!!"

**Her:** I'm just telling you how it is.

**Me:** Well, I don't really have a choice, do I? How much does it cost?

**Her:** The matriculation is 150Â€.

**Me:** \[shaking my head in disbelief\] What a robbery...

**Her:** I'm just telling you what it costs.

Suddenly, out of a side office, pops a man, who we'll call Señor Cabrón1.

**Sr. Cabrón:** It's not a fucking robbery! Look, pal, if you wanna go somewhere else, then, by all means, get the hell out!

**Me:** \[taken aback for obvious reasons\] It's a robbery on the part of the government, not on your part.

Of course, that's not true. It _is_ a robbery on the autoescuela's part! But I was trying to calm him down...

**Sr. Cabrón:** When I think that someone is charging me too much for something, I go somewhere else. How dare you come in here with that kind of attitude!

**Her:** \[with an apologetic look on her face\] So can I get your telephone number?

Sr. Cabrón retreats to his office, but continues to mumble stuff about jerks coming in and accusing him of robbery.

**Me:** \[with a "what's wrong with that guy?" look\] Sure, it's \[my number here\].

**Her:** Okay, I'll try to find an instructor for you and give you a call. You can pay me when you come for your first lesson.

**Me:** Okay. When will that be? I'd like to do it as soon as possible.

**Her:** \[thumbing through a calendar\] Well, let's see... Maybe as early as the 28th...no, that's impossible. It would have to be...

**Sr. Cabrón:** \[shouting from his office\] If it's fucking impossible, then don't fucking say it! God, I'm surrounded by idiots!

He continued to personally insult her for about thirty seconds, while she looked at me, partially rolling her eyes and partially wincing.

**Her:** Anyway, it might be December. The whole process could take three weeks.

**Me:** Okay. You've been very helpful, even though I think what you've told me is absolutely insane and unfair. I'll await your call, but I hope you'll understand if I look for other alternatives.

And I walked out, all my happiness from having passed the exam replaced with anger at the stupid bureaucracy. This afternoon, I think I'll go to Laredo to ask around in some other driving schools. Surely there's a driving instructor somewhere that will trust me not to kill him. I'll be the least dangerous exam he gives all year, for christ sake!

I'm not a professional psychologist, but I suspect that reactions like that seen by our friend, Sr. Cabrón, are far more likely to occur when they are reacting to comments that have a high level of veracity. I was reminded of [this article about societal taboos](/2006/08/08/what-you-cant-say/).

1"Cabrón" is the Spanish equivalent to "asshole". Funnily (to me, anyway), it literally means "big male goat". Personally, I'd rather be compared to a large billy goat than an anus.


Hanged by the Loophole


Okay, so it's the wrong Mediterranean peninsula... Some turkey facts for you.

- The word for turkey in Spanish is "pavo".
- "Pavo" is also Spanish slang for the US dollar. "It cost me 30 bucks" = "Me costó 30 pavos"
- The Spanish word for "peacock" is "pavo real", which means "royal turkey".

And my favorite turkey fact of all...

- The word for "turkey", the bird, in Turkish, is the same as the Turkish word for Greece, the country, not the musical.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-23-turkey-pizza-a-mediterranean-thanksgiving/536699319_43350a3b7c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2886.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-23-turkey-pizza-a-mediterranean-thanksgiving/536699319_91ba241ce3.jpg" alt="CIMG2886.JPG"/>
</a>

I give thanks for mozzarella.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-23-turkey-pizza-a-mediterranean-thanksgiving/536586726_c7ab35869d_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2887.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-23-turkey-pizza-a-mediterranean-thanksgiving/536586726_75dbe96c4b.jpg" alt="CIMG2887.JPG"/>
</a>

Like all good Thanksgiving meals, this one had a special carving utensil.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-23-turkey-pizza-a-mediterranean-thanksgiving/536701931_9d1b99269d_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2888.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-23-turkey-pizza-a-mediterranean-thanksgiving/536701931_817df68369.jpg" alt="CIMG2888.JPG"/>
</a>

Happy Thanksgiving!

Can you imagine having a pavo pizza, mediterranean style, in a [mediterranean cruise](http://www.celebritycruises.com/destinations/cruiseTours/details.do?pagename=europe_mediterranean_overview)!


Turkey Pizza - A Mediterranean Thanksgiving


I took the theory test for getting a driver's license this morning. Because I am trying to get licensed without going through the normal route of paying an autoescuela (driving school), I'm having to row upstream through the government bureaucracy. Due to my non-autoescuela status, I had to do the exam in a central location of Cantabria, my province, called Camargo, not in the local testing facility.

First, [look at where Camargo is](http://maps.google.com/?q=Camargo,+Spain). I was coming from the east, driving west on the A-8. As you can see, there's no good way to get there. I left home at 7:00, and I was asking for directions in a gas station near the airport at 7:20. Plenty of time to get to the 8:30 exam, right? The gas station attendant was _very_ nice. He told me that Camargo wasn't so much a place, but an area between other places. Great. We call that "the middle of nowhere". He asked another employee, and even interrogated the potato chip delivery guy that was filling a vending machine. Once he was certain of the simplest route to explain, he drew me a nice map with each roundabout that I had to navigate, along with gas station and car dealership landmarks. I thanked him and hopped back behind the wheel.

Unfortunately, after taking the exit that gas station guy had told me to take, there was an intersection that had not been mentioned. I guessed wrong the first time, had to get back on the motorway, go one exit back to the gas station, and turn around to take the exit again. The second time, I guessed correctly and started to see landmarks that had been mentioned. I passed roundabout #1 and #2, feeling confident that I'd arrive by 7:40 for sure. Expecting to get to roundabout #3 about 300 meters after #2, I drove for over a kilometer with no roundabout or landmark in sight. Uh oh. After a second kilometer, there was the roundabout and the gas station. Whew! And soon after, I saw the sign saying "Jefatura de Tráfico, Centro de Examenes". I turned in there and saw three or four cars parking with a few people milling around, so I parked and got out. It was 7:45, and I was delighted to have arrived so quickly.

I asked a guy that was standing around if this was the place to take the traffic test. The response I got back was, "Dude, this is a factory!" Doh! He said, "I don't really know where it is, because when I took the test, my autoescuela took me there." Great. So I hopped in the car again and went back to the main road. But when I got to the intersection, I saw the "Jefatura" sign again, and decided that it must be down that road somewhere. Unfortunately, I couldn't turn around, so I had to go a kilometer down the road to the next roundabout and return.

After turning again at the sign, I drove for a couple minutes and watched in dismay as I ended up in a residential neighborhood. Then, by chance, I saw a little sign with an arrow pointing to the "Centro de Examenes". I headed down that road. For a kilometer, there were a few more houses, and then nothing. The road dead-ended into a muddy field (didn't I tell you it was pouring rain and dark this whole time?). When I was turning around, the tires spun a little in the mud and threatened to keep me there, but I finally got out. So I drove back the other way, all the way until I saw the second sign again, and turned back around. I spotted a woman walking into a house, and stopped, got out, and asked her where it was. She said to turn down a little road and go 200 meters, and then it was on the left.

I thanked her and took the little unmarked road. 400 meters later, still nothing. People really suck at estimating distances. And finally, on the left, there it was. A small building with a few cars parked outside and some people waiting around. I was there! At 8:05.

By 8:30, there were about a hundred of us standing around, and they let us in the building. While we waited in the lobby, they called out each name, and when your name was called, you were supposed to go in, get your answer sheet, and take a seat. They called name after name after name. And these aren't short names; these are Spanish names, like "Jose Antonio Rodriguez Hernandez". One guy was named "Perfecto Nieto Bueno" ("perfect good grandson"). Finally there were five of us left, and they said, "Okay, that's all for this session. The rest of you will have to wait until the 9:30 session."

So there I was, after all the frantic rushing to not be late, waiting an hour until the next exam. At least I had some cows to look at out the window as the sun came up. About 8 minutes later, people started coming out, finished with the 30-question test. But could we go in and use their desks? Of course not. By 9:00, they were all finished. Could we start yet? Nope.

When 9:30 rolled around, there was another crowd of about 70 people in the lobby. And the name calling started again. All 70 names were called, and the five of us were still there. Finally, they said, "Okay, you five over here." Everyone else had their name and information already printed on their answer sheet, but we had to fill ours in. The guy behind me also had the "simplified language" version of the test that I took. As far as I could tell, the only thing the simplified language version did was add parenthetical explanations, like

> If I drink alcohol before driving...
> 
> A) I will have increased visual capacity (I see better) B) I will have diminished visual capacity (I see worse) C) It will not affect my visual capacity (I see the same)

I think I did pretty well. There were 2 of the 30 questions that I had some doubt about. From what I understand, I can miss 3 and still pass. I have to call the main traffic office tomorrow to see if I passed.

In case you hadn't figured it out yet, the other four poorly treated test takers were doing it "por libre" (not through a driving school) like me. It wasn't bad luck, it was just a lack of financial greasing of the machine. They didn't have my name written down anywhere. They checked the name I put on my test with my photo ID and that's it. I won't be surprised if I have to go through several phone operators to get my results tomorrow.

I turned in my test and drove, [illegally](/2006/11/16/the-day-i-forgot-how-to-drive/), back home, arriving 3.75 hours after I left. Now _that_ was a driving test!


Driving Theory Exam


A couple gems from the photo vault take us back to May 2004.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-21-patriotic-reflections/302626318_2f9d762c74_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="America's Phallus">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-21-patriotic-reflections/302626318_2f9d762c74.jpg" alt="America's Phallus"/>
</a>

**America's Phallus** - A famous monument in Washington. Taken during our trip to D.C. in May, 2004.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-21-patriotic-reflections/302628002_47e04b7d20_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Monticello Reflection">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-21-patriotic-reflections/302628002_47e04b7d20.jpg" alt="Monticello Reflection"/>
</a>

**Monticello Reflection** - A picture of Thomas Jefferson's house taken from the garden. My uncle Jack, the head librarian at the [Jefferson Library](http://www.monticello.org/library/), was showing us around during our trip to Charlottesville in May 2004.

I suspect that Thomas Jefferson would be very disappointed in the theocratic tendencies of current US politics.


Patriotic Reflections


I didn't do anything interesting this weekend. I've still got the tail end of my cold from the previous weekend, and I've been studying for my driver's test on Wednesday. I did find this [great set of sample tests](http://www.dgt.es/revista/test/) on the Dirección General de Tráfico's (like the Spanish DMV) page. Click on that link and select a test from the dropdown menu to see what kind of thing I'm up against. Those are actual questions taken from actual tests. How well could you do? I have to get 90% of the right to pass.

We watched [Todo Sobre Mi Madre](http://imdb.com/title/tt0185125/) last night. The director, Pedro Almodóvar, is a strange man. The best thing about him is that he casts [Penelope Cruz](http://imdb.com/name/nm0004851/) in all his movies. I don't think I would have understood much of the movie if it had been in English, so I didn't follow much at all in Spanish. My Spanish isn't fluent enough yet to understand complex plot shifts involving transvestite prostitutes.

For your entertainment, I give you a cool timelapse video of hot air balloons that I found recently. You gotta admit that it's a pretty cool video.

revver(73260)

Check out how the moon moves throughout the video. It partially gave me the idea for my [Moonrise](/2006/11/06/moonrise/) video.


Hot Air Balloons


Yesterday, I was legally allowed to drive a car in Spain. Today, I am not. Why? Because Spain does not have an agreement with the United States to accept US driver's licenses as valid. They do for the rest of Europe, but not for the US. This, by itself, does not bother me. Frankly, I am appalled at how simple it was to get licensed in the US. My in-car driving test consisted of stopping at one stop sign, and returning to the DMV parking lot.

The problem with such a policy, of course, is that the American businessmen and tourists that travel to Spain and need to rent cars are very good for Spain's economy. So they put a loophole in the law specifying that you can legally drive if you're "just visiting". But they had to place a cutoff point somewhere, for when tourists become immigrants can no longer drive without a Spanish license. This cutoff point is "one year after officially obtaining your residency". That day, for me, is today.

So yesterday, I was a fully-capable, safe driver. And today, I've forgotten how and need to take a test to prove that I still can. It's all to get a little money out of me.

The driving schools in Spain, "autoescuelas", are intimately involved with the process of becoming licensed. You have to take your in-car driving test with a special car from the autoescuela, not in your own car, like in the US. And the autoescuelas manage all the government paperwork for you. But you have to be enrolled with an autoescuela to get these services, and enrollment costs about 300€ ($385). I asked the lady at the local autoescuela if I could still get licensed if I didn't enroll. She said that I could, but that I would have to do all the paperwork myself. Since I already had the didactic materials that this same woman gave me for free several months earlier, and I didn't think I needed any actual driving instruction, I opted for the non-enrollment option. She actually helped me fill out most of the paperwork, which was quite nice of her, considering that I wasn't paying her anything. When I took the paperwork in to the Jefatura de Tráfico, the equivalent of the DMV, in Santander, they made me wait a long time while the people that were from autoescuelas, and are there every week doing paperwork for their enrolled students, and therefore on a first name basis with the government drone behind the glass, got preferential treatment. I also have to take the theory exam in a town farther away than the students at the local autoescuela, because of my non-enrollment.

So anyway, I am scheduled to take the theory exam, which is infamously hard (most Spaniards don't pass it the first time), next Wednesday. I'm studying and taking the exam in Spanish. I'm going to have to drive illegally to the exam location, because I have no other way to get there.

I figure that there isn't any real danger in being caught without a valid license, because the validity depends on me sharing the information of the date of my residency. It would only be a problem if I was in an accident and the insurance companies went digging through paperwork, but I'm just going to have to take that risk.


The Day I Forgot How To Drive


Several times we have seen wine casks in stores and thought, "Man, that would look cool in our dining room!" But we've never bought one, because knew that Grandpa Ramón had one in his attic that he would give us. Well, last weekend, we finally got it from him. The truth is that the barrel is probably not Basque, but we picked it up from the Basque country, and I couldn't resist the rhyming title.1

I'm pretty sure that Grandpa Ramón made his living as a carpenter, making furniture. And I think he told me that he made the stand that it sits on. Either that, or he made another one that he could give us if we didn't like this one (I was sick this weekend and he was speaking a foreign language). <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-15-basque-cask/536580552_8eb64808a1_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2882.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-15-basque-cask/536580552_dc1123e0fd.jpg" alt="CIMG2882.JPG"/>
</a>

You have to admit that it looks pretty cool there nestled in with the golfing trophies, whiskey bottles, and Pamplona San Fermin bandannas.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-15-basque-cask/536581664_5e3eb1fbff_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2883.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-15-basque-cask/536581664_503096541f.jpg" alt="CIMG2883.JPG"/>
</a>

The wine goes in the top and comes out the bottom. Gravity works like that.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-15-basque-cask/536697371_e0dc1798cd_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2884.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-15-basque-cask/536697371_1fdcc92644.jpg" alt="CIMG2884.JPG"/>
</a>

It has this cool little drip guard.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-15-basque-cask/536584848_3f02c4340d_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2885.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-15-basque-cask/536584848_9840f603be.jpg" alt="CIMG2885.JPG"/>
</a>

Un vino tinto, por favor.

The cask supposedly holds 10 liters (13.33 bottles), but we bought two boxes of 5 liters each, and I'm guessing there's still a liter left in the second box after filling the cask completely. I bought the only type of red wine sold at the local wine merchant by quantities bigger than a bottle. All 10 liters cost me 12 € ($15.36), which comes out to $1.15/bottle. It's not great wine, but it's potable and good enough for day-to-day meal accompaniment. Although I think we'll look for another to one to fill it next time. In theory, being in the barrel should improve the quality of the wine, though. Time will tell.

¡Salud!

1Warning: Gratuitous rhyming to follow!

> If you must ask, I shall not mask nor bask in the task of filling your flask or my Basque cask.

Did I miss any?


Basque Cask


It's a slow blogging week. We went to Marga's folks for the weekend and I came down with a cold. From one day to the next, I went from perfectly fine to bedridden. The first time I visited them I did the same thing, as well as the first year I went to Extremadura with them. They must think I have a very weak immune system.

So anyway, I've got a Flickr post for ya... <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-14-wooden-horses/297135556_f2c991a968_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Log Horse">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-14-wooden-horses/297135556_f2c991a968.jpg" alt="Log Horse"/>
</a>

**Log Horse** - An all-wooden horse and buggy at an historical tourist destination in Telford, England in September, 2004.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-14-wooden-horses/297139166_20b154019d_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Riding a Swedish Horse">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-14-wooden-horses/297139166_20b154019d.jpg" alt="Riding a Swedish Horse"/>
</a>

**Riding a Swedish Horse** - These wooden horses can be seen all around Sweden. They are the nations symbol of lucky production. This one was at the Stockholm Zoo in February, 2005.

The best explanation I could find for the origin of this symbol in Sweden was on [this page](http://www.wocmultimedia.com/Grafica2005/sveziauk.htm):

> One day... at the beginning of XX century... a young carpenter from Dalarna, engrossed in his thoughts, was distract carving with is knife a little piece of wood. After some hours of working with his wonder he had made the copy of a little horse that had been grazing all the morning in the lawn of the house. From then on, the little wooden horse became not only the symbol of lucky production but also the mascot of the nation.


Wooden Horses


Last night I tuned in to a [live webcast](http://www.exploratorium.edu/transit/) of the [Transit of Mercury](http://sohowww.nascom.nasa.gov/hotshots/2006_11_06/). It was kind of neat in a "I've never seen that planet live before" kind of way. Luckily for you, the videos at the latter link above are timelapsed. Here are some captures that I made from the broadcast. Due to the heavy server load, the connection was pretty flaky.

![Pic 1](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-09-mercury-rising/538626414_4ff5373b27_o.jpg)

![Pic 2](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-09-mercury-rising/538626418_6d5c43ff51_o.jpg)

![Pic 3](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-09-mercury-rising/538626422_1a326e99b3_o.jpg)

![Pic 4](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-09-mercury-rising/538626424_2c7738b5f2_o.jpg)

To me, the most fascinating thing about the event is that scientists were able to predict the exact minute that it would start and end, and to [simulate it perfectly](http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap061108.html) before it even happened! I wonder what kind of coordinate system they use to model solar orbits. Surely the sun must be at the origin...

Anyway, just thought I'd share. Nothing else happened of interest yesterday...except for Rummy resigning and the blue team capturing the flag again, of course. The cynic in me wants to wait for this news to actually affect anything before celebrating.


Mercury Rising


You don't have to be a professional technology futurist to see that we are quickly approaching the existence of a pocket-sized device that is a camera, mp3 player, cell phone, PDA, and video game player. I've seen this as obvious for several years now. But what I couldn't figure out is what the device would look like. When you see it, it's so forehead-slappingly obvious. iPods already have almost no moving parts, and it's easy to extrapolate cell phone trends to a device that is nothing but a screen. And, if it's ever actually released, we have [Optimus keyboard](http://www.artlebedev.com/everything/optimus/) that has little screens on each key. The usefulness is obvious when you see the pictures.

I present to you, The Black Box:

[![The Black Box](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-09-the-black-box/538754053_96ad8f51e5_o.jpg)](http://webserver.ifdesign.de/beitrag_details.php?offset=23&sprache=1&award_id=124&beitrag_id=28711)

It's a calculator, FM radio, cell phone, video game, etc. The interface changes with each function. This design won the ["iF Design Award" in China for 2006](http://webserver.ifdesign.de/beitrag_details.php?offset=23&sprache=1&award_id=124&beitrag_id=28711). How gorgeous is that?

Stanley Kubrick would be proud.


The Black Box


I finally have my current song blogging properly! It wasn't a short process...

### Background

The absolute simplest way to blog your current song is to use [Last.FM](http://www.last.fm/). They give you an application that you run on your computer (it stays on the dock), and it will "scrobble" (upload to their website) your currently playing song. They use this information to offer you other music and streaming radio to your tastes. There's a whole community aspect of their website that fits in with the new "social networking" internet fad. You can meet people that like the same music you do, for example. All in all, Last.FM is a pretty cool service, and I think they will be a huge success (the [YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/) of 2007?). But I don't want another app open all the time.

Getting your Last.FM playlist into your blog is trivial via [RSS and XML feeds](http://www.audioscrobbler.net/data/webservices/). There are [a handful of Wordpress plugins](http://wp-plugins.net/?filter=last.fm) to faciliate that. But the feeds that do the recent songs don't provide album art (only the Top Albums feed provides album art, via [Amazon](http://amazon.com/)). And the links on the songs link back to Last.FM. Selling music is, after all, their main source of revenue. Wouldn't it be cool if there was a way to link to a vendor that had an affiliate program, so I could get some kickbacks?

Then I found [CG-PowerPack](http://www.chait.net/index.php?p=238), by [Chaitgear](http://www.chait.net/). CG-PowerPack is a collection of PHP scripts that allow you to do lots of useful things, mainly of interest to me: find album art on [Amazon](http://amazon.com/) via artist, song, and album values, link to the product on Amazon with your [Amazon Associates](http://affiliate-program.amazon.com/gp/associates/join) ID, and, crucially, record current track data from HTTP GET requests. This was _exactly_ what I was looking for!

Now, all I had to do was figure out how to automatically send HTTP requests to my blog server with my current track information. Windows users have [iTunesBlogger](http://www.itunesblogger.com/) available to them to do this, but I could not find any equivalent for the Mac. \[Note: I have since found [Recently Tunes](http://freshsqueeze.com/products/freeware/), which I think will do what I was looking for, including uploading html files via ssh, but it still seems a little flaky.\]

### The Script

[Blog Current Song.scpt](/downloads/122/Blog%20Current%20Song.scpt)

The script looks at your current song in iTunes and, if it hasn't changed since the last time it notified the server, it sends an HTTP request to the server with the song information properly encoded. It keeps a file in your home directory called .currentTrack that contains the name of the song last sent to the server.

(Disclaimer: This is the first applescript I have ever written, so the code might suck.)

![Script Screenshot](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-08-applescript-for-blogging-current-itunes-song/538737459_29055cc598_o.gif)

### How To Run It

I have it set up as a cron task to run every minute. You will need the following entry in your [crontab](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crontab) (all on one line!). To modify your crontab, run "crontab -e" in Terminal. This entry assumes that the script is in your home directory.

`0-59 * * * * osascript ~/Blog\ Current\ Song.scpt > /dev/null &`

And voila! My current song is sent to my blog!

### Final Note

The formatting performed by CG-Amazon, one of the CG-PowerPack scripts, is disgusting, so I had to hack cg-amazon.php all to hell to make it fit my formatting standards. You're on your own with that.

Now go buy whatever I'm listening to!


Applescript For Blogging Current iTunes Song


There was a beautiful full moon last night for [bonfires](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonfire_Night) and werewolves alike. I tried to take some pictures of it, but it came out too small. Then I found that I could fit my digital camera's nose into the eyepiece of my binoculars. Unfortunately, I was unable to hold the conjoined unit steady enough to get a clear exposure for a picture.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-06-moonrise/536578906_8f92f2c427_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2873.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-06-moonrise/536578906_fc52172048.jpg" alt="CIMG2873.JPG"/>
</a>

This was the best I could take. There's a faint reddish tint to it since it was so low on the horizon.

I noticed that when I was done fiddling with the binoculars that the moon was a little higher than it was when I first noticed it. So I had the idea to set up my webcam and laptop to take a timelapse video of the moon rising into the night sky.

revver(93287)

Notice that it does not move in a straight line. The path it takes across the sky is [ecliptic](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ecliptic#Ecliptic_and_Moon).

No doubt you will want to watch this video a few times and drag the slider left and right quickly (it's fun, try it!), and Revver's flash interface isn't very helpful for that. So you can download the video here: [93287.mov](http://media.revver.com/qt;sharer=20700/93287.mov) (436 KB).


Moonrise


"Remember, remember, the fifth of November." So goes the rhyme reminding the British of [Guy Fawkes Night](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Fawkes_Night), a night of bonfires and thousands of firecrackers lighting up the crisp November night. The passion with which the British embrace their right to own and set off small explosives is endearing and a little frightening. We remember fondly the noisy early November nights we spent in England.

In Spain, on November 5th, we go to the beach... It was a sunny 22° C (71° F) today, so we went for a walk on the beach.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-05-november-beach/538609602_a38997b3af_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2863.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-05-november-beach/538609602_570a29794b.jpg" alt="CIMG2863.JPG"/>
</a>

We were walking along where the sand is wet enough to be flat and firm. All over the ground there were these little trails (click the image for a larger version). I have no idea what could have caused them. It's like there were lots of worms or slugs around, but there were none! Could something be moving around _below the surface_?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-05-november-beach/536578720_c7e536598e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2864.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-05-november-beach/536578720_771b5df132.jpg" alt="CIMG2864.JPG"/>
</a>

Another picture of this lovely mountain that we can see from our house and is the principle landmark at Laredo beach. It's also at the top of this blog.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-05-november-beach/536692213_55fb421a58_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG2865.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-05-november-beach/536692213_4a87352974.jpg" alt="CIMG2865.JPG"/>
</a>

In the water! On November 5th!!!

When I was in the water, it didn't feel that cold, but as I was walking out, I did lose feeling in my feet. Not really suitable for bathing.


November Beach


My colleague, [Alan Grady](http://www.thegradys.net/?src=erikblog), has taken the most adorable picture of his eldest son, Josh, trying to be like his "Mac geek" father. [![Red Headed Mac Geek](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-03-red-headed-mac-geek/280554638_6c89f948d8.jpg)](http://flickr.com/photos/85727762@N00/280554638/ "Photo Sharing")

Is that not the best ad ever for [MacWorld](http://www.macworld.com/)?

Apparently, Josh can [name all of Apple's product models](http://www.thegradys.net/archives/23).

Watching your offspring mimic your behaviors has got to be one of the more interesting parts of parenting and a real insight into yourself as well. Children are behavioral mirrors, reflecting both the good and bad behaviors.


Red Headed Mac Geek


A couple days this week, Marga has asked to take my camera into work to take some pictures of a product to send to a client. Below is a sample of the kind of images that were on the camera upon its return. \[If you're at all squeamish about dead fish in cans or huge grains of salt, avert your eyes now.\] There were about 60 pictures on the camera. Believe me, I've saved you a lot of redundancy by selecting just these few.

Anchovies are packaged in two forms: the small cans with the peel-back top ([like this](http://www.alibaba.com/catalog/10902025/Canned_Anchovy_Fillets_In_Oil.html)), or in a larger can, packed with salt. The former requires that they go through a several-month conservation process at the plant. For the latter, they are put into the can fresh. These are pictures of the latter type.

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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-02-salted-chovies/538618116_2afc3f466e.jpg" alt="CIMG2831.JPG"/>
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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-02-salted-chovies/538785017_c752fcf3c8.jpg" alt="CIMG2832.JPG"/>
</a>

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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-02-salted-chovies/538621070_c652bd0741.jpg" alt="CIMG2836.JPG"/>
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Put one of those in a bun and eat it! Saltastic!

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</a>

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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-02-salted-chovies/538741901_de5a5a7253.jpg" alt="CIMG2839.JPG"/>
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Yes, that's all salt.

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</a>

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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-02-salted-chovies/538633954_8d91dd66eb.jpg" alt="CIMG2854.JPG"/>
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  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2006-11-02-salted-chovies/538636300_d028667cf2.jpg" alt="CIMG2855.JPG"/>
</a>

Sucore is the name of Marga's company, but they release under other brands as well, such as the "Nortemar" ("North Sea" in English) pictured above.

Pretty interesting, huh? Well, not really...


Salted Chovies


Today is a national holiday in Spain. It's [All Saints Day](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Saints). I can't really figure out what you're supposed to _do_ on All Saint's Day. I was expecting the local church to be holding mass, but it's closed. All the other days, in the Catholic calendar, are given individual saints to honor on that particular day. But "honor all of them" is kind of hard to do. It's like rather than celebrating a birthday of a friend, you decided to have a "Let's celebrate the fact that we're all alive" party. It just doesn't work.

In Spain, what they do is cheat. They use the national holiday on November 1 to celebrate the more celebratable holiday of Defuncts' Day, or [All Souls Day](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls_Day), which really falls on November 2. It's basically a "everybody go to the cemetery and grieve for your dead loved ones" day. Knowing the Spanish, I bet it's even more profitable for the florists than February 14th. Every year, Marga's grandfather takes a 10-hour bus ride to his town in the south of Spain, Higuera de la Serena (where we go in August), to visit the grave of his wife. As far as I can tell, there are no beliefs of ghosts or actual communication with the dead. It's just a national day of grieving.

Anyway, all the shops are closed and Marga's got the day off work. That's how it affects me.

Oh, and it just happens to fall on a [Cross Quarter Day](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-quarter_day), the day perfectly between a [solstice](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solstice) and an [equinox](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equinox). Fancy that.

No, the Spanish don't celebrate Halloween, you filthy capitalist pagans!


24 posts from November, 2006