
Where to even begin explaining this... I guess it started with the Flickr group called [I wake up screaming](http://www.flickr.com/groups/iwus/) (IWUS). You may recall it from my two [blog](/2007/07/12/creepy-bathroom-pimp/ "Bathroom Pimp")[entries](/2007/07/17/happy-cowboy/ "Happy Cowboy") about it. The idea behind the group is to capture disturbing human creations that make you both A) wonder what the hell the artist was thinking spending so much time on such a horrible creation, and B) laugh when you think of the object being in a group called "I wake up screaming". Have a [look around in the group](http://www.flickr.com/groups/iwus/pool/). You'll either "get it" and think it's a clever and funny idea, or you won't. If you don't get it, stop reading now, because everything below will appear completely inane. Through the unexplained powers of destiny, one particular IWUS item has risen from the crowd to be sort of a poster child for the group; and that item is the BITWRATHPLOOB. The name comes from creating a slightly more pronounceable acronym from the original name, "Bucktoothed Rope-Armed Troll-Haired Pantsless Wood Bear". Here it is:

[![](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-31-the-bitwrathploob-project/541128628_9038f6a97d.jpg)](http://www.flickr.com/photos/jagosaurus/541128628/)

Born in Denmark, it was originally found in a thrift store in Denver, Colorado, and mailed as a joke to Arlington, Virginia. From there, it was sent to Slovenia. Around this time, the idea of sending it all around the world appeared. I agreed to participate, but only if it was done right, with an official blog tracking his movements around the globe. And lo it was created:

[BITWRATHPLOOB World Tour](http://www.bitwrathploob.com/)

I've really enjoyed working on the website. I designed [the header image](http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikrasmussen/861504844/), and it's been really interesting learning the Google Maps API to make the [Where is he now?](http://www.bitwrathploob.com/travel-map/) page. I was also inspired to make [a little video](http://www.bitwrathploob.com/2007/07/24/scary-movie/) about it for anyone who wasn't already convinced that it is terrifying. I even set up [a store to buy merchandise](http://www.cafepress.com/bitwrathploob).

So what's the plan?

The goal of the project is for it to continue as it has begun: with each BITWRATHPLOOB host taking and posting pictures of it with local landmarks and then sending it along to another friend that will both understand the incredible importance of the mission and be willing to take and post pictures to the blog before sending the BITWRATHPLOOB along its journey. The final goal is to get pictures of this strange little wood bear from all over the world. If the BITWRATHPLOOB ever arrives to a host who does not know anyone to pass it on to, there is a waiting list of people that have signed up at the website, so that the BITWRATHPLOOB will always have somewhere to go. There are already people on the waiting list from New Zealand, Minnesota, Philadelphia and Delaware. Yes, Delaware.

As it has been said, "This is either a really dumb idea or it's a really dumb idea that people will like."

The BITWRATHPLOOB is scheduled to come visit me some time in August.


The BITWRATHPLOOB Project

Sunday Livestock Show


The in-laws came to visit this weekend, and we went to Santander. The mission? To buy a suit for the second most important man at [my wedding](/wedding/), the father of the bride. He ended up buying it in the same place where [I bought my suit](/2007/03/05/dress-suit-photographer-videographer/). <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943491411_0c887f8a7c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3982.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943491411_d69f84b9c7.jpg" alt="CIMG3982.JPG"/>
</a>

At lunch, I had the best sheep cheese and raisin salad ever.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943478665_bd248ead12_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3984.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943478665_80f33d3483.jpg" alt="CIMG3984.JPG"/>
</a>

I liked the sugar wrapper that came with my coffee.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943468309_e807a1a360_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3987.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943468309_6d694cffbb.jpg" alt="CIMG3987.JPG"/>
</a>

This crocodile attacked us out of nowhere. Luckily, I was able to wrestle it to the ground without hurting it too much.

After lunch, we went to see the "must see" attraction of Santander, the royal Palacio de la Magdalena.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943345461_2eb65e213c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="beachpan">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943345461_7139b5e64b.jpg" alt="beachpan"/>
</a>

I think this beach is called El Sardinero. You can see the palace on the far left. [Here's a shot from above](http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&ie=UTF8&ll=43.46689,-3.773632&spn=0.008005,0.016994&t=h&z=16&iwloc=addr&om=1).

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943170857_e7fb1fc6c2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3993.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943170857_4f5b9e341f.jpg" alt="CIMG3993.JPG"/>
</a>

A huge boat motors by.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944029676_de99c90c6a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3994.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944029676_39a08d241c.jpg" alt="CIMG3994.JPG"/>
</a>

Here you can see the Palacio de la Magdalena on the left.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943205843_7f8dd75822_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3995.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943205843_e059ad2f22.jpg" alt="CIMG3995.JPG"/>
</a>

Something about these boats intrigued me.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944071498_dd9ca6e571_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3996.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944071498_dbd16a1898.jpg" alt="CIMG3996.JPG"/>
</a>

This house is pretty awesome, despite being in ruin.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944085374_6336731923_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3997.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944085374_da89bfe528.jpg" alt="CIMG3997.JPG"/>
</a>

This purple color is all over at this time of year. Beautiful.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944102882_634231fecf_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3998.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944102882_5ec98c3999.jpg" alt="CIMG3998.JPG"/>
</a>

Hedgetastic.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944116670_627dd6177d_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3999.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944116670_3d52c963fe.jpg" alt="CIMG3999.JPG"/>
</a>

The beaches were packed. You might have to click on this one to see it larger.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944140144_3c77558687_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4000.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944140144_5e98bec0d3.jpg" alt="CIMG4000.JPG"/>
</a>

[Sealy Posturepedic](http://www.sealy.com/)™

The seals and sea lions at the palace were having their afternoon siesta.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944164820_9b04cb76ea_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4001.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944164820_21a2328bb5.jpg" alt="CIMG4001.JPG"/>
</a>

This guy couldn't even be bothered to keep his head above water. He reluctantly flexed his abs to lift his nostrils above water every two minutes or so.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943338895_26d30afeaa_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4002.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943338895_0196c597b3.jpg" alt="CIMG4002.JPG"/>
</a>

These seals have got the right idea.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944190602_604d98c5c6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4003.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944190602_df26a06002.jpg" alt="CIMG4003.JPG"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943351173_c45e6cc728_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4004.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943351173_f1d85d7d87.jpg" alt="CIMG4004.JPG"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944204160_1e450a4d72_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4005.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944204160_4caab76c41.jpg" alt="CIMG4005.JPG"/>
</a>

Creeping, flowering vine on the palace wall.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943378341_59c49ad8bb_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4006.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943378341_cabf48cac7.jpg" alt="CIMG4006.JPG"/>
</a>

Me and the in-laws.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943389721_cfd8f893ce_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4008.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943389721_10601f67cb.jpg" alt="CIMG4008.JPG"/>
</a>

[Platonic shadows](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plato%27s_allegory_of_the_cave) of the perfect scooter.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943409847_08c1b0e915_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4009.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943409847_e662003b5c.jpg" alt="CIMG4009.JPG"/>
</a>

A walled path.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943423989_ea486d813b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4010.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/943423989_7db43306ea.jpg" alt="CIMG4010.JPG"/>
</a>

The gardeners of the city of Santander deserve a round of applause.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944281092_1421b78bb4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4011.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944281092_cfcdd0b1f4.jpg" alt="CIMG4011.JPG"/>
</a>

A house I will never have enough money to buy.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944295116_dc2e84fdcf_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG4012.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-29-saturday-in-santander/944295116_72e8804c23.jpg" alt="CIMG4012.JPG"/>
</a>

At the end of our walk, Marce was parched. Luckily God put this shrine to some virgin for us to drink from.

In the end, we accomplished our mission, and got to spend a fantastic afternoon out in the sun. The father of the groom will definitely have the second-nicest suit at the wedding. ;-)


Saturday in Santander


We took a walk down by the harbor yesterday evening, and ended up discovering a boat with a pretty cool name. Yesterday was the best weather we've had yet this summer, and it wasn't warm enough to wear shorts for our evening walk. That's how bad our summer has been so far. We haven't been to the beach at all yet. We went several times a week in previous Julys. <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/903216976_5bd9b6d6a3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3972.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/903216976_6757002707.jpg" alt="CIMG3972.JPG"/>
</a>

This reflection looked particularly pretty.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/902372221_a7f55f1e34_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3973.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/902372221_44fccd08a1.jpg" alt="CIMG3973.JPG"/>
</a>

Then we saw this boat up out of the water for maintenance. If you read [yesterday's post](/2007/07/25/santiago/), you know what the name means, why it was significant to yesterday's date, and why it was significant to us.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/902379413_14ca11ace2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3974.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/902379413_e098424747.jpg" alt="CIMG3974.JPG"/>
</a>

From the Canary Islands.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/902386301_cbd9e1b8a7_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3975.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/902386301_c8f9aede99.jpg" alt="CIMG3975.JPG"/>
</a>

I thought the depth markings were pretty cool.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/903258072_d00092c355_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3976.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/903258072_b1a5eb4bc6.jpg" alt="CIMG3976.JPG"/>
</a>

This cross was pretty creepy, a few meters out into [the rí­a](/2007/06/08/afternoon-by-the-ria/), where it will get covered by seawater twice a day. A grave?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/903297162_1f901c9505_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3937.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-26-boats-and-stuff/903297162_5b1418cb75.jpg" alt="CIMG3937.JPG"/>
</a>

This photo is from a week ago, but it fits in here.


Boats and Stuff


I enjoyed this. It's a little animation made over a recording of the philosopher Alan Watts. If you don't recognize the style of animation immediately, then you won't recognize the names of the creators. 

It made me think of my paternal grandfather, because music, his career, and education were so important to him.


Life and Music


<img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-santiago/19383812183_748e597165_t.jpg" alt="Santiago Matamoros" class="post-thumb"/>Today is a holiday in many parts of Spain, including Colindres, because it is the official day of Santiago. Santiago was the disciple of Jesus credited with bringing Christianity to Spain. This morning, I told Marga, "I just realized that today is the closest thing I have to a Saint Day." "But your name's not Santiago," she said. I responded, "My middle name is, though."  In my Spanish classes in high school, we learned that, in Spain (which, like most Americans, we didn't really differentiate from Mexico), everyone had and celebrated their Saint Day. Since everyone's name matches up with the name of a Catholic saint, and every saint has a day of the year associated with it, one day, every year, matched your name, and that day was celebrated much like a birthday, with a party and presents. "_Two birthdays???_ Cooool!!!", we said. The reality is that Spain has become so god-damned secular that you're lucky to even get a "Happy Saint Day!" wish even if your name is super-biblical Maria or José or Juan or Santiago.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-santiago/19383812183_c6ed6e26d1_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Santiago Matamoros">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-santiago/19383812183_748e597165_n.jpg" alt="Santiago Matamoros"/>
</a>

If you're like I was when I visited [Santiago de Compostela](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago_de_Compostela) last year, you're thinking, "Wait! Santiago is a biblical name!??" When I asked Marga this last year, she said, "Duh! The _apostle_!?" Whah!? I might not be able to enumerate the [whole dozen](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelve_Apostles "Hint: Two Simons and two Jameses") from rote memory, but I'm pretty sure I would recognize all their names. It wasn't until I got home and bathed myself under the illuminating knowledge lamp that is Wikipedia that it all became clear. [Santiago](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santiago) is a name that the Spanish made up out of the blue for [Saint James](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James%2C_son_of_Zebedee). Or perhaps he chose the name for himself when (if he really) he came to Spain.

I'm very pleased to just now read, further down on [St. James' Wikipedia entry](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James%2C_son_of_Zebedee), that he returned from the dead heaven exactly 800 years after his death to fight the Moors and eat their brains at the [Battle of Clavijo](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Clavijo), and is thus the reason for the existence of Marga's first surname, Matamoros, which means _Moor slayer_, or in more modern words, _Arab killer_. That the meaning of her last name is so socially taboo just tickles me. It was particularly funny in England, when people would see her surname and say, "Aww, isn't that beautiful! It contains the word 'amor'!!" Lovely.

I see from the sidebar we've got just enough time to travel [around the world](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Around_the_World_in_Eighty_Days "80 days") before the wedding...if there wasn't so much planning to do.


Santiago


We have recently become aware of a fancy-schmancy B&B in Upper Colindres (Colindres de Arriba). So today, we went to investigate it as a possible lodging for American [wedding](/wedding/) guests. It's called [Casa de Valle](http://www.casadevalle.com/) (Valley House) and is in the ancient part of Colindres that's up on a hill and thus called Colindres de Arriba. It's an absolutely gorgeous rustic mansion, kept impeccably clean and beautiful. And the price reflects that.

This B&B is about a 10-minute walk from our house, whereas the other one-star hotel is only about 5 minute. Obviously, the last part of the walk is uphill. You have to walk past the [town hall](/2007/03/02/town-gazebo/) to get there.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895923804_0accbe2988_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3961.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895923804_9e31e0c9b9.jpg" alt="CIMG3961.JPG"/>
</a>

We also passed by the official town duck pond. This fellow amazed us with his strength and balance as he supported this enormous log using only his little avian noggin.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895936074_74a05128c6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3962.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895936074_41f7f22778.jpg" alt="CIMG3962.JPG"/>
</a>

The breakfast area was beautiful.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895949362_2de68dd97c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3963.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895949362_9df7e43fdf.jpg" alt="CIMG3963.JPG"/>
</a>

The view out the window in the dining room. That's a parking area to the right.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895111817_90c960ba07_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3964.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895111817_56f153e39e.jpg" alt="CIMG3964.JPG"/>
</a>

The bedrooms were all on the second floor (that's 3rd to you yanks). This was the hallway on that floor.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895120317_1a9758eab6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3965.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895120317_6022636964.jpg" alt="CIMG3965.JPG"/>
</a>

The yellow bedroom. Check out the angels in the light fixture.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895129927_a0df4f062b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3966.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895129927_9d6a614798.jpg" alt="CIMG3966.JPG"/>
</a>

The view towards Laredo from the yellow bedroom. From near to far: Cows, major motorway that cannot be heard with the windows closed, buildings in Laredo, and Mount Buciero in the distance.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895981898_4749fdad24_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3967.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895981898_68ff416ad2.jpg" alt="CIMG3967.JPG"/>
</a>

The blue room.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895151903_b0058fa305_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3968.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895151903_9273639cda.jpg" alt="CIMG3968.JPG"/>
</a>

The view from the blue bedroom. This is the road the B&B is on. Rural enough for ya?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/896004688_f3e1ae3b3a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3969.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/896004688_ec683e27b2.jpg" alt="CIMG3969.JPG"/>
</a>

One of the bedrooms had two small single beds.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895171227_a37d347e01_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3970.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/895171227_3bdb576521.jpg" alt="CIMG3970.JPG"/>
</a>

Stairwell vertigo.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/896030412_bfd6fc9a49_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3971.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/896030412_0cefd3a07e.jpg" alt="CIMG3971.JPG"/>
</a>

Plus, if you stay at this B&B, when you walk the 800 meters into town, you get to walk by this mysterious, curiosity-inducing, Stephen King door into the side of a cliff. The local legend is that this is where they put the foreigners that come to weddings without huge monetary gifts.

Unfortunately, the two days we're looking at people staying there are October 10 and 11, and the 11th is [priced](http://www.casadevalle.com/tarifas.htm) as part of the "high season" because it's next to a holiday. In the high season, the 66€ rooms jump up to 81€. We told the woman which days we needed, and then later we said, so it's 66€ per room per night, right? And she agreed, so in theory, we get the same cheap "low season" price both nights, but I'm not 100% positive that she understood what she was saying, so I'll show the higher prices for the 11th so that people will be pleasantly surprised by the lower price when they get here rather than unpleasantly surprised by a higher price. The other problem is that they don't have enough rooms for everyone. Here's what they have:

table.hotel-prices { width: 100%; } table.hotel-prices thead { background-color: #E5ECF7; font-weight: bold; text-align:center; } table.hotel-prices td.room { background-color: #E5ECF7; font-weight: bold; text-align:center; } table.hotel-prices td.price { text-align:center; }

10th

11th

Room 1

one double bed

66€

81€

Room 2

one double bed

66€

81€

Room 3

two single beds put together

66€

81€

Room 4

two smaller single beds separated

66€

81€

Suite 1

one double bed and one sofa in an entrance area

96€

???

I don't know if the suite price goes up on the 11th like the others, but we should assume that it will also go up 15€. Oh, and the bathrooms are all pristine and gorgeous. The woman that runs the place claims to know how to say, "Here's your breakfast," in English, but not much more.

The people I have confirmed for the moment are: Jamie & Lynne, Kate & Paul, Andrew, and Tom & Debbi for both the 10th and 11th, and Jack & Diane, and Olivia for the 11th only. They could all fit **IF** either Andrew and Olivia shared the two-single-bed room on the 11th (and one couple coughed up for the suite), or if Olivia slept on the sofa in the suite with her parents.

Neither confirmed nor denied American visitors for these days are: John & Linda, Amy & David, Jacob & Melissa, and Michael & Liz. If the confirmed visitors fill up the Casa de Valle, the unconfirmed will have to stay in the one-star Monte Carlo hotel in "Lower" Colindres, or in one of the many hotels in Laredo, a five-minute drive away. The Monte Carlo will probably be much cheaper (and look like it).

On the way back home, we stopped by the Monte Carlo to ask about their prices and see their rooms. The bartender told us to come back later when the manager was there, but that he was pretty sure that the prices hadn't even been set for October yet and they weren't taking reservations that far in advance. What a bunch of clowns.

So if you're listed here, you should start deciding whether you prefer a cheaper place in town or a pricey place five minutes walk out of town. I suspect that other, more normal hotels, will be +/- 50€ per room per night, and that the Monte Carlo might be a little less than that. If you're in the unconfirmed list, I recommend that you confirm (if you have already, and I've forgotten, I apologize). You can email me or leave a comment below.

## UPDATE!!!

We went by the Montecarlo this evening and found that the rooms are 44€ per night, all with individual bathroom, television, etc. Breakfast **not** included. If it were me, I would stay at the Montecarlo. But at least now you know that you have a more classy option.

Some photos:<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/898776432_2789013f6b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3977.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/898776432_48f88afde2.jpg" alt="CIMG3977.JPG"/>
</a>

From across the street.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/897930683_be7ff56e4e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3978.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-25-the-colindres-hotel-situation/897930683_a3f89cfadb.jpg" alt="CIMG3978.JPG"/>
</a>

From down the street, later at night. Hard to miss.


The Colindres Hotel Situation


Most mornings I watch the previous day's edition of the [NBC Nightly News (with Brian Williams)](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/). Yesterday, they did a report on "Bullfighting in Spain" (viewable with ads at link above), where Brian introduced it as,

> And now we go to Spain, where, tonight, perhaps the best known national custom is under attack. A lot of people think it's high time to do away with a traditional pastime. They want to ban bullfighting, because, they say, it amounts to torture.

They later show a protest in the streets of Barcelona against bullfighting and drop the figure that "72% of people in the Barcelona region oppose bullfighting".

So, in the region most opposed to bullfighting, bullfighting is almost as well supported as President Bush in his _entire_ country. I imagine that the region of the US that most opposes Bush probably thinks that _his_ actions "amount to torture". Sorry, that political jab escaped unintentionally.

This is _so_ not news in Spain. The real news in Spain is that Barcelona has lifted its ban on bullfighting and recently hosted its first bullfight in years. Chances are that that's where the protest footage was from. So this means bullfighting opposition is _weakening_ in Spain, not growing, as the news piece suggested. They also don't mention that one of the main reasons that people in Catalunya (the "state" where Barcelona is located) oppose bullfighting is that they oppose anything Spanish. They want to be an independent country, with their own language and government and want little to do with Spain. From how much they won't shut up about it, I'd say that they are even more adamant about it than the Basques. The Catalunyan separatists just aren't dumbasses like the Basque separatists and are going about it peacefully and politically.

The other bit of context missing from the news report is that there is a protest march on the streets of Spain _every single day_! Every day on the news here, they show some multi-hundred crowd somewhere protesting their particular grievance in the street. People love to protest. As Michael Moore put so succinctly in [Sicko](/2007/07/09/sicko/), "In Europe the governments fear the people, and in the US, the people fear the government." We're talking about the country where, if a high school tries to change the class schedule by fifteen minutes, the entire student body goes _on strike_ and doesn't go to school the next day. Marga lost count of how many days of high school she missed because the student body was protesting something, often unrelated to the school administration at all. And she was usually just annoyed by missing school the way Lisa Simpson would be.

So, to conclude, they went to Y, the city most opposed to X, reported how X has been declining in Y, neglecting to mention the real news of X making a comeback in Y, and then concluded that X may soon be coming to an end. Do you think it would be fair for a Spanish news crew to go to, say, Seattle and ask about the future of NASCAR and talk about how NASCAR is clearly opposed and on the decline?1 Not enough Harry Potter news to fill the half hour, apparently. Pretty shoddy journalism, nonetheless.

To be fair, Brian Williams remained completely neutral. That's one of the things that makes him some of the only US news media that I can stand. He's good at saying, "Some people oppose...", or "According to some people...". For that, I thank him.

1I have no idea about NASCAR's support or lack of support in Seattle. It was just the best example I could think of.


Bullfighting on NBC Nightly News


At the risk of my dear readers thinking I'm a drunk slob, I'll share this grape-based epiphany.

Last week, a glass that had contained some wine was left out for a few days and the remaining wine almost dried up completely. The result was this accidental work of art.<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-23-stained-glass-literally/877029928_3aef907810_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Stained Glass (1 of 3)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-23-stained-glass-literally/877029928_2ebe4224ea.jpg" alt="Stained Glass (1 of 3)"/>
</a>

Pretty cool, huh? Better than [grease](/2007/02/23/greasy-art/ "Oh, those summer nights!"), at least.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-23-stained-glass-literally/877029762_0e56ab866c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Stained Glass (2 of 3)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-23-stained-glass-literally/877029762_37ac856cc6.jpg" alt="Stained Glass (2 of 3)"/>
</a>

It started to drip and morph as I was holding it up to the sky to photograph.

And that's when the miracle happened.....BEHOLD!!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-23-stained-glass-literally/877029976_1a0160535e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Stained Glass (2 of 3)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-23-stained-glass-literally/877029976_a221034e33.jpg" alt="Stained Glass (2 of 3)"/>
</a>

This is pretty obviously an image of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, manifested in the very medium by which He told us to imbibe His Love. But then I got to thinking that most holy visions, particularly in Spain, are of the Virgin Mary...and that's when it started to look more like the Virgin Mother. I was really on to something here. This item could be worth a lot of money!

But then it occurred to me that it could really be an image of [anyone with long, straight hair](http://images.google.com/images?q=Alanis+Morissette "Like this person?"). So I took it into the kitchen, poured some dish detergent in it and scrubbed it clean.


Stained Glass, Literally


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393360_85ecf5dce5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="CIMG3947">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393360_ff8a05031c_t.jpg" alt="CIMG3947"/>
</a>

[Rosana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosana_Arbelo) is one of Marga's favorite singers. She's the only artist that Marga has followed at all through her ten-year career. If Marga had ever purchased a CD, it would have been by Rosana. Back in 2000, when my new Spanish girlfriend told me that Rosana was her favorite artist, I immediately bought her first two CDs and kept them in my car's 6-CD changer for the full year and a half that we lived on separate continents, so Rosana holds a special place in my heart as well. She helped teach me Spanish.

Last night, we saw her live in concert. As we were driving to the concert, I was trying to think of how to describe Rosana's music in terms of other artists I know. It was very difficult. Her songs vary in style from Reggae to Flamenco to Jazz to Rock, with harmonica, steel drums, and bongos. Suffice it to say, she'd have fit in perfectly in [Lilith Fair](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilith_Fair), with Sarah McLachlan, Sheryl Crow, the Indigo Girls, Lisa Loeb, etc.

Rosana absolutely despises fame. One of the fans waiting in line at the concert told us that for her first few years as a singer, she refused to do any live performances on stage because she was so shy or embarrassed. All the photos of her on her albums were blurry and distant. She never does television interviews or performances. I can only assume that she does a concert tour every now and then to pay the bills. Her album sales are almost completely word of mouth. I learned from her Wikipedia page that her first album gained some international recognition because two of the tracks were used in the soundtrack for a B Movie, and thus sold more copies than any album since. She wears no make-up, has never once attempted to promote herself as "sexy", and, as you'll see below, doesn't feel the need to wear a bra, either. Her passion is singing, and she does the minimum required to make a career out of it.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393280_cce53101d9_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Racing Club">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393280_35ed11f64a.jpg" alt="Racing Club"/>
</a>

The concert was across from the football soccer stadium for Santander's primer league team, [Real Racing Club de Santander](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_Racing_Club_de_Santander). Why they've chosen the English gerund "racing" is beyond me.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393288_9d4e87ecb8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Palacio de Deportes de Santander">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393288_2abd5d47a4.jpg" alt="Palacio de Deportes de Santander"/>
</a>

The concert was in this building, the Palacio de Deportes. It looks a little like a Roswell crash site, if you ask me.

We got there an hour early, and were second in one of the lines to get in. It was general admission, so once they opened the gates, 15 minutes before the concert began, we got to run in and get up next to the stage. We debated this for a moment, but I talked Marga into it. There's a huge difference between a concert standing by the stage and one sitting 50 meters from it. Plus, Rosana's audience is not the kind to push and shove. As if to give me a perfect example of this, to my right at the barrier, there was a gaping hole for about two meters, made to allow for two women in wheelchairs to see the concert up close. Three times during the concert, people, having seen the hole next to the stage, came to eagerly fill it, saw the wheelchairs, apologized, and went back into the crowd. This is how comfortable we were up next to the stage.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393310_7ad3a4475a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Rosana">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393310_8ec927731e.jpg" alt="Rosana"/>
</a>

I was unaware that she played the guitar. But then I knew so little about her...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393360_85ecf5dce5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3947">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393360_ff8a05031c.jpg" alt="CIMG3947"/>
</a>

White guitars, too!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393382_0c0175f4c5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Fans">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393382_4191ba5d47.jpg" alt="Fans"/>
</a>

I realized that I had no proof that we were there so close taking these pictures, so I made this attempt. Unlucky aim and pudgy cheeks.

Rosana has some incredible charisma. A few times she looked right at me and smiled, which was an incredibly warming feeling. I swear that she's the only singer that, and I've told Marga this many times, when I'm listening to her albums, I can actually _hear her smile_. It's hard to explain. This was confirmed visually throughout the concert. Marga noted after the concert that Rosana has a definite sparkle in her eye, a special something that only poets like Rosana could describe.

During her first of two encores, she did something that blew my mind. She walked off the stage and came out into the crowd, kissing and hugging her fans, letting them take pictures with her, while _singing the whole time_! Due more to being unlucky than a lack of understanding of fluid dynamics and swarm theory, I was unable to get a kiss, but I did get a hand on her shoulder for a few seconds. After walking all the way back to the seats (it was a basketball stadium) and kissing some older women and children, she lead everybody in a conga line, before returning to the stage.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393464_d0f04fa5a6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Among the crowd">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/869393464_5dcda6db64.jpg" alt="Among the crowd"/>
</a>

In a mass of CCD\-carrying fans.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/868625433_2e61bd9fa4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3953">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/868625433_a924d87236.jpg" alt="CIMG3953"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/868625533_1db6e473f3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3956">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/868625533_ab8392a798.jpg" alt="CIMG3956"/>
</a>

She's got a great smile.

My respect for her tripled with this stunt. She didn't have to be so generous and caring as to walk out among us. We would have gone home happy even if she hadn't. But her "I'm not special" philosophy brought her out to party with us at our level. As I've mentioned, her audience is mature. A teen heart-throb or a rock star with drugged up fans couldn't do this even if they wanted to. But she could, and she did, and we were _very impressed_.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/868625639_ef2bfb7725_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3957">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/868625639_aa70a98341.jpg" alt="CIMG3957"/>
</a>

Rosana and the band, bowing on stage.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/868625715_d828075ac1_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3958">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-22-rosana/868625715_e6b0c827f0.jpg" alt="CIMG3958"/>
</a>

After the bow, they got down on their knees to worship the fans. She stopped between each song to thank us for our applause as well. Classy.

For her second encore, she performed what is definitely my favorite Spanish song, called _Si Tíº No Estás Aquí­_ (If You Aren't Here). Here's the video I found for it on YouTube:

I was unaware that she played the guitar for this song and did it entirely solo. This, of course, doubled my respect for her again.

> No quiero estar sin ti Si tíº no estás aquí­ me sobra el aire No quiero estar así­ Si tíº no estás la gente se hace nadie
> 
> Si tíº no estás aquí­ no sé Que diablos hago amándote Si tíº no estás aquí­ sabrás Que Dios no va a entender por qué te vas
> 
> No quiero estar sin ti Si tíº no estás aquí­ me falta el sueño No quiero andar así­ Latiendo un corazón de amor sin dueño
> 
> Si tíº no estás aquí­ no sé...
> 
> Derramaré mis sueños si algíºn dí­a no te tengo Lo más grande se hará lo más pequeño Pasearé en un cielo sin estrellas esta vez Tratando de entender quién hizo un infierno el paraí­so No te vayas nunca porque
> 
> No puedo estar sin ti Si tíº no estás aquí­ me quema el aire
> 
> Si tíº no estás aquí­ no sé...
> 
> Si tíº no estás aquí­

And my horribly un-poetic translation for you:

> I don't want to be without you If you're not here, I have too much air I don't want to be like this If you're not here, the people become no one
> 
> If you're not here, I don't know What the hell I'm doing loving you If you're not here, you'll know That God won't understand why you go
> 
> I don't want to be without you If you're not here, I lose sleep I don't want to go on like this Beating a heart of love without owner
> 
> If you're not here, I don't know...
> 
> I will spill my dreams if I don't have you one day The biggest thing will become the smallest I'll walk in a sky without stars this time Trying to understand who turned paradise into hell Don't ever go, because...
> 
> I can't be without you If you're not here, the air burns me
> 
> If you're not here, I don't know...
> 
> If you're not here.

I love the "burning air" line. If the song weren't obviously so inappropriate, we'd use it in our wedding video. As it is, Rosana will definitely be featured on its soundtrack somehow.

A guy waiting in line to get into the concert told us that he also had tickets to a Norah Jones concert, her second of two in all of Spain this year, in Vitoria (probably in the same place [we saw David Bisbal](/2007/07/02/david-bisbal/)), but that he couldn't go because of work-related issues. When he told us, I was extremely disappointed that we hadn't heard about that other concert and gone to see Norah instead. But I'm pretty sure we wouldn't have left Norah's concert with such good "Wow, that was an awesome concert!" smiles on our faces. We were truly impressed by Rosana.

Gracias a ti, Rosana.


Rosana


Mondragon, the town where Marga grew up, is a rather difficult place to get to. It's situated in a mountain valley in the Basque Country. Until this year, getting to it by car required driving through some winding mountain passes. A couple years ago, they began a major highway project in the Basque Country, and are building a major motorway that will run right by Mondragon. The travel time from Mondragon to nearby cities will be more than cut in half. As with most Progress, the surrounding countryside has been damaged altered. <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-20-the-changing-face-of-mondragon/858710717_eaa361624a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Balcony Pan - 2001">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-20-the-changing-face-of-mondragon/858710717_e3e1365a5b.jpg" alt="Balcony Pan - 2001"/>
</a>

I took this photo in October, 2001, when I was visiting Mondragon for the second time. I had no idea when I was there on October 13, 2001, that I would be getting married in the same town six years later.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-20-the-changing-face-of-mondragon/858710771_a30343d6db_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Balcony Pan - 2007">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-20-the-changing-face-of-mondragon/858710771_72cc829b0e.jpg" alt="Balcony Pan - 2007"/>
</a>

I took this picture last weekend. July, 2007.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-20-the-changing-face-of-mondragon/858710841_37c7b4b946_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Combined Balcony Pan - 2001 and 2007">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-20-the-changing-face-of-mondragon/858710841_0a64c21793.jpg" alt="Combined Balcony Pan - 2001 and 2007"/>
</a>

Here you can see the two combined. They've cut the side of the mountain right open to make room for the motorway.

I recommend that you view the larger versions on Flickr by clicking on them. You can really tell the difference in camera quality between then and now.

You will notice that I've changed how the comments work here. I've been meaning to do this for a long time. You no longer have to be logged in to post a comment, you just have to be able to do a little math. This should stop spam bots and all but the most clever three-year-olds from posting their nonsense here.


The Changing Face of Mondragon


Glad to see you all [survived the night](/2007/07/18/si-dios-quiere/). I watched [Transformers](http://www.transformersmovie.com/) last night. I'm not a big fan of the comic book genre, so I went in with low expectations, and was pleasantly surprised. There's something so geekily gleeful about a sports car that turns into a giant robot. The film required a lot of disbelief suspension, but the special effects were simply astounding. The line between which pixels were reflected light off someone's skin and which were rendered by a computer is completely blurred now. Unlike the 21-year-old lead actors in this movie, I was the right age at the peak of the Transformers cartoon and action figures reign and recall deep envy of my friend, Jacob's, Megatron toy.

Today just some random photos that don't fit with anything else.<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-19-spider-puddle/850775662_2771aeebf7_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3898">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-19-spider-puddle/850775662_67c491ca1a.jpg" alt="CIMG3898"/>
</a>

In a park in Bilbao, Spain.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-19-spider-puddle/850775740_693b6f686a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Arachnid Umbra">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-19-spider-puddle/850775740_8894e6f485.jpg" alt="Arachnid Umbra"/>
</a>

This fellow crawled in my window the other day. He might be small, but he cast a menacing [shadow](/2006/09/07/shadow-parts/)!


Spider Puddle


Learning a foreign language gives you a perspective on that language that the native speakers don't have. Some phrases become so ingrained into the language, that their original, literal meaning fades. For instance, saying, "Catch you later!" when departing from someone might be a little confusing or frightening for a foreigner who didn't understand all the intricacies of the verb "to catch", even though the phrase is simply meant to say "goodbye". Even the word "goodbye", in English, French, and Spanish, no longer carries the original "go with God" meaning. And so I turn to the Spanish phrase, "si Dios quiere". It literally means "if God wants", but a more meaningful translation would be "if it be God's will". I've only ever heard it tacked on to the end of "Hasta mañana", which means "Until tomorrow" or "See you tomorrow". I've heard it primarily used by Marga's mother and grandfather. So, imagine my thoughts upon hearing it the first few times.

> **Me:** Hasta mañana. **Grandpa:** Hasta mañana, si Dios quiere.

Or, in English:

> **Me:** See you tomorrow. **Grandpa:** See you tomorrow, if it be God's will.

How horribly morbid to remind me as I'm heading off for bed that an omnipotent, capricious, sky deity might strike me dead between now and tomorrow morning! That's like saying, "See you tomorrow...if one of us doesn't die first." While I think it's healthy to occasionally be reminded that life is short and getting shorter every second and we should _carpe diem_ and all that, it initially struck me as a terribly distasteful thing to say in parting.

I have since come to understand that "si Dios quiere" is one of those phrases whose original meaning has become so watered down with regular use that it's simply a matter of unthinking habit. A similar example in English is saying "Bless you!" when someone sneezes. The speaker isn't literally implying that you've been possessed with demons and need God's help, even though that's what it literally means. People have just heard others say it so much, like the sound of it, and repeat it out of habit. Personally, I make a conscious effort to avoid saying "si Dios quiere" and "bless you", trying to do my part to rid the world of unnecessary superstition, but I can't say that I always succeed.

I leave you on a humorous note, humorous, at least, to a native English speaker. The Spanish equivalent of saying "Bless you!" is to say "Jesus!" So next time someone sneezes, turn to them and shout "Jesus!"

See you tomorrow...if we survive the night........


Si Dios Quiere


On Sunday, we had dinner in a restaurant with Marga's aunt and grandfather. The meal was good, but unremarkable. As we were leaving the restaurant, I spotted the most horrible porrón ever, sitting up on a shelf. It took me a moment to realize what I was seeing.

Warning, what you're about to see may cause nightmares. A [porrón](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porr%C3%B3n) is a Spanish wine decanter, usually made of glass or clay pottery, designed to be drunk directly from. The idea is that you lift it above you head, tilt it towards you, and a stream of wine comes shooting out, hopefully into your mouth. [Like so](http://www.flickr.com/search/?w=all&q=porron+vino&m=tags).

Imagine, for a moment, lifting one of these things up above your face and drinking from it. Got the image in your mind? Good, now cast your innocent eyes upon this object... (scroll down)

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-17-happy-cowboy/836075534_4cd6f884d9_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Happy Cowboy">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-17-happy-cowboy/836075534_f8489a7b84.jpg" alt="Happy Cowboy"/>
</a>

I can't be certain, but I get the sense that there's something vaguely _sexual_, almost erotic about this object. It's almost as if there's just a hint of _masculinity_, as well.

I bet that right after ancient humans started carving things, the first things they carved were, in order: spears, bowls, and phalli.


Happy Cowboy


For various reasons, we visited Mondragon again this weekend. On Sunday, I got to see the sill from my recent post, [Sill Traffic](/2007/07/13/sill-traffic/). I was surprised to see that it had been cleaned up, a new road surface put down, the skier properly removed, and that traffic was flowing normally. <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-17-sill-traffic-followup/835053125_31e95812b6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Clean Sill Traffic (1 of 2)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-17-sill-traffic-followup/835053125_860b4b9ac0.jpg" alt="Clean Sill Traffic (1 of 2)"/>
</a>

You can see the skier at the far end there.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-17-sill-traffic-followup/835053185_0e459d3182_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Clean Sill Traffic (2 of 2)">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-17-sill-traffic-followup/835053185_80a11f703b.jpg" alt="Clean Sill Traffic (2 of 2)"/>
</a>

Cool reflections off the paint.

I just wanted to let all my concerned readers know that the situation has been solved.


Sill Traffic Followup


Occasionally I (hypothetically) download whatever movies have the [strongest torrents](http://thepiratebay.org/top/201). These are usually recently (or soon-to-be) released films that lots of people are currently downloading. Due to the nature of bittorrent, the more people are downloading the same thing, the faster everyone's downloads are. Initially counter-intuitive, I know. Anyway, the other week, I (hypothetically) downloaded a movie I'd never heard of called [Hot Fuzz](http://imdb.com/title/tt0425112/). In short, it's a comedy about an overzealous London cop that gets transferred to a sleepy backwater village in the middle of the countryside and discovers that the little village isn't as sleepy as it first appears. A few of the London cops were played by fairly famous British comedy actors, but I didn't recognize any of the principal characters. Although there's nothing particularly British about the storyline, the comedy was "spot on", as they say on that rainy island. It doesn't deserve the abnormally high 8.3 rating it has on IMDB right now, but it's a good flick.

I highly recommend that any of my readers see Hot Fuzz. I had a big smile on my face when the credits rolled by, and I suspect you will too.


Hot Fuzz


None of the photos in this post were posed by me. I found the scene just as shown. These toys were part of the attic cleaning I mentioned [earlier](/2007/07/03/jesus-was-polydactyl/ "Freaky Messiah"). <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-13-sill-traffic/797055464_1fb55ab4ce_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3488">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-13-sill-traffic/797055464_fb5b97d559.jpg" alt="CIMG3488"/>
</a>

You can tell this is Europe by the shape of the tractor trailer. One of the first things Marga said when visiting the US was how all the trucks looked just like in the movies. For instance, compare the flat bus-face of a [European truck](http://www.flickr.com/photos/ntalikeris/262403454/) with the long nose of an [American truck](http://www.flickr.com/photos/54177448@N00/389828793/).

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-13-sill-traffic/797055474_f45a3e5806_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3489">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-13-sill-traffic/797055474_8ba5a8c1c4.jpg" alt="CIMG3489"/>
</a>

Man, this traffic jam (window jamb?) is really bad! I wonder what could be causing it?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-13-sill-traffic/797055906_acf7ba1907_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3490">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-13-sill-traffic/797055906_2cca5e7729.jpg" alt="CIMG3490"/>
</a>

Typical! If I had a euro-cent for every time an enormously tall cross-country skier caused a traffic jam by blocking an entire lane of traffic...


Sill Traffic


I took this picture last time I was in Mondragon, in Grandpa Ramón's house. When I was in the bathroom, I noticed this strange character in the corner, sitting in a wooden chair. To see him better, I moved his arm, which pivoted up into this rapper pose. It seemed worthy of a Flickr Group I've been frequenting, via [sgazzetti](http://www.isoglossia.com/), called [I Wake Up Screaming](http://www.flickr.com/groups/iwus/pool/), which is full of creepy little characters like this.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-12-creepy-bathroom-pimp/782901551_1c4b1ae3a4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Bathroom Pimp">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-12-creepy-bathroom-pimp/782901551_b4f06e3354.jpg" alt="Bathroom Pimp"/>
</a>

Yo, wassup!


Creepy Bathroom Pimp


I watched Michael Moore's new movie, [Sicko](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sicko), the other day. Let's just say that he makes a good argument for me not returning to the States until I'm a millionaire. I think I'd rather have whatever life-saving operation I need when I need it than an iPhone. The American mindset towards universal health care is pretty mind-boggling. From a very young age, Americans are given this idea that they, too, can be "rich" one day. I use quotation marks because everyone's definition is different. And because we feel that we're going to all be wealthy "any day now", we can't be supporting legislation that's skewed against the most wealthy. "By the time I need a heart bypass or chemotherapy, I'll be wealthy," we all think. Hell, this way of thinking even crept its way into the second sentence of this post! Get real, people! The chance of you getting filthy rich is incredibly low, and the chance of you needing assistance from the health care industry is incredibly high.

What's particularly disturbing is how the thousands of people that work for pharmaceutical and insurance companies can sleep at night. They must all be emotionally void psychopaths.

I, for one, have a solution to my personal heath care needs. I call it "Operation Marry a European and Live in Europe". Here, when I get even a light head cold, people tell me that I should go to the doctor. It's not that people are hypochondriacs, they just don't see a reason why you shouldn't see a doctor when you're sick. And they're right. Despite the fact that I know its free, I'm still, subconsciously, wary of visiting the doctor when it's not absolutely necessary, even though I was lucky enough to never have to avoid medical attention for financial reasons as a child.

Here's a thought experiment for you... Can you imagine something like the [San Fermin](http://www.sanfermin.com/) festival happening in the US? With 5,000 people running down the street with some bulls and cows? Can you imagine the security waivers and insurance clauses people would have to sign for such a festival to take place? The insurance companies would have to give out special bracelets for the insured people to wear, so the emergency crews could know which people to attend to first. In Pamplona, there are health safety workers every few meters of the run ready to whisk you away to the nearest hospital should something happen to you. They'll save your life even if you're not a European resident.

In conclusion, I recommend that you see Sicko. It'll piss you off, but you need to be. The part where the Cuban firefighters are eager to meet and revere the 9/11 rescue workers who have come to Cuba because they can't afford the medicine they need for their 9/11-related illnesses in the US was particularly poignant. Everyone loves Americans except the US government.


Sicko


We were planning on going to Pamplona for the San Fermin festival again this year, but Marga came down with a bad cold on Thursday evening and is still feeling bad today. With the kind of intense partying required by San Fermin, either you're dancing around having a good time, or you're sitting around complaining. So it requires full stamina and health. We did get up at 8:00am this morning to watch the first _encierro_ (running of the bulls) which is broadcast live every day this week. Despite there being five _thousand_ runners packed into the narrow cobblestone street, there was only one guy that got thrown into the air, and he got up immediately afterwards. It's really quite nerve-wracking to watch.

I took some pictures of our San Fermin scarves that will remain tied to our bookshelf for another year.<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-07-no-san-fermin/748713819_d8b91c68ea_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3905.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-07-no-san-fermin/748713819_b9ef434e49.jpg" alt="CIMG3905.JPG"/>
</a>

San Fermin. I like how there are little gold people cheering him on.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-07-no-san-fermin/748728775_35b1ce2475_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Pamplona Scarf">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-07-no-san-fermin/748728775_7659c4d22a.jpg" alt="Pamplona Scarf"/>
</a>

Pamplona. This is the one I chose to wear last year, I think.

For now we'll have to re-enjoy [our trip last year](/2006/07/09/san-fermin-2006/).

Gora San Fermin!


No San Fermin


I have recently had my interest piqued about [Lisp](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lisp_programming_language). I learned a little Lisp back in college for some Artificial Intelligence classes that I took. It struck me as a rather awkward language. Several months ago, I found [this article](http://www.paulgraham.com/avg.html) by Paul Graham about how he, in 1995, _way_ before the dot-com boom, started a company, called Viaweb, to make customizable online stores, exactly five years before I, too, started a company to make customizable online stores. The only difference is that he sold his to Yahoo! for millions of dollars. In the article, he claims that the key factor that let his company beat out the competition at every turn was that they wrote their software in Lisp. He quotes Eric Raymond:

> Lisp is worth learning for the profound enlightenment experience you will have when you finally get it; that experience will make you a better programmer for the rest of your days, even if you never actually use Lisp itself a lot.

In my investigation, I've found that this moment of enlightenment is mentioned by many other Lisp users (aka. Lispers). As a non-Lisper, I was reminded of the feeling I had when those [Magic Eye](http://www.magiceye.com/) stereograms became popular. I felt like everyone around me was staring at something that appeared uninteresting and saying, "Whoa! Cooooool!!!" I just didn't get it.

Then, a few weeks ago, I found an article called [The Nature of Lisp](http://www.defmacro.org/ramblings/lisp.html), by Slava Akhmechet. His stated goal of the article was to look back at his own path to Lisp enlightenment, and then reach out to the unenlightened and describe why Lisp is so cool in terms that non-Lispers understand, namely XML and [Ant](http://ant.apache.org/). Compressing the article into one sentence, the main point that non-Lispers don't get is that Lisp blurs the line between data and code much like Ant is code written in XML, a format used mostly for data, and this lets you manipulate your Lisp code with Lisp itself. See how hard that is to understand? There's a reason Slava's article is so long.

I was just beginning to see the light. I had seen through the keyhole to a beautiful world out there, if I could just pry the door open a bit more... The next step was reading [Practical Common Lisp](http://www.gigamonkeys.com/book/), a book by Peter Seibel, that he has released free on the web. I am the exact audience that the book was written for, a pretty good programmer, well versed in one language, and interested in understanding why Lisp is so great. In his introduction, he states,

> If you're a hard-nosed pragmatist who wants to know what advantages Common Lisp has over languages such as Perl, Python, Java, C, or C#, this book should give you some ideas. Or maybe you don't even care about using Lisp--maybe you're already sure Lisp isn't really any better than other languages you know but are annoyed by some Lisper telling you that's because you just don't "get it." If so, this book will give you a straight-to-the-point introduction to Common Lisp. If, after reading this book, you still think Common Lisp is no better than your current favorite languages, you'll be in an excellent position to explain exactly why.

In the past few weeks, I've more or less read Practical Common Lisp from cover to cover. I skipped over some of the stuff at the end about parsing MP3 files. And the final conclusion is that: _Lisp is far better than any programming language I've ever learned, including Java_, which is more or less my "mother tongue" these days. Even if you tie macros (Lisp's true source of power) behind its back, its object inheritance, error handling, and variable scoping are far more robust and flexible than Java's.

My programming language path went from BASIC to C++ to Java, with slight dabbling in C and Pascal along the way. As such, I thought that concepts like "everything is an object", "every variable is really pointer to an object", garbage collection, and running on a virtual machine were all brand new concepts in Java. And just recently I've been amazed at the power of concepts like [closures](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Closure_%28computer_science%29) and [first-class functions](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First-class_function) in Javascript. And now I learn that Lisp was doing all this and _more a decade before I was born_?? Mind. Blown.

So here I am. I've seen the light, and it's absolutely beautiful. I've pried open the door and am gazing, slack-jawed, at the blissful sunny meadows of efficient, elegant Lisp programming. As I'm preparing to leave behind my dank dark prison cell of Java, vowing never to return, a little voice in the back of my head says what I was trying all along not to think about.

> If it's so nice and perfect out there, why is there no one out there? You think you're so smart that, in only two months, you've figured something out that _none_ of the other poor schmucks in the neighboring cells haven't?

"Shut up," I murmured, and sprinted for the open door. And that was when I slammed, face first, into the invisible pane of glass called [Emacs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emacs).

At work, I spend almost all of my time using an application called [IntelliJ IDEA](http://www.jetbrains.com/idea/), an integrated development environment (IDE) for Java. IntelliJ makes Java programming as easy as it can possibly be. It more or less compiles your code as you type it, points out most bugs as they occur, intelligently suggests code completion to finish your words for you. I generates all the annoying repetitive code, like getters and setters and equals() methods for you. Without it, Java would be much more laborious to program in (but still not as bad as other languages in the C family tree). Java has many other IDE alternatives, but none truly stack up to IntelliJ.

A couple years ago, I began using a plugin for IntelliJ, called [IdeaVIM](http://ideavim.sourceforge.net/), that allows me to use Vim key mappings in IntelliJ. [Vim](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vim_(text_editor)) is a successor to [Vi](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi), which is an ancient UNIX text editor. The main value that it provides is allowing you to move your cursor around a text file without moving your fingers from the home row, thus greatly reducing [RSI](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Repetitive_strain_injury "Repetitive Strain Injury").

Lisp, on the other hand, has only one IDE. That IDE consists of Emacs, another ancient, extensible text editor, and [SLIME](http://common-lisp.net/project/slime/ "The Superior Lisp Interaction Mode for Emacs"). There are some commercial IDEs, but they all use Emacs key mappings and don't improve the interface that much, so what's the point? [This 55 minute video](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2140275496971874400) ([mov](http://common-lisp.net/movies/slime.mov)) ([torrent](http://common-lisp.net/movies/slime.torrent)) demonstration of Emacs and SLIME, by Marco Baringer (one of Lisp's leading developers, it seems), is pretty impressive and demonstrates an efficiency of development comparable to that of IntelliJ. You can even do some things that IntelliJ (and Java) can't do, such as compile code directly into a running remote server.

Vi and Emacs are long time rivals, and the internet is full of bitter arguments about which is superior. The fact is that they both provide ways of moving quickly around a text file and modifying entire blocks of text. And, most importantly, both of them have _incredibly_ steep learning curves.

I just spent all this brain energy comprehending the infinite power of Lisp, and now I'm stuck at the bottom of a learning cliff that prevents me from going any further before learning an awkward set of key combinations to edit a text file. Coming from a Vim background, what I can't stand about Emacs is that you have to hold down the Ctrl or Alt key practically the entire time you're using it. This is enough to make a Vim user scream! Emacs seems like a sure way to RSI. This is a huge stumbling block for me at the moment, and it's particularly frustrating because of my desire to flex my newly formed Lisp muscles.

It seems 100% crystal clear that if you want to be a Lisp developer, you have to use Emacs. This is just a fact that I'm going to have to accept and either give up or learn Emacs. I suspect that this is the major reason that Lisp isn't more popular. There are other problems like how the lack of rigid structure makes managing large teams of programmers difficult, but I bet the main glass wall keeping people in their cells is the difficulty of learning a new and different language _and_ a new and different text editor.

Hopefully it's just a matter of time. I clearly recall a time when I thought, "Vi is so hard to use! Why would anyone want to learn such a difficult editor?" And now I can't imagine life without it. I've mainly written this post as a diary entry, both to organize my thoughts on the matter, and hopefully to have something to look back down on after scaling the Emacs learning cliff.


Lisp Enlightenment and Emacs Frustration


Apple was ahead of their time with the [Newton](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple_Newton). They've really stood up on the board at the crest of the wave with the iPhone, though. I'm proud to be a shareholder (bought at 49, baby!). <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-05-coolest-gadget-ever/725350625_d46a535775_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="P7030078">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-05-coolest-gadget-ever/725350625_cb331bafb6.jpg" alt="P7030078"/>
</a>

What amazes me is the legibility of the text. High resolution is what made me leave the [Fifth Ave. Apple Store](/2006/10/17/fifth-avenue/) with a full video iPod instead of the nano I went in to buy.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-05-coolest-gadget-ever/725350481_5222379b8a_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="P7030076">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-05-coolest-gadget-ever/725350481_e4d8063f3b.jpg" alt="P7030076"/>
</a>

Even in portrait mode, it's completely legible. (this image is shrunk from [the original](http://www.flickr.com/photo_zoom.gne?id=725350481&size=o))

Of course I'm a long way from touching one of these devices here in Europe. I think that if I lived in the States, there'd be no stopping me buying one of these things, whether I had a need for it or not. Several of my coworkers are already sending me emails with the envy-inducing "Sent from my iPhone" footer. If nothing else, Apple is pretty sly at marketing.

Check out this email I recently received from my father. I like to call it "Daddy's first cell phone":

> I stopped by the Cingular store next to Papa John's Pizza and asked if they will be carrying the iPhone. They kind of laughed, and said Yes, but it would be a while. I said I heard it was coming out June 29th. They laughed more, and said it might be sometime in July before they got any. I asked if they were taking any pre-orders, and they said, sure, they'd be glad to. They asked 4 Gig or 8 (I said 8), and took my name and number, then wanted my land line too. I told them that _was_ my land line; that I didn't have a cell. They didn't seem to believe me, but they let me go anyway.

It's kind of like a Ferrari being your first car.

A big thanks to [Alan](http://www.thegradys.net/?src=erikblog) for the pictures.


Coolest Gadget Ever


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-04-american-burger/718059647_4dd2b1f759_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="American Burger">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-04-american-burger/718059647_7131623fb0_t.jpg" alt="American Burger"/>
</a>

Ever since I emigrated across the Atlantic, I've made a habit of [making hamburgers on July Fourth](/2006/07/04/happy-july-fourth/). It's kind of silly, but people should celebrate their heritage. Plus, I make a killer burger. <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-04-american-burger/718815142_a0569d63b5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3899.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-04-american-burger/718815142_3fb2d9ef24.jpg" alt="CIMG3899.JPG"/>
</a>

Bimbo buns. "Bimbo" is one of those words in Spanish that, like "Kleenex" or "Frisbee", is a brand name that has become synonymous with the product. All sliced bread, the loaves that everyone eats in the US, are called _pan bimbo_. This is to distinguish it from regular _pan_, which are the long baguette-style sticks of bread that is normally eaten in Spain. I suspect that sliced bread's entrance into the Spanish market is largely due to the American culture virus and people seeing it in US television shows and movies.

The other interesting thing to note here is the spelling of "burguer". This is one of many words stolen from English and then respelled so that it can be pronounced properly in Spanish. If it were spelled "burger", the G would be pronounced like an H, and it would sound like "BOOER-hair", but the U makes the G hard, so it sounds closer to English. The other word that causes me to roll my eyes when I see it spelled on menus is [_beicon_](http://www.wordreference.com/definicion/beicon).

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-04-american-burger/718825766_0ef8d6d1be_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3901.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-04-american-burger/718825766_ef4bb33cd3.jpg" alt="CIMG3901.JPG"/>
</a>

♪ Oh say can you see... ♫

Marga couldn't wait for the photo shoot and the patriotic hymns to be sung.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-04-american-burger/718840482_e2522a3da8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Now THAT'S a burger!">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-04-american-burger/718840482_310ecb571c.jpg" alt="Now THAT'S a burger!"/>
</a>

Gorgeous oozage.

revver(313238)

Happy Fourth of July!


American Burger


A couple weeks ago, when visiting Juan's (my future father-in-law's) chickens in Mondragon, I chose, as I often do, to wait outside the little stinky structure where Juan goes to feed the animals. Instead, I waited in the other building there, where some of Juan's friends have meals and store wine and stuff. Anyway, someone had recently cleaned out an attic and found some 40-year-old school textbooks. They were piled in a dark corner of this building. I found them quite fascinating to look through. The first thing that struck me was how Bible lessons were perfectly intermingled with concepts of science, math, and grammar. Jesus did this, 4 + 2 = 6, Apostle Paul did that, mammals have hair, etc. All facts. All true because the teacher says so.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-03-jesus-was-polydactyl/703851265_663898d5bb_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Black boy, black girl, happy (white) boy, happy (white) girl">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-03-jesus-was-polydactyl/703851265_30e7333ff9.jpg" alt="Black boy, black girl, happy (white) boy, happy (white) girl"/>
</a>

This page stood out to me, since I'm a culturally sensitive American who grew up alongside the term "politically correct". First of all, can you imagine a present-day American textbook choosing "black" as an adjective to describe an illustrated person. Obviously, it has to be a person to demonstrate the gender suffixes on the adjectives, but... My Spanish books in school used "tall" and "short" or "blond" or "brunette", as I recall.

And then, as if to emphasize how much it sucks to be black, the other illustration on the page is of two white children, labeled "happy boy" and "happy girl". I know it's not fair to compare 40-year-old Spanish books with present-day American books. US textbooks from 40 years ago probably wouldn't have been much better...maybe even worse.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-03-jesus-was-polydactyl/703866347_bb0d1664ec_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Last Supper in textbook">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-03-jesus-was-polydactyl/703866347_70e7c0a9f6.jpg" alt="Last Supper in textbook"/>
</a>

The Last Supper illustration also caught my eye. Having read The Da Vinci Code, my eye immediately recognized that this was a replica of Da Vinci's depiction, obvious from the 'V' shape between Jesus and the person to his right. Like Da Vinci's version, there's a baker's dozen of cups on the table. The disciples are grouped into four groups of three, making counting them easier. It's even got the "disembodied hand", as Dan Brown put it, that can't possibly belong to anyone, slicing across the feminine figure's neck.

It was then that I noticed the big framed version of the Last Supper hanging on the wall.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-03-jesus-was-polydactyl/703882443_a80bd53c00_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Last Supper">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-03-jesus-was-polydactyl/703882443_e5c927f61c.jpg" alt="Last Supper"/>
</a>

Here we see the same four groups of three, the same "chalice" shape, but this artist apparently wasn't a member of the Priory, because he gave Jesus a big golden goblet to match his halo. The chair with the cloth on it in the foreground is nice touch.

The artist makes no attempt at all to make the hot blond at Jesus' side look remotely masculine. Not only that, but check out the curly-haired woman in red leaning in on the right side of the picture! But wait, the female apostles aren't the biggest discovery here. Are you ready for it?**Jesus was polydactyl!!** He's got [_six toes_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polydactyly)! I kid you not, the proof is right there in this painting!

Either that or the artist sucked.

[![The Real Last Supper](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-03-jesus-was-polydactyl/429976953_91e50cc3e4.jpg)](http://www.flickr.com/photos/7187202@N02/429976953/)

Here's Da Vinci's original. Leo, being the Renaissance master that he was, was clever enough to put an object in the foreground so he wouldn't have to draw how awkwardly Jesus' eleven toes fit in his sandals.


Jesus Was Polydactyl


By far the biggest success stories to come out of Spain's reality show, [_Operación Triunfo_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operaci%C3%B3n_Triunfo) (a cross between _American Idol_ and _Big Brother_, as Wikipedia says) has been a young bloke named [David Bisbal](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bisbal). He's doing a good job of milking his fame for all its worth. He's had five albums in five years and even has his own brand of cologne. On Sunday, we went to see him in concert in Vitoria, Spain. On Sunday morning, we drove to Mondragón to have lunch with Marga's folks, and then, so that Marga and I could return directly to Colindres, Belén, Marga and I drove in separate cars to Vitoria.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692027561_b59e1ef807_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3857.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692027561_5e60515519.jpg" alt="CIMG3857.JPG"/>
</a>

When we entered the basketball arena, my first impression was that the stage was really small.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692920560_c36cf8ee05_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3858.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692920560_4b74b54205.jpg" alt="CIMG3858.JPG"/>
</a>

A spotlight waiting for a spot to light.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692928268_96dbcf9f50_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3860.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692928268_98e7dda5e7.jpg" alt="CIMG3860.JPG"/>
</a>

The star. He popped out from a trap door on the stage, but he did so in a really lame way.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692940030_ff9f605e51_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3861.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692940030_fd72fbb172.jpg" alt="CIMG3861.JPG"/>
</a>

The monitors behind the stage had the most impressive color of any giant LED screen I've seen.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692080255_baa8fff4bd_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3863.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692080255_d429036146.jpg" alt="CIMG3863.JPG"/>
</a>

Ironically, his slow songs that I dislike most on his albums were my favorites in concert. I think it was because he wasn't trying to jump around the stage like a rock star.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692085881_625678f1b0_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3865.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692085881_75ad98a69c.jpg" alt="CIMG3865.JPG"/>
</a>

He's got a ton of vocal charisma in his songs, but his stage performance seemed a little _false_ somehow.

_Ave Maria_ was his first big hit single, as I recall.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692095419_94248ab620_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3873.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692095419_489d629e79.jpg" alt="CIMG3873.JPG"/>
</a>

From where we were sitting, we couldn't see both LED screens, but when I got up to visit the bathroom, I got this shot from a central vantage point.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692528317_6893a33569_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Bisbal Panorama">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692528317_aa8dff6088.jpg" alt="Bisbal Panorama"/>
</a>

A panorama from a central viewpoint. It was definitely a rock concert.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692968988_c3c4e8c7ef_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3875.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692968988_14d61b1eef.jpg" alt="CIMG3875.JPG"/>
</a>

Notice how he changed from a shirt with a vest to a t-shirt with a vest painted on.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692106583_61e8b757ca_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3876.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692106583_27def1da12.jpg" alt="CIMG3876.JPG"/>
</a>

He did this pose a lot. Proper concert photography requires a camera much more expensive than mine.

The guitarist was a better entertainer than Bisbal, despite Bisbal performing several of these running leaps to his knees. That's gotta be tough on the old patellas even if you have the correct form.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692980146_2d0c312a6b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3878.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692980146_edf94da2bc.jpg" alt="CIMG3878.JPG"/>
</a>

The video editing on the monitors was well done.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692987062_09c3d413d6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3879.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692987062_e6349b3068.jpg" alt="CIMG3879.JPG"/>
</a>

Many of his hits were sung a lot by the audience.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692133213_114cf3da01_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3883.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692133213_ee2a68c3ba.jpg" alt="CIMG3883.JPG"/>
</a>

His [newest album cover](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:PremonicionAlbumCover.png) has some subtle Christ imagery involving a rope, so I wasn't surprised to see a rope lowered for that album's hit single.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692151841_c4341ff180_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3885.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692151841_d9a3fcb792.jpg" alt="CIMG3885.JPG"/>
</a>

There were some lights on a cherry picker between us and the center of the stage.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/693023680_dcef784fa4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3888.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/693023680_5fe730cf4f.jpg" alt="CIMG3888.JPG"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692160979_6445e4c852_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3891.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692160979_4369766bdc.jpg" alt="CIMG3891.JPG"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/693058656_63f3906d0d_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3892.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/693058656_2b8d64cbd3.jpg" alt="CIMG3892.JPG"/>
</a>

Yay, pyrotechnics!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692217073_d4dea6c7a3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3893.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692217073_4c4be7b486.jpg" alt="CIMG3893.JPG"/>
</a>

I love how it silhouettes all the spectators.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692223929_18c37befcb_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="CIMG3896.JPG">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-david-bisbal/692223929_0dc5ed279a.jpg" alt="CIMG3896.JPG"/>
</a>

Needless to say, he's a hit with the teenage girls.

Overall, both Marga and I were disappointed by the whole affair. There was something subtly "unprofessional" about the event. He certainly had more charisma than [Shaila Díºrcal](/2007/06/25/shaila-durcal/) and _way_ more than [Estopa](/2006/08/09/estopa/), but he wasn't anywhere near as entertaining as [Arrebato](/2006/07/26/arrebato/) or [Sueño de Morfeo](/2006/07/20/el-sueno-de-morfeo/). I summed up the experience perfectly in the car on the way home when I said, "Well, I'm glad we checked him off the list so we won't have to see him again."


David Bisbal


Last Friday, we took an evening walk along Colindres' Maritime Walkway. Unfortunately, the tide was out, so the view was drastically altered. To show you just how much it changes, I took a picture to compare with one I took a few weeks ago. Remember this lovely photo I took for my [Afternoon By The Rí­a](/2007/06/08/afternoon-by-the-ria/) post?

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-low-tide/535831932_4ea2258283_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Supporting Nothing">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-low-tide/535831932_c008ad5fc9.jpg" alt="Supporting Nothing"/>
</a>

Beautiful, isn't it? How deep do you think that water is? Think about it and then cast your eyes upon this photo at low tide...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-low-tide/698312608_cccc331450_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Low Tide">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-low-tide/698312608_e56c8b42a5.jpg" alt="Low Tide"/>
</a>

Crazy, huh? Here, I've put them together for easy comparison...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-low-tide/698388022_8730d7ef52_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="high-low-tide">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2007-07-02-low-tide/698388022_29b5450118.jpg" alt="high-low-tide"/>
</a>

So the water in that gorgeous, picturesque, original photo was just barely high enough to cover the grass (and wasn't in some places, as you can see). Pretty amazing.


26 posts from July, 2007