
<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-31-state-of-the-offspring-address-july-2012/7510411414_56bffcfe44_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Rueda y Rubia">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-31-state-of-the-offspring-address-july-2012/7510411414_27d69c03d8_t.jpg" alt="Rueda y Rubia"/>
</a>

We're ending this month without our dear Nora at home. She left, on July 28, with her Spanish grandparents to go with them on vacation for three weeks in Extremadura, a hot arid region in southern Spain. She's having a ball down there, but when she talks on the phone to us, she has finally learned enough about evaluating her own emotions to wimper, "I feel sad because I went away. I want you to come here with me." It's simultaneously cute and heartbreaking. We _will_ be going down there to spend the second of her three weeks with her.  Like all Spaniards learning English, she continues to struggle with the proper English usage of the word "yet". She will often say "yet no" instead of "not yet". Strangely she's pretty good about respecting the different ordering of adjectives and their nouns in both languages. She only said "I want water cold" a half dozen times before learning to say "I want cold water".

Another common mistake that native Spanish speakers all make along their journey to learn English is to say, "Remember me to do that." If you think about it, "remember" in that context is a perfectly reasonable substitute for "remind", and "remind" need not exist at all. That's the way it is in Spanish. Nora is constantly telling me that she's going to "remember me to buy chocolate pudding when we go to the store".

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-31-state-of-the-offspring-address-july-2012/7590662328_c3c25b2636_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Friends and Neighbors">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-31-state-of-the-offspring-address-july-2012/7590662328_5cd6f8efcd.jpg" alt="Friends and Neighbors"/>
</a>

Receiving a hug from our neighbor, Gabriela, who walks and talks and won't be two years old for another couple months.

Nora had one cute exchange with her mother this month about household responsibilities.

> Mommy, I want to wear \[some article of clothing\].
> 
> You can't, because it's dirty.
> 
> Why?
> 
> Because we forgot to do the laundry.
> 
> No, _YOU_ forgot to do the laundry!

Obviously that kind of attitude shan't be tolerated, but its first manifestation was rather adorable.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-31-state-of-the-offspring-address-july-2012/7680189060_e6955594b1_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="In Front of her School">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-31-state-of-the-offspring-address-july-2012/7680189060_d96914d8ab.jpg" alt="In Front of her School"/>
</a>

This is the school she will be attending in September.

Several days this month, on our way back from our morning shopping, Nora has told me, "Poppy, I have an idea!" A lot of our conversations start like this now. "Let's take this stuff home," she continues, "and then go out to a bar for a drink!" She's learned there are some things her Poppy never says no to. I'll include an address to which my parenting award may be shipped.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-31-state-of-the-offspring-address-july-2012/7510411414_56bffcfe44_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Rueda y Rubia">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-31-state-of-the-offspring-address-july-2012/7510411414_27d69c03d8.jpg" alt="Rueda y Rubia"/>
</a>

Nora continues to find ways to implant ideas in others' heads. She will almost never say, "I want that \[candy or toy\]" or "I want to do X", rather she's found a more subtle tack of stating, "I like that \[candy or toy\]" or "I like doing X". Let me tell you, it is really, _really_ easy to fall into her trap and say, "Okay, well let's do that then!" I wasn't expecting to need defense against this kind of social engineering with a three-year-old!

One morning, when we came downstairs and I went to sit on the couch, the cushion was weirdly placed. Nora saw me fixing it and explained that, the previous night, when she had been watching _Dora_ alone in the living room, she had had an accident. "What kind of accident?" I inquired. She confessed that she had peed on the couch, but that – and she was proud of this part – rather than tell Mommy or Poppy, she had simply turned the couch cushion over so the wet side was facing down!

One day after she refused to say _buenos dí­as_ to all the people at the local grocery store, I correspondingly refused to give her a piece of bread, which is her usual reward for giving everyone a salutation. When we got back home, she had clearly been ruminating on her behavior, and she explained that "When I am bad, that is little, and when I'm good, that's very big!" She could've been espousing the American "bigger is better" culture, but I think she really wanted to downplay her bad behavior and highlight her good behavior. Yet another example of toddler politics.

<iframe width="505" height="314" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sqxbq5nOP8A" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

The State of the Offspring is strong!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-31-state-of-the-offspring-address-july-2012/7683177164_1facb9ff31_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Tank Top">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-31-state-of-the-offspring-address-july-2012/7683177164_e6d2a11946_z.jpg" alt="Tank Top"/>
</a>


State of the Offspring Address - July 2012


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-30-vermouth-band/7671747134_3382f587d3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Vermouth Band">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-30-vermouth-band/7671747134_7c8a737532_t.jpg" alt="Vermouth Band"/>
</a>

On Saturday, my wife and I got to attend another live music performance at our favorite local sports bar, _El Vapor_. This time it was a classic rock cover band, _Vermouth Band_, billed as covering the works of _The Eagles_, _America_, _Status Quo_, _Queen_, _The Police_, _Cat Stevens_, _Lynyrd Skynyrd_, _Kansas_ and _ZZ Top_. That's definitely my kind of tunes! Unlike [the last band](/2012/07/02/lost-in-covers-a-cantabrian-cover-band/) we went to see, this band was set up outside on the sidewalk. This being Cantabria, they had to stop playing for ten minutes once because of a light drizzle, but picked right back up when it subsided.  As a member of the last band pointed out, doing cover songs is very challenging, because the brains in the audience are going to pick up any little variation from what you play and what is grooved into their memories from their favorite albums. Despite the difficulty, the band played very, very well. There were a few times when I thought the singer missed a note, but he could really belt out the high notes when he needed to. He was also full of energy, bouncing around and carrying on like he was playing to a packed stadium and not a café terrace with thirty people. I was impressed.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-30-vermouth-band/7671747134_3382f587d3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Vermouth Band">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-30-vermouth-band/7671747134_7c8a737532.jpg" alt="Vermouth Band"/>
</a>

Unlike [_Lost In Covers_](/2012/07/02/lost-in-covers-a-cantabrian-cover-band/), who enunciated so well that I more accurately learned some lyrics to songs I've been singing along to my entire life, the singer of _Vermouth Band_ clearly does not speak English, and has learned more to mimic the sounds of the famous vocals rather than sing the real words. We all do this when we sing along to the radio in our cars, of course, but there were several songs where I know the lyrics verbatim (e.g. "They stab it with their steely knives, but the just can't kill the beast!") and he just mumbled noises – right on pitch, mind you – that sounded a bit like the words. No doubt the vast majority of their audiences, monolingual Spaniards, have no idea he's not singing the actual lyrics.

The other thing that impressed me was his ability to mimic the actual sound of the singers. When he sang _Skynyrd_, he threw in some yeehaw's, and when he did _Queen_, his mouth was open more widely and it sounded just like Freddie Mercury.

<iframe width="505" height="314" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7PFPx0GuX5c" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It was a fun night out, but I did make one mistake… I usually make a conscious effort to reward local businesses with revenue when I approve of their behavior, but I was so entertained by the band that I only had one drink.


Vermouth Band - Classic Rock Cantabrian Cover Band


<img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-24-counting-to-ten/7635180408_aaf7660b1c_t.jpg" alt="Counting to Ten (thumbnail)" class="post-thumb"/>We have been making slow, but steady, progress on Nora's counting abilities. She can more or less get up to about fifteen in both languages, and she's begun to make statements like "There are three cookies on the table" as well. The other day I thought I'd record a video of her counting to mark her progress, and she did very well, despite manifesting her most common errors.  The video is below, but first a joke, best told in skit form, courtesy of my butcher, Bruno.

> Come in, sit down. You're here to interview for the accountant position?
> 
> Yes, that is correct.
> 
> Okay, obviously you'll need to be able to count. Can you count to ten for us?
> 
> Sure. One, three, five, seven…
> 
> Wait, wait. What did you say your previous job was?
> 
> I was a mailman. First I'd go up one side of the street, and then I'd go back down the other.
> 
> Okay, I'm afraid you're not really suitable for this position. Next!
> 
> Good morning, I'm here for the accountant position.
> 
> Alright. Let's hope you're better than that last guy. Sheesh! We're going to need you to count to ten for us.
> 
> No problem. Ten, nine, eight, seven…
> 
> Wait, wait. What was your previous job?
> 
> I was an engineer at NASA, running mission control for rocket launches.
> 
> Well, I'm sorry, but I don't think you'll fit in here. Thanks for interviewing. Send the next guy in, would you?
> 
> Hi, I'm here for the accountant position.
> 
> Okay, great. Let's hear you count to ten.
> 
> One, two, three, four, five, six, seven…
> 
> Oh my! You're doing very well! What was your previous job?
> 
> I had a government desk job.
> 
> Excellent! Keep going.
> 
> …eight, nine, ten…jack, queen, king.

The punchline works slightly better in Spanish because Spanish playing cards only go up to seven before the face cards start, but I still think it's good.

<iframe width="505" height="314" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/AGiQDNbmMnQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

A few things to notice…

When I ask her to switch languages, she's confused and asks, "Why?"

Her Spanish numbers are spoken with an Extremadura accent, in which the S sound at the end of words is dropped, producing _do_, _tre_, _sei_, instead of _dos_, _tres_, _seis_.

For some reason, she always skips 7 in Spanish, but this was the first time I'd noticed her skipping 17 as well, which is an understandable side effect. When she skips 7, she's accustomed to someone correcting her, so she throws in a nervous laugh like she knows she's just made a mistake.

She's getting there, but she's not employable as an accountant quite yet.


Counting To Ten


![Bubbles In The Park](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-17-bubbles-in-the-park/1.jpg)We had a wonderful weekend this week. A babysitter let us go out for dinner and dancing on Friday night, and on Saturday my mother-in-law and sister-in-law came to visit. I made a homemade pizza while the ladies went to the market in nearby Santoña and had it ready upon their return. A leisurely afternoon ensued with Marga painting her sister's and Nora's fingernails and toenails.  <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-17-bubbles-in-the-park/7590533532_aeda96d306_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Twenty Fingers and Twenty Toes">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-17-bubbles-in-the-park/7590533532_ca04ae4d52.jpg" alt="Twenty Fingers and Twenty Toes"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-17-bubbles-in-the-park/7590550516_f764d712b2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora with Zucchini">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-17-bubbles-in-the-park/7590550516_fe4b833333_n.jpg" alt="Nora with Zucchini"/>
</a>

Afterwards we went out for a stroll and a drink. Sunday was sunny, but cool, so, after getting up late, we stayed at home while Marga made her chicken cannelloni with zucchini bechamel recipe. It looked so good that we decided to invite our friends, who had given us the zucchini from their garden, to eat it for dinner.

I'm pretty much the Lionel Messi of three-year-old soccer.

With the food all prepared for our dinner party, we headed out to play in the park. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun outside with a ball. Nora and her friend Diego made bubbles and kicked a ball back and forth between them. When I decided to stand up to make sure the ball didn't blow away from them, a little soccer-like game ensued, sometimes with several kids trying to steal the ball from me, kick it to each other or kick it back to me. The neighborhood eight-year-olds could probably run circles around me on the soccer field, but I'm pretty much the Lionel Messi of three-year-old soccer. They only stole the ball from me when I let them or with a yellow-card-worthy offense.

As you can see in the video, Nora was having a blast. Children seem to feel all their emotions with more raw energy than adults. As she spun around chasing bubbles and making more bubbles as she spun, I was reminded of those home videos of cats chasing a laser dot.

<iframe width="505" height="314" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/h6GEEwZ8ai4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>


Bubbles In The Park


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7562121764_91e33845cd_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Snail Close-Up">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7562121764_1fb3f2cf5f_t.jpg" alt="Snail Close-Up"/>
</a>

It's a bit of a _slow_ news day today…

Usually when Nora and her mother come home from their after-daycare walk and playground romp, Nora comes into my office to give me a "Hello", a hug and a kiss. When I ask her how daycare was or what she did after daycare, she's normally pretty evasive, sometimes even coming right out and stating, "I don't want to tell you." So it was quite a change one evening when she came home shouting, "Poppy! Poppy! I have something to show you!" There, stuck to the top of her stroller bag, was a snail. Nora was extremely pleased with herself for finding him all by herself and bringing him home. To my disbelief, our little gastropodean friend wasn't all hunkered down in his shell, but was climbing around the stroller bag, presumably looking for some way off of the swinging gray island. Nora was touching him, picking him up and putting him back down, and the terrified mollusk seemed to be putting up with her attention admirably.

I grabbed the camera and took some photos.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561935304_d2580402a1_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora and the Snail">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561935304_c69f787992.jpg" alt="Nora and the Snail"/>
</a>

Proud snail capturer.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561942758_52464287c4_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Snail Slime">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561942758_d1d429eb1e.jpg" alt="Snail Slime"/>
</a>

Leaving slimy trails, as snails do.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561940994_ea5043036c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora and the Snail">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561940994_fba1b8e72f.jpg" alt="Nora and the Snail"/>
</a>

Come here, you!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561948352_a639ba89ac_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora and the Snail">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561948352_c77474d22a.jpg" alt="Nora and the Snail"/>
</a>

Eye poke!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561944256_056be9bf6b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora and the Snail">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561944256_760ddaea18.jpg" alt="Nora and the Snail"/>
</a>

Yes, _both_ of you are cute.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561951984_4b78ee9563_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora and the Snail">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561951984_3251dcb3e3.jpg" alt="Nora and the Snail"/>
</a>

"Hey! Put me down!"

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561953932_2d8ae476a5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora and the Snail">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561953932_3df6922e5f.jpg" alt="Nora and the Snail"/>
</a>

I was certain she was going to drop him, but she never did, always gently (for a three-year-old) putting him back down on the stroller bag.

Satisfied with my photos, my wife and I convinced Nora that "snails like to be outside", and suggested that we put him in a plant on the balcony, accepting some leaf gnawing in exchange for not having it crawling around the house. I was pretty sure he'd crawl away that night.

When we finally put him in the plant, I was entertaining this idea of having a pet snail for the evening, and I asked Nora what name we should give him. To narrow the range, I asked Nora what sex the snail was; she was confident it was a boy snail. I suggested we call him Fred or Bob or Charlie, and Nora shot down all those ideas. Then I tried some Spanish names, like Javier or Mario or José, but they were all rejected. A little annoyed, I said, "Okay, then what do _you_ think his name should be?"

I could see the gears spinning in her pensive pause, and then she astounded me. She chose two syllables from her phonetic database that she had never heard used together, but that sound okay together and are pronounced the same in both English and Spanish – [just like we did to name her!](/2008/12/17/baby-name-shortlist-%E2%80%93-how-to-decide/) – and put them together to come up with a name.

She declared, "His name is **Pando**."

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561955326_87c921f4ce_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Pando in his Plant">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561955326_7080a4228c.jpg" alt="Pando in his Plant"/>
</a>

Pando, in his new home.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561958006_cb8b7ed2e8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora and the Snail">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-13-pando-the-snail/7561958006_f7712434b0.jpg" alt="Nora and the Snail"/>
</a>

Nora sat out there talking to him for another fifteen minutes before deciding that, unlike snails, little girls like to be inside.

Much to my surprise, Pando was still there the next morning…and the next…and the next. I thought we might have mortally wounded him in his capture, but one rainy day almost a fortnight after he "became a part of our family" (Nora remembered and checked on him maybe twice over those two weeks, and he never ate any of the plant), he left without leaving a snail mail address or even a stalk wave of salutation.

Godspeed, Pando!


Pando The Snail


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549083382_d20a799ee6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Hamburgerfest 2012">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549083382_1e0f599afb_t.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012"/>
</a>

Last year we couldn't have our annual Fourth of July party because we were in the States for the holiday, but this year we returned to tradition, throwing a party for some friends with hamburgers using my special "American" recipe. We didn't give much notice, and it coincided with [San Fermí­n](/2006/07/09/san-fermin-2006/), the enormous Booze & Bull festival in Pamplona, which some of our invitees were attending, so we ended up with a nice dinner party of seven adults and our little Nora.  <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549073082_b075a66e4c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Preparations">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549073082_921f617409.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Preparations"/>
</a>

The table set, ready for guests to arrive.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549079986_706d896449_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Preparations">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549079986_7666c48d27.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Preparations"/>
</a>

It was nice to get out the fine linens and china, which rarely get used.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549075000_098034e0a2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Jamón, Salchichón and cheese">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549075000_92385233b9.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Jamón, Salchichón and cheese"/>
</a>

A little Spanish _¡Olé!_ in our American fiesta: serrano ham, salchichón and sheep cheese.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549078588_6c9038f577_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Crab Toasts">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549078588_9d930b687a.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Crab Toasts"/>
</a>

A crab salad _hors d'Å“uvre_ that my wife makes.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549076860_bbd8865b6b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Gildas">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549076860_dc347f5f9a.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Gildas"/>
</a>

_Gildas_, so named because the buxom shape reminded a horny Basque bartender of Rita Hayworth, consisting of olives, an anchovy and a hot pepper. These are _fabulous_!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549081942_09fe292f54_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012 - The Liquor Bar">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549081942_f8cbddfcc4.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012 - The Liquor Bar"/>
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My favorite corner of the house.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549085146_a8d0e48ab9_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549085146_4f38abfe02.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012"/>
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Guests snarfing down burgers.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549083382_d20a799ee6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549083382_1e0f599afb.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012"/>
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Awww yeah!! 150 grams (1/3 lb) of minced beef and pork meat, melted Havarti cheese, sautéed onions, fresh lettuce (literally picked that morning, since one of the guests brought it from his garden), paper thin tomato slices, ketchup, mustard and mayo, all on a bun baked fresh in a local bakery that morning.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549088788_01f2e9b2d8_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Cubatas">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549088788_23e7756e81.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Cubatas"/>
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The highball course. One of the guests is an experienced cocktail bartender.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549092796_46be2f0dbc_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Marga and Nora">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549092796_7f4e0a2906.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012 - Marga and Nora"/>
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My beautiful gals.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549094302_7c6c43f8ec_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Hamburgerfest 2012 - The Gang">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-11-july-4th-hamburgerfest-2012/7549094302_5a486747d5.jpg" alt="Hamburgerfest 2012 - The Gang"/>
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Happy Fourth of July from Spain, everybody!


July 4th Party - Hamburgerfest 2012


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-euro-2012-champions/7468438276_35b4fb9723_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Spain Fan">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-euro-2012-champions/7468438276_98803f66c0_t.jpg" alt="Spain Fan"/>
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For all the same reasons I outlined [two years ago](/2010/06/24/why-i-love-the-world-cup/), I have had a very fun time watching the UEFA Euro Cup 2012 this year. The Spanish are never as patriotic as they are when their national fíºtbol team, _La Roja_, are doing battle in a tournament, and since I moved to Spain in 2005, they have been doing very, very well. People have started calling the never-before-accomplished winning of back-to-back [Euro Cup](/2008/06/30/euro-2008-champions/), [World Cup](/2010/07/12/spain-wins-the-world-cup/), and Euro Cup championships the "Triple Crown".  When they won the Euro Cup in 2008, [four years ago](/2008/06/30/euro-2008-champions/), I found myself in a bar with a big red-yellow-red cloth banner hung on the wall, and people were writing on it.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-euro-2012-champions/2623582667_7268756e9b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Spain Rules">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-euro-2012-champions/2623582667_c559ea4bdd.jpg" alt="Spain Rules"/>
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Last week, we were in the same bar, and they had hung the same cloth on the wall, and there, sure enough, was my message!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-euro-2012-champions/7488360146_6262f16cf2_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Spain Still Rules">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-euro-2012-champions/7488360146_7dbf7420c2.jpg" alt="Spain Still Rules"/>
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This is the same banner that I use at the top of [this blog's Facebook page](https://www.facebook.com/americaninspain), too…

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-euro-2012-champions/7468438276_35b4fb9723_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Spain Fan">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-euro-2012-champions/7468438276_98803f66c0_z.jpg" alt="Spain Fan"/>
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Nora was fine watching the game in a bar, right up until Spain scored the first goal and everybody screamed, and then she cried hysterically and begged to go home. She went outside with her grandmother until the first half was over, and then we all went home, but my wife and I snuck back out to watch the second half in the same bar.

It was a lot of fun seeing people dancing in the streets with such jubilation.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-euro-2012-champions/7488617490_83d095fddb_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Euro2012 Champions">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-euro-2012-champions/7488617490_a5468f0219_z.jpg" alt="Euro2012 Champions"/>
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This morning, the Spaniards definitely had that morning-after-the-super-bowl look on their faces, a mixture of exhaustion and elation…and realization that their lives haven\\'t really gotten any better.


Euro 2012 Champions!!


<img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-lost-in-covers-a-cantabrian-cover-band/7488747622_67133bcd90_t.jpg" alt="Lost In Covers Logo" class="post-thumb"/>I'm pleased to see that some of the local businesses where I live are starting to use Facebook properly to announce events and sales. I've recently subscribed to the updates of a local bar that sometimes hosts live performances. Usually this only results in knowledge of the concerts I'd like to see, but cannot go to because of my parental duties, but this weekend, my in-laws were visiting, and my wife and I escaped to go see a local cover band, called _Lost In Covers_.  The band consists of Cholo and Isaí­as, who are members of a bigger band in Santander, called [Lazy](http://www.myspace.com/lazyinthesky). Cholo is the sound technician, and plays bass guitar, lead guitar, and mandolin superbly. Isaí­as plays acoustic guitar and sings beautifully. Almost all the covers they play are in English, which Isaí­as speaks well and sings to perfection. The music and vocals were at just the right volume for the space we were in, which makes a big difference. In my opinion, their best songs were their two newest additions to their repertoire, _An Englishman In New York_, by Sting, and _Yellow_, by Coldplay.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-lost-in-covers-a-cantabrian-cover-band/7488366196_2444d7aec1_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Lost In Covers - El Vapor">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2012-07-02-lost-in-covers-a-cantabrian-cover-band/7488366196_e31b20f8a2.jpg" alt="Lost In Covers - El Vapor"/>
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My wife confirmed that they're pretty easy on the eyes as well as the ears.

After their first set, I went to talk with them for a bit. I'm pretty sure I'm their first American fan, and they were very pleased to chat, even with the standard, "How long have you been playing?" sort of questions. I asked how many gigs they do a year, and they said that some months they only have one, but that this was their fourth gig _this week_, so it ebbs and flows. Then, as often happens, my wife asked the most insightful question, "How long does it take to prepare a new song?" Cholo explained that sometimes just running through it three times was enough to cement it in his mind, but that other times songs required more orchestration to pare it down from the full band version they are trying to mimic to just two instruments. Performing covers, especially very famous ones, is challenging because the audience already has very specific expectations for how each song _should_ sound, but that sometimes you can shake things up by deciding to play softly for a part that should be loud or vice versa.

When we went back in for the second half of the show, they dedicated the first song, a Johnny Cash hit, to me, asking if Folsom Prison was near North Carolina. I shrugged in ignorance, but before they strummed the last chord, I had looked it up and learned that [it's in California](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folsom_State_Prison).

<iframe width="505" height="314" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/QDaTXDvQK24" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I hope we can find a babysitter next time they are in town.


8 posts from July, 2012