
<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8596459896_33e33fbc1b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Pregnant Earth Kiss">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8596459896_ff17bbece2_t.jpg" alt="Pregnant Earth Kiss"/>
</a>

When I shared the final photo from [this post](/2013/03/26/one-month-to-go/) a few days ago, it got much praise on the social networks. One of my friends told me that when she first saw it, she assumed – as is always possible with my photos – that it was a Photoshop fake. She said that it looked "too perfect". I had also noticed the especially pleasing aesthetic to the photograph, but it took me a bit to put my finger on it. What is amazing about [the original photograph](http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikrasmussen/8591920499/) is the perfectly spherical appearance of my wife's belly.  Rarely do I feel the sensation that creative people speak about, of not really being in control of whether or not I made my creation, but being forced to do so by the idea itself. But this was one of those times. I had no choice but to make…this:

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8596459896_33e33fbc1b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Pregnant Earth Kiss">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8596459896_ff17bbece2.jpg" alt="Pregnant Earth Kiss"/>
</a>

As you may expect, the geographic coordinates that my daughter is kissing were not an accident.

Once I'd done the work for one recognizable (I hope North Americans recognize what that is?) spherical pattern, I couldn't resist doing a few more.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8595359397_878b97a249_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Pregnant Basketball Kiss">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8595359397_4881405221_m.jpg" alt="Pregnant Basketball Kiss"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8596462018_165359da03_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Pregnant Soccer Kiss">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8596462018_29aff815c0_m.jpg" alt="Pregnant Soccer Kiss"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8595422389_a3064f4c8d_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Pregnant Golf Ball Kiss">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8595422389_e0af05228b_m.jpg" alt="Pregnant Golf Ball Kiss"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8596523256_4d6e44fe09_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Pregnant Baseball Kiss">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8596523256_1b6a434c1b_m.jpg" alt="Pregnant Baseball Kiss"/>
</a>

Still, I liked the original idea best. There was something so symbolic about it, like it could be so profound with some text on top of it. So I came up with this hippy tree-hugger message…

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8595363219_389e24f33c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="We all have the same mother.">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-mother-earth-pregnancy-photoshopping/8595363219_fe9d0ebc8b.jpg" alt="We all have the same mother."/>
</a>

I also made a [Spanish version](http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikrasmussen/8595364127/) and a [North American version](http://www.flickr.com/photos/erikrasmussen/8596574858/), probably more recognizable to my geographically-challenged countrymen.


Mother Earth - Pregnancy Photoshopping


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8595892932_51a1f81269_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Mosto at La Comarca">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8595892932_6a0ec7555c_t.jpg" alt="Mosto at La Comarca"/>
</a>

Looking back, there haven't been that many new developments this month. Nora did turn [four years old](/2013/03/25/nora-is-four/), which was important. Her writing has improved to the point where she can write her name every time without problems. My parents have been visiting for a week now and the forced use of English is good for Nora, although it certainly doesn't seem to be causing her any extra stress or difficulty. She's off from school now for eleven days of Spring Break.  Nora has been doing some more extra-curricular socializing than before. One day she went over to her best friend, Claudia's, house to play, and another day she went to her friend, [Carmen](/2012/10/28/halloween-2012-pumpkin-carving-with-carmen/)'s house. And Claudia has come over twice to play at our house after school. Nora is delighted to have a friend visit at her house, but she will only go to a friend's house if her parent is also there with her. Hopefully we can slowly phase out our presence in these amicable excursions.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8556912853_ae58ab5cc6_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Make-Up Artist">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8556912853_a584fc2d7e.jpg" alt="Make-Up Artist"/>
</a>

The day she came back from Claudia's house, she looked like this. Apparently they had had a make-up party, taking turns painting each other's faces. I don't remember any of that from my childhood.

She's been having an awful lot of fun playing with my parents. The three of them really wear each other out, and are very ready for bed in the evenings. A lot of it is role-play, like teacher-student or mommy-baby sort of things. All of it is adorable to watch…at least for the first ten times they repeat each idea.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8594819821_43d0ff61d9_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Making Cookies">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8594819821_996fae0dc0.jpg" alt="Making Cookies"/>
</a>

Making chocolate chip cookies with Grandma. The Spanish make all kinds of pastries, but almost no homemade cookies, and certainly not chocolate chip ones. Strange.

As in past visits, Nora has bonded, with the power of the strongest industrial glues, to her grandmother, insisting on going everywhere with her. When I tell Nora to come upstairs with me to get dressed, she says, "Okay, but Grandma has to come, too." That sort of thing, all day long.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8595924190_37d7315775_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Walking with Grandpa">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8595924190_a7b4dec6fd.jpg" alt="Walking with Grandpa"/>
</a>

She's fond of her grandfather, as well.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8595926800_04e615a4bf_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Grandparents and The Sea">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8595926800_30020922fd.jpg" alt="Grandparents and The Sea"/>
</a>

Overall, they've been having a wonderful time.

The state of the offspring is strong!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8563680500_06fbf8d328_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Written Name">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-27-state-of-the-offspring-address-march-2013/8563680500_49b3898b2c_z.jpg" alt="Written Name"/>
</a>

By the next State of the Offspring address, the number of offspring may have doubled…

Stay tuned!!


State of the Offspring Address - March 2013


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8591920499_2da306b0c5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Eight Months Pregnant">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8591920499_ee2d41a662_t.jpg" alt="Eight Months Pregnant"/>
</a>

We are considerably less stressed/terrified about the impending birth of our son than we were about our daughter, four long years ago. For instance, for Nora, we had the crib bought and put together a full _three months_ before its first use, and this time we haven't even considered bringing it down from the attic yet. The baby car seat and stroller attachments are still stored in my in-laws' attic as well. I don't even think we've bought a single item of baby clothing yet.  Reports from those closest to my son suggest that he kicks considerably less than his sister did, but _much_ harder. Boys are such brutes.

Nora remains very pleased to be having a brother, and is even handling the torturous wait quite well. I've never been as curious about anything as about getting a first glimpse of my children's faces. I can't wait to meet the little bugger.

We do have some awfully cute pregnancy photos to share...

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8591813235_0c56a298dc_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Eight Months Pregnant">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8591813235_27ffc4b038.jpg" alt="Eight Months Pregnant"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8591814021_6735032e0e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Eight Months Pregnant">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8591814021_db3353ed03.jpg" alt="Eight Months Pregnant"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8592912930_7c511e3668_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Eight Months Pregnant">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8592912930_9c0f003900.jpg" alt="Eight Months Pregnant"/>
</a>

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8591812149_975cdac154_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Eight Months Pregnant">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8591812149_f13763d65b.jpg" alt="Eight Months Pregnant"/>
</a>

And finally, my very favorite…

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8591920499_2da306b0c5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Eight Months Pregnant">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-26-one-month-to-go/8591920499_ee2d41a662.jpg" alt="Eight Months Pregnant"/>
</a>

There's a loving family waiting for you out here, son. Come out whenever you're ready!


One month to go...


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8585589121_f9ab2e15c5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Nora's Fourth Birthday">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8585589121_b1ae54617f_t.jpg" alt="Nora's Fourth Birthday"/>
</a>

For five weeks, we tracked every day [on a calendar](/2012/10/26/how-to-talk-to-a-three-year-old-about-the-future/) to know when it would be Nora's birthday. Also on the calendar was the arrival of my parents for their fortnight Easter visit. Nora was pretty excited about turning four, although she didn't really comprehend that she would be receiving presents. Even on the day, I had to remind her that it was time to open presents. Her Spanish grandparents and aunt came to visit for her birthday, so she had all her most immediate blood relatives with her.  There was something about the combination of all the family that made her a bit grumpy in the morning. She refused to speak on the phone to the handful of callers that called to wish her a happy birthday. I commented that one day I'd had a three year old, and now I had a fourteen year old. When it came time for cake and presents, however, things livened up.

My parents got her the one thing she's been responding to "What do you want for your birthday?", which was a _Dora The Explorer_ purse, _with things inside!_ Inside she found some cinnamon chewing gum (a bit of a rarity here in Iberia), some _Hello Kitty_ bandaids and a little flashlight just like her Grandma's, with which they enter dark closets to play "cave". From her Aunt Belén, she received a little basket of _Hello Kitty_ branded perfume and chapstick. Nora is more than a bit of a brand diva. From her _abuelos_, she received a combination chalkboard/whiteboard, which she loves. As my wife pointed out, it will get a lot more use than some of her other toys because, you know, it's actually kind of fun for adults to play with. Her other big gift was a brilliant idea of

Nora is more than a bit of a brand diva.

her mother's, a nice new doll stroller. Since we're about to dust off our real stroller and go for walks with it, it's a certainty that Nora will want to mimic that behavior with her own stroller, and the ones she's had since the time she was just learning how to walk are all either broken or too small. It hasn't gotten lot of play yet at home, but it will do its kilometers this summer.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8585548531_300ddfe8c0_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora's Fourth Birthday">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8585548531_1579dd9ab7.jpg" alt="Nora's Fourth Birthday"/>
</a>

American grandparents, Spanish grandmother and aunt, the birthday girl, and her very pregnant mother.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8586663778_cdc13f13f3_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora's Fourth Birthday">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8586663778_ea770c7a71.jpg" alt="Nora's Fourth Birthday"/>
</a>

The cake was imported that morning from the Basque Country, and says "_Zorionak_ Nora", meaning "Congratulations Nora".

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8586672220_918c026719_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora's Fourth Birthday">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8586672220_8757ea6930.jpg" alt="Nora's Fourth Birthday"/>
</a>

A proud father sporting a party hat.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8586682972_9dbb7085fd_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora's Fourth Birthday">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8586682972_a1293b1336.jpg" alt="Nora's Fourth Birthday"/>
</a>

Fire extinguishing.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8586705826_ae1c38723c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora's Fourth Birthday">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8586705826_f584572aa8.jpg" alt="Nora's Fourth Birthday"/>
</a>

Her _Dora_ purse.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8585619491_02a7f5d19b_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora's Fourth Birthday">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8585619491_dc2185779a.jpg" alt="Nora's Fourth Birthday"/>
</a>

Full of individually wrapped items.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8585628961_4db01d61b9_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora's Fourth Birthday">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8585628961_a53763159e.jpg" alt="Nora's Fourth Birthday"/>
</a>

_Hello Kitty_ bandaids, for dealing with owies in style.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8585669885_90779d0f4e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora's Fourth Birthday">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8585669885_24ba4c783b.jpg" alt="Nora's Fourth Birthday"/>
</a>

Some of the presents were big!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8586054937_97d47716db_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Drawing With Grandma">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8586054937_62d4de3f57.jpg" alt="Drawing With Grandma"/>
</a>

Writing…um…the equation for the circumference of a circle divided by Ï€.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/8587168858_eb28033564_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Wormhole Physicist">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-25-nora-is-four/images/8587168858_288a4400e8.jpg" alt="Wormhole Physicist"/>
</a>

Depicting how [strings](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_theory) are curled up in the extra dimensions.

It was a wonderful day shared with family. The past four years have been so much fun.

Happy birthday to my favorite little girl. Your mother and I are so proud of you.


Nora Is Four!


<img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-19-maidens-of-laredo/8571501955_7b656d7e82_t.jpg" alt="Maidens of Laredo (cropped)" class="post-thumb"/>I'm a big fan of clever street art, such as [this mural](http://www.flickr.com/photos/28350439@N07/2949353066/), in nearby Santoña, that spans three buildings. The medieval Old Town section of nearby Laredo is both the most happening social zone of the town, and also the most derelict crumbling part, full of abandoned, disintegrating buildings. Just last month one of them [blew over](http://www.eldiariomontanes.es/20130212/local/castro-oriental/derrumbe-casa-laredo-cantabria-201302120907.html). So there are plenty of abandoned houses with boarded up windows. A year or two ago, some interesting paintings began appearing on some of the doors and windows of the Old Town, depicting women inside the houses looking out. More than once, I've done a double-take when walking by, because they seem so real.  <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-19-maidens-of-laredo/8571402011_064bcbbcd5_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Maidens of Laredo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-19-maidens-of-laredo/8571402011_5e331b0bb1.jpg" alt="Maidens of Laredo"/>
</a>

Both of these doorways are boarded up with plywood. The wooden texture is all painted on. This lass holds a platter of fish, very common to this region.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-19-maidens-of-laredo/8571400889_886f17532e_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Maidens of Laredo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-19-maidens-of-laredo/8571400889_6fdd3f8da2.jpg" alt="Maidens of Laredo"/>
</a>

Again, the wood grain is all painted. I wish I'd taken the time to get a closeup of the note stuck to the shutter.

There's something very dark and sad about them, as if you are looking through these windows back into the past, to a sadder, more strife-ridden time. Wait, [that's redundant](/2012/04/04/the-golden-age-fallacy-and-our-social-decline/). The women seem trapped, longing to escape.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-19-maidens-of-laredo/8572497750_bbf351b952_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Maidens of Laredo">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-19-maidens-of-laredo/8572497750_4ca2df1584.jpg" alt="Maidens of Laredo"/>
</a>

Is the symbolism strong enough on this one? The bars and flowers are real, so either the artist managed to paint through the bars, or got permission from the owner of the house to install the plywood from the other side of the bars.

What a lovely art project, adding so much character to a dilapidated neighborhood. I've only seen these three women, but one day I'd like to walk all the streets of the Old Town looking for more.


Maidens of Laredo


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547539649_7093b87271_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Arroz con Bogavante">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547539649_a965b1e527_t.jpg" alt="Arroz con Bogavante"/>
</a>

This weekend we finally got around to inviting our friends Agustí­n and Ana over so they could teach us how they make their Rice With Lobster dish that we had one time at their house. The day before, Ana and Marga went shopping to buy the lobster. The first fishmonger they visited had only one living lobster and some dead ones, so they went to another where they purchased two beautiful living lobsters. When they arrived on the day of the meal, they brought their _paellera_, a big dish for making paella, and their gas stove on which to heat the _paellera_ evenly. These _paelleras_ and stoves are sold at any Spanish hardware store and any self respecting Spanish household owns one. They also brought a lovely bottle of [Riesling](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riesling).  Before I get to the recipe, let me discuss vocabulary. I was always taught the word "_langosta_" for "lobster", but, apart from also meaning "grasshopper", the word _langosta_ primarily refers to the species of lobster caught on the coast of North America, _Homarus americanus_. The word "_bogavante_", on the other hand, refers to their European cousin, caught on the other side of the Atlantic, the European lobster, _Homarus gammarus_.

## Arroz Con Bogavante (Rice With Lobster)

A delightful Spanish seafood dish with calamari, lobster and rice.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547539649_7093b87271_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Arroz con Bogavante">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547539649_a965b1e527.jpg" alt="Arroz con Bogavante"/>
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Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 40 minutes

Total time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4 servings

### Ingredients

- 2 lobsters
- calamari rings (800 grams)
- 1 green pepper
- 1 red pepper
- 1 onion
- fish broth (2 liters)
- rice (approx. 500 grams)

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547521615_2f576e0c1f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Arroz con Bogavante">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547521615_7c52351936.jpg" alt="Arroz con Bogavante"/>
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1) Chop up onion and peppers and fry them in a frying pan.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8548622528_27092c7e9c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Arroz con Bogavante">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8548622528_cec398cd59.jpg" alt="Arroz con Bogavante"/>
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2) Chop the calamari rings into short (2 cm) segments and add them to the frying peppers.

3) After the veggies and calamari are lightly fried, cover them with water and let them simmer for 20 minutes.

4) Pour in one liter of fish broth, and when it's boiling, add the rice. Let cook for 10 minutes, adding fish broth as the liquid boils off.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547525373_e00b12c500_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Arroz con Bogavante">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547525373_96fbce3412.jpg" alt="Arroz con Bogavante"/>
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Don't look directly into its eyes.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547532183_99fd678808_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Arroz con Bogavante">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547532183_513a2a6725.jpg" alt="Arroz con Bogavante"/>
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5) Slice the lobster down the middle, first cutting the through tail and then the head. No cleaning of the inside of the creature is needed, as the guts are both delicious and nutritious. Remove the rubber bands from the claws very carefully. Place the halves with the shell down (open guts up) into the rice and cook for 5-6 minutes.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547536501_cedf084eff_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Arroz con Bogavante">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8547536501_a5bc162e60.jpg" alt="Arroz con Bogavante"/>
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6) Turn each lobster half, allowing the green guts to fall into the rice. Mmmm!! The shell should be pink now. Add any remaining fish broth and cook for another 5-6 minutes.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8548637244_609918f198_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Arroz con Bogavante">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8548637244_1f488238bc.jpg" alt="Arroz con Bogavante"/>
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7) Serve! Preferably with bread, salad and a white wine.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8548640678_40acbfd40f_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Arroz con Bogavante">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8548640678_d6de5b1cf0.jpg" alt="Arroz con Bogavante"/>
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### Conclusion

This dish is very delicious, and easy to make if you have the right equipment and strength to chop a live lobster in half. There are few foods as delicious as fresh lobster tail, and the rice really fills in the plate to make this a complete meal. We will definitely be making this again.

Enjoy!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8548630434_494f04d116_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Lobster!">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-11-spanish-recipe-arroz-con-bogavante-rice-with-lobster/8548630434_18c83e8f20.jpg" alt="Lobster!"/>
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Spanish Recipe: Arroz con Bogavante (Rice with Lobster)


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8543791573_0d434b5901_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="After Paint Job">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8543791573_827a8134fe_t.jpg" alt="After Paint Job"/>
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I don't think I'll ever buy a red car again, at least not until I'm a multimillionaire with a six-car garage. My first car was a red Honda Civic, which I loved dearly and can still see and smell if I close my eyes. Our current car is a red Opel Astra, which is very similar to my Civic. We bought it eight years ago when we moved to Spain. Apparently the problem with red cars is that their paint fades much more quickly than other colored cars. Presumably it has to do with reflecting the longest wavelength (red), which has the least amount of energy, and absorbing all the high energy sunlight. For the past few years, our car has been more orange than red.  <a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8544885622_d3dd54ed9c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Before Paint Job">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8544885622_7a86a0dd98.jpg" alt="Before Paint Job"/>
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It doesn't really show up very well in a photograph, but the red that is left is extremely faded and quite matte.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8544886380_6d21556eb1_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Before Paint Job">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8544886380_75527146f5.jpg" alt="Before Paint Job"/>
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Ugly!

This week we had our car painted. It was expensive as hell, well over 10% of the original sticker price, but our insurance, which we've been paying diligently for years and never claiming a dime from, paid for the whole thing.

Behold!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8543791573_0d434b5901_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="After Paint Job">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8543791573_827a8134fe.jpg" alt="After Paint Job"/>
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It really looks like a brand new car.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8544888706_37d249dbaf_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="After Paint Job">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8544888706_9d4f1bb9bf.jpg" alt="After Paint Job"/>
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Sexy!

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8544886380_6d21556eb1_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Before Paint Job">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8544886380_75527146f5_m.jpg" alt="Before Paint Job"/>
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<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8544889388_01521bc35c_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="After Paint Job">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-10-painting-the-car/8544889388_1cff75bc62_m.jpg" alt="After Paint Job"/>
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Here are the before and after shots for comparison. The lighting is different, but the difference is still very noticeable.

Of course it'll turn dull and ugly in a few short years parked in the sunshine, but for now we can hold our head up high when we use our vehicle.


Painting The Car


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-08-noras-iphone/8538219895_789dc0c355_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Nora's iPhone">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-08-noras-iphone/8538219895_ee7e9a5e00_t.jpg" alt="Nora's iPhone"/>
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One of the most enjoyable parts about parenting for me is being surprised by my child; expecting her to react one way or favor one thing, and seeing her preference clearly buck my expectations. Take, for example, toys. She's got dolls and stuffed animals and cars and computers and costumes, some of which are very elaborate. But, contrary to what I would've expected, none of them are her most favorite possessions. She really loves playing with small pieces of plastic, items that she can hold firmly in her fist and carry in her pocket, like a tube of Chapstickâ„¢ or a piece of plastic shrapnel that broke off her mother's hairbrush.  But her most favorite possession of all is her "iPhone". We think she actually stole it from her classroom at school. We've made her take it back a few times, but it always ends up back at home. She hasn't yet stolen anything else, and I don't think anyone at school misses it, so we're letting this one go as an isolated incident. I think it's supposed to be a baby's teething ring. It had been around, in her possession, for a couple weeks before she dubbed it her "iPhone". Not her "mobile", mind you, not her "telephone"…her "iPhone". She likes to make sure she has it in her coat pocket before going to school and sometimes can be found searching the house frantically for it.

<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-08-noras-iphone/8538219895_789dc0c355_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image" title="Nora's iPhone">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-08-noras-iphone/8538219895_ee7e9a5e00.jpg" alt="Nora's iPhone"/>
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Nora's iPhone.

The other day when we were at the doctor's waiting room, I pulled out my iPhone and was thumbing aimlessly around social networking posts and emails as my generation can be seen doing at the first sign of boredom. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nora, beside me, pull out her "iPhone", hold it in front of her, and thumb across its surface just like I was doing with my thumb. I asked what she was doing, and she said, "Just using my iPhone." I smiled.

A minute later she asked me, "Do you want me to take your picture?" I consented, and she got up and moved in front of me, held up her "iPhone" and, moving her thumb to exactly where the shutter button would be on a real iPhone, she tapped. She brought it back to me to show me the pretend picture.

But it didn't stop there.

She went on to give me a tutorial on how to use her pink bear of a smart phone, identifying the eyes, ears and nose as different apps, and explained that if you wanted to see pictures, for example, you had to tap here, here, and then here. To use the drawing app required another set of procedures. I was astounded.

Looking back, her behavior is pretty understandable. It's nice to have personal possessions that you can claim as your own, and it's nice when they fit in your pocket. Her mimicry of my personal obsession is a little haunting, but I admit to being every bit as nutty about "needing" my iPhone with me at all times.

The depth and texture and detail of a child's imagination sure is a beautiful thing.


Nora's iPhone


<a href="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/5432100262_4012f96d71_o_d.jpg" target="_blank" class="flickr-image post-thumb" title="Facebook Exclamation">
  <img src="https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/5432100262_32938fb031_t.jpg" alt="Facebook Exclamation"/>
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88% of people don't understand this post… (but you probably will)

If you frequent Facebook much, you may have noticed a recent surge – or scourge – of silly little intelligence tests. Most of them start out with a claim that "Most people are unable to do this", and then provide a pretty simple single-digits arithmetic problem or a word find or ask you to count geometric shapes. These things are so successful, especially with the prefacing text, because they reassure the common believe that everyone has, that they are smarter than most of these other _Homo sapiens_ bozos. I'll be the first to admit that they can be pretty fun, and some of them do engage your mind in a way that a silly cat photo does not. Here, try to resist some that I culled in no time at all from my Facebook news feed…

![which-is-the-top-view](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/8521995766_ef7641c112_m.jpg "which-is-the-top-view")![math-test](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/8520883873_7613469f53_m.jpg "math-test")  
  
![first-three-words](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/8521995824_bf1afdf2e5_m.jpg "first-three-words")![how-many-triangles](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/8520883809_470af46672_n.jpg "how-many-triangles")  
  
![how-many-squares](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/8520883783_c8ae9ab885_n.jpg "how-many-squares")![name-a-word](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/8521995752_489e6b75eb_m.jpg "name-a-word")  
  
![strong-mind](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/8520883909_d87416792c_n.jpg "strong-mind")

Perhaps it was my training as a computer programmer, but I had the arithmetic order of operations hammered into my brain permanently, so those seem the downright silliest to me. The more recent mutation of this social virus is the "Name a word/town/celebrity with/without the following letters". Meh! The word find ones are also totally daft, as the only hidden words are things that _everyone_ ![bat-slap](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/8520883845_c7c4280900_m.jpg "bat-slap")"wants in life" (read horoscopes, much?). It also turns out that everyone can read the "jumbled" [leetspeak](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leet) text, too. _Look how clever you are!_ The geometric shape counting variety are my favorite, as they take a reasonable amount of observation and short-term memory; they are the kind I most often see people get wrong – and yes, get wrong myself.

The thing about these images is that they are _really_ hard not to respond to, especially when you see a long list of comments from people giving the wrong answers. In me, at least, it fires the same "Oh, I know this!" neurons that used to be tied to my hand raising muscles back in school.

### But Why Does It Matter?

Facebook and Google have very similar business models and problems to solve. Both have a ton of data that they need to filter down to a quantity that you, their user, finds manageable. The better they can do that to your liking, the more you use their site, and the more advertisements they can show you.

Google uses an algorithm known as PageRank to calculate how authoritative or generally important a given webpage is by how many other websites link to it. There's a huge industry, called Search Engine Optimization, devoted to maximizing your PageRank to make your website show up higher on Google search results. Although you may not be aware of it, the internet is in a constant arms race to find ways to gain PageRank without actually having to have amazingly useful content. SEO hackers find a way to work around the PageRank algorithm, and Google plugs each hole as they find it.

![facebook-edgerank](https://d1js6qm6cshi0v.cloudfront.net/oldblog/2013-03-02-facebook-intelligence-tests-and-the-real-geniuses/8521010757_8270ed8bf9_m.jpg)Likewise, Facebook uses an algorithm called [EdgeRank](http://edgerank.net/), which uses what they call User Engagement to decide what content to display on your newsfeed. Some Facebook users have "liked" hundreds of [pages](/2011/05/12/using-facebook-properly/) (websites or brands) which gives those pages access to post things onto their newsfeed. Facebook quickly realized that this would be a "drinking from the firehose" problem and had to filter the content down to only pages that you really seemed to care about. Like PageRank, the exact inner workings of the EdgeRank algorithm are a corporate secret, but they generally measure the following interactions with a Facebook post in increasing order of importance: Like, Comment, Share. The more you do those things on, say, the [American in Spain](https://www.facebook.com/americaninspain) page, the more likely it is that you – and other people! – will see subsequent posts. If you fail to interact with the posts from a page, you will cease to see them in your newsfeed. Thus, it is extremely valuable to a page owner that people like, comment and share their posts.

### The Real Genius

Now, if you're one of the elite 12% who can comprehend such intellectual matters, I think you'll see why these silly little "intelligence" tests are so incredibly popular. Page owners have found a way to get lots of people to comment on their posts, thus boosting their overall reach into the [Facebook-verse](/2010/09/06/the-private-internet/).

Unless Facebook finds some way to plug this hole (e.g. giving lower weight to single word comments), those of us who use Facebook will be seeing a lot more of these kinds of posts in the future.

Were you one of the super-geniuses that could understand this post? Why not challenge your friends by liking or sharing [this post](https://www.facebook.com/americaninspain/posts/428569587217861)?? I bet they're totally dumber than you.


9 posts from March, 2013