Monday, December 3, 2007
Just in case you thought I was kidding...
Here's a photo of the jar of "Maria" that is currently residing above the cabinets in the kitchen...
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Hey remember me? Yeah... I know...
So hey… Remember me? I’d like to say that I haven’t written in a while in honor of the WGA strike but that’d be complete BS. A lot have things have happened (surprise!) over the past however long it’s been since I’ve written. For example: I went to Pisa/Florence, Segovia, and today I’m going to France. I got mugged in Retiro and got my camera stolen and my face punched (yay!). I’ve seen an opera (bad…) and a couple of plays (even worse…). Laura offered me a good deal on pot from a friend of hers and today I found a jar filled with the stuff on top of the cabinets in the kitchen… The foods been okay; the anchovies hadn’t made a come back until two nights ago but oh well, you win some, you lose some. I actually had to do some schoolwork (SHOCKING! I know…) and that might have been another reason I haven’t written (when the bullshitting muscles are working full force sometimes it’s hard to be creative when writing…).
Anyway, why didn’t I write? Well to be honest, I was tired, bored, a little over being here (I still am, I mean I’m really glad I chose to come here and all that jazz but when it comes down to it, I need to get back to my real life, to the real world. You know me, I like to work. As much as I complain when I’m super busy, I’m happy.) SO yeah, I’ve been a little down (nothing bad) and some people here have really started to bother me to death (I cannot tell you how much this feels like I’m back in high school, or really more of what my junior high experience was like, but anywho…) and I really can’t wait to get back to my norm, what’s comfortable, and most of all to feeling like I’m accomplishing something again.
On a side note, I haven’t been reading as much lately but I have developed a strange affinity for Japanese animated movies dubbed into English (say what you will, but they’re pretty and relaxing…) I’m not talking Dragonball Z or stuff like that, more along the lines of Spirited Away…( PS. The not-so-legal downloading of movies, which I don’t really support, is pretty much a way of life for American students in foreign countries…) I also watched Sicko, you know the newest Michael Moore rant-a-thon… Well let me tell you something, I’ve never been so affected by a movie… And I know that it’s not the most unbiased film on the matter, but still it’s a must see…
Hmmmm….. Other things on my mind while I procrastinate packing and showering and going to the institute to see if my happy pills and Laura’s iPod have arrived… Well, I miss my grandma a lot… (sappy personal time…) I guess ‘cuz I haven’t really had the time to go through some of those 5 stages of mourning (AP Psych, anyone?) since coming here has kinda been a whirlwind of craziness and all… So yeah, that’s something that I’m dealing with a bit… And, um, let’s see… The regular life shit too,. You know what I mean. Oh! I’ve been listening to Christmas music a lot lately (you gotta love it, I mean come on, holiday spirit!) And the Starbucks’ here all have a really great Christmas loop that they play so I’ve been doing the tall (which can I tell you, they can’t say here and you always look like an ass if you don’t just order a pequeño…) vanilla soy chai thing again.
Other than that… Let’s see… In like under two weeks the program is done and my mom’ll be here and we’ll be doing the European tourist stuff so that’ll be good and then it’s back to America. And school (last semester, what!!?) and stress (can’t lie, I’m kinda excited…) And then finding a job… YIKES!
So there’s the rant/explanation of my MIA-ness… Anyway here are some stories:
So, let me re-introduce you to Jasoñ (or me in Spain): big loser, with too much free time who has kind of lost the will to go out much or drink (I mean, why? I normally go out or grab a drink if I’m stressed to help me relaxed. When everything is relaxed what’s the point? I mean, I’m really over the drinking-to-get-drunk-so-I-can-pretend-that-stupid decisions-I-made-were-not-my-fault phase of life… So what have I been doing? Still going out and stuff… Not as much, lot’s of Laura and me time. And like I said I’ve been going to the opera/theatre/dance (BAD. WORSE. AMAZING respectively). I went to see the opera alone which was actually really cool for me… I like doing things on my own, it kind of reaffirms my independence… Funny story actually: the opera (which, if you’re under 26 and show up 1:30 a head of time, you get a 90% discount. So yeah I got a €145,00 ticket for €14,50) was the Rape of Lucretia which we did at BU 3 years ago... And when I saw it I sat in the front row... Once again, I sat in the front row... Oh well... So yeah so that was the opera…
Laura and I went to see a play. It’s called Las Persas (supposedly based on Escoles’ [sp] play of the same name…) Basically it was an hour and a half anti-war rant/actors get to (figuratively) masturbate on stage time from the Spanish soldiers point of view… It was so Spanish in fact that they sang a lot of American anti-war songs from the Vietnam era… (oh did I not mention that it was a rock-opera??? Yeah…) Well let me tell you, after it was over (Laura and I were sitting in different places) we met up in the lobby and the first thing she says to me, in English, was “Great high school play, huh?” and I quickly responded with “You’re giving it too much credit…” Anyway afterwards Laura, her friend (who she swears is an actual bruja (witch)) went out for some food/drink. Laura asked me to, please, express my complete and utter distaste for the play to here in English so I could express myself to the fullest… 20 minutes later we had some wine…
Dance. I went to see some dance. Pilobolus? Never heard of them? They’re an American dance company based in NY (remember the Oscars when the people made shapes with their bodies? That was them…) It was absolutely GORGEOUS… See them if you can…
Okay, so I got mugged… Yep… Fun times… anyway I was sitting in Retiro park on a bench by what I like to call my “magic fountain” ‘cuz it’s super pretty and likes Lord of the Rings-esque… Anyway for the first time in a while I was starting to feel pretty good again… I had bought a tortilla sandwich and was sitting there feeding the birds and humming or something and taking pictures of my new pigeon and sparrow friends (Hi my name is Jason and I have a problem. I take too many pictures of f-ing birds…). Anyway there I am being relaxed, enjoying nature, and feeling pretty good about being alive when all of a sudden I see these two kids walking into the area of the fountain. I told the birds (yeah, I was talking to them… I told you I’m a little looney…) to watch out for the people as they walked by when all of a sudden one of the little punks comes up to me. [Everything was in Spanish, you get to read it in English]
“You got something for me?”
“No”
“Give me some money…”
“I don’t have anything…”
“It looks like you got something.” As he grabs my camera…
“Give it back!”
“If you give me a Euro I’ll give you the camera…” Now I can bee pretty stupid so I gave the kid 2 Euros and then asked for my camera back.
“The little mariposa [Spanish not-so-nice slang for gay] wants his camera back.” At this point friend to says they should leave and little punk 1 says no… I reach for the camera and he reaches for my neck. While kinda strangling me he says:
“You don’t wanna mess with me man… Yo soy Latin King!” And he then proceeds to make some sort of hand gesture… Anyway, I’ve had enough so I decided to cut my losses (at least he didn’t get my bag with my laptop in it…) and get the hell out of there… As I grab my stuff and stand up WHAM! He punches me right in the left eye… Now there were people watching the whole time, like across the fountain... People walked by as this was happening… I guess good Samaritan is not a real popular thing here in the ‘Drid… Anyway I walk away, they (and my camera) walk away… I get a little pissed/upset so I throw the tin of haring in dill crème that Laura gave me into the garbage and walk off… Not knowing exactly what I should do at that point… I call my father and then decided to go to the Institute… I got there, went to the police station, filed a report and expected nothing to come of it… Anyway, when I got home and told the dynamic duo (Laura and everyone’s favorite Edson) some hilarity ensued… Edson was sure that it was foreigners that did this to me… Not Spaniards! Spanish people don’t mug people! Only Latin American foreigners do that… Oh Edson… Laura got pissed at his blatant racism (which is really fashionable here… If you’re Asian, I’d say you’re better off in another country… Also they don’t love the Jews or African Americans…) and they yelled a little… So there you have it: the mugging story.
What else…. Hmmm… Next week before exams I’m going to Bilbao… That should be fun… I’ve seen some Spanish movies in the theaters (most of them bad… there’s a trend with Spain and the arts that I’m discovering)… And, um… I bought a new camera… It’s okay… And, oh Pisa/Florence! I’ll spare you the reading time, but go. To both. If you can, they’re both super pretty and amazing in there own ways, and let’s face it, Italian food and wine in Italy… Does it get any better? I think not…
So there you have it… An update on the gran viaje… Ask me questions I’ll tell you stories. I can’t wait to see all of you (if anyone still reads this) soon!
Much love,
Jason
OH! London! Did I write about London? Well I loved it there! Absolutely loved it! Like I-could-live-there loved it! Super fun times! Okay… Sorry… BYEEE!
Oh, I also went to see an amazing photography exhibit with Laura… It was wonderful. And one of the headlining photos was one of my grandparent’s and then another headlining artist was from the good old HP… Crazy, I know! Okay, now I’m done… For real…
Anyway, why didn’t I write? Well to be honest, I was tired, bored, a little over being here (I still am, I mean I’m really glad I chose to come here and all that jazz but when it comes down to it, I need to get back to my real life, to the real world. You know me, I like to work. As much as I complain when I’m super busy, I’m happy.) SO yeah, I’ve been a little down (nothing bad) and some people here have really started to bother me to death (I cannot tell you how much this feels like I’m back in high school, or really more of what my junior high experience was like, but anywho…) and I really can’t wait to get back to my norm, what’s comfortable, and most of all to feeling like I’m accomplishing something again.
On a side note, I haven’t been reading as much lately but I have developed a strange affinity for Japanese animated movies dubbed into English (say what you will, but they’re pretty and relaxing…) I’m not talking Dragonball Z or stuff like that, more along the lines of Spirited Away…( PS. The not-so-legal downloading of movies, which I don’t really support, is pretty much a way of life for American students in foreign countries…) I also watched Sicko, you know the newest Michael Moore rant-a-thon… Well let me tell you something, I’ve never been so affected by a movie… And I know that it’s not the most unbiased film on the matter, but still it’s a must see…
Hmmmm….. Other things on my mind while I procrastinate packing and showering and going to the institute to see if my happy pills and Laura’s iPod have arrived… Well, I miss my grandma a lot… (sappy personal time…) I guess ‘cuz I haven’t really had the time to go through some of those 5 stages of mourning (AP Psych, anyone?) since coming here has kinda been a whirlwind of craziness and all… So yeah, that’s something that I’m dealing with a bit… And, um, let’s see… The regular life shit too,. You know what I mean. Oh! I’ve been listening to Christmas music a lot lately (you gotta love it, I mean come on, holiday spirit!) And the Starbucks’ here all have a really great Christmas loop that they play so I’ve been doing the tall (which can I tell you, they can’t say here and you always look like an ass if you don’t just order a pequeño…) vanilla soy chai thing again.
Other than that… Let’s see… In like under two weeks the program is done and my mom’ll be here and we’ll be doing the European tourist stuff so that’ll be good and then it’s back to America. And school (last semester, what!!?) and stress (can’t lie, I’m kinda excited…) And then finding a job… YIKES!
So there’s the rant/explanation of my MIA-ness… Anyway here are some stories:
So, let me re-introduce you to Jasoñ (or me in Spain): big loser, with too much free time who has kind of lost the will to go out much or drink (I mean, why? I normally go out or grab a drink if I’m stressed to help me relaxed. When everything is relaxed what’s the point? I mean, I’m really over the drinking-to-get-drunk-so-I-can-pretend-that-stupid decisions-I-made-were-not-my-fault phase of life… So what have I been doing? Still going out and stuff… Not as much, lot’s of Laura and me time. And like I said I’ve been going to the opera/theatre/dance (BAD. WORSE. AMAZING respectively). I went to see the opera alone which was actually really cool for me… I like doing things on my own, it kind of reaffirms my independence… Funny story actually: the opera (which, if you’re under 26 and show up 1:30 a head of time, you get a 90% discount. So yeah I got a €145,00 ticket for €14,50) was the Rape of Lucretia which we did at BU 3 years ago... And when I saw it I sat in the front row... Once again, I sat in the front row... Oh well... So yeah so that was the opera…
Laura and I went to see a play. It’s called Las Persas (supposedly based on Escoles’ [sp] play of the same name…) Basically it was an hour and a half anti-war rant/actors get to (figuratively) masturbate on stage time from the Spanish soldiers point of view… It was so Spanish in fact that they sang a lot of American anti-war songs from the Vietnam era… (oh did I not mention that it was a rock-opera??? Yeah…) Well let me tell you, after it was over (Laura and I were sitting in different places) we met up in the lobby and the first thing she says to me, in English, was “Great high school play, huh?” and I quickly responded with “You’re giving it too much credit…” Anyway afterwards Laura, her friend (who she swears is an actual bruja (witch)) went out for some food/drink. Laura asked me to, please, express my complete and utter distaste for the play to here in English so I could express myself to the fullest… 20 minutes later we had some wine…
Dance. I went to see some dance. Pilobolus? Never heard of them? They’re an American dance company based in NY (remember the Oscars when the people made shapes with their bodies? That was them…) It was absolutely GORGEOUS… See them if you can…
Okay, so I got mugged… Yep… Fun times… anyway I was sitting in Retiro park on a bench by what I like to call my “magic fountain” ‘cuz it’s super pretty and likes Lord of the Rings-esque… Anyway for the first time in a while I was starting to feel pretty good again… I had bought a tortilla sandwich and was sitting there feeding the birds and humming or something and taking pictures of my new pigeon and sparrow friends (Hi my name is Jason and I have a problem. I take too many pictures of f-ing birds…). Anyway there I am being relaxed, enjoying nature, and feeling pretty good about being alive when all of a sudden I see these two kids walking into the area of the fountain. I told the birds (yeah, I was talking to them… I told you I’m a little looney…) to watch out for the people as they walked by when all of a sudden one of the little punks comes up to me. [Everything was in Spanish, you get to read it in English]
“You got something for me?”
“No”
“Give me some money…”
“I don’t have anything…”
“It looks like you got something.” As he grabs my camera…
“Give it back!”
“If you give me a Euro I’ll give you the camera…” Now I can bee pretty stupid so I gave the kid 2 Euros and then asked for my camera back.
“The little mariposa [Spanish not-so-nice slang for gay] wants his camera back.” At this point friend to says they should leave and little punk 1 says no… I reach for the camera and he reaches for my neck. While kinda strangling me he says:
“You don’t wanna mess with me man… Yo soy Latin King!” And he then proceeds to make some sort of hand gesture… Anyway, I’ve had enough so I decided to cut my losses (at least he didn’t get my bag with my laptop in it…) and get the hell out of there… As I grab my stuff and stand up WHAM! He punches me right in the left eye… Now there were people watching the whole time, like across the fountain... People walked by as this was happening… I guess good Samaritan is not a real popular thing here in the ‘Drid… Anyway I walk away, they (and my camera) walk away… I get a little pissed/upset so I throw the tin of haring in dill crème that Laura gave me into the garbage and walk off… Not knowing exactly what I should do at that point… I call my father and then decided to go to the Institute… I got there, went to the police station, filed a report and expected nothing to come of it… Anyway, when I got home and told the dynamic duo (Laura and everyone’s favorite Edson) some hilarity ensued… Edson was sure that it was foreigners that did this to me… Not Spaniards! Spanish people don’t mug people! Only Latin American foreigners do that… Oh Edson… Laura got pissed at his blatant racism (which is really fashionable here… If you’re Asian, I’d say you’re better off in another country… Also they don’t love the Jews or African Americans…) and they yelled a little… So there you have it: the mugging story.
What else…. Hmmm… Next week before exams I’m going to Bilbao… That should be fun… I’ve seen some Spanish movies in the theaters (most of them bad… there’s a trend with Spain and the arts that I’m discovering)… And, um… I bought a new camera… It’s okay… And, oh Pisa/Florence! I’ll spare you the reading time, but go. To both. If you can, they’re both super pretty and amazing in there own ways, and let’s face it, Italian food and wine in Italy… Does it get any better? I think not…
So there you have it… An update on the gran viaje… Ask me questions I’ll tell you stories. I can’t wait to see all of you (if anyone still reads this) soon!
Much love,
Jason
OH! London! Did I write about London? Well I loved it there! Absolutely loved it! Like I-could-live-there loved it! Super fun times! Okay… Sorry… BYEEE!
Oh, I also went to see an amazing photography exhibit with Laura… It was wonderful. And one of the headlining photos was one of my grandparent’s and then another headlining artist was from the good old HP… Crazy, I know! Okay, now I’m done… For real…
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
London OR “What?! People speak English?”
So I went to London over this last weekend and let me just say, I absolutely LOVED it…. Anyway, I’ll start at the beginning.
After my lunch of Tortilla (thanks Edson!) I headed to the airport. Now not knowing how long it would take me to get there or if the airline would have a problem with the fact that my ticket listed my name as Jason Taylor instead of Jason Vanderwoude (darn double apellidos… and we won’t even get into the three hours I spent on the phone with EDreams and Air France, all in Español by the way…) So I arrived at Burjas at 4:30… One problem, my flight didn’t leave until 7:30… Oops… So in a true Vanderwoude fashion, I had a good 2:40 to kill in the airport. Security there was an absolute joke. I went got my ticket, was never ID-ed, walked up to the metal detector, beeped as I went through, and then had them wand my belt, never once asking a question… So I spent my time in the magical world of Duty-Free everything and playing solitaire on my phone… Woot! Anyway, I finally boarded and began my journey to London.
The flight was fine… Just me and a bunch of English businessmen and women with around six bags each of duty free alcohol… We arrived on time and I deplaned thinking that Heathrow looked a little small… Anyway my bag came super quick and I went to find the Heathrow Express train that Ashley told me to take… Well funny story… Lately I haven’t exactly been thinking a lot so I’m a tad bit slow... I actually arrived in London at London City Airport, not Heathrow… Hey, to my defense I don’t know London, never been there before, so it was easy to confuse the airports… Anywho, a nice older man working at the train station helped me plan my route.
I was on the train for about 1:30 when I arrived at Wimbledon… Now I had thought that Ashley was gunna meet me at the Tube station so I got there and waited around for a while… Now, my phone was out of money and since I was on roaming I couldn’t receive calls either… Oops,! Never mind the fact that I didn’t have Ashley or Taylor’s numbers in my phone… AY! So after about another hour or so I decided to go get in a cab find a hotel with internet access and try to contact the girls… So the cab takes me “about six or seven quid” from the station to a Holiday Inn Express and as we pull up (miracle of miracles) my phone rings. It’s Ashley (thank GOD)… So long story short I pay another 10 quid to head over to their place…
It was super great to see both of them and their flat (the penthouse) is super cute and the neighborhood is even cuter (so many little British children!!!). After a bottle of wine and some tortilla chips we settled in for the evening.
The next day Taylor had to go to work early so Ashley and I decided to do a little shopping/exploring the city and met Taylor for lunch at a cute French bistro. Now I won’t go into every detail of what I did while there, but I found it very hard to communicate with English speaking people the first day and a half I was there… Yeah… Anyway over the weekend I saw some of the sites, did some super expensive (have you seen the exchange rate lately?!?!) shopping and tried out the night life a little… Again SUPER GREAT TRIP…
I’m sitting in class as I write this so I should probably cut off this entry here… Suffice to say I love London and can’t wait to get back there at some point and explore some more!
Oh yeah, on the way back I stopped in Paris (Charles Degaul [sp?] Airport) for about an hour and a half. Very friendly people, couldn’t really understand them… Anyway, I had a pastry, bought some magazines and then headed back the Spain… A good end to a great weekend!
¡Chao!
After my lunch of Tortilla (thanks Edson!) I headed to the airport. Now not knowing how long it would take me to get there or if the airline would have a problem with the fact that my ticket listed my name as Jason Taylor instead of Jason Vanderwoude (darn double apellidos… and we won’t even get into the three hours I spent on the phone with EDreams and Air France, all in Español by the way…) So I arrived at Burjas at 4:30… One problem, my flight didn’t leave until 7:30… Oops… So in a true Vanderwoude fashion, I had a good 2:40 to kill in the airport. Security there was an absolute joke. I went got my ticket, was never ID-ed, walked up to the metal detector, beeped as I went through, and then had them wand my belt, never once asking a question… So I spent my time in the magical world of Duty-Free everything and playing solitaire on my phone… Woot! Anyway, I finally boarded and began my journey to London.
The flight was fine… Just me and a bunch of English businessmen and women with around six bags each of duty free alcohol… We arrived on time and I deplaned thinking that Heathrow looked a little small… Anyway my bag came super quick and I went to find the Heathrow Express train that Ashley told me to take… Well funny story… Lately I haven’t exactly been thinking a lot so I’m a tad bit slow... I actually arrived in London at London City Airport, not Heathrow… Hey, to my defense I don’t know London, never been there before, so it was easy to confuse the airports… Anywho, a nice older man working at the train station helped me plan my route.
I was on the train for about 1:30 when I arrived at Wimbledon… Now I had thought that Ashley was gunna meet me at the Tube station so I got there and waited around for a while… Now, my phone was out of money and since I was on roaming I couldn’t receive calls either… Oops,! Never mind the fact that I didn’t have Ashley or Taylor’s numbers in my phone… AY! So after about another hour or so I decided to go get in a cab find a hotel with internet access and try to contact the girls… So the cab takes me “about six or seven quid” from the station to a Holiday Inn Express and as we pull up (miracle of miracles) my phone rings. It’s Ashley (thank GOD)… So long story short I pay another 10 quid to head over to their place…
It was super great to see both of them and their flat (the penthouse) is super cute and the neighborhood is even cuter (so many little British children!!!). After a bottle of wine and some tortilla chips we settled in for the evening.
The next day Taylor had to go to work early so Ashley and I decided to do a little shopping/exploring the city and met Taylor for lunch at a cute French bistro. Now I won’t go into every detail of what I did while there, but I found it very hard to communicate with English speaking people the first day and a half I was there… Yeah… Anyway over the weekend I saw some of the sites, did some super expensive (have you seen the exchange rate lately?!?!) shopping and tried out the night life a little… Again SUPER GREAT TRIP…
I’m sitting in class as I write this so I should probably cut off this entry here… Suffice to say I love London and can’t wait to get back there at some point and explore some more!
Oh yeah, on the way back I stopped in Paris (Charles Degaul [sp?] Airport) for about an hour and a half. Very friendly people, couldn’t really understand them… Anyway, I had a pastry, bought some magazines and then headed back the Spain… A good end to a great weekend!
¡Chao!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Dateline Sunday: Family Dinner
In lieu of studying for my midterms I’m going to take some time to describe this evening’s dinner with you.
It all began this afternoon right before lunch… Laura was going to visit her mother and brothers back in the “pueblo” and little did I know it but she would be bringing home some surprises.
Right after we finished our lunch of spaghetti with dried fruits and nuts (a dish Laura later claimed to have tasted like a Hindi desert) Edson informed me that he was off to meet up with his friends and to buy some more hashish (that’s right our good friend Maria is coming to stay for a while).
Anyway, I did pretty much nothing all day and when Laura arrived home from her mother’s at around 5:30 she informed me in English that she had brought “lots of goodies from the village!” Curious I began to look around. It wasn’t until after Laura returned from the pool at her spa that I got the grand tour of the food. Included in the horde was some ham (SURPRISE!), a loaf of special braided bread (taste and texture similar to a French bread but maybe a little harder on the outside), some potato chips (best I’ve ever had), an assortment of cookies, muffins, an apple tart-ish thing, and, oh I don’t know, about 5 pounds of grapes. Anyway after explaining to me exactly what it all was Laura asked, “¿Quieres cenar con el plan dulce?” (Do you want to do the sweet plan for dinner?) Not being one to express how I actually feel, I said sure.
And that brings us to dinner. What did I eat? Well, I had some chips, grapes, three cookies, a muffin, and that apple thing… Oh and a glass of water. In the middle of dinner Laura decided she wanted some cerveza (beer) and left to get it at “Los Chinos” (if I haven’t explained it before and I’m not sure that I have, Los Chinos is basically a dollar+ store run by Asians. That’s right, in Spain it doesn’t matter of what decent you are, if you’re Asian, you’re a Chino.) When she came back she poured herself a tall glass and ate her dessert/dinner. After we finished, well actually after Edson finished, he went on a frantic search for his last rolling paper and after finding it in the trash began to roll himself a nice joint. As I finished up eating Edson began toking.
So there you have it. A nice, normal Sunday family dinner. Just me, my alcoholic mommy, drug addicted dad, and our green leafy cousin Maria. (I only say these things in jest, neither Laura nor Edson have any addictions that I know of…) Now my sugar-high self is gunna attempt to study until the IBS kicks in from the large amounts of oil and butter that were in those pastries and chips…
Happy Monday everyone. Oh and happy birthday Evan!
It all began this afternoon right before lunch… Laura was going to visit her mother and brothers back in the “pueblo” and little did I know it but she would be bringing home some surprises.
Right after we finished our lunch of spaghetti with dried fruits and nuts (a dish Laura later claimed to have tasted like a Hindi desert) Edson informed me that he was off to meet up with his friends and to buy some more hashish (that’s right our good friend Maria is coming to stay for a while).
Anyway, I did pretty much nothing all day and when Laura arrived home from her mother’s at around 5:30 she informed me in English that she had brought “lots of goodies from the village!” Curious I began to look around. It wasn’t until after Laura returned from the pool at her spa that I got the grand tour of the food. Included in the horde was some ham (SURPRISE!), a loaf of special braided bread (taste and texture similar to a French bread but maybe a little harder on the outside), some potato chips (best I’ve ever had), an assortment of cookies, muffins, an apple tart-ish thing, and, oh I don’t know, about 5 pounds of grapes. Anyway after explaining to me exactly what it all was Laura asked, “¿Quieres cenar con el plan dulce?” (Do you want to do the sweet plan for dinner?) Not being one to express how I actually feel, I said sure.
And that brings us to dinner. What did I eat? Well, I had some chips, grapes, three cookies, a muffin, and that apple thing… Oh and a glass of water. In the middle of dinner Laura decided she wanted some cerveza (beer) and left to get it at “Los Chinos” (if I haven’t explained it before and I’m not sure that I have, Los Chinos is basically a dollar+ store run by Asians. That’s right, in Spain it doesn’t matter of what decent you are, if you’re Asian, you’re a Chino.) When she came back she poured herself a tall glass and ate her dessert/dinner. After we finished, well actually after Edson finished, he went on a frantic search for his last rolling paper and after finding it in the trash began to roll himself a nice joint. As I finished up eating Edson began toking.
So there you have it. A nice, normal Sunday family dinner. Just me, my alcoholic mommy, drug addicted dad, and our green leafy cousin Maria. (I only say these things in jest, neither Laura nor Edson have any addictions that I know of…) Now my sugar-high self is gunna attempt to study until the IBS kicks in from the large amounts of oil and butter that were in those pastries and chips…
Happy Monday everyone. Oh and happy birthday Evan!
Book Review
So I’ve been reading a lot since I’ve been here and now I’d like to take a little time to tell you about the books that I’ve read. Why? I’m a little bored and don’t feel like studying fo my midterms.
Katie: The Real Story by Edward Klein
Those of you who know me know that I have a thing for Katie Couric, The Today Show, and the TV news industry in general so it should come as no surprise to you that I picked up this, the first (albeit unauthorized) biography of Ms. Couric. It was really interesting if you’re at all interested in Katie or the TV news biz. There are plenty of good insider quotes and interviews and it does give an interesting look at the first woman to ever solo anchor an evening newscast.
Cell by Stephen King
Disclaimer: If you like Stephen King, well then you like Stephen King. If you don’t, you don’t. This one is a post apocalyptic tail of cell phone zombies that takes place between Boston and Maine. It was a good page-turner and as usual for Mr. King the characters were well developed and there was plenty of smart and witty dialogue. Give it a try if you’re looking for something fun that’ll make you jump a little.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Wow. Perfect. That’s all I can say. I couldn’t have been happier with the last book in the Potter series. Although I must say after I turned the last page I was quite sad that this would be the last that we would hear from Harry and his friends.
Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
Okay, so I’m on a little bit of a Stephen King marathon here, but what can I say, I love the way he writes. This one was really good and different. Sure there are still some grotesque and horrible elements to this one but it’s main focus is Lisey and how she’s coping with the death of here husband, a famous novelist. This novel, more than others king has written focuses more on the characters than on the events taking place around them. Even if you’re not the biggest King fan, I’d still give it a try.
Marley & Me by John Grogan
The first thing I noticed when I picked up this book and read the back of it was a review from the New York Times that said, “A book with intense but narrow appeal, strictly limited to anyone who has ever had, known, or wanted a dog.” I’m going to mostly agree with that comment except for one thing: I’m going to change the word dog to pet. Sure the book is about a man, his family, and their dog but for anyone who has had a pet or loves animals this book will be enjoyable and tug at your heartstrings a bit.
Misery by Stephen King
A classic King novel that I think is a must. The movie was creepy as all hell thanks mostly to Kathy Bates’ portrayal of Annie Wilkes but the novel is far more creepy and gruesome. It’s a little bit longer but it reads really quickly. A fun book for a flight or long train trip.
So there you have it. All the books I’ve read so far. I’m currently reading The Green Mile by Stephen King and waiting for Amazon.com to deliver Reality Show by Howard Kurtz another new book about the evening news race between Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and Charlie Gibson (I know, I’m a big ol’ dork but you love me anyway…)
Katie: The Real Story by Edward Klein
Those of you who know me know that I have a thing for Katie Couric, The Today Show, and the TV news industry in general so it should come as no surprise to you that I picked up this, the first (albeit unauthorized) biography of Ms. Couric. It was really interesting if you’re at all interested in Katie or the TV news biz. There are plenty of good insider quotes and interviews and it does give an interesting look at the first woman to ever solo anchor an evening newscast.
Cell by Stephen King
Disclaimer: If you like Stephen King, well then you like Stephen King. If you don’t, you don’t. This one is a post apocalyptic tail of cell phone zombies that takes place between Boston and Maine. It was a good page-turner and as usual for Mr. King the characters were well developed and there was plenty of smart and witty dialogue. Give it a try if you’re looking for something fun that’ll make you jump a little.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
Wow. Perfect. That’s all I can say. I couldn’t have been happier with the last book in the Potter series. Although I must say after I turned the last page I was quite sad that this would be the last that we would hear from Harry and his friends.
Lisey’s Story by Stephen King
Okay, so I’m on a little bit of a Stephen King marathon here, but what can I say, I love the way he writes. This one was really good and different. Sure there are still some grotesque and horrible elements to this one but it’s main focus is Lisey and how she’s coping with the death of here husband, a famous novelist. This novel, more than others king has written focuses more on the characters than on the events taking place around them. Even if you’re not the biggest King fan, I’d still give it a try.
Marley & Me by John Grogan
The first thing I noticed when I picked up this book and read the back of it was a review from the New York Times that said, “A book with intense but narrow appeal, strictly limited to anyone who has ever had, known, or wanted a dog.” I’m going to mostly agree with that comment except for one thing: I’m going to change the word dog to pet. Sure the book is about a man, his family, and their dog but for anyone who has had a pet or loves animals this book will be enjoyable and tug at your heartstrings a bit.
Misery by Stephen King
A classic King novel that I think is a must. The movie was creepy as all hell thanks mostly to Kathy Bates’ portrayal of Annie Wilkes but the novel is far more creepy and gruesome. It’s a little bit longer but it reads really quickly. A fun book for a flight or long train trip.
So there you have it. All the books I’ve read so far. I’m currently reading The Green Mile by Stephen King and waiting for Amazon.com to deliver Reality Show by Howard Kurtz another new book about the evening news race between Brian Williams, Katie Couric, and Charlie Gibson (I know, I’m a big ol’ dork but you love me anyway…)
Madrid: One Month Later
I can hardly believe that I’ve been here for a little over a month… Time has really flown so far and I’m sure it’s not going to slow down. It’s been an amazing experience so far and I must say it’s pretty cool to be basically acclimated to life in another country (and I swear, I’m getting used to the cultural differences. Well except the no tipping thing… Just can’t get used to that…). This time has been, so far (and I know I must have said this 100 times by now), exactly what I hoped it would be. I’m getting a chance to relax and enjoy myself while expanding my horizons. Yes I am a little bored, at times, with classes that are less challenging than things I did my Freshman year at HPHS and the four day weekends sometimes seem a little too long (now don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but you know me; I’m used to working six days a week with obnoxious hours on top of classes and, oh yeah, trying to have some semblance of a social life). But I know that this is a temporary situation so I’m really trying to soak it all up before heading back to Boston and what is sure to be a busy semester before graduation (WHOA! College went by a lot faster than I expected). I’m finally getting my act together and I’m gunna start traveling (London this week, Granada & Cordoba the next, then Pisa, France, and maybe Norway or Switzerland???) So I’m gunna take a look back now and comment on some of the different things I’ve learned or discovered in the past month-ish. Enjoy!
FOOD
Eating has been a little difficult. It’s harder than you’d think to find a decent restaurant that’s not just a bar that has sandwiches (especially when you or your friends are being a little more budget conscious), but I’ve been eating well… Food at home is a different story and it’s starting to bother me a little bit. Laura seems to have taken a page from the Muriel Schneider Handbook to Food Storage, specifically the part that states, “If it’s in the Frigidaire, it won’t go bad ever.” We have a lot of frozen food that is reheated. Things like beans and seafood (which is starting to gross me out… I really don’t know how long its been in there and it’s not like it’s being put through the grinder and made into a knish, I can still tell what this stuff is…). Also, we’re big on olives and other vinegar-soaked things. Again, fine in moderation but not all the time. And for goodness sake, if I ever eat another anchovy in my life it will probably be tooooooooooooo soon. But like I said, I’m making due.
THE LANGAUGE
Here’s a fun one. One month later and I find that my comprehension has improved two-fold but my speaking, while improved, is not quite on the same level. I’ll take some responsibility for this but I am going to place some of the blame elsewhere: The faculty at the International Institute of Spain (specifically those of BU & SUNY). Bless them for trying, but really if someone doesn’t get it the first time, it would probably be beneficial to try to explain it once more in Spanish rather than jumping right over to English. Granted, I’ve met grains of salt more intelligent then some of the students on this program (I wish I was exaggerating, I really do…) but still, we’re here to learn Spanish things in Spanish, not Spanish things in English, we can do that at home (granted some people are actually just here to get drunk and travel, but some of us actually want to learn. What a concept!) My phonetics teacher did bring up a good point in class the other day and I tend to agree with it. She said that they staff purposely didn’t make the classes too difficult because they understand that that is only a minor part of our experience here and that it wouldn’t make sense for us to be stuck studying all the time when we should be getting out and exploring the culture for ourselves. True enough.
THE LOCALS
So it’s been a month and I can’t say that I’ve really met any native Spaniards (save for Laura’s niece Laura) my own age and that’s kinda bumming me out. I know there’s still time but I’d like to make a Spanish friend or two. Is that so much to ask? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
THE HOME STAY
My comfort level at home is getting better but I still feel awkward at times (not that I should, they’re paying the home stay families the equivalent of $1,116.50 a month) especially when it comes to eating, showering, or really just my overall use of the house. I’m still too afraid to say no to food and, if at all possible, wait until everyone else is out of the house before showering so I don’t have to feel guilty about the amount of time I spend in the bathroom. In other news: the cardboard that acts as a box spring for my bed has stopped squeaking as much (yay!).
THE CULTURE
I have been to so many museums, churches, palaces, old buildings, movies, and plays, since I’ve been here and for that I am truly thankful. I have gotten to see and appreciate lots of things that I’ve only previously seen in books. It’s been great to see some of the local cinema and theatre as well just to see how things differ from the US to here. The one thing I’m gunna complain about (and you know me…) is the lack of intermissions in the theatre here. I sat through a 2 ½ hour long 19th century play that, while it was well done, made me want to pluck my eyes out with a spoon by the end… At least BU is paying me back for it… The movie I went to yesterday (Saturday) was at a really nice theater that had assigned seating. It was pretty cool and the concept kinda works a little better, I think…
But even more than just the Spanish culture, being here has exposed me to myriad other cultures as well. Friday was the Day of the Nation here and to celebrate the Spanish discovery of the Americas the have what is called a “marcha”. This is basically a parade where each of the South American countries put together either a float or a dance/display and come walking through from the largest train station in the city to one of the more prominent plazas. It was very cool to see these different cultures… The next day we decided to go to this Arabic music fest that Laura had told me about. Playing that night was a group from Morocco. Again, very cool to see and hear. So yeah, being here just over a month has already begun to expand my view of the world more than I thought. And for this, I’m very thankful.
Anyway, that’s about all I’ve got for now. I’m sure I’ll think of something later but in the meantime Edson’s making lunch while listening to Kylie Minogue… ¡Oye!
¡Hasta pronto!
FOOD
Eating has been a little difficult. It’s harder than you’d think to find a decent restaurant that’s not just a bar that has sandwiches (especially when you or your friends are being a little more budget conscious), but I’ve been eating well… Food at home is a different story and it’s starting to bother me a little bit. Laura seems to have taken a page from the Muriel Schneider Handbook to Food Storage, specifically the part that states, “If it’s in the Frigidaire, it won’t go bad ever.” We have a lot of frozen food that is reheated. Things like beans and seafood (which is starting to gross me out… I really don’t know how long its been in there and it’s not like it’s being put through the grinder and made into a knish, I can still tell what this stuff is…). Also, we’re big on olives and other vinegar-soaked things. Again, fine in moderation but not all the time. And for goodness sake, if I ever eat another anchovy in my life it will probably be tooooooooooooo soon. But like I said, I’m making due.
THE LANGAUGE
Here’s a fun one. One month later and I find that my comprehension has improved two-fold but my speaking, while improved, is not quite on the same level. I’ll take some responsibility for this but I am going to place some of the blame elsewhere: The faculty at the International Institute of Spain (specifically those of BU & SUNY). Bless them for trying, but really if someone doesn’t get it the first time, it would probably be beneficial to try to explain it once more in Spanish rather than jumping right over to English. Granted, I’ve met grains of salt more intelligent then some of the students on this program (I wish I was exaggerating, I really do…) but still, we’re here to learn Spanish things in Spanish, not Spanish things in English, we can do that at home (granted some people are actually just here to get drunk and travel, but some of us actually want to learn. What a concept!) My phonetics teacher did bring up a good point in class the other day and I tend to agree with it. She said that they staff purposely didn’t make the classes too difficult because they understand that that is only a minor part of our experience here and that it wouldn’t make sense for us to be stuck studying all the time when we should be getting out and exploring the culture for ourselves. True enough.
THE LOCALS
So it’s been a month and I can’t say that I’ve really met any native Spaniards (save for Laura’s niece Laura) my own age and that’s kinda bumming me out. I know there’s still time but I’d like to make a Spanish friend or two. Is that so much to ask? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
THE HOME STAY
My comfort level at home is getting better but I still feel awkward at times (not that I should, they’re paying the home stay families the equivalent of $1,116.50 a month) especially when it comes to eating, showering, or really just my overall use of the house. I’m still too afraid to say no to food and, if at all possible, wait until everyone else is out of the house before showering so I don’t have to feel guilty about the amount of time I spend in the bathroom. In other news: the cardboard that acts as a box spring for my bed has stopped squeaking as much (yay!).
THE CULTURE
I have been to so many museums, churches, palaces, old buildings, movies, and plays, since I’ve been here and for that I am truly thankful. I have gotten to see and appreciate lots of things that I’ve only previously seen in books. It’s been great to see some of the local cinema and theatre as well just to see how things differ from the US to here. The one thing I’m gunna complain about (and you know me…) is the lack of intermissions in the theatre here. I sat through a 2 ½ hour long 19th century play that, while it was well done, made me want to pluck my eyes out with a spoon by the end… At least BU is paying me back for it… The movie I went to yesterday (Saturday) was at a really nice theater that had assigned seating. It was pretty cool and the concept kinda works a little better, I think…
But even more than just the Spanish culture, being here has exposed me to myriad other cultures as well. Friday was the Day of the Nation here and to celebrate the Spanish discovery of the Americas the have what is called a “marcha”. This is basically a parade where each of the South American countries put together either a float or a dance/display and come walking through from the largest train station in the city to one of the more prominent plazas. It was very cool to see these different cultures… The next day we decided to go to this Arabic music fest that Laura had told me about. Playing that night was a group from Morocco. Again, very cool to see and hear. So yeah, being here just over a month has already begun to expand my view of the world more than I thought. And for this, I’m very thankful.
Anyway, that’s about all I’ve got for now. I’m sure I’ll think of something later but in the meantime Edson’s making lunch while listening to Kylie Minogue… ¡Oye!
¡Hasta pronto!
Close Up: The Odd Couple
For this week’s edition of Close Up, we’re going to focus on the Relationship between Laura (a former Coppolla) and Edson (a pot smoking Brazilian immigrant).
When I first arrived at Don Ramón de la Cruz 91, I was greeted by two figures both in bathrobes: Laura and Edson. It was at that point that Edson was introduced to me as a “friend” who would be staying at the apartment only until he found a place of his own. I soon began to notice that that was, however, not so much the case.
I began to get suspicious when Edson would refer to Laura’s family members with such familiarity and they to him. However, I told myself that the couldn’t possibly be a couple… He sleeps in a separate (and rather small) bedroom and they didn’t seem to have romantic interactions. As the weeks have progressed and we have all become a little more comfortable around one another, the two of them (mommy and daddy as I like to call them) have begun to let their guard down a little. Edson, for instance, has begun to call Laura “mi amor” and even has begun to give her little affectionate kisses on the forehead when I’m around.
It was about a week ago, after I had settled into my room to read a little bit (or a lot bit…) when I went back into the living/dining room to say “¡buenas noches!” when I saw the first sign that something more was going on. Mommy was sitting in daddy’s lap and he had his arms around her waist while they were watching the news or some nature documentary… Actually, now that I think about it, it was probably fútbol. Anyway, that’s when my suspicions began to reawaken.
Let’s jump forward a little ways…
This morning (Sunday October 14, 2007) I woke up around 10:30 and after waiting a little bit opened my door and wasn’t sure exactly where I heard her but I could hear mommy laughing a little bit… “Strange,” I thought, “it sounds like Edson is with her…” Then I looked straight in front of me at the bathroom door. Mommy and daddy were bathing together (Okay… kinda awkward) So I quietly re-closed my door and pretended that I hadn’t yet left my room. Well that didn’t work so well… When I heard the door to the bathroom open I waited a minute or two and then emerged from my room as well.
Laura and I greeted each other with our usual good mornings and then she proceeded to tell me that the two of them were showering together and that they were worried when they heard me that I had to go to the bathroom very badly… “No,” I assured her. That was the end of that… Or so I thought…
After breakfast the two of them went out of the living/dining room and I went into the kitchen to clean off my plates and my Coca-Cola Christmas tray when I heard more giggling coming from the bathroom (“These two are like horny teenagers,” I thought rather snootily to my self). I walked by to find Edson sitting on the toilet and Laura sitting on the edge of the tub while Edson gave her a pedicure of sorts. All the while Edson was explaining how the beaches in Rio (remember the guy is from Brazil) are divided between the “guapos” and the “feos” (the pretty people and the uglies). So long story short, I’m not sure what to make of their relationship. It sure doesn’t seem like daddy’s moving out anytime soon (or getting a job for that matter… Laura seems to be a pretty good sugar mama to him afterall…).
As the weeks and months continue we’ll continue to report on any developments or confessions regarding this extremely illusive couple. ‘Til next time.
When I first arrived at Don Ramón de la Cruz 91, I was greeted by two figures both in bathrobes: Laura and Edson. It was at that point that Edson was introduced to me as a “friend” who would be staying at the apartment only until he found a place of his own. I soon began to notice that that was, however, not so much the case.
I began to get suspicious when Edson would refer to Laura’s family members with such familiarity and they to him. However, I told myself that the couldn’t possibly be a couple… He sleeps in a separate (and rather small) bedroom and they didn’t seem to have romantic interactions. As the weeks have progressed and we have all become a little more comfortable around one another, the two of them (mommy and daddy as I like to call them) have begun to let their guard down a little. Edson, for instance, has begun to call Laura “mi amor” and even has begun to give her little affectionate kisses on the forehead when I’m around.
It was about a week ago, after I had settled into my room to read a little bit (or a lot bit…) when I went back into the living/dining room to say “¡buenas noches!” when I saw the first sign that something more was going on. Mommy was sitting in daddy’s lap and he had his arms around her waist while they were watching the news or some nature documentary… Actually, now that I think about it, it was probably fútbol. Anyway, that’s when my suspicions began to reawaken.
Let’s jump forward a little ways…
This morning (Sunday October 14, 2007) I woke up around 10:30 and after waiting a little bit opened my door and wasn’t sure exactly where I heard her but I could hear mommy laughing a little bit… “Strange,” I thought, “it sounds like Edson is with her…” Then I looked straight in front of me at the bathroom door. Mommy and daddy were bathing together (Okay… kinda awkward) So I quietly re-closed my door and pretended that I hadn’t yet left my room. Well that didn’t work so well… When I heard the door to the bathroom open I waited a minute or two and then emerged from my room as well.
Laura and I greeted each other with our usual good mornings and then she proceeded to tell me that the two of them were showering together and that they were worried when they heard me that I had to go to the bathroom very badly… “No,” I assured her. That was the end of that… Or so I thought…
After breakfast the two of them went out of the living/dining room and I went into the kitchen to clean off my plates and my Coca-Cola Christmas tray when I heard more giggling coming from the bathroom (“These two are like horny teenagers,” I thought rather snootily to my self). I walked by to find Edson sitting on the toilet and Laura sitting on the edge of the tub while Edson gave her a pedicure of sorts. All the while Edson was explaining how the beaches in Rio (remember the guy is from Brazil) are divided between the “guapos” and the “feos” (the pretty people and the uglies). So long story short, I’m not sure what to make of their relationship. It sure doesn’t seem like daddy’s moving out anytime soon (or getting a job for that matter… Laura seems to be a pretty good sugar mama to him afterall…).
As the weeks and months continue we’ll continue to report on any developments or confessions regarding this extremely illusive couple. ‘Til next time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)