| Saturday,
April 26th
"El
Cine; The Weather; This Page"
Went
to see Dreamcatcher last night. Don't bother - aside from
a few scenes of interest the ending is pretty bad. Another
example of a trailer making a movie look better than it
is. In terms of seeing a movie here, a few interesting notes:
like in many theatres in the US you can buy your tickets
online. Unlike many, at least where I'm from, you can reserve
your seats. We got two great seats by reserving online 3
hours in advance, and then picking them up at a little ATM
type machine instead of waiting in line. Another great feature
of the theatre we went to are the candy stores next to them.
About 150 bins with every candy you can think of. You just
take what you want, put it in a bag and they weigh it at
the end. A fairly large bag costs about 4 €. Nice
to go to a theatre and not get ripped off when buying candy.
Other things to expect:
- reduced
prices on Wednesday and Thursday all day and all night
- midnight
sessions (sesión golfa) for all
movies, not just a few.
As for
the weaher, I am quickly leanring that internet forecasts
here are useless. Even if you get the forecast from the
same television station they won't be the same. For example
- Canal Sur TV said it would rain today, but online it says
it wouldn't. We woke up to rain this morning.
Finally,
this page will soon - very soon - go through some changes.
I am going to split up the Sevilla, personal, and political
parts. My daily dribble (writings) will still appear on
the Sevilla part. So if you see some weird things please
know I am working to separate everything over the next week.
Links
for today:
La
Cartelera (Cine)
Thursday,
April 24th
"How
to Serve and Drink a Cold Cruzcampo"
 |
Every
six-pack of Cruzcampo comes with instructions on how
to serve one correctly:
- Temperatura
óptima de consumo de 3 a 4° C.
- Enjuaga
el vaso con agua fría antes de servirla.
- Inclina
el vaso 45° mientras la sirves.
- Pon
el vaso vertical hasta tener de 1,5 a 2 cm de espuma
- Un
resultado perfecto.
|
Even
better is the (unedited) translation provided by babelfish:
-
Optimal temperature of consumption of 3 to 4° C.
- It
rinses the glass with cold water before serving it.
- 45°
inclines the glass while you serve it.
- Pon
the vertical glass until having of 1.5 to 2 cm of foam
- A
perfect result.
Links
for today:
Babelfish
(on altavista)
Cruzcampo
Wednesday,
April 23rd
"The
Agency"
Always
nice to have a good travel agent. Went to Los Remedios
today, about a 45 minute walk to the agency. Los Remedios
is a newer (relatively) section of Sevilla. Streets are
all in a grid, with newer buidlings, richer people, but
lacking in some of the charm of the old center of the city.
I was presented with a few options to travel back to the
states so I could renew my visa, one involving a 3 hour
stop in Paris where I would have to pick up my bags and
catch a bus to the another airport there, unload and catch
a new flight. The problem would be the return trip, in which
I would have to do all of this and go through customs
in Paris. As luck would have it this was the only option
available to me, so I made a reservation. Later that day
the travel agent calls and has found a better flight, although
it requires that I catch the AVE to Madrid at 10pm, catch
a cab to the airport and stay there until 7am. After that
the flights take me directly to my destination, and the
return leg takes me right back to Sevilla. Not wanting to
spend anytime in Paris, especially two airports, I decide
this is the best option.
Links
for today:
AVE
Paris
Airport Shuttle
Tuesday,
April 22nd
"Rain,
again; Chili!"
It
rained most of the day today, but we managed to get to the
market in Plaza Encarnación. Bought vegetables, fruit,
and ground beef to make hamburgers in the next day or so.
Went to a supermercado - El Jamón ("The Ham
Supermarket"), although they sell everything, not just
ham. Bought a few things, but could not find some essentials
- cheese, doritos, salsa and chili. Made our way to El Corte
Inglés, but still no luck finding chili. Finally
found a recipe in Mama
Dip's book.
Links
for today:
Monday,
April 21st
"La
Cama"
Above
is a picture of where our bed should be tonight...flowers
have been placed in memory of our old beds. We have no bed
to sleep in tonight as our new bed did not arrive as planned.
Although told it would be here after 3pm, they
tried to deliver it at 2:15pm today. When we arrived at
2:30 we found the little light on our phone blinking, with
the number of the delivery men on the display. We called
back; they were upset we weren't here at 2:15; we were upset
they didn't arrive after 3pm; their cell phone happened
to "stop working" after they learn we are upset....30
minutes later they finally answer the phone; the truck is
"broken" now, so it will be impossible for them
to deliver it today. I am learning here that if there's
a deliver stay the whole day, not part of it. We
will sleep on the couch.
We
celebrate by going out tonight and happen to break the salt
shaker, spilling salt across the bar when we arrive. The
waitress tells us we are in for bad luck...hahaha...so we
toss salt over each shoulder. First thought that crosses
my mind....
...unlike
Harry Dunn and Lloyd Christmas there is no Sea Bass...it
works: on the way back I buy a litre of cold, cold Cruzcampo.
The old man at the corner store takes out a bottle with
frost on it, tells me it's my lucky day as they found this
one at the bottom of the fridge and it's the coldest bottle
of the bunch. They sold over 3,000 litres this week and
this was the last one from their delivery, he said. "Been
there for over a week". He is right...
No
links for today
Sunday,
April 20th
"Semana
Santa Recovery"
...they are seasonal visitors thank god. I was
unable to update the page for most of last week - busy with
Semana
Santa activities. It rained the first 3 days, so
on Wednesday every Sevillano plus each and every
tourist decided it was finally safe to leave their homes.
Thus Wednesday, while fun, was also a nightmare for making
your way around the city. It was on this day as well that
I swore I would be elsewhere next year during this week.
The first day was a little like hell rather than a day of
holy week. After another day I got my second wind, and became
more and more used to fighting through the people. We quickly
learned the advantages of arriving an hour and a half in
advance, canned beer and a small cooler. Thus after Wednesday
we saw a lot of Christ and the Virgin Mary floating around
the city. Thursday night (or Friday morning) we watched
several pasos, returning at 5:30am to eat dinner/breakfast.
I took way too many pictures - what you see in the photo
album is a small sampling of what I came back with. The
joys of a digital camera...
Spent
much of the day today playing with dreamweaver, and plan
to do some major changes to the site in the next few days.
Will try to keep the site clean, and not full of tricks
and clever coding that drives people crazy. Although I am
tempted to make everyone wait while my Flash animation loads...
Links
for today:
USresolve.com
- racism, xenophobia and paranoia wrapped in the flag and
patriotism.
Thanks
George!
Tuesday,
April 15th
"Breaking
News; The People Upstairs"
You
know a smart man when you see him...George Bush just realized
there is a need to place
emphasis on the economy. Thanks George - where the hell
were you 2 years ago. Continuing the typical enlightened
thought process of most republicans, "Bush is sending
25 Cabinet officials and deputies across the country to
promote his economic recovery plan, which relies heavily
on tax cuts." A note to you morons running the country
- tax cuts are not an economic recovery plan. Generally
a plan has more than one leg to stand on. I'm really looking
forward to another year of Reganomics.
We now
have neighbors upstairs, and are hoping they are here for
Semana Santa. We've had a morning of furniture
moving and what seems like dancing above us. We are praying
they are seasonal visitors...
Links
for today:
Sunday, April 13th
"Rain,
Semana Santa and the Betis game (Que
cara)"
Tried to see some of Semana Santa today
but the rain began around 2pm, just when we left. Every
paso was canceled for today, and every bar was full of people
trying to keep dry. After 30 minutes of walking we found
ourselves in Casa Diego on one of the main avenues here.
Had a beer a few sandwiches while we waited for the rain
to stop and then headed back home. On the way bought a pollo
asado (roast chicken) at the Palacio de Patatas
(Palace of Potatoes, where of course el rey de patatas
lives).
Betis
was playing Celta, who happens to be 4 points ahead of us
in the league table. Promised to be a good game, and I headed
to an Irish Pub down the street instead of the Tex-Mex bar
where we generally watch the Betis away games. After 20
minutes I finally found a table, and a few minutes later
Angel showed up for the game. Although they had a sign saying
the game would be televised there (Pay Per View event) they
informed us at 6pm - when the game was supposed to start
- that they decided not to purchase it today. After a few
unfriendly exchanges with the bartender/owner (aka: asshole)
we ran to the Tex-Mex bar to watch the game. Result: 1-0,
Betis lost. Funny that we scored more goals than Celta,
both of which were taken back although both were clearly
goals.
Ended
the night with the second half of "Braveheart".
No links
for today.
Friday,
April 11th
"Spanish
Bureaucracy"
H had
an opportunity to learn a little about the police (no, I
wasn't in jail) and hospital (no, I wasn't hurt) today during
the morning and evening. I'm trying to figure out a way
to stay here, at least legally. Arrived at the police station,
where you must go when trying to get any type of visa here.
Arrived at 9:15, just 15 minutes after they opened to get
my number and wait in line. 15 minutes appears to have been
15 minutes too late - all numbers were taken by 9am, so
we inquired next door at the information booth. Seems beginning
in April they extended office hours here. They used to close
at 2:30, but now they close at 5pm. We were informed that
not many people know this yet, so if we return around 2:30
there will be no line - we won't even need a number! Upon
leaving I notice a sign which says after 2pm they will not
see you if you don't have a number...which is correct? Who
knows. As in the U.S., if you are trying to stay in this
country be prepared to wait, to be told the wrong thing...the
list goes on and on. You must have patience. So with Semana
Santa coming tomorrow I decided I will wait until the following
week to go back and see what can be done.
Next
stop the hospital around 8pm to accompany a friend who is
not feeling well. Socialized medicine is great - you don't
pay anything except hours in your life. First we were told
only one person can accompany our friend and we're given
one pass. Knowing the way things go here we decide to try
and both enter so our friend is not waiting alone. We are
stopped at the door and of course told only one person can
enter. So I wait while my sister goes in to find out what's
happening. Meanwhile I see various people pass without permission
from the guard, some of whom have no pass or only one pass.
Every once in a while he gives the ok to 2 or more people
to enter, while others he doesn't even question as they
walk by. I stand by looking at him, wondering what the hell
is going on. Seems this is a "partial rule" -
some people (ie: most Spanish people) can enter
without permission.
5 minutes
later my sister appears, gives me the pass and I start to
enter to wait with our friend. My sister wisely asks the
guard if she can enter for 1 minute to show me where our
friend is, and we get the ok. Upon meeting our friend, I
notice that almost everyone is here with 2 or more people,
and some have as many as 4-5 people with them. Again, so
much for the "rule" of one person. From then on
we decide that only one person will leave at a time to call
home for our friend, so they can take the pass and get back
in. Much later our friend's sister (a spaniard) enters and
gets in without a pass (or a problem).
After
a few tests and an X-ray we are in the waiting room for
2 1/2 hours with no contact from anyone. You simply wait
for them to call your name on a loudspeaker and then proceed
to a room where you finally see a doctor. We learn the results,
and get a list of prescriptions, but they will not take
out the I.V. my friend has stuck in her arm. Instead we
are told to go to the nurse's station to get this removed,
and that we won't have to wait in line. So we head down
the hall where we are informed we will have to wait in line,
and chased out of a room by a nurse. 15 minutes later, after
having one person who just arrived push there way in front
of us in line, we are able to get the I.V. removed in 30
seconds. So much for efficiency. Upon returning to our neighborhood
we must locate the all-night pharmacy - a half-mile away
- to get the drugs needed for treatment.
The
good of all this: the visit doesn't cost a penny. The bad:
you pay in hours lost in your life, and having to fight
through other people, the "rules", the lines and
general disorganization of the hospital all while you feel
like crap or are worried about the person you are there
with isn't much fun.
Links
for today:
"I'll
tell you where: someplace warm, a place where the beer flows
like wine, where beautiful women instinctively flock like
the salmon of Capistrano."
Lloyd Christmas
Wednesday
April 9th
"Que
verguenza - no me gusta..."
A note to students living or traveling in Sevilla. Try and
take your head out of your arse and look around once in
a while (that goes for many, but not all of you). Saw the
NCAA Championship (tape delayed by one day) in the "Tex-Mex"
Bar, which was full of American students. I'd like to offer
a few tips to those of you there and walking around the
streets of Sevilla. Now I'm not saying you should hide the
fact that you're American - although some of you should
since I have nothing but thoughts of shame when I realize
you come from the same country or state as I do - but at
least look around and realize where you are, and perhaps
follow one or two of the customs. Yes, I am showing my age
a bit - but from time to time you all scare me. But if you
want to enjoy things here and fit in just a bit, give these
a try:
- Take
off your baseball cap
- or for that matter leave it at home. Whether it's worn
the correct way or the wrong way you still look like an
idiot (backwards makes you even more of an ass). People
do not go out for the night wearing one - tape a sign
on your back that you're a dumb-ass and I think you'll
be treated better.
- "I
was sooo drunk last night..." - nobody
cares how drunk you were, are, or are going to be. This
is not a topic of conversation, but rather a reflection
of your intelligence (ie.: low) when you babble loudly
in a bar about how much you had to drink. Spanairds, Americans,
etc. are not impressed ("Wow, that kid over there
had 5 shots of tequila! I need to write that down somewhere").
Sure, drinking can be fun, but there are things to do
here in Sevilla. Lift those eyes above the rim of that
glass and look around. And for that matter...
- Don't
order a pitcher of beer - drink
one at a time - really, TRY IT. They don't run out of
beer here, and if you hadn't noticed beer tastes better
when it's cold. There are plenty of places to
drink beer, so you don't have to camp out in one place
for the whole night either. That leads me to...
- Avoid
Flaherty's Pub - sure,
it's an Irish pub, it's just like the one's back home
and maybe every once in a while you want a pint of Guinness,
but every weekend??!?. A quick view of their guestbook
led me to these wonderfully insightful comments from a
typical guest:
Name:
Marisa
Email: niprings@hotmail.com
Country: Boston Massahusetts USA
Date: 18/04/01
Time: 14:44:58
Comments
I was in Seville in March 2001, went to Flaherty's almost
every night, met hot guys and drank lots of Tinto de
Viranos, HAD A BLAST!!!!!
Really
- this is a real entry in their guest book...do I need
to add anything to this comment? Ok, maybe that they misspelled
"verano", but I am sure she was "sooo drunk"
when she wrote this that she couldn't spell. And who the
hell visits Spain so they can be in an Irish pub every
night? Does she even know they speak Spanish here?
- Flip-flops
are not shoes - ok,
I know at the beach or in the States this may be acceptable,
but here people tend to put real shoes on their feet,
at least before the summer. Leave them at home and buy
a pair here when you get to the beach.
- T-shirts
- yes,
Spaniards wear t-shirts, too. Some of them in English
I'll admit make no sense, and look like they were written
somewhere in Japan: "USA School Fun", "Master
Jump", "Style Fashion Girl", etc. But please
leave you're clever little frat and sorority drink-a-thon
shirts back home. I especially want to say this to the
cool fellow wearing the "Laundry 101" shirt,
hiking boots, shorts and a backwards baseball cap - you
win the prize!
- Start
a fight in a bar - .
If someone wants to get by you, or perhaps watch the game
(you know who you are out there) and asks if they can
pass or if you can move a bit, this is not a signal that
they want to fight you. People do use words here,
and might even express themselves angrily without their
fists. They have likely been drinking less than you and
just maybe thinking a little more than you as well. That's
ok - you'll have plenty of time to go back home and start
fights there, and you get to beat up people who might
really deserve it.
Many
more will come to mind I'm sure. Look, I was a student here
once and did my share of stupid things, too. I did manage
to learn from them and hope you can learn a thing or two
from what I've listed above. Have a good time, you're American
and that's just great. But from time to time try to realize
that you're in another country and try to conform to a few
things. We
don't all need to be card-carrying, flag-waving Americans
all the time. Sit back and enjoy the fact that you're in
a different place, and don't ask why they do it this way
or that way all the time.
Links
for today:
 
Friday
April 4th
"Day and
Night"
Woke
up, paid rent at the bank and came back to work on the page.
See the new links section - not
much there yet. Ate paella with J&A and then came back
to the apt again. Although it's a nice day I plan to spend
the rest of it (until tonight) here. The Betis-Valencia
game is tomorrow night at 9:00, so we will go out tonight
and try to find something to do. Will consult El
Giraldillo if nothing comes up.
The
Final Four is this weekend - will see if I can find a place
to catch some of the games.
Friday
April 4th Pt II:
2:56
am - Spent the night eating and then an hour or two at El
Perro Andaluz. Menu for today:
- Mejillones
(Mussels) @ El Rincon Gallego
- Empanda
Gallega (Tuna empanada) @ El Rincon Gallego
- Pulpo
(Octopus) @ El Rincon Gallego
- Boquerones
en Adobo (Fish...the food of the Gods)
@ Blanco Cerrillo
- Pavia
(Fish of some sort...) @ Blanco Cerrillo
 |
The
bartenders at El Perro Andaluz are getting used to
my face...a great place to pass an hour or two or
three. Not to mention just 100 feet from home.
Theme
songs for tonight courtesy of Tom Petty: "Good
to be King" and "To Find a Friend"...the
latter of which I am feeling now. Miss my friends.
Having a great time here, but could never
forget the people I know and where I'm from.
Links
for today:
Panoramic
View of Guadalquivir River
|
Thursday
April 3rd
"DVD"
Spent last night trying to configure our new DVD-VHS player
we bought at El Corte
Ingles. After 3 hours, hooking it up to 2 tv's and my
computer we finally got it to work. Granada went to sleep
out of frustration and exhaustion (and the fact that we
did nothing different - it just finally worked). I meanwhile
went to the corner bar, El Perro Andaluz, around 12:30 to
drink a beer and read a magazine. Aside from a friend of
the bartender and a 70-year-old fellow who was very out
of place there was nobody there. Returned at 1:30, ate two
slice of cheese for dinner and that was it.
So today
I am starving, and we are planning to eat earlier. Will
head to Blanco Cerrillo for the weekly media racion
of boquerones en adobo, and then hopefully to Bar Barrato
II (not really the name but it is cheap) for arroz (rice).
Semana
Santa (Holy Week) is only 10 days away, so we are planning
to stock up on food since it's impossible to squeeze into
a bar. While it will be good to see, Sevilla is so crowded
that many people leave. As this will be my first time here
for the whole week, and we live right next to a church where
there is a paso we decided to stay.
Links
for today:
Saturday,
March 29th
"Movies
and plants"
Spent the morning buying plants, recovering from the night
before and getting ready to eat with Granada's family. Watched
"From Hell" with the family - boring Jack the
Ripper movie - and then headed back to our place so everyone
could see what it looked like. Went to J&A's apt and
then ended up ordering pizza and watching Jurassic Park
III, another winner of a movie.
Links
for today:
Message
to folks at sol.com - just wanted to link to you...btw:
Netscape allows me to copy your graphic.
Friday
March 28th
"TV,
basketball, and bars"
Finally had the issues with ftp access worked out so I am
posting the page and updating it for the first time in a
while. Today we receive our television which has been in
the shop for 5 weeks. If you're ever in Seville and need
someone to work on your TV, whatever you do don't call these
folks: Asistencia Tecnica Geseco S.L. After being told on
a Wednesday that their technician would be sick until the
following Tuesday (during a holiday weekend...hmmm) we then
waited another 2 weeks for them to order the parts and another
2 weeks for them to fix the television. After we made 30
phone calls they finally decided it was ready for this weekend!
I am
in mourning today, as Duke lost to Kansas in the NCAA's
69-65. We played a good game, and with a young team we should
get some revenge should they play us next year. As for Betis,
we've gone 5 games without winning, but hope to change that
this weekend against Valencia, although we'll be without
Denilson and Assunçao.
Went
out later tonight - La Moneda - expensive, but good tapas.
Someone started to joke about the Pentagon and how it was
full of ass-holes. Waiter, noticing that I was American
- and with my new military haircut - started to back away
and decided not to laugh. The last few days with my haircut
have been fun - most people are scared I am from the military
base. Have noticed many strange stares, but all in all pretty
good - people tend to leave me alone! Later, went to Sierra
Mayor, and then to El
Perro Andaluz for a few beers and one shot of tequila.
This place starts up around 2 or 3am, just when we were
leaving. No Thin Lizzy tonight, but plenty of U2 (blah)
and some other classics. Other nights we've listened to
Pink Floyd, Rolling Stones, Pearl Jam, etc. A nice throw
back...
Links
for today:
 
Friday,
March 14th
"Start"
I am creating this page today, we'll see if it get's uploaded.
So what will I be doing today? Eating lunch somewhere, shopping
for a few household items and hopefully taking a few pictures
of Sevilla to add to this website. Possibly will clean the
apartment, but maybe not... Later tonight plan to go out,
maybe drink a few CruzCampos
and see what happens. Do not plan to work!
I will
be missing the ACC tournament, except for maybe following
the Duke game online at 3:30 am...ahh the joys of a 6 hour
time change... |
