Tuesday, May 29, 2007
technological things that baffle 1
A while ago I blogged about Spanish tin openers and how I couldn´t see how they were supposed to function, my latest bafflemento is how is a person supposed to clean a car using a vacum cleaner in a petrol station.
There is a funnel linked to a machine however the funnel is about 10 centimetres in diameter which makes it impossible to clean anywhere in the car except the seats and the pedals. My ciggy ash deposits itself down the side of the seat next to the brake handle etc.. So using this piece of (what can best be described as reverse sandblasting equipment)tube it is impossible to reach the places where the irritating dirt is. I had to sit down on the floor and blow between the seats looking like some coke addict on saturday night in town. Does anybody know of any cheap car valets?
There is a funnel linked to a machine however the funnel is about 10 centimetres in diameter which makes it impossible to clean anywhere in the car except the seats and the pedals. My ciggy ash deposits itself down the side of the seat next to the brake handle etc.. So using this piece of (what can best be described as reverse sandblasting equipment)tube it is impossible to reach the places where the irritating dirt is. I had to sit down on the floor and blow between the seats looking like some coke addict on saturday night in town. Does anybody know of any cheap car valets?
Labels: Alcala, technology
Saturday, April 21, 2007
Saturday in Alcala
I teach English on a saturday morning to keep my hand in and for emergencies for example I leave or get sacked from my main job.
I really enjoy teaching english and do manage to get excited over demonstrating present passive and active grammar. It also means that I am up before three on a saturday which gives me time to catch up on things. Now summer is arriving I can also take Nova for a pleasent walk around Alcala. I have mentioned before that I still look foward to shopping in Spain but another of my plus points for living here is the bustle in a spanish town on a Saturday. The Calle Mayor is the perfect place to saunter even when Nova is upsetting the good citizens of the town by tangling their legs in her leed. Today we went to Plaza Cervantes which was chocabloc of people, old people chatting, kids playing and yobbos on their skateboards, although the cool thing about walking Nova is that the skatebaorders stop before crashing into me to save the dog (dogs are wonderful on so many levels). Its a nice little square surrounded by shops on three sides an part of the old university on the other.
Today I also sat down for a bit to read the most interesting book about the Working Classes in London, it is based on the authors research into his family tree ( a hobby of mine but my tree not his). The book is full of anecdotes which have real relevance to my life here in Alcala. The book is The Likes of US - A biography of the White Working Class by Michael Collins
I find this passage relevant to the Pueblo, " friendly disagreements occurred outside the houses in summer, as neighbours sat and put the world to rights"
Another quote just amusing when he talks about Upper Class socialists such as one of the Mitford sisters living in Southwark as part of a social experiment, " Orwell had said that no matter what their views the upper classes still belived the working classes smelled"
Another thing about the sociological aspect of the book that it brought me back to days of studying A level sociology, I would never have expected to hear the term emborgeouisement again. See I still cant spell it.
Calle Mayor, Alcala
The working class
I really enjoy teaching english and do manage to get excited over demonstrating present passive and active grammar. It also means that I am up before three on a saturday which gives me time to catch up on things. Now summer is arriving I can also take Nova for a pleasent walk around Alcala. I have mentioned before that I still look foward to shopping in Spain but another of my plus points for living here is the bustle in a spanish town on a Saturday. The Calle Mayor is the perfect place to saunter even when Nova is upsetting the good citizens of the town by tangling their legs in her leed. Today we went to Plaza Cervantes which was chocabloc of people, old people chatting, kids playing and yobbos on their skateboards, although the cool thing about walking Nova is that the skatebaorders stop before crashing into me to save the dog (dogs are wonderful on so many levels). Its a nice little square surrounded by shops on three sides an part of the old university on the other.
Today I also sat down for a bit to read the most interesting book about the Working Classes in London, it is based on the authors research into his family tree ( a hobby of mine but my tree not his). The book is full of anecdotes which have real relevance to my life here in Alcala. The book is The Likes of US - A biography of the White Working Class by Michael Collins
I find this passage relevant to the Pueblo, " friendly disagreements occurred outside the houses in summer, as neighbours sat and put the world to rights"
Another quote just amusing when he talks about Upper Class socialists such as one of the Mitford sisters living in Southwark as part of a social experiment, " Orwell had said that no matter what their views the upper classes still belived the working classes smelled"
Another thing about the sociological aspect of the book that it brought me back to days of studying A level sociology, I would never have expected to hear the term emborgeouisement again. See I still cant spell it.
Calle Mayor, Alcala
The working class
Labels: Alcala, life in spain
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
smoking update:
Havent smoked today but used strong patch, and even better it was 27 degrees this afternoon in Alcala and 22degrees at about 10:00 summer has arrived.
There is a brilliant program on the proposed standard for blogs in UK. Link is through this link. Be quick cos I think its only on for about another 5 days. Interesting arguement of whether Blog code of practice shoudl exist, I think there are reports of cyber bullying and bad comments among some blogs in UK and elsewhere.
Personally, there is always a delete button and I don´t think blogging should be another area where Governments can further curtail our Freedom of Speech.
One of the things which makes blogging unique is the free market in blogs if you dont like it you can choose another. My favourite blogs are linked on the side of the screen, and they themselves contain lnks to many wonderful pages.
There is a brilliant program on the proposed standard for blogs in UK. Link is through this link. Be quick cos I think its only on for about another 5 days. Interesting arguement of whether Blog code of practice shoudl exist, I think there are reports of cyber bullying and bad comments among some blogs in UK and elsewhere.
Personally, there is always a delete button and I don´t think blogging should be another area where Governments can further curtail our Freedom of Speech.
One of the things which makes blogging unique is the free market in blogs if you dont like it you can choose another. My favourite blogs are linked on the side of the screen, and they themselves contain lnks to many wonderful pages.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
smoking
I have smoked for the last two days after stopping for three and half months, I have thrown the rest of the three packets away and bought some more patches, starting to stop again tomorrow, my reasons for smoking I think were justifiable, but there will be no more money going to Camel incorporated from this house.
What is it with this rain? All my Spanish pals are saying "its like being in England" my response at this moment in time is ( bearing in mind my car is still in the garage two weeks after being in the same garage), that yes it is just like England oohh except you normally get your car seen to within 72 hours, or at least they phone you. See my new abstention from cigarettes is making me grumpy again
What is it with this rain? All my Spanish pals are saying "its like being in England" my response at this moment in time is ( bearing in mind my car is still in the garage two weeks after being in the same garage), that yes it is just like England oohh except you normally get your car seen to within 72 hours, or at least they phone you. See my new abstention from cigarettes is making me grumpy again
Labels: Alcala, life in spain
Sunday, April 15, 2007
New bar
Found a great little bar in Alcala today with a nice little court yard and a building which must be at least two hundred years old, but tastefully decorated, we arrived quite late so missed the paella but it looked rather gorgeous. Bar is called La Corrala on Calle Damas. They had good selection of drinks, cool waiters and thirty something clientele, we will need to try it out at night sometime, will try to talk R into it.
A little orange box of delights has opened infront of the flat, the protable icecream shop or whatever they are called, alternatively it is one big gout bomb.
A little orange box of delights has opened infront of the flat, the protable icecream shop or whatever they are called, alternatively it is one big gout bomb.
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