Finding 'Finding Neverland'

It's freezing cold, even in Spain.
On Saturday night we actually ended up in a little snowstorm on the highway. And this morning it was snowing at sea level, which is very extraordinary here in the north of spain.

we went to see 'Finding neverland' on Saturday night. And it took some effort.
We bought our tickets, entered the theater and started looking for our seats. When they seemed to be taken, I concluded that the couple that was sitting next to us had taken the wrong seats. So we took the ones that were still free.
The lights went out and the trailers began to show. We took off our coats, and got comfortable in our seats. Then the movie began, and after 10 seconds I already realized that what we were looking at could not be 'Finding neverland'.


So I looked at Mónica and said: "we're in the wrong theater!! This is another movie!"
She: "Are you sure? So what is this?"
And the moment she finished her question, the screen showed in big capitals: "CONSTANTINE".
Now, you have to know that the first 3 minutes of "Constantine" are already quite shocking. So we were looking in disbelief at what was going on on the big screen, as we were expecting some romantic drama situated in 1904.
So Mónica looked at me and asked: "now what?"
- "now we go!"
So we got up, made our way past the people in our row, stumbling upon feet, walking down the stairs in the dark, trying not to fall.
Luckily our movie had not started yet. So we didn't miss a thing of this great movie, and had some time left to laugh about our little adventure.

Almost Friday! Stay calm and keep breathing

Every time that I think that everything looks fine and that I can relax a little, some new problems come up.
When I came in to work this morning, I already had a mail from Australia, saying that there was a big problem with a program. And since people in the US don't start working until it is 3 PM in Europe, I can start cleaning up the mess, guessing what would be the best way to fix things.
On top of that, I had to attend some instructional meeting about ergonomics this afternoon, while I didn't have any time to lose.

But I had one good notice today. It seems I still had half a day off pending from last year. So tomorrow morning I'm going to sleep late, and finally get my address changed at the town hall. Because officially I'm still living in with Mónica's parents, back from when I moved to Spain and we didn't have an apartment yet.
Hmmm, I wonder what institutions should all be notified of my address change.

And now that I want to access the database to request my holiday, it won't let me in! Why does everything always happen to me??

The ghosts of the Windsor

I'm having a lot of work these last few days.
Some program changes need to be up and running by the end of the month. And due to all the administrational work involved with our programming, one week is very little time.
Sunday was the Spanish referendum concerning the European constitution. 76% of the voters said 'yes' to this constitution. A big victory for Europe.

And in the meantime everybody is wondering what the hell happened last week when the Windsor building in Madrid completely burned down.


The cause of the fire has yet to be found, but videos grabbed by people living in the neighbourhood of the office building show people walking around calmly inside the building at 3 am when the fire was extending, turning on and off lights, and it seems the fire started on different floors of the building at the same time.
Some people are already referring to 'Watergate'.

The European Constitution

Spanish voters are preparing to go to the polls for the EU's first referendum on the European Constitution - an event that will kick off a tough 18-month ratification battle with nine countries expected to follow in Spain's footsteps.

With polls showing around 80 percent of Spaniards in favour of the Constitution, the government's biggest fear is that the turnout on Sunday (20 February) will be embarrassingly low.

A very low turnout would be a blow to Socialist Prime Minister José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero and could prompt calls for a re-run.

But it will not be for want of trying on Madrid's part. It has showered the population with copies of the 465-article document, had Big Brother contestants discussing it and handed out a 'referendum' drink.

The government has also been telling Spain how much it has benefited from Europe via the millions of euro it has obtained in regional aid handouts.

(www.euobserver.com)

I'm very curious about what is going to happen on Sunday.
Have a great weekend!

They're not all that bad

A few quotes from my boss (head of our programming team):

We're going to make cardboard images of everyone of our team and are going to place them in our seats. Every week only one of us will come to work, and this person will do the work of every team member. This way we will have to work hard for one week, but we will only have to come once every six weeks.

We will have a team meeting later, but since Jose is sick we will have to go to his apartment to have the meeting.

We're going to have a meeting in the cafeteria outside the premises. Take your coat and act naturally. (whispering, because he knows we're not allowed to)

Nobody I know works on a Friday afternoon until 6. Only we do. This is inhuman.

Damn, I have to go to this boring meeting this afternoon. I'm so gonna fall asleep. Does anybody want to go in my place?

If they tell you that they want it done by tomorrow, just tell them it's impossible. If they insist, tell them to call me.

They asked me if I wanted the mobile phones for the team. I said no. Imagine that they start calling us in the weekend.

I saw that this job shouldn't be done until 2 months from now. So take it easy.

Pocholo in Africa

A Spanish television program is creating quite a fuss lately.
'Aventura en Africa' (adventure in Africa) is one of those pointless reality shows where some people have to survive in the wilderness of Kenia. The participants of the show are 'famous' people who need exposure, and unknown people who would do anything to be famous.
When a participant needed to abandon the contest because of health problems a few weeks ago, the organising television channel decided to send Pocholo as his substitute: a famous Spanish rebel, former actor (was in 2 episodes of miami vice) and DJ who is linked to several bars and clubs in Ibiza, who talks like a grumbler on speed and is famous for his crazy one-liners.


Suddenly the ratings of the show started rising and more and more people started watching the show, just to see what crazy Pocholo was up to this time.
Pocholo however knows he is loved by the public and decided to play a little game. He started announcing that he would only stay a week. When the week was over and he was about to leave, the organization talked to him and offered him a serious amount of money if he would stay.
So now Pocholo is enjoying his little holiday in Kenia, hated by his colleagues and loved by the public for being a rebel and having the organization eating out of his hands.

Enjoy your lunch. I won't.

A few weeks ago, without any notice or explanation, the prices of the menus in our company restaurant got raised. And not just a few cents. At least 80 eurocents (about 1 dollar) for a menu.
Now, if the quality of the food would accord with this raise, I wouldn't be complaining about anything. If they had given us a raise at the beginning of the year, I wouldn't be complaining about anything either.
But here I am every afternoon, with stomach aches, repeating for hours what I have been eating for lunch.
Do I really have to get up earlier in the morning and start cooking, to be able to bring my homemade lunch to work and have a decent meal? Some of my colleagues have already started doing so.
One of the biggest companies in the world could at least make sure that its employees can have a decent and healthy meal for a reasonable price.

Valentine's day

There are people who love it, and there are people who hate it.
It may be true that it is an invented and overly commercialised celebration, this being the number one reason why many people hate it.
But it has never hurt anyone to give a little present or a token of love to the one who deserves it. And maybe that is something that some of us just don't do often enough.


You don't have to buy an expensive gift to touch someone deeply. A few simple words, straight from the heart, already can make someone feel the happiest person in the world.

Let's all comment

I just noticed that Blogger has changed the commenting system!
That is good news. And now you don't have any excuse to not leave a comment!
We decided to accept my colleagues invitation for tonight. So we will go have dinner at his place. The last time we went, there were too many people. Therefore there was too much noise (The Spanish talk loud!), and when they were talking on the other end of the table, we couldn't understand a word they were saying.
I heard tonight there will only be 7 invitees. So we will probably be able to understand all the conversations.
It's Mexican night tonight, by the way. Complete with Margaritas and Tequila.

Last night I went to buy Mónica her favourite perfume before going home. We had decided not to buy anything for Valentine's day this year. The poor girl being broke has got everything to do with that decision.
But as I knew she wanted the perfume and couldn't afford it at the moment, I decided to buy it for her anyway. And as it wasn't even Valentine's day yesterday, the surprise was even bigger.

Now all try that new commenting system! Have a great weekend!

Let's talk about sex

I had been reading a lot on the internet about the latest Sensoa campaign in Belgium.
Sensoa is the Flemish center for sexual health and HIV.
Every couple of years they launch a new 'talk about sex' campaign. The idea behind it is that there is not enough communication about sex between partners: communication about birth control, personal wishes and personal borders. This leads to sexual abuse and unwanted pregnancies.
'Talk about sex, because good communication makes good sex', is their motto.
So Sensoa launches campaigns that are explicit enough so that people WILL talk about them.
They create posters and publish advertisements in magazines and on television.
I hadn't seen this years' advertisements yet, but I had read that they had created quite a political discussion in Belgium. Now that I have seen them, I can understand why.

(be careful, they are not really safe for work)
advertisement1
advertisement2
tv ad


I don't think the advertisements should be this explicit to be effective.
I can't imagine advertisements like this in American magazines. Or how about a Sensoa Superbowl ad?

5 seconds of fame

A famous credit card company has put a huge billboard in Brussels. There's nothing special about that, I hear you think.
But you can upload your own picture on their website, they send you a mail when it is uploaded on the billboard, and five minutes later, when you look at their webcam, you can see your own face on the huge billboard in one of the most crowded streets of Brussels.
Too bad the webcam image isn't very clear when the sun is shining on it. Maybe it is more visible at night.
On the image, that's Mónica and I on the billboard.


This reminds me of my first 5 seconds of shame, about 15 years ago.
On Friday evenings after school, we always used to go to this bar called Clapodium, because they held a happy hour every week. So we used to go drink a few beers to forget about school and start the weekend.
One Friday evening, a camera crew entered the bar and started filming the crowd. Everybody started singing and dancing to draw the attention of the camera crew. Big mistake.
One week later, I saw myself on tv, on a program called 'Adolescents and alcohol abuse' by the (in)famous Belgian journalist Jambers. And although my face had only been visible for about 3 seconds, everybody I knew had seen me!
When did you have your 5 seconds of shame/fame?

Indigestion

On Saturday evening we went to have dinner at one of our favourite Italian restaurants.
Thinking that I had completely recovered from my illness and that I had to gain the lost kilos of last week, I ate until I had an indigestion. It seems my stomach wasn't used to eating that much yet. So my tummy hurt all Saturday night and Sunday morning.
I had already eaten enough after the main course, but they have this irresistible dessert called chocolatisimo, and I just couldn't say no.
Mónica's mother had said that she was going to make frixuelos (Asturian pancakes) with hot chocolate topping for us on Sunday afternoon, but we had to cancel the invitation and will go another day.

We went to see 'meet the fockers' on Saturday night. It was indeed a very funny movie. Too bad that my stomach started worrying me and that the sound volume was a little low. But we both enjoyed it very much.

On sunday afternoon I had a webcam chat with my parents. My mother only kept asking me if she didn't have to send me some new underwear. I kept telling her that if I needed new underwear, I would buy it myself.
But she doubted if they had the same quality in Spain as in Belgium.
Mothers, they will never change.

Hey, it's weekend again

All my weeks should be like the one that has just finished. 3 days at home, 2 days at work. But without the sickness.
I'm still a little weak, but the virus has gone. I haven't eaten yet like I'm used to, and I haven't started drinking coca-cola yet either. Hence the weakness.
For someone who is used to drink 1,5 liters of coca-cola every day, complete abstinence sure means a decrease of daily sugar and cafeine consumption.
I hope to be completely recovered by Monday.

We don't have any plans for the weekend yet. The weather is quite bad, so I suppose the only thing one can do here is visit one of the malls again.
Mónica just let me know that the movie 'meet the Fockers' is already playing in the theaters here. So I guess that means she wants to go see it this weekend.
Thanks to a DIVX DVD player and a broadband internet connection we normally watch movies at home. Now I enjoy an occasional night out to the movie theater even more.

Feeling better and groundhog day

I have been sick for a couple of days. But Mónica took good care of me.
It all started with a headache and fever on Saturday evening.
But by Sunday morning the virus had already affected my digestive system.
The doctor ordered me not to eat anything at all on Monday. I was only allowed to drink water, and a lot of it. By Tuesday I could start eating some rice and yogurts.
I lost 2 kilos in 4 days.
But I'm feeling better now, and can start eating normal again.
And feeling better means having to go back to work. So Mónica is probably feeling very alone today, after we have been together all the time for a couple of days.

I noticed today that yesterday was Groundhog day. People who have seen the movie 'Groundhog day' know what I'm talking about, the others have to run to the local video store and rent it.
What many people don't know, is that the event with Punxatawney Phil in the movie actually takes place every year on the 2nd of february.
And since the success of the movie, the place gets thousands of visitors every year.


On February 2, groundhog Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler's Knob - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter.
According to the legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.
(official groundhog site here: http://www.groundhog.org/)

Winter has finally found us

It has turned rather cold the last couple of days here in Spain. We are having maximum temperatures of 5ºC(41ºF) in the afternoon. That means that the temperature has dropped about 10 degrees in 10 days time.
In the south of Spain it has been snowing in regions where it hadn't been snowing in the last 50 years. And mountain villages have been isolated due to the heavy snowfall. Living at sealevel close to the sea protects us from the snow.

But still I have been arming myself with gloves and a scarf lately.
And then I get these comments from the jokers that are my colleagues: "Aren't you from up North?? You should be accustomed to this cold! But you are dressed warmer than any of us."

The bad thing is that with this cold we are not having any courage to do anything useful after work. So we have been staying at home, watching tv. And that always gets me down a little. After watching 2 hours of tv, I'm already fed up with it and start getting bored.
And I thought Spain was that country where the sun was always shining.

poor bunnies

Yesterday, I ran across the suicide bunnies on the internet.
They are comics of cute little bunnies that are trying to kill themselves in the most absurd ways.
If you haven't seen them yet, check them out. Some are very funny.
bunnies 1
bunnies 2


I'm not responsible for the storage of the pictures.

Life has surely changed in 20 years

We saw the movie 'Thirteen' this weekend.
Tracy, a thirteen year old girl, desperately seeks the acceptance of Evie, the most popular girl at school. When they become close friends, Tracy discovers a world of alcohol, drugs, sex and petty crime.


The movie is said to be partially autobiographical, and tells the story of Nikki Reed's rebellious life (the actress who plays Evie) as a thirteen year old. Apparently she did have quite a disturbed childhood.
I don't think that the average 13 year old adolescent has to deal with all that happens in this movie. But even if only a part of it occurs, I certainly hope the mother is not as naive as Tracy's mother.

On the parking lot

Mónica got her driving license about 8 years ago. But as she never had her own car and went everywhere by bus, she never drove a car again after getting her license.
Now she doesn't remember anything about driving, and she's afraid to get behind the wheel again.
But as she is looking for a job, her parents and I were thinking that she should get used to driving again.
I told her many times that we could go to a big parking lot on a Sunday morning to practice driving, but she was never very fond of the idea.


When she woke me up yesterday morning, she was already dressed. So I asked her what was going on. And then she said: Well, the weather is very nice, and I was thinking that maybe we could go to that parking lot that you said, so I could practice driving a little.
So I jumped out of bed, got dressed and we got on our way.
I explained her the basic rules, we changed seats, and she started practicing. I decided not to give too many comments, because I knew she was a little nervous.
And in 10 minutes she was driving around the parking lot without any problems.
I thought it was so brave of her, deciding that it was time to do something about it.

I have felt the pain (not for the weak of heart)

It was 1992.
A little bone in my hand had splintered by hitting a hard object.
The operation had been carried out under local anesthesia.
I was lying awake on a hospital bed with my right arm stretched out, while 2 doctors were cutting open my hand and discussing their actions. I was trying to concentrate on the ceiling.
The operation was successful.

Only, a few days later, my hand began to swell, hurt and turn blue.
It seemed that there had been an internal bleeding after they had closed up the wound. They had to open it up again and remove all the blood that couldn't get out.
But as this was just a 5 minute intervention, they were not going to anesthetize my arm for this, if I didn't mind. It was going to hurt, but as a grown man I should be able to handle it.

So I laid down on a bed, they cut open the stitches, and began to push my hand to get all the blood out. Blood and blood clots splattered all over the bed, the doctor and the nurse, while I was trying not to faint.
The windows were opened to let in some fresh air, I was put a wet cloth on my forehead. Two people were pushing my hand to get all the blood clots out.
The wound was being stitched again.
After the operation, my legs trembled non-stop for about 10 minutes, to get all the accumulated stress out of my body.
Then the doctor said: "Now you know the kind of pain a woman feels when having a baby. You did well."
In my imagination, I kicked him in the b...s.

Dream on

I have been living almost one year and two months in Spain now. Before that, I was living alone in an apartment in Belgium for one year.
But lately I have been dreaming almost every night that i'm still living with my parents in their house in Belgium. And it is having dangerous consequences.


The other night, I woke up in the middle of the night after having a dream, and I was convinced that I was lying in my old bed in my parents' house, alone.
A few moments later, Mónica made a sudden move in her sleep. Her movement freaked me out and made me hit her.
At the moment that i was about to hit her, I realized where i was and that it was her, and i managed to control my power. She didn't even notice that i hit her.
If i had not realized in time who she was, I think i would have kicked her out of the bed.