La quema de los políticos

Los cojones de Carles

It takes cojones to stand up and sing on a whim in front of a packed restaurant. Luckily Carles has cojones. Of course, if I had a voice like Carles, I would probably have done the same.

My brother's been cloned!!!!

This other dude supposedly goes by the name "Dan" but I'm not convinced... Can you tell which one is which?

Arrrr, me damn hook keeps slippin' off me stump!

Highs and Lows

This blog is a little late coming, but I wanted to comment briefly on some high points and low points of my trips to Girona during the last few weeks of the summer.

High points included:

Some beautiful views of the Pyrenees and ponies...

Remembering what it's like to have hair (so sweet of Raquel to aid me with this process)...

And, of course, Albert's amazing gourmet cooking...


The one low point was getting my ass whooped in Nintendo Wii by Gemma and Oriol...


Yes, they look very sweet with these kitties, but don't be fooled -- when given a controller, they are vicious!!!

Anglit Bevakasha!

A brief walk through the streets of Jerusalem reveals how "in" it is for places to have English names. All the trendy restaurants, bars, and cafes have either both an English and Hebrew name, or just an English name. But it is not so simple to open an establishment with an English name in a country where many people don't speak great English -- one always runs the risk of losing clientele who don't understand the relation between an establishment 's name and its product. Hence, Israelis often choose to do away with all efforts to be playful and ironic, opting instead for clarity and directness (not so out of line with general Israeli character). This explains the presence of popular chains like "Coffee Shop" and "Meat Burger."

I can picture the boardroom conversation:

Well Dudu, I don't know, don't you think we're being a little redundant with "Meat Burger."

Not at all, Yossi, you know very well how many places have gone 'green.' You order a burger these days, and you don't know what you're gonna get -- real meat or that fake tofu crap! This is a meat establishment and I'm damn well proud! Are you not proud of our establishment?

I didn't say I wasn't proud, Dudu. I just...

Are you going 'green,' Yossi?

Fine, fine, "Meat Burger" it is!

Olé!!!

Spaniards are generally quite apathetic when it comes to nationalism -- ask most people what they think of "Spanishness," and they'll likely point to colonialism, the inquisition, fascism, maybe bullfighting... but when Spain's national selection plays an important game, the flags, jerseys, and capes come out in full form. It is hard not to get wrapped up in all the fervor here!