as you can see, i've added two more weather guys and which cities they're forecasting. so, now you'll know the current conditions for Puebla, Mexico and Rurrenabaque, Bolivia. i know i could have chosen more common cities like Mexico City or La Paz, but i wanted to be a little more unique...and besides, these cities have a special place in my heart. i worked in Puebla in 1994 and Rurrenabaque is the most laid back town i have ever encountered in Latin America - all you want to do is hang out in a hammock and plan trips to the Amazonian wilderness or the Bolivian pampas (grasslands). btw, i shortened it to Rurre because that's what the locals call it anyway.
i'm considering two more cities in addition to the three since the gal at weatherpixie.com has a limit of five cities per page. so you may see Thailand and New Zealand in the future; would very much like to visit friends in those countries...and soon!
Thursday, June 17, 2004
zonked...
lois is OUT. i took her to St. Anthony's for cataract surgery this morning. we were in by 8:00 and out by 11:00...talk about fast. i guess the sedation, removal of the cataract, and implant of a new lens takes only about thirty minutes. AND you're conscious the whole time...
i know you're wondering about the cataracts. well, it's not just octogenarians who are hampered by cataracts, younger people get them too. and pray that if you get one, you'll have the kind that ripen quickly; cataract surgery is not performed until it's completely ready (i.e., everything you see has a halo).
lois' cataracts took only a year to ripen. maybe these kinds are hereditary...her two oldest siblings had the surgery too. anyway, she's going to get the other eye (left) done towards the end of July. it should be an exciting time for her because she's worn glasses since she was very young. with the new lenses, her vision will be corrected to 20/40 or 20/60...a long way from blind as a bat with pretty bad astigmatism. for the first time in her life, she'll probably be able to even get soft contacts. a miracle since she always had gas perms. the cataract surgery will even lower the cost of glasses; the last few pairs of glasses cost her $300-$600. nothing like a light prescription ;)
if my astigmatism ever worsens to the point of needing gas perms, i can only hope for a quick and ripe cataract heh
i know you're wondering about the cataracts. well, it's not just octogenarians who are hampered by cataracts, younger people get them too. and pray that if you get one, you'll have the kind that ripen quickly; cataract surgery is not performed until it's completely ready (i.e., everything you see has a halo).
lois' cataracts took only a year to ripen. maybe these kinds are hereditary...her two oldest siblings had the surgery too. anyway, she's going to get the other eye (left) done towards the end of July. it should be an exciting time for her because she's worn glasses since she was very young. with the new lenses, her vision will be corrected to 20/40 or 20/60...a long way from blind as a bat with pretty bad astigmatism. for the first time in her life, she'll probably be able to even get soft contacts. a miracle since she always had gas perms. the cataract surgery will even lower the cost of glasses; the last few pairs of glasses cost her $300-$600. nothing like a light prescription ;)
if my astigmatism ever worsens to the point of needing gas perms, i can only hope for a quick and ripe cataract heh
Tuesday, June 15, 2004
in hiding...
that's where i've been. i have had all the intentions of blogging, but i just couldn't get it all together. know what i mean? i'm sure that you too have had days where you want to read everyone else's postings...and let the keyboard rest...just lying under yer hot little hands.
yes. i am 34 now. my friend sent me an e-card alluding to all the creaky parts we have; he says it's all downhill from here. friend. humph...
went to see Ladykillers at the cheapies today...with my friend, Cindy. was looking out for the other Cindi, but i think she's busy getting on me about blogging...or sumpin' like that. btw, where's your passport? you can use mine ;) i can always use a few more stamps. 'course, you're way too pretty for my passport pic. ugh. i wish i could have used my driver's license pic for this passport...it's ug-lee.
anyway, Ladykillers was quite funny. the Coen brothers are fantastic moviemakers. Fargo and Raising Arizona are two of my favorites. i'll go see it again with lois. we were planning to see it last friday, but opted for Shrek 2 instead, which is definitely worth seeing again. there are so many crazy homages that it's hard to catch them all with one viewing.
this past thirty days have been filled with movies. in addition to some of the pics that we caught on cable in Spain, we watched 'School of Rock'...'The Last Samurai'...'LOTR:ROTK'...'50 First Dates'...and 'Miracle' ALL on the plane. yep, 11-12 hours each way gives you PLENTY of time to watch movies on those trans-continental and atlantic flights.
off to dinner...but where? ooh, maybe Mori Restaurant. sashimi, teriyaki, tempura, and sake (or Kirin Ichiban beer) sounds kinda good! maybe Indian...saag paneer, chicken vindaloo, and kabli naan...mmmm, maybe not. i think i'll hold off on indian for another week or two.
what about you guys? is there some long standing tradition for b-day dinners that you want to fill me in on?
yes. i am 34 now. my friend sent me an e-card alluding to all the creaky parts we have; he says it's all downhill from here. friend. humph...
went to see Ladykillers at the cheapies today...with my friend, Cindy. was looking out for the other Cindi, but i think she's busy getting on me about blogging...or sumpin' like that. btw, where's your passport? you can use mine ;) i can always use a few more stamps. 'course, you're way too pretty for my passport pic. ugh. i wish i could have used my driver's license pic for this passport...it's ug-lee.
anyway, Ladykillers was quite funny. the Coen brothers are fantastic moviemakers. Fargo and Raising Arizona are two of my favorites. i'll go see it again with lois. we were planning to see it last friday, but opted for Shrek 2 instead, which is definitely worth seeing again. there are so many crazy homages that it's hard to catch them all with one viewing.
this past thirty days have been filled with movies. in addition to some of the pics that we caught on cable in Spain, we watched 'School of Rock'...'The Last Samurai'...'LOTR:ROTK'...'50 First Dates'...and 'Miracle' ALL on the plane. yep, 11-12 hours each way gives you PLENTY of time to watch movies on those trans-continental and atlantic flights.
off to dinner...but where? ooh, maybe Mori Restaurant. sashimi, teriyaki, tempura, and sake (or Kirin Ichiban beer) sounds kinda good! maybe Indian...saag paneer, chicken vindaloo, and kabli naan...mmmm, maybe not. i think i'll hold off on indian for another week or two.
what about you guys? is there some long standing tradition for b-day dinners that you want to fill me in on?
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
if you haven't noticed...
i changed my weather guy back to Denver from Madrid. i'm thinking about putting additional weather pixies to tell the conditions of other cities. i wonder if a couple more wouldn't hurt...and not dent that gals bandwidth too much.
oh yeah...
if anyone travels through Philly's airport and is on C concourse, you should definitely check out the salad place right across from gate C31. for $6.95, you can choose any three of their salads or get a triple sized portion (about 24-30 oz. by volume). we opted for their greek salad, roasted veggies, and a tuna pasta salad. it makes for some good snackin' (or a huge dinner for one) on the flight.
sure...$6.95 may get you two combo meals at McD's...at home. in the airport? ha. you can't get anything under $4. and why spend $5-$10 for the lame-o meals that they're starting to sell on domestic flights?
enough talk about food though...i'll post something different later today.
sure...$6.95 may get you two combo meals at McD's...at home. in the airport? ha. you can't get anything under $4. and why spend $5-$10 for the lame-o meals that they're starting to sell on domestic flights?
enough talk about food though...i'll post something different later today.
just a blob...
that's what i am right now. yesterday was a bugger. we got up in Madrid at 7:00 AM and didn't set foot into the house until 9:00 PM. fourteen hours...plus eight hours time difference. so we were basically on the go or on the plane for 22 hours (about nineteen of it in the airport and on the plane). you would think that we slept a bit since it was a bit brutal...ha! from the time we got on the plane to landing at DIA, it was daylight (since we gained a third of a day coming back); our circadian rhythms will take some time adjusting.
i know my meal schedule will be screwed. we had two meals on the trans-atlantic flight...quite decent too. it helps to request a special meal (e.g., low fat, low cholesterol) when you book an international flight. they're way healthier and often more filling.
for example, our lunch was swordfish (about 3 oz.), a bit of linguini, a tiny potato, carrots, a nice little three bean salad, a small pita, and a fruit mix. everyone else got chicken or pasta...with a lame salad, hard roll, and something sickeningly sweet (which is not always a bad thing ;).
our snack was an 8" ham and cheese sandwich and a cup of those huge, black, globe grapes that have seeds but are really sweet. the rest of the cabin got a sandwich that was probably 30% smaller, a teeny bag of chex mix, and an itty bitty piece of Toblerone chocolate.
i think there's a caloric range that the airlines try to meet for their meals. however, if they serve you an unhealthy meal, the portions will be smaller because the fat will ring up those calories. if you get a lowfat or cholesterol meal, it'll be inevitably bigger because extra veggies won't add to the calorie tally.
of course, this silly little diatribe is coming from someone who has had a ham, cheese, & salsa omelet, applesauce, chocolate pudding, and three servings of pasta in the last six hours LOL
i know my meal schedule will be screwed. we had two meals on the trans-atlantic flight...quite decent too. it helps to request a special meal (e.g., low fat, low cholesterol) when you book an international flight. they're way healthier and often more filling.
for example, our lunch was swordfish (about 3 oz.), a bit of linguini, a tiny potato, carrots, a nice little three bean salad, a small pita, and a fruit mix. everyone else got chicken or pasta...with a lame salad, hard roll, and something sickeningly sweet (which is not always a bad thing ;).
our snack was an 8" ham and cheese sandwich and a cup of those huge, black, globe grapes that have seeds but are really sweet. the rest of the cabin got a sandwich that was probably 30% smaller, a teeny bag of chex mix, and an itty bitty piece of Toblerone chocolate.
i think there's a caloric range that the airlines try to meet for their meals. however, if they serve you an unhealthy meal, the portions will be smaller because the fat will ring up those calories. if you get a lowfat or cholesterol meal, it'll be inevitably bigger because extra veggies won't add to the calorie tally.
of course, this silly little diatribe is coming from someone who has had a ham, cheese, & salsa omelet, applesauce, chocolate pudding, and three servings of pasta in the last six hours LOL
Sunday, June 06, 2004
something to do...
from Nelle´s...
What's going on?
What was the last ...
…meal you ate?
we shared a ham & cheese sandwich and some strong cafe au laits at the High Tech Cafe...which was way better than the meal we had last night at some ultra-scary buffet that we flipped a coin over (i wish the coin came up tails because we would have had some great kebab instead ;)
…thing you did online?
my fifteen minute post...
…television show you watched?
bbc news in Sevilla. although we did catch some weirdo western last night w/ Joan Crawford(!)
…purchase you made?
an hour of internet access on two computers for 1 Euro each
What do you currently…
...hear?
clicking and tapping of mice and keyboards
...see?
an okay mural along the wall we´re facing. it looks like a round bar with eleven customers and a waiter-type with a bowtie. on the bottom right corner is a painted monitor of the name of the place, Ciber Natura - upstairs is a juice bar/cafe and downstairs is the internet portion.
...smell?
cigarette smoke. we thought we could escape the poor ventilation by sitting in the far corner, away from the smoky smell. it lasted five minutes when a spanish guy sat down and lit up five feet away from us. we are so spoiled in the U.S. when it comes to no smoking; everyone here seems to smoke. and we´re talking about smoking in the elevator, internet cafes, airport, you name it.
...feel?
tired but happy that we´re supposed to go home tomorrow. i think that three weeks in a country is the max for us. and i´m also a bit annoyed with the cig smell, but we´re the freaks here for not being smokers...
What’s on your…
...toes?
cotton dress socks.
...head?
my smoke filled black hair
...mind?
how we´re going to spend the day. we were originally planning to go to Toledo, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site (yes, the WHOLE city), but we´re tired of train and bus rides AND of walking hill after hill. plus, we´re down to about 85 Euros, which will just about cover our meals and a taxi to the airport tomorrow; we don´t want to hit the ATM again.
i do know that we´ll have tapas one more time at La Moderna, a beer pub that we frequented during the first few days in Madrid. the main server there (on the patio), Angel, was really cool.
What's going on?
What was the last ...
…meal you ate?
we shared a ham & cheese sandwich and some strong cafe au laits at the High Tech Cafe...which was way better than the meal we had last night at some ultra-scary buffet that we flipped a coin over (i wish the coin came up tails because we would have had some great kebab instead ;)
…thing you did online?
my fifteen minute post...
…television show you watched?
bbc news in Sevilla. although we did catch some weirdo western last night w/ Joan Crawford(!)
…purchase you made?
an hour of internet access on two computers for 1 Euro each
What do you currently…
...hear?
clicking and tapping of mice and keyboards
...see?
an okay mural along the wall we´re facing. it looks like a round bar with eleven customers and a waiter-type with a bowtie. on the bottom right corner is a painted monitor of the name of the place, Ciber Natura - upstairs is a juice bar/cafe and downstairs is the internet portion.
...smell?
cigarette smoke. we thought we could escape the poor ventilation by sitting in the far corner, away from the smoky smell. it lasted five minutes when a spanish guy sat down and lit up five feet away from us. we are so spoiled in the U.S. when it comes to no smoking; everyone here seems to smoke. and we´re talking about smoking in the elevator, internet cafes, airport, you name it.
...feel?
tired but happy that we´re supposed to go home tomorrow. i think that three weeks in a country is the max for us. and i´m also a bit annoyed with the cig smell, but we´re the freaks here for not being smokers...
What’s on your…
...toes?
cotton dress socks.
...head?
my smoke filled black hair
...mind?
how we´re going to spend the day. we were originally planning to go to Toledo, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site (yes, the WHOLE city), but we´re tired of train and bus rides AND of walking hill after hill. plus, we´re down to about 85 Euros, which will just about cover our meals and a taxi to the airport tomorrow; we don´t want to hit the ATM again.
i do know that we´ll have tapas one more time at La Moderna, a beer pub that we frequented during the first few days in Madrid. the main server there (on the patio), Angel, was really cool.
Saturday, June 05, 2004
another fifteen...
i think i´ve gotten into the habit of trying to post something worthwhile in a span of fifteen minutes. i get on the computer and tell myself to blog, even if it´s for that amount of time.
back in madrid... i think i blogged from Cadiz last. Cadiz was interesting. an old seaport town that´s one of the oldest towns in Spain - established by the Phoenicians in 1100 B.C. the streets are narrow and the cobblestone is slick. and as i posted before, it is really laid back. places of business take a true siesta between 3:30 and 6:30, only the tourist places open during those times.
hah, i just realized that i last blogged from Ronda...well, you needed some more info on Cadiz anyway ;)
anyway, it´s good to be back in madrid. the two days after ronda were spent in sevilla, where it was 95 degrees the whole time. jeez, the breeze didn´t kick in until about 8:30.
yesterday, we spent an afternoon in Cordoba...in the cool confines of the Mezquita. you always see pictures of this phenomenal building, but never imagine seeing it (in person). unfortunately, after 500 years as a mosque, ceilings were built above the arches by the christian church. i admit that it´s nice and cool (if not a bit dark), but i wonder what it looked like all open...
we spent the last two days on the AVE (high speed train). it´s a bit expensive, but it´s worth it if you want to save time; a two and a half hour bus ride to cordoba from sevilla takes only 45 minuts on the AVE and a 5-6 hour trip to madrid is cut in half. unfortunately, i think the AVE is only to a couple points from madrid for now. they´ve been talking about one to Barcelona...but that´s all it is.
argh...it´s been about 14 minutes, so i better wrap it up. more to come later tonight or tomorrow...
back in madrid... i think i blogged from Cadiz last. Cadiz was interesting. an old seaport town that´s one of the oldest towns in Spain - established by the Phoenicians in 1100 B.C. the streets are narrow and the cobblestone is slick. and as i posted before, it is really laid back. places of business take a true siesta between 3:30 and 6:30, only the tourist places open during those times.
hah, i just realized that i last blogged from Ronda...well, you needed some more info on Cadiz anyway ;)
anyway, it´s good to be back in madrid. the two days after ronda were spent in sevilla, where it was 95 degrees the whole time. jeez, the breeze didn´t kick in until about 8:30.
yesterday, we spent an afternoon in Cordoba...in the cool confines of the Mezquita. you always see pictures of this phenomenal building, but never imagine seeing it (in person). unfortunately, after 500 years as a mosque, ceilings were built above the arches by the christian church. i admit that it´s nice and cool (if not a bit dark), but i wonder what it looked like all open...
we spent the last two days on the AVE (high speed train). it´s a bit expensive, but it´s worth it if you want to save time; a two and a half hour bus ride to cordoba from sevilla takes only 45 minuts on the AVE and a 5-6 hour trip to madrid is cut in half. unfortunately, i think the AVE is only to a couple points from madrid for now. they´ve been talking about one to Barcelona...but that´s all it is.
argh...it´s been about 14 minutes, so i better wrap it up. more to come later tonight or tomorrow...
Wednesday, June 02, 2004
btw...
everyone go and check out the website of my old neighbor, John Lunceford. i found his site a few weeks ago and told susie about it. she must´ve gotten in touch with him in the meantime... wow. he´s one talented kid!!! geez, i shouldn´t be calling him kid since he´s 30 now! just yesterday, he and i were digging up his backyard in search of anything. well, at least one of us outgrew the dirt digging ;)
help me ronda...
no, i´m not talking about the Beach Boys either. we´ve spent the last two nights in Ronda, Spain, which is in the central southern area. it´s one of many whitewashed towns along the Sierra Grazalema.
from reading the guidebooks, it would seem that Ronda is a sleepy little town with little to offer. i guess that´s somewhat accurate. unlike the major cities, most of the places close around nine o´clock. however, the infrastructure is pretty well established for tourism. the main draws for its visitors are the bullring (oldest one in Spain - 1785) and the ultra beautiful views of the bridge that spans the Tajo gorge.
we are majorly tired though. we really haven´t been on the go the entire time we´ve been here. in fact, we´ve been taking it easy - a vacation from the vacation. no, what has been tiring us out is the scaling of all the hills. our hotel is on the east side of town, about a fifteen minute walk to the central part of Ronda. the hills are killer. i don´t know how the cars navigate the super narrow and slick cobblestone streets. it´s even crazier to watch scooters and motocross bikes charge up these puppies.
although we almost wish that we stayed in a hotel closer to the bus station, the place we´re in, is really cool. it called the Entre Arte Hotel. we ended up paying 90 Euros a night for one of their double A rooms, which is pretty spacious. it´s about 30% more than we were paying in Sevilla for a junior suite and a buffet breakfast...but here, ALL the drinks (beer...wine...sherry) is included as well as a fantastic lunch spread. oh yeah, the internet access is free too. so, we´re just kicking back and enjoying the views of the mountains, listening to the thousands of frogs in the riverbank below, and enjoying the HELL out of ourselves!!!
i know i skipped a couple cities, but stay tuned...i´ll catch up eventually.
from reading the guidebooks, it would seem that Ronda is a sleepy little town with little to offer. i guess that´s somewhat accurate. unlike the major cities, most of the places close around nine o´clock. however, the infrastructure is pretty well established for tourism. the main draws for its visitors are the bullring (oldest one in Spain - 1785) and the ultra beautiful views of the bridge that spans the Tajo gorge.
we are majorly tired though. we really haven´t been on the go the entire time we´ve been here. in fact, we´ve been taking it easy - a vacation from the vacation. no, what has been tiring us out is the scaling of all the hills. our hotel is on the east side of town, about a fifteen minute walk to the central part of Ronda. the hills are killer. i don´t know how the cars navigate the super narrow and slick cobblestone streets. it´s even crazier to watch scooters and motocross bikes charge up these puppies.
although we almost wish that we stayed in a hotel closer to the bus station, the place we´re in, is really cool. it called the Entre Arte Hotel. we ended up paying 90 Euros a night for one of their double A rooms, which is pretty spacious. it´s about 30% more than we were paying in Sevilla for a junior suite and a buffet breakfast...but here, ALL the drinks (beer...wine...sherry) is included as well as a fantastic lunch spread. oh yeah, the internet access is free too. so, we´re just kicking back and enjoying the views of the mountains, listening to the thousands of frogs in the riverbank below, and enjoying the HELL out of ourselves!!!
i know i skipped a couple cities, but stay tuned...i´ll catch up eventually.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
