Sandra on las Ramblas

Sandra's Barcelona Apartment

As promised, here are a few pics of Sandra's living arrangements in Barcelona...


The fabulous doors leading to the fabulous Barcelona apartment.
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The tiny bed and computer workstation. You have to be an extremely tolerant and peaceful sleeper to share this bed. Note that one pillow nearly spans the entire width.
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The view down from the head of her bed. You can often hear what goes on in the other apartments.
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The internet "Locutorio" place across the street. You can use the internet or make phone calls here with the help of the almost friendly Pakistani guy. How do they survive as a business when the most they can make off all their computers combined is 7 euro per hour? Who knows?
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Her balcony/clothes line. Note the toilet bowl used as a planter. The view from the balcony is other nearby apartments and rooftops. I'm pretty sure you can't see the ocean.
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A very handsome young man draws on the couch which sometimes doubles as an alternative torture-device bed. See that shelf next to the couch? I would stick my feet into it when I tried to sleep on the couch.
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The whimsical shower. You eyes do not deceive you. It was like stepping into a frying pan. You'd close the blue curtain, and it would immediately cling to your body. If you slipped and fell in the shower, you'd end up in the living room.

ALBERT IS BACK or "Hey, Isn't This Sandra's Blog?"

After re-conquering my forefathers' homeland of Spain, I have returned to the greatful City of the Angels. I'd like to thank the whole city for turning out at the airport to welcome me back. You didn't have to.

I left Barcelona yesterday morning after taking one last long look down Avenida Mistral, which is the street that Sandra's apartment is on. It was a great street because it was turned into a big walking path rather than a traffic street. As I said before, there were always plenty of people walking a parade of dogs down Mistral. Anyway, I felt a little said to look down the length of Mistral one last time...to take in, my friends, one last big breath of normal Spanish life (at least for this trip).

During the taxi trip to the airport (about 17 minutes) and the plane rides (BARCELONA>ATALANTA>LA) I was able to reflect on my trip to Spain, and you know what? It was pretty dang cool. I had fun. Sandra is really comfy there and will be spending 4 more weeks in Barcelona (even though I treid to convince her to go to Sevilla, which was my favorite), then going to the UK on the way to India with possibly a stop in Connecticut after that to see our friends Nicole and Bertram. Anyway, that's her current plan. Look for her triumphant return to Los Angeles maybe around Christmas. As she posts here practically everyday, I'm sure she'll keep us updated.

Having gotten a little headsick just prior to leaving Barcelona, the plane's pressure was playing tricks with my ears. The inside of my head hasn't popped back to normal yet. My stalwart friend Anton was there at LAX to bring me home to Max and Oliver, whom he had been taking care of. It was strange to come back to the house just as I left it. The only noticeable difference was that Anton had taken up a war on a rat which has decided to invade the house. He had all kinds of stuff piled up along the edge of a cabinet to keep the rat from using its favorite route. I will have to get a human rat trap that will snap the rat's spine in half.

I will now attempt to reconstruct my life. There's a million pieces of letters, unpacking, clothes washing, bill-paying and emailing to do. Why did AT&T take over our long-distance calling while I was gone? I don't know. I just don't know. Who will be my new assistant director when I get back to work? I don't know.

Oh yeah, I had to pick up the "puppies" Chuy and Scout from Jimbo Feeley today. I called him after I woke up (I was hoping to still be sleep for many hours to come, but since I got really crappy sleep in Spain and very little on the plane, plus the time change, I'm all screwed up. You know what? I'm gonna start my own blog, so no one can read that too. This is ridiculous posting all over Sandra's blog. Anyway...I still seem to have a head cold but it doesan't feel bad and I don't know if I will crash hard into sleep sometime soon or if I will just get right back into the flow of California time or what.

Anyway...I called Jim about picking up the pups and he told me that Chuy had visited the doggy hospital. I was a little arlarmed, but it turned out to be that she had scratched-up ears from all the rough playing she was doing with Chuy and Wriggley (Jim and Stacey's dog if you don't know). Her ears wouldn't heal because Scout would keep licking them and Chuy would keep scratching them. Jim said that the doctor basicly told him that he was over-reacting by taking Chuy into the hospital, but then proceeded to put a cone on her, plus prescribe ointment and antibiotic pills. Poor Chuy...she looks sad and can't really play or be outside too much (flies and sun and dirt). I expect that we'll get her out of her cone in about three days, then she can be happy ol' Chuy again. Chuy seemed very happy to see me, but Scout practically didn't notice. Max and Ollie were of course very happy. So we're all home and I'm going to wash some clothes. Later.

Oh yeah...I will do some last posting here of some pics from the trip.

-Albert

[Chuy in her new outfit]

Another Anton Doggy Update

Update from Anton on MAx and Ollie

Just for the hell of it...another quick update...though Oliver bears the brunt of mucho criticism...I have discovered something interesting about weasel Max with my shockingly impressive detective skills...each night, the dog-deterring, couch spiky pad of death nearest to the Cheetah/Scout chair seems to move a bit...I began to think it was achievable because I was setting the pads askance with corners hanging out over the couch, but that did not deter the pad moving, night gnome....

This morning, I noticed it had again moved and there seemed to be a fair amount of dog hair on the couch where it resided...Putting my Holmesian detective skills to use, I figured out that Oliver was standing up, grabbing the pad, and then shoving it over...after that idea, I came to the conclusion that if one were to use one's nose to relentlessly shuffle a spiky death pad over, one would have to have a nice protuberant nose and not some truncated thing smashed on your face like a UFC figher...That dirty weasel beagle...

Of course, my vaunted powers of deduction are having a difficult time solving the mystery of the missing turtle food...I cannot be sure if I misplaced it inside after feeding the outdoor fish, if some rogue creature absconded with it, or if blustery winds rolled it out of sight...Rest assured, I will not rest until I am sure I have uncovered the plot.

A Doggy update from Anton

Whenever the good sir Anton watches the house and dogs for us, he always generates comprehensive and I daresay entertaining reports of the goings-on. Some stray references may be glossed over at your leisure. This report is about a week old...


The dogs have been, for almost the most part, fantastic...The only downsides would be the fact that Morose Max was missing you and Sandra and his two furry ladies quite a bit at first...and I was pulling late hours...so I would get quadruple doses of needy, knee jumping, whining, sad eyed Max humping my leg when I'd get back. Of course, that was following his sharp eared ability to discern my car sounds and smells and then start howling for all the neighborhood to hear late at night on week nights....And the couple nights he decided to get all panicky-needy at the door and bounce around out there was certainly appreciated before a [hard workout] morning. Now, after spending some quality time with him, he has been reduced to only occasional bouts of leg molesting...It was interesting to see that, when I was preparing some paperwork at your desk, Max would not stop jumping up on my legs and arms and begging for attention. He's too smart and/or tired to try it when I'm on the artist desk...

Oliver has, as ever, been a dutiful companion...doing his best to challenge my agility skills by placing himself like a canine Kato underfoot to trip me up at a moment's notice...with all his usual whorfling, snotting, nasal elan...I continue to work on my eugenices/DNA experiments to try and transfer his devotion into Natalie...

Sadly, the other day, I was attacked by Al Qaeda using the most despicable, noxious fumes known to man as I was a Computering in the office...I swear to God I have never smelled such a "live" shite smell in gaseous form. I truly scanned the floor for "live" evidence. Amazingly, none was found in the office as Oliver just stared up at me, unsure of why I was gagging and gurgling in the chair. I still have not found how those fiendish terrorists got the gas into the house..

Noaccidents from oliver I hope.

Of course, though the office was clear of live rounds, that was not the case for the rest of the house. Either Ollie boy held up well for the first week or I just was not as swift at finding his enterprising adventures. He found particular favor in the area behind the table for leaving some big soggy shit logs for my dinner. Pee stains were delivered near rocking chair and "Cheetah/Scout/Max" chair.

-Anton

Sevilla and Albert

Yes, it´s Albert again. I thought this was a Sandra blog.

Anyhow, I am now in Sevilla (Seville to you Yankees), day number two. By the way, "Yankee" is apparently an insult to Americans. As graffiti at the University of Sevilla says, "Go home Yankees!" America is generally not very popular amongst the people here due to our cleanup of all those nukes and Osama troops in Iraq.

The smell of cheese.
I don´t know if it´s because my hotel doesn´t smell like sweltering cheese or not, but I prefer Sevilla to Granada, even though Granada was near the Sierra Madres (ie, natural beauty). Did I mention that my hotel room in Granada smelled like pungent cheese? I think my experience would have been better if I had done my homework and booked higher-priced hostels than medium range hotels (which are still costlier than higher-priced hostels). The hostels seem to be more fun and comfortable looking, though you often end up with a communal bathroom.

University.
Granada was a university town as well, but Sevilla feels much more integrated and the University seems more impressive. Both towns have lots of construction going on. They´re building a subway here now, so some major streets are torn up and you have to walk on dirt. For overall walking pleasure, shopping and beautiful people, I have to give Sevilla my top honors. I think there´s a little here for everyone, and it feels safer than Granada and Barcelona, though I never had any trouble in those towns either. Come to think of it, the only criminal I´ve knowingly come into contact with is here...a guy who offered to sell me weed, I think.

A quick rundown of yesterday.
I woke up in Granada at 8:15 am. My hotel was supposed to call me at 7 am. My train was leaving to Sevilla at 8:18 am. So thanks to my goat cheese hotel, I missed my train and 21 euros (at least $25) went down the drain. So I hustled to the bus station and got the 10 am trip to Sevilla. As I told Sandra, the train ride from Barcelona to Granada was torturous. It was hot and had no air circulation (even though it was a cool night outside). The seats were not comfortable and didn´t recline. And the best part was that a bohemian-ish guy with that particular smell of 14-day old body and head funk was assigned next to me. I was dying. Five hours into the ride and with still 8 hours to go, I swallowed a xanex(?) which a friend had given me. They said it would make me sleep. Not sure if it worked or if sheer exhaustion set in, but I did sleep for about 6 hours, leaving me with only two more hours of funk.

A quick note about the "Stinky European" idea.
Spanish people in general are clean and fresh, aside from the absolutely pervasive smoking. I don´t see it here, but I did witness a lot of super-public spitting in Granada and Barcelona. Maybe it´s from all the smoking. If you long for the days of smoke-filled restaurants and bars, vamonos a Europe!

Back to yesterday.
So I arrived in Sevilla via a bus, which was a clean and pleasant and comfy 3 hour ride! After a stop at an internet cafe to check in with Sandra and getting a Starbucks coffee (typical American move), a young gay Filipino guy named JoJee from Chicago helped me find the rest of the way to my hotel, as he was going the same way. The walk included a trip past the university, and offered a view and walk through and on the major work going on here to make the subway. Jojee told me that my shoes (Reebok cross-training type shoes) pegged me as an American because Spanish people don´t rock fitness shoes. They wear a lot of those fancy "semi-sneaker/bowling/dress shoes" these days. Really cool Pumas or Adidas will suffice.

Okay, I´m getting tired of writing. Checked in to hotel. Ate at a decent Japanese restaurant next to hotel. Met a Flamenco dancer there who´s studying Flamenco dance here and told me where to check out a little Flamenco. Walked semi-aimlessly. Got lost. Found a park and plaza I was looking for. Encountered a cool sort of "world fair" of cuisine and drinks. Went into a nice museum of interesting historical settings (ie, a room set up just as it would be in the old days of metal-working). Got lost again. Many people tried to help guide me. One old man gave me a cranky but good lesson on saying "good day" before asking directions (you should say good day or hello first, then go into the question). Finally got my bearings and did the 2 hour walking tour suggested in Lonely Planet to get a feel of the place. Started raining during walk and I had to get an umbrella. Checked out a few places along the way, including a stop at the usual large store in every city, "Ingles Cortes", to look for a charger for my ipod. At end of walk, I asked the good folks at another Starbucks for a restaurant suggestion. They had no clue but a customer did and told me to go to "Bauhaus". For some reason, I was thinking "HoffBrau" and I had to ask in my best Spanish if it was German ("Aleman"), because I wasn´t interested in german food. Oh my God, this is taking forever. Anyhow, got a little lost again due to my misunderstanding of her directions, but found a cool place to watch an intimate (small) Flamenco show, and coincidentally right across from Bauhaus, which was a hip and stylish but laid-back and cool bar/restaurant/dance place. I had only 30 minutes to eat before the Flamenco show. Bartender was a nice young guy from Mexico. Flamenco show was muy caliente, featuring guitar guy, singer that looked like Pete Avanzino (if you know him) and of course a Flamenco dancer lady. She was probably about 45, but performed perfectly and muy fuerte. I sat in the back with another Flamenco student from Sweden, who was so thirsty that she drank some of my "clara" (beer mixed with either a light lemonade or sweet sparkling water). I offered some of it in jest to her at the point I realized she wanted a drink but was never gonna get one for an hour(they stopped serving once the show started), but I never thought she´d actually take me up on it. Show finished and I went back to Bauhaus for a few claras and some sketching. Then walked towards hotel in a light drizzle (its raining at this very moment). Freshened up. Went to a bar right next to the hotel that was crazy-ass lively with live Flamenco music (same guitarist from the earlier Flamenco performance across the river, plus a male and female singer and a percussionist). Got hungry at 1:30 am and bought some pre-made sandwiches from a 7-11-ish (but more upscale) type place. Then showered to get the cigarette funk off me and slept really well and without distraction probably for the first time since I´ve been in Spain.

Good day to you!

Albert Yet Again Posts

Hello, this is Albert.

After spending a week or so in Barcelona with Sandra, I have arrived for a two-day stay in Granada via train, or "El Renfe" as we locals like to call it. I am looking forward to one touristy thing here...the fabled "Alhambra", which is supposed to be one of the most amazing fairy tale palace/gardens ever, nestled up against the Sierra Nevadas.

Only been here a few horas, but it´s similar to Barcelona in that you can walk everywhere. I´m pretty sure they don´t have a subway here, but there seems to be a good bus system. I already spotted a Japanese "Onsen" or "Ansen" for Sandra...a sort of indoor hot springs, I think. They also have some kind of "Arab Baths", which seem to be the same kind of hot & cold water deals.

Granada seems to have a little more Islamic flava than I saw in Barcelona (again, I´ve only been in a few alleys so far). While wandering around looking for an internet place (Sandra said I had to write her everyday so she would know I was okay), I walked downhill a long narrow alley of little Arabic shops & cafes...pretty cool though obviously for tourists.

Alright, I should be out looking around. Sounds like our two pups made Jim and Stacey look like awful doggy owners at the dog park, while at the same time tearing up their backyard. I blame Sandra for their wild behavior. Meanwhile, Anton has the cushy job of picking up Oliver´s poo off the dining room floor, which Oliver seems to favor on occasion, especially when it rains.

Don´t miss me too much Sandra! Barcelona can still be cool without me around!

Albert OUT

Mas Alberto en Espana

Here I am again, posting in Sandra´s place...

Well, I´ve been walking all around Barcelona and I´ve gotta say...wear sneakers! The cooler-looking shoes I brought were turning my toes into raw meat. Sandra heads off to school every morning at 9:30 while I sleep until about 11:30. I guess it´s jetlag, but who knows? I´m trying to sleep at a regular hour (11pm to 1 am), buit I keep waking up in the middle of the night. Last night, I woke up and read Maxim and Wired for two hours. Maybe it was the "xocolate" I had late last night. Instead of hot chocolate, they literally serve chocolate that´s melted to just-drinkable. It´s a great treat, but very rich. Remember when Starbucks came out with that short-lived chocolate drink? That´s what it is. By the way, they don´t make mochas here...except at Starbucks!

I asked for a "xocolate con cafe" (chocalte and coffee) at a normal coffe shop and they looked at me like I was crazy.

Sandra has been constantly worried that I´m bored, but I´m just happy to relax. I´ve done pretty much all the "touristy stuff" I want to do, so I´m fine with just hanging out around town. But I think Sandra wants me to constantly seek out new stuff..that is, tourist-stuff. My big task today was sending a few postcards. I spent 40 minutes in line at a Spanish post office ("correos") just to do the deed. The one stamp machine dispenser insisted on exact change but actually refused to take exact change (and it wasn´t just me-real Spaniards were having the same trouble). So I took a number and waited 40 minutes. Wow. Things happen a little bit slowly here. We had to wait 3 hours for the travel agency to take their lunch break today!!

Okay...anyhow, I like it here. Everything´s cool and the people are friendly.

Later!

Albert