The end of the (bike) road

After a fine breakfast with the other guests, we scoffed at today's suggested bike-route for our tour. Who needs another 40 km of remote back roads, enchanting old villages and natural park paths? We have nothing to prove.

So, we slowly rolled along the area bike paths, winding our way into Figueres, by way of the little hamlet of L'Olvia, which we made a point of visiting in honor of the 19th birthday of our friend, Olivia.

In Figueres, we found the Rambla, much busier today than we found it, a week ago. We sat for a while, enjoying the scene, before picking an outdoor café for lunch.

It was mixed. I had a nice seafood salad (creamy dill dressing) and an unexciting-but-ok paella (will keep trying and comparing), while Karen had a nice fried turbot, accompanied by sauteed mushrooms and peppers, which she liked. Too bad the waiter was surly, but we got what we needed.

We headed back the way we came, again passing L'Olvia, ending up cycling the last km back to Baseia, arriving around 4.

We emptied our bicycle bags, took off our sweaty bicycle gear and clothes, and said goodbye to the bicycle part of this trip.

Total ridden: 204 km - not bad for a couple of baby-boomers going to seed.

We hit the swimming pool for a bit, then I lay out in the sun for a long time, reflecting on the following:

1) we did it (the biking)!

2) we are off to Tarragona

3) it's still 4 hours until dinner

4) there were over 20 flies crawling on my legs

5) my family has come a long way - driven out from Judaea by the Romans, driven out from Spain by the Catholic Monarchs (did you know my family lived in Toledo, until 1492?), driven out of Russia and Poland (by the Russians and Poles, obviously), only to have found a happy home in Upstate New York, USA.

I grew up there, and moved to Oregon in 1977, but that's another story.

The point is that it's great to be back in Spain, now that the Inquisition is over. I am having a much better time here than my ancestors did, when they had reached the end of their Spanish road.

ok, ok - so 'killing' was hyperbole

Still, would you have spent your valuable time reading a blog post entitled 'the minor discomforts of the jews'?

Honestly, though, yesterday's bike ride was difficult, considering the distance, rain, disorientation at times, hypoglycemia, and the final, mind-numbing 12 km.

We did have a pleasant evening last night. Can Navata is quite full of guests, mostly Spaniards. There is one English couple, and our hostess thoughtfully sat us together at the end of the long dining room table, where we had a nice chat about our bicycle holidays (they are doing one from a different UK company, so we compared route maps and guides).

As Karen is quite involved in the current US debate on Health Care reform, we also discussed the British NHS, its benefits, problems, and evolution. We all agreed that the US system is absurd. But you already know this.

Why were we the only guests at Can Massa last week, and seeing a full house this week? Tomorrow, October 12, is a Spanish national holiday - Columbus Day (just like home). How odd that that plucky Genoa sailor ended up being so beloved in both Spain and America. It makes sense for both countries, of course, since his successes were the basis for America's exaggerated sense of self-importance, and Spain's glorious 100 years of relatively unchallenged plundering in the New World. Things didn't go so well for Philip II after 1598, as I recall, but that's another story.

Karen is still in bed - I am down in the hostal library, enjoying the wifi on the netbook (much easier than tapping out these blog entries on my phone). She is pretty sore from yesterday's ordeal, and thinks her fingers will be permanently numb. Don't know what today will bring yet.

Tomorrow, we take the train south from Figueres to Tarragona, where the saga continues.

In another hour, it will be time for 'the breakfast of the jews'.

The killing of the jews - part 2

I could tell you about the nice dinner of assorted tapas last night, but you don't care, right?

You will remember some days ago, when we cycled thru the hamlet of Matajudaica ('The killing of the Jews'). There wasn't much there. It's the thought that counts.

It is now Saturday afternoon, around 5. We left Peratallada at 9 this morning.

We cycled north, along quiet roads to Gualta. It was cool and cloudy - Karen said it was going to rain on us. I hoped for the best, an annoying trait, under most conditions.

At Torroella de Montgri, we crossed a bridge over the river Ter, known to locals as 'The Bridge Over the River Ter', since it was built under Franco in 1940, using slave-labor supplied by defeated Republicans, back when Republicans were the good guys.

We got a little lost, following the complicated bike route thru the busy city, but eventually reached the outskirts and the countryside, when the rain hit.

Around Albons, we got drenched. Nothing to do but pedal on.

We reached the coast at L'Escala, and the rain clouds were already breaking up. By the time we got to the archeology museum at Empuries, the sun was shining and blue sky warmed our very damp clothes. About 25 km completed at this point.

We were getting tired.

We toured the extensive Greek and Roman ruins. This was the major settlement on the spanish coast, way back when (200 BC, to be more precise).

The museum had a lot of artifacts, some surprisingly obscene. Uphill in the Roman town, there were some interesting mosaics - the Rich really knew how to live (nothing new about that).

The public latrine sort of reminded me of Cycle Oregon, but that's another story.

By now it was well after noon, and we had many km to go, and energy was beginning to flag.

We cycled north along the coast, and, most fortunately, found a bustling restaurant in Sant Marti d'Empuries, across the square fom the old church, where a tumultuous wedding was taking place.

We needed that meal - we were only slightly more than half way.

We had a giant mound of steamed mussels, salads (mine with smoked salmon and Karen's, tempting the gods of Lactose Intolerance, with goat cheese). Also a beer, a coke, and two coffees - 35 euros.

Fortified, we resumed.

We biked along dirt roads thru a natural park, on and on under the hot sun, faithfully following the detailed turn-by-turn directions.

At Sant Pere Pescador, we crossed the river Fluvia, and began the final 12 km to Baseia.

Getting tired reading this? Just imagine living it.

The final couple of hours were mostly along uneven dirt roads, through farm-land, far from recognizable habitations. We did pass thru a couple of little towns, energy depleted and butts sore, and finally made the last turn for the final 1.1 km to Can Navata, our home for the next two days.

50 km today. We are beat, but were happy to see our bags waiting.

Karen hit the bed. I went immediately to the small swimming pool which, months ago, I had spied with Google Earth.

The water was cool, but I was ready for it. After a while, I got out and stretched out on a pool-side lounge-chair, where I have been laboriously tapping this out on my phone, while flies are crawling all over me, and I'm doing this All For You.

Dinner at 9 pm. Now, I must rest.

Friday afternoon in Peratallada

We cycled about 30km, returning about 12:30, hot and hungry.

We went first out to the beach, with big views north and south, big waves crashing, and big, dark storm clouds all around.

The amount of actual rain was minimal, as we rode rhru a vast marshy area, planted intensely with rice.

We contined north to Gualta, where we had hoped to find a café. Alas, none was to be found, so we headed back south, along quiet farm roads.

We were tired by the time we got back to the room. After a shower and a brief rest, we walked the ten feet back to 'El Pati', for their 12 euro menu del dia.

First course: for me, very nice pasta with pesto; for Karen a bowl of lovely pureed-vegetable soup (carrot, leek, and squash - we asked). Second course: for karen a chicken leg with mushroom sauce plus a baked potato; for me, a casserole with an eggplant, stewed in tomato, onion and bits of meat, plus a potato. Also, good bread, a bottle of water, a bottle of beer, and a coffee. Total: 30 euros.

Karen took the netbook out to the terrace, to work.
For me: nap.

Tomorrow we leave Peratallada and head north - the longest ride of the trip: 50km. It is a little daunting - better have another great dinner in five hours!

Friday morning - Peratallada

We agonized over the choice of restaurants last night (yes, it has come to this).

Settled on 'El Pati', because I had read a glowing review, and its back entrance was eight feet from our room.

It was amazing - the place itself takes 'charm and elegance' to new heights, and the chow was ok, too.

The teeny olives, fresh bread, vegetable puree (for bread-dipping) was a great appetizer. We also had a bottle of the house white, which was, shall we say, yummy.

I had bacallao (salt cod, a catalan staple), nestled in a comfortable bed of rattatouille (sp?). Karen had a duck leg, garnished with an amazing scoop of seasoned rice and what appeared to be a spiced orange slice.

Don't forget dessert - little chocolate wafers atop licorice ice cream, with a splash of whiskey.

During most of dinner there was just one other couple eating. Later, two more parties arrived.

You get the idea.

It is now early morning, and I am sitting alone in the main plaza. Our breakfast should be ready soon, then I think we will go for a bike ride.

Hmm - most of last post was truncated

Lunch, overpriced as always, arrived, but we were happy to get it.

The route to Llfranc was challenging, but the final 1km descent to the beach was exciting, as long as we didn't think about the return.

It was beautiful there, sunny with waves crashing on the golden sand. We lingered until we felt mostly recovered from the morning ride.

I had taken two wrong turns - the turn-by-turn directions a little ambiguous in places - but eventually found our way. A very nice stretch took us on a dirt road through a peaceful wood, but there was traffic to contend with around Palafrugell.

We retraced much of the morning route, taking time for a much-needed break (and impossibly-expensive refreshments) in Pals.

Got back to peratallada around 4, very sweaty and pretty tired.

It is now almost 7pm, and the restaurants should be opening soon. I'm very hungry.

Tomorrow, another shorter ride. Regards to all.

Mid-day thursday - on the Mediteranean

Oops - no spell-check at the moment.

It was a twisty 20 km to the beach at Llafranc, but we made it. Rain threatened the whole time, but it's now mostly sunny, as we sit at the outdoor café of the Hotel Llevant, drinking coffee and waiting for lunch to arrive

Wednesday afternoon in Peratallada

We reluctantly left Can Massa (town of La Pera) this morning, since our rwo-day stay was so wonderful, with friendly hosts, superb dinners, and spotty-but-appreciated wifi.

Today's bike ride took us first uphill to Foixa, then down onto the flats again.

We passed by Matajudaica again, before climbing to Ullestret, where I had another flat tire. This time I checked the inside and found the little thorn that had been my doom.

Fortunately, we found a quiet outdoor café, and had two coffees each, after I changed tubes.

We continued to Palau-Sator, then on to Peratallada, where we easily found our hotel. Our room is very nice, and our bags were in it, which is even nicer.

Once again, we are the only guests at a place that can handle a dozen. The lady in charge let us use the washing machine, which was appreciated.

We did a load, went for a walk around the tiny town, got oriented and got lunch. Clothes are still on the line drying.

The town seems carved out of bedrock and has little twisty passages. The ancient bell-tower is nearby, as we sit on the *very* peaceful terrace and watch the birds swirling by.

There are many fine restaurants here, and they should open in a couple of hours.

Alas, no wifi, so this won't be posted for a while.

THE NEXT MORNING

Aha, an early-morning stroll led me to someone's wifi, which I am poaching, sitting b the side of an ancient street.

We had an ok dinner, and, although I slept well, karen says she didn't, and we are hoping to do over 20 miles today, before returning to Peratallada.

Looks like another nice day - a little cloudy but breaking up (8 am). See ya latter.

It's more than just 'dinner'

We never had a proper lunch today, which might explain our brain-dead arrival back in La Pera.

We spent most of the late afternoon getting clean, relaxing, and getting caught up on email and (dare I say it?) work.

By 7 we were definitely 'getting hungy' and after a very brief stroll around the hamlet of La Pera, dinner was served.

And what a dinner. First of all, realize that we are the only guests (a crowd is expected later in the week). We sit outside in the peaceful yard, at a tablecloth-covered table for two, and are served a fish-soup with pasta, a salad of greens, sprouts and white asparagus, fresh bread (both white and wheat), and an amazing platter of green asparagus, fish, shrimp, clams and mussels, in a subtle sauce.

Oh, did I mention a bottle of cold, sparkling white wine?

For dessert, fresh pears and a peach, with yogurt and honey. And herbal tea, with a final shot of honey.

This is very good, but we are thrashed and ready for bed. Tomorrow we pack up and cycle to Peratallada, while our bags get transported to the next guest house.

Not bad.

Bicycling - day 1

Back at Can Massa by 3, after a grueling 32 km, with very hot sun and unfortunately-frequent hills, especially toward the end.

The final 4km, returning to La Pera were, thankfully, downhill. Karen went immediately to lie down, in our darkened room.

The route took us thru autumnal countryside - little villages and harvested fields, along minor roads. There was one long stretch of dirt/gravel where, of course, I had a flat.

It was easy to fix and get moving again. I especially wanted to take a photo of one teeny town we passed, Matajudaico (translation: the killing of the Jews). It was pretty peaceful there today - other days, not so much.

We stopped for a short break in Cruillers, at the base of the silent 11th century tower, before cycling on to Monells, where we had some cold drinks in the charming old square.

By now it was getting pretty warm and our energy was fading. The stretch from Monells to Madremanya was brutal.

Tomorrow, the route is only 24km, and should be much less hilly. If not, we're doomed.

Oops - forgot to mention

Not only are we way out in the country, at an antique farm-house, but they have wifi.

Monday afternoon - still in girona

We lingered at the café all morning, nobody bothering us about using the wifi and just sitting.

Karen worked on a case, while I people-watched and did a little wandering, just so I could say that I have walked across all the bridges.

We exchanged some dollars at a bank, walked around the old city, looking for our new winter home (a fixer-upper, of course), and, for the third time, found ourselves at Le Bistrot.

THREE HOURS LATER

We had a big lunch - salad, main, dessert, wine and coffee. I would tell you what I had, but it was treyf.

We returned to the hotel, grabbed our bags, and rolled 'em to the train station. The 12 minute ride to Flaca brought us out to the country, where we were met by the owners of the rural hotel where our bike ride begins.

Not only is the place incredibly charming, but we are the only guests and the bikes were actually waiting for us.

It's all too easy.

Leaving girona today

We must move on.

It's monday morning - we see little kids going to school with little backpacks, holding a parent's hand. We see businessmen, looking serious.

You can't tell that everyone was up past midnight in the cafés. No doubt they will do it again tonight.

We checked out of the hotel and strolled the three blocks to the plaza café where we've repeatedly enjoyed their wifi.

At some point this afternoon we take the train to the small town where we are met by the owner of our first hotel on the bike tour, which begins tomorrow.

We have fantasized about moving to Girona. Enough said.

Delights of Girona

After our coffee, we headed to the Sunday flea-market, where we bought assorted presents (you must wait), then headed back into the narrow alleys of the old quarter.

The Jewish museum was free today, and was quite interesting, not skimping on details about the ultimate tragedy of 1200-1492, with escalating persecutions and indignities leading up to the final expulsion.

I bought a CD of jewish-sephardic songs. We'll see if it's interesting enough to play on KBOO!

We found the path, through beautiful gardens
, to the old city walls, which you can follow for a great distance, punctuated with frequent towers, with sweeping views of the city.

The walkway took us back down to the river, where we found the perfect outdoor café for lunch. Karen had grilled tuna and I had a large plate of pasta with clams, calamari, garlic, onion and tomatoes, in a sauce of olive oil and squid ink. And a large beer, of course!

We are now back at the same café where we breakfasted, enjoying an afternoon coffee and the wifi (which, by the way, is pronounced WEE-fee).

Lovely day. We like Girona very much. Now, to drink that coffee!

Sunday morning in girona

Heard a local band play great music at an outdoor concert last night, then returned to our favorite restaurant, Le Bistrot, for another wonderful late night, light dinner.

Now, church bells are ringing, as we sit in an outdoor café. Karen is on her 2nd coffee, checking her mail on the netbook, while I am patiently tapping this into my phone.

We have a full day to wander around girona, which is a place full of delights and scenic surprises.

This is all very nice.

Saturday in girona - not! (a surreal experience)

We woke up expecting to have a leisurely day in girona, when I realized that, shockingly, the Dali museum in Figures is closed on sundays, so it was either today or never.

We grabbed stuff for the day and needlessly rushed to the train station, where there was plenty of time.

We wandered thru the town and found the museum without problems. It's a trip thru that madman's twisted world.

Paintings, sculpture, bizarre visual tricks, perverse whimsy - all there, designed by Himself.

Worthwhile seeing - glad we didn't miss it.

Caught a 4 pm express train back to our girona hotel room.

Weather - sunny and warm.

Flamenco and folk music concert tonight. The fun never ends.

Friday, october 2 - to Girona

We had breakfast in a neighborhood joint near our Madrid hotel. We had the sense that the regulars were well known. Fresh-squeezed OJ, good coffee, and a couple of greasy, totally-mysterious churros, slender and curved, without sugar. I saw one guy dipping his into coffee - I guess that would improve the experience. Had to try 'em.

We did our final packing, the pre-arranged shuttle picked us up and we got to the airport by 11:30.

Now the surprise. We were flying on a discount airline, and the pre-purchase rules were very strict about carry-on weight limits. Imagine discovering that our main bags were 19 kilograms over the limit, which would cost 20 euros/kg, or over $300 extra.

Our carry-ons were permitted 10kg each, so we had a frantic 20 minutes, transferring as many heavy things as possible to our carry-ons, with the knowledge that they had both weight and size restrictions.

We got everything pretty close to the limits and the check-in lady cut us some slack on the final 3 kg.

We got on board, the only english speakers we heard, surrounded by spaniards (who resumed their loud chatter whenever the flight announcements shifted from spanish to english).

At the Girona airport, we took the pretty-cheap bus to the central station, then rolled our bags to the hotel, stopping on the way for a cool drink at an outdoor café.

Hotel Ultonia seems fine - comfortable room and great location. We settled in and relaxed for an hour, before heading out. We are just 5 minutes from the river and old city, and it is absolutely charming.

Posh stores line the Rambla, and the narrow, canyon-like medieval streets are wonderful.

We made our way up to the majestic, ancient cathedral an hour before closing, paid the 5 euros apiece and were amazed to have it all to ourselves. We spent time in the rooms-of-treasures, admiring the many 13th, 14th and 15th century paintings, tapistries, and gold-and-jewel encrusted ceremonial objects.

The main nave is immense, and we walked thru the dim, cavernous space, while appropriate classical music echoed. Nobody else around, so I disobeyed the stern 'no photos' injunction.

It was great standing in front of the gleaming high altar, knowing that those wacky
medieval Christians had built their church directly on top of the previous temple, erected way back in the 2nd century by those incredible (and persistent Romans) .

The ticket-seller at the cathedral recommended a restaurant that happened to be one that I had also noted, in my many hours of internet research. We found it.

It was the best restaurant in the world.

The setting, outside on a quiet side-street with steps leading up to an amazing ornate carved façade, was perfectly gorgeous, and the food, wine, dessert, coffee, and service were perfect. Finally and uncharacteristically, it was, compared with othe meals so far on this trip, cheap.

We are going back there for lunch.

Full day in Girona planned for tomorrow. Looks promising.

Thursday night in Madrid

Yes, before the ballet, we had drinks under the fabulous rotunda at the Palace Hotel? It was quite posh, and rather shocking to get the tab for karen's $20 mojito!

The ballet was modern and exciting, as was the Opening Night crowd. Afterwards, we went to a nice neighborhood place for a late, light supper (omelet with shrimp and a glass of champagne).

We got up early thursday, and took the crowded metro to the bus station, and then found the bus to Segovia, getting there around 10:30.

We walked to the astounding aquaduct and tok a couple of quick photos, before heading up into the old town, in search of breakfast, which was successful and horribly overpriced (but the espresso was strong and yummy, as always).

We found the main square and paid the 3 euros (each) to enter the immense cathedral, where we spent over an hour checking out the many bizarre chapels, altars and genuine old art, all with its rather singular purpose. The cloister was especially nice, with the expected rich Treasury room, filled with gold, silver and crystal goodies.

We continued downhill to the amazing Alcazar (look it up), where we toured the many restored rooms, with ornate ceilings, great stained glass, many suits of armor, and sweeping vistas overlooking the city and surroundings (we paid the extra 2 euro each for the privilege of climbing the narrow, winding 152 steps to the top of the tower). The Alcazar was a great thing, worth seeing.

We were getting tired and trudged back to the magnificent aquaduct, where we spent over two hours taking pictures and eating some pretty darn good Turkish food (plus a large, cold beer).

It was a long day and being a tourist is hard work. We got the 5:30 bus and pulled into a bustling Madrid by 7. After more Metro madness, we are back at our peaceful haven.

Made a bunch of Skype calls and are now ready for bed. The wifi seems to crap out each night at 10:30, so I will post this in the morning.

We fly to Girona tomorrow early afternoon - on to the next phase!

Wednesday, still in madrid

Karen wasn't ready to get up until 10:00 - I was awake at my normal 7am (which is odd, when you consider that my body-time should be 9 hours off).

We walked over to the fabulous Reina Sophia museum, stopping at a little joint for pan tosta and espresso (two each).

The museum has a great collection of modern stuff - you can really see that something revolutionary happened between 1890 and 1920.

The big draw, of course, is 'Guernica', which fills an entire wall, and is accompanied by several dozen studies of the many figures in the finished mural.

It is clear that Picasso went into a creative frenzy during this period. In the same room as the mural, they had a half-dozen photos, showing its several stages of completion. You can see Pablo changing his mind on some components as he worked.

There were also several nearby rooms with photos, posters and drawings related to the Civil War - very sobering.

All in all, I liked this museum more than the Prado.

We found a sidewalk restaurant in the plaza in front of the Reina Sophia, where we had a variety of sandwiches - ham, anchovies, and mackerel, on crunchy fresh bread, washed down with a large beer (me) and mineral water (KG).

We are now back in our perfect little room, enjoying the bird-chirping in the garden outside our windows, cooling our jets before we attend tonight's premier of a modern ballet at the Zarzuela Theater (dress-up time). I think we will have a pre-ballet drink at the historic Palace Hotel, just around the corner. Hemingway drank there (the son of a bitch).

We are liking Madrid.

Dinner happened

We made our way thru a very light drizzle to a restaurant that had been recommended both by Rick Steves' book and a colleague of Karen, 'la Posada de la Villa', near the bustling Plaza Major.

It's in an cool building that goes back to the 1600's, and, since lamb is a specialty, we had lamb.

Amazing - slow roasted over wood and straw since 8:00 this morning. The word 'tender' is insufficient. As someone with district anti-meat biases, I was, surprisingly, murmuring in appreciation.

Of course, the roasted veggies, succulent olives, fish croquettes, fresh bread and superb rioja helped, capped with mint tea.

We found our way back to the hostal, thru the streets swarming with diners and revelers, and are finally ready to call it a night.

If this is an indication how this vacation may trend, I say 'bring it on.'

Night, night, everyone.

settling into Madrid

Madrid day 1

It was a *very* early departure from Portland Monday morning, and a quick 5 hours to JFK, where we had a 2 hour layover.

While hanging around by the gate, we amazingly ran into a couple of guys that we had met and actually had spent quite a bit of time with last December in Oaxaca. They were enroute to their Seattle home, after a vacation in Greece. We all agreed that it was a very odd coincidence.

The flight to Madrid left pretty much on time, and it was completely full of mostly-young Spaniards - very little English was audible in the hubbub. It was an 8 hour flight, and sleep wasn't happening, due to the movies, chatter, announcements, cramped seats, and frequent interruptions for dinner, drinks, and snacks. Travel fatigue was setting in.

When we landed in Madrid just after 7 am (Tuesday), it was still pretty dark, and we had been largely sleepless for a long time. Customs was a breeze, our bags showed up quickly, and it was easy to find the shuttle service I had reserved, to take us to our hostal, which I had reserved many months ago, thanks to recommendations from Rick Steves and TripAdvisor.

UNFORTUNATELY...

The hostal building and the one next door are both under rennovation, with workmen plastering and banging away. Our room was teeny, airless (one very small window, which had to be closed to keep construction dust out) and very noisy, with a bathroom that gave new meaning to the word 'cramped'. We were tired and dirty, but the WiFi was great, so we got caught up on email, and showered, and headed over to the Prado, a very short walk away.

I had purchased tickets in advance, and we waltzed right in without any delay whatsoever. We headed to the Cafe, and ate a couple of little sandwiches, before attempting to deal with the amazing art collection.

We spent over 3 hours, before burnout hit big time, even though we took it easy, stopping for soda and espresso halfway thru. Highlights included the 'Garden of Earthly delights' and other Bosch works, Albrecht Durur, Velasquez, Reubens, Goya, and a zillion other european masterpieces. It's not my favorite stuff, but pretty darn impressive, despite the crowds. The galleries go on and on and on.

By the time we agreed to leave the Prado, exhaustion was with us. Still, we didn't want to give in and sleep too early, so we set off walking. It was overcast and mild, and the streets were busy with walkers (tourists and locals) and construction zones.

We hit a couple of the big plazas, and even walked thru the 'Museum of Ham' restaurant in the Puerta del Sol (hundreds of hams on display, for the obvious eating pleasure of the masses). We ended up taking a break at an outdoor cafe in the Plaza del Angel, before returning, with dread, to the ominous Hostal Cervantes.

The workmen and the dust were still going strong, and, even though we were REALLY tired, we had to make a change. The owner said that there were no other rooms that were better, and the workmen's schedule was going to be 8 am thru about 2, then again from 5 pm to 8 pm every day. It was really intolerable - the place was just not going to work.

He said his brother ran another hostal 'just around the corner'. He called and they spoke for a minute. He said there was a room that would be better and gave us directions. We hastily repacked everything that we had previously unpacked, paid him 25 euros for the use of his awful room for a few hours (seemed like a lot) and, feeling totally adrift, burned out and on the verge of disaster, lugged our bags down to the street and around the corner.

When we got to the address, we were dismayed to see and hear guys-with-jack-hammers actively engaged on the street directly in front. It seems that most of Madrid is under construction this week. We tried to buzz the hostal, but the hammering was so loud we couldn't hear the response.

This was the low point of the day.

Finally, we got in, and, surprisingly, found that, not only did the brother have a room facing away from the street, but it has a large window facing a lovely, peaceful garden with birds chirping, has a ceiling fan, a large bathroom with more big windows, and pretty comfortable beds, for the same price as the original place, and the helpful owner even called to arrange a ride to the airport for us, Friday morning.

We unpacked - this time for good. We had finally arrived. We were totally beat.

It was about 4:30 pm. We both snoozed for an hour. Karen is still out.

In another hour or so, we will get dressed and head out for some dinner. Life is appearing to be very good. Thank you, Hostal Armesto.

Thanks for Skyping, Steve. Now you know 'the rest of the story'.

it's happening

Made it to the airport and thru 'Security Theater', and heading for the departure gate now.

Madrid, here we come.

12 hours to go

mostly packed. now, the question is, shall I try to stay up all night? seems unlikely.

Thanks to Dave, for setting things up so that any calls to my cell phone go automatically to voice mail, which generates an email to my normal inbox, with the message attached as a WAV file.

Pretty darn cool.

tick tick tick...

Boarding passes are printed for tomorrow's flights.

My CDs and announcements are ready for my radio show, in 2 hours.

My bag is mostly packed - I just need to decide if I am going to tempt Fate and ride my bike over to the station. What would Lance do?

sitting on my back steps

Karen and I just got home from seeing the film 'Julie and Julia'. It was charming and Meryl Streep can certainly do everything.

It's about 10 pm, and the night is cool, but not chilly. It was a beautiful portland day, and I am happy to be here.

The moon is more than half full, and my old, crippled dog is resting his chin on my leg. We are happy in each other's presence.

I have a radio show to do tomorrow morning, and karen is upstairs, beginning her final packing.

I can check in for the madrid flight when I get up.

Zacky nudges my elbow. I rub his tummy.

It's all so peaceful - so normal.

final countdown

two days to go - time to make last-minute packing decisions...

blast from the past

I especially liked the smug tag line of this 1981 TV news story - as if networked computers would ever threaten the newspaper business...

a grave responsibility

So, we leave Monday morning for Spain, for 3 weeks.

Attention robbers: Ben will be here the whole time, with Marsha, our loyal pet-sitter, coming by a couple of times a day to take Zacky for a drive.

Long-time reader(s) of this blog know that Zacky is quite debilitated by DM, and it has progressed to the point where he gets around by slithering around on his butt. His hind legs are almost useless, but he still moves pretty well in his cart, and, as always, loves attention and meeting people.

He has been my good buddy for 10 years.

This morning, I took a shovel out to our pet cemetery and dug a hole, just in case something happens while we are gone. If not used sooner, it will be used later.

My t-shirt is dirty and soaked with sweat. I dug with mindfulness. That is all I can do.

acorn update - it's getting interesting

So, the Republicans applied their brutal political pressure to get a majority of Congress to pass the bill intended to put ACORN out of business. The high-fives must have been a stirring sight to see, as they congratulated themselves on, once again, bamboozling the Democrats.

Mission Accomplished.

Today, however, not so much. It seems that, once again, the Law of Unintended Consequences has struck, and the corrupt idiots in the GOP may have just derailed the military-industrial-complex gravy train.

Yes, wishful thinking, I know, but a boy can dream, can't he?

drat (UPDATED)

Was helping out my cousin in Florida with Skype, when the webcam on my pretty-new netbook crapped out with a 'USB device not found' error.

Unable to reinstall drivers - it appears to be a known hardware problem, that means the netbook needs to be returned for servicing.

I don't think so, unless they have a walk-in facility in Portland, since we are heading off on vacation in 6 days.

Grrrr. It was working fine until it stopped working.


UPDATE: an hour later

After reading a bunch of posts on various sites about this problem, I found one guy that said to simply press your thumbs firmly on either side of the camera. That did it! No driver reinstall was necessary.

Full speed ahead!

acorn

Can there be any doubt that the driving force behind the persecution of this group is that the GOP simply can't stand the notion that it assists and registers minority folks?

Meanwhile, did you happen to see this? If you only attend to mainstream media, I'm guessing 'no'.

It's racism, hypocrisy, and sheer meanness.

why we are doomed

Yes, I know it's a gorgeous Sunday morning, but first I read this.

Then I heard Mitt Romney's 'quip' at the "Values Voters" conference (it got a big laugh):

Democrats have “been confusing global warming with the heat they’ve been taking at the town halls.”

See, it's all a big joke.

ha ha.

probably too late for me, but there is hope

thanks to Ben for passing this on.

But, then again, if I lost the excuse of color-blindness (which has been quite convenient my entire life), I'd be forced to admit that, in fact, I simply have no sense of style.

In other news, watch the first 5 minutes of this.

fairly incredible

this

watching the dollar sink...

against the Euro, as we are just 11 days away from Spain.

I did buy 150 euros last month, so that was something, but it's a drop in what we'll be spending over there.

On the other hand, I went to a local coffee place (that shall remain nameless, except that it was a local, non-franchise business), bought a cup of black coffee and a fairly minimalist tuna sandwich, and the bill was a shocking (to me) $7.50, so I need to recalibrate my expectations, both here and abroad.


Now for Health Care and Max Baucus:

The pharma, insurance and banking companies seem to have gotten their money's worth from their contributions to him.

I think it's clear now that our method of campaign financing is at the root of all the problems affecting our society. We've known this for years, and it's impossible to change, without a wholesale turnover of just about every member of the US House and Senate (except Dennis Kucinich).

sisters folk festival - wrap up

Ah, three days of great performances and surprises. The town of Sisters has the logistics down pat now, and everything is smooth and welcoming.

We saw Susan Werner perform three times, and, since she and her buddies were staying at our motel, we had several nice one-on-one conversations with Susan and also with the incredible Trina Hamlin, who said she'll be coming thru Portland next February.

Also, back at the motel last night, we went out to the quiet grassy area adjacent to our back patio, and there was Kelly Joe Phelps and his musician friends, drinking many beers and relaxing after the evening's performances, and Kelly Joe's was mesmerizing.

We left Sisters for the long drive back to Portland around 12:30. Traffic not too bad, but there were plenty of folks on the road. We pulled into a Rest Stop on I-5, not too far south of Portland, and along came Susan Werner and her crew, on their way up to Seattle, behind schedule. We talked again briefly - it was fun to show Trina the copy of her CD that I bought, and that we had been listening to on the drive.

Tired now - time to eat some rice and veggies and maybe do some laundry. Two weeks from tomorrow we fly to Madrid. Yikes.

sisters folk festival - night 1

Great kick-off to the weekend last night. Highlights in the big tent were Susan Werner (fabulous, as usual), the Quebe Sisters (amazing swing fiddles and vocals), and, the big surprise, a hilarious and brilliantly-entertaining set from Beaverton's own Todd Snider.

It's now early morning in Sisters, at our motel a few blocks from the center of town. I've had my coffee and web-catch-up, and it'll soon be time to head off for a full day of workshops and performances, with temperatures expected in the 90's.

Check out Todd Snider's stuff on the web - wonderful, quirky songs and a hysterical, deadpan, stoned-hippie performance. Who knew?

9/11/01

I was on top of Steens Mountain, listening to the wind gusts and looking out over hundreds of square miles of sunny, peaceful Southeast Oregon. I was doing my first CycleOregon.

I heard about the attacks at the first rest stop on that day's ride, which was a short 35 miles. The news was fragmentary, but it was clear that a major disaster had occurred.

I got into camp around 11:30 am, and, an hour later, boarded one of the buses that took riders to the end of the road, overlooking the steep, eastern escarpment. It was grand and exciting.

That night, there was a discussion about terminating the week-long ride, and many east-coasters, I heard, actually did leave the ride (it must have taken them at least 2 days to get from there back to Portland, only to find the nation's airlines still shut down).

I finished the ride and, back home, slept for a couple of days before I had the chance to see ANY of the now-famous videos of planes crashing and burning, and towers collapsing. I was spared the pornography of media-frenzy.

Even today, I associate 9/11 with this place, not Ground Zero.

stupid panels!

Olbermann strikes again.

Bravo.

cause for optimism

no, not Obama - Google!

although, now that I think about it, Obama gives one hope, too.

down for 'maintenance'

Yeah, right! Joe, we hardly knew ye (fortunately).

meanwhile, in Istanbul...

Yikes!

And last night, I had a very brief Skype chat with Baris, our Turkish tour guide from last year, who was waking up in Istanbul. He didn't say anything about the rain, but it was a quick chat.

nailed

Is there any doubt now, that Barack Obama is a truly remarkable figure?

This was a great speech, and those damn Republicans who sat on their hands, either smirking or snarling, ought to be ashamed.

the kids give me hope

Heard on the radio this morning that a group of school-kids, somewhere, is planning to lie down in the halls and protest, if they are NOT permitted to hear Obama's speech.

The phony GOP meme (President speaking to children = insidious doctrination) certainly worked on the idiot parents, but failed to appreciate that the surest way to get kids to do something is to tell them it is forbidden to them.

See also the Garden of Eden story - a classic in the same mold.

We had a splendid time camping with friends over the weekend. Cove Palisades State Park is a remarkable place - how did it take me over 30 years to get there?

Here is a photo Dave took on his iPhone, on our big Sunday hike (Deschutes River on the left; Crooked River on the right):


Next weekend: Sisters Folk Festival

September 27th: hosting the Yiddish Hour on KBOO fm (10 am PDT)

September 28th: to Spain, mainly on a plane.

wrecking

In the old Soviet Union, the common charge used against 'enemies of the State' (i.e. dissidents) was 'wrecking', and normally carried a 10 year sentence. It was frequently-used and pretty effective.

The concept, obviously, is that people who intentionally sabotage the will of the society must be eliminated. The problem, of course, is that 'wrecking' is in the eye of the beholder, and the motives of the accuser of 'wrecking' do matter.

Now we come to the absurd notion that the President's upcoming address to the school-children of America is an insidious, fascistic plan to indoctrinate them, and must be opposed. This nonsense is spreading, as the brainwashed have received the message and they have sprung into action.

I envision the Republican operatives who thought this one up sitting back and laughing their asses off. Mission Accomplished.

These people are 'wrecking'. Intentionally finding every possible opportunity to sabotage, to distort, to inflame.

And, yet, few voices are publicly raised to accuse them. Where is our Zola?

Back during the Cold War, I remember a book by J. Edgar Hoover (don't get me started) called 'Masters of Deceit', all about those dastardly COMMUNISTS and their insidious plots to infiltrate and corrupt our precious, virtuous America.

Today, the Masters of Deceit work for Rupert Murdoch and others. Their mission is to wreck, and they are getting away with it.

more obsessive-compulsive behavior prior to Spain trip

I have found endless opportunities for obsessing about teeny details surrounding our upcoming trip. One is phone service.

Both of us have AT&T, quad-band SmartPhones. I have obtained unlock codes for both, so there should be no problems with them working over there. The question is: on what carrier?

If we make no changes, we should be able to connect with a compatible network, and would pay $1.29/minute, keeping our own numbers. If I call Karen (like we get separated and lost), both sender and receiver get charged that amount.

AT&T has a $6/month plan, that takes that charge down to $0.99/minute.

I found a commercial SIM card where the charge is $0.27/minute, but there is an up-front charge of $60 PER PHONE.

How to evaluate all this? Excel to the rescue:


So, it seems that, staying with AT&T, the break-even point with subscribing to their 'Global Traveler' plan is 40 minutes used, and, even after that, the benefit is negligible. I guess the value of their program is for folks who plan to use hours of phone time, not minutes.

BTW - we will use Skype to call the US, either free (computer-to-computer) or ridiculously-cheap (computer to land-line/cell). We plan on using the cell-phone network over there ONLY to call each other, if we lose each other.

The yellow line (separate SIM card, for a Spain phone-carrier), is significantly more expensive than either AT&T option, so that's out.

My decision: don't sign up for the AT&T $6/month plan, but, once we're there, talk to people and visit local vendors to possibly buy a Spanish SIM.

Whew! Now I can go back to fretting about other logistical minutiae.

time to merge with google?

public option health care rally in portland

Nice crowd downtown this morning. The master of ceremonies was a very casual Attorney General John Kroger:Enthusiastic crowd - lots of union folks - lots of creative signs:

Main speaker was Wendell Potter, the former Cigna PR flack, who publicly apologized to the crowd, for his years serving up lies on behalf of Big Insurance. He was eloquent and insistent that everyone do everything they can to confront the mis-informed, and keep the pressure on the lawmakers.

it's the modern world

A quick look at my messy workspace this morning.

From left to right: my (conventional) laptop, the new netbook, my main desktop (monitor), and (leaning on the keyboard) my smartPhone. All devices are internet-connected.

It's a little scary...

andy borowitz today

Bush Questions Brevity of Obama's Vacation

Short Break ‘Sends Wrong Message to Terrorists'

Former president George W. Bush criticized President Barack Obama today for taking such a brief August vacation, arguing that the brevity of his summer break "sends the wrong message to terrorists."

"The one way to let the evildoers know that they don't have you all stressed out is by taking all of August off," Mr. Bush told reporters at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. "I always made sure I did that."

The former president called Mr. Obama's golf game in Martha's Vineyard today "a positive step," but added, "It may be a case of too little, too late."

Mr. Bush said "there's still time" for Mr. Obama to correct his mistake, and recommended that the president "take all of September off."

"I suggest he find a ranch that needs some brush cleared off of it and spend all of September doing that," Mr. Bush said.

netbook has been transformed

Ben grabbed it, removed all the demos and startup garbage, installed his favorite utilities and Google Chrome, and pronounced it 'cool'.

Also, there was an issue getting his external optical drive to be recognized, but he figured out the registry setting to tweak to accomplish this, saving me some stressful moments.

That boy sure knows his way around computers. Where did he ever get that from?

bought a netbook today

I've been agonizing over various makes and models and configurations, but, of course, what decided things for me, in the end, was what was available on my local craigslist.

I've been waltzing around a Dell Mini 9, with Windows 7, 2 GB RAM, and a 16 GB SSD (no webcam) for several days, not being able to connect in person with the seller, who lives very close to my house. My chief hesitation on that one ($240) was the weirdly-configured keyboard and the sellers assertion that I 'should' be able to get more than 2 hours out of the battery.

Joe, thanks for your input the other evening.

Then, yesterday, I noticed that a local guy was selling one of these. He purchased it new from Fry's on August 14th, used it a couple of times, and decided it was too small for his needs. He advertised it repeatedly for $260, and I bought it from him today for $250.

I read a lot of reviews and it seemed to have the best combination of low-weight, sufficient power, OK webcam, and friendly keyboard layout, that I'm willing to live with the 1 GB of RAM (for now) and 3-cell battery (rated at 3 hours 15 minutes, for 'normal' use).

What helped me to decide was a half-hour at my local Costco, where I was able to try out both the Acer and an HP.

Why now? To take to Spain, in a little over a month.

watch this video

yes, this one. you won't be disappointed.

great T.R. Reid piece about health care around the world

lays out the big myths

Heard on Rachael Maddow's radio show this morning a statistic proving that Republicans overwhelmingly are misinformed about the health care reform issues (no big surprise), and they overwhelmingly get their 'news' from Fox (even less of a surprise).

People who don't get their news from Fox are statistically better informed about the real issues. Which is the chicken and which is the egg? One wonders.

At any rate, Mission Accomplished, health care industry! You win, again, it seems.

And the uneducated white folks just get angrier, as the jobs disappear for good, the premiums keep rising, the rich get richer, and the Media doesn't seem all that concerned that people bring guns to Presidential appearances. Cameras are ready!

All that is needed is a suitable spark and we'll be seeing the Law of Entropy being gleefully covered non-stop on CNN.

Paris 1789, Austria-Hungary 1914, Munich 1933, Spain 1936, Iran 1979.

great news

Just got back from Karen's doctor appointment, where he cleared her for the planned bike trip in Spain, that begins on October 5th. We weren't sure that her elbow injury would be sufficiently healed by then, but it's full speed ahead.

I paid the balance due for that portion of the trip, and that was the last bit of uncertainty (at the moment). We leave the morning of Sept 28th (Yom Kippur, that's just how it worked out).

It's starting to seem real - better keep brushing up on my spanish verbs.

barney!

wonderful

those bastards

I don't normally open mail addressed to my boys, but sometimes I make an exception.

This morning, there was a piece of mail addressed to Dylan (21), from RJ Reynolds, and I thought this was something I ought to investigate.

They thoughtfully sent him a gift card for a free sample of their new product:



I know it's perfectly legal, but I have to say I am outraged. Incidentally, I went to 'cameldissolvables.com' out of curiosity, and that URL actually resolves as 'dissolvables.tobaccopleasure.com'.

I guess that's better marketing than 'dissolvables.mouthcancer.com'. Someone was on the ball.

well, well, well...

Have I mentioned our well project? If not, our house, built in the 30's, has an 80 foot deep hand-dug well, that we have (slowly) been working on bringing back to life.

We pulled down the ramshackle pump-house years ago, and pulled out the old, non-working pump, water lines, and storage tank.

Aside from dipping a bucket down into the water a couple of years ago (to get a sample for testing - it came out pretty clean), we've never drawn any water to use.

Yesterday, our consulting hydrologist, Roger Smith, came over to do a draw-down test, where we lowered a submersible pump, hooked it up to a 220 V generator, and, with pen, notebook, scientific calculator, and a cool gizmo that does readouts of the changing water-level, we did the ultimate test.

I have to say that, the moment the pump came on and a jet of cold, clear water came shooting out the hose, was amazing. Rather than just pumping water on the ground (after all, we were only measuring the flow), I picked up the hose and began watering my tomatoes, peppers, squashes, asparagus, chard, onions, rhubarb, and shrubbery.

Finally, after at least 20 years, the well is again delivering water.

We pumped out hundreds of gallons, and Roger was able to measure the recharge rate, and pronounced it good. Next step - get the thing permanently capped, and then begin the plans for the required electrical work, deck construction and pump installation.

Off to KBOO shortly, to host the Yiddish Hour. Bye for now.

further proof that communism is bad

now we know for sure.

guernica

In my continuing education about all things Spain, I am currently reading a fascinating history of the Basque nation, and finally got to the chapter on the bombing of Guernica.

What is very strange about this component of the Spanish Civil War is that the Basques were traditionally allies of the Church and the Right-wing Carlist forces (the same people who were Franco's base).

What Franco could not tolerate is the Basque people's desire for autonomy from Madrid. Even though they were ideologically similar, they had to be destroyed because they had the nerve to ally themselves with the equally independence-minded Catalonians.

Franco was, after all, a pragmatist.

In two months, we should be bicycling in Catalonia. Lots to do before then.

I hope to visit the Madrid museum where Picasso's Guernica resides. It's pretty close to our hotel (not an accident).

Of course, reading about Europe in the 30's brings up scary parallels with our current times. Don't say I didn't warn you.

read

this

bill maher nails it

again

Bonus feature: great cartoon

Karen update

Thanks to everybody who is concerned about Karen's injury.

She was at the orthopedist all morning. They see that there were a couple of small fractures, that accompanied the dislocation.

She is to keep it as immobile as possible for 2 weeks, but the doctor felt that she should be OK to go biking in Spain in October, as currently planned.

This morning, I set up dictation software ('Dragon NaturallySpeaking' - anyone have any experience with this?) on her work computer - she'll try it out and see if that helps.

ah, the conservative mind...

Listening to the Ed Schultz show on KPOJ this afternoon (hosted today by NorMan GoldMan).

A self-described 'Ron Paul Conservative' called to take issue with government-sponsored health care. He hit all the standard talking points, that have been spoon-fed to the low-information citizens, but this comment stunned me:

"A public option would pay for abortions, and I would want there to be a law saying it would not pay for 'partial-birth abortions' (sic)."

Of course, these procedures are extremely rare, and only mandated in cases of medical necessity.

Unfortunately, Norm missed the opportunity to reply to the guy, "hmmm, sounds like you are in favor of having the government come between doctor and patient."

Then, they guy tried to make the 'slippery slope' argument, saying, "if the government mandates that everybody have medical insurance, what's next? Making everybody buy car insurance?"

uh - I am speechless at these people. Sort of like the pundit that said: "Just wait till you see Medicare, Medicaid ... done by the government".

required reading

thanks, again, Rachel

just finished reading a remarkable book

"The Art of Racing in the Rain"

Especially relevant to owners of aging dogs. I will say no more.

things can change quickly

Less than 5 minutes after the prior post, I was walking upstairs and heard Karen scream from outside.

While rushing around trying to coordinate dinner for 6, she tripped on our back step and was hurt.

"My elbow is dislocated," she grimaced, "and we're going to the hospital now."

I grabbed some ice-packs and drove rather quickly to the Emergency room.

Her diagnosis was correct, but it took three hours of waiting, paperwork, x-rays, and exams before a team was surrounding her bed, ready to pull the joint back together. Fortunately, Karen was elsewhere, having been transported to dream-land.

She woke up a few minutes later, with no memory, and it took another hour for full consciousness and hospital paperwork to permit us to exit. We were home around 11 pm. Quite a day.

Yesterday evening, we went out to dinner and Karen complained of discomfort and swollen fingers. They were indeed looking bad, so off to Emergency again, for another 3 hours of ice-packs, removing her 25 year-old wedding ring (which was a major chore in itself), making a new splint, and rewrapping bandages.

She is at work today, and has a couple of hearing scheduled for Tuesday. Naturally, I am the designated driver for the next few days.

Other than that, it's somewhat nice to be home, although Manzanita was sure delightful.

back home

Manzanita was wonderful and we appear to have missed the worst of the heat that attacked Portland last week.

Now for a sweet corn, fresh tuna, and beer dinner!

It's cool at the beach

Heard it's another hot one in PDX, but we're happy at the manzanita hot-dog stand, listening to our friends playing music, and liesurely digesting a hot-dog and ice-cream cone (coffee-almond fudge).

thank you, david letterman

top 10

in other essential news...

brilliant bill maher screed

"How about this for a New Rule: Not everything in America has to make a profit. It used to be that there were some services and institutions so vital to our nation that they were exempt from market pressures. Some things we just didn't do for money. The United States always defined capitalism, but it didn't used to define us. But now it's becoming all that we are.

Did you know, for example, that there was a time when being called a "war profiteer" was a bad thing? But now our war zones are dominated by private contractors and mercenaries who work for corporations. There are more private contractors in Iraq than American troops, and we pay them generous salaries to do jobs the troops used to do for themselves ­-- like laundry. War is not supposed to turn a profit, but our wars have become boondoggles for weapons manufacturers and connected civilian contractors.

Prisons used to be a non-profit business, too. And for good reason --­ who the hell wants to own a prison? By definition you're going to have trouble with the tenants. But now prisons are big business. A company called the Corrections Corporation of America is on the New York Stock Exchange, which is convenient since that's where all the real crime is happening anyway. The CCA and similar corporations actually lobby Congress for stiffer sentencing laws so they can lock more people up and make more money. That's why America has the world;s largest prison population ­-- because actually rehabilitating people would have a negative impact on the bottom line.

Television news is another area that used to be roped off from the profit motive. When Walter Cronkite died last week, it was odd to see news anchor after news anchor talking about how much better the news coverage was back in Cronkite's day. I thought, "Gee, if only you were in a position to do something about it."

But maybe they aren't. Because unlike in Cronkite's day, today's news has to make a profit like all the other divisions in a media conglomerate. That's why it wasn't surprising to see the CBS Evening News broadcast live from the Staples Center for two nights this month, just in case Michael Jackson came back to life and sold Iran nuclear weapons. In Uncle Walter's time, the news division was a loss leader. Making money was the job of The Beverly Hillbillies. And now that we have reporters moving to Alaska to hang out with the Palin family, the news is The Beverly Hillbillies.

And finally, there's health care. It wasn't that long ago that when a kid broke his leg playing stickball, his parents took him to the local Catholic hospital, the nun put a thermometer in his mouth, the doctor slapped some plaster on his ankle and you were done. The bill was $1.50, plus you got to keep the thermometer.

But like everything else that's good and noble in life, some Wall Street wizard decided that hospitals could be big business, so now they're run by some bean counters in a corporate plaza in Charlotte. In the U.S. today, three giant for-profit conglomerates own close to 600 hospitals and other health care facilities. They're not hospitals anymore; they're Jiffy Lubes with bedpans. America's largest hospital chain, HCA, was founded by the family of Bill Frist, who perfectly represents the Republican attitude toward health care: it's not a right, it's a racket. The more people who get sick and need medicine, the higher their profit margins. Which is why they're always pushing the Jell-O.

Because medicine is now for-profit we have things like "recision," where insurance companies hire people to figure out ways to deny you coverage when you get sick, even though you've been paying into your plan for years.

When did the profit motive become the only reason to do anything? When did that become the new patriotism? Ask not what you could do for your country, ask what's in it for Blue Cross/Blue Shield.

If conservatives get to call universal health care "socialized medicine," I get to call private health care "soulless vampires making money off human pain." The problem with President Obama's health care plan isn't socialism, it's capitalism.

And if medicine is for profit, and war, and the news, and the penal system, my question is: what's wrong with firemen? Why don't they charge? They must be commies. Oh my God! That explains the red trucks!"

transition day

Yesterday, I was rushing around from 7 am thru 10 pm, and a dozen chores got done. There's a certain satisfaction in ending a day that began with the thought "Oh, my god, I have so many things that must get done today" with the thought "nailed it".

Today is the lull before the next wave of frantic activity. Two of our three house guests for the upcoming week are now arrived and getting settled. We leave for a week at the beach on Saturday, just as the temperature is to approach 100.

Portland's most-sustained heat-wave in over 30 years is about to hit, and we are going to be basking in the 70 degree temps in Manzanita. It doesn't always work out this way.

Today, I water veggies and shrubs, mow the lawn, and start making lists of bike, dog, and people things to take. Maybe I'll even get to do 15 minutes of paid work.

unfortunately, sometimes it's OK that Big Brother is Watching

This morning, I purchased, by credit card, two train tickets for one leg of our Spain trip (Figueres to Tarragona). There is only 1 train on the morning in question that will meet our needs, so I thought it made sense to claim our seats now (before the Dollar drops any further against the Euro - sheesh!).

Although the site was in Spanish, I negotiated the steps without any problems. I did have one moment of panic when, just as I was preparing to print the tickets, I thought for a terrifying 12 seconds that I had inadvertently reversed the origin and destination. Fortunately, all was correct. Tickets are printed and in my soon-to-be-bulging envelope of Spain documents.

Less than five minutes later, I was outside digging an invasive plant from a flower bed when I heard the inside phone ring. Often, when working outside, I let it go to the answering machine. This time, I pulled off my gloves and picked it up.

It was an automated call from my credit-card issuer, asking me to confirm my identity and then confirm the 'suspicious' purchases, which included today's Spanish train tickets and Karen's trip to our local Safeway, last night.

I wonder, if I hadn't answered the phone, if they would have put a hold on the ticket purchase, requiring me to jump thru hoops to get it authorized? At any rate, I have to admire their program that must scan every purchase, looking for something that breaks the usual purchase pattern, and triggers a phone call within a couple of minutes.

summertime

We've been doing a lot of yard and clean-up work at our rental house, getting ready for the new folks, who are starting to move their stuff in next weekend.

It's always odd for me, to hang out at that house, where our bug boys (who, at this moment, 10:30 am on Sunday morning, are both asleep in our house) were little boys. Ben moved out of his apartment yesterday (one more car-load of stuff to go), and will be staying here 'temporarily'.

Dylan, we think, is off to his camp counselor job one of these days. We just don't know much about his plans.

Long, hot spell is coming to Portland - expected to be in the 90's all week, culminating next weekend with a projected 99 degree day. Fortunately, that's the day we head to Manzanita for a week, with Ben staying home to feed cats and (we hope) water veggies and shrubs.

Zucchini is starting to enter our lives in a big way. I've got 3 monsters in the fridge already, with more coming by the hour. Anybody have any good recipes?

living a cliche

Helping Ben move his stuff into the basement. His lease for the room he is renting in a house in NE Portland is up in a couple of weeks, and our months-long search for a house for him to buy (with room-mates) has not been successful (although we have had the pleasure of viewing some genuine dumps during the search).

We do have an offer in on one house, but the bank is dragging its feet making a decision and we ran out of time, so my 22 year-old son is moving back home, 'for a couple of months'.

We'll see how it goes...

painful, but not awful

I replaced my ailing 8525 with a Tilt (thanks, again, craigslist). I had dropped the 8525 and it had fallen victim to the common 'White Screen' flaw.

It involved reinstalling my favorite programs (i.e. hunting thru saved emails to find the one with the ridiculous registration code) and insuring that my POP3 email and calendar sync was working correctly.

Then, after all that, a Google search informed me that there was an updated ROM for this phone, so I did that upgrade, and then had to do all the above all over again.

End result: I think I once again have a reliable phone, this time with some additional cool features (like GPS and a much better camera) and (most important) a lot more available memory PLUS a 4 gig storage card (up from 2).

Now, I just need to have AT&T unlock it for me, and I am good-to-go for using it in Spain.

As to why I don't get an iPhone like everyone else in the world, it's simply because I support programming I've done for Windows Mobile devices, so that's what I need. Yes, I could probably get a cheap iPaq for testing (in fact, I had one and sold it - DOH!), but I just can't see myself giving Steve Jobs the satisfaction of buying into his dream of world conquest.

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

i've decided to be happier

Despite all the recent studies predicting a looming global environmental catastrophe (see recent posts), I am going to concentrate today on thinking good thoughts about my tomatoes, peppers, and squashes.

ho hum

who cares?

listen to the experts

Hansen on the Waxman-Markey bill. It ain't pretty.

the power of Google's Search engine

This morning, I Googled the search string:

"Can't find project or library" and "trap" and "Access"

because I need to find out how to trap this error in Microsoft Access. Google pointed me to a page that did indeed relate to Microsoft Access compile errors, but look at the sponsored link at the top of the page:


I guess programmers might also need assistance with the other kinds of 'traps'.


UPDATE: 5 minutes later.

It just keeps getting better. As I drill down, I now see that "Mr Rooter Plumbing" has been joined by two other enterprises related to traps:

i'm bad, i know it

Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn.

Isn't it ironic?

Watching all the tv news coverage of fireworks shows across the nation, there were several shots of workers transporting many large boxes to staging areas.

Each box was clearly stamped 'Made in China'.

who are these guys kidding?

really.

Isn't it totally clear by now that the elected officials of the Industrial world are not going to do a damn thing about this.

We are just going to let it happen, let the brown people fend for themselves, and stock up on ammunition. Can't mess up the corporate profit picture for the next quarter or two.

out of the dog-house!

new computer was a success. all files restored.

I'm heading up to Karen's office now, to rebuild a more-comprehensive backup-regimen.

it's been a very wild couple of days. now, all I have to worry about is how to deal with our non-communicative younger son, who, it appears, has pretty much flunked out of college, and is about to have to deal with the consequences (i.e. no more financial support for the indefinite future).

things are improving

At least my neighborhood computer store was able to pull files off of Karen's questionable hard-drive, saving my marriage.

I bought a new computer from them, and will spend the rest of the day rebuilding things and copying files, so that the new guy can get dropped into her network and both Karen and her assistant can feel comfortable again.

Not out of the woods yet, but at least I am half-way out of the dog-house.

lots of bad stuff

Bad patch here.

Lost my good sunglasses, someone broke the mirror on my bike helmet, Karen's main work computer crashed bad and her last back-up was June 4 (trying to recover what we can), just got a $1500 estimate for a small roof repair, and, worst of all, just received a letter from my younger son's university, following up on his 12-month academic suspension (which, somehow, he neglected to mention when he was in town for a few days last week).

All in all, it's time to look for a silver lining.

it's possible I just made a big mistake

I was down here in my computer dungeon, when there was a knock at the front door, and the dog started barking wildly (as he does these days, but that's a different story).

There were two men - one, I guess in his 30's (heavyset and goatee) and another, much younger, both wearing coats and ties (the first tip-off). The young guy was in front and said he wanted to invite me to a free program. I glanced at the brochure and saw that it was urging me to get ready for the 'End of the World'.

There was a graphic that seemed to refer to the Book of Revelations (there were horns and steam), so I instantly guessed that the topic was not going to be about the disappearance of Cheap Petroleum, so I politely declined to engage.

But, now that it's five minutes later, I am wondering if I should have asked for more details, before sending them on their way. After all, they looked so serious and I wouldn't want to be left behind.

Which reminds me of a blog comment I saw yesterday, where the writer referred to 'Jesus, the son of Joseph Christ'. You remember them - the Christ family, that lived in the hut down the road? They were always such fun at the neighborhood pot-lucks (turning the water into wine, etc).

joe the plumber is now joe the historian

...Referring to the Constitution as "almost like the Bible," Wurzelbacher said of the Founding Fathers: "They knew socialism doesn't work. They knew communism doesn't work."

sounds great, but: Constitution: 1789. Communist Manifesto: 1848.

What isn't working here is the American educational system, apparently.

michael - I'm not an expert but........

Why, oh why, the incessant playing of 'Thriller', when, as we all know, the best MJ song of all times is....



'Billie Jean'.

I mean, really.

this time it's for real

Here's a jpg I captured from a web page back in 2003. I knew there was some reason I've been saving it all these years.

oops, they did it again

bastards

obama news conference

hilarious

so near and yet so far

I was pretty excited to get the announcement from Qwest (my DSL provider) that they have partnered with AT&T to give Qwest customers FREE access to the AT&T wifi network (think Starbucks, McDonalds, and airports).

I tried it with my phone (HTC 8525) the other day, but no luck. I confirmed this morning that my userid and password were correct, then saw the 'requirements' page that said SmartPhones were not currently supported.

Another 'WTF?' moment. Can anyone explain to me what difference that should make to them?

Meanwhile: I had to laugh.

still a clueless twit

Bush speaks his 'mind'.

Favorite quote: "Government does not create wealth."

WTF?

How about Lincoln building the Transcontinental railroad, Eisenhower building the Interstate Highway system, and, um, there's that little DARPA project - what was that called? - oh, yes, now I remember - the one with all those tubes.

Not to mention Tang.

just found!!!

Archival footage of Americans demonstrating when the Supreme Court selected George Bush as President in 2000.

Late update: oops, my bad, this is from Iran yesterday.

look for the silver lining....

but you won't find it here - yikes!

big hat, no cattle

Do you know this phrase? I first heard it in a Randy Newman song.

It's what comes to mind as I hear the coverage of the election protests in Tehran, and I am thinking about my Fellow Americans, as a whole.

We talk big about how much we love our Democracy, and how we are the Home of the Brave, but when our own national elections were (to be charitable) compromised, did we march in the streets and show the world that we would not let injustice stand?

No, we allowed media and political bullies cow us cattle into accepting a coup, sanctioned by a Supreme Court stacked with political hacks. We had too much prosperity to lose, to stop working and show up. You all remember the result of that - I don't need to list the consequences.

Of course, it takes a healthy dose of media complicity to shield the populace from news about mass demonstrations, kinda like what happened in the run-up to the Iraq war here, and kinda like what is happening today in Iran, where the state-controlled media is not reporting on the hundreds of thousands marching in the street, demanding justice.

What gives me some hope is the vague sense that, perhaps, the lesson that the world learned from watching the US 2000 election was that it really is every citizen's responsibility to shout in the streets, when you see your media ignoring statistical impossibilities that suggest chicanery. Without that willingness to stand up and confront the evil-doers among us (you know who you are), we can never honestly call ourselves the Land of the Free, etc.

Just sayin'.

i don't get twitter

I created my account in 2006, so I've thought about it.

Does anyone have a case where it provided something beyond what email, blogs, and text messages can do?

Seriously - is it just another case of vanity gone wild? Why else broadcast to the world the number of your followers?

We can't all be Jesus. God knows I've tried.

twilight zone stuff

Saw last night that an Italian woman who luckily missed the plane that went down in the Atlantic last week arrived safely home a couple of days later, where she was promptly killed in a car crash.

Updated: URL added and nationality corrected from German to Italian. Memory failing...

howard dean petition on health-care reform

don't you think you should sign, here?