Yesterday night we went to see Derren Brown's show, an excellent performance of probably the most famous 'mental illusionist' in the UK. Revealling the stunts performed at the show would be spoiling it for those who wish to see for themselves. Derren rightly guessed the person who was lying from a group of four, guessed the shapes in cards chosen by a lady from the audience, walked on broken glass and metal shavings... and more! All the members of the audience who participated were just that. Normal people, not actors. Chosen randomly by throwing a monkey puppet to the audience. No tricks here. We even saw a colleague from work on the stage! Derren managed to make people think and do what he suggested them to. All by suggestion and psychology, using 'hidden' words our minds unconciously processes and the movement of his hands. Or that is how he explained it to us...it may be something else...at the end of the day, he is a magician and true magician never reveals all their tricks!

Ayer por la noche fuimos a ver el show de Derren Brown, un espectaculo excelente del que es, probablemente, el mejor 'ilusionista' britanico. Revelar lo que paso en el show seria hacer el spoiler total para los que quieran ir a verlo. Derren adivino sin problemas quien mentia entre 4 personas, hizo que una seniora adivinara las cartas que el elegia, camino sobre cristales rotos y metales punzantes...y mucho mas. Todos los miembros del publico que participaron eran eso, miembros del publico, escogidos al azar tirando un munieco de peluche entre la audiencia. Incluso vimos a un colega del trabajo subir al escenario!. Derren hizo que miembros del publico hicieran o dijeran exactamente lo que el les 'sugeria' que hicieran. Mediante sugestion y uso aplicado de la psicologia, usando palabras 'ocultas' que nuestra mente procesa inconscientemente y tambien el movimiento de sus manos. O al menos, asi es como el lo explica....aunque podria haber mas...porque un mago nunca revela todos sus trucos!.


The weather today:
Haze
11C
UV Index:1 Low
Wind:From the East at 3 mph
Dew Point:9C
Humidity: 92%
Visibility:3 miles
Barometer: 1,021.7 mb

One reason Lisbon is a tiring city for a pedestrian is its hills. But the other reason is this type of pavement. Beautiful, yes. But the little cobbles pull out quite easily so they have to be frequently pushed in again. And all this pulling out and pushing in makes the pavement a very uneven surface. Our legs and feet have to make an extra effort to adapt to walking in non-flat surfaces. No wonder we felt so tired at the end of the day!


Una de las razones por las que Lisboa es una ciudad que cansa al viajero de a pie es sus colinas. Pero la otra razon es este tipo de pavimento. Bonito, si. Pero las piezas tienden a desencajarse y hay que reparar frecuentemente el pavimento. Todo este salir y entrar de los adoquines hace que el suelo no sea liso e uniforme. Pies y piernas tienen que esforzarse mas al caminar sobre una superficie de este tipo. No es de extraniar, pues, que estuvieramos derrotados al final del dia!


The weather today:
Haze
11C
UV Index: 1 Low
Wind: From the North Northwest at 8 mph
Dew Point:9°C
Humidity: 92%
Visibility:4 miles
Barometer:1,011.9 mb

Back from Lisbon after four days. We enjoyed our trip to this beautiful (althought a bit run-down)city. Our hotel, the Clarion Suites Lisbon was very good, located in a peaceful residential street near one of Lisbon's main squares, the Marques de Pombal. The hotel offers suites, appartments and penthouses. We stayed in a studio for two, including a reception area, living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Very spacious and tastefully decorated.
In Lisbon, I especially liked the cake-shops (pastelarias) and the views of the city you get from all the seven hills. But this has to be said: with all the hills and steep streets, Lisbon is a very tiring city for the pedestrian. Thanks to the cheap public transportation, we managed to cover most of the area in many different means of transportation : taxi, subway, bus, tram, funicular and lift!. We took many photos which we have not uploaded yet. In the meantime, have a look here: Virtual Tourist.com for a Lisbon photo trip.

On another line, when I was looking for a bit more of information on the last high-rise building soon to be completed in Barcelona: Torre Agbar , I found this useful website : Emporis listing buildings and their essential data.

De vuelta de Lisboa despues de cuatro dias. Nos ha gustado esta bella (aunque algo abandonada)ciudad. Nuestro hotel, el Clarion Suites Lisboa era excelente, situado en una calle tranquila de un barrio residencial, cerca de una de las principales plazas de la ciudad, la del Marques de Pombal. El hotel ofrece suites, estudios y penthouses a diferentes precios. Nos alojamos en un estudio, que incluia un recibidor, salon comedor con cocina, banio y dormitorio. Todas las habitaciones muy amplias y decoradas con gusto y sencillez.
Sobre la ciudad, a mi me gustaron, en especial, las pastelerias (pastelarias) y las vistas de la ciudad desde sus siete colinas. Eso si, con tanta colina y tanta calle empinada, Lisboa es una ciudad que cansa mucho al visitante de a pie. Sin embargo, gracias al baratisimo transporte publico, hemos recorrido la ciudad en todo tipo de medio de transporte : taxi, metro, autobus, tranvia, funicular y ascensor! . Tomamos muchas fotos que aun no hemos subido a internet. Para hacer boca, aqui en Virtual Tourist.com podeis ver un recorrido fotografico en Lisboa.

Nada que ver con Lisboa, pero me parecio digno de mencionar que, buscando informacion en el nuevo rascacielos en construirse en Barcelona, la Torre Agbar , encontre esta pagina web : Emporis , que ofrece un listado, por ciudades, de edificios y rascacielos de importancia, con sus datos esenciales.

The weather today:
Light Rain
8C
UV Index:1 Low
Wind: From the East Northeast at 10 mph
Dew Point:8C
Humidity: 100%
Visibility:2 miles
Barometer: 1,010.8 mb

Closed for holidays from Friday 25 March to Monday 28 March (both inclusive). We are going to Lisbon, Portugal.


Cerrado por vacaciones del 25 al 28 de Marzo (ambos inclusive). Nos vamos a Lisboa, Portugal.

Today we celebrate the centenary of the father of science-fiction. Jules Verne , who became the patron saint of adventurers everywhere, died 100 years ago on Mar 24. He was also a prophet, envisioning space capsules and astronauts in his classic 1865 novel, From the Earth to the Moon, almost 50 years before man had even flown a few feet above Earth's surface. In 1886, Jules Verne imagined aircraft acting as a global police force, bombing barbaric races into peace and civilisation. One hundred years ago when Verne died after being consumed by diabetes, no French representative attended his funeral (although the German ambassador did!). Today, many French institutions will be present at the centenary celebrations. Verne lives!

Hoy, jueves 24 de marzo, celebramos el centenario de la muerte del primer escritor de ciencia-ficcion, Julio Verne . Esta vez, Francia le rinde los honores que le nego hace 100 años, cuando murio consumido por la diabetes. En 1905, en Amiens, el embajador del emperador aleman asistio a los funerales del escritor, pero no lo hizo ningun representante del Gobierno frances. Esta semana, Paris, Amiens y Nantes, sociedades culturales, centros escolares y organismos oficiales se han sumado para rendir homenaje al autor frances mas traducido -a 112 idiomas-, el mas leido y el que tiene mas versiones cinematograficas de sus obras. Verne vive!

The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
12C
UV Index:2 Low
Wind: From the Southwest at 10 mph
Dew Point:9C
Humidity: 82%
Visibility:9 miles
Barometer:1,011.9 mb

On the way to Vegas/Camino de Las Vegas.

According to the Weather Channel , the weather in Lisbon during Easter (Friday, Sat, Sun and Monday) will be stormy, rainy and cloudy.
I am VERY pissed off. We've had crap weather for 3 months and now we are going to Portugal it is just the same! Crap! We should have gone to Las Vegas!!! I'm not travelling in Europe anymore. I'm fed up of it.


Segun el Weather Channel (canal del tiempo) , el pronostico metereologico para Semana Santa (Viernes, Sab, Dom, y Lunes) en Lisboa es a base de lluvia, nubes y tormentas. A la mierdaaaa! Llevamos tres meses de mal tiempo y ahora que vamos a Portugal resulta que es lo mismo! A tomar por culo! Ojala hubieramos ido a Las Vegas!!!! A mi no me vuelven a ver viajando por Europa, eso es seguro. Ya he tenido mas que bastante.


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
15C
UV Index:1 Low
Wind: From the East Southeast at 20 mph
Dew Point: 4C
Humidity:49%
Visibility: 9 miles
Barometer:1,011.9 mb

The Comments may be down for a while as there seems to be some trouble with Enetation , the provider.

Los Comentarios no apareceran durante unas horas/dias ya que parece que existe algun tipo de problema con el proveedor, Enetation .

Launch Pad 39B seen from LC39 Observation Gantry, Kennedy Space Centre.

Yesterday night we watched the first chapter of the From the Earth to the Moon series in the UK Sci-fi channel. It is the story of the Apollo space missions, told in its entirety. As we saw all the NASA stuff at the Air & Space Museum in Washington DC and then at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral - we even touched a piece of rock from the Moon!!!-, we are obviously interested in watching the series. After watching the first chapter I would say it is entertaining and fast-paced. All the Gemini missions flashed in the first one-hour chapter, what a dash! I hope that was just an introduction and that they will go slower with the Apollo missions. After all, that is the main topic of the series. And then, what a coincidence, I receive an 'all staff' email today informing us about a free public lecture by former NASA astronaut David Scott, on Wednesday 6th April 2005, 6pm. The lecture's summary says : "David Scott was the seventh man ever to walk on the moon and he will share his experience as an astronaut during the space race between US and the former Soviet Union". I have immediately booked two places for SD and I. We are meeting an astronaut in our own city!!


Ayer por la noche vimos el primer capitulo de la serie From the Earth to the Moon en el canal Sci-fi del Reino Unido. Es la historia de las misiones Apolo al espacio y a la Luna, contada al detalle. Despues de ver todos los artefactos de la NASA en el Air & Space Museum en Washington DC y en el Kennedy Space Center en Cabo Canaveral - hasta tocamos un pedazo de roca lunar, que emocion!!-, ahora estamos obviamente interesados en seguir esta serie. Despues de ver el primer episodio, mi opinion es que es la serie es entretenida y sigue un buen ritmo. Ayer liquidaron todas las misiones Gemini en una hora, que rapidez! Espero que fuera tan solo una rapida introduccion y que luego se explayen mucho mas con las misiones Apolo, ya que, al fin y al cabo, ese es el tema principal de la serie. Y entonces, vaya coincidencia! hoy recibo un email de los dirigidos a 'todo el personal' informando de una conferencia gratis, cuyo invitado principal es el ex-astronauta de la NASA David Scott, el miercoles 6 de Abril a las 6.00 de la tarde. El resumen de la conferencia dice asi :" David Scott, el septimo hombre que piso la Luna, compartira sus experiencias como astronauta durante la era de la carrera espacial entre los Estados Unidos y la Union Sovietica". Al momento he enviado un mail reservando dos plazas para SD y para mi. Vamos a conocer a un astronauta y sin movernos de casa!


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
10C
UV Index:0 Low
Wind: From the Southwest at 12 mph
Dew Point: 9°C
Humidity:92%
Visibility:3 miles
Barometer:1,002.4 mb

This is a globle from the shop at the Science Museum I bought for SD. By turning the globe and positioning a city between the horizontal and the vertical lines, the screen will display the local time in that city. Pressing the button "Info" the screen will inform you about the country's name, capital city and population. Especially useful if you happen to make phone calls to another continent! For people glued to their computers, you get the same information by going here : The World Time Server


Esto es un globo terraqueo que compre para SD en la tienda del Science Museum . Girando el globo aparece la hora local de la ciudad que has colocado entre la linea horizontal y la vertical. Ademas, apretando el boton 'info' te informa del pais, capital y numero de habitantes. Es util si llamas bastante al extranjero, especialmente a otros continentes. Para vosotros que os pasais el dia con la nariz pegada a la pantalla del ordenador, la misma informacion la encontrareis aqui : The World Time Server


The weather today:
Haze
12C
UV Index:0 Low
Wind:From the East at 14 mph
Dew Point: 7°C
Humidity:71%
Visibility: 2 miles
Barometer:1,004.7 mb

Auckland harbour

I was surfing for more information about a TV series I am watching in Sky Travel channel. It's name is "The Zoo", the life and adventures of real animals and their carers and vets in a real zoo, Auckland's in New Zealand. Anyways, from one thing I went to the other and ended up finding an information that would surely interest my mum. The tall ship Soren Larsen built in Denmark and used in the 1970s when shooting the BBC series The Onedin Line , is now based in Auckland's harbour and it is open to passengers for cruises. My mum would surely love a little trip on the Soren Larsen, as I remember she loved Captain Onedin's tempestuous life, unfortunately I don't see her going to NZ in the near future. As for me, I was a child at the time and cannot really what the series was about. I think I felt it was pretty boring. I'd rather watch Space 1999 . And you know, if I were to be given the choice now, I would probably choose Space 1999 again!


Estaba surfeando para encontrar mas informacion de una serie de TV que estoy viendo ultimamente en el canal Sky Travel. Se llama The Zoo y narra la vida y aventuras de los animales, cuidadores y veterinarios en un zoo real, el de Auckland en Nueva Zelanda. Pues de una cosa me fui a la otra y acabe encontrando una informacion que, seguramente, interesara mucho a mi madre. En el puerto de Auckland se encuentra el barco Soren Larsen , construido en Dinamarca, donde se rodo la serie de la BBC de los anios 70 El Capitan Onedin . El barco esta en estado inmejorable y abierto al publico, ofreciendo cruceros cortos y excursiones. A mi madre le encantaria darse una vueltecita con el Soren Larsen, porque recuerdo perfectamente que era una fan total de las aventuras tempestuosas del
Capitan Onedin . Desafortunadamente, no la veo precisamente viajando a Nueva Zelanda en un futuro proximo. En cuanto a mi, la verdad es que en mi niniez la serie me parecia aburridisima. Ni tan solo recuerdo de que iba. A mi, que me dieran Espacio 1999 . Y sabeis...si me dieran ahora a escoger, sin dudarlo escojo otra vez Espacio 1999.



The weather today:
Partly Cloudy
11C
UV Index: 1 Low
Wind: From the West Southwest at 17 mph
Dew Point: 8C
Humidity: 81%
Visibility: 10 miles
Barometer: 1,026.8 mb

Thanks to Ylek , I now have my personalized icon before this blog's url. If you are using Mozilla Firefox, you should be able to see an eye before my blog's url. I think you cannot see it while using Explorer, but it may just be my version of Explorer, who knows! You can get an icon for your blog using this tool: Favicon .

Gracias a Ylek , desde ya tengo mi propio icono delante de la url del blog. Si usas Mozilla Firefox, supongo que no tendras ningun problema en ver el icono delante de la url (la direccion de mi blog). Usando mi version de Explorer no veo el icono. En cambio, lo veo sin problemas al usar Mozilla Firefox. Si quieres un icono para tu blog, puedes hacertelo tu mism@ en Favicon .

The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy and Windy
9C
UV Index:1 Low
Wind:From the West Southwest at 28 mph
Dew Point:8C
Humidity:87%
Visibility:6 miles
Barometer:1,026.8 mb

Iguazu Falls - Argentina

We are now planning our trip to New England. In fact, it's becoming a trip to Canada, more than the US. We have now decided we want to go to the Niagara Falls too. The first time I heard of the Niagara Falls was when I was a child, watching the film Niagara starring Marilyn Monroe. the falls became world-wide known after this film. Everybody knows about them. We also tend to think they are the biggest falls in the world when, in fact, that's not true. Victoria Falls in Africa are the widest. It is also said that Iguazu falls in Argentina are the most spectacular. If the Niagara Falls are not the biggest or the most spectacular then..what are they? Ahhh..the stuff of dreams! A Hollywood myth. Hollywood's magic is indeed very powerful.


Estamos preparando nuestras vacaciones en New England. De hecho, se estan convirtiendo en unas vacaciones en Canada, mas que en USA. Ayer decidimos que tambien queremos ir a las Cascadas del Niagara . La primera vez que vi estas cascadas fue en mi niniez, en la pelicula Niagara, con Marilyn Monroe de protagonista. Sera por el 'toque magico' de Hollywood que a todo el mundo le suenan las cataratas del Niagara. Como consecuencia, la mayoria piensa que deben ser las cataratas mas grandes del mundo. Y no es asi, ya que el honor corresponde a las cataratas Victoria , en Africa. Tambien se dice que las cataratas mas espectaculares son las de Iguazu , en Argentina. Asi que si las cataratas del Niagara no son las mas grandes ni las mas espectaculares.. que son, entonces? Un suenio. Un mito de Hollywood. Y la magia de Hollywood es muy poderosa!


The weather today:
loudy and Windy
11C
UV Index:0 Low
Wind:From the Southwest at 25 mph
Dew Point:8C
Humidity:82%
Visibility:5 miles
Barometer:1,016.9 mb

I mentioned bidding at Ebay last week. A colleague at the office told me to be careful, not to get too excited by bidding in Ebay. She said : 'you know, the E in Ebay stands for Evil!!!'. She was right. I became very excited with the auction process and bid for FOUR pairs of boots! I won the first pair. And then I panicked, as I thought I may win the other 3 auctions and end up with 4 pairs of boots. Fortunately, somebody else outbid me and got the 2nd pair of boots. But nobody outbid me for the third pair of boots. I am now the proud owner of two pairs of boots. And...if nobody outbids me again, in 2 days time I will be the proud owner of THREE pairs of boots. For the grand total 16GBP plus delivery. At least it didn't cost me an eye. This be a lesson to you : if fooling around with Ebay, do not spend more than 7GBP per item! You may feel a bit stupid winning 3 pairs of boots. But you will cope with that. On the other hand, you won't cope with being broke!


La semana pasada mencione que habia participado, por primera vez, en una subasta de EBay . Una colega del trabajo me advirtio de los peligros de Ebay, diciendome :'Ya sabes que la E de Ebay esta ahi por Evil' (malvado, diabolico en ingles). Y tenia toda la razon. Me entusiasme tanto con el proceso de la subasta que puse ofertas para 4 pares de botas. Gane el primer par. Y entonces cundio el panico, cuando me vi con cuatro pares de botas en casa! Por suerte, otro comprador gano el segundo par. Pero del tercer par, no me he librado. Son mias. Y aun queda el cuarto par. En un par de dias, podria verme como flamante propietari@ de TRES pares de botas por importe total de 16 libras esterlinas mas gastos de envio. Al menos, la broma no me ha salido cara. Porque eso si que os recomiendo, si vais a hacer el tonto en Ebay...no gasteis mas del equivalente a 7 libras esterlinas por articulo. Porque se sobrevive y se supera el ridiculo de acabar con 3 pares de botas. Pero no se supera el haberse gastado una fortuna en ellas!



The weather today:
Haze
9°C
UV Index:0 Low
Wind:From the South Southwest at 18 mph
Dew Point:7C
Humidity:83%
Visibility:4 miles
Barometer:1,01

Thanks to MacSteve , who is now attending the SXSW conference in Austin, I now know about Skype . Skype is free internet telephony. Download Skype's software, it can be used with Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and PDAs using Pocket PC, register, install, plug in your speakers and microphone and start calling your friends. The calls have excellent sound quality and are highly secure with end-to-end encryption. You don’t even need to configure your firewall or router or any other networking gear. The most important thing...it's for free! There is also the possibility of callling traditional landline phone numbers too, using SkypeOut although here you have to pay rates, it is cheaper than using any other phone company. And it works everywhere in the world. MacSteve used his laptop to call from Austin, Texas, to Germany, for instance. I'll dash and install it at our laptop at home! Supposing I have Windows 2000. Because...I think we still have Windows 98. Horror!


Gracias a MacSteve , que ahora mismito esta en la conferencia SXSW en Austin, me he enterado de un nuevo sistema de telefonia gratuita por internet, Skype . Solo hay que bajarse el software, registrarse, conectar los altavoces y el microfono y venga! a llamar a los amigos. Gratis! Skype esta disponible para Windows 2000, Mac OS X, Linux y PDAs usando Pocket PC. MacSteve me asegura que las llamadas tienen una calidad excelente de sonido. Skype confirma que no es necesario configurar el firewall o router o cualquier otro tipo de instrumento de networking. Y lo mas importante de todo es que...es gratis! Tambien ofrecen la posibilidad de llamar a telefonos normales, usando SkypeOut, aunque aqui hay que pagar una cuota que, parece ser, es mas barata que otras companias telefonicas. Skype se puede usar desde cualquier pais del mundo. MacSteve lo uso desde su portatil para llamar a Alemania desde Austin, Texas. No es genial? Corro ahora mismo a instalarmelo en casa...err..suponiendo que tenga Windows 2000. Porque me da la impresion que...tengo Windows 98! Horror!


The weather today:
Cloudy
4C
UV Index: 0 Low
Wind:calm
Dew Point:2C
Humidity:82%
Visibility:10 miles
Barometer: 1,011.9 mb

On our first attempt to bid at Ebay UK we managed to get a new-still in the box Microsoft Office 2000 in Spanish for my brother for just 7.50 GBP. As we were so happy with the results, I am now a bit addicted to Ebay and currently bidding for 5 different types of boots. Actually, I think I will not buy any of them as I will stop on time before things get expensive, but it is very amusing to see how other people react when I place a minimum risk bid against them.. evil, evil...


En nuestro primer intento de pujar en una subasta de EBay UK ganamos por solo 7.50 libras esterlinas el Microsoft Office 2000 nuevecito-aun en la caja, para mi hermano. Como estamos tan contentos con los resultados, no es de extraniar que se nos haya pegado una adiccion a Ebay... ahora mismo estoy pujando por 5 tipos diferentes de botas. La verdad, no creo que acabe comprando ninguna, porque parare cuando la cosa se ponga seria (y cara) pero, de momento, es divertido ver como los otros participantes en la subasta reaccionan cuando pujo con el minimo montante posible...ay que maldad...


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy and Windy
8C
UV Index:1 Low
Wind:From the West Northwest at 36 mph
Dew Point:2C
Humidity:65%
Visibility:10 miles
Barometer: 1,013.9 mb

Today I am listening to Kawaii-radio . It is an Anime radio station. This means all the music they play is soundtracks from cartoon (anime) Japanese films and tv series. It is the strangest radio station I've ever listened to!


Hoy estoy escuchando Kawaii-net . Es una emisora de radio Anime. Es decir, que toda la musica que tocan es de bandas sonoras de peliculas o series de tv japonesas de dibujos animados (anime). Es la emisora de radio mas extrania que he escuchado en mi vida!

Two more books I released between yesterday and today via Bookcrossing!

Dos libros mas que he liberado, entre ayer y hoy, usando el sistema Bookcrossing!

The weather today:
Cloudy
6C
UV Index:0 Low
Wind:From the West at 3 mph
Dew Point:3C
Humidity: 82%
Visibility:6 miles
Barometer: 1,030.1 mb

I was supposed to go to the Post Office at lunchtime to collect a parcel. But I completely forgot about it because I went to the supermarket instead. See, I suddenly developed a mad love for doughnuts and olives. So I had to go and get 8 doughnuts and a jar of olives.Not that I am going to eat them at the same time, of course! And yes, this is the MOST interesting thing that has happened today!


A la hora de la comida se suponia que tenia que ir a la oficina de correos a recoger un paquete. Sin embargo, me olvide de ir a correos y fui al supermercado. Porque, de golpe y porrazo, se me ocurrio que necesitaba donuts y aceitunas. Asi que no habia otra opcion, TENIA que ir al super y comprar 8 donuts y un tarro de aceitunas. No es que me lo vaya a comer todo al mismo tiempo, no he llegado a ese punto de locura..aun. Y si...esto es lo MAS interesante que me ha pasado hoy!


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
8C
UV Index:0 Low
Wind:From the North at 7 mph
Dew Point:1°C
Humidity:62%
Visibility:6 miles
Barometer:1,031.8 mb

We've changed our plans. We decided we were not that interested in spending half of our two week trip in New York City. And the car rentals price is very expensive in NY, see this : 2 weeks renting a car from any NY airport is 435GBP. The same 2 weeks and same car from Boston is 250GBP. So? Well, we are flying to Boston and from there driving to New England. And, overcoming my unexplained hatred for Canada, probably crossing the border to Montreal and/or Quebec. But I didn't want to talk about Canada here. I wanted to talk about Maine. Maine has always fascinated me. It must be the lobster. No, really, the lobster is important but it is not all. You know, because Stephen King based most of his horror novels in Maine, I've always thought Maine must be a very very unusual place. Or maybe Maine was just an incredibly boring place and King had no other option but to write horror novels to escape from boredom! In any case, having a look at the Stephen King website I found a page here which displays a map of the imaginary Maine, the Stephen King's Maine with cities like Castle Rock and Derry..


Cambio de planes. Hemos decidido que no estamos tan interesados en pasar la mitad de nuestras dos semanas de vacaciones en New York City. Y alquilar coche es carisimo en New York y cercanias. Considerad estos precios : mismo coche, 2 semanas de alquiler desde New York son 435 libras esterlinas y, desde Boston, 250 libras esterlinas. Asi que volamos a Boston y, desde alli, iremos en coche a la zona de New England. He superado, momentaneamente, mi inexplicable odio hacia Canada, asi que probablemente cruzaremos la frontera a Montreal y/o Quebec. Por cierto que no queria hablar hoy de Canada, sino de Maine. Porque sabeis, el estado de Maine siempre me ha fascinado. Probablemente por la langosta. No, la langosta es fascinante pero no es todo. Son las novelas de horror de Stephen King, siempre basadas en Maine. Con tanto horror, Maine debe ser interesantisimo. O justo lo contrario. Quiza Maine es aburridisimo y por ello a Stephen King se le desboco la imaginacion en sus novelas de horror. Quien sabe. Echando una ojeada a la pagina web de King, he encontrado esta pagina , donde muestran un mapa del Maine imaginario de Stephen King, con pueblos tan 'famosos' como Castle Rock y Derry...


The weather today:
Cloudy
8C
UV Index:0 Low
Wind:From the North at 12 mph
Dew Point:1C
Humidity: 60%
Visibility:10 miles
Barometer:1,029.5 mb

Back to work after spending 6 days with 38-40C temperature and a permanent cough. The rest of the days I spent trying to recover and behaving like a total weakling. To make things worse (yep, I'm just like that...let's just make things worse!) I thought I might as well quit smoking. I've spent 8 days without smoking. Which immediately makes me think I should reward myself for not smoking...by smoking a fresh cigarette! Oh crap. The only positive thing I can think of is the next time we go to the US I will not have to bother about airlines not allowing passengers to carry cigarette lighters with them. Yep, this is the last news. No cigarette lighters allowed in transatlantic flights. No matches, either. Where is this paranoia taking us, eh? Oh, and yes. We are going back to the US. We just decided it yesterday. It will be at the end of May/beginning of June. Probably to New York and then a short trip to New England.


De vuelta a trabajar despues de pasarme 6 dias con 38-40C de fiebre y tos permanente. El resto de los dias me los he pasado tratando de recuperarme y tomandomelo todo como si tuviera ochenta anios. Para empeorar la situacion (yo soy asi, que las cosas van mal...pues pongamoslas peor!) decidi que podria dejar de fumar. Asi que me he pasado 8 dias sin fumar. Lo que, de inmediato, me hace pensar que me merezco un cigarrillo de premio! Mierda. Lo unico positivo que se me ocurre es que, la proxima vez que vayamos a USA, no tendre que preocuparme por los encendedores. Porque la ultima novedad es que los encendedores y las cerillas estan prohibidos en los vuelos transatlanticos, desde ya! A donde nos va a llevar esta paranoia, eh? Ah, si. Me olvidaba. Ayer decidimos que volvemos a USA. Sera a finales de Mayo/principios de Junio. Probablemente a New York y despues un viajecito corto a New England.


The weather today:
Cloudy
7C
UV Index:0 Low
Wind:From the Northwest at 9 mph
Dew Point:-1°C
Humidity:57%
Visibility:9 miles
Barometer:1,028.1 mb

Closed due to the Flu!

Cerrado por la gripe!

The weather today:
Light Rain
4C
UV Index: 0 Low
Wind: From the North at 10 mph
Dew Point: 1C
Humidity: 81%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 999.0 mb