Closed for holidays from 28th August to 12th September (both inclusive). Rome, here we go!


Cerrado por vacaciones del 28 de Agosto al 12 de Septiembre (ambos inclusive). Roma, alla vamos!

The weather today:
Light Rain and Windy
17C
UV Index: 0 Low
Wind: From the Southwest at 33 mph
Dew Point: 17C
Humidity: 97%
Visibility: 2 miles
Barometer: 1,008.8 mb

As usual from the brilliant Toothpaste for Dinner

WARNING: You may find the end of this post disturbing if you are a Catholic without a sense of humour!
I have been told booking museum tickets it's a must in Italy. Otherwise, we risk spending the rest of our holidays from queue to queue. So I am now checking prices and websites offering this service. I have found Select Italy , Florence Art and Weekend a Firenze . And if what you really really want is to attend an audience with the Pope (along with thousands of others, don't think it's going to be one-to-one chat!) then you can get tickets for free (how generous!) completing the online form here : The Church of Santa Susanna . I was really really toying with the idea of seeing the Pope. After all, it's like going to Disneyland and seeing Mickey Mouse, isn't it? So you go to the Vatican and see the Pope! Unfortunately the audiences only take place on Wednesdays. And we happen to arrive in Rome on a Thursday and leave on Sunday. Well...at least I saw Mickey in Disneyland last year! And he was very friendly. More than the Pope, I bet.



ATENCION : Las ultimas lineas de este post pueden herir la sensibilidad de catolicos sin sentido del humor.
Me han dicho que es esencial reservar entradas a los museos en Italia. Si no se hace asi, se corre el riesgo de pasar las vacaciones de cola en cola y tiro porque me toca. Asi que esta maniana he estado mirando precios y empresas que ofrecen este servicio. He encontrado Select Italy , Florence Art and Weekend a Firenze . Y si lo que de verdad (pero de verdad, eh?) quieres es una audiencia con el Papa (junto con otras mil personas, mas o menos, y a distancia, nada de tete-a-tetes, eh?), lo que hay que hacer es reservar entradas (gratis! que generosos!) rellenando el formulario aqui: The Church of Santa Susanna . Por un momento, la idea de ver al Papa en vivo y en directo me ha tentado. Despues de todo, es como ir a Disneyland y ver a Mickey Mouse, no? Vas al Vaticano y ves al Papa. Desafortunadamente, las audiencias solo tienen lugar los miercoles. Y nosotros llegamos a Roma en jueves y marchamos el domingo. Asi que, de Papa, nada de nada. Me consuelo pensando que, al menos, vi y abrace a Mickey en Disneyland el anio pasado. Y que simpatico era! Mas que el Papa, seguro.


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
19C
UV Index: 3 Moderate
Wind: From the West at 12 mph
Dew Point: 13C
Humidity: 68%
Visibility: 9 miles
Barometer: 1,006.8 mb

Gunnar Sorensen, Director of the Edvard Munch Museum in Oslo, defends Norway's policy of open doors and low security museums after the famous The Scream was stolen on Sunday. " We want an open museum. We don't want to be prisoners of high security policies not allowing visitors to have full accessibility to the paintings". When asked why there was no automatic closure of doors at the museum, he replied :"Imagine a bunch of desperate and armed thieves who cannot leave a room full of innocent visitors. No work of art is worth risking a human live". Meanwhile, the Norwegian Minister of Culture said he wants visitors to 'live' the paintings and "personally, I was very disappointed when I saw the Mona Lisa at the Louvre. It was placed inside a glass box and so far away I could almost no see it".

And I agree with his statement. As far as I know, the painting I saw at the Louvre could have been a colour photocopy and not the real Mona Lisa. The glass was dirty, it reflected the light and was hanging high up on the wall. I did not enjoy the experience. So The Scream has been stolen and now the world wants to blame the director of the museum. Maybe the world should think twice and blame the thieves and those who pay them, a bunch of selfish and bastard art 'collectors' who would like to keep all that's beautiful in this planet for themselves! Let's make that clear, right?


Gunnar Sorensen, Director del Edvard Munch Museum en Oslo, defiende la costumbre noruega de mantener sus museus abiertos al publico y con minimas medidas de seguridad, despues de que el famoso 'El Grito' fuera robado este pasado domingo. "Somos partidarios de un museo abierto. No queremos ser prisioneros de unas medidas que impidan la accesibilidad del público a las obras". El director del museo salio tambien al paso de las criticas vertidas por la falta de un sistema de cierre automatico de puertas. "Imaginen a unos ladrones armados y desesperados por no poder salir y con público en la sala. Ninguna obra de arte merece arriesgar una vida humana", aniadio Sorensen. Mientras, el Ministro de Cultura noruego declaro que en Noruega se prima que los visitantes puedan vivir las obras. "Quede muy decepcionado cuando en el Louvre vi la Mona Lisa dentro de una vitrina y a varios metros de distancia".

Y yo estoy de acuerdo con el Ministro. Por lo que yo vi de la Mona Lisa, desde bien lejos y con el cristal de la caja sucio, igual hubiera podido ser una fotocopia en color en lugar del autentico cuadro. Pero claro, ahora que han robado 'El Grito', hay que buscar a un culpable. Asi que el mundo entero acusa al director del museo. Quiza todo el mundo tendria que reflexionar un poquito y, en lugar de acusar al director, culpar a los verdaderos culpables : los ladrones. Y no solo ellos, sino a los que estan detras. Esos bastardos y egoistas 'coleccionistas' de arte que pagarian lo que fuera para tener, ellos solitos, todo lo que hay de bello en el mundo. A esos bastardos egoistas, hay que culpar, y no al director del museo Edvard Munch. Que quede bien claro.



The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
17C
UV Index: 1 Low
Wind: From the West Southwest at 21 mph
Dew Point: 16C
Humidity: 92%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 1,004.7 mb

Bored at the hipermarket? Try these (old but good):
1. Get 24 condom boxes and randombly distribute them in other people's trolleys while they are not looking.
2. Set up all the alarm clocks at the 'Homeware' section so they ring at 5 minute intervals
3. Leave a ketchup trace on the floor on the way out of the toilets.
4. Approach a sales assistant and assertively tell them : code 3 at the homeware department. See how they react.
5. Move a 'Wet/Slippery floor' sign to a carpeted area.
6. Set up a camping tent at the Outdoors&Garden department and tell other customers you'll only invite them in if they bring their own pillows from the Bedding department.
7. When a sales assistant asks you if they can be of any help, burst on tears and say :"Why don't you leave me alone?"
8. Position yourself in front of a CCTV camera, look straight at it and pick your nose.
9. While examining knifes, ask the sales assistant if they sell anti-depressant pills.
10. Walk with a suspicious gait down the aisle while whistling the "Mission Impossible" theme tune.
11. Try your 'Tin Man' look placing pots and pans on your head and arms.
12. Hide between rows of clothes and burst out screaming 'booooohoooo!' when other customers stop to examine the merchandise.
13. At hearing any 'customer announcement' lie on the floor in foetal position while moaning 'the voices, the voices!'.
14. Shut yourself in a fitting room and shout:'hey! there's not toilet paper here!".

Que nos aburrimos en el hipermercado? Probad las siguientes tacticas (es viejo, pero bueno):
1. Consigue 24 cajas de condones y colocalas al azar en los carros de la gente cuando no miren.
2.Programa todos los despertadores de la seccion hogar para que suenen en intervalos de 5 minutos.
3.Haz un rastro de zumo de tomate en el suelo camino de los servicios.
4.Acercate a un empleado y dile en tono serio: "codigo 3 en hogar". Y observa la reaccion.
5.Mueve una senial de "cuidado- suelo mojado" a una zona enmoquetada.
6.Monta una tienda de campania en el departamento de camping y diles al resto de los compradores que solo les invitas si traen almohadas del departamento de camas.
7.Cuando se te acerque una dependienta y te pregunte si te puede ayudar, empieza a llorar y pregunta: por que no me podeis dejar en paz?
8.Mira fijamente a la camara de seguridad y utilizala de espejo mientras pescas en tu nariz.
9.Mientras miras pistolas/cuchillos preguntale a la dependienta si sabe donde estan los anti-depresivos.
10. Anda por el supermercado de forma sospechosa mientras tarareas en alto la musica de mision imposible.
11.Prueba tu "look Hombre de hojalata" con diferentes embudos y ollas en cabeza y brazos.
12.Escondete entre los percheros y cuando la gente este echando un vistazo grita "cogeme, cogeme".
13.Cuando haya un aviso por megafonia ponte en posicion fetal mientras dices "otra vez las voces".
14.Metete en un probador y grita muy alto : eh! no hay papel!!!!

The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
18C
UV Index: 4 Moderate
Wind: From the South Southwest at 23 mph
Dew Point: 14C
Humidity: 80%
Visibility: 10 miles
Barometer: 1,003.0 mb

At the office we have this little poster hanging on the wall:

Are you lonely?
Hate having to make decisions?
Rather talk about it than do it?

Then why not...

HOLD A MEETING

You can:
Get to see other people
Sleep in peace
Offload decisions
Learn to write volumes of meaningless notes
Feel important
Impress (or bore) your colleagues

And all in work time!!

'MEETINGS'
The Practical Alternative to Work


En la oficina tenemos colgado un poster con el siguiente texto:

Se siente solo?
Odia tomar decisiones?
Prefiere hablar antes que solucionar problemas?

Si este es su caso, por que no...

ORGANIZA UNA REUNION

De este modo podra:
Relacionarse con otras personas
Dormir con tranquilidad
Dejar que otros decidan por usted
Aprender a escribir interminables notas sin ningun sentido
Sentirse muy importante
Impresionar (o aburrir) a sus colegas

Y todo esto durante su horario laboral!

'REUNIONES'
La alternativa practica al trabajo


The weather today:
Showers in the Vicinity
20C
UV Index: 2 Low
Wind: From the West Southwest at 12 mph
Dew Point: 14C
Humidity: 68%
Visibility: 6 miles
Barometer: 1,002.0 mb

I've laughed many times when reading menus translated to English in a Spanish restaurant. Sometimes the translations are literal and grotesque. Like 'Dorada al horno' translated as 'Golden to the oven'. I can almost see what happened here. The restaurant owner had a pocket-size Spanish-English dictionary and no knowledge of English at all. His dictionary was not especialized enough to tell him that 'dorada' as an adjective translates as 'golden' but as a noun is the fish 'guilthead/seabream'. So we ended up getting a menu with 'Golden to the oven'which leaves the English tourists mistified, instead of the correct 'Oven-baked Seabream'. I have found a website which will solve this problem! It gives fish and seafood translations in Spanish, English, French and Catalan : Tomafish . No more confusion at the restaurant!


On the other hand, if you want to have a good laugh, look at this website : Hablando en Plata where you can get some Spanish expressions literally translated to English with hilarious results. As I said, have a good laugh...but don't use the English translations!


Cuantas veces me he reido con gusto al leer menus traducidos al ingles en restaurantes espanioles. Algunas veces la traducion es literal y grotesca. Por ejemplo, 'Dorada al horno' traducido como 'Golden to the oven'. Me imagino al duenio del restaurante, con un diccionario Ingles-Espaniol de bolsillo, sin tener ni idea de ingles, intentando traducir su menu para los turistas, con toda la buena intencion del mundo. Al no ser un diccionario especializado, 'dorada' (adjetivo) se traduce como 'golden', pero no se menciona que 'dorada' (sustantivo) es el pescado conocido en ingles como 'guilthead/seabream'. Asi que el menu acaba diciendo 'Golden to the oven', para total confusion de los turistas, en lugar de 'Oven-baked seabream'. Hoy he encontrado una pagina web que nos soluciona el problema. Nos da la traduccion de pescado y marisco en espaniol, ingles, frances y catalan : Tomafish . Se acabaron los menus indescifrables!


Claro que...si de verdad quieres reir un rato, no puedes dejar de echar una ojeada a esta pagina web : Hablando en Plata donde se dan las traducciones literales al ingles de tipicas frases hechas en espaniol. Es para partirse de risa...pero no para usarlas, eh?


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy and Windy
20C
UV Index: 4 Moderate
Wind: From the South at 29 mph
Dew Point: 16C
Humidity: 79%
Visibility: 10 miles
Barometer: 996.6 mb

Now that we have been making our own bread at home with our bread machine for some months, we have realised slicing homemade bread is not that easy as it crumbles due to its softer consistency. I think the 'Slice Even' gadget would make our lifes easier - see above photo. Made from easy-clean, metallic-coloured polypropylene, with non-slip feet, integral crumb catcher and six thickness settings. I can get it for 14.50 pounds in the UK at Lakeland . We may go to our nearest shop this next weekend. That would be Chichester or Salisbury. Or maybe we will just buy it online!


Hace meses que horneamos nuestro propio pan en casa, con la maquina de hacer pan. El unico problema es que la consistencia del pan hecho en casa es diferente al pan de panaderia. Es mas blandito y mas dificil de cortar en rebanadas. Creo que el artilugio de la foto de arriba, el 'Slice Even' nos hara la vida mas facil. Fabricado en polipropileno de color metalico, con sistema anti-deslizamiento, bandeja para recoger migas y seis medidas diferentes para mayor o menor grosor de la rebanada. Cuesta 14.50 libras en el Reino Unido en Lakeland . Igual vamos a comprarlo a la tienda este fin de semana o quiza lo compremos en internet, si no tenemos ganas de ir hasta Chichester o Salisbury.


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
19C
UV Index: 2 Low
Wind: From the Southwest at 13 mph
Dew Point: 15C
Humidity: 79%
Visibility: 9 miles
Barometer: 1,001.4 mb

Citius, Altius, Fortius, the Olympic motto (faster, higher, stronger) is on again after four years. The Athens 2004 Olympic Games start today! For all the information, visit the official website here .

Citius, Altius, Fortius (Mas lejos, mas alto, mas fuerte),el eslogan de los Juegos Olimpicos se activa hoy de nuevo despues de cuatro anios. Los Juegos Olimpicos de Atenas 2004 empiezan hoy! Para mas informacion, visitad la pagina web oficial aqui .

The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy and Windy
20C
UV Index: 4 Moderate
Wind: From the West Southwest at 30 mph
Dew Point: 16C
Humidity: 74%
Visibility: 10 miles
Barometer: 1,006.1 mb

We will probably visit the JFK Space Centre in Florida, too. So here it is the website : Kennedy Space Center , where you can take the usual tour or, if feeling like having that 'extra bit', you can fork out $225 and train as an astronaut for a day. Or maybe you feel like having lunch with an astronaut. Or maybe see a real launch...there so much to see!
What's a little worrying is all this surfing for info for our holidays in Florida in December (and we don't have the flights yet!) ..while we have not done any research at all for our September holiday in Italy (and we have bought fligths and car rental)! I am just wondering if we should just go somewhere else, as we are not showing any interest at all in Rome?


Probablemente visitaremos el JFK Space Centre en Florida. Asi que anoto la pagina web : Kennedy Space Center , donde puedes reservar el tour clasico o, si te ha tocado la loteria y te sientes con animos, puedes pagar $225 y participar en un dia de entrenamiento para astronautas. O almorzar con un astronauta, o bien ver un lanzamiento en vivo y en directo...hay tanto que ver!
Por otro lado, empieza a preocuparme esto de buscar informacion sobre Florida para las vacaciones de Diciembre, cuando ni siquiera hemos comprado los vuelos...y en cambio, tenemos vuelos y coche de alquiler para Italia en Septiembre, y ni me he preocupado en reservar hotel en Roma ni buscar informacion sobre museos y lugares de interes. Poco interes tengo en Roma, pues...


The weather today:
Mostly Cloudy
19C
UV Index: 2 Low
Wind: From the South Southwest at 17 mph
Dew Point: 15C
Humidity: 77%
Visibility: 10 miles
Barometer: 1,001.0 mb