Chuck Fisher's LiveJournal

Vecinos peculiares

Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:02:39 GMT

Or Peculiar Neighbors. That's what they called Armistead Maupin's More Tales of the City which was broadcast last night on 8tv, "la privada de Catalunya". We definitely saw the "european version" which featured plenty of full frontal and rear nudity. I especially liked seeing the furry Michael Tolliver (Paul Hopkins) naked. The sex scenes were much more explicit than the expurgated DVDs that I own. 8tv did display a "18" in the upper-left corner of the screen, but there were no "viewer discretion advised" notices.

This reminds me of a recent film I saw, Gorditos, in a cinema. The trailers, which of course are not MPAA-rated here, showed a couple of three-ways to spur interest in the films. Gorditos started off with the main character revealing his naked furry body in the first scene.

Chuck, one of the reasons I moved to a country that has less puritanical restraint than the US

FYFF

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 13:01:21 GMT

Looking for and vacuuming up cobwebs

There aren’t many spiders here, but sometime you gotta look for their webs, especially just after Halloween.

Photographer’s note: flash used. EXIF intact.

GST

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 17:54:39 GMT

Getting ready to vacuum
cool enough to wear a sweatshirt now

Sorry I missed last week. More fur tomorrow.

Photographer's note: WB using ExpoDisc.

Nachos!

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:23:54 GMT

Last Saturday night I decided to make nachos using the bell-shaped peppers from the terraza. I gave Ruben the task of preparing the pimientos while I layered tortilla chips, chili con carne, red beans, edam and English cheddar cheese into a bowl. I saved the pimientos and avocado from Ecuador for putting on top. And this was the result…

Nachos with pimientos from the terraza

We had strawberry margaritas to go along with the nachos. ¡Ole! (We couldn't finish the nachos.)

Photo by Ruben with Canon 500D. AWB, but corrected with ExpoDisc data.

Lacasitos

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 16:29:26 GMT

Lacasitos not M&M's

The end of the year candy is already on display in stores. Today when I went shopping at Alcampo I just had to cruise the candy aisle. I couldn’t resist buying a “can” of Lacasitos. They are a line chocolate products inspired by M&M’s of the US company Mars. There is a version called Lacasitos Megatubo that is a plastic tube containing 1,500 g (3.3 lb)!

Can of Lacasitos

Look like M&M's

Photographer's note: WB using ExpoDisc. Circular polarizer used to reduce reflections. EXIF intact.

Pimiento campanilla

Sat, 31 Oct 2009 11:10:13 GMT

This is a follow up to the post I made about pimientos enanos or “dwarf peppers” that turned out to be probably inedible. We have been searching for some peppers with some heat. The “canned” jalapeños sold here under the brand Old El Paso (General Foods) are bland even though they have three chili pepper symbols on the lid (meaning hot.) So we have been searching for an alternative with some “bite” or picante. Virtually all of the fresh pimientos available here are mild. This may surprise some you who are not familiar with Spanish tastes.

Pimiento campanilla or Capsicum baccatum, is a traditional variety of pepper or capsicum here in Spain. Campanilla means “bell”, but this is not a “bell pepper”, the large mild form as it is called in the US and Canada. The fruit of most species of Capsicum contains capsaicin which produces a strong burning sensation in the mouth, i.e. hot. The only pepper without capsaicin is the bell pepper, a cultivar of Capsicum annuum, which has a zero rating on the Scoville scale.

Last spring Ruben brought over a couple of pimiento campanilla and we salvaged some seeds. I was able to sprout a plant during the summer and it has grown over a meter in height and quite prolific in fruit production. Now the fruits are maturing and turning red. I have been able to pick one a day for the past week and now am ready to “roast” them and use them as a topping for nachos. Last weekend we tried a couple and were surprised how picante they were. Ruben remembered them from before as being mild. I rate about the same as the jalapeños encountered in the US.

Pimiento campanilla
with a green “clapper”

Photographer’s note: AWB. EXIF intact.

Més panellets

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 23:29:42 GMT

Recently gorkabear posted about Panellets, the traditional dessert of All Saints Day (the day after Hallowe'en) here in Catalunya. Panellets (Catalan for little breads) are small cakes or cookies in different shapes, mostly round, made mainly of marzipan (almond paste). There are recipe variations using boniato, a type of sweet potato, or using regular potatoes, or a combination of these.The most popular are the panellets of pine nuts, made of the basis of the panellet dipped in batter of pine nuts and varnishing with egg white. There are other varieties that have coverings of almonds, coconut, hazelnuts, cherries, even chocolate.

Panellets date back to the 18^th century, when they were used as blessed food to share after some holy celebrations. Now they are just another seasonal dessert that is enjoyed. It seems like every month there is some sort special pastry available. The stores are already starting to display turrón for the end of the year.

There were various assortments of panellets on sale at Alcampo today and I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to try some. They are as tasty as they look.

Assortment of Panellets

Photographer's note: ExpoDisc used for WB. Mainly fluorescent light. EXIF intact.

FYFF

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:12:42 GMT

Most of you already know that Friday is cleaning day around here. Normally that entails dusting, vacuuming and mopping. About four hours worth, all told. But sometimes I need to do more. I need to get down on all fours and scrub that grout clean. Me and the Baldosinín. I think there’s another toothbrush around here somewhere.

Wanna help?

Photographer’s note: Gorillapod used (tip of the toothbrush to wooferstl), WB=3200K (OTWB). EXIF intact.

GST

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:58:58 GMT

Sorry if this picture is a little boring,
I'll do better tomorrow.

Still not cool enough to wear a sweatshirt indoors yet.

Photographer's note: EXIF intact.

Pimiento enano

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 10:14:15 GMT

Dwarf Pepper

Pimiento enano / Dwarf Pepper
Capsicum annuum

A couple of months ago I bought a plant labeled only as capsicum (or pepper in the US, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland), which is a genus in the nightshade family (Solanaceae) native to the Americas. The nightshade family includes Datura (Jimson weed), mandrake, deadly nightshade (belladonna), capsicum (paprika, chili pepper), potato, tobacco, tomato, eggplant and petunia. Of course some of these plants (and leaves of others) are definitely poisonous. Often here in Spain the plants are labeled no comestible when this is an issue.

So I tried one of the dried peppers and it tasted like Cayenne. Of course the very next day Ruben found an article that said that these pimientos enanos (dwarf peppers) are only decorative and should not be eaten. Oh well, I only ate a small amount and had no ill-effects.

Ruben and I have decided to look for some seeds for some small, edible peppers. I have been successful in growing pimiento campanilla (Capsicum baccatum). Curiously this means “bell pepper” in Spanish, but it is not the same as bell pepper, which is the US name for some fruits of the Capsicum annuum species of plants.

The misleading name "pepper" (pimiento in Spanish) was given by Christopher Columbus upon bringing the plant back to Europe in 1493 (coincidentally here in Barcelona). At that time peppercorns, the fruit of Piper nigrum (black pepper), an unrelated plant, were a highly-prized condiment. So blame Columbus for the confusion.

Photographer's note: IS, WB=7500K (“shade”). Curiously I thought the AWB “looked” better, but when I went back to look at the plant under similar lighting conditions, “shade” indeed look more “correct”. EXIF intact.

I bought a new toy

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 13:27:34 GMT

32 GB iPod

I bought a new toy: a 32GB iPod touch. I have had a 1GB iPod shuffle for two years, but of course it doesn’t do video. I don’t listen to music as much as I do podcasts. And now I can watch MSNBC Countdown and MSNBC Rachel Maddow as well the local weather from TV3. Especially useful when I am on the Renfe Rodalies commuter trains.

I bought the iPod on-line directly from the Apple store in Spain. This model, a month after introduction, is still not in stores. And I had it in my hot hands less than 48 hours after I had ordered it. Of course shipping via UPS was free.

I have been surprised to see how many “apps” are available. In case you are wondering why I didn’t buy an iPhone instead, it’s because of the contract commitment entailed. I have very cheap mobile service with simyo. I am still working off the 10 € “bonus” I received when I signed up last February. No contract commitments, no monthly minimums. As they say: no pagas nada si no hablas nada.

Photographer's note: EXIF intact.

A recent illness

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:17:58 GMT

Weekend before last I came down with gastroenteritis often called the stomach flu. Ruben was concerned when my temperature shot up to 102.5ºF (39,2ºC). He insisted that we have a doctor come over to check me out. At first I resisted and then relented and he called my insurance company, Adeslas. Even though this was after-hours on a Saturday, the doctor showed up at my door within two hours. This is the first time that I have had a “house call” in more than 40 years. Ruben said that here it es normal.

The doctor asked me a number of questions and recommended paracetamol for fever (known in the US as acetaminophen) and an antibiotic, Septrin Forte, brand-name not generic, The doctor asked me a number of questions and recommended paracetamol for fever (known in the US as acetaminophen) and an antibiotic, Septrin Forte, brand-name not generic, sulfamethoxazole. The pills were manufactured in Germany by Glaxo and repackaged here in Spain. I believe that Glaxo has a presence in the US.

Ruben walked to the pharmacy 20 m from my place and was in luck as they were open for night service on Saturday. The cost was 3 € for 20 tablets (or 0,15 € for each). I found an on-line Canadian pharmacy that offered the same product for $1.10 USD per tablet in lots of 100. There were also what appeared as less reputable firms offering generics at roughly the same price as here in Spain, but in lots of 300. My co-pay for prescriptions is 3 €, so no help there.

In case you are wondering, the Spanish government negotiates with manufacturers the price for a number of drugs, something that is not done in the US. So everyone can take advantage of the prices whether you have public or private healthcare or just a tourist on vacation.

Another curious thing was that the doctor recommended what to eat and what to avoid (lácteos). I already knew about white rice, but was surprised about baked apples using stick cinnamon, but not powdered. And of course bananas and isotonic “sports” drinks.

Each day last week I was getting better and by Wednesday resumed my normal schedule.

Sunrise shower

Mon, 12 Oct 2009 08:13:56 GMT

Last Thursday morning I awoke to some showers and thunder. From my “office”, I noticed some red-colored sunlight like at sunset. So I ran upstairs, whipped out my camera, and snapped off a few shots. In this one you can just see a sliver off the sun as it was disappearing behind the rain clouds. As you will notice, there was quite a reflection just above the surface of the Sea. Also there was rain moving in from the right. Actually it was sprinkling on the terraza and I didn’t want to get my camera wet.

Sunrise Shower

Photographer’s note: WB=5300K “sunny”, only straightened and resized, EXIF intact.

Good for another two years

Sun, 11 Oct 2009 13:37:39 GMT

Last year I became a legal resident of Spain. This year I needed to renew my permiso de residencia. So forty days before my arrival day, July 17, I submitted paperwork to the Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores y Cooperación, which handles the renovación of my residency permit. I waited two months until I received a letter approving my application. In the approval letter it stated that I needed to go to the Comisaría de Policía in beautiful Badalona. But only after my identity card had expired. No problem, I received the approval letter more than a month after my ID card expired. I wasn't really worried since I never had anyone look at the expiration date. The ID card is important as you need to show it whenever you use a credit/debit card and I don't want to haul around my passport.

So back in August I went to the Comisaría de Policía in Badalona. When it was my turn, Ruben had already arrived and joined me in talking to the agent. This time the agent was a bearded man with a t-shirt, shorts and sandals‚ not much different than my own attire. He looked over my paperwork and everything was in order. This being Spain, we chatted a bit. I only had to wait a month and pay another fee in order to get a new ID card. So a few weeks ago I picked it up. And here it is.

Tarjeta de extranjero

Friday Fur

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 10:57:49 GMT

~~Fur~~Friday is cleaning day around here.
Getting ready to mop the floor.

GST!

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 18:46:37 GMT

Looking upward for a little inspiration…

Daisy, daisy…

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:20:39 GMT

Sometime ago I got some free seeds. The packaging didn't indicate what they were so I planted some anyway to see what would grow. Well, it turned out to be some sort of daisy. Normally the flowers are all yellow, but a couple of days ago I noticed that there was an orange one, so I just had to take a picture of it.

Photographer's note: only PP done was to crop and resize the image. Taken with Oly E620 with ZD 12-60mm. EXIF intact.

Friday Fur

Fri, 02 Oct 2009 18:03:47 GMT

The famous standing naked with
green shirt in one hand outstretched.

OK, this is the last one that I am going to post like this. SInce all I get is criticism that I'm not posing correctly and no one offers a photo of themselves.

GST

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 13:08:54 GMT

As suggested last week by timbearuk…

GST is where you photograph yourself naked
holding a green shirt in one hand at arms length.

Comida en Catalunya

Mon, 21 Sep 2009 19:45:21 GMT

If you have been reading gorkabear’s journal, you would know that two Finish bears, arkiwursti and hezma have been visiting Barcelona. I decided to invite them along with gorkabear over for lunch yesterday. Ruben helped with all the preparations and we had a sampling of Spanish food.

For the first plate we had a variety of cured pork products called embutidos, various cheeses, and of course olives. We drank two types of Spanish cider (sidra). Our Finnish friends prefer to have cider rather than the usual lager beer they have back home.

The second plate was BBQ Spanish pork sausages or salchichas along with some brochettes of beef and chicken. All that meat pretty much covered the grill of my Weber BBQ. For a vegetable I made some spinach catalán style and also a green salad with walnuts, blue cheese, and my special sauce. gorkabear brought some red wine from La Rioja.

For dessert we had some brownies made with Ghiradelli chocolate. It was prepared mix from Costco and didn’t turn out at well as expected. As traditional at the end of meal here we had café and licores.

I decided I better start taking some pictures while I could still stand up!

The group
Me, arkiwursti, hezma, gorkabear and Ruben.

From another angle
hezma, arkiwursti, gorkabear, Ruben and me.

arkiwursti and hezma

arkiwursti and hezma

gorkabear and Ruben

gorkabear and me

Friday Fur

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:44:57 GMT

Fridays Suck!
All I seem to do all day is clean house.

Fortunately that wasn’t the case today.

GST

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 10:53:41 GMT

Here it’s Thursday
And I don’t know what to wear!

An afternoon in Sitges

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:18:30 GMT

Tuesday night I talked with an Austrian tourist at Átame and he told me that there were “hundreds of bears in Sitges”. I kew that this week was “Independence Week” put on by the Sitges Bears Club. I just had to go to check it out. So yesterday, just after noon, I went to the Renfe station and bought a round-trip ticket to Sitges for 3,40 € with my tarjeta dorada.

When I was at the Sants station changing trains, I saw someone who looked like they had the same destination. It turns out that “Fred” was going to Sitges too. He lives in Sabadell, the same city as my Ruben, with his boyfriend. Fred is an unemployed chemist from France. He preferred to talk in English rather than castellano, but we both occasionally “slipped”.

Once we got to Sitges we walked through the “bar” section of town and then checked the beaches. La playa de las muñecas seemed full of osos, but we headed over to the Playa dels Balmins otherwise known as the nudist beach. There we saw about 300 bears sunning or swimming. Even yours truly took a couple of dips. The water was perfect.

I was paddling around for only a few minutes and I ran into bearsrider and his lover. He recognized me first. I said that it was hard for me since he was nekkid.

A bit later I ran into london1967 and his lover Adrian walking along the beach headed for some ice cream.

All in all a pleasant afternoon and I ran into two LJers! Sorry, no pictures.

Friday Fur and El Hormiguero

Fri, 04 Sep 2009 18:42:07 GMT

Flaunt your fur Friday
Here with my friends Trancas (l) and Barrancas (r).
In honor of the new season of El Hormiguero that started this week.

Some of the cast of El Hormiguero:

Pablo Motos - Host
Juan Ibáñez Pérez - Trancas
Damián Molla Herman - Barrancas
Flipy - El Científico Loco (The Mad Scientist)
Jandro - El Experto en Todo (The Expert in Everything)
Luis Piedrahita - El Rey de las Cosas Pequeñas (The King of Little Things)
Jorge Marrón Martín - El Maestro Empanao (The Master Dumbass)
El hombre de Negro - The Man in Black

I would call Flipy more of a nerd scientist than a crazy one. Think Mr. Wizard as an early teen with a predilection for fire and explosions. Sometimes Flipy is dressed as a woman and is then called “la Flipa”.

In the English version of the Wikipedia article they spell El Maestro Empanao’s surname “Marrón”. With that accent, it means something big and brown. Marron builds Rube Goldberg machines. This is called effecto mariposa in castellano. Some can be quite large in scale and elaborate. This week Adam Sandler, as a show guest, caused the effecto mariposa to fail. Fortunately he had no trouble with Flipy’s experiments.

They often have US celebrities appear as guests on the show. Apparently it’s part of some marketing tour for a new movie, album, book, etc. The guest wears an earpiece so they can hear what is going on in their native tongue. The guests regularly take part in Flipy’s experiments and otherwise exhibit their “talents”. It’s fun to watch their face when asked to choose between ¿Culo o Codo? (Ass or Elbow?) from a small photograph. After a commercial break, a larger version of the picture is shown that makes the subject obvious. The FCC would never approve.

Green shirt Thursday

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 17:04:56 GMT

Green shirt Thursday
Actually this is Ruben's shirt, but I paid for it, so I get to use it.
Photo taken by me (you can see the remote in my right hand.)