España and me

We are not the milky ones?

2007-04-19T16:39:00.001+01:00

Recently I heard a segment on NPR about just this subject.

What is a mammal? Fur. Hair. Special Ear-bones. Neocortex. Diaphragm. Red blood cells. MILK!

But males don't make milk. In humans they have nipples and shriveled mammary glands, but no milk. Horses, rats, and mice don't even have that.

So why mammal? It seems the least appropriate of all our distinctive characteristics.

Carl Linaeus named the mammal because was obsessed with breasts. More specifically he was opposed to the practice of wet-nursing. By naming the mammal (before him our class was just the quadrupeds) he promoted the feeding of ones own children and elevated women to caring mothers.

Perhaps it would have been more accurate to name ourselves after our hair?

How about: We are Pelosa! The hirsute ones!

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What I observed one evening while I was reading in my room.

2007-04-19T16:06:00.001+01:00

From my room I have a fantastic view of the small walled in patio where laundry hangs out to dry like so many bits of our personal lives flapping in the wind. As evening approaches I can begin to see the sun reflected off the wall five meters away on the other side of an identical patio to the one outside my window. It creeps languidly along until it begins to invade the first window (where my window would be if I was on that side) and the clotheslines that occupy the sides of all the residential buildings here. As the evening arrives, the sun turns down as if unsure that is should be allowed to transgress into our lives and fades away so that what was once a sharp line dividing light and shadow becomes a monochromatic sheet of yellow gray. And then night falls.

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Pickle surprise!!

2007-04-19T09:17:00.001+01:00

Possibly one of the scariest things I have seen in a long time. Revealed to me by b.miller at The New Dark Ages. Enjoy.

Happy Easter

2007-04-11T00:31:00.001+01:00

Gotta love Wyoming.

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Latest News in Climate Change

2007-04-10T00:29:00.001+01:00

Actually this is kinda old news. I read a nice comment on it in the February 12th New Yorker, but I'm just getting around to posting a link now. Anyway here's a summary of the IPCC report on world climate released this year in February (and approved just last week in Brussels).

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San Javier

2007-04-06T10:07:00.000+01:00

I have now officially had my first adventure:

This weekend is a long weekend here in Spain, for Easter. I decided to take advantage by traveling south to Murcia and Cartagena for a day and then continue inland to Madrid, where my friend Vasco lives. For a while my plans were on the brink of disaster.

Yesterday I managed to leave my trusty Crestone 75 pack on the bus from Murcia central bus station to San Javier (a coastal town where I am staying tonight). Due to the holidays (holy week, big deal here) the LatBus offices are closed. I know because I´ve been up since 0800 trying to reach them. Ready to give up hope I decided to intercept the bus on it´s route back to Murcia today at 1030. I´m not sure what divine will was working in my favor but the bus today turned out to be the same bus as last night and lo and behold my pack was sitting right where I left it! The bus driver said that he was on his way to lock it up at the home office where I wouldn´t have retrieved it till at least monday. Disaster averted and I feel somehow closer to my pack now that we´ve been separated and reunited.

Ojos de Brujo

2007-04-01T11:18:00.001+01:00

Last night I went to see the reasonably well known (especially in Spain) band Ojos de Brujo perform in Montcada, a small town just outside of Valencia. They play flamenco derived music that has been described by them as "hip hop flamenkillo." True to the description there is a core of flamenco to most of their songs (compás, guitar, utilization of the flamenco mode, and canto) melded with a whirlwind of influences from afro-Cuban to hip-hop and electronica. They were great!

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quote day

2007-03-26T19:31:00.001+01:00

"I lost a friend since I last wrote. She was a book person, a book store owner, an upbeat sparkplug of a lady who became a big supporter of mine over the last year or so. Thanksgiving night she finished her dinner, drove home, got in bed and never woke up. She was 52. When there’s no sickness or old age or self destructive behavior, it’s tougher to make sense of death. She was here, she was smiling, she’s not here. And I miss her. But in my attempt to make sense of what makes no sense, I see the lesson that looms. Appreciate the people in your life. Be kind, even when people aren’t watching you. Understand that the stranger that just cut you off, may be having a horrible day. Take a deep breath once in awhile. Seek out a sunset here and there. Know that you are one of a highly evolved species that is intelligent and remarkably resilient. Also know that you are merely an organism on a planet that, in theory, will not only continue without you, but will actually benefit when you become fertilizer." (1)

"I'll tell you about punk rock: punk rock is a word used by dilettantes and, uh... and, uh... heartless manipulators, about music... that takes up the energies, and the bodies, and the hearts and the souls and the time and the minds, of young men, who give what they have to it, and give everything they have to it. And it's a... it's a term that's based on contempt; it's a term that's based on fashion, style, elitism, satanism, and, everything that's rotten about rock 'n' roll.

I don't know Johnny Rotten... but I'm sure, I'm sure he puts as much blood and sweat into what he does as Sigmund Freud did. You see, what, what sounds to you like a big load of trashy old noise... is in fact... the brilliant music of a genius... myself. And that music is so powerful, that it's quite beyond my control. And, ah... when I'm in the grips of it, I don't feel pleasure and I don't feel pain, either physically or emotionally. Do you understand what I'm talking about? Have you ever, have you ever felt like that? When you just, when you just, you couldn't feel anything, and you didn't want to either. You know, like that? Do you understand what I'm saying, sir?" (2)

"Where's your will to be weird?" (3)

(1) Joshua Braff Dec. 23 2005

(2) Iggy Pop 1977

(3) Jim Morrison

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I fucking love Enon

2007-03-25T01:41:00.001+01:00

Really. John is amazing. Toko is amazing. Matt is amazing. Oh, Enon.

Anyway, not a very eventful day today. I did put a sweet playlist on my myspace page. Forget just one song. Now you can have as many as you want! The service lists tons of bands: from the obscure to the well known, from the shitty to the unmatchable.

I almost forgot, I do have this bit of fun for all you ibuprofen lovers out there. Considering the (often related) intakes of NSAIDs and alcohol in college campuses, homes, and city streets across the world, it's interesting that there is no warning about this on the label. Granted, there is a warning about alcohol intake and GI bleeding. But a little bleeding and renal failure are two different things!

technorati tags:myspace, NSAID, ibuprofen, enon

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So I wrote a huge entry and then I deleted it . . . oops

2007-03-24T01:21:00.001+01:00

Here goes again (except this is the condensed and abridged version).

The last two weeks I've been working at the Centro de Investigaciónes Principe Felipe (cipf) with some really great people. So far I've just been getting a handle on the lab and what everyone does, but next week I'll hopefully be starting my own project. Anyhow, below is the lab and most of the people I work with.

Since my last communication I've been to see the final fireworks (Nit de Foc=>Night of Fire), I've seen my first corrida, and I witnessed the Crema or burning of the fallas.

Ok that's it for today. I'm tired.

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Dichos de Zaragoza

2007-03-21T16:42:00.001+01:00

Aunque me veas con otras

no tengas celos de mi,

todas me parecen feas

cuando me acuerdo de ti.

Si quieres ser buena suegra

y de la nuera alabada,

ten la bolsa bien abierta

y la boca bien cerrada.

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Terminal

2007-03-17T18:00:00.001+01:00

I was checking out other blogs from spain and I found this interesting snippet on a man who's been living in the Madrid airport for three years. I reminds me of Mehran Karimi Nasseri. Anyway, his name is Feld.

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Fallas

2007-03-17T05:26:00.001+01:00

Things went ok out tonight (well, this morning). The fireworks were awesome; better than most (if not all) the fourth of julys I've seen. Once we got to El Carmen (the nightclub district) it was complete mayhem. I saw a kid get badly burnt with a fire-cracker, and several times our group had to dodge them ourselves!

First time out and I'm getting back at 5:30!! The metro was a wreck.

Pictures to come

2007-03-16T21:22:00.001+01:00

For the last few days I've been a guest student in Enrique O'Connors cytometry lab at the Centro de Investigaciones Principe Felipe. It's pretty amazing and I'm meeting a lot of interesting people. Tonight we went to see the Mascletá together and then had lunch afterwards. Now I'm going to meet Angie and Sandra (girls from the lab (actually they're all girl's except for me, and one of the technichians, and Enrique of course) and some of her friends for dinner and then we're all going to see the firewoks (castillos) at one.

pics coming soon

out!!

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Rocódromo

2007-03-12T20:02:00.001+01:00

Who would think that below an ordinary bridge in Valencia c. there is a mini bouldering gym? Certainly not me, but it exists. I went there today to explore after a tip from a friend on flickr. Suffice it to say that it isn't the ideal place for bouldering (I fell after a hold became uncemented), but for being outside in the middle of a bustling city, and free I'd say it's a find. On a sunny day with some friends and a crash pad it's probably a lot of fun.

Here is the hold that fell on my head.

The mascletada on the ninth in plaza de ayuntamiento.

Here are Katya and Gabriel.

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recap of the last few days + today

2007-03-11T00:20:00.000+01:00

I just realized that I haven't introduced my hosts yet. They are two amazing generous people who have allowed me to stay in their home and have fed me and taken me out and I don't know what else. They are G and K. G is from the province of Cordoba in Argentina and K is from Russia. They are amazing and I don't know how I will ever repay them.

G and K also have a red tailed African grey parrot. Her name is Benjamina and I've suspended all judgement about her possible illegal status out of respect for G. Benjamina (or loca) is still terrified of me and often growls at me like a dog, puffs her chest out, and bobs her head in, what I suppose, is supposed to be a terrifying example of her strenghth and ferocity.

Anyhow, today was a full day. First though, a little bit about the last two days. The day before yesterday, around noon, K and I went to meet G at the main plaza (Ayuntamiento, which means administration or mayorality if such a thing exists). Then at two was the mascletada. Which is a daily occurence of rythmic explosions and fireworks. Mostly it's a lot of smoke and a few sparks. I'll put up some pics later.

Yesterday, I was sick with a head cold so I slept in a lot. Then at night we went to St. Patricks pub near Ayuntamiento and had a few beers with a charming couple. The guy, D is a vet from Argentina and his girl, M is a Valenciana training to be a school teacher. They want to come climbing with me!

Today we (G,K, and I) met up with D, and M in Castellón (a town about 40 miles out of Valencia C.) for an asado (Argentenian grill out). Man, nobody does it like los Argentinos, except for my pops that is.

Pics to come when I have more time. I promise.

Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias

2007-03-08T01:38:00.000+01:00

Today K gave me a brief walking tour of Valencia city. We walked through the major plazas (Ayuntamiento, Plaza de la Reina), and to the north side of the old city where we walked through the antiguo cauce del rio Turia, or the old river Turia. The old river Turia is now a giant green space that hugs the old city from the north and continues into the urban sprawl that is new Valencia. On our walk I also got to see one of the remaining gates from the old city wall (there are two now). This one was called Torres de Serrano.

Around noon K went back to Zafranar and I stopped at a little restaurant called L'ALMONLINA for a bite to eat and some beer. It wasn't lunch time (the Spanish have a four meal day desayuno, café, comida, and cena), but I was hungry so I had a perico and two cañas of San Miguel beer. A caña is smaller than a pint, and a perico is a sandwich made from egg, onion, and tomato. For a while I thought I was eating an authentic spainsh treat, but then I met the lady behind the counter who turned out to be from Columbia and informed me that the perico was not Spanish at all. Anyhow, when she found out I was Peruvian she seemed to take a liking to me and I think she gave me a discount (I paid about 6USD).
After lunch I headed to 'Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias.' It's a 35,000 meter squared complex of buildings spread out on the last section of the old Turia riverbed befor the sea (although you can't see the ocean from the complex). It's quite impressive with five major areas.

1. Hemesféric: houses a planetarium, an IMAX, and a laser show

2. Museo de las Ciencias Príncipe Felipe: an interactive science museum

3. L'Oceaonogràfic: Europe's largest aquarium

4. Palau de les Artes: convention center / auditorium / and arts structure/building

5. L'Umbracle: an outdoor landscaped walk with an impressive 109 arch structure shading the entire thing

Primer dia

2007-03-07T01:01:00.000+01:00

Llegue hoy en Valencia, España despues de un viaje agotador de 20 horas!!

I'm in Valencia, Spain after an exhausting 20 hour voyage!!

I'll be trying to post every day from here on out, but I'm not making any promises. Anyhow, I'm going to bed now, but I'll leave you with this great pic of me at Gatwick Airport. Yes, I'm taking a dump. I had also traveled about 15 hrs by this time.