Tiempo

'Tiempo' in Spanish means either the weather (el tiempo) or time (tiempo, hora) and both have gone a bit mad and left me in a mood that will probably take me a couple of weeks to get over. Yesterday evening between 8:30 and 9:30 PM, we sat in total darkness for (Earth Hour). I didn't completely switch off my electricity because I'd have had the alarm company calling if I had, but everything else like lights, computers, TV, DVD player etc. I did. Yesterday we had rain and a cold, cold wind. Luckily I didn't need the heating on yesterday evening. In a while I'm going to put it on though because it is getting chilly inside. I'm not so much in a mood about the weather as I am about having to put the clock an hour forward before I went to bed last night. I hate Daylight Saving Time! That's something I'd definitely vote against if I were asked. The weather is usually changeable in Madrid at this time of year - one day you go out in a light jacket and the next day it's gloves and scarves weather. The weather I can't change and the time I don't want to change! Enough!

We had another meeting earlier today in my building. This time to hire an administrator. Halleluya! At last. For the past 5 years I've been administrator, accountant, secretary and general gofer, and it's taken up a great deal of my time. Once I even had to cancel a class when something arose that had to be solved there and then. I know I'll still have to type up all the little notes. I just hope now I can have lunch without being interrupted almost every day.

Those of us who are Post Secret addicts will have seen that there weren't any new secrets this week. Last Sunday I was too busy to write my usual Sunday blog but I did visit Post Secret and wow another even number: 224,231,070!

Time is flying here! According to the clock, it's about time for dinner but my stomach doesn't know it. Anyway, hope everybody has a good week. 

 

Vote Earth

I've pledged my vote for the 28th of March between 8:30 - 9:30 PM - that's local time no matter what time zone you live in. Are you going to vote?
BTW, as Diana has mentioned, this graphic is a link.

Cordon Bleu Brenda

Until just a few minutes ago, I didn't believe that burning water was possible. Now, however, I've got a burnt pan to prove it. If I were a blonde, and I have been a few times in my life, I'd say I was having one of my blonde moments. Please if you're a blonde, don't be insulted. That's just what people say when they do something stupid. The same as people are always telling me I haven't got a grandmother (= a Spanish saying) because I'm always bragging about what a good cook I am. Unfortunately, after this episode with the burnt water, I don't think I'll be given a chef's uniform with my name on it by Michelin.

That's not all I've done wrong in the last couple of days. The other day I wanted to download a cool program but was told my browser wasn't supported and IE 4 or above was required. This is the reason why I posted a little button claiming that 'We don't support IE'. In my enthusiasm of having found a site with all kinds of these little buttons and so thankful to Google for finding such a page, I left off half the message, which I've since rectified - at least I think I have. I need some time off. Did I mention I have a long weekend?

P.S. For those of you who don't know it because you've never burnt a pan or can't cook or just don't, bleach will get rid of the burnt bottom. Just leave the bleach in the pan until the burnt part disappears; then wash it. Don't use the pan for a few days until the bleach smell has disappeared. 

I Believe

Never use it if I can avoid it.The reason for this little badge here is because the other day I was told on a site that my browser wasn't supported. I believe in freedom of browsers!
 

E-mail Alerts

Has anybody else got e-mail alerts today that you're not subscribed to? I'm only subscribed to PM's and yet I got e-mail alerts for some posts today. Not a big problem, but my cousins keep my inbox filled up with forwards that are the same old same. There should be a way to have these messages go directly to the spam box. If it were up to me, they wouldn't pass go until they learn to: one - check that their information is right. Just because someone tacks on 'found on snopes.com' doesn't make it true. Two: take off those hundreds and hundreds of e-mail addresses.

Just hope nobody gets this alert in your mail.

Happy St Patrick's

Are These Strawberries?

Yesterday afternoon when I went to do a bit of shopping, I couldn't resist buying the box of strawberries that these two babies were in. All right they're the two biggest, but the others aren't far behind them in size. There's an old train called the Strawberry Train which goes from Madrid to Aranjuez, the strawberry capital. During the journey the train attendants, or whatever they may be called, come around offering strawberries. I'm not exactly sure when it starts its run - probably soon when strawberries are more in season. I've never taken it, but I know lots of people who would love it. I have my fond memories of the Marrakesh Express, which I hope still exists.

I live between two streets of old houses from the 19th C. They were all brothels with a narrow corridor and rooms off it. They're constantly being photographed by students of Architecture. Most have been remodelled, respecting the original architecture of course. However, three of them are pretty dilapidated and uninhabited. In one nearest to my house, I noticed that there were some squatters on Thursday evening when I came back from my classes. On Friday the police were there, but I don't know if they were made to leave. Guess I'll find out when we go to the park tomorrow.

There were some very odd secrets on Post Secret today. I loved the one about putting a pressed flower in library books though - such a sweet idea! I got an even number again today on the visitor counter: 222,482,904. If I were a computer virus, I'd be the Gallup one. LOL.

Hope everybody has a wonderful week. I know I'm looking forward to the 4-day weekend (our first holiday since Christmas)!

Computer Viruses

Read today that Microsoft has just killed a worm which has been plaguing sites like Facebook and MySpace. Wonder when we will no longer have to worry about these viruses?

Humorous Computer Viruses

---

Immediately scan your computer for the following viruses:

PAT BUCHANAN VIRUS: Your system works fine, but it complains loudly about foreign software.

COLIN POWELL VIRUS: Makes its presence known, but doesn't do anything. Secretly, you wish it would.

HILLARY CLINTON VIRUS: Files disappear, only to reappear mysteriously a year later, in another directory.

O.J. SIMPSON VIRUS: You know it's guilty of trashing your system, but you just can't prove it.

BOB DOLE VIRUS: Could be virulent, but it's been around too long to be much of a threat.

STEVE FORBES VIRUS: All files are reported as the same size.

PAUL REVERE VIRUS: This revolutionary virus does not horse around. It warns you of impending hard disk attack: Once, if by LAN; twice if by C.

POLITICALLY CORRECT VIRUS: Never identifies itself as a "virus," but instead refers to itself as an "electronic micro-organism."

ROSS PEROT VIRUS: Activates every component in your system, just before the whole thing quits.

TED TURNER VIRUS: Colorizes your monochrome monitor.

DAN QUAYLE VIRUS (#2): Their is sumthing rong with your komputer, but ewe cant figyour outt watt!

GOVERNMENT ECONOMIST VIRUS: Nothing works, but all your diagnostic software says everything is fine.

NEW WORLD ORDER VIRUS: Probably harmless, but it makes a lot of people really mad just thinking about it.

FEDERAL BUREAUCRAT VIRUS: Divides your hard disk into hundreds of little units, each of which does practically nothing, but all of which claim to be the most important part of your computer.

GALLUP VIRUS: Sixty percent of the PC's infected will lose 30 percent of their data 14 percent of the time (plus or minus a 3.5 percent margin of error).

TEXAS VIRUS: Makes sure that it's bigger than any other file.

ADAM AND EVE VIRUS: Takes a couple bytes out of your Apple.

CONGRESSIONAL VIRUS: The computer locks up, and the screen splits in half with the same message appearing on each side of the screen. The message says that the blame for the gridlock is caused by the other side.

AIRLINE LUGGAGE VIRUS: You're in Dallas, but your data is in Singapore.

FREUDIAN VIRUS: Your computer becomes obsessed with marrying its own motherboard.

PBS VIRUS: Your programs stop every few minutes to ask for money.

ELVIS VIRUS: Your computer gets fat, slow, and lazy, then self destructs, only to resurface at shopping malls and service stations across rural America.

OLLIE NORTH VIRUS: Causes your printer to become a paper shredder.

NIKE VIRUS: Just does it.

SEARS VIRUS: Your data won't appear unless you buy new cables, power supply, and a set of shocks.

JIMMY HOFFA VIRUS: Your programs can never be found again.

KEVORKIAN VIRUS: Helps your computer shut down as an act of mercy.

STAR TREK VIRUS: Invades your system in places where no virus has gone before.

HEALTH CARE VIRUS: Tests your system for a day, finds nothing wrong, and sends you a bill for $4,500.

A Stumble Upon Quiz

51%

This quiz was provided by - Match Special

                   

5th Anniversary

Of the worst terrorist attack in Madrid. I remember that day and the day after very well. My colleague Jorge and I were the only ones in the office. We were, as were a lot of people, convinced that the attacks on the trains had been carried out by ETA (and I, like many others, am still convinced that ETA was somehow involved). We put not very nice messages on the computer in the teachers' room.
 May we never have to witness such senseless acts again and may all the people who died that day in these attacks and all terrorist attacks rest in peace!

Weather Today

I didn't have anything to do last evening (liar!) and decided to take a photograph of the weather for today. That's 21º C in Madrid!

Leave it to Beaver, I Mean Brenda

When I went out to take my dog for a walk earlier today, I saw that someone had spray painted our 'automatic porter' black - you know the thing that people ring when they want to come into a building. You couldn't see any of the numbers. The president has gone to her village for the weekend to be with one of her sisters who is ill. I went to ask the vice president if she had any paint remover because I never use oil-based paint. Neither she nor the other neighbour I talked to had any but her solution was no solution, i.e. she said to wait until Carmela comes back tomorrow afternoon. What???

Today being Sunday the normal shops which sell things like paint remover are closed. We do had a shop called Open Cor (and I didn't translate that) which is open every day of the year. However, I doubt that they sell paint supplies. Anyway, I finally decided to try nail varnish remover and baby wipes and got it all off except for a few spots. I sure wasn't going to wait until Carmela came home and risk having people ring my doorbell at all hours of the night because they couldn't see which buzzer to press. I say all hours of the night because one of the neighbours is a transvestite and works at night. I never criticize anybody's religion, politics, sexual orientation, etc. so I'm not criticizing this person. I do think though somebody who was angry with him sprayed the panel. It's not the first time something similar has happened, and I checked that the buildings nearby hadn't been vandalized.

I was going to the park later on since it's such a lovely day. We still might go but Zara has a tummy bug I think - she's had several bouts of diarrhea this morning. She won't like having to go to the vet's. She's as bad as Amy Winehouse and her rehab.I tried to get Zara to go to the vet's and she said no, no, no!

Just had to post this 'secret' from Post Secret, and yes he's writing another book in case anybody has a secret they'd like to see published. I got an even number today on the visitor counter: 220,786,524.

Hope everybody has a great week. Yippee! Next week I think I'm getting a long weekend!

Stolen From Mimi's Page

This is obviously from a Forward and everybody knows I don't do Forwards - well I sent one once. You didn't get it because it was in Spanish. However, this is one Forward I'll have on my page so I stole it from Mimi who stole it from someone else. Feel free to steal it from here too.

40 Tips for a Better Life 2009 by Robert Alajandro (my note: might be Robert Alejandro)

1.  Take a 10-30 minute walk every day.  And while you walk, smile.  It is the ultimate anti-depressant.

2.  Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.  Buy a lock if you have to.

3.  Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

4.  When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to __________ today.'
5.  Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.

6.  Play more games and read more books than you did in 2008.

7.  Make time to practice meditation, yoga, tai chi, and prayer.  They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.

8.  Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

9.  Dream more while you are awake.

10.  Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11.  Drink green tea and plenty of water..  Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12.  Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13.  Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14.  Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control.  Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15.  Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.

16.  Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.

17.  Smile and laugh more.  It will keep the energy vampires away.

18.  Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

19.  Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20.  Don't take yourself so seriously.  No one else does.

21.  You don't have to win every argument.  Agree to disagree.

22.  Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.

23.  Don't compare your life to others'.  You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24.  No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25.  Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'

26.  Forgive everyone for everything.

27.  What other people think of you is none of your business.

28.  GOD heals almost everything.

29.  However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30.  Your job won't take care of you when you are sick.  Your friends will.  Stay in touch.

31.  Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

32.  Envy is a waste of time.  You already have all you need.

33.  The best is yet to come.

34.  No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

35.  Do the right thing!

36.  Call your family often.  (Or email them to death!!!)

37.  Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________.  Today I accomplished _________.

38.  Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39.  Enjoy the ride.  Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass.  You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

40.  Please Forward this to everyone you care about.

Tribute to Paul Harvey

Died on February 28th at the age of 90, Paul Harvey was a favourite of my mom. Rest in peace.