Shutting Windows

Not real windows, but because I've had to go up twice already this weekend, or what's left of the weekend, to show one of my neighbours how to switch off her computer, I was reminded of when I first started using Microsoft Windows and the problems I had. I remember thinking that I'd killed it the first few days I had my first computer, a Dell. I had no idea either that Windows 'froze'. I remember telling my sister once that I couldn't shut down Windows, nothing worked. I really hated to bother her since she was having a nap, and, logically at first, she thought I was talking about windows in the house that I couldn't close. Even after years of experience, I still prefer a touchpad to a mouse.

At least now I know I won't kill the computer unless I throw it across the room, and that's something my neighbour has threatened to do.  One of my brothers beat his motorcycle up when he couldn't get it started and completely junked it. I saw a friend once fly into a sandwich that had for some reason begun to fall apart. Oh yes, I get angry when things don't work like I think they should, but I always try and find a solution. I think I've mentioned that I had problems with my Kindle when I first got it. It kept asking me if I'd changed countries. Finally what I did was uncheck Spain and then re-check it and it worked!  I'll try anything before I'll call technical support.

I imagine most people will have heard about the economic woes of Spain. I live near the longest street in Madrid. Any time I have to go to this street for something I see another shuttered shop or one that's in the process of closing its doors. I always stop and look in the windows of the 1001 rugs shop. On Friday when I went to the bank, I saw they were closing down after being there only a year or so. There was absolutely no one inside except the poor sales people.                                                                                    

 Overly-ripe bananas and what to do with them? In the winter with pleasure I use them in banana nut bread and sometimes I use them in smoothies, like the recipe that Evie posted recently. Today I decided to make banana pudding. I make the pudding - it's not from a box because I find these sickly-sweet and then I decorate with a few digestive biscuits and I have a tasty smooth dessert. I didn't heat up the kitchen making it either. My dear mother always said in the summer, "If you can't microwave it, you can't eat it:" Even though I didn't make this in the microwave, I have before and it comes out just as good. I used my homemade vanilla in it too - almost forgot that!

We still have a few days until the 40th of May when according to the saying we can officially put away our winter things. Hope everybody who has off tomorrow can enjoy the weather without having a heatstroke and have a good week ahead.

Sleepless in Madrid

This time of the year is boom time for the bars and restaurants in the area (they make up for their losses during the rest of the year) and just an annoyance for residents unless you happen to be a fan of bullfighting, which I'm not. There will be bullfights every day for the next two weeks - a month in total. After that, when there isn't a bullfight there will be a summer concert in the bullring. Sometimes I hear noise from both but not often. It's the noise before and until the wee hours afterwards which is annoying, not to mention the crowds that make movement in the area almost impossible. If I come home from class before the events begin, I usually have to take a roundabout way to get to my door. One evening last week I had to ask a group of young lads to move their beers in order to be able to put my bag of rubbish in the bin. They were using the bins as a table! The bins, by the way, are outside my windows.

 I really feel sorry for anyone who lives near a lot of clubs and bars, especially when they close for the night. At least for the moment we only have a lot of noise when the weather is nice. I say for the moment because there is a huge place directly across the street that originally was a bingo with two pubs and a restaurant. The noise from this place really started when it became a banquet hall for weddings and such. Now it stands empty waiting for a better economy. Why is it that fights seem to break out at weddings and funerals?

If there weren't a bullfight this evening, tonight would be perfect for sleeping. Yesterday we had a couple of hard rains that didn't last long, but I got caught in one of them and today is jacket weather. Don't worry it'll be hot in a day or two.

I love the photo of Lilly. My sister said she is sweet, but sometimes acts her age - the terrible 2's! Hope everybody has a good week. I'll sleep the best I can.

Multiple Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day for those in the US (ours was last Sunday). I got an extra special gift today, however, because I received a message from a contact who hadn't been blogging for a couple of years. I'm one of those sentimentalists who doesn't often clean out her friemds' list and delete those who are no longer active. After all I don't know why they're silent. Perhaps they prefer facebook, or they have health problems or any number of reasons. I'm especially sentimental about people I've 'known' since Y360 and Maria is one of them. Her message said that since she'd lost her job, she'd just been floating in the universe. I pray that she finds her way and a job soon. I really miss her positive attitude.

Some of you have already commented about Multiply changing hands and continents and this is one thing that I'm going to try and stay positive about as this has been hinted at for a long time. If you google Multiply, you'll see that it's from the Philippines. I know it's been like that since at least last summer. I suppose people are thinking that multiply will be following the steps of Yahoo. I sincerely hope this isn't the case. Who are we to stop 'progress'?

I sure hope things on Multiply don't change as radically as our weather. On the 4th I got drenched coming back from class. I was convinced I'd put an umbrella in my book bag and had decided to go buy some printer ink afterwards. The sky was black, black and I probably would have made it most of the way home had I not had to wait for the salesman to come out of the bathroom (it's a small shop). At the beginning of this week I had to put the heating on and then it was almost time for the air conditioning. It's a bit cooler today and there's a lovely breeze - something we don't usually get in summer.

Tuesday is Madrid's patron saint, St. Isidro, and I'm looking forward to another day off. I'll probably give Zara a quick bath to last her until I can take her for a proper one. Hope everybody has a good day and week.