Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Monday, September 21, 2009
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Good Homesick...
Is homesickness the same as wishing that parts of home were with you?
Funny...going back to Santa Barbara for school never really caused feelings of homesickness. Perhaps it was the idea of knowing how close home is, that convenience factor, which made it easy to cope with leaving all of your friends and family for the new school-year (not that I ever took much advantage of the short trek). Being on the other side of the world sort of puts visiting home for the weekend out of the question, that is unless you are Richard Branson or have figured out the impossibility of teleportation. Don't get me wrong, loss of convenience is a small price to pay for such an experience...and I am more than capable of dealing with such a minor and normal disposition....simply thought I would throw the feeling out there in the name of Los Angeles/California and all the god damn great people/places it occupies.
Ohhhhh...got it...its because now I had to leave both Santa Barbara and LA behind, the double whammy is new to me... Glad to be able to call these two paradises home... and to now be in the process of adding a third. This city is alive and I wish all of the people i care for could feel its pulse, or maybe its just the metro lines vibrating underneath our apartment building... either way, it feels nice.
Relevant tunes:
Wish you were here: Pink Floyd or Incubus
Funny...going back to Santa Barbara for school never really caused feelings of homesickness. Perhaps it was the idea of knowing how close home is, that convenience factor, which made it easy to cope with leaving all of your friends and family for the new school-year (not that I ever took much advantage of the short trek). Being on the other side of the world sort of puts visiting home for the weekend out of the question, that is unless you are Richard Branson or have figured out the impossibility of teleportation. Don't get me wrong, loss of convenience is a small price to pay for such an experience...and I am more than capable of dealing with such a minor and normal disposition....simply thought I would throw the feeling out there in the name of Los Angeles/California and all the god damn great people/places it occupies.
Ohhhhh...got it...its because now I had to leave both Santa Barbara and LA behind, the double whammy is new to me... Glad to be able to call these two paradises home... and to now be in the process of adding a third. This city is alive and I wish all of the people i care for could feel its pulse, or maybe its just the metro lines vibrating underneath our apartment building... either way, it feels nice.
Relevant tunes:
Wish you were here: Pink Floyd or Incubus
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Familiar Faces in Foreign Places
En route to study in England...schoolmates and friends Matt McLaughlin and Justin Kassan have graced us with their presence. Despite the rain we were able to enjoy an eventful day by first introducing to them our neighborhood of the Sagrada Familia, then indulging in some Spanish snacks (most notably Patatas Bravas), and continuing with a futbol battle in a nearby park (probably looked like an FC Barce Club practice, its just how we do). They then went out while I let the rest of the evening borrow my time for studies...now the sojourners lay fast asleep in front of me as I write this post...not in any weird way ya freaks (exercise, chupitas, cervesas, and jet-lag prove a good recipe for exhaustion). Well, glad to have them here and I am excited to show them the city that I am still getting accustomed to.
Best,
Jordan
Best,
Jordan
Friday, September 11, 2009
Today is the National Day of Catalonia / 9-11 attacks we remember
I have taken a moment of silence for those who suffered most in the tragedies of 9/11.
Barcelona - On September 11, Catalonia (Spain) commemorates the 1714 Siege of Barcelona defeat during the War of the Spanish Succession. As a punishment for their support to the claim of Habsburg Archduke Charles to the throne of Spain, institutions and rights of the territories of the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon were abolished by the victorious absolutist Bourbon monarchy in line with the political evolution occurring in other parts of Europe at the same time.
In 1980, the restored Generalitat de Catalunya (autonomous Government of Catalonia), as its first public act proclaimed 11 September La Diada, the Catalan National holiday.
Organizations and political parties traditionally lay floral offerings at the monuments of Rafael Casanova and General Moragues for their fight against the Bourbon army.
Catalan nationalists also meet in the Fossar de les Moreres, where they pay homage to the defenders of city who died during the siege and were buried there.
Throughout the day, there are political demonstrations, concerts and celebration events. Many citizens wave either senyeres or estelades and hang them on their balconies.
USA - The September 11 attacks (often referred to as September 11th or 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania, after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There were no survivors from any of the flights.
Barcelona - On September 11, Catalonia (Spain) commemorates the 1714 Siege of Barcelona defeat during the War of the Spanish Succession. As a punishment for their support to the claim of Habsburg Archduke Charles to the throne of Spain, institutions and rights of the territories of the Crown of Catalonia and Aragon were abolished by the victorious absolutist Bourbon monarchy in line with the political evolution occurring in other parts of Europe at the same time.
In 1980, the restored Generalitat de Catalunya (autonomous Government of Catalonia), as its first public act proclaimed 11 September La Diada, the Catalan National holiday.
Organizations and political parties traditionally lay floral offerings at the monuments of Rafael Casanova and General Moragues for their fight against the Bourbon army.
Catalan nationalists also meet in the Fossar de les Moreres, where they pay homage to the defenders of city who died during the siege and were buried there.
USA - The September 11 attacks (often referred to as September 11th or 9/11) were a series of coordinated suicide attacks by Al-Qaeda upon the United States on September 11, 2001. On that morning, 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked four commercial passenger jet airliners. The hijackers intentionally crashed two of the airliners into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, killing everyone on board and many others working in the buildings. Both buildings collapsed within two hours, destroying nearby buildings and damaging others. The hijackers crashed a third airliner into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C. The fourth plane crashed into a field near Shanksville in rural Pennsylvania, after some of its passengers and flight crew attempted to retake control of the plane, which the hijackers had redirected toward Washington, D.C. There were no survivors from any of the flights.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Few things that I have noticed..
- We display our affection to family and friends much differently...For instance, a greeting or saluda is comprised of a few kisses and hugs, and even some men holds hands around town...similar to some men we saw in Africa and Dubai.
- They do not display a certain pride for their Spanish country as a whole, the Catalans or Barcelona people consider themselves separated form the country of Spain...very dissimilar from the states in my opinion, or perhaps I am just bias from being born and raised in Cali, however I doubt this.
- We eat a lot more...however our food has more flavor.
- We use a lot more cussing in regular conversation than the Catalan people.
- We do indeed over-consume energy, no household i have seen yet has a dryer for clothing.
- We have an obsession with stardom and entertainment that the Spanish have not yet expressed.
- LA sucks in the area of transportation...really effin sucks.
- They have a very arcane style: many women have neon colored die in the hair, and the majority of Catalans I have seen have either numerous piercings or tattoos...maybe i should get a few, what do you think Dad/Bubby?
Thats a little.
BOBO
- They do not display a certain pride for their Spanish country as a whole, the Catalans or Barcelona people consider themselves separated form the country of Spain...very dissimilar from the states in my opinion, or perhaps I am just bias from being born and raised in Cali, however I doubt this.
- We eat a lot more...however our food has more flavor.
- We use a lot more cussing in regular conversation than the Catalan people.
- We do indeed over-consume energy, no household i have seen yet has a dryer for clothing.
- We have an obsession with stardom and entertainment that the Spanish have not yet expressed.
- LA sucks in the area of transportation...really effin sucks.
- They have a very arcane style: many women have neon colored die in the hair, and the majority of Catalans I have seen have either numerous piercings or tattoos...maybe i should get a few, what do you think Dad/Bubby?
Thats a little.
BOBO
Finally...
Got and international phone...calling me is free.
685-483-377
...I believe that the code to call Spain is 34 before the number.
BOBO
685-483-377
...I believe that the code to call Spain is 34 before the number.
BOBO
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