Archive for the ‘General’ Category
Yabadoo - bingo en linea
Saturday 8 March 2008 in General
Sí, puedo escribir en Español tambien! He encontrado un guía sobre bingo en línea, es muy completo y me gusta el diseño de la pagina.
Technorati
Tuesday 19 December 2006 in General
October, but lovely and warm
Monday 23 October 2006 in General
Ah yes, this is why I live in Barcelona! Almost the end of October, and it’s still shorts weather! Compare that to the UK - I was there a few weeks ago, and was kicking myself as I had packed totally the wrong clothes, it was so damn cold!
Here, I’m having morning coffee on the balcony, basking in the sun…ah yes, this is why I’m here…
Jazztel - worst telecoms provider in Barcelona
Monday 9 October 2006 in General
Last Monday, I lost my ADSL and telephone connections. I picked up my mobile and tried to call the Jazztel customer service number 1566 - after entering my contract number and being identified as a customer, I was then told that the number only worked from fixed lines and was cut off. Great, so what number do you call to report that your fixed line doesn’t work?!?
I tried another number, and was given a choice of saying I was a JAzztel customer, or saying that I wanted to become one. The first option resulted in another automatic selection of choices, and all of the combinations resulted in the system hanging up on me. So I then chose the second option, and unsurprisingly was answered straight away by a human!
So, at last someone to speak, so all should be well, right? Well, despite calling everyday, a week later I am still without connections, and am still informed that “the technicians are looking into it”. I suspect there are none.
And don’t get me started on the year-long dispute regarding being over-charged….
Getting groceries delivered
Wednesday 19 April 2006 in General
Another top tip for the idle - all the supermarkets here (Bon Preu, Corte Ingles, Caprabo, etc) will deliver your shopping to your door. Some make a nominal charge, but well worth it to avoid lugging those 8 litre bottles of water up the stairs!
What happened to February?
Sunday 12 March 2006 in General
Keen observers will note that there are no entries for February - let’s just say that there’s been good snow this year 
Cooking Monkfish
Sunday 12 March 2006 in General
Don’t let it dry out! Best to cook it in a tasty sauce, and watch it like a hawk!
No Smoking!
Wednesday 18 January 2006 in General
The days of inhaling your dining neighbour’s smoke as you tuck into your tapas are now over! As of the 1st of Jan 2006, there are big restrictions on smoking in public places. I for one was sceptical about how this would work, in the first European country to “discover” tobacco, and where it seems that everyone puffs away merrily as if lung cancer was unheard of.
I’ve passed through several of my favourite eating places recently, and have been amazed at how quickly people have adapted to the new legislation. Definitely no downturn in business, no noticeable discomfort in anyone’s behaviour, and much pleasure in not reeking of smoke after a quick beer and tapas session. Amazing!
Winter beach
Thursday 15 December 2005 in General
Cycled down to the beach today, I love being by the sea even if it’s too cold to contemplate getting wet. You get a different kind of person on the beach in winter than you do in summer - many more loners, oddballs, and idlers 
Or maybe they just stand out more easily, as there’s no-one else to blend in with.
I watched a lone surfer attempting to make the most of the waves, which were robust by BCN standards but pretty poor by most others. There was also an impressively long, almost invisible string, which almost lopped my head off - looking up, this was attached to a kite a long, long way away, and being flown by someone who was clearly in his own class of idler!
Cycling back along the seafront, past all the restaurants, I noticed that yet more of the sand had been eaten away - obviously a big storm recently that I somehow missed. Some of the walkway is now a couple of metres above the level of the sand, making cycling a little more perilous than usual. Must have been an interesting night for the resident drunks on that stretch of the seafront - I’ve been in Barcelona for over 3 years now, and am constantly amazed that whenever I pass that spot, the same couple are still there. The woman of the “house” sweeps the sand from their little patch, makes string braceletes, and chats amiable enough with the old boys from the card-playing club…though I’ve seen her on full form in the Plaza Reial, not a pretty site…
On my way back, I passed through Plaza George Orwell, aka Plaza Tripi - so nick-named as many of Barcelona’s more psychadaelic (how do you spell that anyway?!?) residents used to hang out there. I say used to, as since the introduction of 10,000 additional local police, the Barrio Gotico has changed quite dramatically. In fact, as I munched a felafel from Dionysos, I was the only person stationary in the whole square! Gone were the druggies, gone were the dealers, gone were the attendant colorful characters…in fact, it was pretty dull! Maybe a return visit on a warmer Friday night might be a different story, I hope so - better slightly risque than dull, no?!?
Relaxed as usual
Thursday 15 December 2005 in General
Of course, I’ve been meaning to do this for years, but somehow never got round to it…
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