BEN FOLDS TONIGHT!

i'm actually really excited about the show tonight.  even though i've seen him, something like 10 times now, seeing Ben Folds in concert just doesn't get old.  the crowd he draws is [almost] always full of like-minded people that are there to listen to good music and have a good time WITHOUT the drunken, macho, BS that can so often show up at events like this (see DMB fraternity fanboys if you need an example - which is why i'm still debating going to Farm Aid, but i digress...).

tonight though, there should be little to no fanboys, very few drunk chicks yelling loudly, and a whole bunch of Ben's fans grooving to some of the best nerd rock of the last decade - and i can't wait.

shut up and stop smiling

no, i'm not talking to you.  i'm actually not talking to anyone.  i just don't have anything to say, or rather, i have plenty to say, but i don't know where to start.  sooooo, i thought i would just start typing something random and see where it went.  apparently the answer is no where....i apologise for wasting your time.  

then again, it's not like i held a gun to your head and demanded you read this, so maybe i don't need to apologise.  in fact, if anyone needs to be sorry, i think it would be you - how about giving me an apology for attempting to make me feel guilty in the first place?

jack ass.

this is for you little guy...

ode to a db....

you are small in stature
and smaller in frame,
always overestimating your own fame.

if you were half as smart
as you believe yourself to be
you might be able to converse with me.

but the sad thing is
and it's the worst of all,
your the tree from which your apple has to fall.

see he's a good kid
and deserves a shot,
but to overcome your DNA will be a lot.

so my only option now
is supporting him and being there,
consoling him when he grows your back hair.

now you're threatened and don't want me around
but he likes me and that is true,
and so is this: fuck with any of us again, and i will BURY YOU.

sorry...

so clearly i have not been keeping up with this, but if you think about it, that is a good thing.  it means that i have been so busy enjoying things that i have not had much time on the computer.  however, (as those of you with facebook know) i have had plenty of time with my iphone camera and my digital camera to take some pictures, and you know what they say about pictures and their value relative to words :-)

that being the case, if you are wanting to see what i have been up to, head over here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/jeffry.halbert/RaidingTheWindmillsOfMyMind?feat=directlink


that's it for now, headed out to a bar to watch the Inter-Barcelona match with the locals...

Day II: The Prado (or how i learned to stop worrying and love the virgin mary...)

as i alluded to in the last post, i spent most of thursday at the museo nacional del prado.  all kidding aside, it was a very impressive collection, even if there were a LOT of paintings of the virgin mary and the crucifixion.  actually, something i found interesting is that an image, say for instance, the immaculate conception, would be painted by numerous artists.  with each painting pretty much the same, save a few small differences.  in the case of the immaculate conception, i saw probably four or five paintings, all by a different artist, in which the virgin mary was standing on top of the earth, with the serpent under her foot.  apparently it was a common image during the baroque period, which is why most of the paintings share many similarities - though Goya's stood out as substantially different.  the works of Goya the museum presents are very extensive.  with many pieces from each of his periods, i found myself at times really enjoying his exhibits, while at other times i was far from impressed and, i am almost embarrassed to say, wanting to get through the room quickly because i did not care for it at all.  actually i think i may have appreciated Velazquez more than Goya on the whole, though certain periods of Goya's work were better (in my opinion anyway...).

ok, enough about the art (though if you find yourself in Madrid, be sure to go there).  before the Prado, i stopped by a cathedral that was adjacent to it, San Jeronimo El Real.

 

  

there are a couple of more photos of the cathedral (as well as other sites from my trip) in the online album i have set up to accompany this blog,  located on Picassa, here.  i think i can sum up my experience in the church best quoting a journal entry i made immediately after my visit, "...i found myself being moved or somewhat in awe of what i was looking at.  i don't know if it's because of the history of the building - well, i don't know the history so i mean the fact that it has so much history...but it was also just filled with reverence and emotion."  there was quite a bit more, but that's as much of a peek into my psyche as i am willing to give just now (besides, i am pretty sure that some of the stuff i wrote would offend a great number of you, and that is not something i am looking to do :-).

fast forward to when i left the Prado, i walked around for a bit, mainly looking for food since i had not eaten for the past 9 hours - and finally decided upon a little tapas bar that was near the hotel.  once i was seated though, i opted for Paella de Mariscos

and i was NOT disappointed.  there was a surprising variety of seafood in the dish, enough for some in just about every bite.  Paella is very popular here, and i am sure i will be sampling some at a few of the other establishments as well.  mmm....just thinking about it makes me hungry....however, it is 4am, and that is late even for Madrid - lol.  

sooo, i guess i better get some sleep.  i will just have to grab some Paella tomorrow...

until next time....

back online!

as the title says, after a few days of technical difficulty my MacNine is operational again.  i wish i could say that i think it is going to remain that way indefinitely, but honestly the problem seems to be with a spotty hard drive and therefore is going to be hit or miss until i return and get it replaced....that said, it is a hit now, so i will stop wasting time and get on with it...

(for those of you that have been following my progress on facebook some of this may be redundant, but i am sure you can deal with it)

my plane arrived on wednesday around 10 am.  by the time i made it to baggage claim (i think we walked a mile from the plane!), collected my bag, and stood in queue to exchange enough currency for the train ride into town (i was waiting to exchange the rest that i brought as i heard that the rates would be much better away from the airport) it was nearly 11am.  i did make it to the metro alright and i was off to downtown Madrid.  the train was full of interesting people, especially as we progressed farther from the airport and more locals boarded.  i think the highlight of it for me was the two young college age kids that played guitar and sang and then went around collecting donations (i wanted to give them something but the smallest i had was €10 and i was pretty sure that was not in my budget :-)

i made the two transfers that were needed to get to my destination and emerged from the metro in Puerta del Sol.  it was simultaneously beautiful and overwhelming.  there were so many people!  that combined with the massive amount of construction underway (mostly to bolster the city's push for the 2016 olympic games) had me struggling to get around, especially dragging my suitcase behind me (note: Kelly- we definitely overpacked me!)   anyway, i need to speed this up so, got to the hotel.  it is nice, the room is small but it has all been rehabbed and there is free wifi - which is not common here among the cheaper places.  actually in talking to some people i met, this is a good place to stay AND i got a good deal on it (thanks Expedia!)  i did not do a lot the rest of the day.  actually by the time the hotel had my room ready (i had to wait in the lobby for 20 min) i got up to my room and really wanted to shower and change clothes (i had been wearing the same thing since st. louis) - well i managed half of that.  i got the shower in, and sat down on the bed to watch the US Open highlights and next thing i knew it was almost 10!  clearly i was tired, but not having slept for the two nights leading up to the trip i should have expected it i guess.  i got up and after getting my bearings, got dressed and went out.  luckily, around here things are just getting started at that time.  i walked around for quite a while just taking everything in, and eventually decided on a small cafe for dinner.  they did not speak english (one of the reasons i chose it) but i managed ok and had a chorizo sandwich, coke, cerveza and a slice of a type of ham that they keep on the counter.  the woman i sat next to on the flight told me about that and said that i needed to have some (and not to worry that it is not kept cool).  she was right, it was very good.  i stayed until they were ready to close, just taking in all the personalities and watching the interaction of the older man behind the counter (apparently the owner) and the customers of varying ages and levels of sobriety.  i found it interesting that regardless of how obnoxious someone was, he still met them with a smile - even when they knocked some of his stuff over or spilled drinks...
at that point it was nearing 3am, so i headed back to Hostal Persal, went to my room, watched some of the Federer match (live) on tv and went to sleep....

wow.  that was long.  sorry everybody.  i hope that was not too tedious to read, but i think i was just trying to use it as a memory refresher, in case i start to forget things.  anyway, i am going to head out now.  hopefully my "trusty" MacNine will boot when i next attempt it, and i will be able to update again.  as a preview, thursday i spent pretty much the entire day at the Prado - and i will not be able to do that place justice in words, so that update should be pretty short, in fact i might even be able to fill out yesterday's 9+ hours worth of walking around the city too (lost of pictures). 

as for now, i am off to explore and come up with something to write about for today!

buenas tardes!

BIG D

i'm currently in DFW killing time until the flight to Madrid.  i have to say that i think by now we are at a point where free wifi should be offered in all major airports.  i mean, they have charging stations (seats with lots of outlets and usb ports just for charging mobile devices) but i still have to create a tmobile account and pay to use the devices i'm charging.  i understand it, i just don't like it too much.

something else i don't like, is the poor currency exchange rate at aiports - lol.  but what are ya gonna do. i hear it will be better when i get to Madrid, so i'll just wait. 

lest everyone think i'm only negative as i am about to embark on this journey, there are things i do like :-)

for instance, i like the smoothie i just had.  i like that they showed an episode of the office for in flight entertainment on the way down here (even if i slept through the first half).  i like that i'm typing this on my Dell mini 9 that is running OSX :-)

but most of all, i like what i'm about to do.  i will be honest and admit that i find this trip a little intimidating.  mainly because i grow tired of my own company VERY quickly, and if i'm not careful i am going to end up stuck with myself - and only myself - for the next 12 days, and THAT is rather frightening.  but who knows, maybe it's just what i need....

ok, that's it for now.  next time you hear from me i should be in Madrid....

NO ONE expects my Spanish Inquisition!!!

i'm not going to rehash how i came to be here, lest i get frustrated all over again (if you must know, look here http://denmarkgse-jeffry.blogspot.com/), instead i'll just focus on what's important - namely that i'm leaving for Madrid tomorrow.  once there i will be spending the next 12 days and 11 nights experiencing another culture and (hopefully) rediscovering myself.

i plan on sharing bits and pieces of my experiences here, both in pictures and words - so stop back by if you are interested - or you can just wait for the movie (kidding....)