The Palacio Pages: junio 2005

A Few Days in a Nutshell

I got back on Saturday afternoon, completed some mundane tasks, and then took a nap to prepare for a night out celebrating my cousin's birthday. We went to Liar's club, where we danced, drank and made a night of it.

On Sunday, Chris, Dave and I went to Marina Cafe for lunch (a place to which I definitely will return), and then Chris and I continued on to Kaylin's first birthday party.

Monday I didn't do much.

After work on Tuesday, I was pleased to notice that a rainbow was showing in the sky to the south east from my balcony! I snapped a photo and called a local friend to ensure that at least one other person witnessed the beauty.

I am too tired to write more now, but I have posted pictures.

A rainbow in the east!

Kaylin in the trees

Kaylin tasting the myserious, colourful frosting!

A happy first birthday for Kaylin!

From the Business Centre in Manchester

Thanks to the 'scheduled maintenance' of one of Iberia Airlines' airplanes, I arrived three hours late to Frankfurt yesterday and missed my connecting flight. I spent the evening in Frankfurt and woke up early to take an alternative flight through Manchester to Chicago. I will hold back the words I would like to write about Iberia Airlines and suffice with saying that it is good to be back in the Anglo-Saxon world, and in the good hands of British Airways and American Airlines. I now feel much more confident of timely departure and friendly service for the duration of the trip.

I should land at O'hare at 1:00 P.M., only 21 hours after the scheduled arrival. And I will say that this is the first such delay I have experienced in 3 years of international travel. Let's hope this is also the last such occurrence.

Now, it's back to the comforts of the British Airways VIP lounge, with its free snacks and drinks. Sure, it's nice, but it doesn't make up for the missed time with friends on Friday night and Saturday morning... Don't worry, Primo, I still plan to see you at Liar's club, tonight.

A Good Day at Work

Today was a great day at work, one of those days where I enjoyed every moment. I spent the morning at the warehouse just outside of Madrid, then returned to the office and spent a good 2 hours talking through some questions with the accounting supervisor in the office. He and I both enjoy peppering our work-related conversation with the occasional exchange of cultural differences.

Today's discussion (both work-related and personally intresting): vacation and other benefits. Everyone in the Madrid office earns 30 days per year, but this includes weekends. So, essentially, they earn 21.4 working vacation days per year. This is considerably more than I earn, but their extra public days off make the difference more pronounced.

Also, both vacation days as well as salaries and other benefits are negotiated on their behalf by their industry's trade union. Each industry has its own trade union, which negotiates many of requirements for salary and benefits from management down to warehouse workers.

And this is to say nothing of the 15.5 'monthly' paychecks they receive during a year. This is too complicated to explain on these pages!

Yes, it is these differences that sometimes enchant me and sometimes make me glad to call Chicago my home. Tonight, for instance, after appetizer, dinner, dessert, and coffee, we waited 30 minutes in a hot, smoky room for the bill. As I got impatient about leaving the restaurant after coffee, I realized that I am quite the harried American!

However, today, on our way out of the warehouse, I saw a warehouse worker driving a forklift with a few pallets of material on the fork. He was lackadaisical, not minding the bumps on the road up to the receiving dock. The best part of the moment was that he was casually smoking a cigarette as he drove the forklift into the warehouse. I wish I could have snapped a photo. It would have captured the Spanish carefree attitude, even if this same attitude is sometimes foolish, dangerous, and backwards, part of me admires it. All I can say is, "Viva España," and may the differences among nations and cultures continue to intrigue, inspire and make this world a wonderful place to live!

La Luna Llena from my Hotel in Madrid

Don't worry lunatics, I took the time to admire the full moon tonight after dinner. I even gave a howl from the balcony of my hotel, though it was muted so I would not wake the neighbors.

The Tio Pepe sign in Puerta del Sol

Mamma Mia … and Papa too!

My weekend in Madrid was nice. On Friday, I continued my streak of opening restaurants when I got to Lia … Me at 8:15 P.M. and I was the first person to sit down! No matter, I enjoyed the Dominican fare. And, since it was Friday night, I even enjoyed the 30 minutes it took the staff to prepare the bill after I requested it. I guess trying to eat and leave in less than two hours is too much to ask from España! But, as they say, “No pasa nada.”

After dinner on Friday I walked around Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and Plaza Mayor, enjoying the energy of a Madrileño night along the way. After a few hours of strolling, I went home for a 'relatively' early night.

Saturday morning I went to the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid’s third most important art collection. After that I lunched at Plaza Mayor, then wandered the shopping district north of Puerta del Sol and finally headed back to the hotel for a siesta. I rested briefly, reading and relaxing and then went out to see my first ever musical in Castellano…

Mamma Mia!!!
It was incredibly amusing to hear ABBA songs in Spanish! … “A vivir, A bailar, eres una fiesta sinfín!” -- That’s right, you’re the Dancing Queen! Unfortunately, I couldn’t get tickets to a Spanish production called, Hoy no me Puedo Levantar, which similarly puts Mecano’s music into the musical form. Perhaps this show will travel to Chicago?

On Sunday, I went out to the Rastro, Madrid’s flea market. It was fun to see the activity and variety that every flea market seems to attract, but I only spent an hour there before heading back to the hotel. Sunday was meant to be a zero day, and I did naught for the rest of the day, besides reading and catching up on a miscellany of tasks.

Papa Too
Of course, I also called my dear old Dad to wish him a Happy Father’s Day! One of the unfortunate parts of this dream job is that while Mom, Dad, the brothers, sisters-in-law and little ones are all hanging out, I am stuck in a far off land. It’s strange, but even being in the capital city of my adopted country, did not sufficiently distract my desire to be back with the rest of my clan. Alas, but in this day of emails, blogs and telephone calls, we are truly only a few touches of some buttons away from each other; and so it was nice to wish my Dad a great Father’s Day from this far off land.

Monday and It’s Back to Work
Our work has been productive. As I rehashed our findings to my manager, he shared my premonition that we will have to return to Madrid within a year or so to ensure they improve their practices. It's unfortunate for the Madrileños, but I won't mind returning to the land of rioja, tapas and sevillanas ... ¡Olé!

Guia del Ocio -- Local Knowledge

A Spanish colleague just recommended a website for restaurants and entertainment in Madrid (and all of España): www.guiadelocio.com

With the help of this site I should be able to plan this weekend out pretty well. There is definitely something to be said for local knowledge! Of course, there is also something to be said for planning ahead, but I am simply running behind schedule in many areas of my life right now, including planning weekends abroad; I hope to catch up by the time I return from España...

La Oficina en Madrid

This is my second time to the office in Madrid. Although smoking is allowed, and sometimes the air-conditioning does not keep up with the sun’s heat, I enjoy the office because I really like all of the people here. So it’s been good to see them again and to hear a steady flow of the Castilian brand of the language commonly known as Spanish.

Earlier this week, as I was saying hello to the accounting staff, several of them asked how Los Sanfermines were. Wow, I had almost forgotten! The last time I came to this office was in May 2003, when I was anxiously looking forward to running with the bulls in the streets of Pamplona. I guess these Spaniards were so impressed (and undoubtedly stupefied) that I was planning to run that they have not forgotten even after two years. Many of them claimed to have been watching the TV as the casualties were announced each day, hoping not to see evidence of this American named Tim being hurt.

I guess it is good to be remembered, whatever the reason!

La Venganza de Los Sith

I saw the third episode of Star Wars this evening. I think I enjoyed this one the most and those who know me well might guess why: I saw it in Castellano!!! Seeing Yoda speak in Spanish was my favorite part, though at times it was challenging to keep up with his turned around phrasing in my second language.

Fire, Tobacco and Nicotine
Several thousand years ago, mankind learned how to make a fire, and I’m sure that shortly after that he figured out how to smoke various substances with that same fire. The majority of mankind has been enlightened since then, armed with the knowledge of the residue in the lungs and veins of the smoker and the short-term and long-term health defects caused by this smoke. (Not to mention the damaged sense of taste and smell!)

Mankind in España has not got this message.

It’s not so much that I mind that others smoke. Truly, as a libertarian, I believe that each person owns their own self, and should be free to do as he pleases so long as he does not harm another’s self. And that’s my beef: second-hand smoke does harm another, actually several others.

So, since I certainly won’t complain about this at the Madrid office, where I estimate that I have inhaled the equivalent of three cigarettes in three days, I vent here in the Palacio Pages. It’s official, my number one complaint about España is that they allow smoking nearly everywhere, including the office. It’s vulgar, it’s disgusting, and it decreases the happiness and health of many while satisfying the urges of a few (okay, in España, more than a “few” smoke). God Bless California, New York City, Ireland and Ohio for banning smoking in public!

The two duties I expect of smokers are:
1) Avoid smoking into other people’s lungs.
2) Pay for the cost of the lifestyle choice either through appropriate
taxes on the purchase of the harmful substances or through modified
health/life insurance premiums to reflect modified health expectancy.

I think the same two duties, if applied to every other substance under the sun, would suffice, at least from the Law’s point of view. And then we could all be a little bit happier.

That’s my rant for the night. Besides this small complaint, I am quite happy to be back under the Spanish sun. And I will savor my smokeless night's sleep, as I look forward to another day of smelling the smoke at the office.

Back in España

I ended up sleeping in quite a bit on Saturday morning in The Palacio, so when I got on the plane at 6:50 P.M., I knew I wasn't going to be sleeping during the flight. After catching up on The Economist and Newsweek, I actually watched some movies.

I started with Maria, Full of Grace. Wow! This story was amazing and depressing at the same time. I only wish it wasn't based on real life. Besides being a compelling story about a young Columbiana named Maria, the story reminded me of what I have believed for a long time: that the "war on drugs" as conducted by the United States causes more harm than good.

After Maria, I had to switch to something more light-hearted, Spanglish did the trick. I laughed out loud several times, trying not to stir any of my sleeping neighbors.

To continue with the Hispanic theme, I then watched Mar Adentro. Unfortunately, we landed just as Ramón Sampedro was about to publish his book. It was difficult to watch and get to like a character who is so adamant about ending his life. I wish he didn't feel that way, but the movie makes it difficult to hold the position that a government should prevent him from fulfilling his wishes.

In Madrid
My co-worker and I walked around Plaza Mayor and Puerta del Sol. We browsed around in an El Corte Inglés, and dined at a great Jordanian restaurant. For those who don't know, España has experienced great economic growth in the last decade, which has brought many North Africans across the Mediterranean Sea to fill unskilled jobs. An excellent side-effect of this trend is the abundance of great Maghreban and other Arabic restaurants. I plan to probe more of these establishments before I leave!

Un Poco en Castellano
Pues, estoy encantado estar otra vez en mi segundo país. Aunque Madrid no sea mi cuidad favorita, en estos días voy a tratar de buscar lo bueno de ésta ciudad, la mas poblada de España. Seguro que podré disfrutarla de alguna manera, y mientras tanto, gozaré escuchando, viendo y viviendo un poco de la vida española.

This week in June

The week at work was intense as I tried to wrap up 4 weeks of projects and tried to sort my thoughts out for the upcoming project in España. On Wednesday, I spoke briefly with the finance manager in Madrid and I must say that I'm excited to be surrounded by the Castillian accent again!

After work, the week was very pleasant and relaxing. Chris and I caught the sunsets on Tuesday and Thursday evening. This is probably one of the best features of living at The Palacio, to be sitting on the balcony in the summertime, with a bottle of beer in hand, just watching the sun go down and talking about the various experiences life has brought our way.

On Wednesday evening I went to dinner with a long-time friend Carrie. We met back in Granada, España, and have each gone on to use our Spanish language skills in interesting ways. She has followed her heart and passion and worked with children of all sorts in some very admirable ways. It's always inspiring to see a friend following her passions.

A Day Off in the Life
In gratitude for some long and intense days in México two weeks ago, my boss gave me a free day off on Friday. As I planned for the day, I got a little carried away with the itinerary, but I think I followed in the spirit of Daniel Burnham, Chicago's famous architect and urban planner, who once said, "Make no little plans, they have no magic to stir men's blood ... make big plans, aim high in hope and work." Even for a day of fun, those words rang true for myself and my friend Natalie.

We awoke early to observe the sunrise over Lake Michigan at 5:15. We then marveled at the quietude of Chicago's early morning, before we rode bicycles up to Ann Sather's for some great Swedish pancakes, meatballs and waffles (not to mention her famous cinnamon rolls!) By 9:00 AM, we were on MJ (one of Chicago Sailing Club's boats) on our way out of Belmont Harbor.

We sailed for three hours through steady winds on Lake Michigan, enjoying the stillness and silence of the morning. While we were sailing, it was easy to forget the hustle and bustle that must have been occurring only a few miles away among the landed folk. Indeed, sailing was the perfect way to get away from it all for a moment and rejuvenate myself for another two weeks of working abroad!

After sailing, Natalie and I rode our bikes south from Belmont all the way to 31st Street beach. It should surprise no one familiar with Chicago that the color of the skin on these beaches changed drastically between Ohio Street Beach and 31st Street Beach. As we lay on the 31st Street Beach, it was hard to imagine that we were in the same Chicago that also is home to Ann Sather's and Belmont Harbor up on the North Side. Besides the skin-color, the language, behavior and the apparent income level were also markedly different.

It is amazing how persistent Chicago's color and economic divide has been. Nonetheless, I hope for a day when the colors are more intermixed, whether on the beaches, in the neighborhoods, or even in sports and in the working world. Perhaps in a humble way, Natalie and my afternoon on the 31st Street Beach, chipped a little piece off of the dividing line.

After the beach I came back to The Palacio, showered and took a 20 minute siesta until Chris came home from work. He and I then met Mark and Tracy out for Happy Hour at Rivers in the Loop. By the time I got back to my bed on Friday night, I fell fast asleep.

That's all I have for the week. Now I've got to put my luggage together and head to my favorite country outside the United States. I won't complain!

Thursday's sunset from The Palacio's balcony.

The sun also rises (a view from the east side of the Adler Planetarium)

Yo no soy marinero, soy capitán, soy capitán, soy capitán!

Tres amigos celebrating happy hour at Rivers in the loop.

Birthday celebration at Mi Tierra and Nacional 27

Out of respect for my life-long interest in latino culture, many of my friends and family met me out for dinner at Mi Tierra and dancing at Nacional 27 on Saturday night. Mi Tierra was great! The highlight was seeing many of us (including my Mother and Grandmother) get up for the Conga line. Mi Tierra is pure Mexican fun, and it did not disappoint on the night of my birthday.

After dinner, Jason, Ceebs, Tara, Alex, Natalie, Marlena, Joan and Maria came over to The Palacio for a drink and some views of summer lightning storms from the balcony. Everyone except Ceebs, Tara and Alex continued on to Nacional 27 for drinks and dancing. Several others were already sipping on mojitos by the time we arrived at the club.

What can I say? Every time I go out dancing, I think to myself that I need to go out dancing more often! I had a blast. Even if I haven't improved as much as I would like with my salsa, merengue and bachata skills, I've learned that to have fun on the dance floor, it's not as important to know the exact steps as it is to smile and try my best. Many thanks to those who were kind enough to follow my lead on Nacional's dance floor!

Sunday
Chris and I went out for breakfast at Lou Mitchell's in the west loop. The place has been open since 1923 and the food was superb. It's only 2 miles away from The Palacio, so we returned on foot and enjoyed a leisurely stroll through the Loop and along Michigan Avenue. This helped to burn off the bacon and pancakes I over-indulged on and make room for lunch!

After breakfast, I headed to my parents' house for a birthday lunch. My brothers, sisters-in-law and sobrinos were all present and accounted for. I saw Kaylin for the first time in about seven weeks. She and Thor are growing so fast. It's a delight to share some moments of their budding development.

I visited with the family until about 5:30 when I headed back to The Palacio. Soon after I got back, Chris and I went for another walk, this time to da 12th Street beach over dare by da' Adler Planetarium. (I'm sorry, I just spent a few hours mimicking a strong Chicago accent and my writing has been overcome by this thought pattern! I'll stop that right now.) Chris and I were joined by our friendly neighbors, Marlena and Natalie, who pretended to be amused by our exaggerated Chicago accents. All told, we each enjoyed some splendid lake, skyline and sunset vistas. And on this hot and humid Chicago day, I was particularly thankful for the cooling effects of Lake Michigan.

It's been a great weekend. Now I've got to get back to the business of being 28!

Sunset over Chicago from 12th Street Beach

Chris and me at the beach

Our shadows on the beach.

Kaylin and Tio Tim

Kaylin and Tammy

Kevin proudly holding his son.

Kaylin and Thor, figuring it all out.

My parents and I at the dinner table.

Grandma, bailando in the conga line.

Natalie, Chris and I marching in the conga line at Mi Tierra

Feeling 28 on the balcony of The Palacio

On the Eve of My Birthday

Back in The Palacio
What a week! My days in México were long and hectic. The work was very challenging, if at times stressful. At the end of the day, my (and my team’s) work was appreciated by the leaders of our company, and I was sincerely grateful for the experience.

That is enough about work; I’m much more excited to be back in The Palacio. Tonight is the eve of my birthday; tomorrow morning marks 28 years since I was born. I wonder, what must it have been like for Jeff and Cathy 28 years ago, as they anticipated their first born child? I’m not sure they even knew what they were getting into, but I’m grateful to them for taking the time to bring me into this world and guide me into adulthood.

E Pluribus Unum
I love the idea that ‘many’ came together to make ‘one.’ I am an heir to the legacies that have been handed down to me by my mother, father, grandfathers, grandmothers, great-grandparents, and so on. Many individuals followed their life paths, made decisions, heeded their God, left their homes and countries, took risks, or even deferred their dreams. And the result of these innumerable decisions was my birth on 4 June, 1977.

Since then, many of those same people have influenced my physical, mental, emotional and spiritual growth. Of course, many non-ancestors have also made their mark. Some of these influences were introduced to my life through my parents and relatives, others I met as I ventured off on my own. First on a missions trip to Ecuador back in 1994, then to the University of Illinois and Granada, España for my formal education. Summers at the caddy shack also brought experiences and people into my life, and my professional work life brought new influences and learning opportunities as my career began with Andersen and continues with my current employer. And this is not to mention the random strangers who have guided, entertained and sometimes distracted me along the way.

I believe that my presence here is no accident. I understand that many intelligent people look at life and see nothing but circumstances guided by chance. I have a hard time believing that, but rather I believe that not one of the decisions made by those who came before me, or the decisions made by me in the past 28 years, were without purpose. Surely, God was and is present at each moment, each cross-road, turning point, and even every moment of silent self-doubt or melancholy. God has seen my moments of heartfelt worship, just as He has seen my moments of sinful folly.

With that said, after close to 28 years completed here, I must say that I am most grateful for my God and friend, Jesus. I’m not sure that I’ve been the best friend to Him, but He has never left me. On this, the eve of my 28th birthday, I am struck by the many blessings I enjoy. An old hymn says, “count your blessings, name them one by one; count your many blessings see what God has done.” As I lay to sleep tonight, I’ll rest easy remembering the family, friends, memories, and experiences that I have been blessed with. I have no idea if I’ll be here for another 28 years, but I’ll look forward to as many years as I am given on this earth.

Yes, it will be good to be 28.