Little Things

I have such a collection of little things floating around my head all the time, and I always sort of hope that one day they'll blossom into nice blog posts. But who am I kidding, that's not going to happen. So, I've decided that I'd better let these things loose in their larval stage while I'm thinking about them rather than losing them completely.

• Spain's smoking ban, which in theory took effect on Jan. 1st, has been a big disappointment for those of us looking forward to a few smoke-free environments. Ned's got the skinny on this here.
• Spaniards *love* to double park and/or park illegally. Therefore it's inevitable that some lazy-ass person who thinks he's too special (But I'm in a hurry; I get to be exempt!) to find an actual legal parking spot (which admittedly can be quite the onerous chore). It's rather irritating since people who want to leave from the inside spot lay into their horns non-stop until the dastardly double-parker removes his vehicle. Grrrrrr; as if there weren't enough noise without the horns. But sometimes it's sort of amusing. Last week I was on a bus that couldn't complete its turn because some genius parked right at the corner. Naturally, the bus driver honked his big bussy horn. Again. And again. And again. Meanwhile, passersby (mostly male, mostly over 50) congregated to comment upon the situation. Finally the offender emerged from the bank (I just had to get money from the ATM! I was only a few minutes! I'm so speciaaaaaaaaaaaal!) and had the gall to get all uppity in that oh-so-Spanish way about the bus driver being annoyed about the offender leaving his car where it never should have been in the first place. On Sunday some other genius parked his car right in a yellow stripey 'please don't park here' spot on a corner, blocking another bus trying to complete its turn. Ana and I were stuck behind the stuck bus and had the best seat from which to watch the drama unfold. The requisite quinta-plus-genarian males congregated to comment upon and analyze the situation, seemlessly incorporating ever more into their fold. The bus driver honked and honked and honked his horn. Eventually a cop came to write a ticket for the offending vehicle and, we presume, call the tow truck. Still no offending driver. Ana eventually managed to get her car turned around and leave the scene, but from prior experience with such events, Ana informed me that most likely the car got towed while the driver hid out somewhere until the analytical mob dispersed. Better to pay a hefty fine, apparently, than be publicly shamed for your idiocy.
• The weather here has been amazing. Except for this evening's rain, it's been quite blue and sunny and crisp. My favorite kind of weather!
• My iPod is proving to be rather Timex-y. I've stupidly dropped the thing twice yet so far it seems none the worse for it. It's not even scratched! Thank goodness, and thank Apple.