There is a clear trend of things getting automated. In our new car for example we never have to touch the light switch. If it is dark outside, or we are in a tunnel the lights switch on. Since a couple of days our floor is also kept clean by a robot. Not the well known rumba, but we have an iLife.
Our iLife is doing a good job at cleaning the floors. Every day she collects a tray full of dust and sand. Some days we fill her up with water and she also mops the floor.
Iedere week vijf euro betalen. Zomaar opeens, gemakkelijk via de telefoon rekening. Zonder dat je er iets voor hoeft te doen. Zelfs niet eens toestemming geven.
Zo ging het met onze telefoonrekening. Opeens betaalde we iedere week 5 euro voor nummer 900 814 644. Het bleek om een abonnement te gaan op ‘game-station’. Gelukkig (voor ons) hadden ze precies het nummer van Ana, en dat bleef niet ongemerkt. Na een paar telefoontjes kregen we het geld, inmiddels al weer 20 euro) weer terug. Toen bleek ook dat je dit soort nummers gewoon uit kan zetten. Nooit meer ongevraagde superdure nummers die je kan bellen. Vreemd dat dit niet standaard uit staat, maar waarschijnlijk komt dat doordat de telefoonmaatschappij er ook niet slechter van wordt.
Last Sunday it was fathers-day, and I clearly noticed. During the entire day I received lots of presents. Bonbons, a personalized shirt for running, an own for on the fridge and lots more.
Finally I found something at which I am very good. I was asked to do a BOMAT test, and my results very good.
The result summary was as follows:
Your result of 25 correct answers gives you a sten score of 10, which means that about 98% of the reference group achieved a lower score than you, 2% achieved a similar score, and 0% a higher one.
Although I’m happy with the result I still have to see is there is a practical use to all this. The test was quite straightforward. You were shown a number of figures which represented a sequence of evolution’s. The last image was always blank and you needed to select the correct one from a list op possibilities. Not hard in the beginning but it quickly became more complex to figure out the evolution that was displayed.
It was the typical spam message that notified us of some very cheap tickets to all over the world. Directly to the trans I thought, but Ana thought different. She started to look around and figure it all out. All the destinations around the world were quickly reduced to only a very few options. From Gran Canaria we could fly for cheap to Leeds and that was about it. Still, a round trip would cost us only 22 euros, so why not, we got the ticket.
Four days we were in Leeds, and it was cold and rainy, but we had a lot of fun. We took Alex with us and he loved the early norming breakfasts with bacon, and ofcourse the fish and chips.
In Alex’ class the parents have agreed to celebrate the various birthdays together. Whenever a couple of kids have had their birthday an invitation is send to all the kids. The party is always in some kind of factory specialized in kids birthdays. In Las Palmas there are a few of these sites and all use the same canvas. Entry, take off the shoes, playing, eat some chicken nuggets, play again, the birthdays kids have to sit on a chair and receive their gifts, unwrap gifts, store gifts in a big bag, play, final dance, put on shoes, receive a bag of candy on the way out.
These celebrations take three hours, and until now this time is adhered to very strictly. Three hours after the beginning you’re outside again. Something accepted happily by all, but still very very un-Spanish.
Ai! My driving license was almost expired, so I had to apply for a new one. Luckily my Dutch license is valid in Spain, and it was easy to change it to a Spanish one. In Spain you do need a medical certificate stating you are fit to drive. This costs around 45 euros and the test involved a measurement of your blood pressure and some questions that basically ask you if you are alright. I passed the test and now I drive around with a a4 paper stating it is my temporary license, until my plastic card arrives.
I have been drawn. With a bit of a big head (probably correct) but complete with all the parts. Head, body, legs and arms, and even colored with a nice skin color. Hats off to my son the artist.
The 3rd of October is something I like to celebrate. Even though it is a celebration typical to the city of Leiden, celebrating the departure of the Spaniards, and I an living right in the middle of these Spaniards, it is nice to celebrate the past and a good excuse to go into the kitchen and make some hutspot.