Category Archives: Enjoy

Guiniguada B – Batan B

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Unfortunately, we didn’t win. This time it was an emotional match. Two of our coaches were sent off the field. The other team had some bigger players who were playing very physically. One of our players ended the match with a shin guard that had been kicked in half. Many players went home with a few new bruises. Luckily, Alan is alert and quick. I saw him jump over an outstretched leg a few times to avoid some unwanted pain.

The next match is against one of the strongest clubs, so we don’t have high expectations for that one. But after that, we’ll be in a group that’s more at our level, so it’ll be more fun again and hopefully with plenty of chances to win.

Results

Date Home Result Visitor
26 Oct, 09:00 Guiniguada B 3 – 0 Batan B
18 Oct, 09:00 Batan B 1 – 10 Carnevali
11 Oct, 09:00 Simusetti C.F. A 20 – 3 Batan B
4 Oct, 09:00 Batan B 0 – 10 San Lazaro U.D. A

El Chuleton

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A chuletón is a large ribeye steak with the bone still in. These steaks are massive—over a kilo—and meant to be shared. In Spain, going out for a chuletón is much more than just dining out. It’s a social event, something to enjoy together with friends. Since the beginning of this year, ‘the guys’, Dani, Diego, and I have been going to El Chuleton from time to time. We’re all in the same boat, with kids around the same age (which is also how we know each other). The children go/went to the same school. They play soccer together, attend the same volleyball class, and we’re members of the same swimming club. We spend quite a few weekends together.

Chuleton!About once a month, we follow the same ritual. We leave from the square near where we all live and drive to the restaurant. We start with a beer and choose a huge cut of meat, anywhere between one and two kilos. The steak is prepared, and then served to us with a hot stone so we can do the final touches ourselves. Naturally, it’s accompanied by a good bottle of red wine. Then it’s time to eat and above all, to enjoy. We always go on Thursdays, because there’s always space and we don’t need to book or wait.

Finally, a coffee to wrap things up, and that’s it again. We usually spend around 50/60 euros per person, but oh, it’s worth every cent. Sometimes we talk about trying a different restaurant, just to see what the chuletón is like elsewhere. But we haven’t dared to make the switch yet, and we stick to our trusted tradition at ‘our’ restaurant. I suspect the atmosphere and quality we’ve found at El Chuleton would be hard to beat, and that changing locations would almost certainly be a letdown.

Batan B – Carnevali

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Despite the heavy loss, it was still a very exciting match. Our team attacked fiercely, and there were many near goals. They just missed, bounced the wrong way off the post, or the goalkeeper jumped in just in time. The match could just as easily have ended 6–10. Still a loss, of course, but that doesn’t matter at all. The kids had a great time playing together as a team.

Results

Date Home Result Visitor
18 Oct, 09:00 Batan B 1 – 10 Carnevali
11 Oct, 09:00 Simusetti C.F. A 20 – 3 Batan B
4 Oct, 09:00 Batan B 0 – 10 San Lazaro U.D. A

Batan B - Carnevali!

Different path

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Both of my sons are clearly related to their parents. They resemble me, are intelligent like their mother, and clever like their father. They’re both slim, just like us, and strong like Ana. In many ways, they’re very similar, but even now it’s clear that each is choosing his own path and those paths are quite different.

Alex is calm and cautious. He observes first, evaluates, and only then takes action. He knows the best way to approach things, but if someone has a different opinion, he has no problem solving something in a less-than-optimal way. He’s extremely diplomatic. He clearly thinks about his future and makes plans that influence it. Alex is the friend you can trust, the helping hand in times of need.

Alan takes risks. He often acts on intuition and relies on his instincts. He’s impulsive. It’s hard for him to concentrate on his homework, and he prefers to postpone it. His priority is enjoying the moment; he’s not yet focused on his future. Alan is the life of the party. If you’re feeling down, Alan will make sure you feel better again.

As parents, our role is to guide them, not to shape their paths. not to shape their paths. This can be challenging, as their differences require distinct approaches to parenting, and that demands both skill and sensitivity to avoid any perception of favoritism. Education is more than schoolwork; it’s about helping them discover who they are, what they value, and how they want to contribute to the world. Whether through structured learning or life’s everyday lessons, we aim to equip them with curiosity, resilience, and empathy. Our hope is that, whatever direction they choose, they’ll walk it with confidence, kindness, and purpose.

Simusetti C.F. A – Batan B

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Uf, this game did no go as planned. Somehow you just know that when the keeper starts to cry you are basically in for a losing match. Still, Alan scored a goal, so the defeat was quickly forgotten and we had reason to celebrate.

Results

Date Home Result Visitor
11 Oct, 09:00 Simusetti C.F. A 20 – 3 Batan B
4 Oct, 09:00 Batan B 0 – 10 San Lazaro U.D. A

Batan B - Simusetti A

Traveling salesman

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A traveling salesman arrives in a small town, starving after a long day. The only place to eat is a dingy-looking fast food joint, but hunger wins over hesitation. He walks in, takes a seat, and immediately notices the place is as sleazy as it gets. The waitress matches the vibe with her grimy uniform and rude manners. Not exactly the best service.

Still, he’s desperate for food. He orders two hamburgers and a hot dog.

A few minutes later, the waitress returns, carrying the two burgers tucked snugly under her armpits.
Appalled, the salesman blurts out, ‘Why on earth are you carrying the burgers like that?’

She shrugs and says, ‘Keeps them warm.’

The salesman thinks for a while, then says, ‘Cancel the hot dog.’

Batan B – San Lazaro U.D. A

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Here we go again! Saturday, 09:00, on the field by 08:00 for preparations, so no sleeping in today. There goes half my weekend. The football season has started again, so it’s time to play. A few things have changed. Alan’s team has been revamped with some new players. The team name has also changed again, this year they’re called ‘Batan’ (last year it was ‘Inter Colonia’, and in the official listings it’s still ‘Atletico Fomento‘). They also have new outfits this year, but we’ll have to wait a bit for those. At least now (if everything went well), each player has their name and number on their shirt.

Results

Date Home Result Visitor
4 Oct, 09:00 Batan B 0 – 10 San Lazaro U.D. A

Batan B - San Lazaro U.D. AUf, the competition was tough, the kids were a lot bigger, and about one or two years older than us. The first couple of matches is going to be difficult, and then the matchs will be more equal. We’ll see.

The match schedules are all available online, but unfortunately, the websites that provide this information are complicated labyrinths, packed to the brim with ads, popups, cookies, and just about every bit of junk you can imagine. Every time you have to accept all sorts of things, and after a lot of searching, you can finally see the match lists through all the ads. Of course, while viewing the lists, you have to keep clicking away popups every 20 or 30 seconds, and you have to be careful to click correctly, otherwise, you’ll be ruthlessly redirected to a site full of ads, and it’ll take ages to find the list again. So I just made a brief overview myself, at least now I can see when, where, and what time Alan has to play.

17 Pro

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17pro!I started with my brother’s old iPhone 4 (2013), then switched to my first budget version, the SE (2016). After that, a slightly newer budget version, an SE from 2020. Now, five years later, the battery drains much faster. I can barely get a few hours out of it, especially when using navigation. Time for an upgrade, and I’ve thought about it for a long time, but I’m going for it. I’m moving from the budget model to the top of the line.

During the presentation of the new iPhone 17 Pro, a few things immediately caught my attention. First of all, it’s not available in black. Strange, and a pity, because that would have been my preference. Now I’ll go for white, hoping it has the advantage of heating up less quickly in the sun. I also noticed that a square sensor is now used for photography. The benefit is that it doesn’t matter how you hold the device, vertically or horizontally, for photos. Well, it sounded like part of the image is always unavailable now. The camera lenses stick out, so I can’t lay the phone flat on my desk… also a shame. And finally, unsurprisingly, the device is terribly expensive.

Do I really need it? No, of course not. Is it a waste of money? Probably. It is nice to have something good. This phone it for now the best there is, or really close. Lets see if I adapt as well to this change, as my speedy adaptation to my first smartphone years ago.

Blackout

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Blackout!Miguel told me this wild, but true story about his day during the Spanish blackout a couple of month ago (April 28, 2025) that took over 10 hours to fix.

Blackout
It hits without warning. In the middle of the day, sun blazing, and suddenly the city plunges into darkness. At first, you think it’s just a normal outage, you experienced one of those a couple of years ago, and it took only a few minutes for things to return to normal. Then an hour passes. Still no power. The head of your department walks in to tell everyone they can go home.

You step outside and into chaos. The blackout isn’t just in your building, it’s everywhere. Subways have stopped cold. People are spilling out of underground stations, using their phones like torches. Traffic lights are dead, intersections jammed with cars and confused pedestrians. Buses aren’t running. Trams are frozen. The city feels like it’s holding its breath.

You look at your phone. The flashlight works, but that’s about it. No calls. No messages. No maps. Anything that requires a signal or a connection is gone.

Luckily, you live in the city. A brisk walk should get you home. As you start moving, a strange realization creeps in: you don’t actually know how to get there. You’ve always relied on public transport and your navigation app. The streets blur together without it. You stare at an old paper map someone hands you, but it’s just lines and symbols. Useless.

Then, a stroke of luck. An older colleague from the office overhears you. You tell him your address, and he nods, pointing you in the right direction with the kind of confidence that only comes from decades of walking the city. You follow his directions, uncertain at first. But as you get closer, landmarks begin to look familiar, a corner café, a mural on a wall, the curve of a street you’ve passed a hundred times but never really noticed.

And then… home.

You take the stairs to your apartment, again using your phone as a flashlight. The fridge is silent. The freezer is holding on for now. You sit in the dark living room, surrounded by quiet, and realize how much you’ve depended on invisible systems, and how quickly they can vanish.