Bullfighting!

(Forgive me if I have posted this photo before)
I understand that there are three major bullfight rings or "plazas",(in the world) Las Ventas in Madrid, La Maestranza in Sevilla and La Monumental in Mexico City. I remember an old friend telling me some twenty years ago that she loved Spain but hated the bullfights.
I was a bit apprehensive when I attended my first bullfight in Las Ventas, but my husband reassured me that we could simply leave if so needed.
The fight we attended was called a Rejoneo, where the men fight the bulls from horseback.
I was lucky enough to sit next to a man that explained the science of the fight. I remember one Torero resorted to fancy footwork with his horse, and my new friend was quick to point this out and to not let it impress me!
A team of surgeons stand by in a fully functional on site operating room, but thankfully they were not put to work that day!
If a Torero kills their bulls "cleanly" without suffrage from the bull, then they are carried out on the shoulders of the spectators. While the Torero that makes the bull suffer will leave the stadium in disgrace! The white boxed area in the background of this photo is reserved for Spain's Royal Family. I didn't get to sit there.

Mis apellidos

Several weeks ago I helped some young students design their coat of arms in a world history class. I really enjoyed this project as I spend a lot of time browsing various coat of arms on the net.

I am very proud of my first last name and this is our coat of arms. The Martinez name ranks 8th in Spain as the most common.

My second last name however is just the opposite. The last name Cimadevilla is so rare that fewer than 1,100 persons in Spain carry this name.

* I was amused to learn that our friend Fernando has one of the most uncommon last names in all of Spain, while our friend Ximena has the # 1 most common last name in all of Spain.

Puerta del Sol

¡Buenas tardes! ¡¡¡En tres dias se acabó el trabajo!!!!

I love Madrid. I have no desire to live there as my heart is in Asturias always and forever, BUT as this year will be my sixth time visiting this city I feel right at home amongst the "madrileños". Miguel and I decided to stay in Madrid at least one night this year and chose a hotel that we have never stayed in before. Puerta del Sol is Kilometer 0. All roads in Spain start here. Madrid never sleeps and especially here there is always action. http://www.hoteleuropa.net/ I have looked at a lot of guest reviews and the only complaint is the crowd noise from the streets. I can have peace and quiet when I am dead!

Mi amigos

Happy Mothers day to everyone in the Estados Unidos. (Féliz día de la madre). I waited tables this weekend and in the 7 years that I have been doing so I wish to report to the world that the economy absolutely sucks! Don't get me started.

Anyway on a happier note I went out last night with a group of friends and we had such a blast! We went to Lawrence Kansas, which is probably the coolest town in all of Kansas. We drank several bottles of good red Italian wine, laughed non stop, and ate like pigs. This photo is what Miguel and I shared. It was blackened octopus (pulpo) mussels (mejillones) and shrimp (gambas) underneath all this sea fare.... white beans and crunchy greens of a unknown origin. Afterwards we walked in the rain to a coffee shop where the men sat outside drinking tea, cognac and smoking smelly cigars, while us gals sat inside warm and dry. The men outside had a lot of entertainment as they witnessed a fight of several street people and were than entertained by a man that claimed to be a professional hobo and an ex-roommate to a man that was mountain climbing by himself and got his arm trapped between some huge boulders, and after several days freed himself by amputating his own arm with a pocket knife. Our men seemed to swallow his story..... maybe us gals were more sober!

By the way a special thank you to the assholes that I waited on today that stiffed me. You were a horrible hateful family and you all deserve each other!

Guapa

Hola everyone, its me. Jannis.

May is an incredibly busy month for our family here in the Estados Unidos. Between all of us we go to five different schools, that's chaotic itself without all the end of school parties, ceremonies, tests, field days and so on and so fourth! School is almost over here in Kansas. Exactly five more days.YEE-HAW!!!!!!

I have been busy making final preparations for our stay in France. I found two reasonably priced hotels in Paris. My god that seems to be an expensive city. I even went all out and got rooms with private bathrooms. I am staying in this hotel in Julyhttp://www.1-hotel-paris.com/ and this hotel in June http://www.hoteldenevers.com/. I have purchased plane tickets , train tickets and bus tickets. Now I need to get busy and start working my second job waiting tables. Or I will be washing dishes in Paris if I want to eat! I am working this weekend, I figure it being mothers day weekend I should be able to cash in on tips with my fellow mothers!

By the way, this little bonita stole my heart in Oviedo Asturias Spain when I spied her at a fiesta trotting down the street clicking her castanuelas. I asked her papa if I could take her photo and he replied " If you can catch her!"

Hey everyone its me Jannis! Once again I am sorry for my absence but I have good reasons....My oldest son had a freak accident at his High School. To make a long story short he caught his big toe in between two wrestling mats while playing dodge ball in gym class. Thus resulting in a bizarre situation of the bones poking out for some sunshine! It was extremely gross I am told. It also required a ambulance ride and emergency surgery ( Anyone from the USA knows that a ride in an ambulance is at least 1000.00 dollars probably much more.)60 % of surgery cost accepted by shitty insurance company. Ambulance ride(called by school) DENIED.
One week later my middle son had emergency surgery. He has been suffering for two months with fever and severe sore throat, Anyway he was starting to run 104 degree fevers so into surgery he rolled. During surgery it was discovered that he had huge abscess's in his throat that had to be lanced and irrigated. Surgeon's fee 750.00./ 30 minutes of actual operation.Hospital fee for 3 hour stay $2003.01. Anesthesiologist fee ni puta idea!
Hey my fellow Americano's , we are so getting it in the ass! Blah blah blah , you have all heard it before. This hopefully will be my last (the government/ republicans are f ing us post)I will soon switch to writing about sunshine, happiness and puppies.
Damn I cant wait.