Amigos, I felt like John Hurt in space at dinner time...

Happy Halloween, i've had a horrific day (follow links for gore).

Hombre! The plot thickens......Today I had the unfortunate experience of having a movie camera on the end of a tube forced down my throat! Praise Our Lady of Guadalupe this was a silent movie as there was no room for a furry microphone on a stick.

Ok amigos, i know I go on about this surgical stuff but it really is bizzare. There I was laid on my side, gagging and retching, whilst the surgeon appeared to be playing a video game. All I could see was what appeared to be some form of joystick/playstation controller in his hands and the glow of a TV screen. From the 'ooohs' and 'aaahs' from the crowd behind him I guessed he was winning. At one point I swear he had his tongue out to aid concentration, probably Pro-Evo Football on PS2 or something similar?
Looking back I wish I had taken the sedation, not the 'banana flavoured numbing throat spray'. Amigos, I felt like John Hurt in space at dinner time, you could feel the thing moving around!

Anyway another experience to tick off my list of horrors. BTW, the latest from this consulant is that my stomach innards are pristine and that I probably had Pneumonia( instead of a perforated duodenal ulcer)!!? Although I do still have Gall bladder issues?

I despair, any doctors out there? Write your diagnosis on a postcard and i'll pick one out of a hat.

Bloggers Guide To Flamenco -Part 3 -Siguiriyas

Aaay
Burn the Earth
I do not want to live
Burn the Earth
I do not want to live
To live to live as I were living aay ayy yyyyy yyyyy
I want to die
Silverio Franconetti –Siguiriyas

Steady on! No fuego, its Part 3 of my Bloggers Guide to Flamenco! Today I’m bangin’ on about Siguiriyas. The intro gives you some idea of the lyrical content of this style…pass us the anti depressants and a botella de Gin.
Siguiriyas belongs to the cante grande. This Flamenco form is the most dramatic, solemn depressing and above all powerful! Along with the Soleares it is considered one of the most important. It originated from three main regions, Sevilla, Jerez and Cadiz, appearing as early as the eighteenth century.
Traditionally the cante is formed from four verses but can also be of three. The lyrics are very sparse with lots of wailing and extended syllables. The basic compás consists of twelve beats. The 1st, 3rd, 5th, 8th and 11th beats are played with emphasis. Listen to the audio and all will become clear!
The audio file has three tracks. The first gives you the basic compás. The second a good example of the Cadiz cante with a clear guitar accompainement. The last is the Silverio Franconetti Triana (Sevilla) style, you can also check my translation. Mierda!

You are now on your way to becoming an aficionado, any questions?

Audio link here -Siguiriyas

Next guide....Part 4 -Sevillanas!

CONTENTS
Bloggers Guide To Flamenco! -Part 1 -Introduction
Bloggers Guide To Flamenco! -Part 2 -Flamenco Palos

One Giant Leap?

I watched the film Apollo 13 last night. Guess what Amigos it got Senor thinking (seriously)!
Em...is it just me or what? We landed on the Moon! Can you believe that? I don’t care for the excuse of the Cold War space race or Kennedy or the science. Call me a romantic but the Moon shot can't be described with excuses. After 250,000 or so years us Homo sapiens briefly escaped the confines of Earth and ventured beyond our birthplace This was the first time that we had been able to look back at ourselves in the vastness of the Universe. Imagine the billions of people throughout human evolution who have looked up at the Moon and the stars and wondered and dreamed about their mystery. We went there!

Controversially I still rate Apollo as one of the most amazing achievements of the human race. An achievement not just in technology but something else I can’t quite put my finger on. At the same time I feel guilty at the financial decadence of the whole thing. It would seem though that my Pro-Apollo opinion is rare. I was speaking about it today and people are so negative, the moon landings were a waste of money, irrelevant, political, boring or faked!

What do you think?

PS. Not really wishing to lower the tone but....Hcw did they go to toilet on the Moon (dealing with number 1's should be easy but a numero dos)? Will research.

I almost let slip my latex glove...

Hola Amigos!
Si I'm back, i'm how you say back in the swing of it, i'm out 'n' about and walking into lamposts! Ouf! It's like my comida never left my stomach and decided to go walkies around my insides. Apart from a few out-patient appointments I'm back to pre-op minus the ciggies and twitch.

Ok, hombre, i've got some scars but they are just not gaining any sympathy from the Senoritas. I was hoping for some pirate sized wounds complete with stitch holes. Unfortunately the wonders of modern medicine and key-hole surgery have robbed me of TLC.

Anyway i'm waffling, I almost let slip my latex glove and catheter story....

No blog since 26th September! Lo siento. I had a week back at work slipping into old habits in addition to having to work through a months worth of In-tray! What can I say?

Check back later this week for the next part of my Bloggers Guide To Flamenco. I am also on the edge of announcing my tomato of the year, just tweaking a few pie charts and checking my scoring formulae!