Author: Ben

One of the biggest complaints about life in Spain is the appalling customer service – business owners are just not interested in going out of their way to help customers (Telefonica are the number one culprits as we know).

Well, today I had a whole new experience in customer service. I am the proud new owner of an Apple Macbook laptop. I noticed that the bottom half of the screen was considerably lighter than the top when watching DVDs, so, having paid a lot of money for this beautiful new object, I thought I would go back to the shop and check that everything was OK. I showed the problem to the Tech guy, explained that I travelled often and would be watching lots of DVDs (not entirely true), and he agreed that there was a difference in screen brightness from one end to the other. He took the laptop off to show his boss. When he came back the following conversation ensued:

Tech guy: The boss says it’s fine and there’s nothing we can do about it, but you said you travel a lot, right?
Me: Uh, yes, I suppose so.
Tech guy: Where are you from?
Me: England.
Tech guy: Well, next time you are in London you could take it to the Apple shop there, we are just a little Apple shop, but they are a lot bigger and might be able to help you.

So there we have it… A whole new level in Spanish customer service: “I’m sorry we can’t help you here, but you can probably get your problem solved in another country!!”

This is a confession — don’t tell anyone. You know that I am gay. In another part of my life — when I was younger — I have had bisexual [experiences]. The last time that I made love to a woman was 22 years ago.

With Penélope, I felt physical desire again. I was very horny with her.

Check out the podcast at Salon.com

And Speaking of Spanish film (the post on nudity in Spanish cinema below is the most commented on in a long time!), it seems Penelope Cruz has been nominated for Best Female Actress in the next Oscars, for her role in the excellent (and bizzarely not nominated) Volver. I find it strange that a Spanish actress has been nominated for this award based on a role in a Spanish film. I shall be surprised if she wins…

Random wikipedia Pen facts:

“Cruz was born in Madrid, Spain. Her parents are Eduardo Cruz, a retailer, and Encarna Sánchez, a hairdresser. As a toddler, she was already a compulsive performer, re-enacting TV commercials for her family’s amusement.”

While they are busy building enough new flats around Madrid to house the remaining few young professionals that still haven’t fled to the city from the economically depressed provinces, there are a remarkable number of empty flats here in the centre of the city. Half the shutters in the 6 floor building opposite ours are permanently down – a sure sign of an empty home – and no-one has lived next to, or below us, for as long as we have been here. There are a vast number of unoccupied flats in the centre of Madrid, a problem that is reflected in large cities all over Spain.

The local Catalan Government had decided to do something about the problem, and intends to charge the owners of such premises 9 Euros for every day that their flat remains empty (Spanish article in El Pais). The idea is to stimulate a completely stagnant rental market. I remember standing in queues of up to 40 people to see flats for rent in Madrid 6 years ago, and I doubt the situation has changed. Either you were Spanish and had a decent wage slip to show potential landlords, or you could forget it.

Last night I was speaking with Marina and a friend, Yolanda, about Spanish films and, in particular, the classic Jamon Jamon. Yolanda thought that it really went for the dark side of Spanish life (whorehouses, amateur bull taunting, violence), and Marina commented that Penelope Cruz, then 16, portrayed a strongly sexual role. My reaction was: “Typical Spanish film”.

Over the last few months we have seen several Spanish films including Princesas and Azul Oscuro Casi Negro. Princesas is a gritty drama about prostitutes in Madrid, and involves a lot of sex and violence. Azul Oscuro Casi Negro deals with a young flat-block porter, his disabled father, and the porter’s women. Both contain nudity and are essential harsh social reality pieces. Both are pretty good.

But my question is this, does anyone know any Spanish film that does not contain nudity (all be it the odd topless shot) somewhere in the film? (Even the comedies seem to have to show breasts in order to qualify as Spanish cinema…) Am I being unfair? Is this the same everywhere these days?