Around Town

I neglected posting here during the first half of February so I'm playing catch up. This is a bit of a potpourri post.

During an early evening walk I came across this bar. I couldn't resist taking a photo. It's a clever marketing tool, or maybe there is some other reason they named the bar Obama. I didn't go in and ask, although that would make for a more interesting post. Maybe next time.*

A couple of days later I was on my way to pilates and I saw this guy waiting for the bus. I thought, pimpin' grandpa, and I had to take a photo. His coat, if you can't tell from the photo, looked like a matted, wet, Irish Wolfhound had jumped on his back. The hat, sunglasses, and cane completed the look. He played it totally cool. I'll bet he didn't even need that cane.

Finally, on Saturday, I went with a group of students to a guitar concert featuring two excellent guitarists playing some classics of Spanish guitar as well as some pieces from Carmen. Their second encore, and final work of the night, was Mozart's Rondo alla Turca (from his Piano Sonata no. 11). They played it together on one guitar, as you can see in the photo (the photo is courtesy of one of the students since I forgot my camera). The concert was incredible, and the guitarrists played with great passion. It took place in the crypt of the Santa Maria del Pi church making for an intimate setting. I can say with confidence that it was the best Valentine's Day I've spent in a long time.

*Addendum: Ok, so I googled the British Obama bar. A blog on Psychology Today calls it a celebration of British colonial rule in Africa, based on the decor. My limited knowledge of the history of any country that is not on the Spanish literature reading list (i.e. any non-Spanish speaking country) prevented me from putting two and two together on my own. This is what happens when you specialize, and don't pay close enough attention in World History class. As you probably know, Kenya was a British colony and Obama's father was from Kenya, and apparently was imprisoned and tortured for resisting colonial rule. My cynical and hyper-critical side says that this bar could only exist in Spain, where the mass public seems blissfully ignorant of the unhappy irony of this kind of thing. Or perhaps I just take life too seriously and shouldn't care if some bar owner wants to pay tribute to British colonial rule in Africa using the name of our new president. Americans do take political correctness a bit far, after all. Even I agree with that. Still, I think I'll skip having a drink there.