Electric Blanket, where are you now?¡

Spring is so annying. Besides the alergic symptoms I'm having (right now), weather changes every minute and I'm suffering from colds and stuffs. Two weeks ago I was using (since june) my favourite piece of technology, THE ELECTRIC BLANKET; but my mother (I should be ashamed of this) took it away from my bed because "the weather is getting hot". Big lie!!! Well, some days maybe could have been nicer than others, but September has always been the most changing month of the year.

My mother got a surgery when I was 10 years old, and she had to buy an electric blanket because of it. She had almost the same surgery that Pinochet had in London (the big difference she wasn't a prisoner of justice after doing it), so it was very important for her to keep warm her back. Then, months later, she realize she had to buy an electric blanket for every one of my brothers to get her bed back; we spent every minute there, specially on winters.

I've never realized how much that piece of technology has helped me. For example, when I work until 5 in the morning, and I'm totally cold, angry (because of being an architecture student with no life) and hyperactive (after all the pills and coffee-cocacola mix I've taken), the electric blanket makes her incredible job, and I don't know anything else of the world.

These past two weeks, nights have been very cold. And I must say, I've been missing my dear electric blanket. Why don't you put it again in your bed?, you might wonder. The truth is that, my mother (again) bought these magical bags from the internet that keep cloth things without air. So it would be a real challenge to persuade my mom to open one of her bags.

Electric blanket

I see you next winter!!!!

How do you take it?

I was just passing by my new favourite section of my new favourite international journal (depuis Liberàtion bien sûr) Lost in Showbiz (something like SQP) in The Guardian newspaper, when I found this pretty interesting article about coffee and diversity. I was looking for more news about Britney or somebody funny, never trying to get involved in a serious (kind of) post.

This article talks about new chains of coffee, like the famous Sturbuks, that have reached small towns in England and they've transformed people's needs. New coffee shops have expanded the diversity of coffee, and they have brought into market so many new ways of drinking what a few years ago was "just a cup of coffe". Anna (the writer) says that she is still fighting against those waitress that aren't aware of these changes, and look at her like an annoying custumer when she fairly demmand for her "complex" sort of coffee. It's just the way she likes to take it, and for that, she says, there must be the exact offert. And not just for her, but for everyone.



People is very clear about exactly how things should be made, and that's how things opperate nowdays. Everyone of us has different needs and options, and coffee is just a medium. I believe that diversity is one of the main causes of democracy, and diversity brings creativity and indivual values. There must be a "cup of coffee" for every particular need, just as with other everyday stuffs.



Anyway, what happen with local cafes? With those local shops that have served for many years (maybe hundreds) our local needs (I remember the "folclórico" word, a classmate uses it very often). Should they change their menu because of the new "global" needs, so they can survive this fight against these new coffee chains?



I'm personally don't drink coffee, not often. It makes me sick because of the caffeine, my stomach suffers. As an architecture student that's rare, because for many of us coffee is a big source of energy for nights of heavy work. But even I don't usually drink it, I like the idea of knowing that if I want to get the most bizarre coffee, I will be able to find it. And that should be work for everything (the same with couples, I hope, hahaha).









And you, how do you take it?





http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2007/10/corporate_coffee_defence.html

Giseeeeeee (review of classmate website)

Today I looked for a good blog. I never look at my classmates blogs, mainly because many of them doesn't write too well and it makes my readings pretty uncounfortable. Now that I looked for one in particular for write about, I find myself very surprised. The blog that I liked the most is Gisela's, mainly because I could read it. Gise's Blog is one of the most completed and dedicated of the class. She writes about interesting things, things that I like, and she always tries to provide an opinion about the theme in discuss, giving us not only an informative text. She has a very creative and funny (and sometimes crazy) point of view. She writes an important amount of words, but not too long, which makes the texts understandable and never boring. And she writes well, I can say she really handle english.

I found the last post very interesting. She sent me that link previously by msn and I freaked out. I believe that I'm going to do the same thing in my blog: post some really freaky links to make it more interactive.

Gise always attaches her texts with a link or two, so we could keep reading about the subjects she writes. I really like the way she writes.

Freedom

Libération, something like "freedom", is a french newspaper that I really like to read. It remins me The Clinic in its early time, when it wasn't that much black homour magazine and a it was a little more serious and informative journal.

Libération is a journal very independent, from the left, and it has always been a source of political and social critics, in an objectif way.

At the same time, it helps me practice my written french. When I learnt french at highschool (Instituto Nacional, by the way one of the only 5 schools in Chile that keep teaching French as a second lenguage), my proffesor, Monsieur Vilches, always showed us different articles to translate in our homes as individual homeworks, and at the same time, the articles were like this "open window" to french culture. I learnt a lot about policy and french society.

When the topics had more interest, monsieur V encouraged us to discuss and to talk openly about those subjects. many times they were subjects that concern our everyday life, such us studies and jobs, sex and drugs, cups troubles, etc.

I remember that day, 3 years ago, when "the morning after pill" was at the top of chilean disscusion. And monsieur V delievered an article that talked about almost the same thing, but in France. We got very interested cause we had the same problem that Europeans! That way our french got so much better.

Nowdays, I don't have much time to practice my oral french, it's not common to find a "francophone" easily. That's why Libération helps me to keep my french intact. I pick any article, not about policy cause I'm now out of it, and then I print it and read it on my travels on subway. If I don't know a word I ask to the french proffesor here at FAU. It's the only way I have to keep practicing and "getting in touch" with France . I try to read around one article a week.

Libération

http://www.liberation.fr

The Clinic

http://www.theclinic.cl

Instituto Nacional

http://www.institutonacional.cl