June 2009 with the Girlies - Barcelona
One of the benefits of Kim working in her line of business is that she gets to work with amazing people who are doing tremendous things to, you know, fix the world and stuff. I would like to fix the world, but there are a lot of problems out there, like hunger and malaria and pestilence and Rosie O'Donnell and high tax rates and traffic and cancer and Reba McEntire and murdering thugs getting positions of prominence at the United Nations and people who slowly glide and wander side-to-side down the sidewalk instead of walking in a straight line so I can get by.
There is a lot to fix and there is no way that I could do it all, so I have decided that instead of trying to solve all of the world's problems, which clearly would be very difficult, I will focus my attention on convincing bankers to buy software and then going home to see the girlies, drink wine and watch the Cardinals. I can't do anything about Barbara Streisand or the continuing scourge known as global cooling, but I do let women and the old get on the bus before I do, which is a truly benevolent gesture because even though I am being the nice one here I get punished because most people stop on the first step and then search through their purse or pocket to find their Metro Card, while I stand outside the bus in the rain (well, if it's raining) while they fumble around and waste my time.
One way to make the world a better place would be for women and the old (sorry for the stereotype, but it is always women or the old -- non-old men seem to have no problem getting in rapidly and with great efficiency) to step all the way up the stairs to let me on so I don't get rained on, and then begin the fumbling process to locate your Metro Card. But I continue to allow people to get on first, because I try to do my part to improve the lives of others. I also hold the door when I get off the bus in the back, even if there are a bunch of people and I have to stand there for a while, because sometimes it slams shut with no notice and I figure that holding the door makes the world a little bit better for someone else, and also this frees me up morally so I don't have to worry as much about the continuing threat of terrorism or hygiene problems among our nation's hippies.
But Kim works in HIV, and contrary to what the Germans would have you believe, her company and others like it are doing amazing things to develop drugs that make HIV a treatable condition instead of a death sentence. They also focus on helping people in less-developed parts of the world gain access to life-saving drugs, which is having a huge impact on millions of people in places like western and southern Africa.
So what does this have to do with me and the girlies? Well, the person at Kim's company responsible for the program that provides HIV treatment and care for people in sub-Saharan Africa, invited us to spend a week with his friends and family in Barcelona. Of course we accepted his invitation (and that was a very long introduction to how we ended up going to Spain).
There is a lot to fix and there is no way that I could do it all, so I have decided that instead of trying to solve all of the world's problems, which clearly would be very difficult, I will focus my attention on convincing bankers to buy software and then going home to see the girlies, drink wine and watch the Cardinals. I can't do anything about Barbara Streisand or the continuing scourge known as global cooling, but I do let women and the old get on the bus before I do, which is a truly benevolent gesture because even though I am being the nice one here I get punished because most people stop on the first step and then search through their purse or pocket to find their Metro Card, while I stand outside the bus in the rain (well, if it's raining) while they fumble around and waste my time.
One way to make the world a better place would be for women and the old (sorry for the stereotype, but it is always women or the old -- non-old men seem to have no problem getting in rapidly and with great efficiency) to step all the way up the stairs to let me on so I don't get rained on, and then begin the fumbling process to locate your Metro Card. But I continue to allow people to get on first, because I try to do my part to improve the lives of others. I also hold the door when I get off the bus in the back, even if there are a bunch of people and I have to stand there for a while, because sometimes it slams shut with no notice and I figure that holding the door makes the world a little bit better for someone else, and also this frees me up morally so I don't have to worry as much about the continuing threat of terrorism or hygiene problems among our nation's hippies.
But Kim works in HIV, and contrary to what the Germans would have you believe, her company and others like it are doing amazing things to develop drugs that make HIV a treatable condition instead of a death sentence. They also focus on helping people in less-developed parts of the world gain access to life-saving drugs, which is having a huge impact on millions of people in places like western and southern Africa.
So what does this have to do with me and the girlies? Well, the person at Kim's company responsible for the program that provides HIV treatment and care for people in sub-Saharan Africa, invited us to spend a week with his friends and family in Barcelona. Of course we accepted his invitation (and that was a very long introduction to how we ended up going to Spain).
Coincidentally, John and his wife Barbara also have delightful twins (Samantha and Jamie) from China, although they are two years older than Sally and Amelia. A few years ago, before we found out that we were getting twins, we met their girls. After meeting Samantha and Jamie, Kim (being a bit superstitious) thought that we were destined to get twins. She also has a story about a double-yolked egg and fused fortune cookies.
So back to Spain - Barbara had an upcoming birthday and John rented an amazing villa outside of Barcelona for his family and several of their friends. They were kind enough to invite us along. We had a fantastic time, and our girlies had great fun swimming in the pool(s) and playing with Samantha and Jamie.
So back to Spain - Barbara had an upcoming birthday and John rented an amazing villa outside of Barcelona for his family and several of their friends. They were kind enough to invite us along. We had a fantastic time, and our girlies had great fun swimming in the pool(s) and playing with Samantha and Jamie.
Here are some photos and videos of our journey:
The girlies cleaning the window in the Continental Lounge.A video of that exact thing
The handsome family in the Park Guell in Barcelona
John and Samantha at the Park Guell
Eating popsicles (the Brits call them 'ice-lollies') in the Park Ciutadella
Barbara with Jamie lounging at the villa
Amelia in an enormous hat
Amelia, Sally, Samantha and Jamie looking at fishies
Looking down at Barcelona from Mont Juic, where the 1992 Olympics were held
At the Olympic Stadium where Russian Igor Astapkovich won a silver medal in the Hammer Throw!
Kim and Amelia on the roof of the Casa Mila
Sally making her father very proud, inside the Casa Mila
At Sitges Beach, outside of Barcelona
Mmmm, fudgesiclesA video of that exact thing
Sally and Mike S on the beach -I forgot my swimsuit and had to go buy one at the store. I didn't look that closely and it turns out that they are ridiculously short, like Larry Bird's basketball shorts in the 1980s. These are not those swim trunks, though - these are cargo shorts, although I am sure you could tell that.
