Tuesday. February 21, 2012

Welcome to what is being called The Valencian Spring and it has nothing to do with the weather.  Students have taken to the streets to protest the proposed cuts in education and the overreaction of the police has caused the protests to swell and motivate others, including the parents of some of the students to join in.  There was a march yesterday around mealtime that ended in a violent confrontation.  The powers that be seem to be unaware of the fact that with smart phones and digital cameras that are part of today’s reality, it is an easy task to video or photograph exactly what is going on.  That motivated another protest march last evening.  Here is a link to some of the photos http://politica.elpais.com/politica/2012/02/20/album/1329754156_737890.html#1329754156_737890_1329754776  Sunday was also a day of marches and protests this time the participants were members of the labor unions who are protesting changes in the  labor laws particularly the changes that have been proposed regarding changes in severance pay for those employees whose jobs have been or have to be eliminated.  Obviously the fun is just beginning.  Stay tuned for further details.

Yesterday was a day to kickback and take life easy.  I did get to the gym for some cardio and a workout and when I got back home we decided to have lunch at home, for a change.  Susan cooked up some meatballs, saffron rice and a small salad that featured sliced tomatoes and some scrumptious artichoke hearts that had been roasted in the oven and then marinated.  After lunch I headed to Café Las Torres to meet with Melissa for our conversation session.

Even though there was no formal program at the CIVAC last night there were about a dozen members gathered around one of the tables when I walked in.  We spent a good hour swapping stories and effects.  Around 10:00 we decided to grab a sandwich at the nearby London Café and continue our discussions.  The restaurant continues to lose points for poor service.  Everyone ordered a sandwich and rather than making sure that everyone’s sandwich arrived at the same time the sandwiches came out in twos and threes, which meant that some had finished their sandwiches well before others received theirs.  The good news is that it was inexpensive.  When I got back home at 11:30 Susan was watching an episode of Dowton Abbey.  When it was over we gave Rachel a call and chatted for a while.  We were in bed a little after midnight.

There are no photos today because my photographer took the day off for a well-deserved rest.