Marty Kaplan's Blog

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Yesterday started with a visit from the man from ONO.  It sounds like a TV series.  It turns out that in order to get HD on our TV we needed to add TIVO to our cable hookup.  It took him about thirty minutes to get everything up and running and while he was here he made a slight adjustment to our Internet connection so that I now get the 50 meg download speed that I am paying for.

We had a lunch date with the Handelsmans so at 2:00 we met them outside of Carosel and we slowly made our way to La Comisaría.  Ana and Eddie had set us up outside in the patio and no sooner had we taken our seats when Ana appeared with a bottle of cava and we began our meal with a toast to good friends and to good times.  We chatted briefly with Eddie who made some recommendations and, after a brief discussion, we settled on the dishes that we would order.  I wanted to give both Melanie and Andrew a sense of what Eddie does and can do.

One by one the dishes made their appearance.  In no particular order we enjoyed the tomates tres texturas, ravioli stuffed with zucchini and Feta cheese, a plate of grilled vegetables, langoustines, sashimi and a new menu item that features a Thai styled breaded veal.  The boys tried a little of everything and Eddie accommodated their tastes by preparing some grilled beef with French fries.  We had a taste of dessert and we finished our meal with coffee and some orujo de hierbas.  At 4:30 we got up from the table and made our way back home.

We invited the Handelsmans to take a quick tour of our new place and once that was done they headed back home to get ready for a play date with one of the boys that Robbie had met at the Eurocup party.  We would be seeing the Handelsmans again in a few hours since the Woodberry boys would be having dinner and a show at La Cuchara Mágica. Since I was part of the entertainment I spent some time deciding what effects I would do and then rehearsing them.  I had enough time to take a shower and a little after 9:00 Susan and I made our way to the Cuchara.

When we walked through the door the meal was in progress.  The salad course was just about over and Pepe was putting the finishing touches on an enormous paella.  He had decided on a seafood paella replete with langoustines, monkfish, squid and chicken.  It was up to the usual standard that we have come to expect of Pepe.  Dessert was melon and soon afterwards the dishes were cleared and it was time for the magic show to begin.

I started things off with some close-up magic.  I did four effects as a brief lead-in for the next two performers who would be doing stage magic.  Sofía Lerma, the only female member of the CIVAC did several effects and then Giocodimani did a half dozen effects in his inimitable style to finish the magic portion of the evening.  It was fast approaching midnight and we all headed our separate ways.

Pepe is off to Blackpool tomorrow to represent Magic Agora at a stand in the dealers’ room.  He will have a number of handouts and will be showing a number of videos. Here is a link to one of the promo videos.  It is one of the many that I recorded some ten days ago. http://magicagora.com/2012/07/04/back-to-the-future/?lang=en

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Yesterday was the second 4^th of July that we have celebrated here in Valencia.  Our morning and afternoon were rather uneventful.  I had to do a few errands and Susan stopped by the Central market to pick up fruits and vegetables.  We had lunch at home and later that afternoon they delivered and assembled Susan’s desk.  They had told us it would take fifteen days to deliver it because it had to be assembled before it was delivered.  Interestingly enough they delivered four days later and they assembled it here.

Brian came by at 7:30 and the five of us – Ofelia, Olivia, Brian, Susan and I – headed out to Rocafort for a 4^th of July party at the home of Linda Casanova and her husband Vicente.  Rocafort is a bedroom community of Valencia and it is some twenty minutes away from the city center by car.  Their house was designed by Vicente and it is bright and airy with high ceilings.  It has a goodly amount of green space and an ample patio.  The party was a potluck and everyone was asked to bring their favorite beverage and a dish to share with all the guests.

Although I did not do a nose count, I would guess that there were at least two dozen people in attendance.  Most of the women were Americans who were married to Spaniards.  A number of them had come to Valencia on a Junior Year Abroad program and met their future husbands.  I had the chance to chat with a number of people and it was interesting to hear their stories.

There was more than enough food and it ranged from stuffed mushrooms, to tabouleh, to chicken wings to broccoli salad and to empanadas.  There was also an ample supply of beer and wine.  There were cupcakes for dessert as well as a delightful treat that was called a seven-layer cookie.  We lit sparklers and there were a number of ground fireworks set off.  The fire danger is high here in Valencia and surroundings and for that reason aerial fireworks were a no-no.

Around 11:00 we headed back to Valencia.  As we passed by the Central Market we discovered that the police had set up a roadblock and we slowly made our way through it without having to stop.  When we took a left past the market and headed sown Barón de Cárcer there was a roadblock there, also.  I have no idea of what or whom they were looking for.  When I checked at 1:00 AM the street was free of police vehicles.  There was no mention of anything untoward in this morning’s paper.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The unpacking process is moving along well.  The kitchen is in order and so are both of our offices.  Susan has hung and arranged all her clothes and is helping me get set up with my clothes.  I have been busy hooking up all our devices that require an Internet or network connection.  That list is frightening.  Here it is:

• 2 laptops
• 2 printers
• 2 iPads
• 1 iTouch
• 1 Apple TV
• 1 DVD player
• 1 signal extender

Last night I was too tired to make it to the CIVAC meeting.  I worked on the blog and around 10:00 we opened a bottle of champagne and snacked on some ham and cheese.  We went to be shortly thereafter and I slept relatively well in our enormous new bed.  As soon as I learn to shut off my brain at night, I imagine I will sleep much better.

Soon made a brief trip to El Parisien to pick up some breakfast goodies and we enjoyed our first breakfast at Barón de Cárcer 23.  Susan headed out to pick up some kitchen and bathroom supplies and I treated myself to an amazing shower.  This shower is even nicer that the ones you find at the Palace Hotel in Madrid.  In addition to a rainshower, you can enjoy a full body shower.

I headed out soon after my shower, but not before I received an emergency request from my friends at Magic Agora.  The ten pages of instructions for a magic effect needed to be corrected and edited.  It was noon and they needed it back by 3:00.  I told them I would do my best, but 3:00 was out of the question since I had a number of errands to run and run them I did.

I stopped off at Miguel’s to drop off the keys and to pay him for our last month’s rent.  We chatted for a bit and then I made my way to Mantequería Chisbert where I visited with Nacho and bought some ham, cheese and smoked salmon.  Next I stopped off at Jordi’s and gave him a couple of pictures that Susan had taken on Sunday night.  We chatted for a while and then I headed home.

I finished the revision of the magic effect by 3:15 and mailed it off to Victor.  At that very moment Susan called me for lunch and we enjoyed a tortilla española prepared on her new convection range and a salad.  We finished the bottle of champagne we had opened up last night and enjoyed our first lunch in our new place.

All my clothes are now put away and Susan has gone out in search of more hangers to hang up my jackets.  All the suitcases have been stowed away and all the boxes have been broken down and taken to the dumpster.  We are officially moved in.

Monday, July 2, 2012

The movers arrive seven minutes early and proceeded to load all our belongings on their van.  Susan headed out a few minutes before they finished so she could open the door for them when they arrived at our new address.  The movers were courteous and efficient.  Granted it was a short move, but everything arrived and arrived in A1 condition.   They were gone by 10:15 and with the exception of a break for lunch we have been unpacking up until now.  My magic is organized and put away and Susan has done a yeoman’s job of getting the other areas in order.  She has just about finished and I need to put away my clothes.  That will have to wait until tomorrow.

Saturday is just a blur.  I know we spent some time bringing a few things over to the new place. Susan took a luxurious bath in her new tub and I just took life easy during my next to last day as a resident of Calle Borrull.

Sunday morning and afternoon saw us at the new place.  We mainly relaxed and I took a nice siesta on one of the guest room beds.  My interest was purely scientific.  The mattresses are Tempur-Pedic mattresses and they are really comfortable.  We headed back to Borrull around 5:30 to finish packing and to get ready to go out and watch the final of the Eurocup.  Jordi was throwing a little party for his friends and we were on the guest list.

We were supposed to arrive at 8:45, but we were running a bit late.  Ironically as we approached the restaurant the spectators, all of whom were seated at the outdoor tables, erupted into deafening cheers as Spain scored their first of four goals.  As we drew closer we saw the Handelsmans – Melanie, Andrew, Tommy and Robbie.  Andrew is leading a group of Woodberry Forest students on a summer immersion trip to Spain.  They arrived in Valencia last Friday after spending close to two weeks in Andalusia.  They are in Valencia for ten days and then they head off to Madrid.

I have known Melanie forever.  I taught her my first year at Westridge.  She was 7^th grader.  I was also her advisor.  I taught her again the following year and several other times as she made her way through the upper school.  She accompanied Susan and me to Spain when we began to organize trips for Westridge students during Interim.  I was instrumental in her being hired as a teacher at Westridge and I also introduced her to her husband, Andrew.  Andrew was a colleague of mine for a number of years when he taught at Westridge and when he was offered a position at Woodberry it turned out to be the right offer at the right time.

Tommy and Robbie are two of the cutest and nicest kids.  Tommy is nine and Robbie is seven.  They are both excellent students and excellent athletes.  They have had the opportunity to travel to Spain several times and, as we well know, that experience will pay future benefits.

Melanie and Andrew had saved us a couple of seats and we took our places and proceeded to catch up.  The game was exciting and the food and drink was never-ending.  There were mussels, croquetas, patatas bravas, filets of fish, razor clams, steak and shrimp.  There was beer, wine and sangria at our table and to celebrate Spain’s victory Jordi made everyone a Rum and Coke with an amazing thirteen year-old rum.  As the game progressed the noise level increased and when the game ended everyone erupted in songs and cheers.

We left the party at 12:30 and made our way home.  The streets were clogged with revelers and cards made their way up and down the main streets with the occupants shouting and the drivers beeping their horn.  Needless to say it was hard to fall asleep and 7:30 came all to soon this Monday morning.

Andrew and I

Robbie

Melanie and Andrew

The boys!

Jordi!

Friday, June 29, 2012

It’s a little before 2:00 PM and I am seated in my new office waiting for the ONO installer to return.  It seems he needed to move his truck lest he get ticketed.  We were told he would be here between noon and three and, thankfully, he has come earlier than we anticipated.  Susan is taking advantage of our time here to organize things in the kitchen.  It turns out that there is a reverse osmosis water filter in the kitchen so we will not need to buy bottled water in the great quantities that we are accustomed to.  I will include some photos of our new space and Susan will upload her photos later.

Last night we had a spirited meeting of the veteranos.  Gurrea was unable to make our meeting because he had to drive his grandson to La Cañada, but Pepe, Paquito, Gioco and I were present.  We ended up doing quite a bit of magic and everyone did at least one effect.  At 9:45 we headed our in search of a bite to eat.

I was dismayed to discover that one of our favorite spots, El Asador de Leandro, had gone out of business.  I knew they were struggling when we paid a visit in December and they were trying to decide if they were going to stay open when the new year rolled around.  Things did improve somewhat, but not enough to stay open.  That being the case we headed for Carosel in search of a few nibbles.

All of the diners were seated on the patio because Jordi had moved a big screen TV to the entranceway.  Everyone was watching Italy vs. Germany in the semis of the Eurocopa.  Italy won and so they will play Spain for the championship on Sunday.  Jordi has invited a number of friends to watch the finals at Carosel.  The restaurant is closed in the evening so this will turn out to be a gathering of friends.

We all ordered a beer and then we enjoyed some olives, some squid, a coca con escalivada, a plate of anchovies and some croquetas.  We ordered a single dessert, which all four of us shared.  We finished the meal with coffee and a chupito.  It was midnight when the party ended and I made my way home through the humidity-laden night.  Susan was already asleep.  I called Rachel and we chatted for a while and afterwards I puttered around until 1:30 when I finally gave up the ghost and went to bed.

The Living Room

The Dining Room

My Office

Kitchen 1

Kitchen 2

Bathroom 1 Jacuzzi Tub

Bathroom 1 Double Vanity

Bathroom 2

Bathroom 2 Shower

Shower Detail 1

Shower Detail 2

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom Closet Wall

Walk In Closet

Shoe Closet

Susan’s Desk Will Go Here

Susan’s Office Bookcases

Guest Bedroom

Thursday, June 28, 2012

It almost feels like we are back in Virginia with the daily weather forecast being hazy, hot and humid.  The only thing that is different is that there is no chance of afternoon thundershowers.  It is yet another good day to take things easy and limit one’s activity.  That is why the only things we have done today have been to look for a desk for Susan so that she can set up shop in the new apartment.  We think we found one that will fit the bill.  The room already has a bookcase that covers one wall and has more than enough depth to hold a printer that will connect via Wi Fi.  On the way back home we stopped off at La Fórocla and enjoyed a little lunch.

After doing the recording of the promos for Magic Agora we made our way back home and I turned the air conditioner on high and just let the cool air wash over me.  However, I still had one thing left to do.  Dani DaOrtiz, in addition to being the card magician who is all the rage all over the world these days, also publishes a magic magazine called El Manuscrito.  Last July when the issue was dedicated to Dean Dill I got to write the cover story.  Dani’s plans for this July’s issue hit a roadblock when complications of some sort arose.  He did not go into the details.  His plan is to do an issue honoring The Magic Castle and he wanted to know if I could write an article based on my personal experiences there.

At 10:00 PM I sat down in front of my computer and some two hours later I put the finishing touches on a fifteen hundred-word article and mailed it off to Dani.  I think I surprised myself that I had so much to say.  I think the magazine goes to the printer on Monday, so I should see the results soon.  Little did I realize that my fifteen minutes of fame would be extended a little bit longer.  There is a meeting of the veteranos this evening and as soon as I post this, I will be heading out.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

When it rains it pours.  Requests from Magic Agora had slowed down somewhat, but as the date approaches for the World Magic Congress that is called FISM the requests have increased.  There will be a number of promos shown at this convention highlighting Magic Agora’s first offerings and I spent most of Tuesday translating the promos into English.  I needed to translate the text that will appear on the screen and the voiceover behind it.  I managed to finish the translation yesterday afternoon and today I spent two hours in a recording studio doing the voiceovers.  I discovered that you cannot air condition a soundproof booth because it will pick up the sound of the air conditioner.  Did I mention that the outside temperature was in the high 90’s.  Oh well, that’s showbiz.

Monday we had lunch at El Molinón because we were in need of a gazpacho fix.  We also had the sliced steak that comes with potatoes and pimientos de Padrón.  We were stuffed when we left.  We took the rest of the afternoon slow and easy and around 7:30 I began to get ready for my trip to the CIVAC.

There was a last minute lecture scheduled.  An Argentinean magician, Diego Minevitz, was in town to deliver a lecture dealing with fakirism and escapes.  Fakirism is a close relative of geek magic in that it involves such feats as walking on broken glass or doing effects with dangerous objects.  The presentations and the explanations were enlightening, but this branch of magic is really not my cup of tea.  I had a sandwich and beer with the guys during the break and then headed home before the second part of the lecture began.

Tuesday we grabbed a quick lunch at Las Torres because we needed to be home when Valero delivered our boxes for the move.  We had a salad and a plate of arroz a la cubana.  Susan had a tinto de verano and I managed to get the last Newcastle beer that Paco had.  At 4:00 PM, as promised, the Valero driver delivered some twenty small boxes that we will pack our belongings in.  Susan put some of the boxes together and we began the task.  We took a break at 7:30 to go to the movies.

We saw a fascinating documentary made by German director, Werner Herzog.  It is called The Cave of Lost Dreams and it deals with a cave discovered in France several years ago that contains cave drawings form some 30,000 years ago.  We saw the movie in 3D and that most certainly added to the experience.  It was a fascinating film.

At 11:00 this morning we knocked on the door of what will be our new home and Alicia opened the door.  She walked us through the house and showed us how to operate some of the appliances and also showed us where she had left thinks like towels and linens, as well as all the dishes, silverware, pots and pans.  It turns out that we liked the place even more than our first visit.  Details and photos will follow in a later blog post.

We then made our way to ONO, which is one of the local cable companies.  We contracted for a package that includes telephone, Internet and cable.  The download speed of the Internet will clock at 50 megabytes, which is obscenely fast.  Our cable package includes 60 channels.  Our cost will be 50 Euros a month.  Not a bad deal.  On our way back home we stopped off at A Nou and had lunch.  Today we passed on the rice entrée and chose a meatball stew instead.  It was a great choice.

That’s today’s update.  I am not sure when I will post next given all that needs to happen by Monday at 8:15 when the movers show up.

Sofía Lerma and Diego Minevitz.

Monday, June 25, 2012

Temperatures have been flirting with the 100’s the last few days and the trend is predicted to continue all this week.  Susan is at her Pilates class and I am trying to get some of my magic things in order, but that seems to be a never-ending task.  Later this afternoon we will call up the moving company and ask them to deliver some boxes so that we can pack up our stuff and see on what day they can do that for us.  There is a CIVAC meeting this evening, but that is the only event on my schedule.

Susan got up early yesterday and decided to shoot some photos of Valencia early on a Sunday morning.  She picked up some pastry on the way back and that was our breakfast.  For lunch she put together a salad using all the vegetables that Eddie had given us and cooked up the zucchini with some garlic and onion.  She cooked up a couple of thin filets and we had ourselves an outstanding lunch.

A little before 7:00 we decided that thing had cooled down enough for us to take a walk.  We made our way through the Turia heading towards the Torres de Serrano.  It was Sunday and the park was filled with people participating in all sorts of activities and some were just stretched out enjoying the sunny day.  We even stopped and watched a soccer game in progress on one of the many athletic fields that populate the park.

We exited the park and made our way to La Plaza de la Reina.  All the outdoor cafés were filled to capacity and the streets were filled with tourists.  We stopped by Linares for an ice cream and we then continued on our way home.  It was about 8:30 when we walked through the door and it marked the end of the longest walk I have taken since the end of February.  We spent the evening relaxing, reading and watching some TV.  We were in bed by 11:30.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Thursday evening I headed out at 7:45 for a meeting of the veteranos and as it turned out only Guerrea, Paquito and I made it to the gathering.  Jerito showed us a video of one of the first live programs to be emitted on Canal Nou, a local station that traditionally broadcasts its programs in Valenciano rather than Castellano.  This fifteen-minute program was shown some 38 years ago and it featured Jerito, Gurrea, Paco de Andrés and May Royer.  Each of the participants performed an effect and Gurrea closed the program with his card manipulations.  It was enlightening to watch this footnote to the history of magic here in Valencia.

Afterwards we caught up with Pepe, Jaime and Gioco at Carosel.  Pepe had a guest in tow, Ramon Riobóo.  Ramón is a member of the renowned Escuela de Magia de Madrid and has just had his first book published in English.  He was in town to do some taping for Magic Agora.  We settled into a back table and ordered a number of tapas while we talked magic.  It was close to midnight when we exited the restaurant and although normally we would have sessioned for a while, everyone was tired so we each went back to our respective homes.

Friday morning we stopped by Miguel’s to tell him that we had found a new place.  We owe him July’s rent, but the upside is that we can transfer things form Point A to Point B without having to rush things.  After our visit we headed to La Fórcola for lunch.  We both started with the anchovies in a green sauce and I followed that with a pizza and Susan opted for the pasta.  Ice cream and tiramisu were our dessert choices and we finished the meal with coffee.  I had asked Antón about the availability of a wonderful white wine from the Alto Adige region of Italy and to my great surprise and pleasure he gave me a bottle as we left the restaurant.

Susan caught up with Zahava in the afternoon and I spent that time reading and working on my magic.  We spent a rather quiet evening with Susan reading my copy of Las Doce Llaveswhile I read the digital version of Mazapán Amargo.  We were both quite exhausted from this week’s activities – mainly the search for the new place – so we went to bed fairly early.

Yesterday Susan got up rather early and headed out in search of a beach chair that folds neatly into one of those nylon carry bags.  She walked through the Turia and shot a number of photos.  When she got back we debated about where to have lunch and we both simultaneously suggested La Comisaría.  When we arrived there were several large parties on the terrace so we opted for the table with a direct view of what was going on in the kitchen.

Eddie was working the lunch shift and we put ourselves in his hands.  He started us off with some tomates tres texturas and followed that dish up with three different flavors of croquetas. All were quite tasty, but the best of the lot were those made with leeks, potatoes and cheese.  Our next gastronomic foray was a Carpaccio of veal that was accompanied by a panoply of tastes and textures – mango, ginger, wasabi, sea salt, nori  – a veritable treat for the taste buds.  Our dessert was a mango mousse topped with fresh cherries and an orange chocolate cream.  We finished the meal with coffee and a chupito.

In the course of our conversation with Eddie he told us he discovered that his neighbor was an organic farmer who supplied a number of locals with fresh organic fruits, vegetables and eggs.  He then proceeded to give a sample of those wares and he filled a bag with lettuce, a tomato, carrots, a beet, a cucumber, a squash and six eggs.  He told us to take them home and to enjoy their freshness on Sunday, which is precisely what we shall do.

Our intent was to go to a guitar concert last night, but we were a bit too tired to head out at 6:30, so, once again, we just took life easy.  Spain was playing France in the Eurocopa and so we watched the end of the game and were pleased that Spain won 2-0.  They will now play Portugal in the semifinals.

The Turia on a Saturday morning.

Friday, June 22, 2012

It’s a done deal.  We signed the lease for the new apartment yesterday afternoon.  We get the keys on Wednesday and are free to move our things in next Wednesday afternoon if we so desire.  Needless to say both Susan and I are thrilled for some of the same reasons, as well as different reasons.

The apartment is huge.  It is close to 2200 square feet.  It has a formal dining room and living room.  There are four bedrooms one of which has been converted into an office that will become my office.  The master bedroom has a king size bed in it along with a number of closets.  The second bedroom has two twin beds and the third bedroom can be used as a combination bedroom/office because it contains a rather substantial desk.  The master bath has a spa tub and all the other things one would expect to find in a bathroom.  The second bathroom has the most unbelievable shower I have ever seem.

The kitchen is not to be believed.  It is enormous and has every modern convenience one could imagine.  In addition to the refrigerator and stove there is a microwave, a washer, a dryer and a dishwasher.   There is an island where the two of us could have our breakfast.  There is also a table that seats six and a sofa.  There is a television in the kitchen, as well as the bedroom.  The apartment is completely furnished with everything that one would ever need to live comfortably.  There is no need to go out and buy dishes, flatware, pots and pans, towels or bed linens.  Everything is included in the rental price.  The rent is high, but significantly less than what we are paying on our mortgage and condo fees in Alhambra.

Susan saw the ad for this place almost by accident.  She had already made appointments to see some other places and when she checked the website to see if there were any new offerings, this one popped up.  The reason it popped up is because they had dropped the price of the rental.  The current owners of the apartment, Alicia and Esteban, are moving to the nearby town of Denia where Esteban’s job has now taken him.  In essence, we are renting their high-end home in which they have invested much time, love, effort and money.  We feel fortunate to have found and rented this space and are grateful to Alicia and Esteban for making this a very smooth transaction.  They have been very generous to us and we have not moved in yet.