because i know you're curious about spanish hair styles....

So on monday I went out with my intercambio Mercedes, who is SUPER cool (like the use of super there??. She took me to the Museo de Jamon, which is not in fact a museum, unfortunately, but a tapas bar...still, good times. i'm sure you can imagine what types of tapas we got at the ham museum....

anyways, we got talking about spanish fashion, and Mercedes confirmed to me that not all spaniards are fond of the hammer pants (although she didn't know who MC Hammer was) and that she too thinks that rat tails are ugly. Then I asked her about bangs, which the Spanish chicas seem to have a thing for. this is the explanation I got:

it's because of Nelly Furtado. She's really popular here and she has bangs, so now everyone has them.

well there you have it! Out of the 80's and into the early 2000s, at least as far as hair goes.

Spanish Stranger Saturday

spaniard: hector, my EU professor.

Sure, by this point in the semester he might not be a stranger, but hector wins this week's award for 2 reasons:

1. he insisted on wearing a bright yellow belt to class. 2 class meetings in a row. (not like a yellow karate belt that's in the photo. and no, hector looks nothing like the ninja in the photo)
2. we got to class and he asked if we liked barcelona. everyone said yes and someone shouted that we got to go to a barca game. hector asked who we cheered for, so we said barca. he proceeded to take his pen from the table and stab himself violently in the chest over and over for a good minute.

best convo ever:

background: we had been talking about books. paloma was saying how she didn't read a lot of Shakespeare(pronounced shake es pee are eh)but liked the movie Shakespeare in Love.
P-paloma, H-hayley, L-lola

P: ...and then there's Quijote
H: well i never read Quijote in spanish, but that's another book that has a show after it
P&L: WHAT?!?!
H: man of la mancha?
P&L: you mean the book?
H: no, the play
P&L: there's a play?
H: yes, man of la mancha is the name of a play. it's a musical
P: Typical Americans. they turn everything into musicals

lessons from barca...la sagrada familia

it's a cathedral. they started working on it over 100 years ago. it will have 18 towers when it's all finished. in the 100 years that have passed, they've completed 8. (18-8=10 left) The tour guide told me in all seriousness that it should be finished in 2020.


im sorry barcelona, but i just don't believe you. youre gonna have to pick up the pace on this one. i was there on a friday afternoon and NO ONE was building anything. there were cranes just chillin there, not doing anything. if you're gonna pretend that you can finish this thing in 11 years, at least make an attempt.

SS3: Barca advertisements

No answers. A lot of questions.

SSS2: Hammer Pants

You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this

My, my, my music hits me so hard
Makes me say "Oh my Lord"
Thank you for blessing me
With a mind to rhyme and two hype feet
It feels good, when you know you're down
A super dope homeboy from the Oaktown
And I'm known as such
And this is a beat, uh, you can't touch

I told you homeboy (You can't touch this)
Yeah, that's how we living and you know (You can't touch this)
Look at my eyes, man (You can't touch this)
Yo, let me bust the funky lyrics (You can't touch this)

Fresh new kicks, advance
You gotta like that, now you know you wanna dance
So move, outta your seat
And get a fly girl and catch this beat
While it's rolling, hold on
Pump a little bit and let 'em know it's going on
Like that, like that
Cold on a mission so fall them back
Let 'em know, that you're too much
And this is a beat, uh, you can't touch

Yo, I told you (You can't touch this)
Why you standing there, man? (You can't touch this)
Yo, sound the bell, school is in, sucka (You can't touch this)

Give me a song, or rhythm
Make 'em sweat, that's what I'm giving 'em
Now, they know
You talking about the Hammer you talking about a show
That's hype, and tight
Singers are sweating so pass them a wipe
Or a tape, to learn
What's it gonna take in the 90's to burn
The charts? Legit
Either work hard or you might as well quit

That's word because you know...

You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this

Break it down! (Music breaks down) Stop, Hammer time!

Go with the funk, it is said
That if you can't groove to this then you probably are dead
So wave your hands in the air
Bust a few moves, fun your fingers through your hair
This is it, for a winner
Dance to this and you're gonna get thinner
Move, slide your rump
Just for a minute let's all do the bump, bump, bump

Yeah... (You can't touch this)
Look, man (You can't touch this)
You better get hype, boy, because you know (You can't touch this)
Ring the bell, school's back in (You can't touch this)

Break it down!Stop, Hammer time!
You can't touch this )
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this


Break it down! (Nice pants, Hammer) Stop, Hammer time!

Every time you see me
The Hammer's just so hype
I'm dope on the floor and I'm magic on the mic
Now why would I ever stop doing this?
With others making records that just don't hit
I've toured around the world, from London to the Bay
It's "Hammer, go Hammer, MC Hammer, yo Hammer"
And the rest can go and play

You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this
You can't touch this

SSS1: the dread mullet

oh the horror! spain! what gave you the idea that this was a good idea???????