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city"},{"term":"auschwitz"},{"term":"baltimore"},{"term":"banff"},{"term":"baton rouge"},{"term":"bayou le batre"},{"term":"bejing"},{"term":"british columbia"},{"term":"brooklyn"},{"term":"buffalo"},{"term":"cabazon"},{"term":"calgary"},{"term":"capitan"},{"term":"caribbean"},{"term":"chivay"},{"term":"chong khneas"},{"term":"choteau"},{"term":"columbus"},{"term":"connecticut"},{"term":"cooperstown"},{"term":"crater lake"},{"term":"crescent city"},{"term":"crow agency"},{"term":"cruise"},{"term":"customs"},{"term":"delaware"},{"term":"dillon"},{"term":"dubai"},{"term":"dusseldorf"},{"term":"eagle canyon"},{"term":"estonia"},{"term":"fayetteville"},{"term":"fort myers"},{"term":"frane"},{"term":"gap adventures"},{"term":"gemany"},{"term":"georgia"},{"term":"gettysburg"},{"term":"glacier national park"},{"term":"glenorchy"},{"term":"harlem"},{"term":"hershey"},{"term":"hiroshima"},{"term":"ikeburuko"},{"term":"iowa city"},{"term":"izu"},{"term":"kakunodate"},{"term":"kamakura"},{"term":"kensington market"},{"term":"kobe"},{"term":"kofu"},{"term":"kutna hora"},{"term":"laguna beach"},{"term":"lancaster"},{"term":"layfayette"},{"term":"lincoln"},{"term":"livingstone"},{"term":"maryland"},{"term":"mexico"},{"term":"mexico city"},{"term":"michigan"},{"term":"milfordsound"},{"term":"mississippi"},{"term":"mobile"},{"term":"mongolia"},{"term":"moose jaw"},{"term":"moses lake"},{"term":"nagano"},{"term":"new london"},{"term":"newport"},{"term":"niagara"},{"term":"north carolina"},{"term":"offbeat"},{"term":"oranienburg"},{"term":"ouimet canyon"},{"term":"pensacola"},{"term":"philadelphia"},{"term":"pioneertown"},{"term":"pisa"},{"term":"potsdam"},{"term":"rachel"},{"term":"rappongi"},{"term":"red bluff"},{"term":"redwoods"},{"term":"reviews"},{"term":"richmond"},{"term":"roswell"},{"term":"russia"},{"term":"sachsenhausen"},{"term":"san antonio"},{"term":"saskatchewan"},{"term":"scranton"},{"term":"seattle"},{"term":"shinjuku"},{"term":"skye"},{"term":"socorro"},{"term":"solvang"},{"term":"sudbury"},{"term":"tallahassee"},{"term":"tallinn"},{"term":"texico"},{"term":"the hague"},{"term":"vancouver"},{"term":"verona"},{"term":"victoria"},{"term":"virginia"},{"term":"virginia city"},{"term":"wall"},{"term":"wilmington"},{"term":"ypres"},{"term":"zurich"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"one.year.trip"},"subtitle":{"type":"html","$t":"One Teacher's Around the World Travel Blog\u003Cbr\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/feeds\/posts\/default"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/-\/spain?alt=json-in-script\u0026max-results=3"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/search\/label\/spain"},{"rel":"hub","href":"http://pubsubhubbub.appspot.com/"},{"rel":"next","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/-\/spain\/-\/spain?alt=json-in-script\u0026start-index=4\u0026max-results=3"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"Unknown"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"generator":{"version":"7.00","uri":"http://www.blogger.com","$t":"Blogger"},"openSearch$totalResults":{"$t":"14"},"openSearch$startIndex":{"$t":"1"},"openSearch$itemsPerPage":{"$t":"3"},"entry":[{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453582688315838952.post-4383859948519054896"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-26T13:21:00.002-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-11-09T07:40:42.544-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"Barcelona"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"europe"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"madrid"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"rtw09"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"spain"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Videos are Up"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"I finally got a working wifi connection that has some fine uploading speeds, so I added videos to the entries dating back to Madrid.  I also back-dated two posts full of videos.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2009\/10\/madrid-bullfight-videos.html\"\u003EMadrid Bullfight\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca href=\"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2009\/10\/barcelona-magic-fountain.html\"\u003EBarcelona Magic Fountain\u003C\/a\u003E"},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/feeds\/4383859948519054896\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2009\/10\/videos-are-up.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/4383859948519054896"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/4383859948519054896"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2009\/10\/videos-are-up.html","title":"Videos are Up"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"oneyeartrip.com"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02942033055663818067"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453582688315838952.post-3775560843846504286"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-21T14:04:00.003-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-11-09T07:40:42.547-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"europe"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"madrid"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"rtw09"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"spain"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Museums Can Be Fun Too"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"\u003Ca onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_88RoabsTacs\/St9OTgoNioI\/AAAAAAAAAo8\/fKbW7_q9wPE\/s1600-h\/IMG_7586.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg style=\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;\" src=\"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_88RoabsTacs\/St9OTgoNioI\/AAAAAAAAAo8\/fKbW7_q9wPE\/s320\/IMG_7586.JPG\" alt=\"\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395116975696218754\" border=\"0\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EClearly my day couldn't only be laundry, and dealings with the lovely young lady at the front desk – much as I would have loved that to be the case.  No, eventually my clothes were dry, and I had no more excuse to sit in my room, watching internet streaming video (we're so the same – me and her.)  So where was I off to first?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere were a number of museums on the docket for today.  As much fun as museums and galleries can be – and oh let me tell you just how much fun they are when you've seen about twenty or thirty of them, yawn – there are some that stand out – and are free.  Never let it be said that I will avoid a free time suck,  I love free things; free things love me.  It's perfect!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAlso – this would give me the excuse to run my metro pass down into the ground, and feel good about it, all at the same time.  First up – Anden 0.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_88RoabsTacs\/St9OTZWFU4I\/AAAAAAAAAos\/6fW72KCo_3g\/s1600-h\/IMG_7577.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg style=\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_88RoabsTacs\/St9OTZWFU4I\/AAAAAAAAAos\/6fW72KCo_3g\/s320\/IMG_7577.JPG\" alt=\"\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395116973741134722\" border=\"0\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe informational pamphlet they gave me was mostly in Spanish, so I can't say much about it aside from the short paragraph I read from the internets that prompted me out this way.  But the story begins far before that.  You see, the real trick is finding it.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI took the subway straight up on the #1 line.  That was convenient – not having to switch lines, just grabbing a seat, opening up my Tom Clancy, and reading until the Spanish computer voice alerted me to the fact that Proximo Station was the one I wanted.  Up I walked into the real world, north of the city centre.  There was life outside downtown.  In a city of over three million this should not be shocking.  Still -\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo I bumbled around to the area I had circled on my map.  Arriving there I looked around at the square, lined with buildings.  Anden 0, Anden 0.  You wouldn't think it hard to spot.  But it was.  In fact there was only one building with people filing in and out.  That must be it!  In I stumbled, walking past the front desk (in was a free museum after all) and past the security, as I had no bags on me for the x-ray.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd then I was stopped.  And politely, but firmly, told to leave.  Ohh – isn't that cute, this wasn't the museum.  This was a political building, with people filing in after their lunch break!  To be honest, I'm surprised I made it in as far as I did.  I don't look very official.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cobject width=\"425\" height=\"344\"\u003E\u003Cparam name=\"movie\" value=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/OW-IiMh-bfc\u0026hl=en\u0026fs=1\"\u003E\u003C\/param\u003E\u003Cparam name=\"allowFullScreen\" value=\"true\"\u003E\u003C\/param\u003E\u003Cparam name=\"allowscriptaccess\" value=\"always\"\u003E\u003C\/param\u003E\u003Cembed src=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/v\/OW-IiMh-bfc\u0026hl=en\u0026fs=1\" type=\"application\/x-shockwave-flash\" allowscriptaccess=\"always\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" width=\"425\" height=\"344\"\u003E\u003C\/embed\u003E\u003C\/object\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_88RoabsTacs\/St9OTnaO7HI\/AAAAAAAAAo0\/LfhQWBxGIsE\/s1600-h\/IMG_7581.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg style=\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;\" src=\"http:\/\/2.bp.blogspot.com\/_88RoabsTacs\/St9OTnaO7HI\/AAAAAAAAAo0\/LfhQWBxGIsE\/s320\/IMG_7581.JPG\" alt=\"\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395116977516637298\" border=\"0\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003ESo there I was, in the square, dejected, and without purpose.  I had failed.  There would be no Anden zero for me today.  Defeated I walked back to the subway, when something caught my eye.  A big glass cylinder decending into the ground.  And inside there was an elevator, not unlike the one leading to the hipster cave in New York City (all it was missing was a big glass cube, and a ridiculous Apple logo illuminated on the outside.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo I went down the stairs (I don't need your stinking elevator) that wound around the ascender.  At the bottom I smiled, nodded, and accepted the previously mentioned Spanish brochure.  Not understanding much of what was said, I was let in.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnden Zero is a subway station that they couldn't retrofit to take the new larger trains.  So instead of locking it up, and turning it into an abandoned station (I'm looking at you Toronto) they allowed it to become a museum piece.  Still decked out the way it was decades previous, when it was last used, this station exists as a frozen moment in time showing what the system looked like way back when.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHonestly, aside from the ticket booths, and the grunge, and the old advertisements on the wall – not that different.  But walking the abandoned platform of a darkened station is still exceptionally cool.  Very Neverwhere.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd watching the still active trains rush by without stopping?  Fantastic.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAnd that was that.  Back to the sun for me.  And back to the subway, to travel up the 1 line a few more stops.  I was now headed to the ONCE building.  I had read that there was a Blind Museum there, featuring art by blind people, and for blind people.  It sounded unique, as well as hitting my curiosity in just the right place.  Plus, at free to enter, the price was right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI arrived at quarter to two.  The museum closed at two.  Crap.  I was told I could come back when it reopened at five.  But I was not hanging around for three hours, so after much pleading, I was allowed to scamper around for the final fifteen minutes (I don't know why this was such an issue anyway – perhaps they were anxious to get to their siesta stations?)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInside the museum I was not disappointed.  One half had art by blind people, the other for.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENow, when you look at the art by blind people, some of it is fantastic sculptures, made with the tactile in mind.  They are made to be touched, and to evoke from that sense.  A museum where you are not only encouraged to touch, but really have to touch to fully appreciate the artistic intent is wonderful.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere was one sculpture with woman's body turning into a preying mantis, holding a mans head.  It was rough, spiky, and smooth as you descended from head to toes.  The art in this room also begs the question, how can one accurately recreate a preying mantis when one has never seen one?  (also – is it praying, because of how it holds its hands, or preying because of how it kills?)  Some objects, like people, faces, etc – I understand, because you can touch them.  But how could one ever touch a small insect like that to get a feel for its shape?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThere was also an oil painting of flowers through a window.  When you see the work, you appreciate at such a level the workmanship that went into each piece.  But the painting was also somewhat disillusioning.  Just like sighted people, who learn at a very young age, that the sky is coloured blue, the grass is coloured green, and the roses are coloured red – deviation will not be tolerated, not by any kindergarten teacher anywhere, so too did this painting conform to those rules.  In the land of the blind, the basic rules still find themselves followed, even when the concept of colour has very little meaning, or value.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Ca onblur=\"try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}\" href=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_88RoabsTacs\/St9OTyyHRvI\/AAAAAAAAApE\/hpsPbTaJHcI\/s1600-h\/IMG_7591.JPG\"\u003E\u003Cimg style=\"margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;\" src=\"http:\/\/4.bp.blogspot.com\/_88RoabsTacs\/St9OTyyHRvI\/AAAAAAAAApE\/hpsPbTaJHcI\/s320\/IMG_7591.JPG\" alt=\"\" id=\"BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395116980569589490\" border=\"0\" \/\u003E\u003C\/a\u003EThe other side of the gallery held sculptures of famous buildings throughout spain, and around the world.  There was a model of the Taj Mahal, The State of Liberty, Eiffel Tower, Egyptian Obelisk, and far more.  The idea being that for the blind, these sights are often robbed from them, due to the incredible scale, and distance.  But here, these fll recreations, can be accessed, touched, seen.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThis museum was so spectacular, for what it was, that it made me wonder why there were not more of them?  Why in such an accepting country as Canada, have I never heard of such a place existing?  And if it does exist, why do we not know of it?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENow here is where my day took a pause.  The Prado Museum would not be free until six o'clock.  So it was off to the Chinese grocer to buy bread, cheese, and Sunny D (I've almost had all the flavours now – California Orange, Pineapple, Strawberry, Lemon Lime...  just one left.  The much feared, Pina Colada.  As an aside, the orange is good and tangy, the pineapple is not as tart as I would have liked, the strawberry is was too sweet and thick, and the lemon lime tops as my favourite.  If they have this beverage in Rome, I will have no choice but to try the coconut version.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe Prado museum houses all number of paintings.  And as you walk through you'll either care, or you won't.  But you have to see it, because it's the thing to do in Madrid.  For me all it made me think was – man, what would art be like today if so many hundreds of years weren't wasted painting Jesus, or God, or Jesus as God, or Jesus with God, or other similarly Jesus\/Goddy situations.  Dali-esque work could have hit the scene ages ago.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EStrange that all the Roman mythologies, and Norse mythologies don't bother me in paintings.  But all the other religious works have cool beasties, and crazy creatures.  It's not just people, and a guy either bleeding, crying, suffering, or glowing.  Boring!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut I'll tell you what this museum does very well – it tells you why you should care about each piece.  If you read Spanish, you're in the zone.  If you read English, you're half covered, if you read French and English, you're solid once more.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBeside each piece is a plaque explaining the historical significance, and the meaning of each painting.  This is the thing that always holds me back from caring about art – if I don't understand what makes one piece different from another, I just shrug and walk on.  Still, most galleries have at least once piece that strikes me.  And so too did this museum.  It had two actually, companion pieces: By Hans Baldang G(my notes get a bit sloppy here.  Bless my students for ever being able to read what I write... I think it says Gfren, but that hardly makes sense.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe two pieces are The Three Ages of Man and Death, and Harmony or The Three Graces.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFantastic.  And that's that.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThat's Madrid."},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/feeds\/3775560843846504286\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2009\/10\/museums-can-be-fun-too.html#comment-form","title":"3 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/3775560843846504286"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/3775560843846504286"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2009\/10\/museums-can-be-fun-too.html","title":"Museums Can Be Fun Too"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"oneyeartrip.com"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02942033055663818067"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"media$thumbnail":{"xmlns$media":"http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/","url":"http:\/\/1.bp.blogspot.com\/_88RoabsTacs\/St9OTgoNioI\/AAAAAAAAAo8\/fKbW7_q9wPE\/s72-c\/IMG_7586.JPG","height":"72","width":"72"},"thr$total":{"$t":"3"}},{"id":{"$t":"tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4453582688315838952.post-2034176161226850478"},"published":{"$t":"2009-10-20T15:47:00.000-04:00"},"updated":{"$t":"2009-11-09T07:40:42.548-05:00"},"category":[{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"europe"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"madrid"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"rtw09"},{"scheme":"http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#","term":"spain"}],"title":{"type":"text","$t":"Those Whom I Hate, And Other Fun Things"},"content":{"type":"html","$t":"One five euro bill goes into the machine, and tink – one euro, dronk – two euros, pllink – three euros, clink – four euros, clank - ... ... ... Clank?!  Where's my fifth euro?!  Change machine, are you – more like steal my money machine!  But no worries.  This is no time to panic – sure that's the last of your on hang money, and you need all of it to wash your clothes which are getting to about that point, but it's ok – there's a hostel employee right across from you.  She saw the whole thing.  She'll help you out!\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI'd like to take a moment to pause here and note that I hate having to deal with girls in positions of quasi-power.  Look, it's a general statement, and not always true – but you have been in a situation where you've experienced the same thing.  It's like, when someone tells you to stay out of a certain Barcelona neighbourhood after dark because of all the Persian people there – you want to stand up and cry racism! Racism!  But you won't go there.  And the people who tell you not to, have very good reason to suggest it.  It's always awkward when stereotypes become more truth than fiction.  You're never quite sure how to react.  With that in mind, I'll continue.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ESo over I walk to the lovely girl looking far too pretty to be working at a hostel – and here's the thing with pretty girls, people – they are so used to the world giving them things, that heaven forbid they be asked to return something.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOh no – is this another generalization?  Of course – but as we are social creatures, and we are creatures of nurture more so than nature, it's impossible to deny.  You've either been the guy telling the pretty girl exactly what she wants to hear – that she's great, that she's smart, that everything she does is wonderful (no matter how stupid or inane the things she says are.)  Or – you've been the girl filled with passive aggressive rage watching the flimsy half-human always get things handed to her.  If you fit into neither of these categories, take a look at yourself in the mirror.  No stop, are you looking hands at your side, or in some sort of pseudo model pose, with certain parts jutting, and other parts pressed back, in some sort of god awful pretzel of audacity?  Congratulations – you are the pretty girl.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENow I'm not saying there's anything wrong with this – I'm not saying it's bad to be this person.  Hell, I fit into a similar category (far be it for me to suggest I'm a.) pretty, or b.) a girl – but...) When normal people go to a baseball game and end up on the jumbotron, they feel fantastic about it.  They feel as if they just had a great special moment.  And I'm sure that's how I felt when I was first on years ago.  But now, I'm on so often that I feel it's a personal insult when I don't get shown.  I know – it's crazy right?  It makes no sense.  There's no logic.  But I've been conditioned to expect I'll be shown, and more often than not I am.  Still – this is the irrational mind of the customer service lady I am now dealing with.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI tell her that the machine only gave me four euro back.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EShe stops what she's doing (watching streaming video from the internet) – takes the gum from her mouth (they're always chewing gum.  It helps as a prop when she...) - lowers her eyes at me, head tilted so only half the iris is visible, and says – No it didn't.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EUm, excuse me?  What.  It did.  It clearly did, I explain.  Look – four euro.  There is no four euro bill.  I could not have obtained these four coins, which you saw me collect from the machine any other way.  I'm clearly lacking one.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENu-uh.  See, the machine doesn't eat money. (it's one of those magic vending machines that never breaks – Oh yes, I'm sure Coca-Cola programs theres to mess up.  Big chain like that ha broken ones, but this small hostel – it's is perfect.)\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EShe goes on to explain all that could happen would be for it to run out of coins, in which case it would display the remaining amount in the display.  Screw that it would!  Where's my bloody money, I think to myself.  I smile at her.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ENo, you see, it gave me four.  It did take my money.  I would like my euro.  I need it for laundry.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECan't help you.  Maybe it fell to the floor.  Machine doesn't eat money.  Perhaps you missed it in the tray?\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EOh hell, it's on now lady.  You see, I got no plans for the day, and I can be more obnoxious than you.  I have eight years of obnoxious experience on you, and I know your game – I know your type – and you have no clue how ridiculous I can be!  As if I missed it in the tray.  The tray that is the size of an ash tray.  Yes, I could of course see only four, but not five.  Or yes – I missed the sound of it falling a meter to the ground, on the hard wood.  Wouldn't have picked that up, cause I'm such a bleeding moron.  \u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut I don't say this.  I smile and say, so you're telling me it's either in the tray – or on the floor.  Those are the only two possibilities?  She gives a snide smile: That's right.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EVery well.  I sit on the floor, and I run my hands over it.  I look everywhere.  I spend about thrity seconds doing this, tapping things, knocking on things – you know, seeing if it's maybe trapped somewhere.  I go about making a good obnoxious show.  If I don't get my money, she gets no silence for her internet video watching.  My problem is now her problem.  And when something affects another, they have more reason to care.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EBut no – it is not on the floor.  Hmm – must be in the machine then.  I check the tray.  Nope, I reach up into the machine.  I feel something that I can grab onto.  Hell, why not pull it out.  After all, I was told my money MUST be in there.  So I grab it, and retrieve – a plastic bag?!  Very well.  I reach my hand up again, and grab onto the metal plates inside the machine.  I start tugging at them, ripping at them with one hand, hitting the machine with my other, trying to jostle something.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHey – I was told to check in the machine, and yes I am prepared to break it to make my point.  After all, it's already broken – else I'd have my money.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETime passes, and I can feel a plate loosening inside.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EThe woman speaks.  You know what?  Why don't you talk to the guy who runs the machine.  She calls him over.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EAre you effing kidding me?!  You could have fetched him ten minutes ago, but just didn't?  Seriously?  Really?!  He comes over, opens the machine, and there are two one euro coins sitting on a ledge, dispensed, but not out to the tray, halted by one – perhaps loosened – metal plate.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI show him the bag that was stuck up inside of the machine.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E“Oh yeah, that's there to try and direct the coins down properly. I set that up every now and then.  Sometimes they get caught inside.”\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EHe smiles, and leaves.\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI look over at the girl behind the desk.  She turns away from her video (already back in viewing mode) looks up at me with a snide, smug, look and claims her final words – which she honestly and truthfully believes after everything that has transpired:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI told you the machine doesn't eat money."},"link":[{"rel":"replies","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/feeds\/2034176161226850478\/comments\/default","title":"Post Comments"},{"rel":"replies","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2009\/10\/those-whom-i-hate-and-other-fun-things.html#comment-form","title":"0 Comments"},{"rel":"edit","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/2034176161226850478"},{"rel":"self","type":"application/atom+xml","href":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/feeds\/4453582688315838952\/posts\/default\/2034176161226850478"},{"rel":"alternate","type":"text/html","href":"http:\/\/www.oneyeartrip.com\/2009\/10\/those-whom-i-hate-and-other-fun-things.html","title":"Those Whom I Hate, And Other Fun Things"}],"author":[{"name":{"$t":"oneyeartrip.com"},"uri":{"$t":"http:\/\/www.blogger.com\/profile\/02942033055663818067"},"email":{"$t":"noreply@blogger.com"},"gd$image":{"rel":"http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#thumbnail","width":"16","height":"16","src":"https:\/\/img1.blogblog.com\/img\/b16-rounded.gif"}}],"thr$total":{"$t":"0"}}]}});