spain – Page 77 – don't confuse the narrator

tower power

Yesterday, I had coffee with a friend who works in the Torre Espacio. I hadn’t been to Madrid’s “Four Towers” business park before and it was quite impressive.

Oddly, though, I found it more dizzying to look up at the tower than to look down from the 41st floor. (The Tower has 57 floors above ground, but your pass gives access only to “need-to-know” areas.)

No photos from inside as I’m limited to a phone camera at the moment, and phones had to be checked in at the security desk.

And, yes, the sky really was that blue and cloudless.

rainbow

This was taken from my phone a few days ago. I didn’t expect it to come out well so hadn’t got around to downloading it.

Sadly, it isn’t really clear enough to see how the colours created the illusion of bands of flowers on the mountain.

Rainbow
paints the hillside
heather; blue grass; gorse

After a frustrating meeting yesterday, I called in unannounced at the office where I worked briefly a couple of years ago. I was surprised to be greeted by one ex-colleague with “I was going to call you!” We had never been close while I was there, and our only contact had been through work, but her next sentence explained, “I bought one of your books.”

Not wanting to get my hopes up, I asked which one. (There is only one that is really mine, as the others are translations. I’m pleased to have my name on them, but it isn’t quite the same.)

“Pompas!”

maths matters

"el pollo, si 100% pollo, dos veces pollo" — It doesn't add up

Well, maths matters to me, which is why it bothered me when I saw this advert in Madrid.

The caption echoes a Spanish refrán, though I’m not sure which is the original version. I’ve found both “Lo bueno, si breve, dos veces bueno” (attributed to Baltasar Gracián), and “Lo bueno, si barato, dos veces bueno”.

Both are valid points, but in the Burger King ad, the sums don’t add up: Chicken, if it’s 100% chicken, is not twice chicken.

Gracián’s phrase is best translated as “Less is more”, and is excellent advice for writers. A more literal translation would be, “If it’s good, and it’s short, it’s doubly good.”

The quote is often followed up with something to the effect that “lo malo, si breve, no tan malo.” – “if it’s bad, and it’s short, it’s not so bad.”

Either way, I’d better stop now.