United Statesian

Dear Citizens of the World! The song from Inner Circle " Bad Boys " kept playing in my head as I took these pictures from my first floor window. Madrid does not have a big problem with crime, but it has it's moments - - like all major cities. Since it is exam time for the ankle-biters at my school I spend my evening correcting. You get into a zone, pounding away, not noticing what is going on around you while you are trying to give the marks as quick as possible. However, I stood up and saw the lights of six cop cars, no sirens. When I went to take the pictures there were four local cops and one was yelling, " ¿Eres tonto o qué? " ...In United Statesian English that would be: "Are you stupid or what?" I do not know what happened and I doubt that it was serious, but the cops were quite ... angry. I thought that the blue lights and the rain (it has not really stopped since mid-December) made for a good gritty picture. A bit of excitement before going ba...

Dear Citizens of the world, I have been duped. The tiny marketing machine promoting a photograghy exhibit of Dayanita Singh got me. Since I am always on the lookout for exhibits - in order to improve my style by imitating the masters - I decided to visit this exhibit just down the road from my house. The two main pictures promoting the exhibit were very promising. The girl below appears to be floating in the air - gorgeous. The other picture "I am as I am" captivates, the whites of her eyes dominate the image and make you wonder who she is staring at and why - haunting. However, when I went to the exhibit I was disapointed. The rest of the pictures were not at all like these and of far less intrest to me. You never know what you will find. I will keep you up to date on ones that I like. Until then... Stay healthy, wealthy and wise. The United Statesian

Dear Citizens of the world, The demon dogs have abated and I am slowly regaining my strength. My first week back to the grind was a tough one, but thankfully it was shortened by a holiday on the last Friday of January. Thus, I was free to line up outside the Mapfre Foundation Exhibit Hall in Madrid for a rare treat: The Musée d' Orsay traveling show . Since the famous impressionist museum is being renovated, a small collection of pieces from the likes of Manet, Monet, Renoir, etc are being put on display around the world - first stop Madrid. Cool January Sunrise in Madrid on the Gran Via To top it off, the visit is free! My favourite piece is: " La estación de Saint-Lazare " from Claude Monet. If you are in Madrid, give it a look-see. The United Statesian