My neighbor was going to pour some cement into the trough (a depression in the roof about 2 meters in diameter) and paint over it, but I suggested that maybe we should go a little further. I hate doing things twice. My father was here visiting and what better way to spend your vacation than helping your son repair his roof?

We started by cleaning the affected area, removing the old paint and vacuming out the dust and other junk that had accumulated between the tiles over the years.

We then applied a “resin” (not sure of the chemical makeup) to help the cement stick and minimize leaking. When the resin dries, it leaves behind a sticky substance not unlike the glue on the back of some price tags (that is impossible to remove).

The hole we were trying to fill was about 1.5cm deep (about half an inch). Note that we only measured one dimension. More on why later…

I had never poured cement before but my father had, so with his help, we managed to pour a fairly nice patch filling the hole. We used an entire 20 kilo bag of cement (well, 85% of the bag) and were very careful not to let the cement get too wet. The cement dried in a few hours (it was hot and sunny) but we dampened it to keep it from cracking and by the next day, it was ready to be painted.

The paint, known as sealent here, seemed to be a “rubberized” acrylic paint with some insulating properties. It is a bit disturbing to think that this is the ONLY thing keeping water from penetrating the tiles, mortar, and cement below. Shouldn’t there be some sort of rubberized layer (at least 1/4 inch thick) glued to the surface with some petroleum based product? Apparently, this paint-only approach is standard here in the islands.

Two coats (and 24 hours) later, the job was done, and just in time too. It started to rain about 8 hours later. Unfortunately, for all of my good intentions, it looks like this work was mostly for naught. As I stated above, we only measured the depth to fill by one dimension. This is because the neighbor was convinced the water was leaking through where it was accumulating. I, however, suspected that filling that one hole would simply push the water to other parts of the greater depression, which is in fact what happened. Thus, to really fix the problem, we’re probably going to have to fill nearly the entire roof with about 2cm of mortar.

A través de un boricua viviendo en canarias, aprendí que Chicago encabeza una lista de ciudades donde los hombres prefieren vivir y hace poco, unos amigos nuestros que fueron a EE.UU. en semana santa pasaron unos días en Chicago y les sorprendió, que no esperaban que fuera tan grande, bonita, e interesante (¡cómo me gusta que alaben Chicago!). Si están planificando un viaje a EE.UU., pasen unos días en “Chi-town”. No se arrepentirán.

Las imágenes de Canarias Timelapse son realmente espectaculares. Tengo ganas de ver la película entera. Me pregunto si tiene trama o si son simplemente imágenes con música.

This is one of the best waves on the beach…

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This can also be an excellent (huge) wave, but it doesn’t come in very often:

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1. Google Earth .kmz file claiming to pinpoint the location of the outdoor studio
2. Google maps link to same location above

What I find rather fascinating is that in the first link (viewing via Google Earth), it seems the area in question is only available at a lower resolution, so much lower that you can’t really make out whether it really is the filming location or not.

The second link shows the same area at a much higher resolution, but the details definitely aren’t the Teletubbies set.

If they really stopped filming Teletubbies in 2001, why is the Google Earth data so old? Also, did the producers really submit a request to minimize resolution on the studio and if so, for what possible reason?

We’ve been in the U.S. for nearly a month now catching up with family and putting some time in at the office. Long trips such as this are usually emotionally charged due to the extended exposure to family and friends, and this trip has been no exception, but I’m writing these few words just to remind myself (and hopefully the reader) that such trips are always worth the effort as evidenced by my son’s first birthday family picture.

The title of this post is in reference to my impression of the U.S. every time I return: you are lost without a car, especially if you have children. I may regret leaving the U.S. from time to time (and usually for very superficial reasons) but one thing I don’t miss is the utter dependence on automobiles and how far everything is. My family must think I’m nuts but after nearly 5 years of walking nearly everywhere for daily needs (food, clothes, bank, government offices, etc.) my tolerance for driving half an hour to buy some milk or fresh vegetables is nearly zero.

If there is one wish I could have come true for the U.S. in 2009 it would be for more, and better, public transportation, especially in places like Phoenix, AZ.

I found this image on the internet, while reading up on some song lyrics. While many people world-wide try to isolate their cultures from external influences in an attempt to “protect their futures” images such as this show how difficult that is (and suggest how futile it is as well). Diversity, just as in financial portfolios as in society, is what makes us stronger, not weaker.

How many cultures do you see represented in this image?

This is a quote from a short, but interesting article asking when Europe will have its own Barack Obama (a non-caucasian – or immigrant – holding a high position in government), but what stood out the most for me was the last line of this quote. Do europeans have a dream and if so, what is it?

I’ve always aspired to my own personal version of the American Dream. It’s been a driving force throughout my life and it has had less to do with America (the political territory) than it does with a simple idea: I am ultimately responsible for my own well-being, for my destiny, and it is entirely up to me what I make of my life. Anything is possible if I so will it.

I don’t think I would be too far off the mark to say that the Dream is what binds most Americans, more so than any other artifice (and there are many: the flag, the statue of liberty, etc.). In fact, i would say that the Dream isn’t even an artifice, but a reality: it’s what brings thousands and thousands of people to the U.S. every year, and it is, in my opinion, why Barack Hussein Obama will win the presidential election on Tuesday: people see in him the realization of their own dream.

So here I am in the Canary Islands, carrying my dream with me. In 2009 I will have been here 5 years. I’ve learned a lot about life here, and about the people, but clearly their Dream is different from my own and that difference has been the source of more than one misunderstanding since I arrived.

So, in closing, I ask: what is the European Dream? What do europeans aspire to? Or more to the point, what do my fellow Canary Islanders aspire to?

On election day, Sterch’s in Chicago would give you a free beer if you showed up and presented your voting receipt. I got mine with my ballot. I wonder if they’ll email me a beer?

Voting in Chicago, well, politics in general, has always been turbulent, sometimes corrupt, and full of theatrics. Here are some links to some of the more memorable political events in recent history:

• The “Chicago Machine” steals the 1960 presidential election
• Wikipedia explanation of the Chicago Democratic Machine under mayor Richard J. Daley
• Council Wars: Term coined by Aaron Freeman (who I met and liked quite a bit), Chicago Public Radio chronicles the event (with audio), NPR audio program on the deceased mayor Harold Washington, Wikipedia info on Council Wars

Barak Hussein Obama considers himself to be from Chicago (although he was born in Hawaii). Let’s hope that if he is elected president, we don’t see the kind of racial politics (Council Wars) that I lived through in the mid 80s in Chicago.

Here’s to a clean and fair election. May the best candidate win!