Un Fenómeno Llega a su Fin: Harry Potter

La última película de la saga de Harry Potter se estrenó este fin de semana. Harry Potter y las Reliquias de la Muerte (en inglés es Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) concluye la serie de J.K. Rowling adorada por todo el mundo. Millones de niños y adultos han quedado enamorados con el cuento del "niño que vivió." Y yo también... desde los once años he leido los libros, y varias veces cada uno.

Yo en 2001 leyendo Harry Potter y el Prisonero de Azkaban.

Esta semana, antes de ir a ver la película, decidí mirar todas las películas anteriores otra vez (¿que nerd no?). Y creo que las películas han sido fieles a los libros. Aunque siempre pensé que los libros son mucho mejores que las películas, siempre las miro, y este fin de semana fui a ver la última. Realmente estuvo espectacular.

Todavia creo que los libros son mejores, pero no voy a negar que las películas están bárbaras. La cosa es que todos hemos crecido (de alguna manera) con Harry Potter y con los personajes en los libros y los actores de las películas. Los hemos visto crecer, y creo que eso es lo mas lindo. En fin: vayan a ver la última película de este cuento que siempre estará en nuestros corazones.

Este fin de semana con los lentes para HP en 3D. ¿Están buenos, no?

¡Que foto tan vieja! Hace una decada que estoy leyendo estos libros!

"The Top Secret Space": American Dream

The Top Secret Space entrance.

Strolling around downtown Gainesville can sometimes lead you to some very interesting places, believe it or not.

I stumbled upon The Top Secret Space walking down Main street, and I was lured in by a sign that read, "Free Art Show." Inside of this grungy-looking building is a gallery entitled "American Dream."

July 29th is the last time to see the show.

The exhibition features art from over 50 artists from all over the country.

I thought it was a very interesting insight to how people envision the great country of the red, white and blue.

There was prominent sarcasm in almost all of the works. Collectively, the exhibition conveyed a very bleak, distrustful vision of America.

To say the least, "American Dream" has some entertaining concepts: pop-culture, unnecessary war, government corruption. All in all, a definite must-see.

A pretty good crowd Saturday night.

Unbearable Lightness of Dreaming
Assemblage Installation by
Celino Dimitroff and Wendy Michel.

Rome... gelato, piazzas, and little cars.

Piazza navona.

With the traveling, the start of graduate school and all of the other wonderful things in life that let me be out and about and not glued to a computer, I have not been updating my blog in a couple of weeks. :S

This summer has been busy for me, and I've been wanting to write tons of posts about everything I've done, so now I have to play catch up. Today marks a fresh start to blogging and I'm back for good!

Update #1: Italy and Spain
With my family, I traveled to Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Toledo, and Madrid. There's so much to say about all those experiences but I have to start somewhere...

Rome. What an amazing city. There are no words to describe how gorgeous it is. There have been millions of articles written about how fascinating it is, what to do when you're there, its intensely rich history, etc. So, I won't bore you with the details.

Yummmmmmy gelato.

Apart from all the go-to touristy things, just being in the city was my favorite part. With all the pizza eating, wine drinking, and gelato enjoying, I have to say Italian cuisine is one of my favorites.

Also the dozens of wonderful Roman piazzas were relaxing and impressively safe (even at nighttime). Not many great cities in the world boast so many safe, enjoyable plazas where families and friends can go to enjoy a gelato, a stroll or simply a good conversation.

Walking along the streets of Rome, another big impression is the cars. These tiny little things, most of them smaller than smart cars, park anywhere they want. The experienced Roman drivers can fit into practically any tiny space. But watch out for those motorcycles... you never know when one's going to turn a corner!

View from Hotel Medici window.

The tiniest of tiny.

Ciao da Roma!!!

Rome is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever experienced. It's so rich in culture and history, and the wonderful language and people add to the magic of it all. Here are some quick photos from my family's trip. More details to come, but for now... Arrivederci! We are off to explore!

Roma es una de las ciudades más hermosas que he visitado. Acá hay tanta cultura e historia, y el idioma y la gente es parte del encanto de la ciudad. Acá pongo algunas fotos rápidas del viaje familiar. Les doy más detalles después, pero por ahora ... Arrivederci! Nos vamos a explorar!

Via di Corsi

Vino della Casa

Sorella (hermana en Italiano)

Bizcochuelo de Leche Caliente

Los días de lluvia me dan un antojo de algo dulce.

Éste bizcochuelo de leche caliente lo hice con una receta Crandon, un instituto uruguayo que da cursos y distribuye libros con recetas muy populares.

Encontré muchas variaciones online de esta deliciosa torta. Pero, creo que ninguna va a salir tan rica que como la que hice hoy. :)

Acá está la receta del Crandon:

Horno:           350°F 30 minutos

Calentar 1/2 taza leche y 1 Cda. manteca.

Batir 2 huevos.

Agregar 1 taza azúcar y 1 cta. de vainilla. 

Mezclar y agregar 1 1/4 taza harina modificada cernida, 2 ctas. polvo de hornear, y 1/2 cta. sal.

Agregar la leche caliente muy rápidamente y verter en molde enmantecado. Hornear. 

Cinco de... What?

Cinco de Mayo is a pretty big 'holiday' in the U.S. It's had so much buildup that many people now think it's Mexico's independence day or something. Well, it's not.

Cinco de Mayo actually just commemorates a small Mexican victory over the French. Only in the state of Puebla is this battle celebrated.

So, let's be honest, Cinco de Mayo it's just another American excuse to drink. It's also a chance for Mexican restaurants to cash in on Cinco de Mayo's crazy events. 

Event, restaurant, and bar promoters have come up with 'witty' names for the day... "Cinco de Drinko", "Cinco de Chaos"... etc.

I frankly don't have an opinion about it. I have never been one to go crazy about a day that has nothing to do with me or most other people celebrating it. But to each his own, right? In the meantime... here's a video of my brother as a mariachi. Enjoy!

Santi, el Mariachi from Lucia Tolosa on Vimeo.

Graduation Day!

It's official... I'm a University of Florida graduate!

Ya es oficial... me gradué de la University de Florida!

Mis parientes y amigos probandose la gorra!

Go Gators!