I woke up late and barely had time to prepare myself for yoga class. I left my house just in time to arrive, but when I saw the bike station there was only one bike left, and I knew it wouldn't work because a solo bike is a dead bike. However, it's important to test fate, so I walked over and verified that the red light indicated it was unavailable.
It was not. So I pointed at the QR and the app said unavailable. Tried with NFC and the same (you'd be surprised to know how often the double check works). Walking to the next nearest station would leave me with zero minutes to arrive to class, so I cancelled and came back home, to sit down and write this.
In the background of these events I was thinking that I would prefer to publish my writing live, to be able to write a paragraph and through an intent have it publish without having to go to my ancient Movable Type CMS. However, I see the documentation and it has no REST API, that's gonna be tough and yield very little gain for the time invested. Let's scrap that.
Now there's nothing to do. Let's step back and situate ourselves in the present moment. I'm sitting on a stool and I'm hunching, ah that's much better: the body must participate in intellectual activity: at work in front of the computer, a well integrated person will look more like a virtuoso piano player in front of the computer rather than a gargoyle.
There's two noises in the background: the AC and the washing machine. The washing machine must have one hour to go. I already had breakfast. What can I do in an hour? I know, but I'll start by publishing this, and pass on to the activity...
...
ChatGPT, tell me the early history of Madrid. It's origins and foundations. Where does the name "Madrid" come from?
[Answer]
Thanks, why did Phillip decide to move to Madrid? I know the royal court was in Toledo.
Ok these were itinerant courts and Toledo was one of the seats. Motives political and being in the center of Spain is convenient for governance. The Spanish nation became centralized at this time.
It would probably be beneficial to the current Monarchy to re-establish their itinerant court, to spend time in Bilbao and Barcelona, Sevilla and A Coruña. They would be reproached for their expenditures but if they want a cohesive nation, the ought to live within the different cultures that their kingdom encompasses. Latin America would have not sought independence having a king willing to spend a significant amount time of living there.
What was Phillip II know for? I think there's a famous sculpture by him at the Prado?
[Answer]
Holy shit that guy was on top of the world. A true King fitting for the sculpture of Leoni Leone:
I just did composed that from internet pictures on Pixelmator, let's see of ChatGPT would have done it for me:
Erm... thanks for the effort ChatGPT. Washing Machine is beeping, time for a break.
...
Gemini, I have sportswear that smells strongly of sweat, and washing it does not remove it completely. I've already tried adding baking soda and soaking in warm water with vinegar, what is the next escalation in the war agains bad odours?
[answer]
I'm in Spain and many of these recommendations are for brands that are not available here, can you recommend something I would find in Spain?
[answer]
Ok, percarbonato de sodio and powder detergent, I must make a run to the supermarket.
...
I don't know how I ended up spending 70 euros on personal hygiene and cleaning products. There's willingness to clean, let's ride this wave. regarding the percarbonato, it's probably a hardware store product, so I bought a readymade product instead. Let's get those stinking clothes soaking. I followed instructions for the washing machine instead, 1h 30m period that I will fill with plenty of chores available.
I bought a cleaning product to clean the glass stovetop, but I don't have the scraper. I'll go buy that. I need a copy of my keys for the guest who is arriving next week. Nails to fix a bending cupboard. Glue would be more effective. Perhaps both, depending on price. Ok, let's make that trip to the hardware store.
...
The quest took me longer than I expected. Along the way I was reminded about an anecdote about Picasso: he ate fish at lunchtime and contemplated the clean skeleton as beautiful. To keep a memento of the fish, he used some plaster to imprint it. That's all. Anything anyone of us could do, but we are absorbed in a different world than the artist is. We ought to inhabit the persona of the artist now and then, there is a lot of flexibility in our personality, and you can feel "rigidity of personality" and "surprisingly flexible personality" as you can in the body.
I'm writing "inspired by Picasso..." but ugh, the pretentiousness is unbearable.
In this spirit of unattached creation, I captured moments on video until I noticed I was at 3% battery and I still had to pay with my phone. I thought it would be a good exercise how to publish video from start to finish. I still have to optimize my workflow, I'm discovering how Final Cut Pro works. I always find Apple's Pro software clunky, but I'm a sucker for its convenience.
The video is processing. It took me 30min end to end and this can be improved to 20min quickly, I estimate. Good to know. I will set up the latest batch of laundry and make myself lunch while the video processes.
...
I had stir fry vegetables in the fridge for a week. It didn't smell bad, but I gave it a good second fry to season in the bacteria. This stir fry was a failed experiment: mix only orange or transparent vegetables, so I put in pumpkin, carrot, red peppers (cheat) and onions. My idea was that it would have a natural sweetness, but the pumpkin was plastic wrapped and plastic tasting. I added a mango, a scoop of unsweetened butter, and a bit of honey. It improved but it was still lacking.
I rummaged through the pantry and found a sweet and sour sauce. I added it and then it reached a happily palatable quality. Sweet and sour is too strong for me, and this met right in the middle. I put a steak on the frying pan and found an instant soup, and in this way prepared myself a sweet and sour beef noodles. It was good.
...
It's time for personal hygiene, I didn't have time in the morning to shower. I bought an electric toothbrush (which I have never owned), and a set of replacement Mach 3. Also, a product to remove the buildup of lime (?) on the glass door and walls. Should that be done before or after showering? Before, I will use gloves and scrub, and then while showering I will rinse. Afterwards I will dry. Let's get to it.
I scrubbed the walls, floor and glass door of the shower stall, and then I washed myself. It turns out that the base I had was for Mach 5 and not Mach 3. I'm tired of Gillette's overpriced bullshit, I shall find a good replacement when I run out of replacements (bought 8, though). I trimmed my nails too. I lot of hygiene is simply removing what does not belong to your body: excess grease, dead skin, dried mucus, stale earswax, mutant hairs, growing nails. The natural, freshly clean state of the human being is the most exquisite, yet we insist in covering our natural state with clothes and perfumes. Yet today I passed lavapiés and a middle eastern perfumerie caught my eye, the place must have the most exotic smells, rather than the mundane that I have at this time.
The other day, coming out of yoga, a young dude on the street asked me if I had a minute. I usually tell them I don't have time, smile, walk by. However, as he was greeting me I was grasping into backpack to make sure my iPhone was still inside, and that I had not left it in the locker back at the studio. I asked him for a minute, I needed to make sure I was carrying my phone and then I could listen. I grasped something solid and pulled out the phone, oh thank god. So you were telling me...
"I'm selling these perfumes, they're very good, would you like to try them? No commitment". Yeah why not, the first smells subtle on the street, the other one is sweet and possibly revolting to some people, bold choice but not for me. Oh Cecilio G likes this the bold one, you know Cecilio G? One of the biggest names of urban music in Spain, well, he used to be, but his character ate him up". Oh that's interesting, what do you mean by "his character ate him up?" what kind of things he did? "He was always in the news for fights and nightclubs, drug problems, all around trouble. I live in Vallecas, and a neighbor is a kinda famous hip-hop artist, he sings about that but we know he's not a thug. Gecilio G. has let his character eat him up."
I need to respond my WhatsApp messages, I'm terrible at this...
To Govi: no I don't want to go to the cinema today, but that brunch we agreed to tomorrow, it's better that it becomes lunch because I switched studios and my favorite class will be at a different time.
To a group with my friends in Mexico: (my best friend is getting married in May): hold on, I'm searching for tickets. My cousin is going to kill me.
To my cousin in Mexico: Congratulations, enjoy your wedding (it's today).
I finished my weed at around noon and I want to resupply. I'm spending 50 eur per week on it, at about 3.5-4g per week. I said I would switch clubs, but I've been putting it off. I just wrote a place that is nearby, let's see if they respond soon. Meanwhile, I'll search for tickets.
I signed up to a new club which is around the corner. I don't like the convenience, but I like the vibe. It's well illuminated, it looks like a hangout place rather than a run down club, and they had samples of national geographic. Seems to have the same prices.
When I came out a young man with a guitar on his shoulder asked me if this was "La Tortuga", I said no, not here. I walked two steps and turned back to tell him this is a cannabis association, a smoke club, and we both burst out laughing. Then I scurried off.
And here I am, at 19:16, and despite dedicating the day to cleaning, I have little to show for it. I prepared the arterially but I have not let myself go into a cleaning frenzy. Big words, better be humble, if I go to bed with a clean house and a long detailed entry I'll be very happy.
...
Some additional observations of the day: the key to my home is exceedingly rare, I had to visit a specialized store for the key. Locksmiths always look befuddled when they look at the key, and I wonder how is it that they now it is rare. I speculate it is a combination of features no usually seen, and it takes them a long time of staring to realize if they have it or not. I thought the first locksmith was an amateur, but judging by their age and demeanor, these are not amateurs. Master is the one who held it in his hand and declared he didn't carry that kind of key.
This was a hardware store, and I was waiting for a dominican guy to finish a purchase to have a word with the attendant. There were various household cleaning products. While my keys were being made he came back to get a refund, explaining that his wife screamed at him over the phone that it was too expensive. There were signs everywhere saying that the only reason for a refund would be e defective item, but the attendants were kind in allowing an immediate refund to appease to his wife.
Another part of the day I enjoyed was biking up from the hardware store to home, it was all uphill. The city bikes in Madrid are assisted, and when they work well they calibrate to your strength. Uphill is still going to be challenging, but if I had a non-powered bike I would have to stood up. That reminds me: I'm in an exercise deficit. I can't burn energy before finishing today's quest: have a clean house. Let's take this to the kitchen, the dishes are waiting.
...
I have washed the dishes and fixed myself dinner: same sauce as in lunch, but with a jar of those delicious chickpeas they have in Spain, it was... 540g with the remainder sauce. Then I prepared myself dessert: high protein crackers (stupid bullshit) with sugar free peanut butter jam spread. It's superb having sugar free options, the protein craze still has much to capitalize. That made me yearn for a flan. I'll go to the fridge.
21:13 I ate the flan, and then attacked the peanut butter jar and mixed it with jelly. Ahhh wonderful. This would have been my outing to McDonalds calorie-wise (just remember not to visit Micky D).
It's time to log off. I've done enough. I'll probably keep picking up. I liked the experience of writing live, but it's kinda awkward having to do all the cms and media stuff. I'll look into streamlining my process. I'll chill out now.