One of the best series: Boardwalk Empire

I know that this blog it is supposed to be about my running thoughts but I am going to do another exception. Last year I started watching  Boardwalk Empire. I had enough with five minutes of an episode that I caught in La Sexta to know that it would become one of my favourite series. I started looking for some information and I found that the reviews were really great and that they recommended watching it. The option was clear and I didn’t doubt it. 

I really like films o series about gangsters. I know that they are terrible persons: they are murderers, killers, they like drinking and drugs, they don’t mind being unfaithful to their wives… I know they all should be in prision, but there is something I like about them and it is their sense of loyalty. They don’t forgive anyone who betrays them and they would do anything for one of their gang. I know they do terrible things but, as I said, in a way, I admire these few values (not all of them). 

I knew my wife wasn’t going to like so I had to find my moments to follow it. It was in 2013, when I started my ERE at my job, that I started to watch episodes in English and I soon got into the series. The plot is easy: it is the life of Nucky Thompson, a man who runs the dirty business in Atlantic City.

As you can imagine, he goes through a lot of stories but there are also other many characters that makes the series great. All of the characters have their problems and it is brilliant how the plot mixes all of them up with sense. Another thing is that a lot of the characters are real: Al Capone,  Lucky Luciano, Bugsy… and many other gangsters of those years have a very important performance in Boardwalk Empire.

I have to admit that I really enjoyed watching all the episodes. Mafia has had an enormous power in the United States in the 20th century and they were able to control police men, judges, politicians… It is very interesting to see in this series how things happened, how they are able to have nearly everybody under control.

Now, one of my purposes is to watch Los Soprano, because everybody says that it is one of the great series about gangsters ever. If I finally watch it, I will let you know.

A great book

A few days ago I finished Reading Edge of Eternity, the last book of Ken Follet Ken Follet, the one that completes the Trilogy of the Century. Before he wrote Fall of Giants and Winter of the World, two great books about the history of the 20th Century. Obviously, after reading the other two I had to finish with the third one.

 

My father did a sprint and he read as fast as he could. Once he finished it, he gave it to me. When I saw that the book has more than 1,100 pages I thought it would take me ages to read it. As it is such a big book I also thought that it would be impossible to carry it around. Fortunately, I was completely wrong.

Book Cover

I remember that I started it one afternoon in my Christmas holidays, but it was a few weeks after when I really got stuck to it. As it happened to me always that I have had a Ken Follet’s book in my hands, I couldn’t stop reading it. The story of the different characters was very interesting but the thing that makes these books great is that they take you to some of the most important moments of history. I was so stuck to the book that I didn’t mind to take it with me in the Metro and I also preferred to catch the public transport to the car to read as many pages as possible.

I don’t know which are the reviewers opinions about the book, I don’t know if he uses the best words, what I really know is that the stories of the different characters catch your attention and that he uses them great to explain some of the moments of our history that we can’t forget.

Sometimes I would like to know more things, to have a better knowledge of our history. When I was at school I studied the World Wars or the Russian Revolution but I hardly learnt anything about the Cold War, the Berlin Wall or other key moments of the Century. Thanks to these books I have been able to know more things and learn some more.

I can finish my review without mentioning Ken Follet. I remember one summer that my friend Albert told me to read The Pilars of the Earth. When I saw the book, I thought that it would be impossible that I would get tired early if it. Again I was completely wrong. I remember that I enjoyed a lot the book and since then, Follet has become one of my favourite authors. Now I can see a few years later: thank you Albert!

Another change on sight

One of the recent ideas or projects of the Spanish Government is to change the law of universities. For what I heard on the news, the idea is as follows: they want to reduce the careers to three years (I honestly don’t know if for some careers like Medicine it is feasible or not) and afterwards study a Master for two years.

And why these changes? People in charge say that we must apply this new law because this is the way it works in Europe. I honestly don’t know if it is true but all those changes that can benefit our future generations I think are welcomed. In this sense, I must say that if it helps to have a better education, we should go for it.

On the other hand, we also have to see how much money this law will cost to families. A master costs between 4,000-8,000 euros and if you have to pay it during two years it means a lot of money. Maybe a lot of families will not be able to afford it either.

However, and as usual, all Universities except a few (only three I believe) are against this law. Actually, the students have announced that they will go on strike the 26^th and 27^th of February.

I think the law will go ahead even the protests or all the opinions against it. However, I understand that it is time that politicians start thinking what’s best for the people and not for their own interests. In past years, we have changed our educational system many times.

I understand that after Franco’s dictatorship we had to change –I keep thinking that my parents generation have great culture and knowledge- but it is not normal that my sister and I didn’t have the same system or that in  past years younger people have gone under changes depending on who is in the government.

In the past fewdays, Mariano Rajoy and Pedro Sánchez have reached an agreement to sign a law against Islamic terrorism. I don’t really like any of them, but I think it is something good because there are topics regarded of national interest need the agreement of all politicians of the main parties. Medical coverage, education, defense… are topics that require the understanding between our leaders and those who are in the opposition as we must aim to enjoy the best possible system. Politicians should not work for them; they must work for the people they represent, for everybody and they should try to avoid so many changes depending on who is leading the country. There are a few things that are non-negotiable.   

Chinese workers

It is not the first time I write about this topic. In Barcelona there are thousands of Chinese. I imagine this is something common to the main cities of the world. I think it is a civilization that deserves a deep analysis because it is surprising the way they learn and try to improve their businesses.

In Barcelona they started with the Chinese restaurants that are very good option for students, young people, celebrations or for anybody that doesn’t want to spend a lot of money on food. When I was younger I remember celebrating a lot of birthdays in Chinese restaurants. 

They also started managing the bazaars or shops where you can buy anything you need at a great prize. Again, the money you spend is very important, because it is not a big amount and you can afford anything you see in those shops. Obviously, the quality is not the best but it depends on how you are going to use those products.
 

After the bazaars and the Chinese restaurants they carried on with similar businesses: bars. In Barcelona a lot of bars are owned by Chinese. The funny thing about it is that they offer the Catalan and Spanish food and meals very cheap like the drinks, especially beers that you can always find at 1€.
 

What surprised me about the restaurants was that a person told me that they used to stay with the former owners to learn how to cook and offer the people the same meals. I don’t like going to Chinese restaurants but they are always full.
 

Another thing you can see are beauty centres where they do your nails. My wife says that they are no good and that the products they use are bad for the nails but it looks that they have always a lot of people.
 

However, what has surprised me a lot in the past few days was seeing a group of Chinese workers in the hall of our building. The owner is fixing one of the flats and the people that are working on it are Chinese. It is amazing! When I saw them, I told Jéssica that shortly we will see refurbishing business owned by Chinese.
 

In past years, in the groups of workers, you can find African people or South American, but know there are also Chinese. I am sure that in a few years they will have their own business and that they will be cheaper than any other.

What I admire about them is that they are always searching for new businesses and they look how to make more money. I don’t think any of these Chinese will become the CEO of a big company, but they will make money with all this businesses.

What happens with Greece?

When I think of Greece, I think of a country that is the cradle of our civilization. Names like Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Alexander the Great, Zeno of Elea, Parmenides…, great buildings as the Parthenon, the white marble, the Doric and Ionic art… come to my mind when I go back in time and I remember all I learnt when I studied at school. Greece, Athens once ruled the world and WAS the epicenter of all cultures. I have a lot of respect for Greece for what they represented and I really don’t understand what has happened in these years. 

Sometimes I try to think how those people should have lived and I imagine some great thinkers, persons who had some of the best capacities you could think of… I honestly would pay to go back in time and be with them. I think it would be a great experience. Have the opportunity to be with this top persons would be incredible. Maybe that is the reason I have always wanted to go to Athens. I am sure I would enjoy it a lot because it is part of our history and because there are a lot of things that are familiar.

Spanish history and culture are in debt with Athens and Rome. Probably, what we have become with the years is due to the entire heritage we have received of, probably, two of the greatest cultures we have had a long history. In a way, we are son and daughters of those Greeks that ruled the world.



However, it looks like Greece has lost all the magic and that the spirit of those great human beings has vanished. It is one of the poorest countries in Europe, they have suffered some of the worst crisis in the last years and after paying many of their debts it looks like Germany is trying to get rid of them. I think it is a shame that such a great culture has arrived to this point, but I imagine they have committed some big mistakes that have derived in the actual situation.




Now, the great hope of the country is a party called Syriza, who’s leader Alexis Tsipras wants to change everything and fix Greece. If all these philosophers, thinkers, warriors were able to see how is their country now I am sure they would prefer to go back to their graves. Maybe all the Greek citizens should try to recover some of the spirit of those great human beings and follow their example to make their country a better place to live. I honestly hope they find a solution for their actual situation and they recover part of their tradition and history.

Personal best!

Last Sunday I ran my first race of 2015. As I have done for the past years, I started the year running the Cursa of Sant Antoni. I will say it was my first race since I took running as a serious activity. I remember that the first time I didn’t know where to put the chip and I didn’t get the official time. It was a mistake I have never repeated again.

I was very confident to perform well, because I felt fit. On previous races I had improved my marks and during my training I felt very comfortable. The only thing that worried me was that the night before I went late to bed because of work and I didn’t get enough rest as I should have. However, everything turned out quite well.

Even though every year there are more participants in the race, I was lucky enough to start in the third box. It was very good for me because I didn’t have many people in front and I didn’t have to spend the first minutes avoiding other runners. I think this one was one of the clues for my performance.

My last race with this running shoes

  

I started very well and during the first kilometers I went at a good pace. So good that, for first the time, I past the five kilometer point in less than 22 minutes. I felt so strong then, that I even thought it would be possible to go under 44 minutes. However, the second part of the race didn’t go so well and I started to realize my margin was decreasing, and then tried to reach the finish under 45'.

Despite it didn’t go so well, I was able to keep a good pace and complete the second part in 22.36; that is very good for me. I have to admit that I was really happy when I finished the race because everything turned out very well and I was able to improve my mark. Now in my mind I have the aim to finish under 1h 40 min in the half marathon of Barcelona. Nearly a month to finish my training and arrive in the best conditions.