Category Archives: work

time to upgrade?

11 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in computers, gadgets, geekiness, work

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I’ve been thinking of upgrading lately and am just ever-so-slightly miffed with myself for buying the iPad before a new laptop, but oh well. Shadow’s hard drive is pretty overloaded by now and I’m at a loss as to what files to eliminate (gosh, 3 years ago 250 GBs seemed like so much space!) and so I’ve been looking around. I still like Toshiba though lately their designs have been, well, kinda ugly. I did see a nice brushed metal one I liked, another 15 inch like Shadow, with pretty good specs. Then the guy at FNAC told me about this Satellite L870-10Z. For the same price (700€) I can get a 17 inch screen and a whole whack of RAM and HD. Which I think makes more sense than getting a smaller one as I really just want this one for working at home. When/if I travel I can either take the iPad or else a wiped-clean Shadow.

Thing is, this one has to be ordered in and I don’t actually know what it looks like. From this photo taken from the FNAC website it just looks plain dark grey, like Shadow is, which would be fine. But what if it ends up with some dodgy pattern on it? I know this shouldn’t matter, but it does. What I’d really like is another Sexy Beast, but ever since they discontinued that model Toshiba stopped doing sexy. So as long as this new beast isn’t plaid or anything I’m thinking I might go for it. I could probably have it paid off by Christmas if tapas tours continue to go well (and my flatmate gets some work!). But then I wonder if I should wait until after the next PET scan in September… what do you think? I hate putting my life on hold like that, but if the worst happens then I’ll need the extra cash to live on. On the other hand, having an efficient computer to work on from home would also help. Anyhow, you can see the specs below…
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seville concierge

25 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by in blogging, internet, sevilla, spain, work

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So the other day I came across a site where you could “hire a local friend” while travelling in various cities, who would show you around and make your experience less touristy, blah blah… and then I thought this would be perfect for Peter. Happily he thought so too, and so for the past couple of days I’ve been working on getting a new blog and social media stuff set up for him. Peter’s been busy writing content (not published yet) and we’ve both been talking about the various ways he could take this new venture. I mean, there are lots of different specialised outings in Seville he could offer, as well as day trips by train or bus. This is very exciting! So go on and follow his blog, twitter and facebook accounts!


Seville Concierge Blog
Seville Concierge on Twitter
Seville Concierge on Facebook

my granada apartment

04 Monday Jun 2012

Posted by in culture, fiestas, food & drink, social media, spain, travel, trips, twitter, work

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So tomorrow I’m going to Granada and this is where I’ll be staying!

As with my recent day trip to Córdoba this trip to Granada will be part of my 20th anniversary celebrations but will include doing some research for my own websites and also for my friends at veoapartment.com. Markus very generously offered to split the cost with me by providing the accommodation, and well, just look at it! Small and perfect and in a dead-centre-of-town and easy-to-get-to-everywhere location. I couldn’t be happier.

At first the plan was to just stay overnight but it turns out that not only is it Feria in Granada this week, but also Corpus Christi, which is apparently a huge deal over there. Seriously, even more than here where they spend weeks erecting a couple of elaborate arches for a 3-hour procession…

Anyhow, I now have two nights in Granada! So I’ll be leaving at the crack of dawn tomorrow (it’s a three-hour train ride) and will spend the day meeting old Twitter buddies John (aka @benzo8) and his wife Gale. I’ll also be meeting a new Twitter friend and travel writer Molly (aka @piccavey) and possibly also with fab photographer Fred Shively during my stay. Peter is also coming but will be taking a later train tomorrow because he has an English class in the morning. He’ll also be leaving earlier, on Wednesday evening, because Azar really can’t be left on his own for more than one night. Still, it will be a nice break for Peter, and he can also help me with some of the research stuff. Win-win!

If you want to feel reallly envious check out the veoapartment “apartment tour” video of my fabulous get-away place here…

Granada Plaza Nueva Studio Apartment

back to good reviews

14 Monday May 2012

Posted by in sevilla, social media, tapas, tapas tours, work

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Remember my first bad review? Well, it was actually Peter’s bad review, but of course it also reflected badly on me and my tours. I know some of you thought I had overreacted to this negative feedback, but for me the worst of it was ending up with people inquiring about tours specifically asking not to go out with Peter, which I felt was unfair.

Anyhow, as most of you predicted, there are now some very nice new reviews that have been posted since then, including a positive one about Peter, which has really lifted his spirits. And this week he is back on the job as I had a flurry of last-minute booking requests that I couldn’t do because I was already booked. I mean, I still do most of the tapas tours myself but it’s good to have back up as I obviously can’t be in two places at once.

One positive thing that has come out of this is that I’ve set up a feedback email that I will send to clients after their tours, asking them to rate various aspects from 1 – 5, and then give any additional comments if they want to. It’s not criticism I’m against, as there is always room for improvement, but unfair (and untrue) negative comments like in that bad review don’t help anybody. So this will help me get a better feel for what people like and are looking for. Peter has also been given a bit of a “refresher course” so that he makes sure to cover all the important information. But you know, so much of the conversation during the tours depends on the clients and what they are interested in. As I’ve said before, the best times are when everyone shows an interest and participates, rather than just sitting there waiting to be “informed and entertained”. I know that you can’t please everyone, but I can sure as hell try. Onwards!