But I didn't let this paper hold me back too much from going out last night. Met up with Javi and David at Molli's, next to Yony's work, and waited for her until 12:45. Then went to a couple clubs at Galería Urquijo. David missed out on an opportunity to visit his amiga con derecho de roce, so he was a little horny and on the prowl. I mean, you should have seen what he was doing to Yony! But they said that next weekend they just want me to come down (this puzzles me somewhat. I mean, maybe they're still mad about last Saturday when Ryan and Chris had some miscommunications and the night got fucked over, but this still strikes me as odd) so we can go to a gay bar and pick up someone for me, then to a straight bar so David can pick someone up, and then go out as three couples (this may be the reason--they don't think Ryan will get anyone and they know Chris won't because he's true to Annie. It still rubs me the wrong way).

As for the drama on Thursday, with Yony breaking up with Javi and never wanting to see me again, all is well. She blamed it on her being depressed about not getting to see her little boy, Ander, and when she gets deprimida, she gets selfish and pushes everyone away. I still think it was unnecessary, but life goes on. She loved me last night, sort of. I did send her an "Estoy Aquí" text message, so she liked me.

I guess all's well with Yony and Javi, and the paper's almost finished, so almost everything's well with me. I'm going to BS this last page, then type up the summary, save it all on the net to print out tomorrow at the computer lab for free, and go home and read all my chapters for Corporate Finance. Then I'll have everything done and get to have my Sunday night La Plaza Bar beer in peace. 6:15pm

Thursday, November 6, 2003: Weekend!

The only downer is that Ryan and Chris have decided to up and go this weekend to London. I'm of course wishing them all the best and expecting them to bring back Dr. Pepper. But that leaves me alone on Saturday for the weekly clubbing night. So let me explain why this is really a problem.

Last night, Javi calls just as I'm getting home (I stayed late at school to work on my paper and got halfway through it!). This was around 7:30. He just calls out of the blue and asks me if we all would like to go see "The Matrix: Revolutions". I, not having any homework at the time, say yes, I'd love to. But neither Chris nor Ryan had the time I had, so I ended up going alone.

I met Javi at the Abando metro stop, and he had stories. Apparently, he'd just been to see Yony at work, and she told him that if he went out with me instead of going home to wait for her, she'd break up with him. Pretty heavy, but not really unexpected. Javi was nonetheless quite unhappy, but most of that was being spent on being angry with her for being overly demanding. And she is, I have to say. It is unreasonable for her to expect him to just spend his whole life waiting for her, which is what he's currently doing. So he took me to his house and cooked me dinner (fish, chocolate, yogurt, and a tortilla española sandwich, with chocolate rice krispies in hot milk for dessert), and then we went and saw the 10:30 showing. The movie itself was nice, tied up all the loose ends, but left me somewhat unsatisfied. But when I left Javi just after that (he really really wanted me to spend the night over), I was just sort of worried. Mostly because he has to sleep the night in the same bed as her. So I spent the whole night doing the friend thing and listening and waiting for him to relax some (which he never did). I asked him out for a beer tonight in Algorta, but Faud texted me last night and I think we're going to get together, if he'd ever text me back with a confirmation. Sheesh. This shouldn't be this hard.

So, hopefully Javi and Yony were able to patch things up enough to get a good night's rest. I really do like Yony (she lavishes the love on me), but Javi's suffering, and that's not good. He called himself a "slave" to her two weekends ago. He's not happy, I doubt she is, and I don't see this relationship going too much farther. It's amazing they got two years under their belt. C'est le drame de la vie. 3:55pm Good luck, Javi.

Tuesday, November 4, 2003: ¡Torrevieja!

First off was Paul himself. Pretty much as he was online, but with an authentic Scottish accent that never really carried well over the net. We talked about this, we talked about that, we had a great time. It was so cool to finally meet him.

Then there was Andy. Great guy. Somewhat intimidating. But very down to earth. Right. And despite the age difference that is worse than that between my sister and her guy, they seem to get along just great. In addition to having numerous stories to tell, Andy also happens to be quite a chef, and cooked delicious ribs for us (the kind that falls off the bone and just begs to be eaten--yum!)

But the best part of the weekend was getting to sit down and admire Paul's collections of suits, uniforms, and books. They were literally everywhere. All quite fine, most of a tweed cut, and some beautiful uniforms that were made before polyesther ruined fashion. There were some especially fine expamples of suits from the '30s and '40s, which were a heyday for suits, and even some bowler hats to top it all off. Both of the downstairs bedrooms' closets were jampacked with them, and that didn't include all the suits that were in the upstairs master bedroom, which we somehow never got into. Hm.

Perhaps the best part of the weekend was going through all that, and somehow ending up with a pocket watch from 1913 and a pair of silver cufflinks that made it home with me. Not only is the man well-dressed, he and Andy are incredibly generous as well.

And last but not least are the dogs, two beautiful little mutts who fell in love with me almost immediately and laid on the couch with their heads on my lap. *sniffle* God I miss my dogs but they made it so much better.

So Paul, I want to extend my deepest thanks not only for the weekend but also the friendship. Things would have been a lot slower in happening had it not been for you.

Okay, gushy moment over. Thanks Paul and Andy, and hopefully it won't be too long before we see each other again. You do know you HAVE to come to Reno when you're visiting Roy next year. All right, ciao!

PS: I got a date! More on Thursday 3:33pm

Tuesday, October 28, 2003: The Temp

Thursday, October 23, 2003: And yet another one...

Had my Corporate Finance midterm on Wednesday, which I hardly studied for (save for entering in all the formulas into my calculator), and I think I did pretty well on. All that fretting for nothing, dammit. I wouldn't have done quite as well if it weren't for María's constant aiding and helping the whole class. God, she is the perfect woman. Yeah, now I find her.

Let's see, no trips in the past two weeks, but got Alicante coming up at the end of the month. Also trying to get to Granada in the same weekend, but it's too difficult to find a way down there cheap, and I don't have time to really do in-depth searches. Nonetheless, Alicante is pretty easy, despite the unseemly bus ride, so it's off to the Bilmanbus counter at Termibus.

Clubbing the past two weeks has been interesting. Not last Saturday but the one before, we went to Basauri (after waiting over an hour for Yony), where Chris set off a couple air bombs (it was actually kind of freaky), and Yony saw her ex, obliging us to separate. We eventually got back together as a group (David, Javi, Yony, her two friends, and us three) in Bilbao, but we kept roaming and basically didn't have a fabulous time. Everyone was a little frustrated, but something like a spark was flying between Rocío, the amiga ecuatoriana of Yony, and Ryan...

So then we go out again this past weekend. Javi came up to Algorta, he had Telepizza, and then we went out to the bars in Bilbao. We were trying to keep separate from Yony given the hell of last weekend, but when Rocío texted Ryan to come to TerraRock, we abandoned those plans and headed over. We danced in the TerraRock inferno (and that was with the air conditioning), then over to the club-in-an-old-church, where we saw Jamie and her guy Kris. Those two started making out, then Javi and Yony, then Rocío and Ryan. Hoo-wah!! Of course, Ryan didn't quite have the balls to follow it through. But it was a great weekend nonetheless.

All right, there's the novel. Enjoy! 4:38pm

Thursday, October 9, 2003: Another Week Draws to a Close

In other news, I really need to go clubbing because I really need to meet someone. I know there are plenty of people out there who would go out with me, but I'll be damned if I can find them right now. I'm sure it's just like that song, "Looking for Love in All the Wrong Places", but that's a cheesy ´80s (or maybe earlier) country song, and really, he's looking for someone to marry. I'm really not ready to settle down that far. But it'd be so cool to find someone and get to know them pretty well and have a best friends with benefits/noviazgo no profundo thing going on. The lamentations of a 20yr old who's found he really likes sex. Yes, that's not stereotypical at all.

The final bit of news was an email I received yesterday from Mom. Her temp position's run out at Fluke and they're not going to keep her on. I've been trying to get a hold of her, but Euskaltel is being a bitch and cutting off all my calls to the States. Hopefully I'll get through tonight (Thurs am for her) and we can. Since they decided not to take out the loan, they're financing the rest of my trip, so I'm also wondering how this will be affected. I do hope she's doing okay. Yet another workplace wrenchup for her. She's gone through too many lately--I wish she could find a great place and settle down for good--that's what she needs.

And finally, Ahnold won California governor. To Roy: Ha-ha! 4:36pm

Monday, October 6, 2003: Spanish class drama

So on Thursday everything just kind of collapsed. The prof almost came to tears, the Japanese student who's married to a Spaniard did. And while's it isn't anyone in the room's fault, we still have this huge problem of where to go from here. Do we take our time and just do Avanzado I, skipping the second half of the class, or do we race ahead, lose those who are already behind, and try to catch up and do it all in the time left? We don't really know.

But today's discussion about the topic was a lot better. We had a nice forum, and everyone spoke their minds. I hope and pray that the ultimate decision is to go ahead and finish all the material; everyone agreed it was what they had paid for. I just hope that the Japanese girl and the New Zealander and the American aren't totally dumbfounded by the end of the term. It shall be interesting trying to catch up to where we ought to be, let alone finish all the material so that she can honestly sign off on our grades and what we learned to our homelands. Here's hoping. 12:15pm

Sunday, October 5, 2003: Damn, I was just getting used to British keyboards

So Friday night, Vanessa doesn't arrive at the hotel until around 9:15, which left us just enough time for dinner and a quick trip to see Big Ben and the Millennium Wheel. It was cool to see them in the dark, but it would have been nice to actually get to ride the London Eye, but life goes on. Then we went back to the hotel room and spent two hours chatting and planning the next day. Had a great time and it was so good to see her again. We picked up right where we left off 4.5yrs ago.

Woke up eightish on Saturday and got ready. Had breakfast at a fish'n'chips place, but the service was horrible. We decided to skip going back to the Westminster Abbey and head straight up to London Bridge. Saw David Blaine in his box, then headed back in the other direction towards Buckingham Palace. Didn't get to see the guards or the queen, but the place was beautiful. Walked down the Mall from there toward the northeast, and hit up Jermyn Street (so above my pricerange but ohmigod were they gorgeous suits), Picadilly Circus (where the Criterion Theatre is, more on that in a minute), and then down to Trafalgar Square. Lots of great photo ops, and the chipmunks in St James´ Park were so cute, and had absolutely no fear. One just danced right around me, despite my not having food. Hopped back on the metro to Trottenham Ct Rd and walked along Oxford St, doing some shopping and experiencing the vitality of the city. Walked all the way to Oxford Circus, where we hopped back on the Tube and got off at Baker St. Saw lots of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia on the way to Mme Tussaud's.

Must say, this place is amazing. The figures were incredibly perfect, from Morgan Freeman and Susan Sarandon, to Buffy aka Sarah Michelle Gellar, to Patsy (but not Eddi), to Alan Titschmarsh, and even Graham Norton. That was about half the people in the first room. There was even a random girl holding a camera taking a picture of Sarah Michelle Gellar, and she was so lifelike that everyone was fooled, and you saw people all the time ultimately noticing the camera and going "Oops" and backing away, until you realized that "Wait a minute..." It was amazing. Then into the second room, past Alfred Hitchcock, to see Ahnold (California's next esteemed governor), everyone's favorite Italian Stallion, Pierce Brosnan, Sean Connery, John Wayne, Charlie Chaplin, Whoopi, Oprah, everyone. Then the real fun started, into the Chamber of Horrors, with graphically displayed torture methods, and even a freak show that we were unfortunately at the tail end of, so it wasn't quite worth three pounds. Nonetheless, had a great time.

Went back to the hotel for fish'n'chips (gotta say, they're not served on every street corner--had the damnedest time finding one, but when we did, it was worth it). Then refreshed at the hotel before heading back up to the Criterion Theatre for the Reduced Shakespeare Company's production of The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Abridged). Absolutely hilarious--and even contemporary (remember Ahnold a few lines ago--they brought him up). They interacted fabulously with the audience, and just did amazing things with props, puns, good acting, and slapstick. Cannot put it into words, you just have to go see it. So they did Romeo and Juliet first, quite well, then blew through all his comedies in about two seconds, all the histories in a minute as an American football game, Othello was a good rap song, and then intermission. The coup de grâce was Hamlet however. They started going through the play, the three actors playing Hamlet, Polonius, Hamlet's uncle/stepfather, Ophelia, and a sock played the ghost. About two-thirds through, right before Ophelia was to go mad, the actor playing her got upset, so the other two called on an audience member. That member was Vanessa. Poor thing didn't quite get at first if she was supposed to cry or scream when prompted, so she didn't do anything the first round. "Okay, take two!" covered that beautifully. So then she screamed, but it was kinda weak. So they got another audience member to play her ego, the first two rows her id, and the rest of the audience three parts of her superego, all to help her get into Ophelia´s character more deeply. And, as the actors warned, when they yelled for the audience to stop, all attention was dropped on Vanessa and her scream. Wasn't quite as bad, but... Anyway, they finally let her go down and continued on with the play. Then, as an encore, they did it faster, and then faster, going from 20 min to 2 min to 25sec. And then they did it backwards! It was hilarious.

So we went for a nightcap at a small English pub (that had a bouncer no less), but they stop selling alcohol at 11, so we left pretty early and went to bed. Then I woke up early this morning and took a flight back to Bilbao, where I currently write this. Anyway, it was a breeze of a trip, but had a lot of fun and can't wait to meet up with Vanessa again, only this time not sick so that my snoring won't keep her awake. Oops. 1:13pm

Friday, October 3, 2003: London!

Tuesday, September 23, 2003: ¡Barcelona!

After work on Thursday, went home and packed, then hopped back on the (last) metro and got to the bus depot mere minutes before the bus left. Whew! Got on, watched Woman of the Year (La mujer del año), did a half hour at a truck stop, then fell asleep all the way through to Barcelona. Got there, and took the Metro right down to Las Ramblas. We came out of the subway at dawn, and the avenue was like the Champs-Élysées, but better. So cool.

So we started walking around looking for a hostel. Walking up and down the avenue got a little tiresome after a bit, and the group (there were nine of us) split up into two groups. Chris, Ryan, Amanda, Jill, and I got left behind, so we said to hell with it, found a hostel, and moved in. It was a nice place, but the only window opened onto a large middle-of-the-building vent, so there was little natural light and it ended up feeling like a cheap dorm room. But it had its own bath and a nice front desk clerk, so it was all good.

Once we had a room and could set our stuff down, we started the real touring. Toured through the Old Town, with Monica and her Eyewitness Guide leading the way. Saw Barcelona Cathedral and some cool city buildings. After lunch, (and the split-up), we took the metro up to Sagrada Família, which was fucking amazing. The architecture at first glance is reminiscent of any other Gothic cathedral, but then you actually open your eyes, and it's so much more. Gaudí really had something here. Each side façade had a different theme and a different feel. The first one we saw looked Gothic, but much more organic and free-flowing, to me almost somewhat disturbing but nonetheless very cool. The opposite face was designed by another artist, showing Christ's passion, and it was severe and sinister, quite the opposite of the front fascia. Afterward, I went down to the bus depot to buy a return ticket (I was in the just take off and go mood when I bought the ticket and didn't even think of how I was getting back), and Chris, Ryan, Amanda, and Jill went to the zoo. There's a huge story about the ticket that I won't write here right now. Finally reunited with the group at the Arc de Trionf and went home to prepare for the evening.

Spent all day trying to chase down the other group and do our touring, and we finally met them at a concert. We had dinner (some of us) and most of us ordered the grande beers, which were a full, complete, liter of beer. They treated Ryan and me gooood. After dinner (well, only some ate, excl. me), Ryan and I broke down and got McD's to prepare for an evening of drinking. We spent the rest of the evening sort of following the other five around, but it got boring and we couldn't find a bar and all of us were getting a bit frustrated. So, we said to hell with it, and got ourselves and cab and went to Razzmatazz, recommended to Ryan by a friend. Got there around 1:30, and no one was there. And nobody came. Turns out, all those free concerts were for Barcelona's city festival, La Mercè, Our Lady of Mercy. It was a wild time on the streets, but the club wasn't happening. Fortunately, the €8 cover charge covered two drinks, so we weren't all out. Went home around 3 with Ryan, who had passed out on a sofa on the second of five floors. I, of course, outside the grande cerveza, wasn't feeling that bad.

We all woke up around noon. Jill decided early in the morning to go join the other group, so she moved out without telling us and without paying for her fifth of the room. Hmp! No matter. We got some lunch, and did more touring. Spent three-four hours in the Picasso museum, seeing all of his old work and most of his new. It was amazing to see his progression from a more mainstream artist to so avant-garde. The highlight of the museum was Picasso's reinterpretation of Vel´zquez' Las Meninas. He did like 50+ reinterpretations, and the biggie was just amazing. It was also so cool, because I saw the original in the Prado less than a month ago! Went back to the hotel to rest. Then started walking to dinner, and we ran into a La Mercè parade. There were a bunch of people dressed up as devils that had spinning fireworks on the top of sticks. And they were swinging them around at the barely-separated crowd. It was incredible: a haven for lawsuit freaks. But we had the best time. The parade ended with a huge dragon flinging fire around at the onlookers. Whew! Ended up having a great time, and finished Saturday up drinking at another bar recommended to Ryan. Met some Spaniards and Frenchmen there, and we got along famously. Went to bed satisfied.

Then caught the 10:40am bus back to Bilbao. Slept most of the way, and got back in time for early Telepizza and TV.

"Barça" was amazing. The city was everything I imagined it would be, and it helped to have just a few friends there who were very cool and were just as eager to see everything. I may not have seen all that Barcelona has to offer (there was a Dali museum just too far outside of town), but I am so glad I went. Now back on my head. 3:56pm

Wednesday, September 17, 2003: The Good Circle of Friends

My biggest fear was that things would somehow change, at least temporarily, between all my guy friends and me. This is not the case. First, as Martin eloquently put it, "I hang out with you because you're cool." It seems they all suspected, because I was just too nice to be straight I guess (score one for our team), but no one feels any differently. So, my biggest fear (which really wasn't that big) proved to be unfounded. Second, it seems they all suspected as much, which means there was nothing to change. Even Ryan and Chris, having only known me a couple weeks, suspected as much and they still liked me (the episode at Terra Rock did really put the last nail in the coffin: they were all basically, "Oh, okay." I wondered, and now I know).

So, they all like me more now that I trusted them with that, and I ended up having a great time at my first real coming out party. It was cool. I just love being the center of attention.

So, to all those who've helped me along the way, especially as I was first dealing with it and who took the announcement in stride, or even without blinking, I thank you. Paul and Roy and Chris in Australia, for getting me out. Fiona, for not changing anything, and for that night when we got to talk--very kick-ass. Mom, for not causing me any pain by your not feeling any pain. Jamie, for feeling special that I trusted you. Klara, for not even blinking in switching from "Is she a slut?" to "What's his name?". Monica, for again, dancing with me and being like, oh, okay, this is news? And Ryan, Chris, Schleck, and Martin, for not changing a damn thing. And another one to Chris, for no longer saying "whatever floats your boat." To all, I sincerely appreciate it. 12:04pm

Tuesday, September 16, 2003: The Internship!

Monday, September 15, 2003: This Time I Did It Right

Went to his place, after leaving a note in my room so that if I never returned, there was some sign, and we sat down in the living room and talked. His name's Jaintzi, and he's a hair stylist. A little chunky, but otherwise your stereotypical gay hair cutter. But he's cool: he and two of his friends actually own the salon, and they've almost completely paid off their bank debts and are having a lot of fun doing it. He has a chou chou with a Japanese name, a nice big bedroom, and we just sat and talked and smoked a little for a couple hours. Then I asked him, "¿Te caigo bien?" and he said "sí", y puso su mano en mi brazo. Sonreí, y fuimos a su cuarto. Y yada yada yada. And the yada yada was the best part. Then he had to go meet him mother, so me besó y salí, y creo que voy a llamarlo (¿ésto es lo que debes hacer si quieres más que sexo, no?). Fue una gran tarde, y esta vez salí sintiendo no usado pero, si no amado, apreciado. Nos gustamos mucho, y sí, quiero regresar. Me parece un poco como George, pero no importaba su pelo cuando se desnudó, y me gustaba su cuerpo. Espero que fuera igual para él.

Bien, that´s it for now. Back on my head, but I was prepared for the day so it´s all good. Got my homework done last night around 1:30am, but still couldn't fall asleep until 3 (which really sucked in my Spanish class, because I can't seem to stay awake in there, and la cafeína isn't helping.

Y Paul, todo lo que me has dicho es correcto, y te doy las gracias por decirme. Me parece raro tener la abilidad tener relaciones con cualquiera y no preocuparme ni de mis padres ni de Dios. Y ahora que he conocido a un tío con quien me puedo divertir un rato, tus palabras suenan mejores. Gracias para el voto de confianza. Y estás correcto: sí es ´salir del armario´. Ciao! 12:04pm

Update, 9/16: While waiting for work to start, Jaintzi texted me. "Lo siento, trabajo mucho. También mi Exnovio me llamó.... Gracias para todo. Adios y suerte" So, another one night stand. As Chris put it at the coming out party, I'm turning into a slut. Damn, I was hoping for more. La vida continúa--al próximo. 12:16 on 9/17

Saturday, September 13, 2003: Social Lives Are Expensive

Quick note to Fiona: I was on my computer the other day and saw that story that I emailed you. How'd you like to maybe send the critique my way? I was actually surprised at how good I think I am; but I know I'm not a genious, so gimme the honest opinion. Off for a quiet, spending-free day. 6:10pm

Thursday, September 11, 2003: CV (or Résumé to all you Americans)

Today was more interesting though. Woke up, and it was foggy! Yay! Went to Spanish, then back home, where I proceeded to get ready for my interview. Esther called at 2:50 wondering where I was. Oops. I was supposed to be at the Puente Colgante at that time, not 3:50, like was in my head. So, Esther bit the bullet and drove me to the Parque Tecnológico. Finally found my way in and met Susana, my boss. Very nice lady. She interviewed me (in Spanish), and I answered her questions satisfactorally. She's going to have me translate owners' manuals and how-to guides from Spanish to English. I'm looking forward to it myself. It's only drawback is the rather complicated way to get there: ride the metro, walk for ten minutes, catch the bus for thirty. Yippee. God, if I have to commute, can't I at least be driving myself! I'd even do it in a stickshift!

I guess that's it for now. Gotta go be domestic and get groceries: Coke, paper towels, and cereal. I love being domestic, man! 6:08pm

Tuesday, September 9, 2003: Hmm aka Complete and Utter Lack of Articulation

So I went down to Casco Viejo around 8:30 last night, and met Jon, and yada yada yada. There. I said it. Sort of. Right. Nothing serious, no fucking, but I guess it counts.

So that was just weird. We shook hands afterwards. I don´t know. We didn´t hit it off famously, but I don´t know. I can´t really articulate this.

So afterwards I needed a drink. Or ten. And I proceeded to get drunk off my ass. At least it was with good friends and we had a good time. Jaimes however is the only one who knows. I´m not sure if I hate myself or am cheering myself or just really ambivalent about it. God, I´m just desperate and pathetic now, I know it. I hope not.

I really don´t know what to think about this. I think it´s probably better to just forget it ever happened and move on. I just really need to find someone though. If anything this has shown me that one night stands are emotional rollercoasters, and that I need something slightly deeper than that. Friends w/benefits are nice, since I´m afraid of commitment, but I guess I really do want to get married, maybe even for more than just the fear of being alone.

But there are bright spots. The weather here today has been amazing: complete downpour interspersed with parly cloudiness and major windgusts. If it weren´t for the profusion of water, I´d swear I was home right now. Love it. And, I got to class no problem today (except of course for the rain), and am now only tired, slightly achy, and have heartburn. Yeah, that sounds like a blast, doesn´t it?

Jaimes and I were talking last night, as she seems to be the only person I can trust this shit with here. She´s really supportive, and all my telling her did was make her feel special that I trusted her so much. But she was telling me that Monica said that she and I had bonded as well, and she thinks I´m miserable, that I´m hiding something. While I am hiding something, because I´m too wishy-washy still to look myself in the mirror and say it, despite its obviously being true, it isn´t making me miserable. I just have to be more cautious around that topic, or lie, either works. But still, I am happy. I mean, I have a social life now, which is something I never had before. I have friends I can trust my deepest, darkest shit to (thanks to Fiona, Paul, and Jaimes), and I have buddies I can sit down at the bar with and hang out. All I´m lacking is a steady relationship, but that´ll come, I do honestly believe that. As I wrote a while back, all I´m looking for is an honest friend, someone to be able to depend on. And I want sex, but that´s a given. So, ever the hopeless romantic, I´m looking forward to meeting the right person and settling down a bit. God I hope it´ll come fucking soon, though. I´m tired of waiting, that´s for damn sure.

All right, enough of the pretentious, self-important bullshit. I got it out of me. 1:09pm

Monday, September 8, 2003: Back on my head, again

Then last night, we went to a "party" for his brother´s birthday at Telepizza, since it was just about the only thing open. Then the brother left, so we went to their apartment and hung out while they cleaned and got ready to go out. Thought we were going to go shoot pool, but that ended up not happening, and we went and got a drink and met his parents, who are nice people. I guess they liked us; Javi said they did. But the mother looked so Spanish; it was just amazing. ´Course, they keep saying that I look like a typical American, so I definitely need to lose weight now. Maybe then I´d be German at least!

Anyway, so this morning was kind of a wakeup call. 7:30am. I´m glad I didn´t finish the game with the guys last night (we found a bar, actually the first one we went to in Algorta, that has satellite, so we tuned to Fox and watched Chicago play San Francisco, since Chris the Roommate´s from Chicago and Ryan the friend who´s always over at our place is from San Francisco). Just crawled in bed, so now I´m not hating life. But I have a lunch date with Jaimes right now, then class, then a cancelled class for a Basque Politics Mandatory seminar (shit!). 11:45am

Saturday, September 6, 2003: Spanish Hospitality

The night is the real story though. Around 10:30, we all met at the metro plaza. At first it was just about 6, but it turned into like 15-20 before we´d actually gotten on the metro. We got off at Casco Viejo, and this huge group was trying to find a good bar. What a waste of time. Eventually, Martin, Jaimes, Schleck, Ryan, Chris, I, and a couple others broke off to a leather/heavy metal bar, and really stuck out. So, we left pretty quickly. We decided to get back on the metro and go up to the other side of town to find a festival. Chris, Ryan, and I, being sort of separate from the group while waiting for the train, started asking a Bilbaino if he knew of this festival. He said he didn´t. Stumped, we all got on the metro. At the Abando station, I started talking to Ryan, and together we convinced Chris to get off with us at the next station and see what we could find on our own. The three of us started walking, and we ran into the guy from the metro station! We waved, and he recognized us. We asked him where the party was, and he said he´d take us, he just needed cash and to pick up his girlfriend. So we went with him and met his girlfriend just as she got off work. At first we thought she was mad her boyfriend had just decided to bring along some kids he met at the metro, but no, she was excited to have us along.

So we started barhopping, comparing cultures, drinking beer (et al--good mixed drinks here), and listening to some great club music. That, and I got to dance with a Latina. Her boyfriend totally didn´t mind, and she wanted to dance with me! I feel so much less anglo. And she´s Cuban, so she really knows how to move. Mmm. There are a couple if onlys to add here, but nonetheless I had a great time. The first bar was my (and Ladi´s (sp)) favorite. The second was incredibly packed, and the third was just nice, if emptyish. Javier "Javi", who´s my age, bought us rounds at every place. Ledis, who´s 24, just danced the night away. We didn´t call it a night until after they´d invited us to dinner the next night, and then to drive to a festival in another town. They finally showed us their building at around 4:30, and we said our goodbyes.

Frankly, right now, I´m dumbfounded at how incredibly nice these people are. They welcomed us into their evening, made us feel and home, and kept the conversation lively, and for the most part, in Spanish. Despite some communication problems, we really just got along famously. All three of us were amazed at how hospitable they were, all of us feeling guilty that we probably wouldn´t´ve done the same back home. At least not as far as they went. So, they´re going to be calling Chris around 10, and we´re going to meet at the Moyua station and start all over again. Thank god I got to sleep until 3pm today--I´ll need all the rest I can get to party like a Spaniard on the weekend! 7:33pm

Thursday, September 4, 2003: Classes

But this morning I paid for staying up that late. My alarm went off at 7, but I woke up at 8:25. Very very pissed about this. Almost caught a ride with Martin and his German roommate, but I just missed them, so I caught a cab. It cost me €10, but I got there on time, as opposed to waiting until class was half over just to get on the bus and get there about the time they were finished. Not fun. But the class seems like it´s all review, but I actually think I could use it. I´m kind of put off by the fact we´ll be reviewing ser and estar, but I could always use a refresher. I mean, I just learnt that you estar muerto, not ser muerto. Very odd to me. Hopefully I´ll learn something, though.

Well, just got off the chat session with Vanessa, and she´s going to be calling me in about half an hour so that we can discuss what´s going to happen and how we´re going to meet up. I also have to start thinking about when I´m going to meet up with Paul and Andy. Yippee--just took out €400 for rent, and already planning on spending another €400 here and another €400 there... Might have to start putting shit on the MasterCard. 11:56am

Wednesday, September 3, 2003: Day off

Woke up this morning at 11:30 and had breakfast and did laundry. Just hung out and then came here. I think Chris is going to cook pasta tonight, so I´m looking forward to that. Now I need to figure out the bus system and print out my résumé for my internship. The internship I now really want to do, because I get more foreign language credits, get work experience, may do translations (which I already know and love), and get out of Corporate Finance or Principles of Management and Organizational Beahvior for another semester! So it´s all looking up.

Es todo para ahora. 4:38pm

Tuesday, September 2, 2003: Bilbao

Sunday--
The end of Madrid! We packed and left really early to go to Segovia. We took our time getting there, but it was a great little burg with a good looking cathedral and an amazing castle. The thing I love about the architecture here, at least for the castles, is that they plaster over the stones, and imprint a pattern into the walls, making for a good looking castle. Its only problem is that the yellow plastering blends it into the yellow fields (which look sometimes like the area around Twin Falls and sometimes like East Bay/Davis, California--I feel like I´m in the States over here!) But it was cool to see. Then we pulled into Bilbao, and it was gray and rainy. Perfect! A girl, Vanessa, met us and got us to our apartment. Turns out Schleck and I are in the same flat. We met Chris, another roommate, who was already there. I took the front bedroom, which has an amazing view and I believe is also the largest! The flat itself is great, albeit on the 5th floor (this is going to kill me!!) We have 1.5 baths, a full kitchen with washer, a TV room, and a balcony! Very nice, and except for being right next to the metro (it gets loud), it´s a perfect location (because it´s right next to the metro--paradoxical, I know). So we met up with some friends and went to a great little pub not too far from the metro plaza (as I´ve taken to calling the nice little plaza right near our place that is also the home of the Algorta metro stop). Got some beers and had a great night.

Monday--
Woke up pretty early and went to the USAC bus stop to go to the Universidad del País Vasco (aka Euskal Herriko Universitatea aka Basque Country University) for Orientation. It was longwinded but I guess informative. Then we took the tests, and I guess I did well. Also found out that the Spaniard has cancelled, so some Korean guy named Gi Kuk (9/8) will be moving instead. He speaks like no English, which is good, but little Spanish, which is bad. Huh. Make things interesting this semester. But we´ve been getting along. After a pizza (which did not set well with me--this is my punishment so don´t harrass me Roy), went home and to bed.

Tuesday--
More orintationing today. Got to know the university and the city better. Already getting to know my way around pretty well. Ingacio took us to a hill to see the views, to the best beach, and to the mall, so now I know where everything is. Now it´s just a matter of figuring out which bus goes to those places!

So that´s the past few days in a nutshell. More to come! 7:00pm

Friday, August 29, 2003: Toledo

So we woke up early, all of us refreshed, and went to Toledo, about an hour´s bus ride southwest of Madrid. The city is amazing. Filled with cool shops (most selling swords and cutlery), nifty little cafés, and a general lively atmosphere. The views were equally spectacular. Saw the main Cathedral (the one dedicated to the Virgin), the synagogue, and did a lot of hanging out in the Plaza Zolocoral (sp). What a trip this city is. The roads were incredibly narrow; most of the time, we were having to walk around cars that were forced to go about 2 ft/hr because of the throngs of mostly tourists. But it was just so neat to be in a city that was founded 300 years before they new the Americas existed! I felt transported back to the Middle Ages, just like in Carcassonne. Its only downfall was the McDonald´s in that plaza. But I digress. The one thing that amazed me, however, was Castilla-La Mancha´s resemblance to southern Idaho, around where my grandparents live. There were lovely rolling hills covered in yellow plant life that looked so much like the area around Rochester and the (other) Mormon town. It felt somewhat like home. (Not that the Cadillac Escalade and Ford Explorer I just saw are helping to change that). Took a catnap on the busride home, and filled out the postcards. It looks like they won´t be mailed out until I get to Bilbao, but the quantity of postcards ought to make up for their late arrival.

Well, I have a bit of time before dinner and tonight´s revelry (we´re going to try for a club that doesn´t get started until 2am), so I ought to take a nap. 6:55pm

Thursday, August 28, 2003: El segundo día en Madrid

So now here I am back in the internet café. The stores are now reopening, so I´m going to go look for sheer silk socks for Roy. Thus far no luck, and I´m not holding out much given what Paul´s told me. Then it´s back to the hotel at eight for dinner. I´m even considering just plopping in bed, but I´m not sure it´s worth it. God, and I´ve already blown through €100! Between all the beers last night (I bought a few rounds for everyone), and the fabulous pizza today for lunch, it´s been disappearing quickly. I imagine I should probably save some for rent! 4:13pm

Wednesday, August 27, 2003: La llegada en España