It’s time I wrote more

What’s new? Well, I’m looking for more work now cuz I’m completely broke after vacationing. Not only am I broke, I’m in debt with several people, other than my parents… I’m not sure if I can even afford to buy a one-way ticket to the United States.

This month: more work, less partying, more concentration, and finding free things to do…

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I’ve started a book called Brooklyn Follies, by Paul Auster, who’s pretty popular here in Spain. (I actually never heard of him before). Javi recommended it to me after we read his other book together, A Man in the Darkness. Brooklyn Follies is about a man who has lung cancer, and who goes to Brooklyn to spend the rest of his short life there. There he coincidentally runs into his niece, who works in an antique book store, and starts to have conversations with her and re-establish relations with his family. It’s a little strange to read it in Spanish translation; there are so many expressions that I recognize as American, and the book takes place in Brooklyn and is written by someone familiar with the rhythm of life there. It’s pretty easy to read, so I take it with me in the metro on my way to my classes. Anyway, I just wanted to share a bit of my literary adventures.

 

I’m watching some random movie on television with Heather Graham who suddenly realizes she’s gay and is in love with her brother’s wife. It takes place in New York City and I just spent five minutes sitting five feet away from the tv set gazing at the background footage as the characters walked down sidewalks in Soho and the Upper East Side near the Met. I miss New York.

A Mini-Vacation in las Canarias

I really should start updating more often. Got back from a wonderful little vacation in Lanzarote, one of the main islands of Las Canarias. When we arrived at our hotel, we were astounded at the multitude of old British and German couples sitting in the salon for bingo night. We lived for a week in the topmost terrace of the hotel, with a balcony, a beautiful sea view, and some stray black cats that followed us around and entered our house to sleep. Even though we had two or three days of drizzle and some clouds, the weather was a lot more pleasant that what we’ve been having in Madrid lately. We got to swim at the beaches, play paddle ball, and do some mid-winter tanning. We took a tour through the Timanfaya national park, which consisted of amazing volcanic landscapes…miles of black lava rock and the strange feeling that you’ve suddenly landed yourself on the moon. On one of the last days we took the ferry to Fuerteventura, a nearby island which boasts of the best beaches around. We spent a day at the large stretch of beach right next to the sand dunes where camels were ambling around. We also spent a good deal of time smoking, reading, driving, and talking, among other things. Now that I’m back in Madrid, these things already seem to have receded into the slightly foggy past. Other things, however, haven’t.