Time

How in the heck is it possible that the clock on my computer runs slow? I have to give it like a ten minute boost every couple months. Drives me Crazy. No, just makes me a little behind...I even tried to have it synched with the internet time or whatever. No success.
So yesterday morning, at the end of the news program they had a short little clip from an Irish band that was playing in Madrid the other night. Normal, you know the typical irish band... Olderish men, button-down shirt with the top buttons undone, trousers and suspenders, a beard, yoddelishing irish tunes about beer or the green fields, a fiddle and whatever other instruments. Get the picture? Should be pretty easy, we've all seen it before right?

Well Victoria, the mom, started cracking up "What is this? Seriously? Is this a joke?"

Me: "What? Its Irish Music. Thats how it sounds?"

V: "Yeah, but this is for real? hahaha"

Me: "Yeah, they always sing like that. I dont know, is it wierd?"

V: "Yeah but where did these guys come from? Did they just come in together from off the street? haha"

Me: "haha I guess they do look kinda funny. Yeah and they are always singing like that..."

I remember that is how I spent a lot of my first months here..... ayyyy cultural differences.....

Did that make sense? I dont know if i explained it well?

Oh well. for now.

Stifled

Certain. We all have a creative side that NEEDS to be expressed. It's what we do. Right?

I feel stifled.

I hate being positive that I am right, but biting my tongue because the other person is POSITIVE I have mistaken. I say "Oh, I dont know." or ask them questions so they feel smart and superior. It keeps peace, makes you more agreeable. But crap. After a month I am still POSITIVE the teacher said Diego Rivera, not Jose Ribera. I know what I heard.

Learning is always interesting and worth your time, but I have no clue why.

Reina Sofia musuem is awesome. I can't get it off my mind and am anxious to go to Salvidor Dali's museum. He designed it himself.

I let you down.

Well, its been a while since i have written anything and yesterday when I came back to see where I left off, I was absolutely ashamed to find that my last entry was talking about my butt. Who have I become?

What has happened to my glamorous life in Spain? Where to start....

Well I am sitting here at the computer listening to Killers. Its about 545 and the kids just got home from school. Victoria will probably be home about 630. I am sipping tea and dunking a muffin. Daniela (2years old) is brushing my hair and pretending to talk to me in English.

My first inspiration: I failed my spanish test. Its a long story. I studied vigorously and then didnt show up at the right time; I failed because I was not there. Yeah yeah, I know....Well anyways now I am studying independently so that I can take a Spanish exam whose certification is valid world-wide and overrides the test that I would be taking in May, if i was still attending classes. You pay and go and take the test. I will cut to the chase and answer the burning question.... I am not sure why I want this certification or what it means in the grand scheme of life. Deep down I have a burning desire to have a piece of paper to tell me that, Yes, you know and speak Spanish.

As the weather warms up I am getting ready to start climbing again. After visiting museums, shopping, dancing all night long, baselab concert, making "American cookies" (chocolate chip cookies), blueberry muffins and doing all the things that i would suppose normal people do, as Javi jokingly told me "Katie, It's a lifestyle. You cant just leave it."

I have well passed the one year mark here and am still continuely trying new foods. The two newest: cow tongue and navajas. Cow tongue: Surprisely good. Very tender, but you definately realize you are eating a tongue. Imagine the texture and twisting softness of a giant tongue. Exactly. Navajas:A shell fish... pictures here:

My newest kick with the kids is going to the library. I am currently reading an absolutely wonderful children's book about the history of Spain (in Spanish) and passed along James and the Giant Peach to Javi (in English)--- we all remember that, right? I think I am gonna reread it as well.

Well other than that nothing that stands out at the moment. I'm sure something else will strike me soon. Ill be sure to let you all know.

MMMMM pretty much better.

So everyone can sleep better tonight...the bruising is going through the color changing process and well on its way to full recovery. It doesnt hurt when I sit normally.

Lately I feel that every idle moment, or at least the moments that I am not quite interested in, are spent thinking and dreaming about summer. For those of you that dont know, as of now I plan to spend the summer in the states from mid-June until the end of September. I have great visions that I am going to become rich and have many friends. muh hahaha Still not quite sure how to go about achieving that.... but anyways I hope to be stationed in the midwest and venture out east sometime. Get your party pants on! Yep Grammy, that includes you.

I am really proud of myself and would like to share with everyone that this past week I went to class all 5 days and I had an intercambio. Thats the most structured Learning that i have ever done in one week since I arrived here. My Spanish exam is coming up on the 26th.

Today I fell on my ass

This morning I fell down a flight of icy stairs outside the house. I got up and looked around. Nope, no one saw. Just left with a bruised butt. One of the big greenish ones.

Also, I opened a bank account. I feel so grown up.

Done playing catch up

So in the back of my head I have been meaning to get on here and write few more meaty blogs to talk about the ending of my christmas break. Well, it sat there a while and now i am throwing out the idea and moving on. Blogging gets dry when you are playing catch up and writing out of a semi-obligation.

Anyways.... some things that I have stored in my head:

I wish i had a dollar for everytime i was told that it was like i lived my life in the movies.

A fact for DAD: "cinta americana" = "american tape" = Duct tape
- i was just told that it is also very expensive. Remember that the next time that i give it to your for father's day.

A fact for Mom: When it is snowing the Spanairds carry umbrellas.

A fact for all of America: Everyone in Spain seems to be reading the Barak Obama biography. I think i read somewhere that is a hit seller.

Some pictures I have stored on my computer:

So i went to the reyes magos parade. AND i saw the REAL WISE MEN. Yep. be jealous. My favorite part of the parade was this little gaggle:

And the fact that I was with the kids and we goooooot soooo much candy. Nothing to do with the candy, but you know the game of see how much you can get. We made santi go to the front and he was all crawling around the ground and giving us handfuls of little candies. It was intense. His parents wouldve killed him if they saw him.
Here he is down and dirty underneath the fence collecting candy.....

Then we went out to dinner and got chocolate y churros.... remember? A nice thick mug of thickity thick chocolate syrup. In the end we went running to the train station to catch the last train at 1130pm. End of story.

So lately

Well its been about 4 weeks since i have been remotely interested in climbing.... A truely spiritual experience. Remember the game clue? It's still awesome. I have also discovered a new album/cd that i like it is SOUL by Seal. Until later hopefully today......