The Uplift

So after the rollercoaster ride that was Barcelona, what with it´s amazing fun followed by profound depression, it´s only fair that Madrid is there to level me out.

I got home on Monday, only to find that I had lost my house keys in Barcelona. This, clearly, was not the uplift. But after I hugged my Señora and saluted my Señor and joked with them about how weird Catalán is and told them that I had lost the keys, they didn´t seem to mind at all. In fact, they even gave me their keys and made the copies themselves. When I asked them how much I owed them, they said nothing. Of course I persisted, but the only response I got was 50 euros, so they didn´t really mind at all.

Yesterday, I went to the park with Wubulu and we got a boat on the Estanque and rowed and rowed and talked and talked--much fun. That evening, when I was about to go out to show Wu a good time in Madrid, Señora called her niece, and I talked to Prima about going dancing on Thursday with her Spanish friends. At least I think that´s what we talked about. We´ll see on Thursday, but it sure sounds like great fun. As I was making it out the door, Señora gave me a big hug goodbye, and that gave me the uplift. I was just going out for the night, but Señora just couldn´t let me out the door without letting me know how precioso I am. That was the uplift. Oddly enough, Mondays prove to be the one night Madrid stays in, and our efforts to have a good time were almost squashed, but hanging out in Wubulu´s hostal turned out to be the best idea of the day.

So now I´m at work which means I´m doing nothing and tonight I´ll probably stay in since Wednesday I go out with my Spanish intercambio friend and Thursday I´m going out with Prima, and all weekend I´ve got a buttload of friends coming. Then Monday I´m going to see Wilco in Madrid. Can you imagine my excitement!? I´m almost guaranteed some rail action in a country where their crossover appeal can´t be that big. Then Tuesday I´m off to Istanbul and Greece. Hold on to your socks Asia, Bacchus and Baby Huey are coming and we´re not going until we´ve eaten all your dates and honey and baklava...and Uzo/Raki.