The Scent of a Spaniard

Contrary to the Paris metro, the Madrid metro doesn´t reek of body odor. In fact, the majority of Spaniards, in my exprerience, smell really fantastic. They wear scented deodorants and/or cologne or perfume, and as you´re walking down the street you can actually smell a Spaniard before you can see them. I know that sounds unpleasant, but it really isn´t. They don´t wear horrible cheap perfume or cologne...the stuff that makes you gag and want to run away. They wear quality stuff, and even though you can smell them yards away, they smell so good that I want to be enveloped by their scent and I breathe in deeply through my nose to drink it in.

Was awakened today by a phone call from one of my agencies (the one I really like). Figured it was probably around 10 or 10:30am, but when I hung up and looked at the time it was 11:40am. Holy cow! I probably would've kept sleep at least until noon if not for the phone call. Was feeling like a lazy slug so I got to work right away on redesigning the online course I'm teaching for COCC this fall. Am proud to say I actually FINISHED it this afternoon and it's now up & running. Now feel like productive superstar rather than lazy slug, though I have barely left my bed all day. Woo hoo!

If I had gotten up earlier I would have gone down to the market and bought eggs and potatoes, and I would be making a tortilla española at this very moment. Did not work out that way, however, so I´ve had to make due with some toast and peanut butter (yes, we have actually found peanut butter in Spain) until the mercado opens again at 5pm. (Closes for siesta, you see.) In the meantime I need to do some lesson planning for next week´s classes and add to my deck of "cards" I´m building for phonetics gin-rummy.

Tonight the girls and I are going over to a fellow TtMadrid alum´s house for dinner and then to her husband´s office for a party that will supposedly last until 6am. Am looking forward to being at a private party rather than going out to some smokey bar or club for entertainment.

Highlights of my day so far:
1. Lovely cool weather continues. Am sitting in bed wearing jeans, shirt, sweater, and scarf! =*)
2. Figured out how to change my keyboard settings to get Spanish letters! Now just need to figure out where everything is. Had a helluva time making that smiley face after #1 & finally had to change it back to American keyboard in order to make it.

highlights of my day

1. Lunch at Valpan in Atocha. Toasted croissant with strawberry jam and a cafe con leche. Yum!! Rock in English playing over the speakers. Even the crappy songs make me feel sentimental, and then as I'm leaving they play one of my favorites: "Invincible" by OK Go. Valpan must have satellite radio. I hear "Invincible" almost every time I go there. Is fantastic!

2. Boys in sweaters. Why is that so attractive? Maybe because boys don't usually wear sweaters. They might wear a sweatshirt or a coat over their t-shirt, but usually not a sweater. Love love love the sweater. Especially if it is navy blue or brown.

3. Tonight: making tacos and watching BBC's The Office with the roommates. Love tacos, love The Office. Life is grand.

sweater song

Hooray! I got to wear a sweater today ALL DAY LONG!!! Today was finally cool enough for me: in the low 70's. Kez, my roommate from Australia, was complaining the whole day, threatening to freeze her butt off. HAH! Today, after a mere couple of hours of 60 degree weather, Kez actually said, "I can't wait for summer!" Well, it takes all kinds. And I'm the kind that loves fall and cool, crisp air. Bring it on!

P.S. I found out today that the agency gave me the wrong sheet yesterday and I consequently asked for the wrong person when I got to my teaching gig. Explains the cancellation and "come back Thursday." Am now officially annoyed with the agency. Again.

P.P.S. I seem to be collecting glasses on the nightstand. One with a shallow pool of water at the bottom, one that used to have Diet Coke in it, one with the dregs of some English breakfast tea, and the newest glass contains some yummy red wine. Fall and yummy red wine. Does it get any better?

slightly annoyed

So I show up to my class today (after having spent about an hour at the agency that set the class up for me) only to find out that today's class had been cancelled. The receptionist calls up to the client and the client says she sent an email to my agency cancelling the class and that I should come back on Thursday. First of all, as far as I know this is a Tuesday-only class, which sucks to begin with, but then you can't expect to be able to reschedule on Thursdays willy-nilly. If you want two timeslots a week, pay for them is what I say. If she cancels again on Thursday I'm giving up the class. It's already a pain in my ass because it's only one hour a week during lunchtime on Tuesdays (when I could EASILY find a Tues/Thurs class for an hour or even an hour and a half each day and be making more money), and it's also clear on the other side of Madrid so I'm already traveling twice as long as the class lasts. Matters made worse by the fact that I hadn't eaten lunch and I was seriously hungrumpy. So came home again and ate leftovers and am having a little glass of wine (as the Spanish do) before I head out to do some grocery shopping.