June 14, 2006 by j.

Have left Madrid. Things I think I didn’t mention about it… went to Prado and Palacio Real. Have pics. Will remember funny stories at a later date (have them recorded in journal).

We are in Seville now, southern Spain. It is much cosier and (imho), prettier than Madrid. Loving it. Shopping is great here too, but we haven’t seen the sights yet - also on the list of things to do here is catch some flamenco, as Seville is renowned for that.

Spain plays in the World Cup today so excitement is high, lots of national pride being shown and folks getting to the bars in the early morning for their Irish breakfast and lung exercises. Our hotel is top notch, but there is a panel on the entrance that says “USO EXCLUSIVOS BOMBEROS”. Sounds ominous.

Last night we were looking for an internet cafe (they call them cybercafes here, pronounced see-ber-cafe) and I asked a waiter dude in my broken sign-language-slash-spanglish…. his waiter-friend turned red in the face and couldn’t stop laughing… I may have accidentally offered him cybersex. Not sure what else could be so funny about an internet cafe.

Can’t wait til you all can see my pictures!!

I got some itchy spots on my feet, and when I walk around in my flip flops, it scratches them with each step that I take, and it feels sooooo good and yet sooo perverse.

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June 11, 2006 by j.

Just checked and realize that my timestamps are being posted in EST, not local time.  So while I am in Spain, pls add 6 hours to each post.  It’s 2:30am now

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June 11, 2006 by j.

Had an exhausting day.. we’re making use of siesta hour (or in our case, five hours) for certain.  Then we get up, wash up, and head out around 11 or 12 at night in search of dinner :)  Bring it.

Went to the Prado today and saw amazing artwork, a special exhibition by Picasso. Also went to a local flea market where a gypsy tried to fleece me, but scurried off when I turned around and saw her on my tail (literally). Didn’t see too much local artisan crafts there, which is what I was hoping for, but lots of chinatown-esque crap. What’s up with that. Oh by the way.. the chinatown here smells exactly like every chinatown in the states. Bleh.

It’s interesting being here during the world cup. Groups of men and women (usually all men or all women) walk up and down the streets loudly singing fight songs or chanting cheers, while waving flags of their country. Sometimes we’ll see opposing “teams” run into each other and raz each other for a bit, by trying to out-sing each other, but it’s all in good fun and not hostile at all. Very cool.

We saw some sort of emo exhibition at an open plaza last night… folks gathered while emo music played and watched a screen where pulsing nonsense was being shown. I guess it’s art or something. We met an Argentinian named Julio there who spoke flawless English and bore a pale blue and white pin to show country pride, he started talking to me when he caught me taking a picture of some very racist chocolate - a chocolate bar named “Conguidos” (translated as.. little people from Congo), with a little brown blobby dude with huge fat red lips giving a thumbs up sign - will post pictures when I return home

Oh yeah. Headed to Chueca tonight where the gay community hangs out… was told it was the trendy part of town but when we got there, it was a bit trashy. Like the AdMo of Madrid. But saw a ton of cute boutiques and kitschy shops so will be heading back tomorrow to do some shopping. We did see several transgendered hookers though, very flamboyant and hollerin in Spanish (duh) while hanging out into the streets, blowing kisses at oncoming cars. One of them was wearing a sequined skirt so short, you could see the bottom of buttcheeks peeking out. Was too afraid to get a frontal view, eeks!

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June 10, 2006 by j.

24 hours, 9 time zones, 4 cities… jack bauer ain´t got nuthin on me baby.

Thursday evening, caught the redeye out of Los Angeles to DC… where Kevin picked me up at the airport, fed me, took me home to do laundry and do a hurried packing job.. and then 2 hrs later promptly did his best imitation of a mexican speedracer, zipping me right back to the airport again. He nearly ran out of gas.. the car started sputtering right when we got close to the airport and Kevin was pounding on his pedals and huffing and puffing so much, rocking back and forth in his driver´s seat like a rocking chair on crack.. I think he willed the car into starting again just through sheer willpower. I wasn´t worried about not making it though - at that point, I think if Kevin had to get out of the car and carry me on his back the rest of the way to the airport to make my flight, he would have done it. I’m just that lucky. Thanks babe! (Sidenote: he actually did run out of gas shortly after leaving the airport, but you can see his blog for the story on that!)

From there, I jumped on a plane to Atlanta, sat around for two hours, and then boarded my flight to Madrid. Where I am now. ¡Hola!  Two back-to-back redeyes later though, I’m pretty wiped out, and would rather not see a plane for a little while.

So far, have seen a bit of the city. Our hotel is really nice and right in the center of the heart of the city.. an area called Puerto del Sol. I’ve had me some bocadillas (little sandwiches), but they’re not the kind we had in Barcelona.. these are smaller, about the size of a hot dog, with a variety of different fillings rather than just jamon serrano like the ones in Barcelona. I had jamon iberico, plus bacon and pesto in mine. Yumsers! Also have had spanish chocolate and churros, our second food stop. When in Madrid, one must eat! Or is it… when in Madrid, do all the madrileños? Hm.

Need to go take a nap now.

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June 8, 2006 by j.

Wow, it’s been a rockin’ rollin’ series of days. Will summarize high points of my days in Californ-I-A. Worked 14 hours a day. Slept 3 hours a night. But those who work hard play hard, so have also:

• Rode in a stretch Escalade, P-I-M-P bay-bee!
• Visited Mann’s Chinese theatre where Johnny Depp felt up my arse (pictures to follow in several days, forgot to bring my camera cable) and I saw the fattest Catwoman I’ve ever seen in my life.
• Enjoyed the best prix-fixe dinner at Porterhouse Bistro - completely recommend it and it’s an amazing deal to boot. The water tastes suspect though. After dessert they put out huge beehive-looking pale green spun cotton candy, with candles burning in the center. I am not sure if it was just supposed to be a centerpiece, but I ate half of it anyway.
• Saw a homeless Mexican jerking off on a street corner, in front of an old video rental shop.
• Visited The Standard, a famous bar. Had to bribe the bouncer 80 bucks to let us in (it was packed) - being a bouncer in LA seems to be a pretty profitable profession. The bar was tres interesante, they have huge Hershey kiss shaped pods with huge holes in them that open to reveal a round bed-like cushion inside. Walked by several to see some serious pre-fornication action, some of it guy-on-guy or girl-on-girl. Whoa.

My hotel room here faces the ocean - we are about six or seven blocks away from it. My balcony is huge, maybe 10 feet by 10 feet. Killer.

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June 6, 2006 by j.

Had a great cocktail hour and then dinner with the team here, but my jetlagged ass is tired. Still need to stay up and do some work though, however exhausted I am.. the show must go on.

I have my sliding door wide open and the cool breeze of a California night is keeping my toes chilly but my head clear. I can hear the dull roar of the ocean and see the yellow house and street lamps punctuating the dark night sky… and abruptly, it ends where the ocean begins. Funny how even the lights look different here. Occasionally the roar of a motorcycle sounds muffled, passing at a distance, but otherwise it is silent.

Ok, must work now.

Oh. Got the munchies earlier and destroyed the minibar. Frickin $4 Clif bar, what the hell is that all about???

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June 5, 2006 by j.

We’ve been on the run
Drivin’ in the sun
Lookin’ out for number one…

California here I come. Right back where I started from.

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June 5, 2006 by j.

Well isn’t this nice?

Sitting in the airport. Flight delayed. I really want to lie down and take a nap but I’m worried that a) someone will rob me blind, and b) will miss flight entirely. To remedy these possibilities, I have set up camp directly in the line of the boarding area - am sprawled across the carpet with my items scattered artfully around me, a line to get on the flight can’t possibly form without someone kicking me in the head. So. I’m covered.

The flight is delayed because they are repairing a piece of the airplane that broke. Somewhat worrisome. Hopefully is not the piece that keeps the plane from falling out of the sky.

Had a great and very busy weekend, if sleepless. Threw a big party, a “housewarming” … can you call it a housewarming when I’ve lived here for 2.5 years? Perhaps should call it a “hothouse” instead. Was too much fun, amazing friends and lots of food, and even more liquor. We welcomed Kristin to the DC area in high style, culminating in her fiance running panicked laps around the living room before a mad dash to the bathroom. Um, could have done without that part of the evening, but the rest was amazing fun! Good times! Pls email me for pictures and I will send you a link to the gallery (I have a phobia, indulge me).

An excerpt from the evening:
BB: If I start doing cartwheels, it means I need to be cut off.
me: Haha. Ok. (thinking he’s joking)
*four hours later, as BB wheels around my living room in a flying explosion of arms and legs*
me: Dude. No more for you.
BB: WHAT?!
now reminded he sprayed the last of his beer across my living room in his circus performance (thanks for that, by the way), he makes a beeline for the fridge to look for another beer.
me: I mean it, no more.
BB: WHY?!
me: You said to cut you off if you started doing cartwheels.
BB: Was the cartwheel STRAIGHT???
me: ….. yes?
BB: Then it means I’m FINE. I’m TOTALLY SOBER. Gimme a beer.

Well who can argue with that impeccable logic? Could not find the flaw in his argument, so he earned his beer. What can I say. I probably should have stopped him from humping everything in sight an hour later though.

PS - “The Break Up” totally sucks. Don’t waste your money.

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June 2, 2006 by j.

How did I get to be so lucky, to have such good friends? You know who you are - I thank you.

Had folks over for my meatloaf tonight (my meatloaf brings all the boys to the yard!) - I’d tell you it’s the best meatloaf ever, but that would be soooo tacky.

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