Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is pretty great. I'm becoming smitten. If you haven't yet, 'should listen to some of his tunes. I'm lookin' for a way to link to songs in the blog, and still working on that photo site (or rather, I'm going to start working again...I just bought a new adapter today for my mac. It's European.)

Today I at breakfast at the Center for los mayores (the old people) of Triana. I've found my new hangout! (And yes, I asked if non-old-people are welcome, and they so totally are.) Beer: 45 cents, Wine, more or less the same. Breakfast: Café con leche y tostada entera con aceite, 1.35 euro. Score.

Part of "Subterranean Homesick Blues," by Bob Dylan

You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows


...

Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles

Starting your second-ever conversation with the cute bartendergirl you just ran into at her bar with an icebreaker like: "So when do you get off work?" is not as good idea as it might seem...to some, he learned.

Pink Floyd is Timeless!

Mosquitos

Mosquitos suck, but Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer is the man. Things balance out.

Yesterday was one of the most pleasurable days I´ve had in Spain on account of numerous small things (like finally understanding what the hell my Lit de España II prof is saying and then getting really excited about learning and reading. That was good. Sidenote: He, my professor, looks remarkably like Dustin Hoffman and sounds like he began smoking prior to leaving the womb).

Life is good.

Miercoles, 17 de octubre 2007

Within the first couple of weeks of arriving in Sevilla, I became friends with the owners (two brothers, Sergio y Gerardo) of a café bar just down the street from my piso en Triana (Viva la Republica independiente!). The story of how this all came about is actually somewhat amusing in itself, but that´s for another time (I´m working toward a point right now, stay with me). So anyway, it just so happens that these guys are really cool and pretty much my best friends here. I see them a few times a week, have been to their ridiculously nice homes (they´re loaded--this could also end up being a very interesting story...I have my theories on how they got there) and I´ve met a ton of people through them as well. So that´s great. But what´s even better (or, rather, another cool thing) is that Sergio plays guitar, is learning flamenco, and really digs Pink Floyd (the best band in the world, duh). So it was one of those days many weeks back that I told him I was itching to find a second-hand guitar etc...and he said he´d look for one for me. Well, I finally asked him if he´d had any luck (I´m getting pretty antsy not having a guitar and missing out on flamenco lessons [I´ve decided to learn at least the basics of flamenco before I go....it´s an incredible artform...youtube it...I don´t have any artists in mind at the moment, but I´ll look in my journal and find some recommendations]).¨"No" is the short answer (i.e. he didn´t find anything). But the follow up was much better. He is going to give me his classical/flamenco guitar to practice on, and I´m picking it up today after I finish classes (and get back from a little "reunion" in the park) ;)

Other things....

I´ve finally got my class schedule more or less down and in the process learned never to rely on the anthro department advisors for anything like advice pertaining to course selection or the fulfillment of concentration requirements (4 weeks and a $5 phone call later --out of my pocket, fuckers-- I get my two line response--affirmative, you can in fact take this class. Enjoy catching up!) The good news though is that it looks like I might actually be able to well, graduate (eventually).

Classes are cool, the people are HOT, the weather´s becoming a bit more humane, the days are beginning to pass more quickly, buildings and their narrow winding streets have lost that honeymoon novelty but retain their beauty. The fish swim in the river and the people sit by the river and catch them. Sometimes they drink beer. Sometimes I drink beer, and sit by the river. But I haven´t fished yet.

Cadiz

Yesderday I went to Cadiz with the Michigan-Cornell-Penn group. Cadiz is beautiful and, after seeing the first/most famous Camera Oscura, I've decided that I'm going to have to build one at some point (i.e. whenever I end up settling somewhere long enough to do so). I also learned that it is not a good idea to climb brittle-looking and brittle-feeling rock. It turns out that these characteristcs may actually indicate that the seen/felt rock is in fact brittle, and therefore not an ideal place for hanging one's person. Fortunately, my 12-15 foot fall found me on my feet 12-15 feet lower on a large, flat slab of concrete (next to two large not-so-flat pieces of concrete), completely intact but for a few ripped fingertips and a scraped elbow. Thank God I had my climbing shoes on, otherwise my feet probably wouldn't be working too well. Then again, had I not had my climbing shoes, I probably wouldn't have been climbing a big wall without ground under it...Mostly I felt bad for the few of my friends who happened to see me fall, as I'm sure it was much more frightening for them. But onto more important things. I swam in the ocean and saw semi naked people running on warm sand. Sadly, I think it's the overweight wrinkly one who's managed to fight hardest for a place in my memory. Shame!

I'm working on getting a photo website going, so check back soon for updates. It's gonna be hot. Get ready...

Also, there's a bullfight tomorrow and a group of kids are going to it. I know it's a cultural thing, but I have pretty seriously mixed feelings about the whole thing (i.e. I think it's disgusting and cruel), so I'm not really sure what to do. Any thoughts/opinions on whether it'll be worth it?

P.S. I'm probably going to kill my roommate in his sleep within the next week or so, so if the readers would kindly begin developing reliable, or at least creative, interesting-to-read alibis, that would be really great. Thanks.

More to come within the week (probably).