In a day the weather here changed. For months I've been complaining that the Dirty South hadn't figured out why the north had the word "otoño" but in a day, the day that Taylor left last last, the weather changed. I stepped outside on the balcony one morning while my oatmeal cooked and it felt like climbing out of the warm car seat after the 3 hour drive to Truckee and being greeted on every part of exposed skin with that high-altitude air that is, well.. cold. For example, I walked up to school for the first time on Friday and wore tights and boots and my new dress that doesn't have sleeves. I felt great, but when I got up the mountain my arms were cold and my boogers frozen.. That kind of cold. I love it.
So I've been listening to lots of music, thinking about how if I were in Santa Barbara, half a quarter would have gone by and why haven't I done any homework? Taylor and I were in Madrid on Halloween and saw a few guys in Quicksilver short suits holding shortboards, and all the spanish mothers freaking out because of the handsome surfers and having their kids take pictures with them. I've never seen anyone dress up like a surfer for Halloween in Santa Barbara.
I really want to post more pictures but the internet here is too slow to download them. Currently I'm sitting on my balcony hacking into the wifi from the library across the street. Since it's Sunday morning and no one is there it's a lot faster than usual but still too slow to post the pictures of Barcelona that I want to show you. Those will have to wait. In the meantime, here's a picture of the pumpkin I carved last year, whose file happens to be very small.
Other things I've learned/been up to:
1. good wine is cheap here
2. i can buy wine legally here
3. you can make ranch dressing out of yogurt
4. curry chicken salad with red apples
5. i steal club promotion posters from the walls near my house as presents for my friends at home ("3 Rubias por solo 5 €")
6. i'm learning to dress like a european
7. when the bus hits the curves going downhill I let go of the pole and pretend I'm in the parking garage by the Theater building in SB longboarding (don't tell mom)
8. my classmate is obsessed with the show, "The OC," and nearly wet herself when I told her my school is on the beach. She asked me if all American boys look like the blond tools on the OC - I told her my boyfriend looks like Christiano
9. same classmate took me to her favorite tapas bar last week and ordered me her favorite tapa: 3 slices of stale bimbo bread with a slice of ham, iceburg lettuce and mayo oozing out the sides. I am beginning to hate tapas.
10. same classmate is 26, has a masters in farmaceutical sciences and is giving her grad thesis in December. She'll be a university prof next year.
SO I'm missing home, and food, and am a little cynical lately but I love being surprised by people. The OC girl with magazine cut-out pictures of Josh Hartnett on her notebook is a nerd. Like me. I'm going to go call her and see if she wants to hang out today.
BTW: The most recent chocolate recipe I've come across:
" Just melt a bar of chocolate in hot milk. That's how my mom does it!"
rolling pin
second rising
oven
Alison's lemon curd
Nerissa and I bus-ing it to Kephera's house
