A bit bamboozled

Today a bird pooped inside one of my high-top Converse All Stars.... while I was wearing them. I'm particularly puzzled as to how it landed inside my shoe without hitting the outside of the shoe, my leg or any other part of my body. Birds must be getting smarter, or improving their aim.




Oh, and I'll blog about London soon.

The Day of Rest-- Kinda.

I am so sore. I have been going to the gym pretty consistently for the past month and a half... Running, lifting, stretching, etc. but none of this prepared me for me return to the court. I always argued that basketball worked different muscles, more effectively. This is a true testament. It all hurts. In a great way, of course.

I went to the gym today--not to exercise more because that would be impossible. I warmed up for a little while, stretched A LOT, used the rolly massage machines, and then shamelessly sat in the steam room for a long while. I love the gym.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 7-ish block walk back to my apartment. It's not spring weather anymore, but its not quite cold. I saw a Dino Pan, which I thought was a funny name for a bakery. I looked at my reflection in every store storefront window and repeatedly noticed how much I like these jeans. I stopped at a park. I swung. My butt didn't fit very well in the swing. I saw many classic Spanish stores, brimming with every little appliance in the world that no one has any legitimate use for. Those stores are perfect for people like my brother Eric or our cousin Ryan, who buy things just to buy shopping, not based on any need or desire. I wandered towards my building and finally realized that sign for La Crema, the cafe next door, reminds me of Hot Dog on a Stick. I had always known there was something about it.

Now, I am going to spend the rest of my lazy sunday coloring, lounging, eating fruit, and maybe, eventually doing some work. Life is good.

Shomer Shabbos

Today was great. I discovered my new favorite place in Barcelona, next to La Boqueria:

El Parc de L'Espanya Industrial









This park appeals to all my abnormal interests, with its enormous prison like watchtowers, menacing dinosaur-ish slide, [currently] emptied out lake, and.... STREETBALL COURTS. Yes, I said it. There is a place to play basketball in Barcelona. I never thought this day would come.

I played for about four hours and it was so wonderful. Oh, and I played really, really well. Apparently if you don't use it, you don't lose it.

To end my day, I made a tremendous grocery shopping excursion to La Boqueria and the cheap grocery store. I got two kilos (4.5 pounds) of delicious strawberries for only two euro. SWEET DEAL! Not to mention all the rest of my fruits and veggies for a grand total of six euro. That is something I will surely miss in the States.

Rampant Children, Equestrian Grooming, and Prominent Polio

Alright, I'm back blogging again.

It was a beautiful, very spring day here in Barcelona. I spent it wandering aimlessly, watching and observing, laying on the beach reading a book, then wandering back to my apartment for a nap with my balcony doors wide open. Perfect. Here were a few highlights:

I was walking down La Rambla, minding my own business, when I see a child coming toward me, completely unaccompanied. He couldn't have been more than five, though probably even less. He had a platinum blonde, wavy mullet and wore a Winnie the Pooh shirt that said "Hanging Out". And he wasn't happy. As he approached, I was blatantly staring at him, trying to put all these wonderful pieces together in my mind, and thankful for my very dark sunglasses, even though staring is entirely socially acceptable in this country. Then, as he passes by my right side, I see his frown deepen to a disapproving scowl and the little punk tried to kick me, right in the leg. He narrowly missed, as we were walking in opposite directions, but the damage was done. He is clearly a troubled child, tormented daily by the unfortunate and conflicting hair and wardrobe decisions of his parents. Now he's gone so far as to take his aggression out on others, hoping this will ease the pain of his constant punishment. Poor, poor child.

Next, on my way to the beach, I was walking along the port, through an area frequently used for promotional events. As usual, workers were setting up a bouncer and various carts for a BBVA (a Spanish bank) extravaganza. Suddenly, I was struck by a particularly pungent, and oddly familiar odor. Strong, clean, minty with a hint of lemon...It smelled just like the horse shampoo my aunt and cousin used when I was a kid! I hadn't thought of that in years, but suddenly I was remembering being five years old, walking around the ranch, riding the horses, getting stung by bees and trying to build tree houses. I love that scents have the ability to bring back even the faintest memories.

Finally, although Polio has nearly been eradicated, it's crutch remains. While in the United States, any sprained ankle, severely stubbed toe, or even paralyzed leg will warrant the use of underarm crutches, Europe is different. Here, they issue the forearm variety, and while I understand it is just one more cultural difference, I can't help but laugh a little every time I see them, and think of them as Polio crutches--which shouldn't even be funny! But I don't think I'm alone in this. Some of my fellow Americans here find it equally bizarre and humorous.

I'm making a BIG change...

I'm going to cut off ALL my hair. I just can't stand it anymore. It's such a dry, dead, frustrating mess, and it's all coming off.


This is what I'm going for:







I'm kind of nervous.. Hope I can pull it off.
Let you know how it turns out. :)

Catching Up

I've been here for about six weeks, with varying levels of internet and camera... But here's a little update as to what I've been doing.




The past week, the city of Barcelona has celebrated the festival La Merce, which I'm pretty sure signifies the end of summer and the beginning of autumn. The reasoning really isn't too clear but here's a little view of the festivities.


Last night was the PiroMusical... the most incredible firework show I have ever seen. 120,000 people went to one of the city's biggest plazas to watch the hour-long show.

Here is a video of the finale:



A few days before, we participated in the Correfoc, Catalan for Fire Run. Basically, thousands of people march through the streets of Old Barcelona with fireworks on pitchforks. It was the most ridiculous, exhilarating thing ever. And I only got a little burnt.






Here is my firework and my war wound:



and here is the parade of the giants.. there are like 50 diff historical figures.. that are giant... and parade through the city.. kind of self-explanatory i guess.





and finally, here's me on my beach.. yes, my beach. the one that is about 100 yards (or 90 meters since I'm metric now) from my apartment.

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That's all I have for now. There are definitely more on facebook, if you find me on there.


And lastly, PLEASE WRITE ME! :)
for the sake of having some kind of internet intelligence, I'm not gonna post the address on here... But I'm so very homesick and receiving anything from home would be wonderful! So if you would like my address, or Spanish cell number, let me know.

To start it off...

So Jenn didn't actually tag me, but I figured she would have if she already knew I had a started a blog.. So here are my answers.

7 Things I Plan to Do Before I Die
1. Publish a book, of poetry or otherwise.
2. Figure out what I want to do (career-wise) and do it.
3. Run a marathon.
4. Play the piano really well.
5. Build some really cool family traditions that we pass on to all the generations.
6. Own a candy store--something cool and unique, like Dr. Conkeys, my child(and adult)hood favorite.
7. Have my own "library" like they have in haunted mansions that is full of really cool books, all of which I have read.

I'm adding more...

8. Learn to sail.
9. Be a sports reporter.


7 Things I Do Now
1. Write.
2. Immerse myself in Communications Studies because I can't figure out which part I like most.
3. Lately, wander the streets of Barcelona, exploring.
4. Make up recipes/dishes.
5. Write press releases and web site content.
6. Scour the city looking for cool shoes.
7. Miss my home and all the people in it.

7 Things I Can't Do
1. Play any kind of musical instrument, yet. (the only one in my family, what a shame).
2. Finish any attempt I've made at writing a novel. Yet.
3. See my family :( or my lil brother and nieces and nephew growing up.
4. A step-back 3-pointer. Yet.
5. Make it through a week in Spain without taking a nap.
6. Express myself enough
7. Eat, laugh, create and shop as much as I want to

7 Things That Attract Me To The Opposite Sex (Justin)
1. Humor
2. Confidence
3. Intelligence
4. Curiousity/Eagerness to learn
5. Style
6. Perspective on life
7. Relationship with their family

7 Things That I Say Most Often
1. I'm so homesick.
2. Vale!
3. Soy de Los Angeles.
4. I want to play basketball.
5. A little gelatto won't hurt me.
6. Are you going out tonight?
7. I love you and miss you!

7 People I Admire (I changed it. I don't admire any celebrity nearly as much as a real person)

1. My mom (I don't know how she raised all of us, or how she got so good at.. everything, or how she is so nice and kind-hearted ALL the time!)
2. My dad (He is so generous--just like his mom-- and has mastered being a really responsible, successful adult, while still absolutely being a kid at heart. He's the coolest!)
3. My sister Jenn (She is so smart, so wise, so silly, and knows exactly who she is and never compromises that for anything.)
4. My brother Chris (He is just fascinating--I am baffled by how he comes up with everything he ever does--so creative, so hip, with the coolest interests and hes so fun to be around)
5. My brother James (He has such a kind heart, just like our mom, and he never ceases to surprise me with some new talent that to me seems so crazy! And he has really come into his own and found a whole life that makes him incredibly happy.)
6. My brother Evan (My "twin". He would do ANYTHING for the people he loves, and is so loyal and loves so hard. He's such an awesome combination of tough and aggressive, and totally sweet and goofy. )
7. My brother Eric (He is so full of energy and determination... and even at such a young age, he works so hard for his goals. And he really truly just wants to have a good time, and have everyone be happy. He does so much just to make your day just a little better).

7 Favorite Foods (I will have no problem coming up with these...)
1. Fruit. Especially with salt and/or chile. Or mixed in cottage cheese.
2.Carne asada plate... from El Pollo Norteno, Guadalajara #3, Campos, Poquito Mas... any number of places.
3. Chile tamales with extra pickles from Tommys/#1 from Roscoe's. (tied).
4. Chocolate covered gummy bears and sour gummy coke bottles, in a bag together so the gummy bears get the sour sugar on them.
5. Cap'n Crunch Crunch Berry's.
6. Homemade Mac n Cheese with kielbasa
7. Really, really good sushi/ Really, really good Mongolian BBQ.

7 People Who Need To Do This

I don't have any blog friends on here.. so anyone.