hello everyone i hope all is going well out there.
so one of the sweetest features about being heavan, i mean granada, is that you can go skiing and swing in the mediteranean in the same day. there is a sick ski resort less than an hour away. its pretty amazing when you consider the fact that it was well over 65 degrees today and i was dying of heat. so on monday silvio cut school and we decided to go up to the ski spot. this is the second time we were going. the first time we went it was snowing pretty much the whole day and it was cloudy and relatively cold, although the fresh snow was rather lovely. this time was just the opposite, i discoevered what sierra nevada is so famous for. it was blazing sunshine the entire day. it was quite a new experience for me to be snowboarding and not be at least sort of cold. on monday i was soo hot. i was wearing a long sleeve shirt, a vest, and a shell and i had to keep opening up my jacket.
there was surprisingly large amount of people considering that we went on a monday, but since we're the only ski resort within like 300 miles it is not difficult to understand that there would be alot of people. on the last run down that shit was INSANE, everyone was going home and it was almost as crowded as the NYC subway leaving a yankee game. i was basically scared to move because you didnt know what was going to happen below you, and you never knew when some psycho snowboarder (although i am a snowboarder i generally dislike any other snowboarders. they just ride like [explicit] maniacs) is going to come flying down and impale you.
me and silvio spent most of the day in the upper slopes of the mountain where it is a little colder and there are alot less people. it was really fun, we found some spots that werent so crowded and were able to dick around. silvio convinced me to hit up the terrain park with him which was cool, since i didnt really fall, i was able to throw up some indy grabs (basically i would just slap my hand on the board and call it a grab). i must say that US snowboarders shit on spanish ones when it comes to tricks, i didnt see anyone to anything better than a 360, which silvio can do, soo.
the highlight of the day for me came fairly early on. it was probably our third ride down and my confidence was starting to climb. i hadnt fallen on the first time we went, so the last fall on a snowboard came when i busted my knee two years ago. so i was starting to feel good, and i was heading down a familiar slope pretty fast. i was cutting back and forth, and on one toe-edge cut, where im leaning foward with my board mostly perpendicular to the slope, i then hit a slight bump and lost my balance at which point my edge hit, got stuck, and i started levitating into the air. as i floating face up through the air, i got such a lovely view of the sun and the perfectly clear sky, it was so beautiful. this was immediatly before i came plumeting down directly onto my lower back about 8 or 9 feet down the slope. the first sound i heard was "AHH, joder tio, que ostia te has puesto" (ahh, damn son, you busted your ass). apparently i was below the skylift which prompted me to attempt to laugh it off, which wasnt so hard, as it was one of those blows that manifests itself through laughter. concious of the fact that i was liable to get trampeled by some psycho or novice, i attempted, rather poorly to get up. i was able to drag myself off the the side where i had to chill for a while. in the end i was able to enjoy the rest of the day, be that with a mortal fear of falling and reagravating my tender coccyx (which i inevitably did). so now i sit at home with my ass area (mostly my lower back) in a pretty bad state, but with a great story to tell, a worthy tradeoff.
the website for the ski spot said that it would be springtime conditions on the slopes, and i didnt quite understand what this meant until after lunch. at this point it was so hot that the snow had melted past the point of icyness, and on to the point of slushiness. behind fresh powder, this is arguably the best snow for skiing on as it gives into the edges with absolute ease. the major drawback is that you CANNOT fall for risk of getting completely soaked by the slush.
chitty chitty bang bang.
peace out
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
CARNAVAL
so this weekend was the carnaval in cadiz. cadiz is the only city in continental spain that has a carnaval (the other being tenerife in the canary islands which is supposed to be second only to rios) so everyone from all over the country makes their way there every year. i know for a fact that there were over 40 buses from malaga so i can only imagine how many people came total. the cadiz carnaval is famous for its comic chirigotas (groups of men that tell a story in song, usually a funny one), so every year there is a contest that lasts for a month to select the best ones, and the friday before carnaval the winners are chosen. we arrived on friday around sunset and we had some dinner and went out about the city. we walked around a few times saw the hoards of people starting the party a night early. at around 2 we made our way home (home being the car) and tried to make ourselves confortable, no easy task, but we managed a few hours with the help of a couple shots of rum and a duby snack. the next day, saturday was the motherload, the legendary carnaval. from the moment i awoke i saw people pass by the 'house' in full costume aparel. we spent the day laying around in the lovely sun resting up for what was sure to be a long night. after eating a few delicious sandwiches for dinner we went to start to get ready for a memorable evening. i was dressed up as two things. on my body i was wearing all black and my black cloak over it, and on my head i had my hair in the pigtails. when you put the two together you have my costume. thats right you guessed it, a gay vampire. so we went into the city and in a nutshell it was fucking insane. i would have taken some pictures but i didnt thiink i would be in any state to be responsible for myself, let alone an expensive camera. i was right. it seemed like the motto of the multitude was lets see how much alcohol we can pound in one night. and i combined that to my personal motto: when in rome. so a+b= me drinking alot. i did not however make an ass of myself which i am proud to say. after starting the party between 9-10 at about 4 or 5 in the morning i was starting to be in bad shape. i decided to make for the crib and i got half way there before i decided that i could no longer walk strait and that i had to sit down. i promptly sat my ass down and called in reinforcements. my friend betsy was kind enough to come fetch me and lead me off the the car where i passed out before hitting the bottom of the trunk. i woke up the next morning with proverbial ax in the back of my head. i had a wicked hangover that thankfully for me and all the people i was suppsed to drive home wore off after a hardy breakfast, several liters of water, and a duby snack. we sat in the sun a few hours charging up tha bateries and then we undertook the 3.5 hour drive home. a productive weekend in general.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Barcelona Round II
this last weekend i went to barcelona for the second time. i again stayed with my terrific new friends lucas and hilaria, who were more than gracious in letting me kick it at their crib for a few days. on the surface it seemed as though this may not have been the best planned trip, i decided on it in the last minute, and im not exactly a plan ahead kind of guy either. so, when i get to barcelona i find out that, first, lucas and hilaria are studying for exams, my friend anastacia is going to berlin for the weekend, my other friend santi is going to granada for the weekend, and the last, ima, who i havnt met yet, never returned my email, so i was basically in barcelona on my own in a sense, although i was well cared for by my friends. on the surface this may seem like an ill omened trip, but in reality, it was a resounding success. i felt like less of a tourist, and i wasnt so rushed to see the sights. i spent alot my days reading and cooking for my busy hosts in an effort to make my visit a help more than a burden. i whipped up some recipes that i had been meaning to utilize, moms typical fideo soup, as well as a stuffed tomoatoes and peppers recipes that i havnt been able to try for our lack of an oven in granada.
aside from cooking i did my share of walking around and such, i saw two good movies, coincidentally both with gael garcia bernal in them, BABEL and LA CIENCIA DE LOS SUEñOS. babel is really a good an interesting movie, emotionally touching, as well as morally and spiritually stimulating. ciencia de los sueños is more of a trippy kind of movie, i guess it would be more aptly described as a 'film'. in general i enjoyed them both.
basically the reason that i went to barcelona was to watch the FC Barcelona soccer game on sunday. now this is probably more relevant to those of you who either like soccer or even better are barça aficionados. so basically it went like this, the game was at 7 so at like 530 i started to make my way to the legendary Camp Nou (New Field in Catalan). i didnt have tickets but my friend assured me that i could probably find cheaper than regulation tickets once i got there. so i got off the subway along with the initial hoards that like to get there early. i was in front of the stadium at 6 and in my antsineess to get inside, i bought the first ticket i could get my hands on. i definetly could have gotten a better price, but this was quite irrelivant to me at the moment. the whole time i had basically been alternating between shivering with emotion and just grinning or laughing out loud. my ticket was in the upper tier in the corner. so i initially went to that section to and from there i went directly to midfield and i went to the highest point of the stadium, the proverbial 'nose bleed' section. i basically stood up there and just savored the sweet smell of the air in the Camp Nou. it is a sensation i have dreamed of for years. and the dreams really cannot compare to the actuality of watching the sunset over the mountains beyond the stadium, of watching the 120,000 (thats max capacity, there were probably more like 70-80 at this game) loving fans file in. as the game was about to start i moved down a few rows so i was sitting at midfield in the lower half of the upper tier. soccer is defiently a sport where having a good perspective makes a big difference, you wouldnt for example want to sit behind a goal because you cant see shit, you also dont really want to sit in the first row. i think the ideal is the middle tier, but the upper tier is by no means bad. the game started and i really cant describe the emotions that were taking place in my heart at that time. it is the satisfaction of crossing something of your lifes to do list, only problem is i added at least a dozen other visits to it as a consequence. as for the game itself, there is no way to describe how well the team played so u will just have to see for yourself. these are the highlights fromt he game and i just watched them again and they are sick, CLICK HERE.
after the game i made my way out of the stadium and joined the hoard of people that were just walking down the middle of the street stopping traffic in all directions. i eventually made my way into the subway station and along with many many other people waited for the train to come. apparently there were some people that thought they were slick dodo and went to the precious train stop so when the train arrived it was completely packed. their plan backfired on them when nobody considered the fact that the train was full as a good enough reason not to get on it, so joining in the mob mentality we redoubled the density of people in the train, and all those poeple who though they were smart were suddenly crushed into the back of the train. haha. that was probably one of the best nights of my life, one i will certainly never forget. the thrill and glory of watching your team tear it up like that. from there i went to the movies to watch babel. in general a memeorable evening.
well my friends, the time has come to bounce up outa here. so i will leave you . peace.
aside from cooking i did my share of walking around and such, i saw two good movies, coincidentally both with gael garcia bernal in them, BABEL and LA CIENCIA DE LOS SUEñOS. babel is really a good an interesting movie, emotionally touching, as well as morally and spiritually stimulating. ciencia de los sueños is more of a trippy kind of movie, i guess it would be more aptly described as a 'film'. in general i enjoyed them both.
basically the reason that i went to barcelona was to watch the FC Barcelona soccer game on sunday. now this is probably more relevant to those of you who either like soccer or even better are barça aficionados. so basically it went like this, the game was at 7 so at like 530 i started to make my way to the legendary Camp Nou (New Field in Catalan). i didnt have tickets but my friend assured me that i could probably find cheaper than regulation tickets once i got there. so i got off the subway along with the initial hoards that like to get there early. i was in front of the stadium at 6 and in my antsineess to get inside, i bought the first ticket i could get my hands on. i definetly could have gotten a better price, but this was quite irrelivant to me at the moment. the whole time i had basically been alternating between shivering with emotion and just grinning or laughing out loud. my ticket was in the upper tier in the corner. so i initially went to that section to and from there i went directly to midfield and i went to the highest point of the stadium, the proverbial 'nose bleed' section. i basically stood up there and just savored the sweet smell of the air in the Camp Nou. it is a sensation i have dreamed of for years. and the dreams really cannot compare to the actuality of watching the sunset over the mountains beyond the stadium, of watching the 120,000 (thats max capacity, there were probably more like 70-80 at this game) loving fans file in. as the game was about to start i moved down a few rows so i was sitting at midfield in the lower half of the upper tier. soccer is defiently a sport where having a good perspective makes a big difference, you wouldnt for example want to sit behind a goal because you cant see shit, you also dont really want to sit in the first row. i think the ideal is the middle tier, but the upper tier is by no means bad. the game started and i really cant describe the emotions that were taking place in my heart at that time. it is the satisfaction of crossing something of your lifes to do list, only problem is i added at least a dozen other visits to it as a consequence. as for the game itself, there is no way to describe how well the team played so u will just have to see for yourself. these are the highlights fromt he game and i just watched them again and they are sick, CLICK HERE.
after the game i made my way out of the stadium and joined the hoard of people that were just walking down the middle of the street stopping traffic in all directions. i eventually made my way into the subway station and along with many many other people waited for the train to come. apparently there were some people that thought they were slick dodo and went to the precious train stop so when the train arrived it was completely packed. their plan backfired on them when nobody considered the fact that the train was full as a good enough reason not to get on it, so joining in the mob mentality we redoubled the density of people in the train, and all those poeple who though they were smart were suddenly crushed into the back of the train. haha. that was probably one of the best nights of my life, one i will certainly never forget. the thrill and glory of watching your team tear it up like that. from there i went to the movies to watch babel. in general a memeorable evening.
well my friends, the time has come to bounce up outa here. so i will leave you . peace.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Arabic 101
the truth is that i am writing about this because i am trying to write another entry that i think is better, but its not flowing at the moment, so i figured id give you a bit of an update on my life, so if you dont care stop reading here.
thank you to those still reading, i appreciate it.
so my arabic classes are finally starting to take off, and its a bit of a whirlwind. man oh man am i in for a trip. as some of you may know, my current goal in life, aside from those permanent goals such as living a good, happy, and meaningful life, is to learn arabic and french before i am 25. as i am 20 know going on 21 i think that i am in a good position. i have recently had a great stroke of good luck, what do you know, because arabic is now being taught at ithaca college, so that i will be able to continue studying for the next two years while i finish up school. so my plan is to take one arabic and one french class per semester for the remainder of my stay at ithaca. i think this will be enough to get me in position for the next move which is moving to an arabic speaking country for at least a year or as long as it takes to get it down pat. i am optimistic. initially i was thinking of morrocco or egypt. then i was informed that these countries have very strong dialects, which is not ideal for the learning of classical arabic. so i figured that i would end up going to syria lebanon or jordan. and then the other day i met this dude who is also studying arabic and he went to cairo last year and he said that the dialect is definetly managable and that it is a really good place to go. i have more of an impulse to go to egypt than any of the aforementioned countries so i found this to be good news. if anyone has any thoughts, opinions, information on the subject this would be the place to say something. so now all i need to do is make that happen, prospects are looking good as always.
on the home front, it looks like im going to barcelona this weekend, hopefully ill be able to watch the first game of ronaldinho, eto'o, and messi are all back and playing together. it would be a momentous occasion. i am quite looking foward to going to barcelona, i have a few friends there, from new ones to old childhood ones, and like i said earlier, it is a happenin city.
my friend KelLee from ithaca has taken a semester aborad here and i have been able to hang out with her and a few friends from her program, so rest assured folks, i wont be forgeting my english. in truth it is good see her, and it makes me look foward even more to returning to ithaca, while at the same time im looking foward to spending every second i can here. life is good. i have also made a new friend from scotland, and his name is Scot, no trouble remembering that name. he is quite a well traveled individual, as his dad works for chevron so we have accidentally developed in a similar way.
long story short: Im OUT.
peace folks good talk
thank you to those still reading, i appreciate it.
so my arabic classes are finally starting to take off, and its a bit of a whirlwind. man oh man am i in for a trip. as some of you may know, my current goal in life, aside from those permanent goals such as living a good, happy, and meaningful life, is to learn arabic and french before i am 25. as i am 20 know going on 21 i think that i am in a good position. i have recently had a great stroke of good luck, what do you know, because arabic is now being taught at ithaca college, so that i will be able to continue studying for the next two years while i finish up school. so my plan is to take one arabic and one french class per semester for the remainder of my stay at ithaca. i think this will be enough to get me in position for the next move which is moving to an arabic speaking country for at least a year or as long as it takes to get it down pat. i am optimistic. initially i was thinking of morrocco or egypt. then i was informed that these countries have very strong dialects, which is not ideal for the learning of classical arabic. so i figured that i would end up going to syria lebanon or jordan. and then the other day i met this dude who is also studying arabic and he went to cairo last year and he said that the dialect is definetly managable and that it is a really good place to go. i have more of an impulse to go to egypt than any of the aforementioned countries so i found this to be good news. if anyone has any thoughts, opinions, information on the subject this would be the place to say something. so now all i need to do is make that happen, prospects are looking good as always.
on the home front, it looks like im going to barcelona this weekend, hopefully ill be able to watch the first game of ronaldinho, eto'o, and messi are all back and playing together. it would be a momentous occasion. i am quite looking foward to going to barcelona, i have a few friends there, from new ones to old childhood ones, and like i said earlier, it is a happenin city.
my friend KelLee from ithaca has taken a semester aborad here and i have been able to hang out with her and a few friends from her program, so rest assured folks, i wont be forgeting my english. in truth it is good see her, and it makes me look foward even more to returning to ithaca, while at the same time im looking foward to spending every second i can here. life is good. i have also made a new friend from scotland, and his name is Scot, no trouble remembering that name. he is quite a well traveled individual, as his dad works for chevron so we have accidentally developed in a similar way.
long story short: Im OUT.
peace folks good talk
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