Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

We are currently enjoying – and enjoying is being said sarcastically – what the natives here call la gota fría. Literally it means the cold drop and it refers to that time of the year when the rain is abundant and the cold penetrating. Yesterday morning the sky grew so dark that it looked like the middle of the night. The skies opened up and the pouring rain was accompanied by lightning and thunder. The rain lasted until 12:30 at which time I ventured out to visit Neo Gym. It is a small gym a five-minute walk from the house and although it is small it has a goodly assortment of cardio machines, weight machines and free weights. There is also a studio where they offer a variety of classes. The municipal gym that I frequented during our last visit just did not do it for me and so I am looking for an alternative.

The initiation fee at Neo Gym is 45 Euros and that includes an evaluation of joints, bones and muscles after which they prescribe a set of exercises that conform to the personal goals that you set, taking into consideration physical limitations. Along the way you are re-evaluated every month and your exercise regime may change, as needed. The monthly fee is 60 Euros and that entitles you to unlimited use of the gym, as well as any of the classes that they offer. All their equipment is quite new and in excellent shape. I will most probably join, but I need to make an appointment for the initial evaluation and that probably will not happen until next week.

We heard from our lawyer yesterday. He will have one of his associates visit the Comisaría de Patraix where we need to apply for our identity card and try and get us an afternoon appointment. If she fails in her second attempt then Susan and I will have to go there ourselves and get in line before the offices open to get a number that will then guarantee us an appointment at some point during the day. Either way, we have all the necessary photos and documents and it will be good to finally take what is the last step in the visa process.

We had lunch at La Fórcola. The menu of the day was just too good to resist. We started out with a beef Carpaccio that was drizzled with olive oil and topped with Parmigiano Reggiano. Susan chose a lemon chicken for her main course and I opted for the spaghetti carbonara. Both were delicious. We had ice cream for dessert. It was a delicious homemade combination of strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. We both had a glass of wine with lunch and finished our meal with coffee. Our bill came to 20 Euros.

Susan picked up a few things for Thursday’s Thanksgiving dinner and I opted to take a brief siesta. I spent the rest of the afternoon reading and working on the computer. I have begun a new novel entitled Riña de Gatos by Eduardo Mendoza. It deals with the Spanish Civil War. There is an abundance of novels these days that are using the war as the background for the events that unfold in the novel. A little after 7:00 PM I began to get ready for my quick walk to the CIVAC meeting. I stepped through the doors at 7:40.

There were only a few people there at that moment. I was warmly greeted by Paquito and we spent a few minutes catching up. I then chatted with Juanma González, who is now working for Magic Agora and a short while later, Juan Luis, Gurrea, Gioco and Pepe arrived. Tonight’s them was “The Broken and Restored Thread” and Gurrea showed us a couple of different versions. Juan Manuel Marcos then shared with us a couple of other versions and went into great detail about some of the subtleties that one could use. It was very informative. Other members then chipped in and made comments regarding the history of the effect, types of thread that can be used and where to find detailed instructions for the effect in print. The discussion finished around 10:30 and my energy was flagging. Although jet lag is becoming less and less of an issue I tend to to run out of energy around 10:00.

It took me less than ten minutes to walk back home and after hanging up my coat, Susan and I caught up with Rachel on FaceTime. Her Sunday foray to Denver went well. She visited with friends and picked up some goodies at The East Side Deli. Today she had gone for one-hour walk with a friend and when we called she was dealing with some issues at work. After we hung up, I had a light supper and read for a little while. We went to bed a little before 11:00.