Wednesday, March 28, 2012

I have just returned from my sixth PT session and the good news is that I walked to the Metro station to get to the hospital and I took the Metro to get back home.  The limp is still there, but the pain has diminished somewhat.  I am able to cover greater distances without getting overly tired.  Tomorrow there is to be a general strike, which may complicate getting around.  The hospital will be open but the Metro will be running at 30% of normal and who know if the strikers will end up blocking the main thoroughfares. There is never a dull moment in Spain.

Monday we ended up at A Nou and had a lovely lunch.  In addition to a perfectly cooked piece of salmon, the appetizers included a slice of rare roast beef and a slice of eggplant, topped by a tomato and some melted goat cheese.  Our main dish was supposed to be a paella with squid and artichokes, but Javi surprised us by having cook add some langoustines to the dish.  I had a mousse for dessert and Susan opted for the fresh fruit plate.

I met with Melissa at 4:30 for an hour of conversation in English and I retuned home immediately afterward.  I was hoping to go to the CIVAC meeting to hear Juan Manuel Marcos lecture, but I just could not generate the necessary energy.  We spent the evening reading and watching a bit of TV.

Both Susan and I are involved in new projects.  In order to generate more traffic and more interest Magic Agora will be offering its course on Professor’s Nightmare free of charge.  Professor’s Nightmare is also called The Even and Uneven Ropes.  It is an effect in which three ropes of different size become equal in length and then return to their original uneven condition.  The course needs to be translated into English and I have been asked to do that.  I am about one third of the way through and I hope to have the translation finished by next Monday.

Susan has undertaken a project in which she will photograph a number of chefs as they prepare a specific dish.  In addition to the photos, she will include the directions for preparing the dish and will give some background on the chef and the restaurant.  She already has permission to do so from La Comisaría and A Nou.  The Ginger Loft, Carusel and Basílico are on the list, also.  Also, Susan has signed up for a six-week course on Photoshop.  The class lasts six weeks and meets on Tuesday and Thursday evenings form 7:00 until 9:00.

I stopped by the Central Market yesterday to visit briefly with Amparo and the crew at Solaz.  From there I made my way to Carusel hoping to have lunch there with Susan.  However, the kitchen was closed and they were freshening up the place from the heavy traffic occasioned by Fallas.  That being the case we made our way to Canela and had a terrific lunch there.

In addition to the bread and olives they started us with an amuse bouche of esgarrat and a taste of ham.  We opted for a lettuce salad that was topped with pineapple and smoked salmon, some croquetas de jamón and some simply prepared swordfish filets.  There was no room for dessert so we finished the meal with a coffee.  Susan headed out again at 5:00 to catch up with Ofelia and to tour the new studio and then settled in for her class.  She arrived back home a little after 10:00.  I spent my evening doing a little bit of this and a little bit of that.  We were both in bed by 11:30.

A Nou on Monday