Sunday. September 14, 2014

The heat is still making its presence known here in Valencia. Temperatures are staying in the high 90’s with an occasional foray into three-digit territory. The humidity has been high and that makes it a special treat for those of us who tend to sweat excessively in those climatic conditions. The good news is that there is no lack of people who call to your attention the fact that you are sweating profusely. As if the puddles at my feet weren’t notice enough.

For the most part summer has been uneventful. We did make it to Cáceres in June for the Spanish National Magic Convention and we managed to sneak in a visit to Mérida and Trujillo. The convention was enjoyable, as was the city itself. Unfortunately all the ups and downs occasioned by stairs and hilly cities did in my right knee. I am still in the recovery stage and that has limited my daily activities. The heat is certainly not conducive to long walks and I manage to get to those places where I either want to or need to be. The doctor says another month of not overdoing physical activity should return things to normal. The good news is that I have made great progress since the original diagnosis.

On a sad note, my friend in magic, Jerito, passed away in late August. He was 94 years old and one of the founding fathers of magic here in Valencia. He was a professor of economics by profession, but he also dedicated a great deal of his time and effort to performing and writing about magic. A group of us would meet at his house every Thursday to talk about tricks and magic history. The group will continue to meet and so his memory will continue to be part of our lives.

As some of you already know, Rachel moved from Boulder to Seattle almost a month ago. She found herself a small apartment that is close to the University of Washington. The neighborhood is ideal for her with lots of shops and cafes within easy walking distance. Susan joined her on August 27 to help her with the unpacking process. After ten days Susan headed to San Francisco to spend some time with her brothers and arrived back in Valencia on September 10.

I took advantage of my two weeks of bachelorhood to finish up my proofreading of a magic book by Miguel Gómez that is being prepared for publication this fall. I also had an opportunity to work on some of my effects and to do a performance at the local Ronald McDonald House with my partner in crime, Juan Gurrea.

With the arrival of September the pace of the city has returned to its normal state. Monday night I attended a meeting of the CIVAC where eight candidates audition for membership in the organization and all were successful. The level of magic of the candidates was most impressive.

We had a lovely lunch on Friday in the company of Yuen and Jim Butler. Jim is a professor at the University of Kansas and spent a few months here recently as a guest lecturer at the Universidad Politécnica de Valencia. He and Yuen are celebrating their 25^th anniversary with a mini-tour of Europe. Carosel seemed like the best place to get together and, as usual, we had a spectacular meal.

Yesterday was the first concert of the season of Los Amigos de la Guitarra. The artist was Kokichi Akasaka and, to be honest, this was not one of our favorite concerts. The music last night seemed to lack soul. Maybe it was the heat or maybe it was jet lag. I guess we will never know.

There was a vacant seat next to Susan and it was occupied by a woman named Linda. She did mention her last name, but that seems to have gone with the wind. Linda is currently visiting Europe and having sent some time in Madrid is here in Valencia until November. She currently lives in St Kitts, but is thinking of moving in the near future.

After the concert we ended up at Macellum http://restaurantemacellum.com/ and we opted for a selection of shared appetizers. We were supposed to get 5 and dessert, but somehow we ended up with 7 and dessert. The appetizers ranged from the traditional to the exotic and all were delightful.

At the moment there is nothing on today’s agenda, but life here is always filled with surprises. I imagine we will give some thought to packing for Vitoria.