Go go gadget

I finally slept for once! No nightmares! Woke up very satisfied at a quarter to nine, went to the gym around 9:15, got home around 10:15, made toast (oh! while I was making toast Maruja was making lunch which looked intense: she was shelling/boiling shrimp, crabmeat, and some other fish. She told me she was making coctel de mariscos (shellfish cocktail) and sopa del caldo de pescados (a soup of fish broth), I was quite excited!), showered, and headed to the center. Another warm day, but not as hot as yesterday (mid to low 70's) and windy. But allllll sun! Walked to center kind of slowly, despite wearing flip-flops my feet are still sore from yesterday's shoe fiasco. Every computer in the center was full and has been for the past couple days since everyone is registering for classes. I just went there with a lack of anything better to do, so I just sat around and talked to people. I told Stacey about lunch and she got all excited. I also got my package full of the latter 3 Harry Potter books that Evan sent to me! His dad sent them trhough UPS so it was a miracle that they got there within less than a week. I don't know why I still have this customs bill, though...? Whatever, I got my Harry Potter! That means I need to get going with the 3rd one which is a bit more challenging now that I actually have stuff to read for my classes. At around noon I peeled my lazy ass out of the chair and headed to class. Class was excrutiating, as usual. Tuesdays in Historia del cine suck cuz she lectures forever and she's so boring. She talked more about American film, this time presenting the genre cine negra (film noir). At least we got out of class a half hour early (but still, she talked for a whole hour and a half!). It took me a longer time to walk home because carrying my big package was kind of awkward. Finally got back and opened my package: lo and behold, the last 3 Harry's, a package of Smalley Steele Ring printed carabeaner and desk lamp, and a note from Evan's dad saying how he happy he is for me being in Spain and that I should live it up, etc. It was so sweet! Plus, he slipped cash in...a one hundred dollar bill. What?? I couldn't believe it. He had already sent me an expediated package full of books through UPS and still felt the need to put $100 in it for me?? Are you kidding??? I am immensely thankful, however I feel like I can't accept such a gift. That family does way too much for me and I don't ask for any of it. They just love to give, which is great, yes, but really unnecessary! Michael Greenhill is a saint, I tell ya. I then watched a cooking show with Maruja and Stacey which was a bad idea since I was STARVING. The chef made this dish that looked so good: a simple mixture of cooked lentils and spiced mushrooms and portabellos. So simple, but it looked so good because I LOVE mushrooms and I LOVE lentils! Maria del Mar came home, she was looking good because not only did she just get her hair done (looked very nice) but she had had a great, relaxing weekend at home. We sat around and caught up until lunch, which was delicious: the fish broth soup with shrimp and rice, then the seafood salad and deliciously sweet strawberries for dessert. SO GOOD!! On the news they were talking about all of these riots going on in Paris and how some flights to Paris have been cancelled consequently. Crazy because Stacey's flying to Paris tomorrow. We all hope her flight's not cancelled. I'm also kind of jealous that she'll be in Paris during the riots. Yes, that sounds strange, I know. But it'd be so cool to be in a place in such limbo like that, I don't know how to describe it. Radical social justice zealots intrigue me. There's just something about truly fighting for a cause that really attracts me...I dont know, I always read about/see clips of such uprisings but it all seems so separate and surreal. I wanna really see something! Is that weird? After lunch we came back to the room where I worked on my blogs and Stacey took a nap. Poor thing's been so stressed out with Paris and classes, she's been sleeping like crazy because of it all. I then headed out around 5 to with Stacey for the center--she had work and I just felt like putzing around until my 6 o'clock class. Once there I went online and such and then walked to historia del arte which was surprisingly interesting. We finished learning about the Mezquita in Cordoba which turned out pretty interesting--I can't wait to take my family there and actually tell them about it. Then we started talking about the Mezquita in Sevilla which is pretty much non-existent since most of it was demolished to build the Cathedral...but some of it remains. I need to go back and look at the remains. It's so cool--this stuff that we're learning about is within a 5 minute walking distance from my classroom. That's crazy! Europe is fucking awesome. After class I walked back into los Remedios with the intention of finally buying a new phone. Because my phone that I bought from Vodafone (the company from which most of my peers have bought their phones) was being such a bastard to me (low voice volume, running out of minutes faster than it should) I decided to try Amena, another big phone company here. Melissa bought her new phone from them and it was a cheaper phone itself than the Vodafone. I went there and a really nice man helped me out and spoke really clearly for me and made sure that I understood everything in the plan. Plus, their cheapest phone that I could buy was 39 euro (compared to Vodafone's 59 euro). So I took the info packet he gave me and decided to head to Vodafone and pick up their packet to compare prices for plans. I then headed over to the cafe/bar/bakery Ochoa where I sat at the bar, drank some delicious red tea, and did some compare and contrast. Turns out if I get this one plan from Amena which is really expensive to speak from 8am-4pm but really cheap from 4pm-12am and extremely cheap from 12am-8am I'd get the best deal as long as I don't talk during the day and wait until after 4. This would be pretty easy since I only make calls at night in order to make plans or find out what people are/where people are after class (around 8pm), AND I only call the States later at night because of the time difference. So I headed back to Amena, bought the 39 euro phone and chose that plan. I just need to steer clear of using the phone between 8 and 4. The guy also told me that if I charge my 30 euro for minutes before May 15, on May 30 they'll give me 30 euro worth of minutes free. How amazing is that? Amena is definitely a better bargain, but I see why it is because they don't offer many of the benefits of Vodafone such as roaming and little features like getting text messages saying when my credit's about to expire or messages saying that I have a voicemail. Whatever, I can do without it. I'm only here for 2 more months and I only care about money expenditure, not so much the technology of my phone. I then walked home excited about my new purchase and sat in the living room messing around with my new Motorola trying to learn about it. Dinner was then served; we had cheeseburgers and that endive salad with raisins, walnuts, and homemade blue cheese dressing (mmmmm) and a delicious strawberry batido. Then Maruja's daughter and son-in-law came over to help put her newly-shampooed rug down and replace some lightbulbs. Cute. Then I came back to the room because I had to register for classes at 10pm (4pm Michigan time). Exciting! I love registration, is that weird? I got into all of the classes that I was nervous would close up, e.g. an RC Shakespeare class that includes a field trip to Stratford, reduced tickets to the Royal Shakespeare Company's performances during their autumn residency, and theatre workshops with the Royal Shakespeare Company! I freaking love the RC! This class also fulfills my upper-level writing requirement which is my last distribution (a.k.a. gen. ed.) requirement. I wanted to get into a Spanish film course on Almodovar, but I didn't take into account a time conflict so unfortunately it didn't work out. But I'm taking some other great Spanish courses, plus an RC course that involves tutoring kids in the Latino community in Ann Arbor. I'm so excited about that one! So I'm taking 2 Spanish classes, to RC drama classes, and that Spanish tutoring course. Perfect schedule. I'm so excited, my senior year is looking pretty darn good. Then I messed around online while Stacey frantically packed for Paris. She's taking a 1am bus to Madrid (a 6 hour ride), then her flight leaves from Madrid tomorrow at around 1pm. Crazy, no? Well, I'll practically be doing the same thing for Amsterdam, so whatevs. I'm so excited for her! After blogging and wishing her farewell and happy travels (I'm not going to see her for a week, it's so weird! I'm going to miss her!), I went back into the living room and hung out with Marta and messed with my new phone some more. Then I went to bed in my empty room. So crazy. I hope that I sleep well tonight. There are only 2 other instances that I have slept here without Stacey home, and I didn't sleep well! I'm so used to having another person in the room that being by myself feels weird now. Haha. It makes sense, though, because back home where I have my own room I sleep with the TV on because I like feeling like there's a presence. Being alone in a quiet room in the dark just doesn't agree with me, I guess. I'm weird, I know, I'll stop this rant now. Goodnight!