Tour of Bollullos

What a disgrace, it's colder in the house than it is outside?!?! I have returned to Bollullos, which is in southern Spain you know, but you wouldn't know it from walking around in my house. Temperatures drop at night, and all we have are pluggable radiators to fend off the cold. I need something blowing heat in my face, though. Seriously. Where's the Jolly Green Giant when you need him?

Anyhow, in my quest to leave the house in search of the warmth of the sun, I took a walk around town for about two hours today. I went for the first time with my new hand-me-down digital camera on an adventure that began on my street in the "arriba" part of town:
because there's a slow but definite incline to get here, and brought me all the way to the arroyo on the other end of down, la parte mas abajo:
.

I came up with a theme for taking"quiet" and "noisy" pictures to try to get myself to capture what was really interesting in each photo. Obviously, you can't hear anything by just looking at them, but you can get an idea of the sound of large construction trucks,


a man riding with a wagon attached to a mule,


the silence on a quiet street,


versus the sound of running water,


a barking dog, etc...


Anyhow, I'll see if I can download any (mission accomplished 3/11/09), and add some attachments so that the images I'm trying to evoke here will make more sense. If only I'd had these to better explain to the young kids in New Haven where I currently live! At the end of the day, and all throughout the sunnier hours, I live in Bollullos, full of the ignorance that leads to awkward staring contests, but also filled with the randomness that makes peripecias the most exciting part of any day I spend here.

Since You've Been Gone

I'm home!! Just for a few more days though until I return to the no-man's land of Bollullos. Just kidding. Well, not really. In comparison to even the smallest of U.S. cities, it does seem quite removed, but since I've been gone, I've come to appreciate the peripecias of both places. Like lunch that goes on for three hours, siesta, random party nights that never seem to end. On the other hand, knowing that all of my true blue comrades are on the other side of the Atlantic makes it that much more difficult to say goodbye again knowing I'll be missing out on the small stuff for another five months. Alas. But back to the joys of being home, I've been treated to indoor heating, sans the constant worry of turning on the califaccion, and I've not had to buy groceries. Amazing. I got to be here for Christmas, a special someone's second 30th birthday, New Year's in New York, and lots of reunions with friends who might've otherwise been further away had it not been the holiday season. Just for the record, I love all of you, and thanks for keeping me crazy. I would say sane, but we know that's not the case!

Since I've been gone, I think I've changed a bit, not sure exactly how. As one friend said, the core of us doesn't change, but our interests, and perhaps ways of doing things do get modified. I'm okay with that, as long as I come out a better person in the end.

Anyhow, jsut wanted to let my fans (all two of you, perhaps) know that I do remember that I have a blog and an obligation to keep it updated. I'll be back with more on my travels soon enough. Hasta luego.