Not So Deep Thoughts

Hmmmm, it’s been awhile, eh?

I can’t even recall what the last real post I put up was… Hold on a minute, lemme check.

Wow… that was two weeks ago… I’m sorry for my lack of attention lately. My mother always says if she hasn’t heard from me in awhile, it’s probably because I’m off having bunches of fun. Which I think is a much better perspective than constant worrying, but there are many other reasons to keep a person MIA; namely daily temperatures over 100°F (342 Kilos).

Since getting back to Madrid, it’s been nothing short of sweltering here. And when your brain is already frying, it’s an effort to put your thoughts down onto digital paper.

Plus, I really haven’t known what it is I want to say.

It’s been a rough summer.

It’s been a wonderful, compassionate summer.

Anyone who has been reading my blog lately knows why it’s been a rough summer. Losing my job; chasing unobtainable work opportunities both here in Spain and up in Belgium; being without a place to call home; letting the financial pressures of living and studying next year combined with the continuous bad luck I’ve had finding a source of income to resolve those pressures dictate my well being and humor.

And I’ve also seen so much brotherly love come my way. From my parents and relatives, friends and co-workers alike have come to my aid to help in whatever way possible. Falling into this situation and looking up to see so many hands reaching down to pull me out of it has truly been the highlight of this summer’s adventures. My love to all of you out there.

So here’s what I’ve been up to since I got back. Nathan and Edurne, those little lambs, let me stay at their place for a week or so. At first it was strange having roommates again (of my age), but I soon got used to having people around to greet me as I shuffled out of my room in the morning. We lunched together, played video games together, and generally had a very pleasant time keeping each other company.

A week into my stay, I went to visit my friends Krystal and Jorge for a BBQ. During the festivities, they asked me if I would be interested in house-sitting their awesome apartment and cats for the 3 weeks they’re in Croatia and I of course accepted. At the end of August, I’ll probably be back with Nate and Edurne and help them as they prepare for their big move down south to Granada.

As far as work, I chased a few job opportunities here and there and came up empty handed a few more times. After all my connections fell through, I hit the streets with copies of my resume and started going door to door. Yesterday I was called in for an interview and last night I started work at a decent sized bar/restaurant.

I’m very grateful to be back to work, but I have the feeling this is going to be a tough month’s work. The hours are from 8:30PM – 5:00AM / 6 days a week and the pay is just under 4 Euros an hour. Tips average around 5-8 Euros a night per employee and the commute to get back home using the night buses takes about over an hour. Funny thing is – I think this is the type of job I’ve been chasing after all summer. I guess I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. My respect goes out to any bar worker out there who manages to do this for months on end. You guys are nuts.

So yeah… That’s about the gist of it. My summer will be spent staying out all night hanging around large groups of drunken people and returning to a pair of kitties every morning.

And I have the feeling that this job is going to provide me invaluable insight into the social aspect of human nature, namely, ‘it’s a good thing everyone else here is drunk too, because you’re acting like a complete nincompoop.”