It´s officially cold here in Granada. We´re out of gas in my apartment, so I haven´t cooked or had a hot shower since Thursday. It´s like college. Like many things in Spain, getting new gas tanks is more complicated than it really needs to be. My neighbor told me that all I have to do is listen for the jangling of gas tanks in the street in the morning, run outside in my pyjamas, and hope that I catch the gas truck. Every time I´ve needed gas, I sort of will the gas man to come, and he comes. It hasn´t worked so far this week.
The trip to Jerez and Sevilla was a nice break. The equestrian school was, of course, awesome, and it was really interesting to see how impressed the students were, even though most had never really been around horses. We spent the night in a really nice hotel (they had a bathtub!), and the students were excited because Starbucks was right across the street. It made me a little scared. Nothing like a $5 cup of chain-coffee when you live in a country that actually knows how to serve the perfect cup for a buck.
Coming back to Granada is always nice, although it is really brisk these days. I always forget how frickin´cold it is living in an apartment with tile floors and no heat. Things in my job are worse than better. I have to say, it really bums me out because I am really trying to learn from this experience and stay with it. I love Granada but I am not happy right now, and the echoes of past self-confidence demons are tapping my shoulder. As if I had forgotten their looming presence.

Since I have started writing this blog I realize how rusty I am at writing. I feel like, much like my Spanish right now, I can sort of fool people into thinking I´m much better than I am, but my brain hurts after about twenty minutes, and the sentences start to come out all mushy. It´s really therapeutic for me, though, so maybe, despacito, it will come back.
I talked to my mom last night, and it looks like we have to put my mare down soon. Rationally, we both know it is the right thing to do, but it is really hard to say goodbye to this beautiful creature and friend that we´ve loved for twenty years. And the truth is that, in all probability, we´ll be saying goodbye to Brackett too, since he´s been pasted to Nickers´side for years, and he´ll be losing the love of his life. What a time to be living a couple thousand miles away...

Well, if that isn´t some happiness and joy bleeding onto the screen, I don´t know what is! Sorry about that, folks. I promise I am still a smartass, and generally a happy person. I´ll be back soon. It´s been a rough couple weeks!