Where the wild things are...

Down the street from my house, there is a store owned by a Chinese family. Every one in the neighborhood calls it Davíd´s store, after their five-year-old son, who has officially been adopted as the mascot of Calle San Miguel Alta. Today, I ran there to get some bread during siesta. Davíd, a gigantic sandwich in hand, came out from behind the counter and suddenly lashed his fingers towards me, striking me with some imaginary laser-ray gun. I pretend to be gravely injured, and in my death throes, he asks "Do you know what kind of animal I am?" I shook my head. "The most scary animal," he said, scrunching his face. I must have looked confused because he sighed and said "I´m a potato!"

Stupid American.

It´s a rainy day here in Granada, the first in more than a month. Figures, since I did laundry. I forget how much I love the rain, even if it puts me in a little bit of a melancholy mood. It made me a little homesick for Portland until I remembered my first winter there, with 100 straight days of rain, approximately a third of my class dropping out, and my hair never actually drying for three months. Ahhh, mildew.

Last week, Mike the Canadian and I went to Sierra Nevada to ski. It was so nice to be on a mountain in the sun. There is almost no snow, although the trails were actually covered pretty well. There just weren´t that many open. It would be a really great mountain if there were snow, though. A lot of open, steep slopes and not a lot of people. I am thinking of going there this weekend to climb Mulhacén (the highest peak on the Iberian peninsula) on my birthday.

My other birthday present is my tattoo, which I am working on with an artist at Unity Tattoo here in Granada. I went in the other day and am really impressed with every one of the guys there. I´ve been waiting almost three years to get this one, trying to perfect it or talk myself out of it. I have dreams about it every few months. Then two nights ago, I dreamed that I went in to get it, only this time I had to actually sit through the entire process. Jesus. If I am going to have to sit through it, just give me the goddamn tattoo! I am actually really excited about the design, which is based on the Tree of Life by my favorite artist, Gustav Klimt.

I told mom today, and her reaction was, as expected, less than enthusiastic. I think she´ll still love me, though.... More later. Love H

I may not know many things, but I do know this: I can never live in a country that doesn´t have a smoking ban in public places. It´s not even on the agenda in Spain, where smoking is still almost a point of pride, and every time I go out, I feel like (black) death in the morning. And y´all know it´s not because I am a heavy drinker. I´m just glad I don´t have to smell myself.
I thought about posting a picture of an ugly lung at the top, but then I grossed myself out trying to find one. Can you smokers (and I mean this with all the love in my heart) please not ruin my lungs along with yours. I actually really like mine. Take a finger or whatever. I have enough of those to go around. Speaking of, the picture up above is a finger painting by a woman named Mary Anne Brandt. It makes me want to fingerpaint. I can still fingerpaint with nine fingers. Even eight.

Last night we went to Liberia, which would be a fantastic folk/blues bar were it not for the lingering haze that´s still clinging to my hair. I got to sing a little bit with a couple guys who were actually really good, except for their Spanish-mumble-gibberish interpretation of English lyrics. Luckily for them, enunciation is not a pre-req for blues singers, and no one in the bar spoke English anyway.

I just read that Denver got the Democratic National Convention, beating out (boring) NYC. Yee haw! Just in time for some summer agitating! I guess it´s a ways off, but the good ol´politician in me comes out, so I am looking forward to the chaos. Look out world-- here comes hippy-hopper Heather! Maybe I´ll even got the nomination. The country could use a totally ADD, indecisive decider, I think. Better than a complete idiot decider.

It´s funny because, reading the blogs, a lot of people are pointing out that Denver must have it´s shit together because a) Hickenlooper´s popular, and b) there were two monster storms, and the city didn´t turn into another Katrina. But the dem voice is getting out there, and, in spite of my slightly lefter leaning, I am proud of D-town. If only they´ll give us some good candidates.

In other news: I recommend the movie Everything is Illuminated. I haven´t read the book yet, but we had a nice movie night, all snuggly in my freezing house. It´s funny, a little sad, well-done, and has a great soundtrack that makes you want to go to Eastern Europe.

There´s an adventure in the works. Life is beautiful and a little confusing. I am done for now. Love..... Heather

And making things that I break...

...to put them back together and break them all over again, I pass my time.

Yesterday, armed with cameras and water bottles, and looking fully like tourists on a mission, Kate, Mike, Zach and I headed into the city to take pictures of the amazing graffiti that´s all over this town. We wandered into parts of the city that I didn´t know, up into the Albaizin (which could easily be Chefchaouen, Morocco-- there was even a donkey. In the middle of the city. I love it.) We bought cheap falafel and sat out in the sun on an amazingly painted staircase. I even stripped down to a t-shirt.
As it happens, I also happened to have a hacky-sack and willing companions, so we had a nice round. We only lost the sack twice into random gardens and down scary, not-fall-downable hills before we really lost it (in a scary little urine-soaked hole.) It had a good life, that hacky sack. Walking up, I talked to Mike about his travels, recovering from bruised hearts, and being lost and liberated. It was so nice to have Kate back, and no matter how... uncatchable my brain is, she can always make me laugh and remind me about how good it is to have friends. I was thinking on the way back down that the was so nice because it was the kind that you can´t plan, the kind that serendipity throws out there with a little sunshine so that you can take off your thirty layers of clothes and warm your core.

I am battling a nasty sinus infection, which puts a damper on the weather. This morning I woke up feeling kind of disconnected and un-home. I always wonder why I am attracted to all these intense, mercurial personalities. Could it me that I am one? Angsty? I don´t think so, but I am crowded with such opposing thoughts sometimes, and if they slip out, I can see why people may think I am slightly schizophrenic. Cute, darn it, but a little rara en la cabeza.

The Angel and the Devil have shacked up in my little brain!

No matter who wins the internal battle, I still love y´all. Be good. Talk to you tomorrow. H

We still have so many places left, so much time...

...so many carrots...

It seems like a lifetime since I left the wonderful world of technology, and, though it surprises me, I must say that I missed being able to spew my chaos onto the screen. I´ve discovered that I actually enjoy blogging because it sort of helps me sort things out and arrange the ping-pong balls in my brain.

Mom flew home this morning, so by tonight, she´ll be happily snuggling two cute dogs. We had a really good time together while she was here. On New Years Eve, we headed by bus to Barcelona, a city that I visited several years ago with my grandparents. I remembered liking it, and apparently I remembered well, because I still think it´s a really awesome city. It´s easy to navigate, has lots of hilly parks (ala Portland), good music, and Gaudi, who basically built the crazy, fairy-tale buildings that I would build if I could. The man is amazing.

Coming back to Granada has been a little complicated, since I am really confused about the next step on my journey. We met a great Canadian, Mike, on the bus back home, and it was fun to take him up to the mirador and watch him fall in love with this place, and see it from a fresher viewpoint. Of course, he´s also headed to Austria to snowboard for a bit, which is sort of salt in the wound, since I am not even sure I will get to put on my ski boots at all this winter. All I have to say is, for my dear friends enjying the ridiculous snow in Colorado, you have me to thank, because it seems that every time I am not there for winter, snow falls. I just hope mom makes it home safely.

I feel like there´s a lot I want to write, but I have to let my brain percolate for a bit. If anyone wants to drop out of the world and come travel with me, the invitation´s open. Love you all... Heather