Yeah, yeah, I couldn't help but put down the lyrics for that song. I'm supposed to be packing today and move tomorrow, but it's only across the street and it can be done later, right? It's not like I've got a ton of stuff anyway. I've been so exhausted this week with work that I slept until 10 this morning and I've not been inclined to move. All I've done so far is read the NYT and look at hostels. I've got itchy feet again, although I'm travelling to Brussels next week. (Look for a big chocolate post on my other blog, Empty Plate, in 2 weeks.) I want to do a big trip through the Middle East one day and also see some more of Central and Eastern Europe. Of course I want to see Japan and Australia and New Zealand, but I can get an Aussie visa only until I'm 30 and that will be in 4 years. I plan on doing another year here in Spain, so that leaves 3 years. Maybe 2 years in Japan and then heading off to Australia? The problem is I'm not ready to leave Europe yet. I dunno how I will feel in year; maybe I will dash off to CZ for 2 years and spend only a year in Japan?

Oh well. Time to get up and eat something and do. . . . something.

It looks like I'm going to have to start the New Year's Resolution List early! We were thinking of going indoor skydiving this morning and there is a weight limit of 160lbs. for women under 5'6''. I didn't think I fit under that and I weighed myself to check. OH MY GOD. I found out that all the weight I lost as a teenager has come back. I'd suspected it because I knew I had gained weight over the summer and my clothes were a little tight. Now I'm starting to reassess what I do to contribute to this problem and am going to start working on it.

1) Exercise more - I live in Madrid, so it can't be too hard to find a place to walk. There are also mountains outside the city so there are hikes close by. I travel often enough that I should be able to walk around a city for a few hours.
2) Eat better, i.e. less pizza. And more home cooking! I've been falling back on prepared stuff from the store way too much and drinking hot chocolate too often. Also, more fruits as snacks and less sugary cereals and cheese.
3) Stress less. I think a lot of my eating comes from stress and comfort eating. More yoga and meditation.

I'm in a wedding in July, so I hope to drop 20lbs. by the time that comes around. That is 8 months away, so I would need to lose 2.5-3 lbs. each month. That's possible.

So I just signed for a new flat. I will move in February. Holy shit.

How did this happen?

I haven't been too happy in my current flat - my Frenchie male flatmate doesn't really clean and I think my landlady is charging too much for the place and we don't have an oven. Z talked about leaving last month and that we would move out together and find a place with 2 rooms available. Then she split without me and I thought I'd be moving in with another English teacher friend, A, but then she bailed on me, too. I'd resolved that I would contemplate my options when I was home over Christmas because I had too much stuff on my mental plate.

Then I got a message from Z.

She saw a flat across the street and took a room there, and she was writing me to let me know that he had another room available for a little less than what I'm paying now WITH CENTRAL HEATING. She said he was leaving the next day to go to Toledo and that I would have to see the flat in the next 24 hours if I wanted to get it. I was eating dinner, so I sent a message. Half an hour later, I got a call from him to come and see the flat right then. With dishes in the sink, I dashed across the street and up some floors to a slightly older, but much better flat WITH CENTRAL HEATING. The guy is Spanish, but the 4th flatmate is American like me. The room is about the same size as mine is now, but much nicer with brighter colors. AND THE KITCHEN HAS AN OVEN!!!!!!! I signed after half an hour. Now I have to tell my flatmate. This means that 2 of us are moving out at the same time. Poor bloke. Oh well.

I was all happy this morning as I went to work, but it was quickly deflated. My Tuesday-Thursday morning classes all cancelled for this Thursday and since it's more than 24 hours in advance, I won't get paid. To top it all off, one of the classes, a businessman, said he might have to change the days of his class to Tuesday-Wednesday, which I can't do because I have another class on that day. He told me he would ask his boss if he could skip some of the meetings so he can maintain the current schedule with me. If he can't, THEN I WILL LOSE THE CLASS. Why do I stay in this industry? I could go back to the States and get treated better. Merry fucking Christmas to me.

Well, December is going to be bad as well. I think I'll be able to earn enough to pay my expenses, but that's it. Also, all but one of my classes ends next week; one class might meet on the 23rd and I'm leaving the 19th. At least, that's their last day of work. I'm afraid to go to the academy to tell them this because they might get angry with me. On the other hand, can they get mad at me for going home for Christmas? ugh.

With all the cancellations I've been having, it looks like I'm going to be posting more than a 100 euro loss this month. Shit. I've picked up another class so the blow is softened a little bit, but FUCKING HELL. Then my friend got dumped by a boy she was seeing for a week because she finally slept with him, which does not show great character traits on his part. I don't know what it is about this November, but JESUS. Here's to hoping that December is better!

So I just realized that I hadn't written here for 2 months. Ooops. Well, nothing too interesting happened, so maybe it's for the best. So what to say? I've been knitting probably more than is healthy for me and hardly cooking at all. That will probably change since I bought 2 a Moroccan and a Turkish cookbook and plan to start experimenting soon. Oh, and I've joined a dating website.

First off, it was not my idea; my friend Sarah who lived in Brussels and is now back to teach here got me into it. We were having dinner one night and I had fixed us some particularly thick hot chocolate. Sarah happened to mention that my love life needed work and that getting on this dating website (meetic.com) would be a good start. Under the influence of sugar and theobromine, I said yes and Sarah went off to start creating it. Oh my, what have I gotten myself into? Sarah found a guy that goes by allanpoe because of his affection for that author who she thinks might be a good match. He seems drawn to the darker authors: Kafka, Poe, Tolstoi - not the sunniest of works. I'm intrigued. Let's see how many loonies I can dig up.

Wow, I really slept in today! It must be this minimal employment thing, and the fact that I was up until 1AM on Wednesday night/Thursday morning finishing my first knitting project. I'd been wanting to pick up the knitting needles for awhile when we went to Canada and I found this really cool knitting and quilting shop called Stychen Tyme. What got me was the beautiful and shiny yarns and I wanted to buy everything. Cooler heads prevailed and I got 2 kits for knitted stoles using a shiny ribbon yarn. I took the one with purple, green, and yellow dyed ribbon with me on the plane and managed to finish it this month due to my copious amount of free time. It's not the warmest thing in the world, but it's extremely pretty. After the initial rush of accomplishment wore off, though, the first thing I thought was, "Now what do I do with my time?" So instead of planning for class, I googled "knitting shops in Madrid" and came across an article on Notes from Madrid website. It turns out that there is one not too far from my flat, so I will get dressed and go there before siesta kicks in. I don't know what I will find since knitting isn't exactly a hip thing to do here, but I want some yarn, dammit! I've been looking online for some patterns because I want to try something else for a change. I might try making a lacy scarf. Then again, my flatmate did joking ask that I make one for her as well. . . .

But I must get dressed!

ETA (1:50PM): Success! I found the local knit shop and the assistant was lovely! I got enough yarn for 2 projects. One is a bulky yarn that is done in pinks, burgandies, and cream with metallic gold thread shot through the centre that will become a fun scarf for spring and fall. The other is a dark forest green merino wool yarn that I had to buy smaller needles for, and it will become a lacy winter scarf. I spent way too much money, but I will be out of trouble for several months, or at least until I can get home and get the other kit. Yay!

Well, I've already got a class starting next week! LC had a bunch of classes, so I picked one up that's twice a (MW) week for an hour and a half each class (3 hours total). It's far away in Campo de las Naciones, but I had kids out there last year and I know BB has clients there, so I think I can get this to work without me having to run all over the city. It starts next week, but the academy doesn't have the book as the teacher before me didn't return it. I also have another class from 8.30-9.30AM MW with 2 directors for a big scientific group, but that starts the 21st. I'm excited to have some work on my plate already and am looking forward to getting started.

In other news, I finally have all my stuff moved in! I had to go and buy some plastic boxes to store my teaching materials under my bed. My room actually looks organized now. Just in time, too, as I leave tomorrow for Dublin! I don't think many of my friends will be around most of the time, so I will have to amuse myself. Oh well.

I got back into Madrid 48 hours ago and crashed out for 12 hours. I guess that's what happens when you don't sleep for 36 hours straight. I'm mostly moved in, but I have to get some sort of storage unit for my teaching materials as my current room is much smaller than the old one. I may have been here only 2 days, but already I feel right at home. I definitely feel it was the right choice to come back to Madrid for another year. I've been hanging out around the house with my new roomie Z with occasional sightings of French roomie G (a boy!). We've also taken on a guest, D, Z's friend who is having some housing issues. He's Bosnian, but he's lived the past 10 years in the States; he's cool and a guitarist. I've mostly been unpacking and getting some food together, but today I spent most the day knitting. I've been wanting to learn how to knit for a few years and finally picked up a kit when we were in Canada last week. I've been hooked ever since and already have about 2 feet knitted of this really pretty scarf/stole made of purple, green, and yellow ribbon. (Mardi Gras colors, I know.) Anyway, I really like my new hobby and can't wait to see what it will look like when I've finished.

On my plate for tomorrow: unblock my mobile since I entered the security code wrong 3 times (oops), hit up academies for work, and check-in for my flight to Dublin and print out my boarding pass. In the past 2 months, Ryanair has instituted a new rule that you can't check-in at the airport anymore and will fine you 40 euro per person per way if they have to print it out. Schmucks. Hopefully Academy #1 will be open and will let me print off my boarding passes. Otherwise it could get interesting.