Halloween

hola amigos that check this thing every now and then. First a comment on the pictures below: la ostia (which means "the bomb" in all the new spanish slang that i'm learning)! Those trips were my first time getting out of the city since I arrived, and boy were they refreshing. I'm slowly learning how much of a country boy/nature lover I am. I guess, like many things, it is something that has always been a part of me, but that I hadn't noticed. My first month of "life" here was an experience in itself, and leaving the city and seeing how beautiful the land is around me began a second phase for me. I like to partition things like this. The trips coincided with my first weekend spent at my new apartment, as well. We only went 30-45  east or west  along the coast from A Corunia, but it was breathtaking. That was my first time being atop those kind of cliffs, and as I stood there, surrounded by the grazing cattle and wild horses, I mixed my vague memories and impressions of what Wales is like with my recent, strong memories of Estes Park, and I was contentisimo. Seeing those few gems of the landscape made me realize what a treasure trove I have waiting for me just outside my doorstep. My plans for visiting Europe are slowly being replaced by the more immediate urge to just see Spain.  Little by little.

My roomies are cool, and everything turned out great after a few preoccupations about the apartment, location, and the general idea of moving into a place with 2 strangers. They are substantially different and similar. Nicolas is an argentino that has lived here for 10 years. He is a sound technician, plays guitar in a band, and is more social and outgoing. The other is a local guy, Guillermo, and is equally friendly but keeps to himself more. He goes out less and stays home to play video games. It's cool, though, we all beat super mario bros. together for the first time since i was kid. They both are computer savvy, and i hope to learn some new things as the months go by. I've already decided that i like editing photos, although i just used the basic but fun Iphoto program on the mac. Bastante divertido. The apartment is on the "party zone" of town, which made me nervously remember my summer living on the Strip in Lafayette, but it's significantly different. It's actually a really pretty part of town, surrounded by plenty of stores, markets, cafes, pubs and small interesting streets. Not to mention it is a 5 minute walk from the beach. I will go on a walking picture tour from here to the beach next time we get a good sunny day. For now, I'll leave with a pic of this year's makeshift Halloween costume...