oh shit, it's 2013.

i'm picking this thing up again. i was disillusioned with it before, but i've seen the light and realized that there is some value to it. the problem with leaving off for so long is that I have a lot to catch up on, but I don't want to burden you guys down with too many long posts. Here goes for a summary:

Time has flown, but shit, when doesn't it now. This year has been substantially different than the last, mostly I think because I'm more settled and, well, more Spanish in some ways. It took me a couple of months to shake off my summer beach bum behavior, but now I'm working a lot more than i did last year which should be good come summer. I don't spend much time with many of the other Americans again, although I cherish the time with the select few. There are the lovely Mary and Bridget, my girls from last year with whom I do El Camino, amongst other cool things. Tacked on to the group are Jay and Monica, two great people from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. We met them in the early goings, they came on a hike with me and the outdoor club, and we've all stuck together since then. Jay's a great guy that, for me at least, is a catalytic person. I talk about a lot of things, he does a lot of things and together things blossom. We brewing beer together and take medium to long bike trips together and are even planning a 10 day trip from Paris to AmsterDaaaam-it's-gonna-be-cool! 

I've taken climbing to a new level, and my group of friends from the gym has really solidified, while simultaneously offering some great experiences one of which was road-trippin' 4 hours into central Portugal, camping under the pavilion of a church in a really small town on the edge of a valley before going to climb it's walls the next day. Epic!

Work is also a lot better than last year. I liked working with the kids, although i felt inexperienced and ineffective much of the time, but working with adults/felling more comfortable and confident is great. I teach Advanced 2, the highest level of a 6 year curriculum, at the city's official language school. I love it. I really enjoy being surrounded by people learning languages and studying, not to mention that i have access to a ton of resources and am even studying French in my free time. I still can't help but think of the French candlestick in Beauty and Beast or Peppy Le Pew when i speak it though. C'est bien!

I think this is a good length for a blogpost. I'll do my best from now on to fill in the spaces with anecdotes, recaps and even some philosophical meanderings.