It just keeps getting better!

The truth is that I´ve had to refrain from writing some of the things that happen to me because I´m afraid that too much enthusiasm on here might get repetitive... but this weekend topped the charts. I´m gonna backtrack a bit first though-- do a little updating.

So the past few weeks I've been investigating what to do with my future. I started looking around for theater schools in the area. I found one online and decided to go by and check it out. It turned out to be quite aways away and the address on the website led me into a dimly lit, creepy sleezy porno shop with an unsurprisingly friendly employee. (the school had moved up the street). I spoke with the quirky Transylvanian director who suggested that I come by and watch a show there "to get a feel for the place". So My friend Agata and I bought tickets and witnessed what turned out to be the most bizarre theatrical experience of my life. It was, in essence, a naked woman in a box writhing around while screaming in demonic voices and humping a pirate hat for 45 minutes. And perhaps the worst part of all was that they seated Agata and I directly across the box from one another. Not only were we forced to stand politely by and watch this ridiculous excuse for theater, but we also had to forcefully concentrate on not looking at each other because we would have, undoubtedly, burst into skrieking screams of laughter.

Needless to say I will not be studying there.

I did however find a different, more normal school that is just down the street from my house. This one has white walls instead of black... I think that says a lot.

Now about Ourense. We (two of the best Irish girls on the planet, and I ) got to the bus stop 3 minutes before it left for Ourense. We arrived at 6pm and without any other plans or incentives started playing music on the street. We sang and played our mini repetoire (a gazillion times) and made good money! People kept comming up and crowding around and before long we had made a big group of new friends. Everyone sat around enjoying the warm night and drinking wine until 1 in the morning. Then we used some of the money we had made and took everyone out to eat a big midnight meal (Spanish egg tortillas) mmm..... The bartenders at the restaurant asked us if we would play a little there, so we did for a bit, until our irritating french guitar playing friend become unbearably obnoxious and it was time to leave--- At 330am we parted ways from frenchy and the rest of our pals and went to some incredible natural hot springs. We bathed under the moonlight untill 6 am, then went back to the train station (still without having slept). I finally got in the door at 9am in the morning and fell onto my bed with a a huge grin on my face. . . 13 incredible hours in Ourense.

Never in my wildest dreams could I have dreamt up such a night. Or was it that last night was something I could only dream of expiriencing..... well at any rate - Last night was like a dream...

Gon brought me out to Balboa, a small town on the outskirts of Leon. All the hot shot musicians from Santiago were playing a concert there and I was invited along to be the fan.

Nothing about it could have been more enchanting. We were treated to the most exquisite and delicious dinner you can imagine, all the wine and deserts we could ask for--

The music was wild and passionate and beautiful (and I was up there playing with them!)

The audience, who were originally seated and eating were up until 3:30 in the morning, screaming and clapping along with us in this huge old hut. We drank and played music with the owners and all the wait staff after all the people had cleared out.

We were dancing and singing until the sun came up and then we went back to the hostel and sat on sofas and told jokes until we couldnt keep our eyelids open anymore.

We woke up this morning, ate another delicious meal and played car games and giggled the whole ride home.

-------It was another magical night in this amazing part of the world.

Dad´s visit and the first days of Carnival

A magical week with Dad here. One I will remember for the rest of my life. I couldn´t be more fortunate to have such a man as my father.

Dad left on Saturday morning. After a good cry and a nap I went out with Silvia to a Carnival parade in her little town. It was such a bizarre and funny mixture of old sweet traditions and wild modern humor. Elections are comming up here in Galicia, so they had an Obama theme for the parade....

Then Later that night I was woken up at 1 in the morning and convinced to go out with my pal the Magician.... I threw on my costume again and had a crazy night... out till 8am wandering the city and meeting tons of new people :)

Happy as a clam. Another perfect week :)

This weekend I experienced true romance -- it included: chocolate chip cookies, cheese,wine, hours of foot massages, gymnastics, gyspy music, giggles snuggles and juggling.

Then Monday I went to a going away party for one of my bandmates :( a few of us tried to play some music but it all sounded AWFUL. I´m talking painfully, earbleedingly awful. I wanted to go home and cry but it´s a good thing I didnt. Someone asked me if I could give them a lesson on the spoons, which turned into a group lesson, which turned into a whole roomfull of people banging away on everything they could see with whatever they could reach. Then we threw in a few instruments and it got even better (or worse depending on whether you asked one of us or one of the neighbors....) at one point someone yelled, "STOP! ..... SWITCH!!" and everyone passed whatever instrument they were holding to the person next to them :) we carried on like this until 3 or 4am, with people occasionally singing on top of the chaotic noise or reciting poetry. It was really really fun.

And Dad´s comming tomorrow night!!!!!!!! I´m soooOOooooOOoOOooooo OO ooooOO excited to see him!!! -Life is sweet-

Playing tonight with some of the girlies....

well here´s some photos of the band minus a few. I have some actual ´footage´ on my video camera, but I have to buy some kind of chord to connect my camera to the computer.... so we´ll see how that goes.... in the meantime.... here´s some pics.

Tonight was SOOOOOOO fun. We got there and the bartender seemed a little skeptical about letting us play, but by the end he was insisting that we sing another song, even though it was past closing time :)

And thankgod for that cause tonight was my SECOND night in a row being stood up. ugh, when will I learn.

but it all worked out perfectly in the end because we played great and then we went to another session which ended in a deep philosophical and political debate -- my favorite! ;)