A Trashy New Year

One nearly missed overseas flight and 2 lost luggage cases later, I finally find myself back in cold and windy Madrid. I arrived New Year's Day and resumed my seat upon the Metro, only to find this seat to be surprisingly filthy. After a quick waltz to my next stop it didn't take long to guess that, indeed, the sanitation union has gone on strike. While the writer's strike has robbed us all of quality entertainment, the sanitation strike has left a putrid odor hovering over the transportation system along with all of the banana peels, moldy newspapers and rusty cans that caused it.

Despite this new addition, I did enjoy the New Years and manage to stay awake throughout the festivities. Accompanied by Ginny, her mother, and her friend, I squeezed through a crowd of sparkled wigs and hats toward the American rock bursting out of the city center, Plaza del Sol. Keeping a safe distance from the mob center and after coercing a police officer to open our Champagne, we waited in the chill for the clock to strike 12. At this hour, it is customary to eat 1 grape for every chime, a seemingly easy feat that actually requires a degree of dexterity, resulting in many participants extended chug rather than deliberate ingestion of the fruit. After the golden globe dropped, I mushed myself into the metro and began 2008 with a long snooze.

Until I begin teaching again, I suppose I will continue hiding under the warmth of my covers and reading my new selection of stories. Spending time in Memphis was a fantastic break and it was wonderful seeing many of you again, though unfortunately it has rendered me disinclined to labor, howsoever rested I may be.

Enjoy the holidays, those who have any left, and Feliz Ano de Madrid!

Addendum: Melinda Hoehn visited the house of Biz an unrecorded period of time in October and was never given due credit, to her disappointment. Therefore, Mrs. Hoehn, receive your recognition.