miracle of miracles...

Our phone line is back in action, yay! The service was restored yesterday afternoon, just like the CSR from Telefonica said it might be. I think we may have received a bump up the priority list because the bank was so apologetic about the matter. I must remember to thank Juan next time I see him. I can't tell you what a relief it is to have the Internet back. I forget sometimes how much I have come to rely on it. Not only is it critical for my work but the Internet also is the primary way I keep in touch with friends and family and the world in general. I use it to get news, to shop, to listen to the radio and football games, to quickly find answers to those "it's on the tip of my tongue" needling questions. Without this lifeline, I panic. I am so happy to have finished my work for the week and made all my deadlines. I plan to do very little today with the exception of magazine reading and trying to stay cool. The temperature is fairly normal for this time of year, but it's also unusually humid. After a late dinner last night, T., M.A., Big Jim, and I had a nightcap on the roof terrace, and at 2 am, we were still sweating. Big Jim and T. went hiking yesterday, attempting to reach the summit of Maroma. They set out at 6 am, to get a jump on the heat. At 1:30, I received a call from Big Jim, saying they would be back in about three hours and that I should put more water in the fridge. They arrived back closer to 5:30, Big Jim noticably thinner. After several glasses of water and juice, he weighed himself. He had lost 4 kilos, just under 9 pounds, since the morning. We did venture out to inspect the feria activities last night. At 2:30, the fairgrounds were still pretty packed. Somehow the many babies managed to sleep, despite the booming techno music coming from the amusement rides. All the favorites are back from last year, as I expected, but they've also added a carousel for the little ones. The schoolyard has been turned into an open-air restaurant and entertainment center. The rocked-up version of the local flamenco band Vino y Pasas was playing last night. I so get a kick out of the lead singer because he clearly has aspirations of being the next Enrique Iglesias. We wandered around for about an hour or so, but we were all pretty tired and were back in bed by 4 am. Not a bad effort, but we'll have to rest up today if we are to have any hope of partying tonight with the Spanish until dawn. :-) hasta manana, mylifeinspain