happy friday

Wow this week has flown by....again. I can't believe Big Jim will be back for a visit next weekend already. If all of our time apart passes this quickly, we are lucky indeed. I'm getting caught up with my work after this week's computer meltdown. Our friend G. is bringing my new notebook (must get in the habit of calling it this now as "laptop" makes me sound not hip to the new lingo) to Amsterdam this weekend. We've purchased a basic model, but G., who is the ultimate in computer geek, has added lots of bells and whistles to make it what he calls "a beautiful system". I suppose this purchase has forced me to confront my fears of spending money again. :-) Not good news on the overseas voting saga. There was another story in the New York Times this week detailing the myriad problems. Many states don't believe they have the resources to send out all the ballot requests before the deadline. (I believe only Florida will count ballots that are received after election day.) Several expats were quoted as having found the system so complicated they just gave up. Others have tried countless times to contact the information lines to no avail. If my ballot doesn't turn up next week, I'll have to start making calls. On a positive note, I am now able to access the fvap web site, so the ban to Telefonica has been lifted. Otherwise, our little village continues to enjoy good weather. The farmers have a little break before the next harvest....the olives and then the avocados. This morning while on the goat track with the pups, I spotted a beautiful hawk circling in the valley. I watched him for awhile and then looked away to see what the dogs were up. When I turned my gaze back to the sky, he was gone. My DVD purchase arrived yesterday, Season 4 of the Sopranos. I was up way too late last night and will not confess how many episodes I watched. I can't help it though; I just get sucked in and want to know what happens next. Big Jim and I were the same with "Freaks and Geeks"....I think we watched all 18 episodes in a week. One would finish, and Big Jim and I would look at each other and say, "One more?". Such great characters, such great stories. Must be off. I have a bit of more work to do, and then I must begin dinner preparations. I am having M.A. and L. over for dinner this evening. Besides that, I plan to have another quiet, puttering-filled weekend. I have a phone date with my good friend J.A.R. tomorrow and I also want to read the transcript from last night's debate. (Big Jim and I don't have "tv" per se....our set is just used for watching DVDs, so no CNN or Fox News, which yes, believe it or not comes with the local cable here.) Hasta pronto, mylifeinspain