November 25th

Well, another week is over, and a week from now I'll be in Switzerland. Two weeks from now I'll be in Switzerland (and, later in the day, Málaga). In three weeks I'll be in Grand Rapids. It'll be an eventful December, that's for sure. To tell the truth, I'm pretty excited about getting out of Huelva; I've come to the realization that spending consecutive weekends here isn't good for me. There's just not enough to do on weekends other than go out at night, which is not my favorite thing in the world. But it's okay, since this current weekend will be the last one I spend in Huelva until mid-January, so I think I can make it. Anyway, this weekend was fairly uneventful. Indeed, too much so, since it was Thanksgiving in the US (a top three holiday for me) and it isn't celebrated here. You can't even find cranberries, which are unequivocally the best part of Thanksgiving. I made stuffing yesterday to remind myself that it was Thanksgiving season, but it's not quite the same without the smorgesbord of other food to complement it. But Thanksgiving is as much about the action as the food (part of the reason it's so great), so without further ado, here is a list of things I'm thankful for at the moment:

The auxiliares program: put frankly, this experience has been more difficult than I anticipated, but nevertheless I'm extremely grateful for this opportunity to get real world experience in another country with a decent salary and the chance to explore Spain and Europe.  So, thank you, Spanish Ministry of Education.

My girlfriend: for putting up with this long-distance crap.  It sucks, but I'm extremely grateful that she agrees that it's worth the effort.  Thank you, Elaine.

My parents: for encouraging me to do this.  Not every parent would be so supportive of their son's desire to go try his hand at the real world in a foreign country.  Thanks, Mom and Dad.

My brother: for starting and enjoying college so far.  Congratulations, Ben, and I'm glad you're having fun.  Remember, the things you learn at the Taco Bell drive-thru at 3:00 are just as important as the things you learn in class.  But that doesn't mean class isn't important.  Study hard and keep up the good work in Chimes; you're a good writer.

The Dyno League: a fantasy baseball league which has kept me connected with my former house and has fostered hundreds of online conversations already.  And this is only year 2.  Thank you, dyno league and it's members, especially the commissioners and Brett Veltema for trading me pick 1.2 and Adam Dunn for Buster Posey and Garrett Jones' expiring contract.

Pedro del Valle, my Spanish roommate: for being really cool and for helping us deal with the myriad problems our piso has had.  It's been invaluable, having a Spaniard here to help out.

Whoever owns the Jazztel Wireless WiFi network: for leaving it unprotected, allowing me to steal internet for the two months that we haven't had internet.  You made my life infinitely easier.

My host family and Becca, my friend who's doing the same program in the north: for being my safety nets in Spain.  I will be visiting the former again at least twice and going with the latter to Switzerland.  Life here would be worse if you weren't here.

The good producers of 30 Rock: for entertaining me unceasingly.  22 Emmy nominations was too few.

And finally,

All of you who put up with my ramblings:  I like writing, and I like writing even more when I know that the product's being read.  Hopefully it's a symbiotic relationship, but at the very least it's good for me to keep writing.  So thank you, all of you, for reading this.  Here's to hoping you keep humoring me.