Fever

It looks ominously dark out right now, and I'm really hoping that it doesn't rain. My plans for the rest of the day don't involve much outdoor time, but still. I'm sick of the rain in Spain that falls mainly in the plains (i.e. right here). This afternoon I'm heading off to another installment of my Prado class (more Velazquez -- yay! Normal professor is back -- sadness). Then I'm going to the Contemporary Art museum with Nay and possibly Sophie. And then at around 8:30 p.m. I'm meeting up with Sophie at the IES center, where there is a TV and a small restaurant, so we can eat dinner and watch Brazil's first world cup game. So excited! World cup fever has certainly hit (because Spaniards are ultra obsessed with soccer, and because Spain is expected potentially to win the World Cup). And I have become infected. I got a kick out of seeing the soccer uniform line-up in El Corte Ingles (the giant mall...there are several of its kind throughout Madrid).

Yesterday was an interesting day. I went to bed on Sunday night, still incredibly tired from my London trip, at around 12:30 a.m. My plan was to wake up at 9:30, print out the picture I was supposed to bring in as a self-portrait for my Prado class (this was a project instead of an exam for the midterm evaluation--un auto-retrato), and then head off to class, which starts at 11:10. Instead, I woke up at 10:54 a.m. FAIL. And also, WOMP. My commute to school takes about 35 minutes, too, so there was absolutely no way that I would get there in time. I managed to get out of the house within 10 minutes, run off to print my picture next door, and then get to class as fast as the Metro would allow me. I got there nearly at noon. I'd emailed the women in charge of all the academic business before I left, so they could let my professor know I'd be late. So when I walked in at noon, he didn't seem phased, just asked me to go down and make photocopies of my picture so that everyone would have one. Then I joined the rest of the group in discussing each person's photograph. We each had to say what we thought the self-portrait meant, or intended to say about the person in question. Then that person would give us an explanation as to how they went about photographing themselves. It was actually pretty cool--I feel like I got to know people surprisingly well in the course of that hour (I only missed 3 out of 5 photograph discussions, by the way, so I wasn't even THAT heinously late. Sort of). I really like the photograph I took of myself, although I wish I hadn't cut off the top of my head, but it was tricky to set up the timer and get in the shot within 10 seconds. I decided to show myself with my journal (duh), my book (Lolita...it's one of the most amazing books I've ever read. 120 pages left), my music, and an earring, since I think about what earrings to wear on a daily basis, even though I don't care at all about fashion or what's in style or whatever. Something about earrings just gets me; I think they can be quite beautiful, and I like to wear a different pair every day. I also thought it would be a beautiful yet subtle way to make a reference to Vermeer and the fact that I more generally study history of art. Anyway, I thought it was a cool project, and I'm glad I didn't miss the whole class. But wow. On the way to class, I just kept thinking (in the words of Natalie), "GARGOMEL. WHY do I have to show up to class right now?! I should be able to sleep like a bear until whenever and then hang out in Madrid until whenever." I got over it, though.

I spent all afternoon posting pictures on Facebook (London) and writing my blog entry, and catching up a bit with Ari over gchat, which was really fun. Then in the early evening, I went off to Puerta del Sol on my own to do a bit of souvenir shopping and to generally wander around. It was actually really fun; I stopped to take pictures whenever I wanted, and I found some excellent souvenirs at good prices. (Leave me your mailing address in a comment if you want a postcard!) I also just liked people-watching. You find the most interesting and amusing things all over the place in Sol...
From there, I went to IES to watch the Italy vs. Paraguay game with Sophie. We mostly talked and ate, once in a while glancing at the game, because we had to give each other the update on our weekends. Also, the food is really cheap at the center, so we both got big meals and ice cream for 5 euros. It's nice not to have to spend tons of money on dinners during the week, because inevitably, the weekends always end up being more expensive.

Today, I've been to my Lit class this morning, to take our midterm (dullest midterm ever. Three essay questions whose answers were basically slight variations on one another. Most boring hour and a half I've spent in a while). After that, since we got out earlier than usual, I decided I would actually go to the gym. I did a 30-minute run, which felt great (although it was difficult) and some sit-ups and became acquainted with the leg press (sweet baby Jesus, I think I'm going to use it daily). And when I left after working out, I was in such a great mood, listening to Jack Johnson on my way to the Metro and just looking around and enjoying the scenery (which included an adorable little dog gnawing away at a stick). I guess it's true that exercise makes you happy, sometimes. I still feel great, and I'm glad I actually worked out for once.

Now I'm off to the Prado for more Velazquez action...but a propos of that, I'll leave you all with a bit of creative, Las Meninas-inspired advertising that I saw in El Corte Ingles: