"Que lluvia incesante!" yo dije a mi amante.

Lluvia Means Rain
Well, as you may be aware, my time here in Sevilla has been largely defined by rain. I believe at least 3/4 of the days since I've been here have seen tiny droplets of water falling from the gray skies above. This trend continued today, and I'm a little weary of it. As I walked a few blocks from my senora's apartment, the wind smacked me in the face as if challenging me to a duel. I would relish the opportrunity, but it is somewhat less than prudent to duel with someone that you cannot see and can move at 45 mph. With water falling sideways all around me, I looked at where the wind very possibly might have been and muttered, "If only."

Six hours later, I was trudging through the damp sidewalks, avoiding puddles. "Oh look, puddle to the left. Oh, another to the right. Oh..." And that's when I realized that the sidewalk before me was a giant puddle. Sevilla is beautiful, but these torrential downpours have a, shall we say, dampening effect on said beauty. This rain is gnawing away at my soul. I rarely go out to explore or take a walk or get some food or visit with friends because it is terrible outside. All of the locals say "Que raro!" (How odd!) and talk about how this year is one out of a hundred. Huh, how about that? I'm sure my companions agree that in this case rarity is not a good thing.

I walked up Ramon y Cajal as the evening began, inching ever closer to mi casa. Jeans? Wet. Shoes? Soaked. Backpack? Damp. Umbrella? Overworked and underpaid. And then, for some reason, as I neared Calle Ulia, the gray over my mind vanished. It hadn't stopped raining, but there was something different. The rain fell down in thinner drops, a little more delicately than it had been. The colors changed--trees were all around me, and the dim, cloudy skies saw a couple tints of orange and peach. The rain had become ladylike--we're talking about Natalie Portman, not Rosie O'Donnell. A couple holes in the clouds passed a few miles away. And then there was this brief sensation. All of a sudden, it was obvious that there was still a sun above the clouds. I wish it were sunny more often, but I also wish it rained like this more often, because this was the kind of rain that can be enjoyed. Don't get me wrong, I think thunderstorms are beautiful, but you can't enjoy a thunderstorm as much when you have to walk for an hour in it. This was really different--benign rain.

Update (3/8)
So, we are inching closer to the halfway point of my time in Sevilla. Actually, the halfway point for the LSCS group that's here with us is pretty much this week (they leave May 15th or so). So in a few weeks here I will be halfway done. Good news though: my classes might finish earlier than my program...like 2 weeks earlier. This would be a most welcome interval, and I would be most delighted with the opportunity to travel some more or simply have some free time to relish Sevilla. That's not locked up yet, but a couple of us have spoken with the professors about the final exam, and it seems probable that it will work out. Let's hear it for not being in class til June 12th!

So, what else to say? Life has been really tranquil. This past weekend was one of the laziest that has ever been in my life. The workload here is quite remarkable in that it hardly exists. If it wasn't for having to walk 35 minutes one way to the university Monday through Thursday, I'd have a large amount of free time on my hands. As it stands, I occupy what free time I have with reading, keeping in touch with people online, thinking, and sampling various pastries or smoking the occasional cigar while doing one of the above. I've found a new pastry that delights me, and the palmera may have to fight to maintain its supremacy. We'll see.

Training for the half marathon continues, but as time runs short, I must run far. The most I've done is still 8 miles. I was supposed to do 9 on Sunday, but it ended up only being 5 for two reasons:
A) It was a bad running day for me (cramps, shortage of breath, muscle exhaustion,, etc.)
B) I really really had to visit the bathroom from aobut 3 miles in. The last 2 miles were the most challenging I think I've run yet.

Not much else goes on. Once it gets sunny, I plan to take more walks, explore more of the city, and spend more time outside of this blasted bedroom. For now, la vida sigue asi. So, less than 1.5 weeks to Lisbon, 2.5 to Italia, 3 to family, and (according to weather.com) only 6 days until some sunny weather. I remain yours, TJT.