Monday, September 13th "Sometimes Sevilla beats you down"

Living abroad you have to prepare for certain days when things just don't work at all. I guess just living wherever you should expect this. Some days Sevilla can beat you down until you have no option but to give up. Some days the beating is really just a mental funk spurred on by certain events. Such was a planned relaxing Sunday in Santa Catalina. I was going to spend most of the day in the house resting, working on the site and getting a few things long neglected finally done. Instead, noticing I had received a large amount of emails at work, I headed to work to catch up on a few. Little did I know it would take almost four hours to get them done. Each one seemed to be a problem or at least something which required more mental energy than normal. So I cancelled my lunch plans and worked until 3pm, with a break for a quick tapa and a beer at La Ojiva. Afterwards I called to learn lunch was still possible if I made my way out to Granada's parents house. I headed back home to pick up a few things, forgetting some papers I meant to drop off with a coworker - a fact I realized to far from home to return. I headed out to Puerta Osario to catch a cab as Santa Catalina is a mess with street work at the moment. I did not know, however, that there was a taxi driver's strike on Sunday. The few taxis which passed me by were all occupied and nobody answered the phone at Radio Taxi. I made my way along the Ronda de Capuchino thinking eventually a free taxi would pass. Had I know there was a strike I could have walked a much shorter distance to my final destination outside the Macarena. And unfortunately for me the side of the road I need to be on to catch a taxi also happened to be the side where the sun was shining. During my very long walk, at the worst time of the day to be outside, my mind managed to focus on the difficulties of living and working in Sevilla: I could be at home resting with the AC on, or in the U.S. where I could have made it to my destination by driving in my own car; I have to catch up on this project or that; there are forty some emails awaiting answers in my exploreseville account. I did an inventory of the clients who owe me money but promise to pay as nicely as possible every time (note: Not always the case but getting some people to pay for services rendered here is like pulling teeth - although requiring many more visits than just the one to the dentist). I thought of how I'd kill for a drink of water. I reviewed all the things undone at home I thought I'd take care of today...

Fifty minutes later I arrived to my final destination, starving and sweating. With a little to eat, a lot of water and a "medicinal" Cruzcampo I managed to escape the mental exhaustion and live only with a physical one. I had a quick, 25 minute siesta and then got ready for the Betis-Español match. The first home match of the season was bound to lift my spirits! I should have seen it coming on a day like this and like a good betico I suffered through a horrible 1-4 defeat. There will be other matches and other days. Today - the day after - has been a busy but good day and the mental fog has lifted. It's Monday but it also may be time for a beer downstairs to make sure everything ends well.