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hey everyone!

so, I´m safe and sound...

just thought that I´d send out a quick post to let you know.

I have pictures of the apt and some other things that I will post soon!

hope that things are good with all of you as well!

more soon,

Matthew

yeah, I know! its incredible....

so was my trip.

I went to a few places in the south.

Jerez, Cadiz, somewhere with a beach, Vejer(didn´t get to that beach:( which is better known as aborgena), and Tarifa. from Tarifa you can see Africa. the ferry is 34euros but we didn´t go, for neither of us knows exactly what there is to do on the other side of the water. besides I´m sure it wasn´t much warmer. the beaches down there are nice! soft sand, clear blue water, and a constant breeze. which actually turns out to be a negative thing unless you are prepared for it. cause a constant sand blasting isn´t much fun when you are trying to tan. I ate some good food, met some characters, and saw a whole lot...

I have some pictures but they are still in a holding pattern until I have time to weed thru them.

now I´m back in Madrid and its time to cook dinner. Janire is waiting! we went to a market today and now the fridge is happy :)

tomorrow starts the job hunt...

a comer!

talk soon friends,

Matthew

I was trying to upload pictures but my camera has died.

I was hoping that I would be able to at least get the photos of the apt on here but it seems I have to find an outlet converter first. all the ones that I have seen so far are inset and therefore don´t allow me to plug the charger in. I´ll keep my eyes open for one or you´ll just have to wait for the one I have to arrive in the mail.

as for other things going on... not too much. I didn´t actually go into anyplace to ask for a job yet. just browsing menus and checking out how places look. I think that I´d be more comfortable talking in a kitchen then in an interview. I need to finish translating my resume.

more soon,

M

I haven´t done anything on here yet. sorry.

I bought an outlet converter, charged my camera, took some pictures, and came here to put them online. the only problem is that there isn´t a usb port available on this pc.

!!!

so for now I just check emails and other things online because I haven´t been online in a bit.

I´ll go to the place near my apt later so that I can post some pictures and such...

thanks for waiting.

M

so I thought since none of the files have names I could just count and the numbers would correspond but it doesn´t seem to be working that way. I have to go thru and figure out the right numbers... more to come soon.

so, I´ve been loading every picture on my camera 10 at a time or so to the site. then deleting reposts and bad pics. it takes a while but I have to get them up. I load them while writing emails and stuff so its not too bad but I´m not online very much because I´m jobless and looking.

speaking of which, I´m feeling a little better about it... I think that I´m going to find something soon. I´m going trail tomorrow and monday at a place called ¨le kitchen¨ and I´m going to talk to a guy that said ¨this is better than here¨pointing at rene over dante on my resume on sat. also, I´m expecting another place to call me later this week about work. its all been a papers, or lack there of, thing up until yesterday. I need to figure out how to get the ball rolling for the paper work for someplace soon.

ok, gotta go, I have orders to get potatoes and a corkscrew and I have to go do an undisclosed something which I´m guessing is manuel labor of sorts.

its been nice talking, 

I´ll be back soon.

Matthew

so there is a job in my future.... with it will come working papers, spanish, cuisine, people, a position, stress, money, a busy schedule, and knowledge. not to mention, a month of paid vacation! I´ll tell you all about it when I have it figured out.

as far as pictures go, I´ve only been online enough to go thru about 50 or 60 of the 200+. slow going. so it seems as I get them on here there will be more to post. there will be at least one new picture everytime I´m online for the next few months I would imagine...

hope things are going well for all of you as well!

write stuff on my page so that I know you are listening. I don´t care if its just a hello or a coment one a picture or one of my rants... if you don´t do that then you have to start posting your own dman stuff so that I have something to check out besides nothing on my boring page...

thanks :)

Matthew

I added a few more pics. would have been more but I need to charge my camera.

I took a job. its near my house. the food is ok.

I don´t feel well.

Lindsay, your icon is great! I tried calling you today but got voicemail. maybe there is a baby now. although, I was thinking the 28th or 30th.

go Sox! thats about as much energy I could muster. I´m going home for a siesta...

I´ll be back soon.

M

currently I´m at about 80% for the month... I think that there may be a small lull soon unless I find out that my month is fiscal.

how about them red sox?? I was excited to hear about the next set of rings, but I don´t have much company over here when it comes to us sports. I went to watch the pats play a couple weeks ago at a pub near our apt and there was a bunch or english speaking people. it was weird. the pub, the tv, the voices, almost like I went to watch it somewhere in boston.... can someone tell me what time the pats play this weekend, I have to wokr but if I get out to catch the end of the game I´d be pretty excited about that.

I´m on break right now, but I think that I need to get going so that I can reast my head before going back. its weird to be out of work from 5 to 8... much better than the 30 mins that they took out of my check at dantes even though I never got a break.

anywho, I´ll be back soon. thanks.

Matthew

well.... to start lets just say I´m looking for a new job.

 then I could tell you how we got locked out of our apt in a thought that came a second too late.     it was going to be a walk around the city or maybe a movie,    but when the door went click there was a   ¨do you have the keys?¨ ,  ¨no.¨.  sinking feeling.   well, we were releaved to find one of our landlords home, she gave us a key, phew. then she asked where our key was... in the door  (on the inside). she quickly reminded us that if the key is all the way in the lock that it will not unlock from the outside, ouch. sinking feeling again, anyone?  the story goes on. there was a hanger. talks of balcony climbing (which were not allowed), a peephole removed, a crazy old lady neighbor, a few failed attempts at removing the keys throught the door, and a phone call to the lock guy a couple hours later. he opened the door in about 47 seconds. and lets just say it wasn´t cheap. there was a lesson learned. actually two but I hope that I never have to break into our apt again...

more pics are up. hope they are enjoyed.

more later.

M

I´m still here.

I´ve been looking for a new job. I´ll let you all know how that goes in the next few days... as of now I think there is 2 possibilites and I´m just waiting for a call. so I posted more pics and I have to lable and stuff still... but right now its dinner idea time before the other half gets home.

so I guess I just wanted to say hello...

back again soon!

M

I´ve been away. tired. stressed. not to say I haven´t been thinking of you...

Maria, Jason, Happy birthday!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

sorry they are late, and that I haven´t been online in a bit. I´m alive... don´t worry.

I have more to write as well but may go broke if I keep going right now. I´ll be back later in the week. with a refreshed camera and more time...

stay well,

I miss you all,

Matthew

Arandalia...

I´m working, and its going ok. my days are long and the language is still a hurdle. Hector the chef walks around singing and dancing all day he´s a geek among other things. Chino is , well, from China (I´d write his name but I´d misspell it and then you would miss pronounce it) and he is now who I will think of everytime I see and asain person eat now.at 22 he´s funny, you know how when someone doens´t understand what you are saying so you maybe say it a little louder, well in his case when he talks he tends to talk louder and louder, I think its because he doesn´t understand the language very well. sometimes, I wonder if its at all... he´s worked at the restaraunt for 1 year and 8 months. the other day one of the servers asked him if he was sad that he was leaving, but he didn´t know what triste meant. there were a number of pictures drawn to show emotions before he realized what he meant. now don´t get me wrong, there are days when I don´t feel like I know that language... it leaves me tired a lot. then there is Jose Luis or J, but J in spanish not in english people (Jota). he´s segundo. from ecuador. hyper and crazy, and sometimes more than obscene. when it gets busy he´s a bit of a mess but I like him all and all. he´s funny and easy enough to get along with. he´s 47, worked in London and Rome, wears capri pants and tall funny colored socks!!! I couldn´t make this up... there are a few others that come in and help prep but they go to cook at the other restaurants for lunch and dinner.

Arandalia is the big brother, there is allura qui (middle size) , and Matilda (baby size). Matilda is the most expensive. allura is the cheapest. hears the best part of it all.... we prep all the food for the three places at arandalia! I haven´t seen the website but I think that it looks ok. as far as business, it seems I´m charmed. when I was at gargoyles we broke records, at dante´s too, and now a couple days ago we did 120 for dinner here (I´m told it was a record) and yesterday for lunch we did 84 (not bad for a monday). after the holidays (2nd week in Jan) I hear it slows down a bit and Feb is ¨easy¨. so I should have more time to rest and write. 

I´m going to get going. time to cook dinner!

back soon,

Matthew

merry christmas everyone I hope that you all enjoyed it!

new years tonight so Happy New Years as well!

we´re in Bilbao for what I´m sure will be another memorable dinner with her family :)

I´ve got some more pictures to post but I don´t really have time right now. I´ll try and get them up when we get back to Madrid.

take care!,   Matthew