Are we there, yet?

The flights back were OK, except for a crazy connection in SeaTac airport, which highlighted a somewhat overweight wheelchair pusher racing through the terminal while I screamed at everyone to get out of the way. The pilot was holding the flight to Paris for me, since my flight from Ontario (CA), after arriving early, had sat on the tarmac for 30 minutes. I had a 40-minute connection time.

I gave up my window seat for the 10-hour flight so a wife could sit next to her husband; in return, I got an aisle seat with an empty seat next to me. Not a bad trade. The seats in premium economy are not as comfortable as advertised, so I couldn’t get comfortable or get any sleep. It was a long trip from ONT to PAR to BCN.

I was so out of it when I got to the apartment that I couldn’t remember how to turn off the alarm (with the fob on my keychain) or the security password when the company called. Short-term memory loss? Exhaustion? TIA? You decide. But all’s well now, and I’m settled in, if still a bit forgetful.

The weather is lovely, if humid. It’s a big difference from the dryness of SoCal, but it’s healthier for us older folks who dehydrate more easily. Even my vision is better. I’m still plugging through the second book by Santiago Posteguillo about the life of Julius Caesar. The first was Roma, soy yo (I am Rome) and the second is Maldita Roma (Accursed Rome). It’s slow going, because there are so many technical words (war tactics and machines) that I have to look up (or skim over, if they don’t seem overly important to the story).  But I do enjoy the writing style and content.

I bought a dual-sim card phone in CA, which allows me to combine two phones in one; it’s a great technology. However, and there’s always a “however” with tech, I had problems activating the Spanish card in a US phone. Also, when I downloaded my bank’s app onto the new phone, my bank’s computer system picked up the change from my old phone and identified me as a phishing victim. In response, they froze my bank account. I figured out the problem immediately, but the security department didn’t hear or take my word for it; so, I couldn’t transfer money to pay my bills. I finally got so frustrated that I went to my bank and took out the cash and went to my landlord’s bank in order to deposit it. There I was told that the bank took cash deposits only on Thursdays. Yep. That’s what they said. They said more, some of which I didn’t understand. However, later that day, my bank account was unblocked, and I redeposited the money and then transferred it. Four days of frustration, excuses, and calls to customer service (to cell companies, banks, managers and landlords) which I will never get back. I know myself to be a highly competent problem solver, but, for god’s sake, how many problems am I supposed to solve at a time?  A friend mentioned Karma, and I think that I, while not hurting people in past lives, must have tortured them endlessly.

I have beautiful views from my place, but, as in Costa Rica, no screens. People here smoke and don’t believe in screens. Whereas these are not related, they both indicate a willful ignorance of the dangers of smoking and of the new, disease-carrying mosquitoes that are expected to be plentiful this spring and summer due to the unusually wet winter. I bought two rolls of screening at Loew’s before coming here, so I’ll install them this week. As for the smoking, well, I may use the technique the locals used against tourists when spraying them with water from spray bottles. Probably counterproductive to my desire for acceptance.

My days are peaceful and I’m finally relaxing. I walk every day, and I wandered through a massive underground mall near several beautiful  and famous old buildings. I found a hidden supermarket with an extensive selection of products for good prices. The only challenge was, after emerging into the light burdened with bags of groceries, I had to fight with throngs of tourists for a taxi. Lesson learned. Next time, I’ll bring a rolling cart.

Damned foreigners!

I rejoined the gym I used last year. It has what I need, for the most part, and it’s a block and a half from my place.

That’s the latest. The only last battle is getting my TV package activated. It appears that the Amazon Fire Stick that I bought at Best Buys doesn’t allow me to download the Spanish app that I need. I’ve been watching the old Star Trek Voyager series, because all I get is Netflix. The good thing about this little quest is that I feel a complete lack of urgency. Every other system is up and running, so, when I need a break, I can just read or stare out the window.

Happy almost summer.