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Radiohead blares from my tinny shittypie speakers. I am enjoying in immensely. The shuffle mix of four albums (Opeth - *Watershed*, Pink Floyd - *Obscured by Clouds*, Radiohead - *In Rainbows*, Univers Zero - *The Hard Quest*) I created yesterday continues. Perhaps Banshee will stop its slight irritation of stopping at the end of each track. We shall see soon.
So begins my second full day in Rioja. I live in a flat adjacent to Madis. It is huge (for a small animal such as me) and mostly empty. I spend most of the time in the bedroom. Madis loaned me a table to place mustela-ermina on. A place where I can work, he said. I shall do my best to actually work whilst I sit here instead of wasting time as I have been known to do in the past reading pointless dribble on Reddit, Cracked or Progressiveears.org.
Yesterday (which, if you have the ability to calculate, was my first full day in Rioja), we drove to a hillock (1200m above sea level at its peak) and walked up to a height sufficient enough to view the surrounding countryside. The quiet was refreshing. The only sounds came from Astrid's whining. For some reason, those sounds did not bother me much, however. I snapped photos, got ahead of the *group*, rejoined, edged away again, rejoined, and generally enjoyed the slight hike. My new boots even treated my feet passibly well. Madis spent much of his voice on explaining the bureaucracy of the Spanish government, both local and national. Of course, this pertained mostly to attaining grants for European Mink conservation. He has recently received 20 000 euros. He'll use this to research the distribution of European and of American minks along two tributaries of the Ebro which cascade through the valley in which are the towns (*villages*) of Cihuri, Casalareina and Haro. The latter is the largest and I expect we shall visit it today. I need a *fucking* Spanish sim card. Ah.... I have drifted from the subject.
Banshee crashed after Pink Floyd's *Biding My Time*. Is there some symbolism to be seen in this? The universe let the song play, of course, but then rejected its premise (or, rather, the title's premise) because I am not, actually, biding any time at all. I am revelling in my current time. The contrast to Stonecrop, the summer and early autumn, the swirling disarray of the management and general discontent is steep. I'm already in love with a life which is temporary. (One can argue that all lives are temporary.) Madis's dream is to buy land in the Burgos region of Castilla y Leon for a mere 30 000 euros, build a house on it, etc. One can imagine the rest. He enjoys Cihuri, but he'd rather have a house than a flat. I would, as well. I share a dream such as this. This region of Spain (or Pais Vasco, which may be much more expensive), is alluring. I passed through Burgos on the train Thursday on the way to Miranda de Ebro (where Madis picked me up). The region still had a dry, deserty feel to it. The green, hillock spotted area did not begin until closer to Miranda de Ebro. Of course, I don't know exactly where Madis is indicating, for the actual Burgos region includes more than just the city of Burgos. Necesito unos dineros, vole. I, too, can construct a structure in which to spend lonely, poignant days.
Los próximos días van a estar diciendo. And then again, would settling ever be correct for me? Next year (March?), I'll be in Estonia again, as well. Oouh, baby.
@flavigula@sonomu.club
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