me, myself, and my ipod

Normally on Tuesdays I sleep in until approximately 9:00 since I don't have to work. This morning I woke up at 6:30 and was awake. I contemplated taking a Benadryl for a few minutes, to put myself back to sleep, but then decided I should just get up. I read, checked my e-mail, had some toast, watched a little Dawson's Creek and Regis and Kelly, a neighbor came over to visit and use the internet, basic day off stuff just started 3 hours early. At 9:00 I laced up my Asics and strapped on my iPod to do a little running. Running here is interesting, I go out the gate and my brother's voice comes in to my head, "don't run down that street," "don't go down there," "oh that one is dangerous too." Blah...blah...blah. So I went up this approved hill and then turned on to some dirt road and walked for a while. Everything is really over grown and green this time of year and there are cows and horses and pigs and chickens, totally cool. And dogs, but I don't like the dogs here. I walked around listening to music and taking in the rural beauty of this place kind of wondering where I was but confident that eventually I would come out somewhere familiar. I did! I came up a little farther up on the hill that I had broken off of earlier. I decided this would be a good time to start running again and I did, just enjoying my time out and alone. Then I fell. Yup one of those, oh I bet I'm going to fall right now and since I am running down hill there is nothing I can do to stop it. I jumped up and started running again because I didn't know what else to do and I figured I would get home faster that way. Fortunately I fell on my right side and my iPod armband is on my left arm so it was safe. My right elbow didn't fare so well. Both of my palms hurt too. Leo just found some old bananas and offered to make banana con leche which I am quite excited about.
I wish I could stop writing right there but I have more to get out. But you can pretend that I stopped and just respond to the first part.
On Friday night I went out to dinner with four other girls that live down here. We talked about NCA (the school I don't teach at) and glasses and contact lenses (two things I don't wear). It's weird to constantly hang out with people that I probably wouldn't in normal situations. But I'm sure it is good for me plus I have you to talk to and have been branching out a little more socially. Saturday my roommate was reading by the pool and I decided to go sit in it. There was only one other person in the pool, an old man with a belly and a speedo. He decided to introduce himself and to talk to me in super fast Spain Spanish. I'm not sure why he is here but I think I understood the rest of the conversation. Then when he was getting out of the pool he did the cheek kiss thing which I am normally fine with but it was awkward. Then I looked over at my roommate pretending to read but she couldn't because she was laughing too hard. His apartment faces ours and told me to stop by if I ever need anything and he offered me a ride to school on Monday. I declined, that walk wakes me up. On Sunday night I went to the movies with my friend Maria. She is Nicaraguan and doesn't live by me so I decided to take a taxi. It was my first taxi ride without a chaperone. It cost $3 and I guess I could have paid less but I think I would feel guilty, gas here is expensive and what else am I supposed to do with my money.
When I'm not going out socializing I always have my books to keep me company. I think I'm at about one 400 page novel every 5 days plus a chapter here a chapter there of whatever books I have stacked on my nightstand. And there are movies. It only costs $3 to go to one plus we have a fair amount at our house. On Saturday night I started one you may have heard of, Lord of the Rings. I guess some people are into them, I am not one of those people. Why don't they ever end? Sorry if I offended you, I'm trying. That was my second attempt at the first one. I also couldn't get through the books. I just get frustrated because I know that when the first one ends there will be two more, equally long, to go.
Happy Tuesday!
Love, Joy