I almost have a routine!

Six weeks down - which means only ten to go! Christ. That's not at all ok with me.
This week was less exciting than most, mostly because I was coming off my Milano high and getting pumped for Amsterdam, so Barcelona was great... but really feeling like an interim. Classes - mere formalities for the four days I am in Spain. I also had my first test of the semester, in my Spanish class. I finished really quickly, which worries me slash confirms my suspicions that I am awesome at Spanish. Or overly confident. Whatever.
On Wednesday, rather than remember that I had several Skype dates scheduled, I went to MACBA (Contemporary Art Museum... Barcelona... Art) and lost myself for (I kid you not) three hours in only one exhibition - the main collection was all that was open, since they were changing the other exhibits. It was really cool, and I liked a lot of it. I was also weirded out by a lot of it. For instance: the video of a candle burning, then a shot of that burning candle being held to a man's nipple. On loop. There was audio, but I didn't feel the need to pick up the headphones - oddly enough. And a full length film (I watched maybe 30 minutes) which made so little sense that I can't describe it in sentences, only in a series of phrases: people in primary color ponchos, men in leather pants whipping themselves, bearded women, little people, gravel mountains, drugs (that one wasn't involved in the movie itself, but I suspect was involved in the making of it).
That evening, I made some friends come with me to Harlem Jazz Club, where Caracola, a rumba band, was playing. They were really good, but not as fantastic as Meztuca. I really need Meztuca to play again. I'm trying to stalk them, but they appear to not use their website as often as I use the internet. But it was a really good show. Mostly I just want to delve into this wide world of la rumba catalana as much as I can. I also went to Harlem last week with some other people, and saw a REALLY cool jazz group - I can't figure out who, since all the website says is "Red Bull Music Academy All-stars," but they were so cool and the guy on the vibraphone(? - not so good with the terminology here) was INCREDIBLE slash so intense. They all just kept playing, and then randomly (probably not that randomly) soloing, and then one person would set down their instrument and go grab a drink or a different instrument, and then someone else would come over and pick up the one they had left. There were about seven people total, shuffling through who was playing. Then after a break this adorable tiny British woman started singing over recorded tracks - she was pretty good but nothing in comparison to the band. Then they all started slowly coming back up and playing with her - first the drummer, then the guitar player, then she yelled "we need a bass!" and someone came and played that, and there was someone djing over all of this. It was crazy good. AND they drug this random woman out of the crowd and made her rap over the whole thing! It all just seemed so spontaneous - I'm sure it wasn't, but it did look very impressive. So that's the story of last Thursday - then I informed the group I had to go home to watch the VP debate. Which I did, from my bed.
Tuesday night I actually fell asleep, headphones on, clutching my laptop, in front of the debate. I was determined to make it until 3, but I sort of forgot that it only started at 3, and would go until 4:30 or 5... so I was really tired. I didn't have class until 2 the next day though, which was very lucky. Also, to stay awake, I watched Top Gun, which I hadn't seen before, and OH MY GOD it is so great. Yes, I am in Spain.
In other news, I am going to Amsterdam in 9 hours. Very exciting, slash also means I won't be sleeping a lot tonight. But who cares? I'M GOING TO AMSTERDAM! WITH JANE! I am really excited. Mostly for Jane. But I hear the Netherlands are cool too. I'm trying to think if I did anything else cool this week. I really love my art history class. We're doing post-impressionism right now, and I actually know who both Vincent van Gogh and Paul Gauguin are, so I'm feeling more accomplished than the first week. Not a lot. But a little. I seem to remember some educational comic book about van Gogh dreaming that the paints he was buying were food. So I'm taking that to mean he was poor. Which was confirmed in class today! I hope you all know I am (mostly) kidding about my complete lack of art knowledge. I mean, I don't know much. But I do know about van Gogh. Aaaaaaanyway, we're reading Jimenez in my poetry class, and Borges in my Latinamerican lit class, and learning about Lebanon in my Islam history class. I feel very cool right now. Did I mention I went to a jazz club last night?

[Update:] Oh my god I had to edit and say that Ana is the best cook EVER. We had baked salmon with potatoes and roasted tomatoes, and asparagus and mushrooms. And then pomegranate and yogurt for dessert. Ugggggh food baby.