Run up to Thanksgiving in a nutshell...

So it’s been well over a month since my last post… not entirely sure how that happened. I had plenty of time while I was in Spain; I guess I was just doing other things. Having now been back in the US for now almost a month, I still don’t really have any idea when I’m going to get to go back. 
To those who haven’t heard this story yet the reason I came back to the US was I got a job with the Spanish government teaching children in a Spanish school 4 days a week. In order to take that job, I had to come back and get a different visa then just the regular tourist one that I had prior. It has been a huge amount of work to both get into the program I’m a part of, but also to apply for the student visa that I need to go back to Espana. It looks like, even though I thought I would be back to Spain in less then a month, I won’t be going back until at least after Christmas. (I got back on Halloween). I’m just not sure if I’ll have a job if I go back that late. We’ll see I’m trying to make sure that the education ministry is well informed of how I am doing so they don’t give away my post.
Other then chasing parts of my application I’ve mostly just been sitting around the house either not doing anything, which is most of the time, watching TV, or simply reading something. So far I have finished a couple of books, the most notable and enjoyable is “Germs, Guns, and Steel” by Jared Diamond. It’s a real good read and I like his whole theory of development of human society, even if I don’t think it’s anyway the last word on societal evolution. I’d recommend it to anyone, even if they don’t believe in Human evolution (since he does make reference to at points, but it’s not overly important to the point he’s making). Though I suppose if you hold that the human race is only 5000 years old, then there might be some trouble with his ideas….so on second thought maybe that wouldn’t work.
The other real noteworthy book is the “Golden Compass” by Philip Pullman. It’s an interesting read, because you’re never really sure where he’s going to take it next. Though my main complaint with it is all the main characters are really cold. The main character is a girl who grows up at a college surrounded by students and faculty it’s really similar to my childhood. When we finally find out who her parents are, they are both pretty horrible people. Who kill people and care little for anyone except themselves. I had planned to read the entire “Dark Materials” series, but after I got the end of the first book…I decided not to continue with it.
Besides reading the news too much and hanging at my parent’s house all the time, my time has been pretty open. I have a few other books I’m working on and I really enjoy having the open ended time to myself. It’s been interesting not going anywhere for a while and I have really enjoyed the slow pace of life I have experienced in the last few months. In the US we’re so obsessed with work and getting things done all the time, that we don’t take the time to smell the roses. It’s nice to take the time to cook something or just hang out with people and talk about nothing in particular. Time, at least in the US, is used so sparingly on those kind things it’s nice to enjoy the slow pace of everything. Any its Thanksgiving so I’m going to hang out with the assembled family.