Back in the United States. It's a little weird. The night before I left it all hit me. I was sad to be leaving Madrid, the lifestyle and the people I met there. Part of that sadness was also probably due to the fact that I knew I was doomed to some time at my parents house in the suburbs while I decide what to do next. For those of you who haven't lived in the suburbs without a car, I don't recommend it. As of now, I'm still waiting for opportunities to present themselves. Check back next weekend, another casino money-making plan is in the works.

I flew into New York and when I got off the plane, I asked about the weather. I began in Spanish. Since then, there have been multiple times when I walked into convenience stores and started to say "Hola." Then I realized that A) it's not Spain anymore and B) the majority of people in stores in the US don't even seem to greet each other anymore. Some do, some don't. But it was second nature there. The first thing you hear everywhere is "hola". Bars, restaurants, Chinese convenience stores, etc... and I have decided to continue doing the same here. Maybe after the 20th time I receive the casual head tilt up and a barely recognizable glance in my direction from the store clerk my plans will change, but until then...holla.

Another change I am getting used to is the language. And it's not just Spanish to English. It's English (dirty British) to American. I catch myself almost saying some British terms like "proper job", "mate", "keen" and "fancy". I used one of these phrases the other day and instead of an answer, the only thing I received was a look of bewilderment. After a year and a half of hanging out with Brits and teaching English out of their silly books I have begun to use some of their more common and colloquial phrases. If I start talking about traffic on the dual carriageway, someone please smack me!

It was about 75-80 degrees and sunny the day I left Madrid. Lots of outdoor cafes were open. The streets were filled. Since I have been home, I woke up twice with a dusting of snow on the ground. Summer can't get here soon enough.

Employment -
If you know of any well-paid jobs available in the New York / New Jersey area for a strikingly handsome guy with off-the-charts intelligence and a God complex, please let me know. I'm available immediately and would prefer a job that provides a car since my car is non-existent. Ideally, it will be management position with good hours, great benefits and lots of vacation time.

Reasons I am Happy to Be Back -
* Seeing friends and family
* Good pizza
* Better access to books in English
* Can start searching for my next destination
* Closer to the beach
* Season 2 of LOST

Reasons I'm NOT -
* Back in Bush country
* The possibility of re-entering the rat race
* Lack of transportation
* NYC vs. Madrid (price of beer, wine and everything else)
* Cloudless, sunny skies until 10pm in Madrid (late spring and summer)
* Lots more commercials (about 50%)