So tired of the election.. stressed and anxious for it to be overwith.. I’m excited, but seriously, two frickin’ years is too damn long. I voted last week, absentee, and am content knowing that my state is an Obama state. My hopes are high, and all signs point to Yes for a win, but I won’t be sleeping tonight until I see the results, which in Spain won’t be coming in until around 3am. I’ve got a bottle of champagne in the fridge, waiting to be popped open in anticipation of the outcome. Still, I can’t be overly optimistic.. anything can happen, and everyone talks about the possibilities.. is the US ready for a black president? Are people saying one thing and voting the other way? Too many polls, too many podcasts, too much NPR in my ear and it’s driving me nuts. So I’m a masochist for all of this, but I’m excited.. really excited, for the first time in years and years. Plus, my boss has a bet with me, and if he loses, he owes me a hamburger.

Saturday, 24 November, I celebrated Thanksgiving dinner with my expat friends. It was my seventh Thanksgiving dinner in Spain, my eighth or ninth away from my own family. My parents have been spending the past few Thanksgivings down in Florida, with my sister and her boyfriend.Alan and I brought some chipotle sweet potatoes to the dinner this year, along with some olives and wine. There was a 32-pound turkey for the +-20 people at the dinner, though only the breast was used. The usual suspects were around, as well, including mashed taters, stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and a few pies (pumpkin included, of course).Maria’s mother sent some great holiday decorations, including napkins and an accordion turkey. We ate and ate and ate. The dinner began at 4 in the afternoon, and we finished eating around 7. After eating, we had to get up and walk, so we met at metro Alonso Martinez and walked to Colón, down Recoletos, then up to Gran Vía, to see the christmas lights, which, unfortunately, had not yet been lit (they were lit yesterday, Monday). So the group of us ended up going to a wonderfully named bar, Cock, for a drink and to escape the cold.

It’s chilly nowadays, the nights have been getting down to 0ºC, which is cold for Madrid. I’ve busted out my alpahaca winter hat, a gift from Peru, to keep my noggin and ears warm. And walking around on a full belly certainly alleviates the biting wind, as well. After leaving Cock, Alan was hungry again. I couldn’t even think about food the rest of the day, but we went to get him a döner kebap for his barriguita, and then to home to sprawl out on our ratty-ass sofa for the rest of the evening. Fall is slowing up and taking the long slow curve into winter. I want more turkey.