Naked old guys and more

So the past two weeks have been pretty uneventful.  That's not to say that I haven't done a lot or had fun, just not much really exciting or out of the ordinary.  It's hard to believe I've been here almost four weeks.  Barcelona is still wonderful.  I never know what will be around the next corner.  For example, on Sunday I went out to a street cafe to have some tapas while working on my SIRE grant application (shameless brown nosing).  I look up from my typing to see a naked older man walking down the street.  He wasn't streaking like a dumb Amercian, he was just out for a stroll smoking a cigarette.   I was confused at first and I stared for several

seconds trying to figure out if he was just in a flesh colored suit, but alas, no.  I mentioned it to my co-workers and they told me he used to be out all the time until he got arrested after some complaints. I guess he got paroled.

Lab is going quite well, albeit my progress seems to be quite slow.  Down time is quite rare as there always seems to be something to do.  My photochemical reaction is going well.  The first time it took a week for results, but by adding an oxidant, we've cut that time in half.  The problem is the time it takes to make the substrate.  For example, to get the asymmetric substrate for the reaction takes 30 days, because the chiral PKR takes 20-25 days itself.  I may be able to develop some methodology for a future student to work on, but there is no way for me to finish this project. The coolest part is that my compounds are UV active. Holy Fluorescing flasks!

I guess now it's two weekends ago I went to Montserrat.  It's a mountain with a medieval monastery about halfway up.  It is rumored that St. John (I think) hid in a cave on the mountain after the death of Jesus.  However, my favorite factoid about the mountain is that rosemary grows wild and there are places where there is so much you can smell it.  After an hour train ride out of the city, I took a cable car to the monastery.  It's a really nice, though small area.  Only the basilica of the monastery is open to the public, so I looked around and hung out to hear the boy's choir, which sings Ave Maria every day at 1pm.  However, they took that day off.  I walked outside and bought some honey and cheese from a little market comparable to the Emory sustainable overpriced market (I don't think that's the exact name, but you get the picture).  I then set off on a hike that kicked my butt.  I had forgotten how out of shape I am.  However, the views of the countryside were spectacular.  I had a picnic and came back down.  I wanted to go up the other side, and thank goodness there was a tram. After my fill of views and pictures I came back to Barcelona.

As if that wasn't enough for one day, I went out to a music festival with some friends from lab.  I thought it was going to be alt rock, but turned out to be anarchist punk rock.  Definately an interesting experience.  I didn't understand any of the music because it was all in Catalan (they favor independence).  My friend pointed out to me that if we had been there only 30 years ago, during the Franco dictatorship, we would have all be arrested and jailed, possibly disappeared.  However, since I'm American, he told me I probably would have just been deported.  I guess it has its advantages from time to time.

This week is going to be a lot of fun.  Tonight begins San Juan.  Its a summer solstice festival in memory of John the Baptist.  It's traditional to go for a swim in the ocean to wash away one's sins and for couples to jump over bonfires seven times to make their love last.  I think the whole bonfire thing sounds a little extreme considering that any festival in Spain is accompanied by copious amount of adult beverages.  In addition to random bonfires throughout the city there are also fireworks shows and everyone sets off firecrackers and bottle rockets.  The party lasts all night and it is traditional to watch the sunrise from the beach.  Sounds like my kind of party.  The actual holiday is tomorrow, kind of like New Year's day is designed for recovery for New Year's Eve.

Once I've recovered, I head Thursday to London for a long weekend for Natalie.  I think we're going out to Oxford on Friday so I can have lunch at my favorite pub from my study abroad.  The weekend will be spent wondering around London. I'm so excited!