Thursday 12th of May 2005

ETA -1 month, 9 days

Hospital de Jornaleros: Calle Maudes, 17.

So, I’ve been in Madrid for a month and some now. So far, the only thing I really miss is the Sea. I fear I will miss it even more so now that the summer is coming up. I’ve been told that the summer in Madrid is excruciatingly hot, and much to my dislike (mostly because of the electricity bill) I will probably end up sitting in front of the AC most of the time. I must say though, the metro is bloody brilliant.

Interestingly, not long ago, the question “if you could eliminate one season, which would it be?” came about. Everyone seemed to agree with taking out autumn. They converged on the fact that it was a sad season, everything dying up, et cetera. Personally, I love autumn. I don’t see what’s sad about it, I see it as relaxing, mellow and very much romatic. Also, in the temperate zones, autumn is the season during which most crops are harvested, and I need my food. Autumn is also fun. So, autumn stays.

I chose summer. I understand your skepticism, but I see it this way: I can go to the beach in Spring. In fact, it is Spring right now, and the weather would be just perfect to go the beach, if there was a body of sea anywhere close to Madrid. Summer is hot, sticky, bothersome, wastes energy like no other (AC running 24/7, fridge has a harder time keeping stuff cold, et cetera) it rains less and in some cases causes dry outs, it increases by a large magnitude the chances a green area might catch on fire, lowers productivity, et cetera.

When you’re cold, for example in winter, all you have to do is put on another shirt, sweater, jacket and the problem is effectively solved. You can’t anything about heat. You walk out, it’s there. It is all around you, and there’s nothing you can wear or do that will take it away. And anyways, my ass is far too hairy for it to endure massive heat. So yeah, summer, thumbs down.