More poo please / 2 week Spanish course

So it's true...you DO get good luck if you get pooped on by a bird.

Right now I'm on the bus on the way back from Zaragoza. It was a fun weekend with Steve and Rocio which started with some amazing chocolate con churros in a bar that was so packed that we couldn't get a seat, and that served nothing but chocolate and churros:

The weekend included two very tasty Thai curries (one prawn, one chicken) cooked by Steve, sightseeing, football and the usual giggles that come when in the company of the old boy. ...and my luck came, just when i was hoping for it:

I went along to Zaragoza's La Romareda stadium to see if i could get a cheapish ticket. Knowing that the cheapest official ones still being sold were €75 i didn't hold out a great deal of hope. The touts were offering between 70-80, as well as trying to sell me one fake ticket for €45. Fortunately i didn't fall for it. Then, like a ray of light on a grey day, a tall, well dressed, young guy came through the crowd. I spotted him approaching a tout and realised he was looking to sell a spare. They apparently offered him €20 to which he declined. Steve and I then prized him away from the touts, who were now offering a whopping €30, and asked how much he wanted. He asked for €60 and showed us the ticket - IT WAS FOR THE BEST SEATS IN THE HOUSE, worth €100! We kept with the tactic we had prepared for and practiced with the touts which was that I wasn't that bothered about the game and I only had €40 euros on me. The guy came down in increments of €5 until 'realising' that i really did only have €40 (although I had €55 in my wallet!) and sold me the ticket for our nice price of €40. What luck! When I got in I couldn't believe it, I was right behind the players tunnel on the halfway line. It was amazing. I was half of spitting distance from the players' benches, to Ronaldinho, Henry, Messi etc etc etc. I won't bore any non-football readers any more but for those interested my 'report' on the game (including the pictures and videos i took) is here.

For the next two weeks I have set myself up with an intensive Spanish course ...My OWN course! Using a 13 chapter Spanish book I am going to give myself 2 weeks of disciplined learning. I intend to have working hours of 10am-5pm with an hour lunch break in which I will complete one chapter per day in either the park and local cafes. I will start tomorrow, take Sundays off and thus complete the final chapter 2 weeks tomorrow. I'll continue with some web work in the evenings but won't worry about getting a job here until my course is complete. The fact that I'm living with Spanish speakers will really help I think as I'll be able to put each day's learning to the test every evening. I'm pretty excited about the prospect of being able to converse at a higher level in two weeks time.

Right, we're nearly back in Barca, I think I'll go and sit on my balcony when we get home in the hope of more presents from above...