I´m solo this evening. . .

The plague has hit us in a fairly minor way. I am fighting a cold like a true champion and Natalie is back at camp guzzling OJ and praying that what I have doesn´t catch up to her. I ventured into town alone to make a few phone calls, catch up on internet things and listen to the new Gogol Bordello CD I bought.

Some exciting news: As Natalie and I walked through the streets of Madrid we found a great Irish pub called the James Joyce. It was phenominal, and coincidently I booked a gig there for sometime next year! I hope the band wants to travel:) After Ireland, I should have enough contacts to get a true European tour going!

Tomorrow is our last day in Madrid, we board the train to Lisbon Portugal tomorrow night at 10 pm and arrive at 7 am the next morning. I read in the news that my Cinncinati Bengals signed Terrel Owens this week, yikes!

Today, as we sat on the steps of the Royal Palace of the King of Spain (He doesn´t live there, just uses it as a place to meet dignitaries) we heard a bad violinist try to play over a loud speaker. I also got to play Flamenco guitar in an exclusive shop. The guitars were beautiful! They were hand made in Spain and the quality of the guitars were exquisite. Natalie is as patient as a saint when I pass a music store (they are so rare here, not kidding) and stands there as I pick up a guitar and play gypsy or Irish music!

I know that she´ll read this later, but I want to tell all of you that have been reading Thank You. Not for reading but for being part of this exciting part of my life with the most amazing woman I have ever met (sorry mom:). She really is so good to me, that there is nothing to complain about.

I hope this post finds everyone well. I have surpassed the 400 page mark in my book (hand written) and it should translate to a good story someday. I actually started researching my new texts books today thanks to a forward thinking professor who e-mailed out all the books for the semester. Natalie and I have been reading like feinds, and at the end of the summer we´ll have put down between 5,000 and 10,000 pages each! We found some English books in a bookstore in Italy, pain in the butt to carry, but worth the mental sharpening. I just finished Thomas Hardy´s "Jude the Obscure" and Natalie is reading James Joyce´s "The Dubliners" which I have already read. I am just getting into "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie and have already read "Murder on the Nile" thanks to Natalie. After Orient I have two more books to read, "David Cooperfield" which Dicken´s said was his very favortie book and "Nicholas and Alexandra" a historical retelling of the crazy Russian Royal family. If anyone wants a summary or to borrow them when we get home let us know!
Taske care until I can write again.
All the very best for our friends and family!

-Troy (minus Natalie for the next 12 mintues it takes to walk back to camp!)