Deep Freeze

I have been thinking that the weather here has been unusually cold. Today, it was confirmed. Spain is experiencing the coldest late November and early December temperatures since 1987! Yesterday, it was colder in Madrid than Helsinki or Moscow! This wasn´t in the contract! We are hoping that the cold temperatures now will be replaced by record heat in January or February 2009. Only time will tell...

Happy Holidays!

Well, Thanksgiving came and went without much excitement. We actually worked all day! The weather has been terrible for a week. It has been very cold, with nights in the low 20´s and days around 40. There was mixed snow and graupel (round, white frozen ice pellets) an hour ago! When I left STL in 1990, I vouched never to live where it is cold again. Thus, winter will be the primary cause limiting our stay in Madrid. Some classes end this Friday, others next Friday. I have to take 15 days off before Dec 31, so this will be a very short work month for me. Maybe now I can dedicate some time to my dissertation...One of Ingrid's cousins will be visiting us Dec 14-20, then Ingrid & I are going to Lanzarote, Canary Islands for XMAS week. I will be posting some pics of all the decorations around Madrid once it gets warm enough for us to go sightseeing!