1995

3 Months

NYC

A Jewel

Eivissa

Tree Abuse

ECO

Black Friday

Bocadillo

Danger!

Estofado

Sangria

Rave

Cannibis

Camino Viejo

Neutrinos

Weather

Roosters

JCS

The PM

Plongeé

Smila

Customs

O. J. Verdict

1995 Eivissa (Ibiza): Fish Monger

A Roar

MacWorld

Padinkos

Bye E, Hello GC

Gran Canaria

Where

A Tour

How

Food

Yumbo

Las Palmas

Playa

1995 Gran Canaria: Potpourri

Norteños

More Food

Irishmen

Heading Home

USA

With Dad

Back at Home

Tuesday 17 Oct 1995

I've figured out the problem: it's not just that folks on Eivissa don't ground their electrical circuits ("because it attracts lightning") but that the power has spikes, noise, and drop-outs (the opposite of spikes). That's why the CD-ROM sometimes returned garbled ID information: it wasn't getting enough juice to operate properly. I told Daniel that until he got a power reconditioner I couldn't guarantee the operation of anything that I'd brought over. A local electrician installed a proper ground before I left, I hope that Daniel follows through with the reconditioner.

Six weeks have gone by quickly, but with the hardware troubles I've had here I'm looking forward to changing venues. I'm sad about it; the entire tenor of the trip was changed by my not being able to talk to my publishers nor being able to work with Daniel on a day-to-day basis. (My wallet being almost US$2000 lighter doesn't help my mood any.)

Guess what? I'm back in the café in the Aeropuerto de Madrid-Barajas, enjoying Illy café-brand coffee. My trip is half-over; hopefully the technological hell I've been in won't follow me to Gran Canaria. Trip preparations had only one sour note: one plastic bag that I'd had in Sant Joan as my overflow bag was either misplaced or stolen. It contained:

1. my "emergency services" search-and-rescue mountaineering boots

2. a pair of US Army "battle dress uniform" camoulflage pants from my time in the service

3. a Tilley hat (out of which I live while on the road)

4. and a silver belt buckle (and "keepers") that I'd gotten on one of my trips to "Arizona" on a hand-made belt

It's only this last item that really will be hard to replace. Sigh. The most difficult thing about leaving is - for me - the people to which I've grown close, especially the youngest ones. I made my rounds, saying goodbye to Fernandito, Thomás, Siggy, Michael, Manuel, Leslie, David, etc. I got a wonderful hug from one of Mayra's friends. There are some very wonderful people here. But of all the people here, it's Djamal that I'll miss the most. Even his routine of waking me up with a persistent "hello? hello?"