Bowling, Beer, and Second Breakfast

Bowling
Last Saturday all of us "young adults" finally went out and did something together. That something was bowling. Some of our members where very unexperienced, even the more experienced ones were nothing to write home about (that would be me. Kind of ironic since writing this blog is tantamount to writing home). So we sort of had 2 games going on at the same time, using the same card. One pair fought it out in the low 20s, while the other three fought it out in the 90s and 100s, even employing such heavy artillery as strikes and spares. I was ultimately victorious with a score of 119. To all of you hard-core bowlers, that number may be scoffable, however please take into account the fact that 1) that is the first time I have won at bowling in quite possible a decade and 2) probably only the 3rd or 4th time I have been bowling in as long.

Beer
I like Europe a very great deal. As of April of this year, I will have spent 1 of the past 2.25 years living in it. I very well might live there even more in the future, but I still have one thing, one quarrel, with this magical land of public transport. That thing is beer. Admittedly, you can get what I am told is much better beer here than in the US. However, since all beer is distasteful to me, that does me exactly zero good. I have now tried enough different types of beers to be able to say which ones I like less, however the drink does not appeal to me, much to the chagrin of both Spain and Germany: Spain, because sitting in bars and having a caña is a cornerstone of Spanish social interaction (the other is sitting in cafés having a coffee); and Germany, because, well, it´s Germany for crying out loud--beer is a national pastime! Even the top beer names in other countries tend to have German beginnings.

So I stick to soda and the occasional copa. The frustrating thing is that if you don't drink beer, you end up spending more. A class of soda here runs around 2€, while a caña is typically around 1.50€. Ah well, I just keep telling myself that I still come out on top fiscally because I don´t smoke.

Second Breakfast
This is just to note how much I like the idea of second breakfast. Below, I have outlined my idea of the perfect schedule here in Spain utilizing the second breakfast.

8am: wake up, lay in bed for 10 minutes convincing yourself that getting out of bed is in fact a good idea.

8:15: make some oatmeal and a cup of tea, and eat breakfast while reading some meditative text.

9amish: go take a shower (if you are me, praying fervently that there is hot water).

9:30: get dressed and what not, prepare to go out.

9:45 or 10am: go for a walk, in a park if you can manage it.

10:30: by now you will be meditation on oatmeal, it's richness in fiber and tendency to give you a really roaring appetite.

10:31: Second Breakfast! More tea, or coffee, if that is your preference, and something along the lines of bread or toast with marmalade or other appropriate substance, up to the breakfaster's discretion.

That's it! I would follow second breakfast with some heavier reading and some writing, perhaps preparing some letters to send out. Lunch would then be between 1-2. You will notice that from the time you wake up until lunch time, there is a small meal every 2 hours, both of which are accompanied by tea or coffee. This schedule could be adjusted for various cultures and scenarios. In the US, you just back everything up about 2 hours, and second-breakfast becomes a break in the morning. Having a coffeed or teaed break with edibles to look forward to is sure to spur the discouraged worker on during the long morning.