I had to go inside of a bank today—something I haven’t done in ages. It was a strange experience all around and for a number of reasons. It sometimes seems that there is a bank on every corner here in Valencia yet it took me about a half an hour on my clown bike to track down the bank I was looking for. This particular branch of the bank has these creepy airlock-type doors through which you must enter and exit. A creepy robot voice told me to place all of my metallic times in lockers provided. I found the table with the paperwork I needed. I heretofore didn’t realize that ingresar is the word the Spanish use for “to deposit.” I looked around for a pen, didn’t find one, and then had to exit again to dig a pen out of my pack which I had deposited-he ingresado in a locker. When I came back through the airlock the metal detector went off again but I think the guy behind the desk saw me and opened it.
As I was leaving I was trying to remember the last time I actually walked inside of a bank. I have done everything online or by phone for at least the last eight years or so. Then I got to thinking about other things I haven’t done in a while.
The last time I drove a car: August 2006
The last time I was stuck in traffic: A long, long time ago. I hardly ever drove when I lived in Seattle so I never remember being in traffic there. I don’t remember being stuck in traffic since I lived in the Washington D.C. metro area and I left there in 1992. I don’t know how people deal with traffic on a daily basis.
The last time I ate at McDonalds: Hell if I know but at least over 10-12 years ago
The last time I went to a baseball game: August 2006. Do I miss baseball? Not really, since moving here I have thrown myself into football 100%.
The last time I lived without a bicycle: Never, not including the two or three days after my bike was stolen before I
The last time I made a paella: Two weeks ago after the Levante-Betis football game
The last time I used a clothes dryer: Not since I moved to Spain. This is one of those modern conveniences that I think I can easily live without from now on. In the summer if you hang stuff up on the roof it will be dry in a little over an hour. During the winter you can hang it on a rack inside your apartment.
