Geo: 51.0197, -115.547No flights from London to Madrid on July 17, so I need to stay in London overnight. Going to take advantage and stay three nights (one paid for by the airline). Going to crash with Gufran's family the other two. If there was time at the end of the trip I would've done this anyway. I was quite nervous this morning (again), but more so. I'll have an ulcer by the time I get to Toledo. Instead of asking Isabel if I can "move the beds apart", I will ask if she has Pepto Bismol. I'm going to lose two days as a result of the delay. I'm a lot more mellow nowadays; two years ago I would probably freak out. Not sure if I'll go into London tomorrow since the hotel will be ... read more

Geo: 51.0197, -115.547First thing's first ... people have asked me this many times so I need to definitively say I DID NOT BUY or MAKE the Isabel doll I posted on Imagestation! Three evil friends (I won't use real names; instead I will call them Juan, Maria, and Yvonna) bought it for me in Lagos, Portugal and presented it to me atop our rooftop terrace in Salema as a birthday joke. And NO, I don't sleep with it or worship it (though she's very good at listening and never nags). It's just a funny reminder of what a fool I was last year in Spain.Anyway, here's the story - I met Isabel last year in Toledo, where she worked at a hotel that John and I stayed at. We arrived there only after many problems - ... read more