Mopping and the Art of Recycling

Mop & recycling bins in kitchen

Okay, these two things have nothing to do with each other, other than the fact that these are two living adjustments that I am making here in Barcelona.  First, let's talk about mopping.  Mopping was never a big part of my housecleaning life in the U.S.  In the places I've lived in, it was relegated to just the kitchen, since the rest of the house had carpeting in most rooms, either wall-to-wall or carpets that covered most of the wooden floors.  In my last home, even the kitchen floor was made of wood so I didn't even own a mop.

Here is Barcelona, however, a mop is an essential cleaning tool.  Most homes have either ceramic tile or parquet floors with very little carpeting.  Also, the windows here do not have screens on them and the windows are usually open day and night so the house and the floor gets dusty very quickly.  This is where the mop comes in very handy.  I pretty much use it throughout the house, from the loft to the kitchen with great results!



The Art of Recycling

Barcelona has an extensive recycling system.  On every block there are bins for regular trash and for

recycled trash.  Unlike the recycling that we had to do in Alexandria, VA, where all recycled materials go in one container, the city of Barcelona requires you to separate the different materials yourself.  Basically, you end up with 5 containers in your home, one for: glass (green), plastics and tins (yellow), paper (blue), organics (brown) and a container for whatever is leftover (gray)

.  The good news is that you can take your trash downstairs to the city bins anytime.  The bad news is that you need to set up a system to separate these materials in your house yourself.  Since space is a premium, especially in my place, it takes the right type of bins to fit well in the house.

Trying to find the right bins drove me crazy, and as a consequence, I think it drove Chris crazy too a little bit.  But finally at Ikea we found some bins that could work.  What I found out about myself is that until I had my recycled and trash system set up, I really wasn't able to do any real cooking or food preparation in the kitchen.  It sounds weird but once that happened, I felt the freedom to prepare my meals in my home.

More Furniture

Last week I received most of the furniture that I was waiting for.  At Ikea I got a nice desk, a filing cabinet and a beautiful coffee table.  A Murphy-style bed was installed in the second bedroom.  I found a little TV stand that fits perfectly in the loft for my meditation area.  On Friday I got a replica of the Eames chair.  I am now waiting on the furniture that will go under the TV.

With the bookcases, desk, filing cabinet and meditation space set up in the loft, I feel like I've created my own little man cave, except that it is open to the living room below.  It does get warm up there sometimes and so I got a small fan that helps make it a little

more comfortable.

So now I'm starting to look at furniture and kitchen accessories.  Coasters, wine cork opener (I should have had this one earlier!), kitchen timer, trivet, etc.  I also need a place to put on display some of the art objects that I shipped over, including some Native American art, and art from South American countries.

Medical News

Having moved to my permanent residence and having received my new residency card that reflects that address, my friend Jordi and I went to the medical offices in my neighborhood to see if I would be able to use the public health care system here.  The woman we talked to said I needed to make an appointment with the Spanish Social Security system, which also administers the public health system.  That happened last week.  It was short and sweet.  Basically, Spain changed the law so that immigrants that come after 2012 and do not contribute to the system through payroll tax cannot access the public health system.  Prior to 2012, being a legal resident also entitled you to the health care system.  So, that puts to bed the question of having access to the public health care system.  I initially didn't think I did, but friends here thought my legal residency allowed me health care access as well.

I recently found an American doctor in Barcelona.  I set up an appointment to see her this Wednesday.

Beach Culture and Social Events

I know this sounds like a big "duh", but I am finding that many friends go to the beach on the weekends since it is so close and so accessible.  Just this weekend I spent the entire day with friends on the beach.  Although there are beaches right in Barcelona, some don't consider the water as clean enough to bathe in as well as the fact that they are very crowded.  So many will go either south or north of Barcelona by train to the many clothing optional beaches all up and down the coast.  One weekend I went with Chris to Sitges, which is south of the city.  Then with two different groups of friends I went to two northern beaches, Sant Pol and Caldes D'Estrac.  The beach scene is usually a mix of gay and straight, families and singles, young and old.  At Caldes D'Estrac, there is a beach bar sitting right on the beach (chiringuito), which makes it both convenient and an occasional refuge from the sun.  I also invested in a beach umbrella, which makes being on the beach more enjoyable for me.  Going with friends to the beach seems to have taken the place of the hikes, which have died down because of the warmer weather.  I find these too are great opportunities to meet some new friends, practice my Spanish and learn new things.  I'm sure the hikes will start up again in the fall.

On Thursday a group of friends got together for drinks and tapas and a few of us ended up having dinner together.  All this was in my neighborhood, so I got to know some new places to hang out.  On Saturday I had a wonderful rooftop dinner at a friend's home with 8 other friends.  We arrived at 9:30 pm and left about 2:30 am, eating, drinking and lots of conversation (it was a warm evening, so some had their shirts off).

Home At Last

First, I want to apologize for the month-long hiatus in updating my blog site.  I'm experiencing the same phenomena that most people have after dropping their exercise or diet routine for a period of time.  It is sooooo difficult to come back to this, albeit for different reasons.  In the case of writing this blog article, so much has happened that I have no idea where to begin.  What I won't do, for your sake, is to write a long diatribe of the last four weeks.  I do hope I can capture the highlights, catch you up on things, and get back to my weekly articles.  Here goes!

Making The House A Home

I'm sitting at my dining room table, listening to background music, looking out my window at the tree tops and writing this article to you.  This may seem ordinary to you but to me it feels like a miracle.  After four months of living in two temporary locations and then enduring the dust, the paint smell and the daily routine of waking up early and getting out of the house so that the workers can do their work, it's only been toward the end of last week that I could breath again, relax and truly begin to enjoy my home.

As anyone who has gone through home renovations, it always takes longer than expected.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) I had never really gone through one this extensively.  The dust has finally cleared, most of the major pieces of furniture have been purchased and installed (I still have the second bed - it's a Murphy bed -  coming on Monday, a living room seat with foot stool coming next week, and the TV table coming at the end of the month).  In Spain it's important to get your furniture delivered before August because everything (except Ikea) shuts down in August - the factories as well as the stores that sell the furniture.

Speaking of Ikea, I have a love-hate relationship with this store.  They have many inexpensive and well-built

home products and they're relatively convenient to me (a 15-20 minute direct bus ride).  But it's frustrating when you see a product on their website or displayed in their store only to find that they're out of stock, they don't know when they're going to get another shipment, or that the product is going out of line.  It's happened more than once and makes it difficult to plan one's furniture.  In fact, tomorrow morning I'll be on the 9:30 am bus to get there when it opens at 10 am and order four pieces (desk, desk chair, filing cabinet and coffee table).  There's only 4 units left on one of these according to the website.  They're closed on Sundays, like most stores in Barcelona, so I'm sure they'll have it in stock Monday morning.  I'll have them deliver it on Tuesday.  Then I'll have to rush back to to receive the bed furniture (from another store) which is coming sometime after 11 am.  I know, I'm cutting it close, but it should work.

When everything is furnished I'll take lots of pictures of the place (probably in September)!

Time With Chris

It was more than wonderful to have Chris here to visit me for 3 1/2 weeks.  I was a bit nervous since we had  not seen each other in four months.  He was visiting Europe and Spain for the first time.  He was also going to interview with a couple of schools while he was here.  There were a number of unknowns, but as each of those became known, they only deepened and enriched our relationship.  I feel that life has prepared me for Chris.  I am very grateful for my past relationships, and Chris tops the cake.  I really don't know why or how, but I humbly accept this amazing gift and I truly hope I will be a worthy companion and never take for granted how special this love and this relationship is.

I wish I was further along with the house when Chris came.  But he was a real trooper, rolled up his sleeves and helped me to create order out of chaos. After a week of living in the dust and the paint smells, we took the fast train to Madrid for 5 days where we could relax, enjoy Gay Pride and discover the many beautiful parts of the city.  We returned to Barcelona, expecting the house to be almost finished, but found it still to be quite a mess.  But slowly we could begin to see the end in sight.  Unfortunately, we never really got to cook a real meal in the house while he was here.

Chris got along very well with all my friends here.  Although he knew very little Spanish, his extrovert character helped him to interact with everyone and he now has a whole new group of Barcelonian friends to catch up with when he returns.

With my best friend Jordi at Alella, Catalunya Spain

Chris had two interviews.  They both went very well.  However, there were no open positions.  Both directors were very interested in Chris' teaching experience and wanted to interview him so that if a teacher decides to not come back this Fall, they could pick up the phone and call Chris.  But it does leave him up in the air.  Chris is still planning on teaching next year at Alexandria school system unless he does get a call in the month of August.  If he doesn't get an offer, he will be back to visit during Thanksgiving week.  I plan to go back to the States in December, so after another four months, we'll have lots of time together again.  As you can see, our future life together is still filled with unknowns.  But we are sure of the deep love we have for each other.

August

I have two trips planned for August.  I'll be spending 6 days with my long-time friend Carlos and with his partner at a small fishing village in Northwest Spain (Galicia) called Porto do Son.  Carlos and I became good friends when I lived in Valladolid from 1978-81.  He is one of the reasons why I am here in this country today and I consider him as my brother.  We haven't seen each other for a few years and so it will be good to reconnect, meet his partner Maria, enjoy the Galician sun and  the delicious Galician food.

After being back for six days, I'll be going to a seven day meditation retreat in France at Shambhala's land center, Dechen Choling. It will be with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, who heads up the Shambhala world-wide community.  I have read his books and have heard him speak on a few occasions and I find that his teachings always resonate with me.  I am looking forward to spending longer times in meditation practice and to participate in this particular retreat called Life is Ceremony.

Pause on Blog Articles

Dear friends.  Some of you must  be wondering what is going on with my blog site.  Since before I moved to Spain I've been posting weekly.  But the convergence of purchasing my home, having work being done on it, moving into the place before the work has been completed, and Chris coming to visit me and has put my blogging life temporarily on hold.  Not that things aren't going on over here.  On the contrary - too many things are taking place at once and throughout this time I have not had any place in my home that is not dust free where I could set up my computer and ruminate for a couple of hours to write my articles.

This Thursday, Chris and I will be going to Madrid for about four days.  We'll be taking the high speed train and during that trip, I should be able to work on my next article, which will replace this one.

Thanks for your patience and I hope to be back on track later this week.

Spending Like Crazy!!!

The Big News!

Tuesday, June 10, I purchased my condo in Barcelona, exactly 3 months from when I first arrived to this vibrant city.  That day went smoothly but the process is very different than in the US.  I first had to go to my bank to cut three bank checks, two for the two mortgages that the prior owner had on the house and the third for the owner himself.  During the actual meeting to buy the property, the settlement company (the person in charge is actually called a Notary, but this person has much more responsibility and is equivalent in some respects to a US real estate attorney) collected all the personal information from the owners and from me and then created the final settlement document that we all signed.  That took about 1 1/2 hours.  Then I accompanied the owner and the real estate agent to the bank that had the mortgages for the house and gave the bank official the two checks for the two loans.  I then received a certified document stating that the loans were paid in full, which I brought back to the Notary office the next morning.  The Notary also needed to collect some other documents from the owner afterwards before sending me a final bill that included all taxes and notary fees, which was a little more than 10% of the cost of the property.  I received that bill today and have 30 days from the purchase date to pay these taxes and fees.

And Now The Fun Begins!!

The very next day workers started prepping the house before painting it as well as doing other improvements.  My friend Carlos from Málaga arrived on Friday.  He is an artist and has an eye for design and was thrilled with the prospect of helping me spend my money on the condo!  On Friday I bought a refrigerator, a washing machine and a large flat screen TV set.  I also ordered my internet, landline phone line (which is required with internet) and my mobile phone line, all of which will be installed on Wed.

Today (Monday) Carlos and I purchased the living room leather sofa, a murphy-style bed for the second bedroom, paid the balance for the bed in the master bedroom, and all the light fixtures including the dining room ceiling lamp, a ceiling lamp for the kitchen, two wall lights for reading in the master bedroom, and two sconces for the loft space.  My head has been spinning with the amount of spending that I have been doing in such as short period of time!  But this has all been budgeted and I'm pretty much within my budget.  Tomorrow is a day of rest from shopping!!

Also today I decided on the colors of the walls.  This Friday I will be moving in, although not all of the work in the house will be completed by then.

Chris comes two days later, on Sunday morning.  Although it seems like lots of things have already been taken care of, there are many, many things that Chris and I will be doing together over the 3 1/2 weeks that he will be here in order to make this into a home for the both of us.

An interesting side point: In the US, light fixtures and appliances are assumed to be conveyed with the house unless explicitly noted when the house is shown.  In Spain it is the opposite.  It is assumed that all appliances and light fixtures will be removed unless it is otherwise noted or is negotiated when the initial contract is drawn up at the time of the 10% down payment.

What Else Could I Fit In This Week?

Amazingly, a lot more things occurred.  Last Monday was a holiday in Barcelona to celebrate Pentecost (or Whitsunday).  They commonly refer to it as the second Easter.  A small group of friends went to the neighborhood of Barceloneta where they had a street festival with music, dancing and fireworks.

The next day, the same day as my house purchase, a larger group of friends gathered in the afternoon to explore and discover the architectural evidence of the Masons in the old section of Barcelona.  We ended the afternoon at a wine cellar in the Born neighborhood.

I also had to re-register with the city using my new address as well as re-register with national government  and request a new residency permit card with my new address.

Over the weekend, I volunteered to aid with the local Shambhala Meditation Group in Barcelona for one of the Shambhala training levels that they hosted this weekend.  That was especially rewarding for me.  All the talks and discussions were only in Spanish, which was challenging but also encouraging to see that I was able to both understand as well as fully participate in the group.  By the end of the weekend I felt better connected with the instructors, coordinators and the participants.

I'll see how I do with posting a blog article a week from today.  With Chris coming on Sunday, I may have my hands full, which I am very much looking forward to!!

Home, House Warming Party and Hike to Costa Brava Monastery

The House - Inspection, Work, Move

Friday was set aside to do a house inspection.  I was concerned about the owner's commitment to fix the

flooring in the hallway.  It's in the contract for him to do it, but I really didn't want to go the legal route.  Well, I was pleased with the work they did with that and the other things that were listed in the contract.  We also checked the utilities (air conditioning, heat, gas, water) and everything looked good.   I feel very comfortable with our meeting tomorrow and purchasing my new home.

On Wednesday the work begins on the flat - sanding, scraping, filling & painting.  I'm moving the toilet in the bath and installing large doors for the built-in closet in the bedroom (they currently have curtains over the closet).  That with other smaller items that are on the list will probably take 2-3 weeks.

No matter where they are in the process, I will be moving into the bedroom on June 20.  The bed will be installed that day.  I'll need to buy bed sheets that fit the bed (the bed sizes here are different than they are in the States).  So, I asked that the bedroom to be painted and that the toilet to be functional by the 20th.  It would be great if the doors and ceiling fan were installed, but I'm not counting on that.  I am very excited about the move though and having a place I can call home after almost 4 months.  Chris will be arriving on June 22!

Attending A House Warming Party

On Saturday I attended a house warming party (they call it an "Inauguracíón") of a friend who was offered to

buy a beautiful flat that he had been renting on a very prestigious street for a price much lower than market rates.  His mortgage was approved and he invited friends to have some wine at his old/new place and then go out to dinner.  I wasn't quite sure what the custom was for this kind of event, but I decided to buy a card and a small house warming gift at Casa Viva store.  When I arrived with the gift, the host said how nice that I would do such an American thing as to bring a gift.  Later an Irish friend came and brought an orchid plant for him.  I guess the the Irish and American cultures have similar traditions.  Later I received a very nice message from the host warmly thanking me for what I brought him.

I'll probably be having my own house warming party in September.  It will take a while to furnish the place.

Hike to Sant Pere de Rodes

Yesterday I went on a hike on the Costa Brava near France to the Sant Pere de Rodes Monastery, which dates back to 878, but was at its peak in the 11th and 12th centuries by Benedictine monks.  It was eventually abandoned in the late 18th century and reconstruction work began in 1935.

The hike was a little more than 9.9 kilometers, it was all up-hill and it was a very warm day.  It was wonderful to enjoy the very cool enclaves of this ancient monastery.  I also was able to talk to some new people and make some new friends.

I've done many hikes with this small group of friends who were on this trip

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting.....

My Move Date

I think I was a little too optimistic about when I could move into my new place.  I settle on June 10.  I then need to have the whole condo painted and a few minor repairs made.  I was hoping that they could paint the main bedroom quickly and I would move my bed into that room and they could continue working in the rest of the house.  The contractor didn't think that was a good idea and suggested that I move in a week later.  Actually, he's right.  It's much better for them to have the place free and clear of "things" so they can efficiently do their work.  But I was not happy.  Chris is coming on June 23.  I was hoping that I could have the place somewhat organized by the time he got here, but it's not to be.  Chris is very flexible and is totally ready to help with making this house a home for us.  So, I'll be moving in June 21 with the bed delivered that day, I'll have sheets on the bed, and I'll have a few other things before Chris arrives.  It will be an adventure!

Speaking of Chris, he has already lined up two teaching interviews while he's here.  Although there is no guarantee that he'll be offered a position for this fall, this is very encouraging.  Chris is so energetic and full of initiative, looking for ever possible angle to find a position here in Barcelona.  That is one of the many things I admire and am in awe of with this amazing man.  We'll see how these and possibly other interviews will turn out.  I can't wait to see him in about 30 days!

Beyond This Year

So I'm purchasing a home here in Barcelona in two weeks, yet I still did not have a good idea about my

residency status after this year.  My initial residency permit is for only one year.  Neither the Spanish Consulate in D.C. nor my other sources could tell me exactly what I would need to do to extend my permit.  So, I spent a full day investigating what I will need to do to extend my residency permit in Spain, digging through numerous web pages on the national government's websites.  I now have a much better idea of the process.  Basically, about three months before the permit expiration date (3/11/2014), I will need to obtain and translate similar documents that I did for my initial visa: my pension, my retirement savings, and my health insurance, as well as fill out a residency renewal form.  Two months prior to the expiration date, I will make an appointment online to go to the immigration office and deliver these documents to them.  I should then get a residency renewal permit for a two year period.  I will need to do that again for another two year period.  Then, after that (5 years total), I'll be able to apply for a long duration residency visa.  From what I could tell, this would be for an indefinite period of time.  So, at least I know the path ahead (unless they change things or Catalunya becomes a separate country!).

The Sovereign State of Catalunya?

This week I've had a few conversations about the future of this autonomous community of Spain.  One friend, Xavi, adamantly believes that Catalunya will separate from Spain and become it's own country.  He believes that for a number of reasons, which I can't go into right now, Catalunya will be much better off economically than it is today.  Even if Catalunya cannot immediately be part of the European Union, it will be part of many other European alliances and will have the support of a number of European nations in making this transition.

I had a conversation with another friend just today about this same topic.  He doesn't believe that this will come to pass and that if a vote were taken today, the majority would not vote for independence.

Everyone I talked to agreed that the current position of the Spanish national state of not allowing Catalunya to have a referendum and to vote on the possibility of independence exasperates the problem and fans the flames of the independent fervor that already exists in this region.  I think that Spain would do itself a favor if they would allow a free and clear referendum to take place and at least settle the question whether a majority wants to move in this direction.

Other Observations

Right now I am focused on improving my Spanish and I think I'll be taking an intensive course from Sept to January in the language.  But I also realize that I will also need improve my understanding of the spoken and written Catalán language.  There are many written materials that are only in Catalán.  I also find that in some conversations with friends, some groups will automatically switch from Spanish to Catalán and they aren't even aware that they've done that.  So, once I settle into my place, I'll come up with a plan to improve both my Spanish and my understanding of Catalán.

I am impressed with the care that the city government takes in maintaining the city.  There are public trash cans on each block, never overflowing, trucks cleaning the streets and street cleaners sweeping the sidewalks, workers re-staining the park benches, etc.  Of course this all comes at a price (mainly taxes), but this is what a city should be doing for its citizens.

When it comes to common medications, I am pleasantly surprised how easy and inexpensive it is to obtain them.  A week or so ago I found I had higher than normal levels of uric acid.  Besides changing my diet, there is some medication (Allopurinol) that can also help lower the uric acid level.  In the US, I would need to meet with my doctor and he would give me a prescription that I would take to the pharmacy and pay $30-$50 (without insurance) for this drug.  Here I walked into the pharmacy, asked for this medication, and paid $5.  I later went back and asked for 600mg of Ibuprofen and was given 40 tablets for $3.  Since there is no expensive advertising for pharmaceutical products here and since these medication prices are negotiated with the Spanish government, they are very affordable and available to the public.

A Parting Gift

Today I came across a beautiful song that the Gay Men's Chorus of Washington did last year, but I had never before heard.  It brought me to tears as I was feeling about how much I was missing Chris and how important he is in my life.  I'd like to share with you this incredible and moving song.

Visiting Girona and Liceu, More on Health Care, & Nostalgia

Girona - Temps de Flors

On Tuesday seven of us took an hour long train ride to the city of Girona to meet up with our volunteer guide

Jaume to see the floral exhibition in Girona called Temps de Flors.  My expectation was that we would be going to a convention center of some sort and all the flowers would be set up there (like the Philadelphia Flower Show).  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the flowers in this exhibition were EVERYWHERE throughout the center of the city, integrated into the ancient urban cityscape of this medieval municipality.  What is also special about this eight day event is that the interior patios of many commercial and residential establishments, normally closed to the public, are open during this period.  We also got to see the large subterranean rooms underneath Girona's cathedral, which they have recently opened up to the public.  I very much enjoyed the sights, the company, and later the meal that we had together after our tour.  Although it started off cloudy and a little rainy in the morning, it cleared up nicely.  And our guide Jaume, a resident of Girona, did a superb job of showing us the hidden treasures of this urban gem.

El Liceu Opera House

On Sunday Barcelona's Opera House, Gran Teatre de Liceu, had an open house all day, which allowed the public to tour the building and to listen to various local opera singers that performed in the ornate "Saló de Miralls" or Mirrors Hall for the entire eight hours that the house was open.  I went with my friend Jordi (another Jordi who is from Barcelona but was visiting the city as he is currently working for the U.N. in Dafur, Sudan).  It was delightful to visit the various parts of one of the largest opera houses in Europe (2,292 seats) and to hear some wonderful performances by young local opera singers in Mirrors Hall.  Liceu first opened in 1847 and survived two fires, one in 1861 and the other in 1994.  The outside facade and Mirrors Hall are from the original 1847 structure.  Jordi and I listened to the opera singers for about 1 1/2 hours, standing the entire time.  We then visited the lovely opera theater and other parts of the building.

Health Care and My Private Insurance Plan

Although I asked many questions when I had to choose my federal health plan last November to cover me in Spain, I still wondered how it would all work when I would need to use it for some medical issue here.  Well, I had my first experience last week when, starting the prior week, I was feeling some numbness in my left toe. In my last doctor's visit in January I was in great health, so although diabetes came to mind, it also didn't seem to make much sense.  After a week of not seeing this numbness get any better, I went to a local medical clinic and made an appointment for that week.  It didn't take long for the young woman doctor to make a diagnosis - a gout attack or higher than normal levels of uric acid.  The next day I got a blood test and on the weekend the results confirmed her diagnosis.  In researching this some more, I determined that three things have contributed to this minor attack: eating more meat and fish than I normally had eaten, drinking more beer and wine than when I lived in the States, and not drinking much water here.  I had never been a big water drinker, but one of the first recommendations is to drink about 2 liters of water a day.  I have already made some dietary changes and I am already noticing a change in my condition.

I knew I had to pay for these medical services upfront (the office visit and the blood test) .  The question was what amount would Blue Cross Blue Shield reimburse me for.  I learned that because I went to a clinic and was billed by that clinic, rather than by an individual doctor, that my co-pay was $100.  Since I only paid 60 euros for the visit, I would get no reimbursement for that service.  The lab test was also a $100 co-pay.  I was not too happy about the extent of this coverage.  Since then, I have found at least two doctors here that have a private practice, which will reduce my co-pay to $25.

Once I move into my flat in June, I will attempt to register with the public health plan here.  Although I have some doubts that I will be accepted (I am a legal resident but have never worked in Spain to contribute to the public plan), all my friends here think I will be covered.  Come November during open season, I will also review my other federal private insurance plans that have international coverage to see if I can reduce my medical costs in the future, weighing the cost of premiums vs. the cost of co-pays.

Nostalgia

Besides missing Chris immensely in these last two and a half months of living here, I haven't had too many nostalgic feelings about the U.S. or the Washington D.C. area.  But in the last 24 hours, I am feeling more nostalgic for my past life.  In everything I read about the experiences of expats, this is a very normal feeling to have.  I think what brought this about specifically was to see on Facebook the  Gay Men's Chorus of Washington (GMCW) perform their final concert of the season at the Kennedy Center and it being director Jeff Buhrman's last concert with GMCW.  I would have loved to have gone to the concert with Chris, to have listened to the choral music with Laura Benanti, and to have chatted with a number of friends who were both local and who came from out-of-town to see the concert.  These feelings will come and go, I know.  I neither need to push them away nor indulge in them, but to honor them and to let them go.