"The palest ink is better than the best memory" - Chinese Proverb

The flight to Madrid went without a hitch. I was entertained by a Scandinavian swimmer who was running game on a mousey Spanish brunette. The flirtation was bilateral and obvious. Eventually the Spanish girl asked her aesthetically challenged friend to switch seats so she could sit next to the blonde Michael Phelps. The lights in the cabin went dim and I was treated to a coach class peep show. The Spaniard looked like she had some talent - thin face and smart glasses. Phelps had curly blonde hair, blue eyes, and a large face with features that were too large to be proportionate from up close, not unlike a basketball player. The kissing went on for what seemed hours until she feel asleep and I kept a close eye to see if they would make a move for the bathroom - they didn't. I figured she might be tuggin' Phelps under the blanket and so I made a bee line for the bathroom to get a closer look. Negative. Poor Phelps I bet he could use a bong hit, but making out with a stranger on an intercontinental flight is nothing to scoff at.

Joan the guy next to me also enjoyed the interaction and we got to talking. He was a headhunter in Madrid who left his job a year ago to start a sports virtual advertising company. Ad Sports has the ability to change whatever banners are at stadiums through an infrared TV feed to replace the ad with anything you may want for a different demographic where the event is being telecast. He has had meetings with Real Madrid and although interested the battle is with the TV stations that own the rights. We exchanged contact information as the plane landed.

As I was getting ready to leave the airport I realized I left my $500 Shure ES530 earbuds on the airplane seat. I talked to as many agents as possible and no one could find the earbuds - either someone pilfered them or the cleaning crew mistook them for $5 headphones US Airways sells. I was livid at the loss and immediately in a sour mood as I was greeted by my parents.

Getting to grandma's I felt better thanks to some genuine hugs from Malela (grandma) and how excited and accommodating she was about me staying a while longer this year.

I settled in and immediately started looking for the stash of nugget I leave myself every year to appease the loss of my headphones. I usually leave everything behind a thick text entitled "Cronica del Siglo XX" (Chronicle of the 20th century) in the mass of my grandfather's books in my room. Last year I had some amazing grass I've been looking forward to. I changed the location of my regular stash due to some snooping by my mother last year and now I can't find it. I keep wishing I left myself some clues but so far it's just a pipe dream... the search continues.