Barcelona, Day 1

Y yo me irÉ...
Juan Ramon Jimenez

Y yo me iré. Y se quedarán los pájaros
cantando;
y se quedará mi huerto, con su verde árbol,
y con su pozo blanco.

Todas la tardes, el cielo será azul y plácido;
y tocarán, como esta tarde están tocando,
las campanas del campanario.

Se morirán aquellos que me amaron;
y el pueblo se hará nuevo cada año;
y en el rincón aquel de mi huerto florido y encalado,
mi espíritu errará, nostálgico…

Y yo me iré; y estaré solo, sin hogar, sin árbol
verde, sin pozo blanco,
sin cielo azul y plácido…
Y se quedarán los pájaros cantando.


And I will leave...

Barcelona is a gorgeous city and its great to be back again.

On Monday, Alan forgot the poster in his gfs car so I had to drive back down to get it. Everything is fine and I make it to LAX time and butterflies to spare. I didn't get a window seat or an aisle seat much to my dismay but on this flight, I would meet someone so awesome.

I got myself situated in 45E with my book and ipod and start up How I met your Mother on the personal entertainment scree in front of me when an Indian woman with a poster stops and checks the seat number. Her poster did not have a tube and would have been crushed in the overhead compartment so I offered her my tube to store the poster in. As she was re-rolling her poster, I see that the poster indeed contains stem cell content and I ask her if shes going to the ISSCR. I introduce myself but her name was Indian and I couldnt remember it. Turns out we're on the same transfer flight on the way to Barcelona. Funny how things work out. Shes published as a first author in Cell. A total up and coming superstar in stem cell research. Topics we discuss range from epigenetics, chromatin remodeling, iPS cells, Kobe, Ariza, Shaq, Artest, and more LAKERS! We end up sharing a taxi from the airport because our hotels are nearby. She charges it to her grant. Free ride!

Got in at 9:15 at night and didnt hit the road until 10:30 or so, but the city sky was so pretty. There was a mountain range in the background and a layer of purple right on top of it with clouds and shit. The weather is going to be nice. Hopefully not too hot. I go

I got dropped off at the hotel i had originally booked and went to the reception desk. I pull out the best spanish i can and ask where my collegues are and the lady responds that they are not here. WTF? Not here? The air conditioning of the original rooms was broken so they had moved to a hotel a few blocks away. Trekked over and sure enough, mr abhold and mr kiang were in the lobby trying to figure out internet.

On my walk to the new hotel, i felt exhilarated to be back. With ipod and travel backpack I roamed the city and wandered. It was already like 11 at night and I was not scared at all. I saw stray cats and dogs. Maybe its the smell. Barcelona is right by the Mediterranean and it has port smell...

And Camp Nou is right there...

Things always work out somehow, no matter how screwed you are. Pieces fall apart but new ones fit together.