Reality reset
Summer is slipping through our fingers and the end of the holidays is making the entire community/society go nuts. If you live in a city as this one (and you're back from your vacation) you know what i'm saying.

Policemen, taxi drivers, little girls in pig-tails, secretaries, university professors, strippers, editorialists, graphic designers, teens working at mcdonald's. We are all going through the September craze, which makes one's eyes look darker, our muscles grow tense and gives us a distorted face whenever someone mentions one or all of the following expressions: "End of the summer" / "Back to school" / "Start work again" / "I still have two full weeks left".

Yes, boys and girls, unless you're unemployed, about to go on holiday or a japanese on strike, it's time to reset on reality, forget the paradise lost four hours of drive away, let go of the oversleeping feeling and focus on the facts.

And remember to think in positive. Your mates are also back in town, your body is no longer in competition for a tan or a muscle and we're just a couple of months away from Halloween.

Stay cool.

Blow out
Here's an image i hope you'll never see again.




I might as well tell you one of my little secrets. I guess it's early to make a proud announcement, but, hey, i've been a very tough girl for a good bunch of days. Boys and girls, urban B. Uma has given up the smoke.

Wish me luck and a nice figure while i assault the fridge.

The man

That man on the picture asked me to marry him eight months ago today.

That man on the picture takes my hand as we walk down the street.

He makes me laugh and shout.

He tickles me.

The man on the picture is patient with my constant interruptions and the way i overreact to problems.

He makes me feel like we're living inside a song.

The man looks gorgeous in his new suit.

But he looks even more exciting with his regular smile.

He likes to eat ice cream and kiss me out of the blue.

That man you see on the picture is the man i love.

We want out
The heat is back on in this insane city. I think my city days are almost over, boys and girls. I go out at night less frequently (and don't enjoy myself as i used to) and the chaos is losing a good part of the glamour it used to have.

Aging factor? Not really.

This idea of leaving is not something you can kick out with the perfect turn around cream. It's rather a matter of swifting priorities and mine is to get away from it all a little bit.

So, there you go, we're looking for a home outside Madrid. If you know of the perfect place for us, drop us a line, give us a call, buzz our beepers, pass the message on, rub the information in, give us a shout.

Keeping small things small

The return (version 16.0 more or less)
The caretaking days are over. Two great weeks looking after the two dogs, the Mountain Family House and Garden and the army of brave flowers on my mother's five supersized balconies.

A thunderstorm waved us goodbye last night as we headed back to the metropoli, where routine is rushing again towards me and the heat is climbing up and down to keep us interested.

Our appartment is tinier and full of clutter. I haven't open my wardrobe yet, 16 hours after arrival. But there are great things about the come back. SWP arrangements are fully underway. I'm going out on Thursday night after a long time of staying in evenings. And most of my friends are about to return into the city, at last. So i guess it's good to be back home.

Ah, those summer moments
Following true trendsetter Kurt, i've decided to sum up the 10 best moments of my summer so far. I guess it's a slightly cooler version of the classical 'Things i did this summer' essay typical in the back to school period.

1. Feeling the excitement grow in me. Yes, i know that may sound a little porn, but what i mean is the chill in my spine when i see the wedding stuff come nicely together. Sure, there are still a couple of lose ends, who the hell is counting?

2. The Grotesqués opening night. Brilliant show, plenty of excitement all over the audience, actual tears of laughter rolling down my cheeks at least on two occasions. A night to remember.

3. Alcoholic lunch by the sea. "I feel like an Italian", i said to Pablo as we were looking for a place to eat in a town in Cadiz. We found one of those Italian places run by authentic Italians, with red and white tablecloths, tasty pasta and the good ol' bottle of white wine to wash it all up with. After lunch we were plastered and decided to rent some beach beds designed for a siesta under the sun.

4. The Culture Club. Two weeks at La Casa Encendida, indulging in writing and sucking up as much inspiration as i could. The poetry week was fun and passionate. Plus i got to hang out with a bunch of freaks. The narrative week after that was cool, sunny and helpful. And i made new pals who seem to write maniacally and always a good plan to enjoy the Madrid nights.

5. Four-legged fun. Looking after the Mountain Family dogs, Winnie and Tiza, is a full time job and a great vacation. Plus it keeps me in shape with all the walks and the shit shovelling out of the garden...

6. Let the sunshine in. This afternoon i sunbathed at the Mountain Family house wearing lots of lotion, my knickers and a pulled down bra. I read for an hour while the doggies slept among flowers and insects. Mountain Spa.

7. Call it quits. I finished with my job in brackets, had to return to my real job at the paper, sent everything as far as i could and embraced a brand new life, following a still sleepy dream.

8. The comeback. Letting a friend get a bigger slice of your daily life is rewarding. I got a glimpse of what future hours might be like with Juan (plus Iñaki and Belen, of course) on a delicious afternoon/evening at Malasaña.

9. Blossoming. Watching the gardenia blossom out in the middle of our living room was a very exciting experience. Especially when your camera captures the before-during-after process.

10. The boys are in. The hottest net sensation since buying at net-a-porter is, without a doubt, the new uncensored blogs by my good friends Kurt and Dwalks. Welcome home, babes.

The 'Amélie Poulin' style



"The Days In A Day project was the first chapter of the 1 hour and 5 minutes graphic tale's book".

It's pure art, pure inspirational moments and pure flash. You're probably lingering under the air conditioning at your office anyway, so here's a little aesthetic snack for you to indulge your mind. You're welcome.

Designing a wedding
A few Saturdays ago, Pablo and i sat on one of my favourite bars and sipped beers while we designed our wedding invitations on the back of a free rock magazine. We agreed on everything pretty fast (that seems to be the general mood with most of the wedding arrangements) and i think they'll look fabulous. They're being printed as i type. And i know we're running a little out of time, but that's us.

I'm thinking the guests will be receiving our cards sometime next week, because there aren't that many of them (our wedding is tiny, apparently, according to The Regular Standards Made By Someone Amazingly Rich and Show Off) and then things will definitely be official and on their way.

We're trying out the food next week, i've bought about everything i need to wear and so has 'the groom' and all locations have been chosen and approved. The paperwork is also done at the San Lorenzo de El Escorial council and we even got our first present already!!! (a huge thank you for the Incredible Mountain Family).

And here's a fact i've learned the hard way: All big and small details derived from organizing a wedding cause stress. I've lost quite a bit of weight. No wonder the honeymoon comes right after the wedding day. I'm going to be needing a couple of moons to recover from our Not Big Wedding.

It already is
Saturday morning, finally. We've been waiting for this moment all week. The sun tickles the red curtains in the room and i can hear Tiza and Winnie quietly barking downstairs. Life on weekend at the Mountain House.

We have two cups of coffee while some orchestral flamenco plays on the back; the dogs are having semi-siestas at our feet. It's cloudy, but we still have hopes of recovering some sunshine and going to the pool.

We have a mid-morning appointment at the place where we're holding our wedding party. The lady is friendly and trying a little to hard. Pablo instantly falls in love with the café, as i had expected.

The phone rings. He must get to work. We borrough the Mountain Family Office, in town, and get on line. While i wait for him to finish, i surf around and play launch cast for a while: Coldplay, jazz big bands, Norah Jones on today's menu.

We have plans tonight to go into the town because Bebe is playing. I mention that we have only been together to one concert so far. I say "today would be a perfect day if we finally get to see the show". Pablo taps on the keyboard and says "it already is".

Lingerie excerpts
This is what i've been reading on the net today:

- One of our best kept secrets - a simply stunning range comprising the finest pale pink lace with a black Chantilly lace overlay. A deep cup bra is complemented by a delectable suspender belt, brief, thong and our new style, French thong. The ultimate in femininity.

- Naughty sheer tulle peephole bra & open string - choose Leila for serious feline fun.

- Be sure to try the exquisite basque - complete with suspender clips, it's going to make any evening end with a bang.

If one is nuts enough to buy underwear on line (hey, i was just looking for inspiration -i'll hit the real shops faster than you can say bra), i strongly recommend this store. They've got the style, they've got the attitude and they certainly have the goodies. Also, the overwhelming use of adjectives such as 'luscious' and 'sumptuous' helps to get the picture.

In case you're interested, you can also get whips, nipple covers and a deck of poker cards there. Rather complete.

Online sales!

Question:
What's worse than going out to the sales and finding a huge discount on something (expensive) you bought three months ago?

Answer:
Getting on line and finding your WEDDING DRESS half priced. Rats.

At least it's only avalaible on L size and S fitted me like a glove (rather unusually, thankyouverymuch). *Sigh*. I think i'll fix myself a large quantity of gin n tonic now.

High style
There a number of unimportant things i'm able to do, like rolling my tongue from the sides, faking a good Argentinean accent or opening cans using just one hand, but my biggest unimportant achievement is walking on high heels.

As you all very well know, i ain't no supermodel, babies, but i know that when you're on a pair of heels, you have to be able to look straight ahead and avoid (under all circumstances) to let your ankles go dizzy.

It takes some sense of grace to do the walking and a great deal of experience. I've been practicing since i was five. I wasn't the ordinary girlie who jumps into mummy's shoes: i was a professional. I used to spend hours walking up and down the corridor. My favourite pair were black and vertigo-high.

Last Saturday i tried on a pair of sensational stilettos at the Bally store in Madrid. I've already bought my wedding shoes but, children, these shoes were drop-dead-gorgeous. A clear emergency.

As i slipped into them, failing to knock my head with the roof, i felt a little fragile and decided to walk around the shop to try them out, despite the odd look at the rather cretinous salesgirl, despite the fact that i knew then i wasn't even close to buying them (funny shape, obnoxious price). I felt on top of the world. It's that easy.

All and nothing
Another week slowly unfolds. An early morning, full of errands (doctor's appointment in the morning plus long, very long hours waiting at the employment office) gives way to a lazy afternoon of reality tv playing in the back, while the electric fan neglects to give me a break from the sticky heat. Another Monday.

Lately, all my days have the same aura. The same attitude that seems to say 'hey, you could do anything today. Or you could do nothing. It's all the same, or so it appears.

Being out of a regular job and not being able to get rid of that summery feeling makes me live in a state of semipermanent vacation. Unfortunately, this concept includes new huge worries such as how, when and where will the money come from in the next months. I know i'll do it, i just don't know the details and curiosity doesn't even kill me.

A few days ago someone told me he felt he was a fraud in many aspects of his life. Nothing new there. I think the idea of faking your own life has haunted all of us at some point. I am a fraud. And so are you, reader. But we'd much rather call it 'acting according to your audience' than being a fake.

I'm working on my book, but this basically means i'm structuring it all in my mind. So is my new job to think? Perhaps i am, after all, enjoying a holiday. Is it possible not to tell the difference between work and play? Between all or nothing? Between being a lazy ass or someone who takes time into a brand new road? I wonder what part i'm faking to myself now.