Welcome home, baby!
She was born last night, almost at dawn. She is small and she doesn't cry much. Not yet. Her mother, Morgana, is thrilled and her father complains that the godmother reacted late. He's always at me *wink*. But i was at the cinema when Morgana called. The baby's name is Lucía and her date of birth wasn't the 13th of April, like Six said, but the 31st of March. The numbers jumped a little, but that's ok for an amateur witch, right?

Welcome home, Lucía, i hope your appetite for life is as great as your mum's. I don't know much about being a godmother but i promise i will do my best to make you feel as comfortable as possible in this world you've just stepped into. Happy birthday!

Late
My Friday Five on a Sunday. We just got back to Madrid and i haven't touched a computer since Tuesday. That probably means i actually had a life during these past days!

1. If you could eat dinner with and "get to know" one famous person (living or dead), who would you choose?
That would probably be one of the many writers i like. Tom Wolfe, Ian McInerney, Mario Benedetti, Jack Kerouac or Douglas Coupland. Take your pick.
2. Has the death of a famous person ever had an effect on you? Who was it and how did you feel?
Definetly River Phoenix. I had a major crush on him. But also the obvious, Kurt Cobain. It felt like being suddenly woken up by a dream you thought was reality.
3. If you could BE a famous person for 24 hours, who would you choose?
I'd be Julia Roberts, i'd be beautiful and careless and i'd have the world's greatest laughter. But i'd make sure to pick the right scripts...
4. Do people ever tell you that you look like someone famous? Who?
Years ago, people said i reminded them of Penélope Cruz. Whatever.
5. Have you ever met anyone famous?
Yes. Many famous people in Spain. Let's see if you've ever heard of any of them: Joaquín Sabina (singer), Pere Ponce (actor), Julio Medem (director), Ismael Serrano (singer), Charo López (actress), Narcís Serra (politician), the bass player from Mano Negra (Manu Chao's former band) and Mikel Urmeneta (designer). I once saw Sean Penn at a bar in Madrid. He was alone at 4 a.m. It was strange. When i was in New York i almost stepped on Danny Aiello's toes. His bodyguards avoided it though...

See ya
In about a couple of hours, we'll be sitting in the car and heading North. Time to visit Tom's hometown and get some fresh air. Time to relax a little and calm down. Time to leave the city (i love doing that just to enjoy coming back home) and go on holiday. Let's hope the M&M's get better so the whole Mountain Family can join us. See ya soon...

Fifteen questions

Three things your first look at in men/women
The way he looks at things, the way he speaks, the way he walks
The people you love the most
My family, Tom, a few selected friends
Ingredients of your favourite baguette/sandwich
Ham, tomato and olive oil
What's on your bedside table?
Books, a radio, incense and more books
Three songs
Only three? 'She's leaving home' (The Beatles), 'Smile' (The Jayhawks) and 'Stay free' (The Clash)
The last thing you bought
A black and white top for a party and two books
Three places in the world where you've been happy
Easy: Madrid, Mallorca and Québec
Three favourite garments
Shoes, dresses, jeans
Three things you'd never wear
Anything glittery, minishorts and big sunglasses
Three parts of your body
Face, neck, legs
Three most attractive people
Jakob Dylan, Brad Pitt and Nicole Kidman
If you had the money you would buy...
A beautiful flat in the center of Madrid
What would you do if you were granted a sabbatical year?
Write and travel
Three things you miss the most
It's not the things, but the people. I miss the friends i lost along the way
How many kisses have you given this week?
I'm not counting... a mountain of them

Choosing
"If you make the wrong decision, you make the wrong decision. That's all there is to it. There are few guarantees in life. One of them is that you will make lots of mistakes... The worst thing you can do is wimp out and spend your life in suspended animation... refusing to make a choice because it may not be a perfect one."
by Nicholas Lore

Apparently, this is a quote from a book by Lore, which i haven't read. I'm not a fan of selfhelp writing, but i believe this thought is extremely true.

Drama stars
Oscar's night was good. Kurt prepared delicious sushi and his sister made a tasty guacamole. We contributed with ice cream. We ate, drank (my glass of wine was full and empty every half hour) and laughed all the way through the ceremony. Tom and i didn't know anyone there except for Kurt, so it was strange and funny spending an entire night with an unknown bunch of girls. I can't remember their names (and i hate myself for that) but i'd love to do it again.

I had printed out ballots from CNN so everyone had placed their bets before the show. I don't know how it happened, but Tom managed to score seven out of 24. The rest of us guessed an average of three or four Oscars. Dramatic. Like Halle Berry not finding her voice when she stepped up to the stage. Like Cameron's dress -"from Ungaro, with jewlery made by a friend of mine". Like Nicole's look, so clearly in search of blood.

We wondered where Penélope was when Cruise opened the ceremony. And we wondered how was it possible that the Spanish presenter for Canal+ is still allowed to do the red carpet interviews after her complete lack of knowledge, manners, style and English fluency.

Last but not least we had to talk about Uma Thurman's dress or rather, her body coming out of the outfit.
Another amazing night in the European side of Hollywood.

Teen agents
Last Thursday i went to dinner with Tom and Fred to a lively place just across the street. They basically serve fried food. i.e., nuggets, our traditional 'croquetas' and chips. It opens til late and has both the television and the stereo at full blast, but hey, we were hungry.

While he was swinging his beer, Fred said it was the first time he felt older than the rest of the customers at a bar. We're not twenty anymore. Nor were they. Most of them were teenagers. Or rather, 'teen agents', as i called them. A lot of them looked like they were disguised and/or speaking in a funky code only their keen could understand.

I guess i really am not twenty any longer. Which means i don't have to look like someone who just escaped from a manga comic. There are always good and bad things about leaving the years behind.

Brand new day
Say hello to the new design and congratulate me for having such a helping boyfriend. Thank you Tom, for your patience, your expertise and your great ideas.

Tonight, after work, we're going over to Kurt's house to watch the Oscars. I can't wait, though being in Europe means the show won't start til half two in the morning. Ah well, a late night is not going to stop me from watching that thrilling circus live! I wonder if our host (the most dedicated follower of fashion) will prepare special dishes according to his favourite movies this year. If he actually has any (favourites).

Another supermodel into the world?
I really hope she starts eating properly now.

The way we were
They're re-releasing E.T. after 20 years. I find it hard to believe that it's been such a long time. I was a kid so long ago. I remember sitting at the cinema, watching Elliot say goodbye to E.T., my feet balancing to the sides (i couldn't reach the floor).

I was eight years-old and probably wore pigtails like Gertie's. The film is coming back on the 27th of March in Spain. I'll be there. For old time's sake.

The last time i saw that movie was on television. A cold afternoon. 6th of January 1997. Don't ask why i remember the date so clearly. The day got even colder after that. Sometimes i wish i was eight years-old again.

Always take the weather with you
Here are the Season's Friday Five.

1. What is your favorite time of year? I like spring and i enjoy the summer. It's hard to escape the sun's energy.
2. What is it about your favorite season that, well, makes it your favorite season? When spring finally arrives i feel encouraged after two seasons of cold, wind and more wind. It's nice because it anticipates the summer terraces in the city, and the holidays.
3. What is your least favorite time of year? Why? The end of the winter, when it's been a specially harsh one.
4. Do you do anything to celebrate or recognize the changing of seasons? My friend Lynch threw a Welcome to Fall party once and i thought it was the greatest idea. She even covered with brown and yellow leaves the elevator floor.
5. What's your favorite thing to do outside? I like simply walking around, having a picnic, sitting at the park. I'm hoping of finally using my rollerblades this year.

Spring and an eternal trip to the stars
Here we are, changing seasons again. Time does fly sometimes. This spring has brought a new look over beauty contests, and i don't mean what the girls wear... Everyone is talking about this over here. Which is funny. It's like trying to make a big scandal over something extraordinarily silly and frivolous.

Speaking about looks and fashion, i wonder if people in CNN are exagerating or are Hollywood creatures really this lame? Yes, i know answer B is almost always correct. And i also know that if i were a nominated actress i would have been rehearsing my acceptance speach since age 12. Althought the hardest part is having to keep the smile on while someone else gets away with the Oscar. I don't think they rehearse for that one. If that happened to me, i'd probably do my best to disappear.

And if disappearing is what one wants, a long journey is the best option. I've found a great trip but unfortunately it takes so long to get there that it's kind of a one way ticket. The good part is that you get to have sex on board and that you'll be way out of circulation when the Sun eventually swallows the Earth.

Before that happens, let's enjoy our first day of spring.

Well, not really...

I am 50% CANADIAN!!! (Take the Canadian-ness test)

Sleepy
I had trouble sleeping last night. Again. I don't know why this happens but it's an endless, dangerous circle that starts spinning as hours go by. Tom tries to convince me that i shouldn't read in bed because that's an obstacle to relax. Sorry, but i'm afraid that's bullshit. I've always brought books with me in bed, and it's the next best thing after a hot bath.

As a child, i was encouraged to read and i still remember my dad coming into my room and actually reciting to me until i dozed off. It's funny how that is one of my few memories of my father at home when i was as a kid. He and my mother separated when i was three, so it makes sense that i don't remember seeing him around the house. He'd visit sometimes and every now and then he stayed until bedtime: that's when he'd recite poems about pirates and little girls held captive during the Middle Ages.

I couldn't sleep last night. Every time that happens i wonder if i should keep on trying to relax or i should get up and do something productive, like start to write the novel for once. Mind you, i have started, but i hate it. Maybe that's why i couldn't sleep last night.

Is it Saturday yet?

What day are you?

We are all waiting
My friend Morgana is waiting. She's been waiting for almost nine months now. Expecting would be a better word. She dropped by our house on Saturday night, showing off her round belly and beaming, as usual. Morgana will become a proud mother in a matter of two weeks, or so the doctor says.
I get ten thousand butterflies every time i think she's having a baby. Will she look like Morgana or rather like her dad? Will i be able to develop a good relationship with her, since i get to be her godmother? Morgana is nervous and tired and anxious to see Lucía's little face. We are all waiting.

Random facts of today:
Listening: Love thy will be done, by Martika. I love this radio station. Where else would i listen to all these songs??
Feeling: I'd feel better with my second cup of coffee.
Eating: Pops cereal.
Reading: The Stars' Tennis Balls, by Stephen Fry. Highly entertaining...

First-timers
I'd like to play with memory today. What do you remember from your childhood? Your first bicycle ride? First meal?
Let's see... the earliest memory i have is of myself being carried up a street in my mother's arms. I can still see the light of that day in my mind (it was very early in the morning) and i remember i was wearing something red (my mum tells me i had a red coat and i was two years-old).
More memories:
First film at the cinema. It was probably Cinderella, then Bambi, which, by the way, was a traumatic experience... i cried so much!
First thing i bought with my money. Easy: sweets and ice creams.
First record. I got 'Why can't i be you, by The Cure, in single. Then i got 'Ice on Fire', by Elton John, in album.
First bike. Santa brought me a beautiful metal-blue bicycle. My sister got a red one.
First friend. I was attending nursery school and he managed to get in at mid-term. He was shy, tall and five. Even at that age, he had an extraordinary sense of humour. I miss him.
First car. The first family car was a red Seat 133, second hand and noisy. It was great. The first car i drove ever, apart from the one at the driving school, was a Citroën ZX.

Motherland

If you ever go across the sea to Ireland
Then maybe at the closing of your day
You will sit and watch the moon rise over Claddagh
And see the sun go down on Galway Bay
Just to hear again the ripple of the trout stream
The women in the meadows making hay
And to sit beside a turf fire in the cabin
And watch the barefoot gosoons at their play.

For the breezes blowing over the seas from Ireland
Are perfumed by the heather as it blows
And the women in the uplands diggin' praties
Speak a language that the strangers do not know
For the strangers came and tried to teach us their way
They scorn'd us just for being what we are
But they might as well go chasing after moonbeams
Or light a penny candle from a star.

And if there is going to be a life hereafter
And somehow I am sure there's going to be
I well ask my God to let me make my heaven
In that dear land across the Irish sea.

Galway bay Traditional Irish song

That was nice
I would like to thank from here all the great friends who attended the party last night. Thank you for coming, thank you for not breaking any glasses, thank you very much for eating what we prepared without making funny faces. Thank you for enjoying yourselves as much as you did, thank you for not obstructing the wc, thank you for not trying any new flamenco steps in the sitting room and thank you very much for being there.

P.S. from Tom: Thank you for the presents!

Random facts of today:
Listening: Chunga's revenge, by Frank Zappa and Tom giggling with his new Dilbert book.
Feeling: Relaxed and gratefully not hungover.
Drinking: My second cup of coffee.
Eating: Cottage cheese.

The first wives club
We met at work for a few minutes and then at summer camp (which was also work). She was cleaning the swimming pool, we were both about to clean our lives. That afternoon of July she told me how, from that day, she was going to follow a new road. From the very beginning i knew she was warm, creative, inspiring and brilliantly different.

Lynch can draw a new landscape every morning if she feels the day doesn't look bright enough. Together we created the chickband95 project, which is nowadays just an email address, but also one of the many dreams we lived in.

Enjoy your birthday, girl!

Animals, pets

Today's Friday Five on the previous topic: Animals

1. What's your favorite animal? I like lions, dolphins and dogs.
2. What pets have you had in your lifetime? My sister and I had an orange cat when we were kids. His name was Tiger and he ran away with some chic kitten, or so we were told. When i turned 17 we adopted a dog, called Luna. She was the cutest thing ever. I miss her.
3. Is there any specific pet that you've wanted but never had?Why? A polar bear, for obvious reasons (plus i live in Spain).
4. Are you allergic to any animals? Nope.
5. Do you have any 'pet' pet peeves (your pets or others')? Not really, except smells. Are you not going to ask me what my plans for the weekend are? ;-)

Inmediate effects
Have you ever seen a photograph or a drawing of something supposed to be funny and yet you find it much more than that? I mean you think it's devastatingly hillarious and you crack up every time you look at it again, whereas the rest of the people simply smile, or worse, they give you sympathetic looks? That's exactly what happens to me with this picture.

Now
The time is here. Yesterday i was going on about how everything is falling back into its original place. So i can't find any more excuses. I'm starting my novel now. The second. I never thought it would be so hard just getting started. Or probably i did: too many insecurities (will it be total crap?) and lies (i don't have the time to write any more). Wish me luck.

Random facts of today:
Listening: Hands Clean by Alanis Morissette.
Reading: Love, etc. by Julian Barnes.
Feeling: Sleepy. And mad because nothing seems to work properly with the site.
Drinking: My second cup of coffee. You can talk to me now.

Back in business
See what i mean when i say bureaucracy can't be good? I've had my personal dose of paperwork this week and it's been more than enough, thank you very much. I was never very good at filling forms, anyway. Now everything seems to be coming back to starting point: back to work, my neck allowing me to actually look to my left and the blog back in business... order, for once, is welcome.

Of course there are things missing from the site, but i'll work on it. First of all, they f***** changed my url, and that means all my images have to be 'renamed'. Plus my archives are gone, did you notice that? Yeah, i've to fix some details, nothing Lycos should worry about... grrr.

PS. One little secret: this is what i've been entertaining myself with for the past 15 minutes.

Topic

Sevilla, tourist version 3.1

Waiting
I am waiting. In silence, trying not to get anxious... because this damn blog won't get published til next Wednesday! Three more days to go. Breathe. Inspire. Exhale. That's the girl.

I got a neck contracture that had me out of work for two whole days and i ended up going to a physiotherapist. She was a tall German girl, all smiles. She asked me to lie down and then she pushed and pulled until my pain was gone. My neck also left.

It's Tom's birthday today and we had a brilliant morning. For once in his life, he was woken up by me and the smell of fresh coffee, on a tray (the coffee, not me), in bed. Then we had a walk around our neighbourhood: the weather was so beautiful and we were both in such a great mood that i felt little knives in my stomach every time i thought i had to get to work at 4 p.m.

Then we had lunch at a brazilian place: small, cozy and delicious. It's called A Brasileira and that's one of the first places we went to when we started going out together.

Happy birthday to the boy with the caramel and almond eyes.

Dissappointed
I can't publish due to my server problems, but i'll post my Friday five anyway.

1. What makes you homesick? Funny enough, i get homesick of Québec every now and then. When i'm not in Spain, hearing the accent is enough to get my heart back there.
2. Where is "home" for you? Our appartment, sorry for being so prosaic. If not, anywhere with Tom.
3. What makes it home for you? People? Things? People make me feel at home. Also: loud costumers at bars, traffic jams coming out of nowhere, paper napkins on the floor and a braindead president. Yeah, that's what this country can be about.
4. Where is the furthest you've been from home, miles-wise? Geographically, it'll be Miami.
5. What are your plans for this weekend? Work and go to the movies.

Do you know who the best looking 32 year-old man is? I do. Happy birthday, Pau.

Randomly

I don't know how i slept last night but i've woken up with my neck feeling like a greek column. Do i need to relax more or buy a new pillow?

By the way, I got a picture from Sevilla scanned but there are some connection problems with the site so i'll have to wait, keep your hair on!

Bureaucracy is going to kill me. I have to fill out some 20 pieces of paper in order to have the worker's union (or something like that) in my company. Why do i have to do this? Because i'm the person who's been working for the longest time there! Rats! That is the one and only privilege i get from being hired on 1999...

Random facts of today:
Listening: When i look in your eyes by The Romantics. It's on the radio.
Reading: La ciudad de los prodigios by Eduardo Mendoza.
Feeling: In pain. My neck is killing me.
Eating: Fresh cheese for breakfast and cocido for lunch.

?
What's going on with the linkin' and the bloggin'?

Dedicated to my friend in BCN
(...)
Years have passed and things have changed
and i move anyway i wanna go
I'll never forget the feeling i got
when i heard that you'd got home
and i'll never forget the smile on my face
cos i knew where you would be
and if you're in The Crown tonight
have a drink on me
Go easy
Step tight
and
Stay free

Stay free, from Give 'Em Enough Rope, The Clash, 1978

Huh?

Not really. I was expecting to be something more like a joint, but who ever trusted test results? :-)

The sign
of those times

Balance

I could do this for hours.

But i won't, because i have plans for the night: eating an early dinner with Tom, watching tv until it's time to go to bed, then get up, do something boring related to the company i work for and finally start my seven-days-in-a-row-week after two weeks of holidays.

It's been an interesting time, not going to work. I have gone through several emotions during these 14 days. I've been:

Happy
Relaxed
Bored
Surprised
Drunk
Funny
Silly
Angry
Ignored
Tired
and
Loved

It was good for the best part of the time, so i won't complain. Not tonight. I have plans.

The next step
Some of my friends and i are in that time of life where we are getting really, really close to being 30 years old. One dreams of getting married to prince charming, another one wants to act her age but look five years younger, the next one has just left her boyfriend and is trying hard to get over it. And we all go crazy dealing with everything at the same time -feeling we are not that great at it, anyway.

But prince charming uses temporary charms to seduce spinsters in their late twenties, sipping gin and tonics at fashionable clubs, then he mutates into just-an-ordinary-guy and that's when the disenchantment usually happens. Been there, done that. Mind you, there are many princess charming out there who act the same.

Someone i know has recently discovered that her boyfriend is not the person she thought he was. Or maybe the problem is that he is exactly how she always suspected he was. No alarms and no surprises. The fact is she is leaving. She is going to quit her job, leave her friends and family behind and move to another country, where she will be safe from falling into him again.

It takes a lot of courage and disenchantment to do that. And i know she will be fine. It's never late to say i'm not sorry.

Marching on March
New month, new expectations. Let's not focus on the 'same-shit-different-day' motto, let's forget that i have to be back to work, deal with Resident Evil's mood changes and rewrite what the news agencies have to say. Let's make things happen. Here are my hopes and things i am grateful for in this month of March:

Throwing a brilliant party for Tom's birthday

Enjoying the birthdates of the people around me, in order of appearance: Pau, Dani (Morgana's boyfriend), Tom, Nick, Lynch and Victor. Have a good one, you all!

Tom finding a job. It has to be this month. It's going to be this month

Some time during March, something great will happen (i will get a dream job at a magazine) and i'll be able to smile to Resident Evil and tell him to fuck off

I'll have great sex this month. Yes, that's a fact

More concerts, more plays, more restaurants, more movies and a lot of dancing as usual

A good trip coming up at the end of March

The Friday Five questions
1. What's your favorite vacation spot?
Anything under the sun, especially the South of Spain, such as Cádiz. With a better budget, probably New York or my favourite place on earth: Québec.
2. Where do you consider to be the biggest hell-hole on earth?
I don't think there's such a thing as a hell-hole. It all depends on the company and the plans. Weather is an important factor as well.
3. What would be your dream vacation?
An eternal one? I don't know, there are so many places, so little time. I'd love to see Cuba, Argentina, Kenya: a tour of the world would do!
4. If you could go on a road-trip with anyone, who would it be and why?
My boyfriend or a gang of girl pals. Tom is the best traveller i know: patient, fun and easygoing. And friends are always a great laugh.
5. What are your plans for this weekend?
Eat, drink and be merry, for Monday my holidays will be over...