There is this small wine bar ...

around the corner from my flat... it's right in front of the most beautiful gothic church called Santa Maria del Mar. Every saturday if you snag a table at the wine bar which is in front of the church you can catch a glimpse of what is usually some pretty garish outfits, it's almost like a wicked sport... good evil fun (see this should have been posting 666) damn. Anyway, like I was saying... today we missed the event but you can tell someone was wed today... the proof is in the petals!


The proof is in the petals


I went on a hunt for the cherry blossoms... I don't think this is a cherry tree but it's close enough!


Some people who have been working far too hard lately treated themselves to a new black jacket... I've got the proof and the funky orange boots to prove it!

Just for the record...

It's sometimes good to have some proof to defend my fatalism... my washing did blow off the line during the night and yes it was scattered all over the terrace in the morning... and no I have no idea what was lost as I've done about 6 loads of laundry in the past week. So there. stick that in optimism's pipe and smoke it!

well i made it to blog entry number 666 and now i've absolutely nothing decidedly evil to write about...so pictures instead then?

I've got oodles of jucy camera pics that I had forgotten about... behold and basque in the awe that they come from a meare camera phone... it's got less pixels than my actual camera but it comes out way better!?!?!?

Tomorrow marks the last working day here in Spain until a week next tuesday... it's semana santa and yes, we get an entire week and a day off work. All good of course unless you work for yourself! D'oh... they get me everytime!!!!


Beautiful lighting on the buildings behind my flat last Sunday


and again...


And again...


mmmmmmmmm yummy! Fried cheese and avacado (i went to the gym straight afterwards I swear)


Mashed potatoe with spinach and crutons a beacon of cheese and then the other side is guacamole... did I mention I went to they gym afterwards???

if the wind hasn't...

blown away all my washing of the clothes line on the terrace by the morning, I will indeed be impressed... winter has returned here in full force and it's been cold, windy and rainy here for the past week... I am mostly wanting spring and the lovely cherry blossoms to return... wait... do they even have those here? hmm maybe I'm just setting myself up for disapointment.

like Dearbhla used to say... it's 11 o'clock and not a child in the house is washed... but in this case it's moreso like my to-do list is busting at the seams and lethargy rules surpreme... If I had any reading material in the house that I have not yet read, it would be devoured whole. Perhaps this is a good thing... If I go one without reading material long enough I may eventually be forced to read Alfredo's books in Spanish... that would keep me running back to my to-do list!

My seestor has fallen off the blogging wagon... naughty chicken. tsk tsk.

That was quick

My 15 minutes of fame lasted just under 15 mins and luckily there were no ugly run-ins with the paparazzi outside my flat.

I'm very pleased that I have finally finished the website I build for Fredu... it's so good for him to have his portfolio online again. check it out!

back to life as per usual... best get moving before the day finishes without me!

my 15 minutes of fame

Yesterday my picture was published in the Vanguardia (the national newspaper) ... it was the shot that Juan (my friend who is a photographer) did a few weeks ago for an article about fashion and real people. To be totally honest I don't like what they made me wear but hey ho... My face does not look too monstrous so that's good... and the main thing is that albeit small, it's good to get a tiny bit of exposure for my business! Unfortunately the magazine is not available online therefore if you missed my mug, then you'll have to wait until I get around to scanning it and putting it up here.

Lane sharing etiquette- an experience in the absurd

Yesterday when I arrived at the gym just before 14h, I was hoping that I would find the pool to be clearing out as it's lunch time here. Unfortunately this was not the case. The indoor pool was full and it was clear that I would have to share a lane with someone. This is always kind of a pain only because for some unkown reason people are so grumpy when forced to share the lane. I don't get it... they are definately big enough for two people to swim in comforatably... but anyway people always act all put out when you ask them... yesterday was no exception. I always try and chose a lane where the person seems to be able to swim in a fairly straight line and are not partaking in any both arms at the same rotation style backstroke or any crazy butterfly. So I approached this lady and asked...

podemos compartir? (can we share)?

She looked up at me as if I just asked her for her last penut m&m. I was astounded... so I then said.

Vale, si te moleste tanto, puedo preguntar a este chico a lado.. ( if it is really such an inconvience to you I will ask the bloke in the next lane)

She then looked at me and said

non non dar igual (nahh it's the same)

So I then said

vale, que lado prefieres? (which side do you prefer)

And she responded

no se, entras y veremos (i'm not sure, get in and we'll see)

I was so confused, has she really just asked me to get and do an audition to see which style of lane sharing I was eligible for?????

I gave her a mildly confused look and started off in the right hand side of the lane. When I got to the other side of the pool I looked over to see if she was swimming behind me as to take a view as to if I was going to re-turn back along the same side or instead down the left-hand side... and there she was still at the other end inspecting my swimming style!!! I swam back down the left hand side and when I arrived she said to me.

muy bien, sigimos asi (very well, we shall continue like this)

I was like what the fuck? thanks for the approval. I guess she had deemed me suitable to swim in a circut instead of sharing the lane. I simply do not get it. It's way more confortable for both parties to just swim at their own pace up and down one side... but since she was in the lane first she had crowned herself the owner of the lane. People are so bizzare. I mean how egotistical do you have to be? I can't imagine ever behaving this way to anyone in public. If I'm in a lane and I need to share, I do it with a friendly smile and a nod, and then tell the person I'll take the right or the left-hand side and that's it, no more interaction required.

It's people like this that I will never understand.

Here's to hoping I don't cross paths or lanes with her again.