much ado about nothing...
after much a flat hunting and not having anywhere to live other than the local b&b here in maidstone
I finally suffered a bit of a lodging nervous breakdown. Brough about by a long sequence of events but it all erupted in a flood of tears when we found out that we didn't get the flat we both fell in love with down the street from our current place... In a stroke of trickiness we proposed to offer them more money for the flat than they were asking if they would choose us over the first couple who saw the place that wanted it... we were the second. It's been a few days now and they're milling over the offer. In my heart of hearts I dont' think they'll go for it but you just never know... if we achieve no sucess then we will just stay put in our tiny place until the right option comes along... Very stressful all around... made me realise how i would just love to buy somewhere and put some roots down for once! I guess it's just me being so transient of late that is making me crave some lodging stability.
The days are ticking away and I'm gleefuly approaching the end of my contract here with the counsil. I could stay till mid -dec but I've not yet decided if it's worth it (mentally) I think financially it's always a good idea.
Seestor arrives tomorrow. Xmas shopping in london town will be our mission... nothing unusual about that one... us predictable? Never.
I came up with a brilliant idea whil chatting to a cabbie when I was in london for a brief spell last night for Ceciles 'i'm free from working at GT' party. I'm going to open a pram shop in Maidstone. I can smell the money and the chav's...
18.11.05
9.11.05
i have this thought... in that
playing the lotto has a direct connection to my discontent... guess it's not surprising really... winning would allow you a quick ticket out of this game... of course with it, would come an equal amount of problems ... but I'll keep my lucky dip for tonights draw thank you very much. It's funny as I've not played the lotto for quite some time... and when I start again I seem more convinced that I will win... I can even invision myself explaining how i just bought the ticket on the spur of the moment... so cheezy. I am guilty.
Two more sleeps and I get to go home. I'm counting down the minutes. I miss painting... I miss having a house... and of course Fredu.
Yesterday we worked for 13h and most of them i spent listening to a local Kent radio station... perhaps that is the source of my discontent... it's not a healthy choice for any human... on a brighter note... Theo sent this to me today... I thought it was cute. I want to be the man with the fish. Read on....
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village.
An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day.
You can then sell the extra fish you catch.
With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
And after that?" asked the Mexican.
With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
And the moral is: Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.
playing the lotto has a direct connection to my discontent... guess it's not surprising really... winning would allow you a quick ticket out of this game... of course with it, would come an equal amount of problems ... but I'll keep my lucky dip for tonights draw thank you very much. It's funny as I've not played the lotto for quite some time... and when I start again I seem more convinced that I will win... I can even invision myself explaining how i just bought the ticket on the spur of the moment... so cheezy. I am guilty.
Two more sleeps and I get to go home. I'm counting down the minutes. I miss painting... I miss having a house... and of course Fredu.
Yesterday we worked for 13h and most of them i spent listening to a local Kent radio station... perhaps that is the source of my discontent... it's not a healthy choice for any human... on a brighter note... Theo sent this to me today... I thought it was cute. I want to be the man with the fish. Read on....
A boat docked in a tiny Mexican village.
An American tourist complimented the Mexican fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took him to catch them.
"Not very long," answered the Mexican.
"But then, why didn't you stay out longer and catch more?" asked the American.
The Mexican explained that his small catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The American asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a siesta with my wife. In the evenings, I go into the village to see my friends, have a few drinks, play the guitar, and sing a few songs. I have a full life."
The American interrupted, "I have an MBA from Harvard and I can help you!
You should start by fishing longer every day.
You can then sell the extra fish you catch.
With the extra revenue, you can buy a bigger boat."
And after that?" asked the Mexican.
With the extra money the larger boat will bring, you can buy a second one and a third one and so on until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middle man, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can then leave this little village and move to Mexico City, Los Angeles, or even New York City! From there you can direct your huge new enterprise."
"How long would that take?" asked the Mexican.
"Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years," replied the American.
"And after that?"
"Afterwards? Well my Friend, That's when it gets really interesting," answered the American, laughing. "When your business gets really big, you can start selling stocks and make millions!"
"Millions? Really? And after that?" said the Mexican.
"After that you'll be able to retire, live in a tiny village near the coast, sleep late, play with your children, catch a few fish, take a siesta with your wife and spend your evenings drinking and enjoying your friends."
And the moral is: Know where you're going in life... you may already be there.
4.11.05
Silly
Getting paid silly money doesn't of course come without working silly hours... not anything as bad as design agency hours but taxing nonetheless!
Did I mentioned that my old dodgy landlord got 9 years in the end... they finally caught him at the beginning of the year... the officer in charge of the case dropped me a line a few days ago to let me know. Sweet of her to remember :)
Busy weekend lined up... not as hectic as last weekend... but how good was it to go home and sleep in my own bed next to ze boi... I miss him! The tardy arrival back in London on the Monday night was nothing to envy... I finally made it to Maidstone at 1h30 in the morning... I left out flat in BCN at 18h... now that's an evil commute. Next weekend when I go home I'll be sure to stay the night with Jo Jo and come into work in the morning instead...
The mission is back on... flat hunting again... we're moving flats at the beginning of Dec. Somewhere bigger and somewhere less noisy. Bijou is okay but we've got no room left for anything now! Time to move. I love looking but I hate the actual moving... Still have 3 bags left here in London... will probably take the next few trips to manage to get it all over...
Did I mention my project manager (note my joy in that I'm not the project manager for once) bought us boxes of chocolates as a thank you for working so late for the past few weeks. She's such a sweetie.
The weekend starts in T minus 8h
Oh yea almost forgot... congrats to senor Danny for his new fab job with Yahoo :)
Getting paid silly money doesn't of course come without working silly hours... not anything as bad as design agency hours but taxing nonetheless!
Did I mentioned that my old dodgy landlord got 9 years in the end... they finally caught him at the beginning of the year... the officer in charge of the case dropped me a line a few days ago to let me know. Sweet of her to remember :)
Busy weekend lined up... not as hectic as last weekend... but how good was it to go home and sleep in my own bed next to ze boi... I miss him! The tardy arrival back in London on the Monday night was nothing to envy... I finally made it to Maidstone at 1h30 in the morning... I left out flat in BCN at 18h... now that's an evil commute. Next weekend when I go home I'll be sure to stay the night with Jo Jo and come into work in the morning instead...
The mission is back on... flat hunting again... we're moving flats at the beginning of Dec. Somewhere bigger and somewhere less noisy. Bijou is okay but we've got no room left for anything now! Time to move. I love looking but I hate the actual moving... Still have 3 bags left here in London... will probably take the next few trips to manage to get it all over...
Did I mention my project manager (note my joy in that I'm not the project manager for once) bought us boxes of chocolates as a thank you for working so late for the past few weeks. She's such a sweetie.
The weekend starts in T minus 8h
Oh yea almost forgot... congrats to senor Danny for his new fab job with Yahoo :)
25.10.05
Blind blogging continues
Not being able to see my blog from work is a bit frustrating as I can't kill time like I used to... I have no idea why any company would see the need to block all URL's with underscores in them... maybe they equate them to porn peddling sites... HA.
The days have been co-operating and sure enough I'm getting closer to Friday and going home! I'm so excited. I know I've only been here 3 weeks but it feels like I've stepped back in time... kind of like moving to BCN was just a time blip. Pinch me someone...
I'm sitting in death row as I've deemed it... this florescent lighting and recycled air office is breeding sickness as fast a battery hen... there is a chorus of coughing and sneezing all the way up and down my seating area. Not one to ever miss out on something, I too am brewing a nice sort of sickness... It cant' quite decide if it wants to go to my sinuses or my lungs... or perhaps a bit of both. Joy.
Ivy and Mel arrive in BCN this weekend for a bit of a Jolly. We're out to some fancy foody restaurant on Saturday night. Should be interesting to see how much one will end up paying for a posh salad. Good thing really as all the comfort eating that I've been doing since my return has had a very rapid effect on my waist line... is this why I've suddenly acquired an avid interest in all clothes that offer an elasticised waistband? Seriously I've got three pairs now that would easily be confused with maternity wear... It's my own trend maternity-chic for non maternity people... it's so the new Deralique!
Not being able to see my blog from work is a bit frustrating as I can't kill time like I used to... I have no idea why any company would see the need to block all URL's with underscores in them... maybe they equate them to porn peddling sites... HA.
The days have been co-operating and sure enough I'm getting closer to Friday and going home! I'm so excited. I know I've only been here 3 weeks but it feels like I've stepped back in time... kind of like moving to BCN was just a time blip. Pinch me someone...
I'm sitting in death row as I've deemed it... this florescent lighting and recycled air office is breeding sickness as fast a battery hen... there is a chorus of coughing and sneezing all the way up and down my seating area. Not one to ever miss out on something, I too am brewing a nice sort of sickness... It cant' quite decide if it wants to go to my sinuses or my lungs... or perhaps a bit of both. Joy.
Ivy and Mel arrive in BCN this weekend for a bit of a Jolly. We're out to some fancy foody restaurant on Saturday night. Should be interesting to see how much one will end up paying for a posh salad. Good thing really as all the comfort eating that I've been doing since my return has had a very rapid effect on my waist line... is this why I've suddenly acquired an avid interest in all clothes that offer an elasticised waistband? Seriously I've got three pairs now that would easily be confused with maternity wear... It's my own trend maternity-chic for non maternity people... it's so the new Deralique!
19.10.05
My heart is so sad
My poor Fredu was mugged last night on his way home from the production office. He got surrounded by three guys while he was unlocking his bike and they swarmed in on him and kicked and punched him and grabbed his bag. The worst part of it beyond the cuts and bruising is the fact that they got his laptop, cables... CD's containing all the work he'd done in the last week and 5 sheets of negs which are obviously irreplaceable. They didn't take his wallet or his agenda as he had those on his person... They clearly must have planned the attack as it wasn't at all obvious what was in the bag they must have been casing the cafe where he often works with his colleagues... they must have known he had some expensive equipment... It's just terrible. I'm gutted that I'm not there right now. I can't concentrate on work. I wish terrible things on the people who did this to him... but then again I guess they are already experiencing terrible things that would make them attack someone and then steal from them.
Boo to them. Boo to all the horrible people like them out there.
My poor Fredu was mugged last night on his way home from the production office. He got surrounded by three guys while he was unlocking his bike and they swarmed in on him and kicked and punched him and grabbed his bag. The worst part of it beyond the cuts and bruising is the fact that they got his laptop, cables... CD's containing all the work he'd done in the last week and 5 sheets of negs which are obviously irreplaceable. They didn't take his wallet or his agenda as he had those on his person... They clearly must have planned the attack as it wasn't at all obvious what was in the bag they must have been casing the cafe where he often works with his colleagues... they must have known he had some expensive equipment... It's just terrible. I'm gutted that I'm not there right now. I can't concentrate on work. I wish terrible things on the people who did this to him... but then again I guess they are already experiencing terrible things that would make them attack someone and then steal from them.
Boo to them. Boo to all the horrible people like them out there.
13.10.05
strange things are a brewin'...
for some reason... i don't be able to see my blog today... i'm suspicious that it has something to do with how i'm accessing it... I'm in a seceret location... it's grey and rainy and it's not barcelona and it's not even central london... there are lots of chavs and transient people who drift around town with wheely suitcases... i am one of them.
i am now living part time in a b & b in sunny maidstone working with miss sally trying to save the world or maybe just kent counsel from the evils of disorganised systems... the money is silly... thus my rapid departure from my new sunny home and my beautiful corazon... money is such an willing motivator. I'm just trying to get my heart into doing it... Strangely they have no siestas here. I don't know if i will be able to adjust.
My poor mobile that died is being collected and replaced tomorrow. I've most definately lost all my contact details and all my pickies... so so sad but what can you do? I've got the next 8 weeks here in the UK to try and re-collect them all.
On a positive note... seestor is dropping in next weekend just for the day... she's still working for the airline on the weekends so it will be a real treat to see her! It's very exciting as Air Transat has decided to add a new route to BCN starting next summer. How fantastic is that?
for some reason... i don't be able to see my blog today... i'm suspicious that it has something to do with how i'm accessing it... I'm in a seceret location... it's grey and rainy and it's not barcelona and it's not even central london... there are lots of chavs and transient people who drift around town with wheely suitcases... i am one of them.
i am now living part time in a b & b in sunny maidstone working with miss sally trying to save the world or maybe just kent counsel from the evils of disorganised systems... the money is silly... thus my rapid departure from my new sunny home and my beautiful corazon... money is such an willing motivator. I'm just trying to get my heart into doing it... Strangely they have no siestas here. I don't know if i will be able to adjust.
My poor mobile that died is being collected and replaced tomorrow. I've most definately lost all my contact details and all my pickies... so so sad but what can you do? I've got the next 8 weeks here in the UK to try and re-collect them all.
On a positive note... seestor is dropping in next weekend just for the day... she's still working for the airline on the weekends so it will be a real treat to see her! It's very exciting as Air Transat has decided to add a new route to BCN starting next summer. How fantastic is that?
6.10.05
4.10.05
one month in
so it´s been nearly a month... and yes believe it or not i´ve started school...
it´s only 2h per day but i think it will be just fine... going to school on the second day with a hangover... not so smart, but hey you forget these things. The last time I studied anything It was back in 1998! The teacher is nice and there are a good mix of people in the class including one english bloke, two japanese girls and another canadian... there are also some americans, an italian and an austrian. Lets see if Sarah still has any brain cells left to learn a new language.
Spending time with Andrea and Danny this weekend was fab, they´ve now jetted off down the coast for a few days of wine tasting and such. It´s been really great to see some friendly faces. I´m so lucky!
They had a really freaky festival here this weekend that we went to check out... it´s called boulevard of broken dreams and it´s a circus-esq show that tours around, mostly dutch people. Was pretty interesting. I did however have terrible nightmares that night... I guess the freak shows were a bit much for my delicate psyche.
When it rains it poors... I´ve just been offered the possiblity to return to london for a 4-6 week contract at my old job... they´re very busy... I´m not sure if it will work out but we´ll see... also miss sally just dropped me a line asking me to go and work for her for 2 months. All so tempting as the money would keep me here for a lot longer and my life of leisure would continue... we´ll see how it goes.
I think the autumn has finally started to arrive here... there is a definate snap in the air now... however last saturday it was 26 and i got a bit of colour on my face while swimming in the afternoon.
My bike is back in the shop again... somehow the bike i bought for 30euros is soon going to be worth 70... the guy who fixed the back tyre... didn´t put in a very good innertube so it was deflating... it´s a comedy. i may as well buy a donkey... i think it would be more reliable!
so it´s been nearly a month... and yes believe it or not i´ve started school...
it´s only 2h per day but i think it will be just fine... going to school on the second day with a hangover... not so smart, but hey you forget these things. The last time I studied anything It was back in 1998! The teacher is nice and there are a good mix of people in the class including one english bloke, two japanese girls and another canadian... there are also some americans, an italian and an austrian. Lets see if Sarah still has any brain cells left to learn a new language.
Spending time with Andrea and Danny this weekend was fab, they´ve now jetted off down the coast for a few days of wine tasting and such. It´s been really great to see some friendly faces. I´m so lucky!
They had a really freaky festival here this weekend that we went to check out... it´s called boulevard of broken dreams and it´s a circus-esq show that tours around, mostly dutch people. Was pretty interesting. I did however have terrible nightmares that night... I guess the freak shows were a bit much for my delicate psyche.
When it rains it poors... I´ve just been offered the possiblity to return to london for a 4-6 week contract at my old job... they´re very busy... I´m not sure if it will work out but we´ll see... also miss sally just dropped me a line asking me to go and work for her for 2 months. All so tempting as the money would keep me here for a lot longer and my life of leisure would continue... we´ll see how it goes.
I think the autumn has finally started to arrive here... there is a definate snap in the air now... however last saturday it was 26 and i got a bit of colour on my face while swimming in the afternoon.
My bike is back in the shop again... somehow the bike i bought for 30euros is soon going to be worth 70... the guy who fixed the back tyre... didn´t put in a very good innertube so it was deflating... it´s a comedy. i may as well buy a donkey... i think it would be more reliable!
27.9.05
hey
i just noticed that my last entry was number 555 tee hee... not long till 666... Once i bought a dr pepper, and a packet of fags way back when in ottawa and the total came to $6.66 i was amused... the shop keeper, not so much.
Strange and random things often happen to me... I always find myself telling my sister that "these things never happen i swear" like when we were walking down the street in london with all the embassys and sally was faking limbo under the secuity gate when the guy in the booth lifted the arm for her... it was hilarious... well last night after a great birthday dinner at la dolça herminia we were on our way home but wanted to stop for the ultima de la ultima... when we stumbled upon a leather sofa that was discarded in the street. it was in pretty mint condition... Alfredo fell in love with it and sat down... a few seconds later another guy and girl rocked up and sat down and started chatting... one was swedish the other italian who spoke swedish... we nabbed some tins of estrella and sat and had a good old chin wag... the street cleaners arrived and wanted to take away the sofa but we insited it was ours... and our mini street party continued... then, no joke come along two young very blond guys with suntans and surf boards... how surreal... they had missed their flight and had to wait till today to go home... the airline had no room to store their boards so they had them with them... turns our they were also italian... but from the very north as you can imagine... they ended up leaving their boards at our house for the night so they didn´t have to trekk them around... so funny. So yea KJ... I agree... these things do happen to me.
Happyness is... finding out you got payed 400 pounds more than you expected on your last paycheque from work!
I´m very excited... sally has invited me back to london to help her celebrate her b´day not this weekend but next... I´ll have to leave next Friday after school and return sunday night. Very exciting.
off to find the art shop and hopefully an art school... here´s to hoping that clotilde manages to take me there without going flat... i´ve got suspcisons that she was not fixed properly... we´ll see... if i´m in luck she may even manage to take me to the gym this afternoon.
i just noticed that my last entry was number 555 tee hee... not long till 666... Once i bought a dr pepper, and a packet of fags way back when in ottawa and the total came to $6.66 i was amused... the shop keeper, not so much.
Strange and random things often happen to me... I always find myself telling my sister that "these things never happen i swear" like when we were walking down the street in london with all the embassys and sally was faking limbo under the secuity gate when the guy in the booth lifted the arm for her... it was hilarious... well last night after a great birthday dinner at la dolça herminia we were on our way home but wanted to stop for the ultima de la ultima... when we stumbled upon a leather sofa that was discarded in the street. it was in pretty mint condition... Alfredo fell in love with it and sat down... a few seconds later another guy and girl rocked up and sat down and started chatting... one was swedish the other italian who spoke swedish... we nabbed some tins of estrella and sat and had a good old chin wag... the street cleaners arrived and wanted to take away the sofa but we insited it was ours... and our mini street party continued... then, no joke come along two young very blond guys with suntans and surf boards... how surreal... they had missed their flight and had to wait till today to go home... the airline had no room to store their boards so they had them with them... turns our they were also italian... but from the very north as you can imagine... they ended up leaving their boards at our house for the night so they didn´t have to trekk them around... so funny. So yea KJ... I agree... these things do happen to me.
Happyness is... finding out you got payed 400 pounds more than you expected on your last paycheque from work!
I´m very excited... sally has invited me back to london to help her celebrate her b´day not this weekend but next... I´ll have to leave next Friday after school and return sunday night. Very exciting.
off to find the art shop and hopefully an art school... here´s to hoping that clotilde manages to take me there without going flat... i´ve got suspcisons that she was not fixed properly... we´ll see... if i´m in luck she may even manage to take me to the gym this afternoon.
19.9.05
how excited am i?
Mucho mucho!! Miss Andrea and Senor Danny are booked in for a visit. They arrive on the 1st. I can´t wait. It will be so fab to get to see them again. I feel like i´ve been away forever... it doesn´t help that my phone is still in the shop and that i have no ones phon numbers... talk about feeling cut off!
I´m off to see the art school shortly... would be great if I could start this week as the language school I´m going to doesn´t start until next week. We´ll see... Fredu has been busy working working working... so i´ve been gymming and reading... it´s funny as it´s so strange for me to spend so much time on my own. It´s good, it forces me to relax and unwind...
The sun is shining today and i´m due to collect Clotilde this afternoon... she´s my new silver bike... how exciting!?!?! okay play along
Mucho mucho!! Miss Andrea and Senor Danny are booked in for a visit. They arrive on the 1st. I can´t wait. It will be so fab to get to see them again. I feel like i´ve been away forever... it doesn´t help that my phone is still in the shop and that i have no ones phon numbers... talk about feeling cut off!
I´m off to see the art school shortly... would be great if I could start this week as the language school I´m going to doesn´t start until next week. We´ll see... Fredu has been busy working working working... so i´ve been gymming and reading... it´s funny as it´s so strange for me to spend so much time on my own. It´s good, it forces me to relax and unwind...
The sun is shining today and i´m due to collect Clotilde this afternoon... she´s my new silver bike... how exciting!?!?! okay play along
15.9.05
love for sale
i can´t get the song out of my head... don´t worry it´s not me selling it but there are many others all around Barcelona offering it round the clock... you can spot them on many many street corners... Alfredo keeps saying´"look she´s selling love"... must be a good trade as there are so many girls in the business...
Today was a productive day thus far and it´s only 17h20. I´ve managed to open a bank account, find the MAC counter (to purchase an emergency lipstick) have lunch with Maria... accidently swallow a fish bone... (okay yea i was trying to be a carnivore for once... that´s the good it did me)... hmmm I guess that´s all I´ve managed to do thus far today but it feels like a lot... oh yea... I also checked out a language school... they dont´have another session of classes starting till the 26th but now that my bank is sorted I can start the gym full time and I will be more than happy (so will my bellies) to get back at the gym on a regular basis.
My new bike is ready... and Fredu is picking it up from the shop on his way home tonight... of course I tried to collect it but they were not open at 16h like they were supposed to... long lunch I suppose. No passe nada LOL
I´m hoping the weather holds nice until the weekend... a week full of "slow rushing about" is tiring... I think we almost merit a break in the sea for a splash about.
i can´t get the song out of my head... don´t worry it´s not me selling it but there are many others all around Barcelona offering it round the clock... you can spot them on many many street corners... Alfredo keeps saying´"look she´s selling love"... must be a good trade as there are so many girls in the business...
Today was a productive day thus far and it´s only 17h20. I´ve managed to open a bank account, find the MAC counter (to purchase an emergency lipstick) have lunch with Maria... accidently swallow a fish bone... (okay yea i was trying to be a carnivore for once... that´s the good it did me)... hmmm I guess that´s all I´ve managed to do thus far today but it feels like a lot... oh yea... I also checked out a language school... they dont´have another session of classes starting till the 26th but now that my bank is sorted I can start the gym full time and I will be more than happy (so will my bellies) to get back at the gym on a regular basis.
My new bike is ready... and Fredu is picking it up from the shop on his way home tonight... of course I tried to collect it but they were not open at 16h like they were supposed to... long lunch I suppose. No passe nada LOL
I´m hoping the weather holds nice until the weekend... a week full of "slow rushing about" is tiring... I think we almost merit a break in the sea for a splash about.
13.9.05
hola
well well... it´s been a while but much to report so read this just before bed as it may send you to sleep... on the other hand it may intice you to send me hate mail so don´t say i didn´t warn you...
did i mention that when blogging from Spain, blogger is in Spanish? Good thing I can pretty much figure it out!
I arrived in Barcelona last Tuesday evening after a week of crazy work and frantic packing... I made a 40pound donation to easyjet in exchange for them letting me carry 30 kilos of luggage and a massive canvas bag. All arrived safely and ze boi met me at the airport to take me to our new home (still feels strange saying that) it´s been a long time since I last co-habitated but it´s good. We´ve got a tiny (or Bijou) flat as Andrea calls it right near St. Antoni Market... it´s 50m square but split across two levels... it´s nice and bright with two small balconies. I´m not sure how long we´ll last there but we´re thinking approx 2 months then we´ll find a bigger place. But all is good for now.
The gym here is right on the beach and I kind of have to pinch myself when I´m there as when you´re swimming and the Med is right there in fron of you it´s a bit surreal! At 29 euros a month, it makes my LA fitness membership back in London look extortionate!
I´ve been painting... trying for days to unlock my mobile (of course I have a tricky model) and then yes of course... our ever elusive search to find a bicycle. The city is teaming with bikes but strangely there doesn´t seem like anywhere to buy one second hand... We´ve clearly no place in the flat to keep them so they´ll have to live outside... so i would rather go cheap and avoid heartbreak when it enevitably gets stolen!
I´ve started looking for a language school. There are so many to choose from. I think I´ve narrowed it down to about 3... so I hope I can get started next week.
Meeting the lovely Maria (an ex colleague of mine) who works in the GT Barcelona office. Will be nice to see a familiar face!
More updates to come within the next few days. I´m off to hunt second hand bikes once again...
hmm is it normal to not get up until 11am? *runs*
well well... it´s been a while but much to report so read this just before bed as it may send you to sleep... on the other hand it may intice you to send me hate mail so don´t say i didn´t warn you...
did i mention that when blogging from Spain, blogger is in Spanish? Good thing I can pretty much figure it out!
I arrived in Barcelona last Tuesday evening after a week of crazy work and frantic packing... I made a 40pound donation to easyjet in exchange for them letting me carry 30 kilos of luggage and a massive canvas bag. All arrived safely and ze boi met me at the airport to take me to our new home (still feels strange saying that) it´s been a long time since I last co-habitated but it´s good. We´ve got a tiny (or Bijou) flat as Andrea calls it right near St. Antoni Market... it´s 50m square but split across two levels... it´s nice and bright with two small balconies. I´m not sure how long we´ll last there but we´re thinking approx 2 months then we´ll find a bigger place. But all is good for now.
The gym here is right on the beach and I kind of have to pinch myself when I´m there as when you´re swimming and the Med is right there in fron of you it´s a bit surreal! At 29 euros a month, it makes my LA fitness membership back in London look extortionate!
I´ve been painting... trying for days to unlock my mobile (of course I have a tricky model) and then yes of course... our ever elusive search to find a bicycle. The city is teaming with bikes but strangely there doesn´t seem like anywhere to buy one second hand... We´ve clearly no place in the flat to keep them so they´ll have to live outside... so i would rather go cheap and avoid heartbreak when it enevitably gets stolen!
I´ve started looking for a language school. There are so many to choose from. I think I´ve narrowed it down to about 3... so I hope I can get started next week.
Meeting the lovely Maria (an ex colleague of mine) who works in the GT Barcelona office. Will be nice to see a familiar face!
More updates to come within the next few days. I´m off to hunt second hand bikes once again...
hmm is it normal to not get up until 11am? *runs*
2.9.05
i have an...
unnatural obsession with busses in london... anyone who knows me will openly taunt me about this fact... I don't take the bus that often to work but on the off chance 'm going out after work then I'll take it. Any other weekend or evening travel I do in London is on the bus...I've got a pre-pay oyster card here which i just top up when it runs out... To my surprise when hunting about to confirm just why i was paying £1 in the morning and only £0.80 at night... and to my surprise I found that the max they will charge you per day on your Oyster card for ANY amount of journey's is £3. That is so news to me... why oh why oh why did i not know this!?!?!?
unnatural obsession with busses in london... anyone who knows me will openly taunt me about this fact... I don't take the bus that often to work but on the off chance 'm going out after work then I'll take it. Any other weekend or evening travel I do in London is on the bus...I've got a pre-pay oyster card here which i just top up when it runs out... To my surprise when hunting about to confirm just why i was paying £1 in the morning and only £0.80 at night... and to my surprise I found that the max they will charge you per day on your Oyster card for ANY amount of journey's is £3. That is so news to me... why oh why oh why did i not know this!?!?!?
1.9.05
an ex...
colleague of mine is getting a kitten tonight... she was pondering what name to call it and I suggested the oh so cute 'minou'... works for a boy or a girl... yea so it means kittie in French... should I have told her that?
I'm not so sure but I think it may be possible that I've just gotten over the hump of work I've been struggling with this week at work. It's been chaotic and mental... but I see a light at the end of a tunnel and I'm pretty sure it's not a train.
I sent one of my big suitcases home with miss andrea and mr danny last night... I guess it's the first time that the move has felt real... putting my bag in the back of the car was very surreal. They're going to bring it over to me at the end of the month when they come to visit. I'm not quite certain how I'm going to manage to get my remaining 20 pairs of shoes and the rest of my clothes into a bag... but I'll cross that bridge on Sunday.
KJ is back for the day on Saturday... we've set up some sneaky match making... we'll see how that goes... She's been championing the idea that I should set up a table outside our flat on Sunday afternoon and sell all the things I'm not taking with me for a pound... Don't know but I'm thinking it's kind of illegal in this country... I've never seen anyone do anything like it before... hey hey, maybe I can get arrested!
colleague of mine is getting a kitten tonight... she was pondering what name to call it and I suggested the oh so cute 'minou'... works for a boy or a girl... yea so it means kittie in French... should I have told her that?
I'm not so sure but I think it may be possible that I've just gotten over the hump of work I've been struggling with this week at work. It's been chaotic and mental... but I see a light at the end of a tunnel and I'm pretty sure it's not a train.
I sent one of my big suitcases home with miss andrea and mr danny last night... I guess it's the first time that the move has felt real... putting my bag in the back of the car was very surreal. They're going to bring it over to me at the end of the month when they come to visit. I'm not quite certain how I'm going to manage to get my remaining 20 pairs of shoes and the rest of my clothes into a bag... but I'll cross that bridge on Sunday.
KJ is back for the day on Saturday... we've set up some sneaky match making... we'll see how that goes... She's been championing the idea that I should set up a table outside our flat on Sunday afternoon and sell all the things I'm not taking with me for a pound... Don't know but I'm thinking it's kind of illegal in this country... I've never seen anyone do anything like it before... hey hey, maybe I can get arrested!
26.8.05
You know...
sometimes the world is too small of a place... and sometimes the fates are pretty freaking evil. How is it that out of hundreds and hundreds of flats for rent I managed to email the person who's letting my bf's ex girlfriend's flat? What horrible coincidence... I saw her name on the cc of the message and my heart nearly stopped. I've just opened up a whole world of evil and I didn't even intend it. She is not going to be a happy camper when she sees my name... If I could I would go back in time and not send the email... *shudders*
I don't think I can get far enough away from my computer right now.
bring on the long weekend
sometimes the world is too small of a place... and sometimes the fates are pretty freaking evil. How is it that out of hundreds and hundreds of flats for rent I managed to email the person who's letting my bf's ex girlfriend's flat? What horrible coincidence... I saw her name on the cc of the message and my heart nearly stopped. I've just opened up a whole world of evil and I didn't even intend it. She is not going to be a happy camper when she sees my name... If I could I would go back in time and not send the email... *shudders*
I don't think I can get far enough away from my computer right now.
bring on the long weekend
22.8.05
can i just say...
I have NO idea how I'm ever going to be able to convince myself to roll r's when I learn Spanish? I'm truly at a loss... I spent and entire year when I lived in France ridding myself of the French Canadian tendancy to roll r's when speaking... now I've got to replace my gutteral french r with the rolly spanish one.
Things like this keep me up at night.
very sad jarrett, very sad.
I have NO idea how I'm ever going to be able to convince myself to roll r's when I learn Spanish? I'm truly at a loss... I spent and entire year when I lived in France ridding myself of the French Canadian tendancy to roll r's when speaking... now I've got to replace my gutteral french r with the rolly spanish one.
Things like this keep me up at night.
very sad jarrett, very sad.
I was just sitting at my desk
and in a second within a second I thought about how strange it is that I'm moving to Barcelona... Strange because the first time I went there I couldn't wait to leave. I went about 8 years ago with Denise and Noeleen just before I left France. We took the train down for a mini holiday. We got driven mad by all the backpackers and their mean spirited competitiveness to race to find the hostel... no one would help anyone and it was a really stressful arrival to the main train station. I remember walking for hours... when we finally made it to the centre we were so hot and disillusioned we wanted to leave and we had just arrived A quick consultation with the tourist office and then we then jumped the first train we could out of the city and to the coast... I had no regrets I wasn't keen on seeing much more of Barcelona. It wasn't until I went back last year with KJ that I gave the city another chance... and as chance would have it... also met someone who would encourage me to do so.
I remember once reading an entry in Francis' blog about the special kind of anxious/excited feeling that he gets when he thinks about Barcelona... I believe he met his partner there. I'm a silly romantic but I like the idea of having this sort of connection with a city... I have that buzz feeling when I think of Berlin... but I'm not so sure if that has more to do with the fab time I spent there when I was last there... I wonder if the more you travel the more places like that you'll find or if your connections to cities is truly limited to one or two really special places?
I've started a new painting and it's fab. I am chomping at the bit to get home and finish it off. I found this amazing picture on the weekend in this bookshop outside of the British Museum. I didn't want to buy the book so I took a picture of the image using my camera phone and I've been painting off of that. I'm slowly learning the value of not speed painting like I usually do... it gives much better use of colour when I'm not constantly mixing paints by excitedly painting over layers that aren't dry yet... good thing I don't paint with oils!
Saturday morning Sally and I went to Smiths for brunch. How yummy!!! Too bad it's all the way across the other side of the city. I'm officially going to be dining there every Saturday until I leave (okay so there are only two left).
Seestor arrives for a proper visit this Thursday and then the long weekend is this weekend... it's carnival too and a colleague of mine's b'day party. Lots to do! Someone want to pack for me? Don't quite know when I'll get to it! I'm so very very very lucky to have a seetor who is so amazing.
and in a second within a second I thought about how strange it is that I'm moving to Barcelona... Strange because the first time I went there I couldn't wait to leave. I went about 8 years ago with Denise and Noeleen just before I left France. We took the train down for a mini holiday. We got driven mad by all the backpackers and their mean spirited competitiveness to race to find the hostel... no one would help anyone and it was a really stressful arrival to the main train station. I remember walking for hours... when we finally made it to the centre we were so hot and disillusioned we wanted to leave and we had just arrived A quick consultation with the tourist office and then we then jumped the first train we could out of the city and to the coast... I had no regrets I wasn't keen on seeing much more of Barcelona. It wasn't until I went back last year with KJ that I gave the city another chance... and as chance would have it... also met someone who would encourage me to do so.
I remember once reading an entry in Francis' blog about the special kind of anxious/excited feeling that he gets when he thinks about Barcelona... I believe he met his partner there. I'm a silly romantic but I like the idea of having this sort of connection with a city... I have that buzz feeling when I think of Berlin... but I'm not so sure if that has more to do with the fab time I spent there when I was last there... I wonder if the more you travel the more places like that you'll find or if your connections to cities is truly limited to one or two really special places?
I've started a new painting and it's fab. I am chomping at the bit to get home and finish it off. I found this amazing picture on the weekend in this bookshop outside of the British Museum. I didn't want to buy the book so I took a picture of the image using my camera phone and I've been painting off of that. I'm slowly learning the value of not speed painting like I usually do... it gives much better use of colour when I'm not constantly mixing paints by excitedly painting over layers that aren't dry yet... good thing I don't paint with oils!
Saturday morning Sally and I went to Smiths for brunch. How yummy!!! Too bad it's all the way across the other side of the city. I'm officially going to be dining there every Saturday until I leave (okay so there are only two left).
Seestor arrives for a proper visit this Thursday and then the long weekend is this weekend... it's carnival too and a colleague of mine's b'day party. Lots to do! Someone want to pack for me? Don't quite know when I'll get to it! I'm so very very very lucky to have a seetor who is so amazing.
17.8.05
I was reading my horoscope...
in the Sunday paper and it said something about today being a day where something that I had been wanting would come to fruition. I was certain that it meant that we'd find a flat today... no such luck just yet, but what the fates did deliver was the news of the new Fiona Apple album release date. Now that's almost as exciting! I guess that after all even if we don't find a flat today... it's still pretty exciting!
My neck has decided to regress into my old 'can't move it an inch' injury incurred during a fateful event in circus school 2 years ago... I have very little clue as to what triggered it... I was even forced to forego cycling this morning! Taking the bus didn't help much either... all the jerking about wasn't pleasant. I've still got health care here for another few weeks so if my massage tomorrow morning doesn't help then back to physio I go.
Got to stroll through my old hood this morning as I had a doctor's apt. I really miss that neck of the woods. I think If I ever move back to London, that I'll move back to that same neighborhood... Notting hill is interesting but just doesn't have a scratch on Angel to me. There is of course the small matter of ever being able to afford to buy a place in Angel... but lets not even go there.
in the Sunday paper and it said something about today being a day where something that I had been wanting would come to fruition. I was certain that it meant that we'd find a flat today... no such luck just yet, but what the fates did deliver was the news of the new Fiona Apple album release date. Now that's almost as exciting! I guess that after all even if we don't find a flat today... it's still pretty exciting!
My neck has decided to regress into my old 'can't move it an inch' injury incurred during a fateful event in circus school 2 years ago... I have very little clue as to what triggered it... I was even forced to forego cycling this morning! Taking the bus didn't help much either... all the jerking about wasn't pleasant. I've still got health care here for another few weeks so if my massage tomorrow morning doesn't help then back to physio I go.
Got to stroll through my old hood this morning as I had a doctor's apt. I really miss that neck of the woods. I think If I ever move back to London, that I'll move back to that same neighborhood... Notting hill is interesting but just doesn't have a scratch on Angel to me. There is of course the small matter of ever being able to afford to buy a place in Angel... but lets not even go there.
15.8.05
the skinny...
so I just just pressed purchase for my flight over to BCN in slept. Very exciting... I was anxious to book as it's so much cheaper the further in advance you book it.. Knowing my luck something disastrous is going to befall the booking between now and then... but I'm no pessimist *scoff* The lovely miss Andrea will be hopefully jetting over to see me at the end of Sept... and will bring whatever I'm not able to get over with me. I'm sure I can bribe some other willing mules to traffic my shoes and handbags over for me :)
The weekend was fab... having a half day off on Friday afternoon is fantastic... working late every night leading up to that Friday afternoon is not so good. I was so tired by the time I got to mid-day. KJ was here already so she was home to greet me when I finally arrived. Had a nice cultural afternoon with her *aka shopping* and boy oh boy are we the queens of bargain shopping... pretty good considering I didn't even break my £8.50 a day budget. You may disbelieve but at the end of sale season... it's a goldmine... buy one get one free sales do help... so do forgotten xmas vouchers at the bottom of your handbag! I managed to buy 4 pink T'shirts (one for me,one for Sal,one for Seestor and one for mum) using said gift certificate... then scored when we found two fab black casual dresses at miss Selfridges for £15 (but it was buy one get one free!) so that counts because I didn't buy it the seestor did!?!?!
Saturday morning KJ headed back to the airport early and I hot footed it down to the gym for a long overdue visit... I can't believe that I still knew how to find the bloody place it had been so long! Saturday night I braved the tube once again... and traveled right along the path of the Kings Cross Bomb area... not nice but I did it... albeit slightly shaken... Micha's bbq was a bit wet... but only due to the rain... summer was just not making an appearance here this weekend!!! Sunday morning amidst much more rain Sally and I drudged to Regents park in search for an ever elusive England Rugby player... Suresh was in Madrid but requested that he wanted a pic of this rugby player as his birthday present... We searched high and low and finally managed to talk our way into getting one girl who worked there to snap some pics for us... sadly I don't think she got any of the guy we were looking for... ah well... I'm sure Suresh will appreciate the effort!!! Then we went down to the Touch exhibit at the V&A which was cool... I think it's been on for a while now... most of the exhibits were looking a bit worse for wear... but it was good fun anyway!
Jeesh I managed to do a lot... however not so much in the line of sifting through my things or packing like I was supposed to... this must start soon... This week should see me hopefully deciding on a language school to attend when I arrive and finding an art school where I can take that paining course I want to do... I'm looking forward to doing some learning again for a month or so when I first arrive... mind you my hunt for a job is also gaining momentum as well... it's the realisation that this is my last pay cheque ... scary stuff! I can't wait to get there and be with Fredu... the wait seems like the only hard thing left... 22 sleeps and counting!
so I just just pressed purchase for my flight over to BCN in slept. Very exciting... I was anxious to book as it's so much cheaper the further in advance you book it.. Knowing my luck something disastrous is going to befall the booking between now and then... but I'm no pessimist *scoff* The lovely miss Andrea will be hopefully jetting over to see me at the end of Sept... and will bring whatever I'm not able to get over with me. I'm sure I can bribe some other willing mules to traffic my shoes and handbags over for me :)
The weekend was fab... having a half day off on Friday afternoon is fantastic... working late every night leading up to that Friday afternoon is not so good. I was so tired by the time I got to mid-day. KJ was here already so she was home to greet me when I finally arrived. Had a nice cultural afternoon with her *aka shopping* and boy oh boy are we the queens of bargain shopping... pretty good considering I didn't even break my £8.50 a day budget. You may disbelieve but at the end of sale season... it's a goldmine... buy one get one free sales do help... so do forgotten xmas vouchers at the bottom of your handbag! I managed to buy 4 pink T'shirts (one for me,one for Sal,one for Seestor and one for mum) using said gift certificate... then scored when we found two fab black casual dresses at miss Selfridges for £15 (but it was buy one get one free!) so that counts because I didn't buy it the seestor did!?!?!
Saturday morning KJ headed back to the airport early and I hot footed it down to the gym for a long overdue visit... I can't believe that I still knew how to find the bloody place it had been so long! Saturday night I braved the tube once again... and traveled right along the path of the Kings Cross Bomb area... not nice but I did it... albeit slightly shaken... Micha's bbq was a bit wet... but only due to the rain... summer was just not making an appearance here this weekend!!! Sunday morning amidst much more rain Sally and I drudged to Regents park in search for an ever elusive England Rugby player... Suresh was in Madrid but requested that he wanted a pic of this rugby player as his birthday present... We searched high and low and finally managed to talk our way into getting one girl who worked there to snap some pics for us... sadly I don't think she got any of the guy we were looking for... ah well... I'm sure Suresh will appreciate the effort!!! Then we went down to the Touch exhibit at the V&A which was cool... I think it's been on for a while now... most of the exhibits were looking a bit worse for wear... but it was good fun anyway!
Jeesh I managed to do a lot... however not so much in the line of sifting through my things or packing like I was supposed to... this must start soon... This week should see me hopefully deciding on a language school to attend when I arrive and finding an art school where I can take that paining course I want to do... I'm looking forward to doing some learning again for a month or so when I first arrive... mind you my hunt for a job is also gaining momentum as well... it's the realisation that this is my last pay cheque ... scary stuff! I can't wait to get there and be with Fredu... the wait seems like the only hard thing left... 22 sleeps and counting!
9.8.05
I've just fallen in love with a flat...
I can't describe it, as who knows I may jinx it... but I secretly love flat hunting... I do it often enough for goodness sake... I'm gutted that being in London doesn't afford me the luxury to flat hunt in Spain... can you tell I'm getting anxious?
how cool is it that Barcelona has a Craig list equivalent. http://www.loquo.com/
I blew my £8 a day budget on a new book... I bought the new John Irving book in hard cover... the bloody thing must weight about 10lbs definitely not a hand bag book... I can't wait to get home and read it. I was just lamenting the other day how much I was desperate to sink my teeth into a new book. I've not read anything since I was reading ' An intimate history of Humanity' during my holiday back in March.
We've got a company shin dig this Thursday from mid-day... not sure what it is yet but we're all kind of hoping that they canned the idea of doing a treasure hunt around the city using public transport... not what most of us fancy doing on fateful Thursday...
Speaking of tubes... I finally plucked up the courage to take it again the other day. It was Sunday and jo jo assured me that the baddies would much rather blow up the tube when it's busy... and not so much on Sunday early evening when there is no one on it. I accepted her argument and jumped on... felt like it took ages... I felt bad for two young Muslim men wearing traditional dress across from me. No one would sit next to them. It was pretty embarrassing. God you just can't paint everyone as a suicide bomber just because they're Muslim. I had half a mind to just get up and take a seat next to them... but then I thought it would be aggravating the issue... so I just stayed put.
Seestor returns at the end of this week. I'm SO lucky to get to see her this often! I can't wait!
I can't describe it, as who knows I may jinx it... but I secretly love flat hunting... I do it often enough for goodness sake... I'm gutted that being in London doesn't afford me the luxury to flat hunt in Spain... can you tell I'm getting anxious?
how cool is it that Barcelona has a Craig list equivalent. http://www.loquo.com/
I blew my £8 a day budget on a new book... I bought the new John Irving book in hard cover... the bloody thing must weight about 10lbs definitely not a hand bag book... I can't wait to get home and read it. I was just lamenting the other day how much I was desperate to sink my teeth into a new book. I've not read anything since I was reading ' An intimate history of Humanity' during my holiday back in March.
We've got a company shin dig this Thursday from mid-day... not sure what it is yet but we're all kind of hoping that they canned the idea of doing a treasure hunt around the city using public transport... not what most of us fancy doing on fateful Thursday...
Speaking of tubes... I finally plucked up the courage to take it again the other day. It was Sunday and jo jo assured me that the baddies would much rather blow up the tube when it's busy... and not so much on Sunday early evening when there is no one on it. I accepted her argument and jumped on... felt like it took ages... I felt bad for two young Muslim men wearing traditional dress across from me. No one would sit next to them. It was pretty embarrassing. God you just can't paint everyone as a suicide bomber just because they're Muslim. I had half a mind to just get up and take a seat next to them... but then I thought it would be aggravating the issue... so I just stayed put.
Seestor returns at the end of this week. I'm SO lucky to get to see her this often! I can't wait!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
