Lots of Pictures!!!


The gang at the beach


Deb decided to show off eric's tan...


Chomp Chomp! Me at the beach!


Baking! Gingerbread cookies and one shaped like a pulpo! (octapus)


girlie (with token boy) weekend!


Girlie Weekend!

My little cousin is...

Quite the achiever… so sporty! I can’t believe that she is off to university already… I must definitely be getting old!

It was really interesting to see the other kids listed in this section of their local newspaper… they all play so many sports! All of them so young and full of so much ambition… Could it be that 10 years on they will be jaded and burnt out like me? Perhaps I just chose the wrong career… who knows… maybe the best it yet to come… its so strange as it feels just like yesterday that I was going off to Uni… then finding a job… now I am here in Barcelona… I just would have never been able to guess it. Life does spin some interesting webs sometimes.

I had a really nice relaxing weekend… spent lots of time on the beach. I do not know what it is but something about lying down there soaking up the sun, really give you the impression that you are having a break.

The days are spinning by so quickly now… and next week we switch to summer hours. 8h-15h should be nice… that’s if I can stand working here much longer...

Full is not heavy as empty… not nearly my love

Miss manzana or apple as you may have it… is a very talented lyricist… oh to have been wise as that at 18… I think that’s about how old she was when she wrote those lyrics…
Oh for even just a pintch of wisdom… I think it be worth it’s weight in gold…

The villa is sorted which is such a releif… now it’s just a case of counting the days until all the fun starts. Oh yea the car too… not bad 260 euros for 15 days!!!!

The winds of change from the northerly direction… drifted past very quickly and the fates have decided that at this moment… all they have brought me is chilly breezes and unseasonably cold weather. Oh well maybe the next time around. Sigh.

The london girlie crew (minus andrea and jojo) arrive this weekend for Sonar… not that they are much for electronic music however there will be plenty of festivities going on this weekend to keep us in trouble.

Life just gets that tiny bit better when you arrive at the gym on Monday night and realise that there are new spinning classes… and that there is one starting in the next 10 minutes…. And that it’s your favourite instructor… then you also reaslise that there is also spinning on Tuesday at 20h too… My bikini may just have a fighting chance this year after all!

Villa hunting

I think is almost as exhausting as treasure hunting… There have been so many options flying around and just nothing has seemed just right yet… time is ticking and I am feeling really stressed as I have got to get this organised! I have found a place near girona that is a tad expensive but not as much as some of the other places I have found… I am hoping that the committee will like it and we can seal the deal.

Work is all about avoiding doing it… and the stupid sunburn I have from Sunday just will not relent… Too little time between application and swimming and re-application turned into a bit of a disaster…

The winds of change are blowing into Barcelona from a northerly direction and there are new beginnings on the horizons for some… could it be me? We’ll wait and see… lets hope so!

The girlies from London are arriving next Friday… just in time for Sonar and a weekend full of fun. Just have to convince miss andrea to come and join and then we will be set!

Three day week for me… spinning tonight… if I can make it…. Trying to find the positive in things where I can….

finally at long last...

ze hippo is finished!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I woke up this morning

Exhausted… as has been the norm as of late. I think it is due to all the stress around me. At Work, at Home… At work one of my very lovely colleagues had a breakdown and is now on medical leave for the next 90 days… The poor thing he was so sweet… I can not believe the range of effect this nasty client has had on us… incredible… The other stress is a bit harder because I want so badly to help and make things right… but this time more than ever I need to stand back, its so important but its so hard. I feel like I am holding my breath walking on a tightrope… but it is not me… I am simply watching. I have faith… that is a good safety net I hope.

In my haze this morning I found a picture of my hippo painting that I took mid-way through… I was gutted to realise that what I have done now is a step backwards… I was so heartbroken. All of my heart and soul ached to stay home today and work on it to fix it. I felt so helpless… so low. It sounds so pathetic… but its how I felt… Riding to work I looked around, and I said to myself… regardless of work… stress in my personal life… damn it… there are things to be greatful for… I live in an absolutely gorgeous city where the sun shines every day… I have money enough to feed myself and I am working towards starting my own business in the next few weeks. I have a lot to be positive about… and every second I waste on feeling blue or being a big wussy about some silly painting or some stupid job will not get me anywhere…

Thus I have tasked myself to write a list of resolves and do my damnest to stick to them… here it goes in random order

• Wake up and smile… even thought I feel like death in the morning
• Paint at least twice a week... new things and finishing old incomplete pieces
• Go to the gym on the weekend as this during the week thing simply does not work
• Find somewhere to take tennis lessons
• Really put some hard core effort into getting my business off the ground and stop being so scared of the idea
• Ring my mum more
• Set more goals and complete more tasks
• Go back to Spanish lessons
• Take more photos for my blog

On that note here is a pic of me painting… in my wee studio…

WET WET WET...

No I am not going to post about some bad boy band... add a bit of COLD COLD COLD to the equation and that about sums up the weather in London this weekend . But that was no deterrant as I had a fab weekend with all my lovely friends. We feasted and chatted and mostly caught up on the goings on durning the last few months that we have not seen each other... The pictures of the dinner party tell the tale...

Just how beautiful...

Is miss Tatoo in this white dress? Check out picture number 8 for the best view… perhaps having the figure to go with it sure helps too I suppose… but it is lovely as is she!!!

I watched my honorary one football match per year last night… I could mostly be heard cheering for Barcenal… only fair way really as I suppose I have divided alliances. I remember that not long after I moved to London I was informed that I had an obligation to support Arsenal as I lived in Arsenal stomping ground… I didn’t see much wrong with the argument so I took up the cause (albeit a very small one to be honest). The match was interesting to watch. Great action from both sides…

I am mostly EXCTATIC that after nearly 8 months of being held in storage I will once again be re-united with the last few things of mine that I had left in London when I moved to Barcelona. I am of course very excited to see all my friends but also VERY pleased to finally have closure… I hate having things scattered! I can't wait to see what shoes I have been missing!

Only one more sleep now… best trapse off to catch some sun today… I think that my palor may cast doubts on whether I actually do live in a hot country or not!

Pedro Almodovar and Helen Hunt are here!!! …

Now that’s sure a pull to get me to go to a party all the way across town at 4am… or is it? What a strange combo of celebs. I thought it was so funny as a few weeks back Bertrendy was trying to convince us to go to Elephant for this Moet Chandon sponsored party… “ Helen Hunt and Pedro Almodovar are both here he exclaimed”. The strange thing is that, normally you can’t keep me away from the champers but this time… it was simply too late. I am not yet 100% adjusted yet to the late late night life here.

Two more sleeps then I am off to London town… tres exciting indeed!!! I have checked the forecast and rain is on the cards… quelle surprise!

I am really struggling with one question as of late… why is it that you are forced to treat people who are horrible and nasty to you, nicely and with even more grace than the ones that are lovely to you? I struggle with this every day as I have a client who is so unprofessional and whom insists that screaming at you is the only way to communicate… I mean why is this allowed in this day and age? Why does this person’s boss not step in and say hey you… this is simply not acceptable? It just perpetuates and perpetuates… I really wonder how someone with such a foul temperament can function as a normal citizen??? I guess it’s nothing but sad that someone can have so little regard for neither their own professionalism nor the effect their temperament has on everyone around them. This is the part where Karma comes into play doesn’t it? Is there any way to speed up Karma?

I am on a roll

I have managed to make it to the 8pm spinning class two weeks in a row now. It always reminds me of when my sister was here and we went to an afternoon class and the instructor kept yelping… arriba, abajo… kj quickly decided that she did not like the arriba. As I mentioned before… last week we had this muscle mary who really put us through the paces… this week he was replaced by this very queenie guy wearing the staff uniform (I don’t think I have ever seen anyone wear it before) He played a mix of really poppy dancy techno and then some powerballad-esq songs which he actively sang along to… he desperately tried to motivate the class to respond enthusiastically… but the muscle mary hard boy spinners that pack the class were not having it! Poor instructor! He did however redeem himself with the second last song as it was a good euphoric tempo techno classic… the whistling and whooping that was evident in the last class resurrected it's self on that one. Bless, I am sure he will get the hint in the weeks to come… no ceilne dion for spinning please!

After a week of many threats of rain and lashings of cold northerly winds… the path to summer seems to have returned… I am hoping so as I want to catch some rays this weekend… I’m thinking that when I see them next week, that none of my friends in London will actually believe that I have moved to Spain as I am pretty pale!

Plans for the business idea that I am working on have taken another turn… this time for the positive. I have had three meetings this week and they have all been so encouraging. There is just so much work to be done to start a business of this sort its rather insane but there are a lot of very good resources here… one in specific is Barcelona Activ... which is a massive complex that gives you a wealth of information as to how to start a business, write a business plan, write a financial plan… get funding… they even provide you with office space while you get everything together. The part that I am very interested in is that they give extra help for women who want to start new businesses… tres cool indeed!

Seestor has gone incommunicado… oh seester where art thou?

The cutest puppy

came to visit my house this weekend. It was a baby Jack Russell. He belonged to my flatmate’s brother. He was 3 months old and so cute!

The head first hurdle into spring has somewhat desisted and its cold and windy here since the last few days… not quite time to put away the winter woollies just yet… How chuffed am I that after hunting this fab winter jacket for the past 3 months that last week I finally got it in the sales for 50% off!?!?!? It will be put to good use I suppose as I am going back to London at the end of the month for a visit! How excited am I? AND! There is also the chance that seestor may fly over at the same time and meet me there!!! Muy bien!

Work continues to be all mannors of evil… my business plans are running amuck due to permission problems… adding to the fact that things here work so slowly… I am left feeling that it is not looking too optimistic to get off the ground this year… what I am however becoming very good at very quickly is running up bills for consultations with evil lawyers…

On a positive note I finally made it to my first post-work spinning class last night at 20h (yes I actually left the office before 21h!!!) It was lead by this mad muscle mary… talk about the workout of your life!!!!!

If you are looking for me you can mostly find me pushing this day as fast as I can to get it over and done with… is it Friday yet?

Yo tengo Algouteas

I think that is how you spell it… Which is quite funny as I don’t think there is a work in english for the same thing… It basically means that you have muscle pain. The good thing about it is that I have finally made it back to the gym… I have been almost as bad at getting there as I have been writing this blog.

Semana santa came and went like a flash… strange how having a week off of work can be so fleeting. I did however have a fab time with miss andrea and miss sally when they came to visit at the beginning of the month. While out shopping with them it really hit home how much I have lost my shopping mojo… its crazy… I don’t seem able to find a single thing to buy… I have shopping blockage! My bank account is of course very thankful!

During the week off I did however manage to accomplish a few vital things into starting my business idea here… it’s all very much a waiting game right now… as I need the permissions secured before getting everything up and running… oh yea there is that slight capital problem but we’ll see what happens.

My lovely friends have bought me a ticket to London as a pressie for my 30th so I can go back for a visit. I will go somtime in may… which is a good thing as marmite is starting to run dangerously low!!! Of course I also am very excited to see all my friends…

Painting is slowly starting back up… Im just desperate for some more b&w pics to use for inspiration… the hippo is on hold for know… hit a wall I guess you could say. I have a massive new canvas which I have started on… its varying shades of yellow… do send through some suggestions if you have any J I would love the extra inspiration.

Summer is...

mostly arriving at a very hurried pace here... spring has sprung and we are hurdling at an incredible pace toward the warmth of summer... yesterday the beach was absolutely heaving... there was not a spare inch of sand available... madness I tell you! I don't quite know what is going on but it feels like the city is bursting at the seams... on Thursday night my local (I can't be bothered to cook - Mexican restaurant) had a waiting time of 40 mins!!!

Positive news on my Grandfather... he finally had the operation he needed and it seems to have done the trick... he is now fully on the mend. It was a tense few months while they hummed and haaaed over what the problem was… but all is well now and we are very pleased!

Miss Andrea and possibly little miss trouble are arriving on Friday for a girlie weekend. It should be so much fun! Only one small hitch… its that 5 days of work that separate me from Friday… dang… it gets you ever time!

I have just had the joy

Of working the entire morning in my goldfish bowl all glass office by myself in total peace! What a joy! I know that I where I work is pretty terrible… but man I never noticed how loud it was. As it stands we have three people sharing an office… As of Monday my assistant starts and we will be 4 people. It is anything but a large space… I don’t understand how a creative company can opt to work in such a restricting and not at all creative inspiring environment… but that is simply one of many many questions about this place…

We are about to be told that we are not allowed to have semana santa off… this is a week of holidays that generally everyone takes… Easer here is almost more important than xmas you see… but rumblings from our client to the likes of the fact that the have opted to work through the holiday… lead to the sinking knowledge that they will soon inform us that we are too, to be working… we will see what fall out that announcement will have on the team who have been working 12-16 h per day for the last two months… the joys never stop.

On a positive note… the sun is shinning and summer is most definitely on its way. I shall wave to it when it arrives… from my goldfish bowl… what to you think the odds are of a cosmically large cat coming along and scooping me out of here? Slim I suppose but amusing to think about.

Much fun has

transpired since my last posting. I had a week reprive from my office duties... My sister came to visit for a week and the lovely Joey arrived to spend the weekend and help celebrate my 30th b'day. What a treat to have them here with me. They both managed to catch a bit of sun but there wasn't much around last week... but this week it's out in full force and I think my days of cycling to to office will be much more shortlived than first thought... I can imagine that in only a month or two more it will be skortchio... the trend of offering showers in the office has not yet caught on here...

pictures of the jollies we had will be up shortly.

Not that I over indulged or anything (seriously I didn't) but I am going to try and go tee total for one month. A detox of sort I guess... to start off my journey into the mysterious thirties... plus save some dosh... and maybe loose a few kilos... and save the world... now look the delium has started already!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Seestor! (pic taken with mum in tarragona this summer)

Finally a pic of my last painting... the hippo I am working on is nearly finished too :)

I…

Was speaking with a colleague of mine today about cinema and what was good that was out right now… we then changed to discussing theatre and a Robert Lepage play that he had seen in Madrid a few years back… it had subtitles (I am assuming he was watching a video of the production) but he said he was fascinated by how different the French Canadian accent was compared to the French that is spoken in France. Oddly at lunch time I was in the kitchen and spoke to another colleague who was asking me about nearly the very same thing… why is French Canadian so different? I explained to him the tiny specks of history that I was able to recall (I am very nearly 30 so my memory is starting to go)… it is something along the lines of the King of France sending ‘les filles du roi’ which were basically orphans from the suburbs of Paris to go and marry the colonials over in Upper Canada (or was it lower?)… thus the French spoken is very much of the origin of their dialects as they were the ones who raised the children…

Strange that last night before any of these conversations took place I rode my bike past a gaggle of French Canadian Tourists on my way to the gym… I was so surprised to hear the Quebequois French I almost fell off my bike! It is not often you hear the twang... especially over here in Spain!

Strange how these things ebb in like they do…

Tomorrow is the seestor’s 32nd b’day… and then so very soon afterwards she will be here with me gallivanting around the city having fun! I can’t but hardly wait!

Strange days... es realmente muy extraño

It is a very strange experience working in an office with people who speak both Catalan and Castellan. As you know I speak neither anywhere near fluently… the latter is my primary goal but it’s difficult to keep up with taking Spanish Classes when I am here 12h per day… Immersion is however an unavoidable side effect here which is a very big bonus. Not many people are brave- stupid enough to stumble into a situation like this… the other day I was in a meeting with 12 people and it was all in Spanish… I had to pinch myself as I couldn’t quite believe I was there… felt like a dream (one of those anxiety ones where you are somewhere and everyone is speaking a foreign language except for you) however in my case it was reality… makes me smile really as I keep waiting for them to figure it out… they of course know I can’t speak yet but to be honest I don’t think it’s much of an option to go on for months like this. I must learn quickly! Luckily my daily duties are nearly 100% in English… so that at least helps me accomplish most things….

However the other day in a meeting they were discussing preparing some assets (and of course the meeting was in Spanish) and someone mentioned a “hota peg” (spelled phonetically) I couldn’t hold the giggles in… it was just too much to hear the word jpeg referred to as a “hotapeg”. They have a good sense of humour and weren’t too annoyed by my giggles… the all muttered the word “guiri” (which means someone who is very obviously foreign) and continued. Guiri is a word I have come to embrace as it describes nearly everything about me… since I have been here I have been informed that I have:

A guiri hat (it’s a really cute aviator hat by killah)
A guiri bike (because it’s old and has no gears)
A guiri flat (because I live in El borne with all the other guiris)
Guiri shoes… (Trainers in specific)
Guiri suit (because my suit and heels caused great interest in my client meeting with France the other day)

Don’t get me wrong… it’s the little things like this that make living in a foreign country exciting and interesting… I can’t wait to start speaking more so that I can enjoy making all the embarrassing mistakes… they will make for entertaining blog entries. In the meantime I am off to collect some hotapegs from my designers…

This just in...

msn from my friend karm


karmparker@something.com dice:
Dear internet.
I hate you
-Karm
P.S. f$*k you

priceless

* exact email address changed and expletives edited to protect the guilty... and oh yea... dice in spanish means 'says'