Another year flies away...

All right people. 2006 is just around the corner, so before New Year’s Eve is here, I’ll take a few minutes to land by mi blog and drop, at least, a few lines to wish all the best for the year soon to be here. Personally, I’ve got nothing big to complain about 2005. It’s been a good year. I’ve done my share of traveling; I got a raise at work; I received the visit of dear friends and relatives I had not seen in years; I think I’m healthy; Mrs G and Mr Gato still think I’m a nice guy, so I don’t think they are planning to kick me out of home; and, last but not least, I met a lot of wonderful people by taking the decision of introducing myself into this blogging universe, of which I knew nothing about, over a year ago (Yes, you are really an awesome bunch of guys and gals!!!. J )… Come to think of it, I believe 2005 has been so good to me that 2006 probably is going to suck like hell (he, he, he!!!)… It’s the law of universal compensation (or something like that they call it)… Whatever… No matter what 2006 brings to me, I want it to bring all the best for you. Hope all your plans come true and that you get to enjoy lots of beautiful moments with your loved ones… In my case, I’ve decided to start this new year on the move (which is one of the things I’d like to do for the rest of my life, I guess)… Instead of staying in Barcelona, I just bought two tickets this morning to go to Toulouse, in southern France, for a couple of days… This will give me a chance to see what French people do to celebrate New Year’s Night (probably lots of hugs, kissing and happy drinking, like almost everywhere, he, he, he!!)… I’ve got no idea what I will find there… But I want to keep moving… And I want to keep looking for new places and things to see.

Bonne Année!!!
See you next year!!!


Bueno gente. El 2006 ya está a la vuelta de la esquina, así que antes de que llegue la Noche Vieja, aterrizo en mi blog unos minutos y dejo caer, al menos, unas pocas líneas para desearles lo mejor para el a?o que pronto estará aquí. Personalmente, no tengo mucho de lo que quejarme respecto al 2005. Ha sido un buen a?o. He viajado un poquito; me aumentaron el sueldo; me visitaron amigos y parientes muy queridos a los que no veía en a?os; creo que estoy sano; Mrs. G y Mr. Gato todavía piensan que soy un buen tipo, así que no creo que estén pensando en echarme de casa; y, por último, pero no por ello menos importante, conocí a un montón de gente maravillosa con la simple decisión de introducirme en este universo de los blogs, del cual no sabía casi nada, hace poco más de un a?o (Sí, todos ustedes son realmente un grupo espectacular de flacos y flacas!!! J)… Ahora que lo pienso, creo que el 2005 me ha tratado tan bien que seguro que el 2006 lo paso como la mierda (ja, ja, ja!!!)…Es la ley de las compensaciones universales (o algo así creo que la llaman)… Sea cómo sea… Sin importar que me traiga el 2006, deseo que les traiga a ustedes todo lo mejor. Espero que todos sus planes se hagan realidad y que puedan disfrutar de muchos momentos hermosos con sus seres queridos… En mi caso, he decidido comenzar este nuevo a?o en movimiento (que es una de las cosas que quisiera hacer para el resto de mi vida, creo)… En vez de quedarme en Barcelona, compré esta ma?ana dos pasajes para irme a Toulouse, al sur de Francia, por un par de días… Así tendré la oportunidad de ver que es lo que hacen los franceses para celebrar el A?o Nuevo (probablemente, muchos abrazos, besos y borracheras divertidas, como en casi todas partes, je, je, je!!!)… No tengo ni idea de lo que me encontraré… Pero quiero seguir en movimiento… Y quiero seguir buscando nuevos lugares y cosas para ver.

Bonne Année!!!
Nos vemos el próximo a?o!!!

Cheers!!!

"I have made an important discovery. . . that alcohol
taken in sufficient quantity produces all the effects of drunkenness"
Oscar Wilde

Believe me guys, this chap knew what he was talking about... I've followed his literary example these past few nights and I've reached the same conclusion...
Oh, Oscar, good thing you are gone by now... Because it would hurt my soul deeply if I turned the news one day and I had to hear about your death...



"He hecho un descubrimiento importante... el alcohol, si se toma en cantidades suficientes, produce todos los efectos de la embriaguez"
Oscar Wilde

Créanme muchachos, éste flaco sabía de lo que hablaba... He seguido su ejemplo literario estas últimas noches y he llegado a la misma conclusión... Ah, Oscar, que bueno que ya te marchaste... Porque me dolería profundamente en el alma si pusiera las noticias un día y tuviera que enterarme de tu muerte...

Lord knows why...

Tobacco is giving up on me…
Even if I wanted, I cannot not handle more than three (light) cigarettes per day anymore…
And I’m not even trying to quit…
Truth is since I’ve never been a compulsive smoker, I’ve never really thought about quitting really…
But my body is not up to the smoke anymore…
And I’ve got no idea why…
Puzzles me…
Though this makes a cigarette more of an experience…
Sporadic. …
And thus more enjoyable.

El tabaco me abandona…
Incluso si quisiera, ya no aguanto más de tres cigarros (light) por día…
Y ni siquiera intento dejarlo…
La verdad, como nunca he sido fumador compulsivo, nunca he pensado en dejarlo realmente…
Pero mi cuerpo ya no tolera el humo…
Y no tengo ni idea por qué…
Me intriga…
Aunque en el fondo esto hace de un cigarro una mejor experiencia…
Esporádica…
Y por lo mismo más placentera.

Winter Tales...

As cold weather approaches, I’m at risk of becoming a hostage in my own house!!!
Mrs. G and Mr. Gato don’t want me to leave home.
They say is cold!
And they want me to stay in bed!

This started a week ago or so, somehow like this:

Mrs. G: “Brrrr… It’s cold”.
Mr. Gato: “Brrrr…meowwww!!!”.
Mr. G: “Of course is cold… Winter is coming… That’s no news”.

Now, Mrs. G is a Scorpio and Mr. Gato is a cat, so, of course, they don’t like “clever” answers like they one I gave.
They like things their way.

So, what happened:
Next time I went to bed after that brief word exchange, I woke up with Mrs. G cuddled on one side of my body and Mr. Gato on the other one.
Both with their heads on my chest.
And my two arms trapped under their heads.

I tried to get up and they said:
Mrs. G: “Don’t move!!! Brrr.. It’s cold!!!”
Mr. Gato: “Meow!!! Brrr… Meowwww!!

Apparently, I seem to be the only being with internal heating system at our little flat.
And now… They don’t want me to leave home!


(BTW: Gato is spanish for Cat)

A minute to smoke...

Unfinished draft from my tiny Heinekken Diary (this is an original size image)
Bosquejo Inconcluso de mi pequeno diario Heinekken (esta es una imagen tamano original)

Probably, October 21st. Afternoon.
Probablemente, 21 de Octubre. Pasado mediodía.



We had been street wandering through San Marco and Castello, when we arrived by chance to the promenade by Canale di San Marco. We thought it would be a nice minute to sit and enjoy a cigarette. Having one hand free, I thought it was also a nice view to remember.
-To the left, we can see the abbey of the Isola de San Giorgio Maggiore.
- In the middle, the dome of Chiesa de Santa Maria.
- And to the right, the entrance to Canale Grande, by San Marco.
Canale di San Marco forks into Canale de la Giudeca and the famous Canale Grande, right at the Ponta della Dogana, where you see the big church of Santa María.

Habíamos estado callejeando por San Marco y Castello, cuando llegamos por casualidad al paseo marítimo del Canale di San Marco. Pensamos que sería un buen minuto para sentarse y disfrutar un cigarillo. Teniendo una mano libre, también pensé que era una bonita vista para recordar
-A la izquierda, vemos la abadía de la Isola de San Giorgio Maggiore.
-En el medio, el domo de la Chiesa de Santa María.
-Y a la derecha, la entrada al Canale Grande, por San Marco.El Canale di San Marco se bifurca en el Canale de la Giudeca y el famoso Canale Grande justo en la Ponta Della Dogano, en donde vemos la enorme iglesia de Santa María.

Travelling...

From my diary.
(well, not really a diary, but a small green Heinekken notebook that I got for free at a bar, and I decided to take along, just in case)

October 22nd. 21:00.
“We are on the way to Krakow...Our bus is full of young polish guys working in Italy (probably Rome), making their trip back home. They are quite a lively bunch. Noisy and happy spirited. Two polish girls, who also got on the bus in Venice, are now the center of their attention. Lots of flirting glances and smiles going around. Beer bottles run through the seats, back and forth. Two lucky guys have already been able to exchange seats and they are now sharing, each, a seat with the cute girls. This is starting to look like a college party and I’m sure some passengers are starting to get annoyed by now… But, personally, I enjoy seeing these fellows in such a happy mood. They are cool guys anyway. If you look at them for a couple of seconds, just out of curiosity, they even hand you a beer…

Right above the bathroom door, there is a hanging TV set no one is paying attention to (and those who really want to pay attention are probably having a hard time to do it, anyway); the movie on the screen is that flick where Jennifer Lopez teaches Richard Gere dancing lessons (“Dancing in Manhattan” or something like that I think… But truly I don’t remember the name of such a masterpiece). Of course, the movie itself is not the reason that draws my attention. The thing I’m really interested in is that the movie is in Polish. Well not actually in Polish, but with the original English soundtrack very, very low, and a guy, with a radio-like voice, translating to Polish the parts of all the characters… Kind of like instant translation on a conference. And a bit weird. And somehow spooky. There you have tiny eyed Richard Gere saying love words to beautiful J-Lo, and J-Lo replying with the deep same masculine voice, with that curious KGB sound that eastern European languages bring to the mind of anyone born before the fall of the USSR (*shivers*)… Now that I think of, I assume they are exchanging love words. After all I’m hearing a Polish translator and I can’t understand diddle shit…

We’ll soon be crossing the highest part of The Carpathians Mountains (which go all the way down from southern Poland to Rumania). There is no way you can hear Carpathians without thinking of darkness and good old vampire tales. Maybe that’s why I’m getting so suggestive…”