YOU ARE NUTS!!!

Can you believe it??!!!

I got home around 7:30 am this morning, after a whole night’s work, and these were the first words Mrs G said to me today!!

(OK. Insert flashback here)


- I get home by 7:30 am (without waking anyone up)
- I watch Sponge Bob on TV. (there is this 24 hours cable special going on)
- Around 9:00 am I go into the kitchen...

Half an hour later, a sleepy Mrs G swings the kitchen door (yes, ours is a crappy flat, but we do have a cool swinging kitchen door) and stands there staring at me with a “WTF you doing? Why aren’t you sleeping?” look in her eyes.

“What??!!” – I say . “I’m just cooking a Shrimp Soufflé and Spinach Risotto!!”

“You are nuts!!!” –she says, nodding her head, and then just turns around to go back to bed.

(Do you think she heard me watching Sponge Bob???)

So...

... upon serious deliberation, finally decided:

- I'm changing jobs.

They need me to start on April 1st on the new place - so I'll try to get my ass outta here asap and see if I can enjoy a few free days before diving into action. Wooho!!!

Sunday mornings...

“Despertó con una luz difuminada golpeándole los ojos. Despertó despierta, como no lo había hecho en mucho tiempo. Se sentó en la cama, abrazó sus piernas e, inconcientemente, se besó cada rodilla. Caminó a la ventana, miró a la calle y, después de dos segundos, posó sus labios sobre el vidrio. Se apartó un momento y contempló la marca de su boca, húmeda y fresca. Fijó la vista en los ojos de su propio reflejo y descubrió una alegre curva en sus labios que no sabía que sentía. Caminó unos pasos atrás y una brisa inesperada hizo que sus blancas nalgas se apretaran de frío. En el medio de la habitación, el aroma de Flower (de Kenzo), en su piel, se mezcló, de repente, con el recuerdo de aquel otro perfume que tanto extra?aba. A su mente vinieron también imágenes de desayunos en la cama, las ma?anas de domingo, con deliciosos bollitos de chocolate y una sabrosa torta de fresas. Una tibia ola de felicidad invadió su cuerpo y seis lágrimas corrieron por sus mejillas. Fue entonces cuando comprendió cómo es que siempre estarían juntas. Y que a pesar de la muerte, su amor por ella duraría eternamente…”


“She woke up with a dim light hitting her eyes. She woke up awake, like she had not felt in a long time. She sat on the bed, embraced her own legs and, unconsciously, kissed each of her knees. She walked to the window, looked down to the street and, after two seconds, placed her lips on the glass. She stepped back for a moment and contemplated the mark left by her mouth, wet and fresh. She held her gaze on the eyes of her own reflection and discovered a happy curve on her lips that she didn’t even knew she felt. She walked back a few steps and an unexpected breeze made her tighten her buns, out of the cold. In the middle of the room, the aroma of Flower (by Kenzo) on her skin, suddenly, mixed with the memory of that other perfume she missed so much. Images of breakfast in bed, on Sunday mornings, with delicious chocolate rolls and a scrumptious strawberry cake, also came to her mind. A warm wave of happiness run through her body and six tears run down by her cheeks. It was then that she understood how it was that they would always be together. And that in spite of death, her love for her would last forever…”

Not feeling that lazy, but short of time...

Hello everyone!

Sorry I’ve been missing. It’s been only four days away from this site, but I do feel as if it were a lot longer.

Quick Update:
Had a few days off and I had planned to go to Rome, but trip got postponed for two reasons: Mrs. G had a bit of a work overload and I got a call last Friday to attend a job interview a couple of days ago, so our travel planning kind of messed up. Still, it’s not that bad. I think I can still gather a few days for Rome at the beginning of March and the job interview turned out to be an interesting proposal. It came from a cruise handling and port services company I’ve been working for on a part-time seasonal basis (aside from my full time job) on the last two years and now they got a full time position to offer me. Money is not a big difference really, but it is a very demanding, dynamic position that I’m sure I’d enjoy a lot and all the extra hours/days I got to make (cruise season it’s only six, seven months, but VERY, VERY intense) I would recover at a 1x1.8 rate (so, let’s say I worked 20 extra days per year, I’ recover 36!! –and not counting vacations yet). Most probably, I’d end up working seven months like a crazy dog, a couple of months at a normal rhythm (season opening and closing) and I’d have almost 3 months of free time adding up vacation and days to recover. What do you think? I’m probably giving them an answer by Friday, so I’m still on time for some feed-back.

Hope you are all doing great!


(Majestad: If you stop by, my whole family (dad, mom, bros, nephews, etc, etc…except me) are meeting in Disney next week. Could you contact your local Gods and make sure your royal county stay sunny and rainless for at least a week. ;) … I know you’ve got the power there lady! )

briefly...

I'm a lazy (lousy) blogger...
I'm a lazy (lousy) blogger...
I'm a lazy (lousy) blogger...

Awright!!! That's it!!! Not any dessert for me tonight!!!

Feeling Op-Ed...

There are two news that I just can’t shake from my head the last few days.

First is the current uproar generated in some Muslim countries by the controversy following the publication of a series of strips depicting Prophet Mohammed on a Danish newspaper (and later reproduced by other European media).

Second are George W. Bush’s words about America’s addiction to oil.

The first issue makes me think of the successful completion of a vicious circle. And the latter, about what terrible things could happen next.

Somehow I feel we have now reached a position in which we can summarize last years developments of the US-Middle East relation (and to some extent a significant part of the whole Global Scene) with three key elements: The tragedy of September 11th, the invasion of Iraq and this current upheaval propelled by Islamic radicals via Prophet Mohammed’s strips. Or as it might be put in other words, the World Trade Center attack as the golden opportunity for the US Government to install a new international scenario on the Arab scene; the Iraqi War as the proven fact of what that scenario would be like; and the strips’ riots as the demolishing conclusion that we have finally reached that moment where fire can be ignited even with the smallest fire.

I’m almost certain that most history books (non-US) will probably remember George W. Bush as a jerk - maybe even one of the biggest jerks in the history of the US-. But I’m also just as certain that he is really far from being that dimwit Texan the media insists on portraying. Objectively speaking, we might even consider him as one the smartest fellows to reach the US Presidency in contemporary history; smart in the sense that he really gets to do whatever he wants and he has really mastered on the ability to take advantage of his position for his own benefit, or that of its closest circle. After what this guy has pulled, it seems almost a joke what Clinton had to endure with the Lewinsky affair, what Reagan swallowed for the Iran-Contra hearings or, even, how Nixon ended with that long forgotten Watergate tale. But there you have old George still surfing the national security paranoia waves, he so cleverly jumped to (and helped to maintain) after 09/11, apparently without the slightest possibility of taking a fall. I was opposed to the invasion of Iraq. And were I American, I would not have voted him either. But I certainly grant him the credit for having the balls to go after his own personal goals (which, I believe, are far from America’s real needs or concerns).

When the US troops invaded Iraq, I truly didn’t completely dig the supposed reasons that led to it. And I don’t mean the “massive destruction weapons”, “democracy for Iraq” gibber that the US Government imposed as a motivation, but the more probable implications that were behind the stage curtains. At that moment, there were lots of talks about oil control and the establishment of US forces on a territory of unquestionable geopolitical value. It is true that they sounded like a more plausible explanation, but how could that be it? It didn’t take an expert political analyst to realize how Iraq would become the uncontrolled bee hive it currently is and, much less, to understand that oil production requires of a minimum stability to be considered a profitable investment. I was sure the US Government might have decided to go after Saddam’s head pleading the worst reasons, but I couldn’t believe they didn’t know what was going to happen. I do not consider high spheres politicians stupid. Maybe egotistical, psychopathic, ruthless or, simply, selfish; but not stupid. Then, as confrontation developed in Iraq, doubts regarding the huge masses of money being moved because of military expenditures or security and reconstruction contracts, as well as concerns related to the rise of oil prices, started to come out into the light. And things started to make more sense. As curiously enough, all of these issues, far from becoming a threat, reported a substantial benefit to a select group of the President’s “inner circle” or “supporters”. It has always been said that war is good business. But when it started to look like the President’s business… something also started to smell rotten. As for those still wanting to believe on the US Government “good” intention of bringing “democracy” to Iraq, there are two simple exercises which can illustrate much better: one consists in reviewing the –by now- rather abundant (and redundant) evidence on how the war had long been decided before it was finally declared; the other, draw a simple “link words” game with the words “USA” and “Peace promoter” on two different columns, take the test outside the US and see how many people link the two terms together (do not be surprised if they are not linked, even if they are the only words on each column).

September 11th was the beginning of an era of a dangerously uncertain confrontation, certainly, not started by the US Government, but yet, regretfully, manipulated by the people on charge of the America's destiny. After that, American policy on the Middle East –with the Iraqi war as its most explicit, yet not the only, example- could as well be considered as either one of the most “misfortunate” chain of decisions, ever taken, regarding the Middle East relations or, just all the contrary, as one of the most intriguing, worrying and obscure plans conceived by the US Administration. And everything on this situation has violated the minimum standards of common sense in such an obscene manner that I cannot help leaning for the second alternative. Confrontation is the issue. Confrontation is the business. Confrontation is what makes everybody happy among all those who could really do something to put a stop to this craziness (but, of course, are the least interested). Mayhem originated by Prophet Mohammed’s strips sadly confirms that it could virtually take nothing to light the (always manipulated) masses on fire now. Basic intelligence calls for minimization of conflict whenever friction reaches a white heat point, but has anybody seen a display of it in these last tense years of collision between the US and the Muslim world? I don’t think so. And that’s why most Arab leaders –a bunch of egomaniac, authoritarian and corrupt fellows just as intolerable- are just as satisfied with this “keep friction going” moment as their American counterparts. Because everyone here is getting a share of the cake! Bush’s circle gets the big money from US contributors. Arab leaders -even “friendly” ones- benefit both from “playing radical Muslim” to gain popular support and, at the same time, reinforce their autocratic regimes as the only “valid” option to keep things under control (and this of course, without even counting the blessing that increasing oil prices represent). As for Muslim radicals or terrorists, well, it’s almost evident that this is a “dream comes true” situation. I might be wrong, but… do you see anyone losing here?

George W. Bush has now declared that America is addicted to oil. Once he also declared that America was at war. I fear both the results of Bush’s statements or of an addicts’ resolution.

Sometimes I worry.

My Private Weirdness...

I saw these 5 weird habits going around and I felt like sharing a bit of what I consider peculiar in myself. I've not been tagged and I'm not tagging anyone either, so this is for pure, free, non-abiding reading. If you wish...


1. I’m a bread addict. Yes, I cannot pass a day without digging my teeth on a delicious piece of freshly baked bread and, if I didn’t put a limit on myself, I could probably spend the whole day biting baguettes. I just love bread! And I love walking around the streets, while breaking little pieces of crunchy dough to bring into my mouth. Probably this comes from the fact I grew up in Chile (a country with one of the highest bread consumption ratio per head in the world) and luckily I now live in a city where traditional bakeries are every two blocks or so. But, I’m addict, so when I have no access to freshly baked bread, I’ll most probably end up with my teeth on a loaf of industrialized bread. Of course, when on vacation, tasting different bread types will always be one of the first things on my list.

2. I love sleeping on the floor. No mattress or anything else to cushion my delicate body. This, however, is not something I get to enjoy as much as I would like, as Mrs. G does not precisely share this trait of myself and she much rather we sleep together on a bed, especially on wintertime. On summer, though (Barcelona is horribly hot and humid at that time), you can often find me having sweet dreams on the floor, with my cat lying somewhere close around (and the same thing usually happens when Mrs. G goes away for a couple of days and we, the boys, are left home alone).

3. I’m a public toilets fan. You know how some people cannot pee or… well, you know what else… unless they are home, well, for me it’s just the other way around. Everywhere I go I feel strongly attracted to visit the toilet and discover the true nature of the human race in one of its most intimate places. I cannot say I’ve seen the most beautiful sights of the world this way, but it amuses me and I cannot go anywhere without feeling intrigued about what the toilet will be like.

4. This one could be a bit gross for a lot of readers, but maybe it won’t seem that gross after the public toilet thing. I always taste my cat’s food. Whenever I open a can or a package of dry food for the furry guy, I always try it first (and believe me, lots of times it tastes a lot better than you would expect). I suppose I just don’t want him to think that I feed him stuff that I wouldn’t eat myself. I believe in a very fraternal interaction with my cool cat and sometimes I even lick him. I also used to carry him around by the neck, hanging from my mouth, when he was a little kitty.

5. I don’t stress and I can count the times I’ve really lost my patience with the fingers of only one of my hands. You don’t think this is weird. Well, try it and let me know.

So...

As from today, I have finally got in my hands the national identity card which certifies I’m now an official Spanish citizen. Why do I say finally? – you might ask yourselves-. Well, I say “finally” because it has taken almost three years of document submitting and bureaucracy to arrive to this moment. And what does this moment mean? – you might also ask yourselves-. Well, it means that I have now got two nationalities: Chilean and Spanish (yes, I can keep both). Does this mean I now have my heart divided between these two countries? It could certainly mean that, but truly I don’t really give a shit about that factor. The important thing to me is that my Spanish nationality opens me a brand new door to move wherever I would like within the European Community (yes, I am now also officially a European Citizen) and that I will not have to worry ever again about renewing residence papers or getting my ass kicked out of this continent. I have spent over a decade in Barcelona (three of those years as an illegal immigrant) and now I can “finally” make a big bonfire with all the pile of papers I’ve been forced to keep and collect over the years, so as to prove that I had earned (with hard work and sweat) my right to remain here. And now, that big pain in the ass is “finally” over…

Anyway, whether you want it or not, having two nationalities makes you think about what you are, where you come from, where you go and all that kind of stuff… Despite having now a Spanish passport too, I know that deep within I’m Chilean and will remain Chilean to the last day of my life. That’s where I spent most of my childhood and university years, and that’s the place where I got formed (or deformed, for all it matters) - even if I’ve also had the luck to spend my teenage years in The States and the last decade of my life here in Spain. But isn’t curious how it works, though? I mean, I’ve been living here for quite a few years now, but yet I’m far from feeling a native (and know I’ll never feel like one), even if I don’t feel like a foreigner either. And the same works for Chile, because I know too that if I ever decided to return there, I’m not going to feel like the same “Chilean” person I was before my departure.

So, where I am going now? Got no much of an idea, but I feel FREE to move and that’s what I like...
I doubt I ever return to Chile to live (even if I know I could have a pretty good, comfy life over there), but I do not feel “tied” to Spain either… Barcelona is a wonderful city, but I feel exploring… And now that I “finally” have the freedom of movement for so long desired I think I’ll have to start thinking seriously about my future objectives…

By the way, I’m most probably going to Rome in two weekends from now…

(I’m on the search…)