Packing mode on

Some days I get into packing mode. Stare at my book shelves and think what am I going to take first. I write down things I will need to buy. I enter into the winter sports section to look at gloves because it's so cold up there. I log on to amazon and glance at the domestic rates instead of the international ones. And today has been one of those days. Today I spent the whole afternoon at his folks'. Got some coffee for him and some bubblewrap for me (for the painting I bought in Brussels and now want to take with me to this new life). And it got me thinking we're not dreaming anymore; we're planning. The things we discuss have become more practical. What I should take, when and where we'll meet, which tube ticket should I buy, who will drive me to the airport etc. And I love every single bit of it.

January

So the first month of the year is nearly gone and what do I have to show for myself? Well, the internship started about a week ago. Loads of red tape business to go, but I'm on it. I'm loving it (McDonalds references aside). It's a lot of work and a monumental change of pace, but I think I can cope with it. The idea of getting a part time job went out the window, but with a bit of luck and loads of hard work I might survive without it as is. Started another Spanish course and have a hunch I'll be using the language way before I anticipated. Went to the movies twice. Not great, but hey, not bad either. Am on my way to starting my fifth book of the year. Huge yay there! What else? Things with the wolf are amazing as ever. I can feel all the tiny cogwheels starting to move regarding my moving there in the summer. So yeah, it's all good. And I'm loving 2011 :)

Kiss me Kate at its best

It's there and it's coming soon

Yoga - 1st attempt

I'm not great when it comes to handling the stress of having a deadline. In fact, I suck. To make matters a bit more complicated, I work in my bedroom. Every night around 11 pm I literally switch off the computer and go to bed.

So, to help me shut my system down and get some proper rest I turned to yoga. Bought a book about a year ago that came with a dvd but never got around to trying it.

Tonight I made my first attempt. I thought I did splendid. There was soothing music to help me relax and once in a while I opened my eyes to see if it was time to change positions. Some things I didn't manage all the way, but that's to be expected.

At the end of it I decided to further explore the dvd. I found out the vocals were off and decided to turn them on and watch the whole thing again. Misery of miseries, as it turns out most of what I'd done was wrong. The breathing, the angles of some positions, the distribution of my body weight. Plus doing it on the hard wood floor in winter isn't ideal; it's too cold. Oh well... Better luck tomorrow then!

Of being tired and proud

I'm tired. It's been an incredibly fast week with loads of work. But I'm happy. I'm proud. Still getting my bearings, finding a new routine. I'm giving it my all and so far it paid off. The translation is progressing nicely, procrastination levels are extremely low and all the small breaks I indulge myself I savour as much as I possibly can. I finished for today. Will now get into bed with a book and a broad smile. Thank you all and good night.

Time is starting to fly...

... and we're getting closer again :)

Alakazam and here we go

So the internship started. I was hoping for somewhat of a different start. Mind you, not drums, trumpets and a red carpet, but at least some sense of anouncement. To feel that it's getting near. The last few months I've either been up to my ears with work or had absolutely nothing to do (hence the scarf frenzy). And it's a pretty fast change from one to the other. One day I was running errands on my own, twenty four hours later I had 12,000 words to translate.

Anyway, I'm loving it. Not the stress of having to hit a number everyday, but the sense that I have something to keep me on my toes. Some kind of responsibility. Ever since 2011 kicked in I felt I was trapped facing a wall. Now I found the key. Or the jewel-like thingy that you plug into the wall, then turn and then find out there's a secret passage way. You know, whatever makes you tick.

The impossible dream

Man of la Mancha

I am what I am*

I'm a slow starter. It takes me ages to fully wake up. Usually my feet touch the ground about thirty minutes after the first time the alarm clock goes off and until I've had my shower and finished breakfast I'm not in for business yet. It's not hard to deal with. Let me wake up my way and then engage me. Most people get it. They look at me like I'm a zoo animal, but they respect it.

But not him though. I've lived with him all my life (going on a quarter of a century now) and I'm still showered with information and orders (I tried typing the word 'requests' but it's so not what it really is that I had to delete it) before I can even reach the kitchen. Throughout my life I've been judged by the way I look in the morning and I'm fed up. So, since I can't change the system (because it's cranky and old and believes itself to be almighty) I turn to blogger instead. This is not about pointing fingers, this is just what I'd like to tell the world (since some people are deaf):

I'm not worse for being the way that I am. I'm sure the world is filled with slow starters just like me. And it's no sin to be this way, it's not a flaw, it's just the way I'm wired. It doesn't make me lazy or negative or unwilling to relate and cooperate with the troubles of others. I don't look mad, I look sleepy. Of course if people keep bombarding me with stuff and keep me from having breakfast... then I might get mad, but that's a whole other issue. Bottom line is: I'm a good person. I just happen to take longer to get operacional. And that's okay.

*La cage aux folles

A commitment to future readings

There are books that have been in my shelves for years without ever being touched. And it pisses me off. Yes, I know, it's my fault; I'm the one who keeps buying more and more faster than I can read them. Year after year I keep telling myself This year I'm finally gonna read A or B. And in the blink of an eye it's December again. So, since I'm the queen of lists, here it is:

1. Therapy, David Lodge (seriously, this is pathetic, I've been carrying this one around for nearly a year and barely made it to page 100!)
2. Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte (I tried... then I had a wisdom tooth taken out and decided that was painful enough, no need for my readings to make it worse. Never got back to it again)
3. Kafka on the shore, Haruki Murakami (impulse purchase made... four years ago)
4. The colour of magic, Terry Pratchet (figured there's 30-something books about Discworld, so better start now)
5. The heart of darkness, Joseph Conrad (no idea why... I just hope it's not another Robinson Crusoe)
6. The well of shades, Juliet Marillier (want to finish Bridei Chronicles while I can still remember the basic storyline)
7. Imajica, Clive Barker, (the wolf gave it to me. Apparently I just have to endure the first five pages and then the other 1131 will be gone in a flash)
8. The pillars of the earth, Ken Follett (want to see what all the fuss is about)

There! Now I can't forget it. Plus, I have witnesses. Let the reading frenzy begin...

Musical pearls

Glitter and be gay, Candide (Kristin Chenoweth)

On my next life I want to have her voice. Is that too much to ask?

The yellow bear

Growing up I recall always having a huge stuffed bear in my bedroom. I have no idea who gave it to me, I was just too small to remember. So for me it's always been a part of my stuff and my life.

One day I leaned on it with a book in my hands. It was like it was meant to be. It fitted my back perfectly, plus the arms and legs felt extremely cosy. From then onwards I would always go to the yellow bear for my readings. Many a time I ended up napping right there, leaning on it and with a blanket over our legs and a book still in my hand. That's how confortable it was!

Somewhere around my late teens I decided it was time for my childhood buddies to go, and that meant the yellow bear as well. Suddenly walking into my bedroom and being greeted by a huge and old yellow bear resting on my bed was something of an embarassment (God save us from the stupid deeds that come with adolescence!...).

And that's it, really. Everytime I decide to read on my bed I think of that old bear. I've tried different sorts of pillows, but nothing comes close to it. And on a day like today, when all I wanted was to read and forget the world I could really use an old friend to lean on.

Readings for two

There are moments in your life when you can - even if just for a flying second - taste perfection. Tonight, as I was getting ready for some hardcore readings in bed (the sci-fi novel he gave me, might I add) I remembered something.

(please forgive the silly girlishness of it all... or not! I don't care)

I was lying on my stomach with a book opened on my pillow. He was by my side, on his back and with a book in his hand. He'd turn two pages, I turn one in a quite acceptable sync. At some point I felt his eyes on me. And I knew we were thinking the same thing: I finally have someone to share this with. Better yet, in a few months' time we'll be able to do it time and again, together. And it felt good. It felt perfect.

Friday night

Resolutions

Maybe that's what's been missing in my life lately. Resolutions. Seeing things black on white. (Although this always gives me the feeling that I'm jinxing the whole year). So here we go:

1. Do my internship
2. Get a random job (flipping burgers is fine) so I can save some money
3. Do an A.2 Spanish course
4. Lose around... what?... 13 pounds? Yep, that sounds like a good number
5. Do a B.1.1 Spanish course
6. Read over 24 books (which isn't a great accomplishment, but last year was such a disgrace...)
7. Spend as much time as I can with the wolf and spoil him rotten oh, and
8. Get my things together and move to the UK.

Ready? Set! Go!

Off to conquer the world I go

This year is mine. Better, even, this year is ours :)

Personal pampering

2011 on wings

This will be a year on the go. Three (probably four) plane tickets, one of them one-way. The big push. Destination: United Kingdom. As the trip on my birthday is finally taking shape (plane and coach tickets are taken care of, schedules are being made, new luggage was bought) I'm already thinking about the big one. Sometime around August.

Today I did my first attempt at it. I grabbed the huge new bag and stuffed it with all I could think of: PJs, socks, trousers, underwear, t-shirts, tops, cardigans, scarves, books, footwear, accessories and my extra pair of glasses. It got filled to the brim faster than I thought. It amazed me. How am I going to choose exactly what to take and what to leave behind? This not to say that I have a lot of stuff (if I do or not that's beside the point), but rather that this is my life in a bag. Well, for about three months, but still! It's a lot of time away from what I now call home and with no chance (or so I like to think) of coming back before Christmas is here again.

Luckily by then I won't be alone. I'll have a (most) loved one to guide me and help me along the unknown path. And that makes all the difference.