X-mas fun

As every year, back home again for 24-25-26th and expected to be there 'till the 27th... but fortunately, a friend of mine was back in town only for Xmas, so I had to leave on the 26th in order to meet him. And we had been trying to see each other for over two weeks, so there was no doubt what to do!

One of the things I've noticed lately is that my son is getting to see through my family, noticing the little things that piss me off -how my sister's soooooo incredible in every single thing she does, while as I am a disaster and even my son behaves better if I'm not around! So, now I have an ally to whisper to at night, talking things over... On the other hand, I don't want him to get too distant from my family. Must find the right point.

Anyway, our best moments were 1) opening the presents, 2) the half hour I made my son wait in bed with me before going down to look for them, so it wouldn't be too early for everyone else, and 3) our excursions to the swings, on our own!

The worst moment was the night of the 25th, my sister having another go at us, shouting and bangign doors as we'd woken her up! -This was impossible, the noise from her room was before we walked up the stairs and into 'her area'. I thought I'd walked into an argument between her and her husband, but it seems it was all due to me -so uncaring, so stupid!

Movable Menu

We finally got winter in Barcelona! God, it's cold right now!!!

Am at a friend's flat, really cold. Coming up to her neighbourhood is an odissey. It's always a couple of degrees lower here than in the centre of Barcelona.

Came to help with some university tasks. Was bribed this morning by the image of prawns for dinner.

The menu kept changing, though:

10 a.m.: We'll get some prawns, and some nice wine. I'll ask my bf to do the shopping. yes, let's have a niiiice dinner.

Great!

6 p.m.: I think there are some caneloni in the fridge, my mother made them. That'll be nice, huh?

What happened to the pr-? well, never mind!

10 p.m., already at her place: Uh, can't find the caneloni. L. must have eaten them. But some nice fried chicken shall do, ok? Am making some soup out of my mother's leftovers she brought in a tupperware.

Hmm. The soup smells nice, fine. Chicken then.

10:15 p.m.: Hey, instead of fried chicken it shall be grilled chicken -all right?

Hey, whatever you have. Don't ask any more, because I keep salivating towards one taste and then you change your mind!

10:20 p.m.: Well, the soup should be ok, do you want anything else with it or will you have enough with the soup?

Don't look at me like that!!! No!!! NOOO!!! Leave that chopping knife!!!

O.k., I admit this last bit was made up. But almost. Me starving, finally had the famous soup and some bread & ham. Very little bread & ham.

And it's cold.

Easy Cam

Cam,
originally uploaded by okokitsme.

This Easy Internet cyber has good prices for the monthly tickets, but is expensive for normal pay-per-hour use! Crappy installations, no Word, Excel, etc on the pcs so you can't touch up documents and instead of headphones yo have TELEPHONES!!!

Plus round crappy cams dangling from the wires, most of them either snatched or not working, and always almost impossible to balance (ROUND!)so people prop them up with all sorts of things, sticks them with chewing gum to the screen... Or go Mc Giver-style, as the girl next to me ;)

Just a small reminder...

Sneaked from :The Fillmorewith all my love ;)

Play with your imagination, but don't let the important things out of focus ;)

Happy Cristmas,

New Year,

everythig!!!

Thank God We Couldn't Get That Car!!!

Last night, I spoke to A. many times over the phone. She had given me two phone numbers, to co-ordinate the procedures to move her stuff from her old flat to her new room, one number belonguing to the guy who's rented her the room, the other one belongs to the girl who'll bring a car and take the stuff there, with my help.

Last night, besides inviting A. to spend some time at my place to recover from her mental, physical and nervious exhaustion, once she gets back in Bcn, I told her we had it all soted out for this morning's schedule. meeting aty my break-time from my classes, as she lived so close to the centre I'm studying at, and i'd see to her neighbour giving us the keys, getting stuff loaded in the car, etc. and send the other girl off to the new flat.

Then I developped this terrible back ache!!!!

I actually needed my son to help me to bed, and this morning I needed help getting my left sock and boot on!!! How am I going to help carry stuff down that terrible staircase!!!???

Then, shortly before leaving my flat, hobbling upstairs one step at the time, I got this sms saying the person who was driving the car couldn't make it today -Hip, Hip, Hooray!!!!

So, all I had to worry about was getting down to-and up from the underground, and up the satirs to my class, without looking too disgraceful.

Needless to say, dressed 'sensibly' today, to avoid atention!

This time it's not her fault.

Dumped by M. again, phoned her at our meeting spot 15 minutes after our agrred time... and, of course, she isn't even in Barcelona!!!

But this time it wasn't her fault. Her son has just run away from the center he's interned at, with some other, elder guy, who has escaped a few times already.

She's been adviced to keep her other son away from home for the moment. When L.does turn up, whether it's today or in three day's time, she's been warned to expect bitter reactions and hard feelings. She can't give in, has to turn him back.

Can't help this time.

When should I start to say no?

Been way too busy this week. No time for posting, reading blogs, messengering, e-socializing in general.

Getting a friend's stuff packed for her while she's looking after her -very ill- mother, working on another friend's essay I promised to help her with, keeping up with my classes, investigating yet another friend's son's centre...

Parents

Cat invasion,
originally uploaded by okokitsme.

Went to visit my parents & sister. And brother in law, ok... but hardly saw him. Am not too used to living in a big family house, as I've spent so long sharing flats with friends or on my own, with my son. Am not too social, familywise -MA, check-spell that one for me ;).

But one thing that IS fun is checking out the new additions to the Family Zoo they have -hens, for the eggs, a turtle and a tortoise, a fish pond in the garden, a couple of fish tanks at home, a small bitch female dog and a larger male one, and a house cat downstairs with my parents and another one upstairs with my sis and broinlaw... plus a variety of street -or, more accurately, garden- cats they feed. Their latest love is tricky, who has stolen the position to Lady... Feeding them three times a day and managing not to let the dog eat the cats' food is real fun for Hugo!!!

Diana,
originally uploaded by okokitsme.

My sister's cat...
As to my sister's cat, Diana, she's as fussy as her owner, so when her vegetarian mother is away, her cheating granny gives her york ham and bits of chicken -but still has to follow the rituals the cat demands!

This weekend was a long one, and there was a gathering of about 10 people for lunch at one time. All quite confused about what it is I'm studying, and even about me not having a boyfriend -they just found out I was with someone when I had actually split up allready... but that's another story! NEXT WEEK is gonna be even worse, like some corny film: my spanish granma is 95, so we're all gathering for a meal at a restaurant. Spanish family's all can really mean ALL!!! over 20 people, so far. I have no excuse not to go. Yet.

Anyway.

Pira,
originally uploaded by okokitsme.

Feeling much better now I'm back home with my cat and son -full stop! ;)

Beautiful Late Thirties

...So serene, so placid!!!

• Moi: Jobless, studying an International Commerce & Marketing course to see if I can become more competitive knowing the right terminology... Not knowng how I'll pay the next month's mortgage bill, and missing the adrenalin highs I used to feel this summer every time I saw -let's not even rememeber when I'd get to touch- the Macho Borracho!
• E: Cops woke her up about ten days ago with a phonecall, her teenage daughter had been caught robbing some guys uptown, with a knife. Her -supposedly good-influence-at-last - boyfriend had got her into it.
• M: Gulping Prozac down, her teenage eldest son is smoking pot -big deal! as I remind her, she used to smoke loads- and probably some other stuff is going on: becoming really out of control, she had to drop her great job she had finally managed to make click, stop flying Milano-Bcn for work, and concentrate on what's left of her family. Her new bf wasn't supportive about it all, and said he'd take for granted the younger son, who's fine, but wouldn't deal with elder one. He's now at a sort of de-tox camp/school or something??? Gotta get to see her and find out the straight details, her frantic sms are so mispelt I can hardly work them out lately!
• Mi. cracked her shoulder, and with it her job as she's a fitness trainer... and has no dole due to irregular contracts, so she has had to rent her flat and move to someone else's place, outside Bcn
• I: Finished her thesis for her Philosophy doctorate, trapped in a dangerous mind that now and then clicks the wrong way and surrounds her of tell-tale signs of the plot to turn her into a sect.

Forgot to remind you that:

• Moi et E. are single mothers, no support from the state nor the once-proud-fathers
• M. and Mi. had been married in a happy, placid middle-to high class surrounding, untill M.'s hubby became blatantly a womanizer and kept phoning his chick in front of M! -and Mi.'s hubby suddenly couldn't cope with family life!!! Now left on their own with sparce help from well-off exs who believe the little economical help given means the women still belong to them!!!
• I. has no kids, and is married to a really intelligent, though also obssessive man. She has flings and affairs every now and then, hiding them from hubby. Alcohol dependence. Psychiatric treatment.

God, it's f*****g great to be a 30-something woman nowadays!!!