this is me, ladies and gentlemen

Well, I was raised with certain beliefs that I once dared to completely rebel against only to eventually end up failing miserably [oh, those bittersweet teenage years...]. But don't worry: I am not going to discuss different political viewpoints on anything right now: I hardly ever miss an opportunity like this, though. But just for this once, I think I'll just pass.

Anyway, with the current discussion that has been going on all around for the past few weeks now, in terms of political debates, finances and all, I have come to notice how unbelievably shallow people conversations have become. And because I've always tried to come up with a solid basis for every political thought I think, I've also decided a long time ago to leave the superficial critical road for the less dangerous and (proven to be) more delightful path of common sense.

See, I have this weird idea that we are responsible for our own well-being; that we are responsible, as fully grown and capable human beings that we are, to take care of ourselves and our own. And I have come to despise some of these everyday whiny speeches that ramble on and on about how miserable we all are because of what our politicians did or did not do. I mean... seriously, people: I am now old enough to say I've turned out alright in spite of every single president and their administrations. Of course there are a few things here and there they can do to move the needle, but at the end of the day, we are the ones to really do something with our lives or not.

Some of you are waiting on the current government to fix your life, or maybe the removal of the these guys to fix your life. But it’s not gonna happen. And you know that, don't you? But you call that 'being politically engaged'. And you think you’ve got this thing all figured out... yeah, right. Seriously! I, on the other hand, feel like some people have become so incredibly indifferent to their surroundings that they seem to not be able to think and process information anymore (and often whining becomes their only intelligible form of communication). These people have no genuine opinions on anything. And it is mostly because, at the end of the day, they simply don't care. They think they do, but they really don't. And though they may think their speech is actually going to cause everybody to think they're sooo deep, it's not. Politics is no different than real life.

And I really believe we all should have a lot more in common than we do right now...

It's never been wise to wait on a small number of people to decide upon your future. You wouldn't let your parents do that, so you certainly should not wait on some strangers on a suit to do that for you. And I am aware of the fact that the recession has had an impact on most of our lives. It has happened many times before and we'll get over it. I'm not saying you have no right to be mad; of course you do. I am! But what are are you going to do about it? Are you going to wait for the government to fix your household? Are you really going to wait for them to send you a check? Or maybe you're waiting for them to cut some taxes and then you will become rich.

Don't get me wrong: I strongly believe it's a good thing when good people are in Office. I appreciate that and I want them to do a good job. But I hate it when politicians of both parties start acting like they're in touch with the little men when all they do is talk and no action... Sometimes I feel like all they do is focus on developing talking points to argue with each other, to position themselves. Their job is to govern but we all know it is all about lots of campaigning and just a little governing.

So please don't learn to accept and live to wait for them to do what you should be doing anyway. And don't instantly discard stuff that somehow doesn't match your beliefs. Our human nature is always looking for somebody to blame.

the best way to start the day

breakfast has always been my favorite meal of the day. i read here that there's something to be said for waking up slow over cheery striped napkins and a simple breakfast just a few blocks from home. and i absolutely agree.

actually, this is pretty much what our saturday morning breakfast looks like (minus the striped napkins, of course, since you should know here in spain our very best coffee shops are also the cheapest):

but there's really nothing like a nice hotel breakfast...

a word on blogging (and blog jealousy)

i have always been a blog reader. and i really love blogs; i love everything about them. and some people... well, they're just so talented!

sometimes i wish i was a better blogger. i wish i could find enough time to just sit down and write. or maybe not - actually, i wish it would all come so freaking naturally to me that i wouldn't even have to find the time to update this blog more regularly. it would be just another daily routine like taking a bath or brushing your teeth.

the thing is i'm almost never completely satisfied with what i write. i guess i have always been so overly judgmental about my own work (and everyone else's work as well, but especially my own) that i end up discarding a whole lot of great ideas because they might not be good enough.

i am the only reason i haven't enjoyed blogging in a very long time.

if every time i had an idea for a post, i would just sit down and share it, i would probably be one of the most active bloggers in the blogosphere. during these past three months, i must have thought about a hundred million things to say. but i was always tired (blame it on the pregnancy!) and, to be honest, i didn't feel creative enough to even log in and start writing.

i have been comparing my non-existing blogging skills to those of the superb.loggers out there and it is so frustrating... i know i probably shouldn't do that, but it's pretty damn hard not to! talk about blog jealousy!

yet, i bumped into an amazing quote by ira glass this morning.

it made my day.

“Nobody tells this to people who are beginners, I wish someone told me. All of us who do creative work, we get into it because we have good taste. But there is this gap. For the first couple years you make stuff, it’s just not that good. It’s trying to be good, it has potential, but it’s not. But your taste, the thing that got you into the game, is still killer. And your taste is why your work disappoints you. A lot of people never get past this phase, they quit. Most people I know who do interesting, creative work went through years of this. We know our work doesn’t have this special thing that we want it to have. We all go through this. And if you are just starting out or you are still in this phase, you gotta know its normal and the most important thing you can do is do a lot of work. Put yourself on a deadline so that every week you will finish one story. It is only by going through a volume of work that you will close that gap, and your work will be as good as your ambitions. And I took longer to figure out how to do this than anyone I’ve ever met. It’s gonna take a while. It’s normal to take a while. You’ve just gotta fight your way through.”
― Ira Glass

some news!

i'm back!
oh, I know. i've been absent for quite some time... 3 months and 5 days. give or take :)

i never planned to completely neglect this blog (or at least not for 3 months and 5 days), but hey..  it happened and i can only apologize for being so slack. and i haven't been reading my favorite blogs either.

but now i'm back.

and pregnant.
18 weeks pregnant! which means the baby is probably going to arrive by october.

valentine's day

I read once that the ancient Egyptians had fifty words for sand & the Eskimos had a hundred words for snow. I wish I had a thousand words for love, but all that comes to mind is the way you move against me while you sleep & there are no words for that.

Brian Andreas


i have a date tonight with my husband.
we've decided on frozen pizza & wine. (and a movie)

i really can't think of a better way to spend valentine's day.

it's freezing cold outside.
i love it.

source: old couple

i've always loved sad stories

i am not a sad person. maybe a little bitter sometimes. but definitely not sad.
sad stories are pretty much irresistible to me, though.
and you should probably know i don't really care for happy endings.
[only in real life.] but never in movies.
they seem quite fake to me.
sometimes i feel like i need to tell people what happy endings are really like.

for happy endings to be truly happy, they often carry a little sadness within.

and i enjoy a little sadness in life.
for it is expected and imperative.
and it also has this inevitable binding force
that makes you notice the good side of life.

and i have such an ambivalent attitude when it comes to feelings.

art comes from sadness.
grace in the form of rain that washes the soul.
la tristesse vient de l'eau.

losing something you never really had can be truly heartbreaking.

and it's harder coming to terms with this kind of loss.

source: image

i love you like...

the sound wisdom of a gradma
the precious innocence of youth
the kind words of a teacher
the slow, not-so-sad blues

a nice, crackling fireplace
and sleepy afternoons
the freezing cold winter days
and those hot summer nights

unpaved roads
breakfast in bed
lazy, rainy mornings
the life of a newlywed

our weekend through the lens of Instagram

more on pajamas pants:

the art of doing nothing 

dare to bake?

the art of doing nothing part 2: Italian style

 here's something else i didn't do this weekend

forgotten treasures: 

how many times have you looked for something

and found other things you didn't even remember you had?

daily doses of wisdom

feeding our kids

a glimpse on future weekends

source: old couple picture

is there anything better than...

... spend the entire weekend in pajama pants?

 it's freezing cold outside right now. winter is our favorite season and we always make sure to feel cozy and warm at home.

newlywed life is awesome! we're so lucky we don't have to work weekends. and it's even better when we have the whole weekend to ourselves.

pizza, wine and movies. seriously, what more could i ask for?

it was about time

i was talking to a cousin the other day about this blog. and he was all like: why don’t you write more often? and why don’t you write about this and that..?

it made me think about how limited our time is.

and how i always used to come up with thousands of new year’s resolutions... i used to start with some nice, attainable goals. then, well...

i don't know. maybe it's just that i'd get a little too excited and my list would end up something like this:

-          go out with my friends more often

-          read more

-          join a book club

-          go out on dates with my husband every week

-          actually send real Christmas cards this year (yeah, i always regret not having started it earlier - oh, and now it's too late and they won't be getting it before Christmas anyway.. so what's the point?)

-          work out on a daily basis

-          start a business

-          take up an old hobby (like photography)

-          writing lots of emails to my long distance friends every week/month

-          visit my in-laws once a week

-          work extra hours to save for a car upgrade

-          sleep more hours

-          volunteer at our local church

-          take an online course on applied finance

-          start a blog and post regularly

-          pay off the house

-          completely change my eating habits

-          have a baby

-          learn how to play the guitar

-          help with advertising my husband’s business

-          write a book

-          learn French

-          run my first half marathon

-          travel around the world in 80 days...

and you know me.. i am all for those things, really. i am.

and i guess when we all think about new year’s resolutions, we normally go for the 10+ list of things we must add to our regular (and most likely already full) schedule without leaving our current responsibilities unattended.

but let’s face it: there is not enough time to do everything we want! i mean.. seriously, i’d love to be able to accomplish every single thing I want in life, but there just isn’t time to do them all.

i don’t know about you, but i used to do that. i used to write these 10+, 20+, 100+ lists before the new year came and surprise, surprise!, i didn’t even remember most of what was in there by February! so, what are resolutions good for anyway if you don’t even know that you can actually commit to doing them after all?

i have been doing things differently for the past few years, though, and it has been working fine for me. i'm sure some people would think i don't feel extra inspired or maybe that i aim too low to avoid disappointment. but it's definitely not it - i guess am a lot more focused now than i have ever been and i'm proud to to say that i am actually getting things done. less things. important things.

i have learned to prioritize.

and frankly, i am getting pretty damn good at it :)

i have come to realize that wanting too many things done at once is probably the best way to get absolutely nothing done. and it is such a waste of time to think anyone could multitask to that extent...

i’m not a huge expert on the matter, but when playing darts, i've been taught to aim the dart point to the area i wanted to hit. that's because when you’re not sure where you wanna hit, you get distracted and focus on many places at the same time... which will, more often than not, cause you to completely miss the target. i guess the same thing happens in life.

and i am sure we can all relate to it at some point in our lives.

we've all been there.. there's always a season in our lives in which we can’t seem to fully commit to anything.. we start new projects with lots of enthusiasm and end up quitting almost as fast as we had started.

until i decided i didn't want to keep making the same mistake over and over again.

and i guess it's all about understanding that when we choose something, we are inevitably forced to say  no  to something else.

[just in case you were wondering why i don't write on this blog all that often]