Day 55: The dawn of the dead

Probably this is usual for some people, but it's really killing me. This morning, my alarm clock went off at 5 am. I threw my arm across the bed to press the "snooze" button and went into oblivion for another ten minutes. I don't accurately remember how many times this happened, but when I was finally able to regain something similar to consciousness, it was 6:30 already.

I swear I tried as hard as possible to get ready quickly, but everything seemed to be happening in a bullet shot. It took hours to find the clothes, to press them, to get dressed, to grab my hip-bag and back-pack and reach the door. The clock was now indicating 6:55.

And then it was like a horrible, cinematic fast forward: running downstairs like mad to catch a taxi, looking at the traffic ahead to find a hole at which gain a few meters, panting at the elevator doors to finally jump forward to insert your timecard with a few seconds left.

And all this is due to the exhaustion I'm suffering from this project at the office that is not working right. My boss has been getting to the office at 6 pm and expecting us to continue working our asses off with a smile after our regular shift.

And that is just a small part of the situation. The fact is that I hate feeling this dull, ill-slept, ill-tempered and frustrated, when it's not my direct fault. If the stupid project manager had provided me with the right information since the very begining, this wouldn't be happening.

Good thing is, next Tuesday is a holiday in Mexico. WOOOOHOOO!!

Day 54: Virgina Tech Massacre

It really hurts my heart, along with the grief I feel about so many futures abruptly ended, that the first fact to hit the press was that the murderer was from Korean descent. In my perception of the U.S. as a foreigner, I must say I consider this completely biased, partial and deceiving. The fact is that 32 college students and a teacher were shot. But the fact that he was a foreigner was brought into the spot light because it is going to be used in order to stricten the government policies against migrants. Mark my words.

There was a note on the Mexican news this morning about this Korean student already dropping out because she was never made feel that she belonged. Other articles have made reference to the U.S. policies regarding fire arms, including public statements issued by the National Rifle Association, therefore turning this tragedy into a social issue directly related to the American Constitution. In my opinion, both sides are missing the point miserably.

In my humble opinion, it is not a matter of where you come from, neither of the availability of fire arms. It is a matter of how a single person can get as psychologically damaged as to turn a gun towards strangers and pull the trigger. What circumnstances could drive any individual to perform such a destructive action and what are we going to do, as citizens of the same world, to prevent this from happening again?. The rest, is only an attempt to take advantage from those priceless lifes, so innecesarily wasted.

We send our sympathies and prayers to all the families in their grief.

Day 53: Earthquake's aftermath

It's been 3 days and 11 tremors after the earthquake. For most DF dwellers, things are going back to normal, but it's going to be difficult to sleep easily for another couple of weeks. Although we are in the middle of a heat wave, we are all going to start sleeping on full night wear, just in case we have to leave our buildings running for dear life.

Let's face it. It has been 20 years after the world-wide-known "'85 Earthquake", and Mexico City is not ready yet to face a big disaster. Some of the old damaged buildings have been resettled by illegal tenants, and now their paying the price for taking over free acommodations. Now they're being relocated into shelters, but they have no hope of getting new locations as good as their old ones. Instead of complaining, they should be grateful they lived to tell the tale.

As a citizen aware of the potential costs of stupidity, I'm telling everyone who may listen all the stuff I learned from the Civil Protection Training Courses I've taken before.

Do you keep your documents safe next to a flashlight?

Note: All the pictures were taken from "El Universal" newspaper. All rights reserved.

Day 52: EARTHQUAKE!!

You've been through the toughest days of the week. You've been getting to your office at 7 am and leaving at 9 pm the earliest for 3 days. Luckily, your boss suddenly decides he's done with you (no pun intended) and let's you go at 6:30. Oh, joy! You fly home, eager to perform your usual stuff: chew the fat with your significant other, watch your tivoed shows, read a couple of chapters of 'Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix' (to get ready for the theatrical release, you know), have a bite for dinner and finally be able to happily crash on your bed at a wonderful, nice, regular 10 pm.

Suddenly something startles you up. Your body has reacted way faster than your brain, 'cause in nano seconds it detected the danger before your consciuousness realized your bed is swaying side to side. Darkness is total. A blackout has occured. Having lived in this city for so long, you know what's going on. All your brain cells scream EARTHQUAKE!

You feel your stomach congeal and your mouth goes as dry as the Sahara. Trying as hard as you can not to panic, you call for your significant other, trying not to sound as scared as you really are: "Honey, there's an earthquake!". Peaceful snores is all the answer you get. You call again, louder, almost shouting: "Hon, wake up. There's an earthquake!!". The mumbled growl of disconfort rushes you to get up while the teluric movement gets stronger, knowing that any moment it might get down to the terrifying decision between staying heroicly or leaving to see another day, perfectly aware of how long it wil take to evacuate a 4th floor. You throw the blankets aside, grab the pijamas' lappels and shake your partner as hard as you can, yelling at the top of your voice: "WAKE UP, YOU BLOKE, THERE'S AN EARTHQUAKE IN PROGRESS!!".

Finally, you are able to get a faint response. A weary eye looks vapidly at your ashed-white face while a sleepy voice asks: "Honey? What's going on?". You let go of the pijamas' lappels, take a deep breath, and answer: "Nah, nothing, Baby. It's over already".

The accounts hereby recorded took place last Friday, April 13th, at 12:42 am, local time, when a 6.3 Richter scale earthquake stroke Mexico City. I spent the 40 seconds it lasted trying to wake up my husband, who spent the whole event sleeping like a baby. I solemnly swear that next time, I'll scream like mad and run for dear life!!

P.S.: This is NOT my building. It's an example of some damages caused by the earthquake at Condesa neighborhood. No person was damaged or injuried in the creation of this post. (Photo taken from "El Universal" newspaper, all rights reserved)

Day 51: Some changes in the Usual Stuff

Ok, here we are, following some faithful, friendly, kind and adorable friends' recommendations and trying to give this not so old blog a new face (like botox, but with less pain). Thanks, Jingo, thanks Miao, for your nice comments. You really touched my heart.

I finally discovered how to place a picture related to the blog. Hope you like it. Do you happen to know who he is? He's Gromit, from the Aardvark's Animation "Wallace and Gromit" series. I decided to use him (without violating any copyrights, I hope) because I think he's just like me: usual, regular, not precisely a star, but special in his own particular way.

So here we are back to the usual routine. As expected, we left work at 11:45 last night, helping the boss to prepare a presentation for some customers. As usual, no overtime will be paid, although my boss was kind enough to buy us dinner. A couple of delicious "shepherd style" tacos was not precisely a great reward, but at least we didn't leave with an empty stomach.

I was forgetting to mention that the other boss, M. (like the one from the MI6, ja,ja), which happens to be a woman, was nice enough to get to the office last monday carrying an enormous plastic bag full with chocolate Easter eggs, and gave one to each. Giving chocolates away on special ocasions is a tradition yours truly brought to this company. I'm ashamed to confess I haven't continued it personally, but I'm also glad that at least my boss M. has gotten into the spirit.

I hope everybody was lucky enough to get at least one Easter trait. And if you were wondering where such common things as Easter eggs come from, I leave you with this:

Something to think about, ain't it?

Day 50: Where is everybody?

Ok, I have finally gotten to the 50th post in this intellectual exercise and, as usual, I can't help but wonder where all my old readers have gone.

Is it just the Easter Holidays? Is it that the comments I leave on other blogs seem either agresive or lame? Or should I blame it on my own lack of good topics to comment about, or is it just that my level of English has plummeted so bad that my composing is not attractive any more?

Yes, yes, I know that it sounds like a desperate cry for attention from somebody who just loves to be under the spotlight. But , as an intended writer, I feel kind of confused, because everybody just stopped visiting, and I pretend to create something that is worth reading.

Usual Stuff is something that happens to everybody, and that was the idea here: share that usual, annoying, common stuff with all the people, so we can place things in perspective and remember shit doesn't happen only to us as individuals (the more we are, the better we feel, right?). Therefore, I feel really down when I get to see this guy "Kyklops" doing something really funny with something as simple as a paper cut and getting at least 1 comment on it, while I don't seem to attract anybody by describing the most stupid side of the so-called 'Mexican Society' (more like a bunch of organized monkeys, I'd say).

Of course, this doesn't mean I'm willing to give up on this yet. I know I'm stubborn enough to carry on and make this a spot where some people may share the common things that happen to every individual on this planet, despite race, religion, nationality or whatever. And I'm not a 'globalization' believer (that stuff sucks). I just like to get other points of view on the common problems of life, to get a more complete, 'poliedric' vision that may expand my perception.

On the common side of life, don't you love it when all the bosses live early and leave their poor slaves behind to watch the post? We have recently been told to pull the cart harder, but bosses never set the example. Therefore, every one was goofing around last wednesday, playing with the computers, checking mails, chatting, all knowing we're gonna pay for it next week. But what the heck, it happens every year.

I'm not begging, but I would appreciate any comments, ok?

Day 49: Easter Holidays at last

It's inevitable to refer to something common in all the western world, since I've been reading a lot of posts from friends of this blog refering to them. The beloved, long waited and gratefully taken Easter Holidays.

For some, it is a time to break the rules and mess around, like the U.S. springbreakers who come to Tijuana, Acapulco and Cancún to drink their asses off and show their teats on national tv. For others, it's a time to catch up with all the study they procrastinated during the first term. And some others have the chance to go camping, visit the beaches and try to spend some quality time with the family.

On the usual side of the story, Easter Holidays are gonna to represent for yours truly only two (yes, TWO) days off from work, and that only because they are regarded as 'national holidays'. If it were for my boss, he would make us come to 'compensate for the 70% of his revenue we take home'. But he doesn't really worry about it. We already know that next week we're gonna work overtime 'till eigth or nine in the evening, just to get even.

On the unusual news, Mexico City's Major, Marcelo Ebrard, has decreted the creation of four artificial beaches inside the city. Alcoholic beverage sales will be forbidden inside them (he never mentioned anything about the outside). All people with a hint of common sense have laughed their heads off.

This morning, national newsprograms and newspaper announced that a "spider monkey" (a Mexican endemic species) escaped from 'Aragon Zoo', got on a public transport and bit a woman. According to the video records, it wasn't a "spider monkey", but a disoriented lemur.

Last Monday night, there was a white-reddish halo around the full moon, due to the weather conditions prevailing in Mexico City at the moment. Given the fact that no Mexican looks upward, most people found out in the morning papers.

So far, these are the news. If you find anything usual or unusual to share with us, feel free to comment, since most of the people whose blogs I read haven't noticed my coming back yet.

Enjoy!