The Usual Stuff

Edward Elric's 10 Commandments

2009-12-29T22:32:00.003-06:00

1. This pain's nothing...compared to what he's given up...

2. Train the body as well as the mind.

3. Nobody calls me a pipsqueak and gets away with it!

4. I'm not like YOU!

5. If we don't take care of each other, then no one else will.

6. I never sold my soul to them (refering to the Military).

7. Even when our eyes are closed, there's a whole world out there, that lives outside ourselves and our dreams.

8. I'd rather be considered a child than follow a doctrine of cynicism, chaos—apathy.

9. Stop jerking me around!

10. I hate milk. It's like drinking vomit.

Reflections for the New Year.

2009-12-28T21:14:00.007-06:00

Now that the New Year is approaching and I was fulfilling my self-imposed duty of following the Facebook trend of posting season images on my wall, I started remembering why I am such a fan of Fullmetal Alchemist first TV series, and it is not only the solid characters, appealing plot or intriguing elements, but the actual philosophy behind it.

"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange". Some people call it Karma, others the Balance of Life, but, as simplistic as it may seem, once you come to understand that nothing happens without a reason, and that everything in life comes from your own decisions, understanding how the world and people's minds work becomes way easier.

"... all things do come at a price..., there's an ebb and a flow, a cycle, that the pain we went through, did have a reward, and that anyone who's determined and perseveres, will get something of value in return, even if it's not what they expected". Some would say this is just a "a contrived order to give sense to a world that has none", but, in Edward Elric's words, "I'd rather be considered a child than follow a doctrine of cynicism, chaos—apathy". It is now, at this time of renewal, that I remind myself what I have to do to keep control, and strength to go on when it seems my country is facing some of the hardest times ever... It is with that spirit, that if I work hard I will be rewarded, that I'm going to start the New Year.

MAY YOU HAVE A PEACEFULL AND FRUITFULL NEW YEAR!!

Men & Women on Christmas Eve

2009-12-23T18:22:00.002-06:00

1. Women spend days checking what they want to purchase for presents and then one day come home loaded with presents. Men rush to the empty stores the last day and come back loaded with weird things.

2. Women discreetly find out what you would like for a present. Men fire a "What do you want for Christmas?" at your face... or get you something weird.

3. Women cook, clean, cook, clean and then get ready for the party. Men drink, cook... and then get ready for the party.

4. Women spend 8 hours measuring, cutting, placing scotch tape and attaching ribbons to get the perfect wrappings. Men buy present bags.

5. Women spend 3 months at a store choosing a dress for Christmas Dinner. Men put on the least wrinkled suit and are ready to go.

6. Men drive to Christmas Dinner. Women drive BACK from Christmas Dinner.

7. Women never have enough Christmas decorations. The Christmas Tree is one too many for men.

8. Women lie that Santa Claus exists. Men die if the toys get discovered.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO EVERYONE!!

ONE FREE DAY

2009-12-21T19:41:00.003-06:00

Most people, who are used to living fast and high, would not understand this, but I have just enjoyed one of the most beautiful privileges of vacations: one totally free of responsibility day.
Staying in bed, reading like crazy, not seeing anyone, not having to go out (well, being able to postpone it for a day), no incoming phone calls, silence and rest during this awfully cold first day of winter was exactly what I was looking for. Tomorrow I will be back on track to run my errands (thank God no Christmas shopping this year), invite a co-worker to bake Christmas cookies (no money for presents, sorry), etc. But today, just for today, I rested my mind and body from the world.

Only "Good" will never be good enough for me.

2009-12-20T05:15:00.002-06:00

I just received my first performance evaluation and I was pissed as hell. For starters, the categories were "Needs to Improve", "Sufficient", "Good" and "Exceptional". No "Very Well" category, which already means evaluator is ready to minimize employees' performance.

I was told that getting all the "Goods" and one "Exceptional" was more than OK compared to other employees but, after wearing my ass off to exceed my last years' performance and obtaining an "E" for something any barely competent secretary can do, my poor ego was really beaten. I'm a teacher, for God's Sake!

On the other hand, the evaluator's inability to answer the straight question about what to do in order to exceed expectations really kicked my ass. How come the one evaluating cannot provide an answer to that? Isn't there a checklist of the things to be done to be granted a certain evaluation or was this done based on a whim?

And to cap it all, no one around was able to understand that I hate mediocrity. Wherever I go, I want to be the one to be bested, the cream of the crop, the ultimate winner, and not because of the acknowledgement provided by my superiors -that comes as a plus- but to fulfill that extremely competitive area of my personality which craves on feeling superior to others in the only fields that my intelect finds relevant. Money, status, popularity and the likes are not as important to me as succeding in "doing things right". My "Being Someone" is related to "Performing As No Other", even if there is no applause from the crowd. But I cannot grant myself my own "Inner Cookie" if I am still stuck in the middle of a gray crowd.

I granted myself one cookie, though. Being who they are, the fact that all my students wished me Merry Christmas with big smiles the last day of School made my ego soar.

NO CHRISTMAS (TREE)

2009-12-12T19:08:00.003-06:00

It's really terrible but, for the 3rd year in a row, I don't feel like setting up my xmas tree, nor placing any decorations around the house. Given the fact my school vacations just start 5 days before Christmas eve and my work schedule has been so tight since my brand new boss believes nobody is fulfilling their 8 working-hour shift plus teaching 60 teenagers how to behave more than how to speak English, I cannot bring myself to go up to the attic, unpack 6 neat boxes with all the stuff and bring them 2 stories downstairs since our elevator is out of service (now I do understand how "The Big Bang Theory" guys feel).

Honestly, I'm seriously considering purchasing a small Menorah and light eight candles... It's definitely less trouble.

CLOUDS 3

2009-12-06T20:21:00.007-06:00

Suffering unusually low temperatures for Mexico City for a few days had a couple of rewards, at least. They reminded me of giant snow flakes, and I took them just with a few minutes difference. And again, I'm amazed about the patterns created by the winds.

CLOUDS 2

2009-12-05T21:20:00.004-06:00

I think there's nothing more wonderful when you are stressed out by work than staring at the sky for 5 minutes, and having your camera at hand. Just look at those patterns!

CLOUDS 1

2009-12-03T20:20:00.006-06:00

It's really funny the amount of things that you may get to see if you only look around and pay a little attention.

I started this picture collection because I became intrigued by the unusual patterns, and I was reminded of my blogger-friend Kyklops and his vending machine collection.
The first picture was taken from a hospital window, where my Mom was lying with a severely broken ankle (you can see some scotch tape on the glass), and that made me think about the flow, and the balance... and my head hasn't come back from the heights yet.

First Shot

Second Shot

THANKSGIVING MEXICAN STYLE

2009-11-29T01:45:00.001-06:00

Mexican people do not celebrate Thanksgiving. We usually save our grateful prayers for Christmas or December 12th (The Lady of Guadalupe), but among all the religious non-sense Mexican people are devoted to, I find this foreign holiday particularly appealing. Just reflecting upon all the good things, about how lucky you are, despite the catastrophes around, seems pretty fair to me, wether you believe in God or not.

All in all, I do have a lot of things to be grateful for. In spite of all the accidents, drawbacks, changes, crisis, and trouble, my family and I are still alive, and more or less in one piece. We are still granted our daily bread, and our problems have solutions. We have reasons to be grateful.

Men...

2009-11-09T20:11:00.000-06:00

Some fun things I've learned about men.

1. Men believe that shampoo and toilet paper are a mushroom species which grow in the bathroom.

2. Men are brave for dealing with mice and rats, but they cannot handle a needle.

3. Men find disturbing the fact that a girl places movies such as Spiderman, Akira, X-men, next to "Sleepless in Seatle".

4. Most Mexican male drivers believe driving women are a genetic mistake, like Down Syndrome.

5. Most men are surprised by a woman who loathes "Twilight" movie, book, and the whole concept.

6. Most Mexican men are deeply disturbed by a woman who is able to efficiently change a tire.

7. Most men are shocked by a woman who states maternity is not part of her life plan.

8. Regular men look lost when a woman speaks about Anime.

9. Regular men are shocked a woman has never heard of Colin Tellado but has read all canonical Ian Flemming's 007 books.

Unbalance in life.

2009-11-01T16:57:00.000-06:00

Terry Pratchett was absolutely right when he stated that unfortunate events are a bunch of cowards who never face you individually, but jump on you as a pack.

Car breaks dowm, mom breaks down, work situation goes off balance... Every negative thing that can bump on me has done it, and I am barely keeping migrane at bay with 2 aspirins for breakfast every morning.

It is in situations like this when my true character is put to the test, and I become reassured I'm pathologically optimistic: yeah, I was about to ruin my car's engine, but the failure was discovered just in time to prevent that. Sure, my mom broke her ankle in 3 pieces, but at least it wasn't her hip or her skull, and of course my boss and supervisors are giving me a hard time, but I do have enough evidence I've been doing my job properly, so what the hell? Life goes on, doesn't it?

Being thrown off balance by life is not exactly my cup of tea, but I'm sure I will survive.

De Vuelta y Por Qué

2009-10-24T20:23:00.000-05:00

Decidí volver a escribir tras la frustración de lidiar con Facebook, que requiere picar un montón de botoncitos y rascarle al cuadrito de la laptop para expresar ideas grandes, como éstas. Soy floja por naturaleza, y me da menos pereza mecanografiar, porque mantengo las muñecas sobre el borde y solo muevo mis lindos deditos.

Hace mucho que no se me antojaba escribir, o no tenía tiempo. Aunque sigo sin tiempo, hoy la compulsión fue más fuerte, al ver las listas de los 20 libros más influyentes en las vidas de mis amigos. Ellos mencionaron varios de mis favoritos que a mí se me pasaron, lo cual me avergüenza mucho, aunque el chiste era recordarlos en menos de 15 minutos, lo cual me lleva a desplegar una enorme sonrisa al recordar por qué son mis amigos: por nuestras similitudes y nuestras diferencias.

Vaya este nuevo post como un saludo a todos ellos que lo inspiraron.

Teen Teaching

2008-10-16T20:13:00.000-05:00

How on Earth am I suppossed to teach any Language and Literature topic to 75 teenagers on a Friday just after a two day break?

Any ideas?

Anyone...?

GAAAAH!!

Grades

2008-09-23T21:45:00.000-05:00

My first bimester is over, and I'm facing a very long night ahead of me, since I miscalculated the amount of time required to average 75 teenagers.

On the other hand, I have finally been able to drive my car to my work place, after three months of Saturday driving lessons; but taking into the account the current situation, I think I'll have to take the school bus one last time tomorrow, to be able to take a nap on the way. jaja.

OMG!!

2008-09-20T18:08:00.001-05:00

OH, MY GOD!! It's been more than a month, and I've found myself lacking the ability to find spare time to devote to my poor little blog. Therefore, I won't bore you to death with anything trivial, except for this pictures I was able to take for the first time with my digital camera during the Mexican Independence Celebrations, which just took place last September 15th and 16th. As you will be able to detect, I took my time to find the purpose of the "landscape" function.

The end of the rainbow.

2008-08-12T20:30:00.000-05:00

I guess this is my best picture EVER. It started raining really hard to the east around 7 p.m., while the sun was going down. I knew there was going to be a rainbow, so both my camera and I got soaked to get this picture.

Now I know where to look for my gold pot.

It's back to school tomorrow.

2008-08-10T12:34:00.000-05:00

I don't really know how other teachers may be feeling about this, but I'm all shaky and nervous with the fact that I will be in front of 4 more groups starting monday. It's one of those moments when you question yourself about how you can become a better teacher compared to all your previous experience. I just hope I can do much better than last year.

This is one sight from the Middle School's Principal Office, and I love it. Resolution is not that good 'cause I took it with my cellphone.

I also wish to develop a sense of beauty appreciation in my students. Tips, anyone?

Enjoy!

Summer is over

2008-08-02T20:23:00.000-05:00

For me, Summer is almost over. I have to go back to work on Monday (whinning, crying and sobbering). But I do intend to say good-bye to this lovely vacational period with a big smile and class.

One good thing I got from it was that my driving skills have already improved a lot. I am now able to negotiate semi-heavy traffic and almost every street, except for high-speed avenues, which I'm currently working on.

A beautiful Mexico City sight that most turists don't know about is what we call "The Moorish Kiosk" ("El Kiosko Morisco"), located at the Santa Maria La Ribera Park. I certainly hope that one day you may get a chance to see it live.

Here is a closer look:

I do hope your summer has been as productive and fun as mine.

Daydreaming

2008-07-29T11:12:00.000-05:00

I wish there were...

1. Apartment builidngs for boring, social lifeless, handworking DINKS, with kids, parties and noisy pets forbidden.

2. Adult-only, kid-forbidden, smoking-allowed restaurants.

3. Children-movie shows in their original language for adults only.

4. Sound-proof meditation cabins for claustrophobics.

5. Google-Sites practical crash-courses for dummies (like me).

6. A "How to Organize your Massive Demonstration in Mexico City" Manual for dummies (like me).

7. A mandatory electrical zapper for people who have bad manners and constatly use foul language, and kids who abuse their parents in public.

8. More people who visited and commented on my blog.

9. Clean, safe and free toilets in Mexico City.

10. Free best-seller distribution for reading maniacs (like me)

Why insomnia is bad for you

2008-07-25T22:42:00.001-05:00

A couple of days ago a bad combination of too much coffee, afternoon napping and a demonically noisy toddler neighborg resulted in me lying perfectly awake in the dark at 1 am. I wasn't exactly worried, given the fact that I still have a few days of summer vacation to enjoy, but in my desperate effort to try to relax and get some sleep, my brain started to wander around, and instead of following the well-known routine of telling myself an original story, suddenly my father came up in my mind, which was probably due to the fact that I had been watching "The Six Million Dollar Man" on Cable TV, and I briefly recalled how I used to think that Lee Majors sort of looked like my daddy when he was younger.

The point is that I'm not used to thinking a lot about my father, since my parents separated for good around 14 years ago, and my dad decided to move on and form a new family, which was not difficult for me to deal with, given the fact that my psychology course and a couple of readings had luckily provided me with the necessary tools to survive such a difficult transition; I guess I just assumed that , since I was no longer part of the equation of his life, he should be eliminated from mine.

Unfortunately, my younger brother hasn't been that lucky, and he has been under a lot of emotional stress because he was innocent enough to believe that his father could still be interested in him, and invited him several times to his new home, with his new family. For many Americans this might not be that unusual, but for most Mexican people it is considered bad taste and politically incorrect at least. In my personal opinion, if my father had been genuinelly interested in his son, he would've arranged a private meeting, just to get acquainted with the adult he hadn't seen for around 5 years, but as things turned out, he was more interested on my brother's money. The last straw came when our own daddy told my brother that he regreted not selling our family's house many years ago when he had the chance, since my brother and yours trully were old enough (we were 17 and 16 in those days) "to survive on our own".

Believe it or not, when I was told this, I started laughing my head off. It was just unbelievable for me that a 54 year-old man could possibly regret something he wasn't even near to do for a bunch of kids that were not even conceived in the mind yet in those days. I found it extremely amusing, but my poor brother was about to burst with anger and dissapointment towards the old man.

And that sleepless night, I unwillingly started remembering that episode, and all the other moments when things went wrong with our dad, and how it has been radically different for my brother and me; how I had learned not to expect a great deal from him, and how my brother always kept looking for that "fatherly approval" that most men long for, and about that moment in life when you have to acknowledge the fact that mommy and daddy are not Superman and Wonderwoman (or Mighty Mom and Dyno Dad, if you like), but just a couple of guys with the right to make their own mistakes and how it is difficult for some people to assume that, before being our parents, mom and dad were individuals, kids or no kids in the way.

The really annoying part came when, after spending 3 hours grinding all these thoughts in my hyperactive brain, I reached the same conclusion I have lived under for the last 18 years: there's no point in wasting time holding onto the past, and my brother is stupid for letting these things still hurt him. It's hard, and it hurts when it happens, but when somebody, whoever that is, doesn't want you in your life, you must face it and go on. You still have yourself.

Sorry for boring you dead with all this babbling.

Trigger happy summer 2

2008-07-18T11:04:00.000-05:00

Probably the secret to a good photo entry resides on posting just a couple at a time, but it is really tempting to upload almost everything I have ever captured digitally.

But I'll try to keep it simple and short.

My cat sleeps with her eyes open.

This I took with my celphone, from where I work. I call it "Swan-cloud".

And this is a "jacaranda", which gets purple flowers in the spring.
Hope you like them. I'll post more next time.

Music and Sun

2008-07-18T10:39:00.000-05:00

After reading kyklops post on music, I decided to post these pictures related both to music and one of my personal obsessions.

I collect suns. That is, handcraft representations of the sun, which has always been extremely relevant in Ancient Mexican Culture. Here you have a sample of my collection.

I intend to cover the wall from ceiling to floor.
And regarding music, here is this one:

Hope you like it, and any contribution in the form of sun representations from other cultures, of any material, will be gladly welcome.

More Carrington's Sculptures, with Names.

2008-07-17T19:43:00.000-05:00

"Music for the Deaf" ("Música para Sordos")

"Cannibal Table" ("Mesa Canibal")

"Albino Swine" ("Cerdo Albino")

Leonora Carrington at Reforma Avenue

2008-07-14T13:34:00.001-05:00

"The Shadow of the Ahuehete" ("La Sombra del Ahuehete")

"All Seats Taken" ("Ya no hay lugar")

"GoatSnake" ("SerpienteChivo")

And my favorite, due to horrible fascination it inspires me, "Cuculati 1, 2 and 3", day and night shots.

Don't they look absolutely creepy? They give me goosebumps when I look at them every dawn on my way to work, but that is their most fascinating quality: you just can't stop looking at them.

The rest of my pictures will be uploaded as soon as I verify their titles.

Enjoy!

Trigger happy summer

2008-07-12T15:01:00.000-05:00

I had promised kyklops to try to share some of the things my city has. Right now, there is a public exhibit of some of Leonora Carrington's sculptures down at Paseo de la Reforma Avenue, so I went down and took some pictures. They are a little shaky and the format is not great for two reasons: we (that is, my husband and yours truly) had escape the storm that was about to pour down on us, and I haven't been able to acquire the additional memory card my camera requires to store better resolution. It has been a bloody duel between quantity vs. quality. Here they go.

This one is titled "Manta-butterfly" ("Mariposa Mantarraya").

This one is "The Dream of Fire" ("El sueño del Fuego"), back and front.

This one is "The Mother of Wolves" ("La Madre de los Lobos").

My favorite, the creepiest ones, will be saved for another post. Hope you enjoy them.

So, kyklops, finally I found out how to upload images and link text (yupii!!) Establishing a linked photo gallery comes next.

Oh, beautiful Summer...

2008-07-11T13:34:00.000-05:00

One of the reasons why I was so desperate to go back to a school calendar was the chance to have time (one the new luxuries of the 21th century) to fool around and do "nothing". Spending time on my personal projects has always represented the topmost pleasure a person as crazy as me may experience.

This week I decided to take for free. So far, I have been able to:

1. Read 5 books in a row: Mirrormask by Neil Gaiman, Shogun by James Clavell, Lena's Secret by Michael Ende, Crocodile-skin Shoes by Alfonso Suarez Romero, The Name of Cuautla by Antonio Malpica and The Man Who Was Thursday, by Gilbert Keith Chesterton, which I found even stranger than Mirrormask, but pretty fun as well.

2. Improve my Japanese Anime singing by repeating ad infinitum the fonetic lyrics to "Kon'ya Wa Hurricane" from Bubblegum Crisis, "Zankoku na Tenshi no TE-ZE", from Neon Genesis Evangelion, "Tenshi no Yubikiri" from Karekano, "Coppelia's Casket" from Noir, "Voices" from Macross Plus, and the intro and ending songs from Totoro. My neighbors have already placed a complaint to the building manager.

3. Clean and organize my tool box, collecting and placing every single nail and screw in neat plastic bags clasified by size. Locking the box became a must after my husband took a 5 minute look afterwards.

4. Catch up with my blogging, which was abandoned for more than a month. Thank God you people out there are still alive.

5. Devote a daily half-hour to breaking a sweat trying to beat my husband's records at Wii-Fit. So far, the monster is still winning in 50% of the exercises. Grrr!!

6. Sleep 8 hours in a row, having the craziest nightmares everynight and realising how stressed out I've been for the last 6 months. I even dreamed I was married to one of my students! Yuck!

7. Eat every single yummy treat I have been able to think about, from a breaded chicken breast torta with Oaxacan cheese to whole wheat cupcakes. Obviously, my nutritionist has filed an official objection.

9. Nail 5 more sun sculptures to my collection on my living room's wall, just to discover I did it in an unartistical disposition. I left them that way, though, to cover previous nail holes.

Next week will be devoted to pending paperwork (sigh) and a couple of personal projects, like clearing up the storeroom, but I definitely needed some time on my own to rememeber the joy of being out of an office during daylight.

By the way, do you remember my whinning due to the lack of summer cherries last season? I've been able to munch over a kilo this season!! Not all at once, of course, but they are going to be the death of me! ja,ja.

A king's ransom... for teachers.

2008-07-10T19:36:00.000-05:00

Uff! It's been more than a whole month since I last sat down to exercise my creative skills by blogging, but if you had been in my shoes, you wouldn't have found the time either.

The last month was mostly spent preparing my yearly plan for the next school period, checking that every single item provided by the school was returned as close as the original state as possible, and dealing with angry parents who didn't understand why their lovely children flunked the school year and now have to take an extraordinary exam. My private LAAAAAAAAAAAME prize to the stupidest phrase of the year went to a father who stated that "you are so demotivating to the kids". If he only knew how demotivating his lazy kid was to me... (sigh).

But there was an extremely positive side to all this, and it was just the merry perspective of a whole month ahead without any responsibilities, but the amount of stuff these kids left behind in the abandoned, empty classrooms (which happened to look kind of happy, I'd say).

Among the huge amount of partialy used notebooks with only around 20 written pages each, the complete geometry sets which only lacked the compasses and a couple of just-a-bit-battered Swiss Army and Swiss Gear backpacks, there were around 14 or 15 novels and short stories students were not interested in keeping, although we teachers are.

From "Mirrormask" to "The Catcher in the Rye", which I had been trying to get for years, around 9 or 10 assorted books were carefully and tenderly placed in my rucksack, unable to wait for the moment they would join my humble 926-book library. And after finishing "Crocodile Shoes", which I found particularly amusing, I keep wondering what separates me from a generation that discards these expensive books as others discard used tissues. This is one of those peculiar things that make me feel absolutely detached from the rest of human race... well, of Mexican People. I have only found 3 other aliens... I mean, people, who read as avidly and hungrily as me. Understanding that modern kids perceive reading these carefully selected pieces as a punishment, and that they will barely come, not to appreciate them, but to fully understand them, makes me worried and proud at the same time.

So, after 6 months of hell unleashed, there was finally a pay back: all these wonderful books I was allowed to select, read, reread and nurture for years to come. A king's ransom in books, indeed.

Summer time

2008-06-06T20:53:00.000-05:00

When you work indoors, how do you know the summer is here?

1. The air conditioning breaks down at the hottest moment of the day.

2. It rains when you don't carry your umbrella, but it doesn't when you have your umbrella and raincoat at hand.

3. Your cat stops sleeping in your bed.

4. It's 8 o'clock and you can't sleep because of the sunlight thanks to a completely unnecessary daylight saving time.

5. Your dog's panting wakes you up at midnight.

6. Your car's front seat burns your butt.

7. There are no cold drinks left at the store's fridge.

8. Your boss leaves the office for lunch at 2 o'clock, but returns way after 4.

9. There is no cop in sight between 1 p.m. till 4 p.m.

10. Kids at school start planning either a killing spree or torching down the building.

Survival Mode

2008-05-21T19:46:00.000-05:00

I haven't had a single day off to put my ideas in order, but anyway I realized that my decisions are mine and, however high the price, I do like what I do.

Dealing with Middle School Students can be hell, specially if you get to the school right at the middle of the school year, which is only aggravated by the factor that youngsters nowadays have no idea about what respect or courtesy is. They are driving me mad, and it's gonna get worse as the end of the school year approaches.

However, while I was being told off because of my "lack of authority", of which I am admitedly 98% responsible, I was able to produce the most inspired speech of my teaching career; something that came not from the bottom of the heart, but from my very guts:
"Look, I know this situation is directly my responsibility, but let me assure you that I'm working to solve it, and learning from it. If I am finally given the second chance (of renewing my contract), I'll prove you I'm much better than this, because being here was MY choice, and no matter how difficult, I DO want to be here, because this is what I want to do. If by next year's first bimester things are not running smoothly, I will quit, because then I am of no use to this school; you have my word on that".

Certainly I got no applauses at all, but I realized then that I really meant how important being a good teacher is to me. It is not about "taming" 20 wills to my own, but about remembering what kind of strong person I am. I may have forgotten after two years of servitude, but what my students don't know is how much they have been teaching me about how mean and machiavelic they can be, and, sorry for them, they will found out only until next year, when I will have the reins in my hand, or the pan by the handle, as we say in Spanish.

Coming backs hurt - a lot!

2008-04-23T11:03:00.000-05:00

The most enourmous gratitude and love to ines, miao and kyklops for all their good wishes. Corny as it sounds, I do sincerely appreciate that from so far, you were concerned about your humble friend. May all the blessings of the Universe shower on your lives.

I spent the whole weekend at the hospital. The intervention turned out to be a relatively simple procedure that lasted an hour only. I was so scared, though, that I spent the whole pre and post intervention processes flowing the staff with the silliest utterances my panicked brain has ever produced. The most celebrated comment was something like this:

(Patient, still a bit numb from anaesthesia and a 24 hour fast, is waiting for the recovery room clearance. Staff is hungry and thinking about dinner)
Nurse 1: I'm starving. Any ideas for dinner?
Nurse 2: I think we should call Antonio to order something.
Patient (raising her hand numbily): Pizza would be fine for me, thanks.

And that is just a sample.

The visible evidence of the procedure consists on a small puncture under my last right rib, an almost invisible small puncture inside the bellybutton cleft and a beautiful second belly button 2 inches bellow my sternum. The invisible, I will carry 2 titanium staplers inside my belly for the rest of my life. Talking about extra weigth, eh?

Unfortunately, someone messed up with my insurance policy, and we're having a bit of trouble solving the economical part of this issue, I'm feeling a bit depressed without any apparent reason and, on top of that, although I was able to go to work yesterday, last night the remmanant pain was so intense that I had to miss my students' bimester exam today (crap!). But considering ALL the things that could've gone WRONG, I think we are still on the winning side.

I can't wait for the official dismisal day to go and wolf down the chessiest, most fattening and greasiest pizza I can find!

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

2008-04-15T19:38:00.000-05:00

There might be a slight chance that I get my gallbladder problem solved this very weekend. That might sound like good news, you'd think. But as usual, it always seems that my family are absolutely incapable of taking a grip on themselves, and I, the patient, has to be comforting and supporting my relatives who immediatly panic.

Why the hell can't I be pampered and spoiled for once? I'm absolutely terrified, since it would be the very first major surgery I would undergo in my life, and I have to spend time calming people around me!!

That is just so unfair...

Spring Cleaning: how do you deal with old technology?

2008-03-27T10:52:00.000-06:00

It's been a long while, but adapting to my new job is taking longer than I thought.
Spring Break, which I devoted to tiding my house and my driving lessons is about to finish, and I haven't found the answer to a very stressful question: how do you get rid of all old technology?

I found myself surprised with the amount of now useless items I picked up from long forgotten drawers and my closets: my first computer (now more than 10 years old), a traditional auto-focus camera, a battery-tape reporter recorder from my college years and a walkman! Now that the laptop, the digital camera, the MP3 and the camera-included cell-phone, both of which include voice-recording devices have obsoleted them forever, I don't know how to discard them in a practical and ecological way, not to mention that my capitalist heart is torn by the idea of throwing away those items that cost me so much effort to acquire in those days. The fact that they must go due to room optimization remains, though.

I mean, what am I suppossed to do? Put them into plastic bags and throw them into the garbage bin, just like that? My ecological conscience tells me that they may end up in a field polluting the ground with their electronic parts. On the other hand, who in his right mind would offer money for this prehistoric age devices, when even the sanitation man can afford a cheap cell-phone? In this era of constantly up-grading technology, how are we expected to deal with all the obsolete items that used to be the coolest trend no more than 5 years ago?

Regarding my old computer, I've been told that the CPU might still be used as a "slave" for our more modern computers, adding to the storage capacity, but I have absolutely no idea about how to do that, not to mention even opening the case. On top of that, the question about how to retrieve and convert into more modern formats all the information contained there and in all my cassettes (more than a hundred) creates a critical problem, since searching for that info on the web would consume a lot of hours I should be devoting to preparing my classes.

For some younger people this wouldn't represent a serious problem, given the fact they must be familiarized since long ago with this kind of situation, but for yours truly, who is just catching up with the newest tech-trends, is becoming a real headache.

LAPTOP ADDICTION

2008-03-05T19:52:00.000-06:00

Remember I mentioned having purchased a laptop? Although it has solved a lot of practical issues I used to have as a teacher, discovering the advantages of wireless connection is becoming some sort of addiction to me. Right now, I've just finished answering my students' emailed homeworks and updated my class webpage while lying comfortably flat on my belly and watching tv. I've just found myself tempted like ten times to take out my laptop at the oddest places and try to find an unsecure wireless connection. It might be the delight of having a new toy to play with, but I noticed the fact, though.

Could I be turning into a web-addict?

(oh, my gosh!)

New Laptop

2008-02-24T21:15:00.000-06:00

O.k., I know that for most of you this has been part of your daily life for long, but for me it is pure novelty. I'm writing this from my just recently purchased new laptop!

As obvious as it may seem for younger readers, I'm just thrilled with the discovery of the comfort it represents sitting in the living room, taking even more advantage of my wireless conection, watching the Oscars ceremony enjoying the company of my husband while I work on my student-aimed webpage and avoiding shooing the cat's butt from the keyboard.

Laptops rock!!

Irony

2008-02-17T19:41:00.001-06:00

Next week, my 8th grade students are going on a camping trip organized by the school. One would assume teachers would be happy to have some time to devote to their catching up. Not me. 8 students are staying due to disciplinary sanctions, and most of us teachers will have to devote time to keep an eye on them and assign enough work to prevent them from killing each other (metaphorically, of course). To cap it all, that's the week I'm not assigned guard duty (basically, keeping an eye on all the students) at the end of the day. Isn't it deliciously ironic?

Thank God, I'm ready with at least one class, from the two I was assigned. My dear boss was so kind in that regard. I'll have to take some time during the week to prepare a second one, but I'll make sure these guys won't have a minute to breath.

Wish me luck!

Not my cup of tea.

2008-02-11T17:34:00.000-06:00

Grades have to be delivered Friday 15th the latest and I'm not even halfway through them.

AAAAAAAARRRRGGHH!!

Now I know what it feels like...

2008-02-07T20:12:00.000-06:00

Man, I did feel like crap doing this, but after counting the months some bloggers posted for the last time, I had to take the hard decision to erase them from my public list. Now only 3 remain. I do hope these guys come back soon, since I really appreciated their style and vision, but I guess it's time to move forward.

I'm also seriously considering to integrate my Spanish marks here, since "Planeta Quejas" doesn't seem to be working. I'll give it another try but, if necessary, it will have to be executed, for the benefit of "The Usual Stuff".

It does hurt, tough.

Back from the black hole

2008-02-05T20:22:00.000-06:00

Again, I must thank miao, for being so kind as to cry for me. THANK YOU, MY DEAR; ALL THE BEST WISHES FROM MY HEART TO YOU!!

And finally I found a good reason to be back, since my life has taken a complete turn. I have finally been able to quit my awful, passive, future-denied job and get back into what I'm really cut out to do, which happens to be teaching.

I'm currently working at a Middle school, trying to transmit some of my little literary knowledge into hard-headed, selfish, spoiled, irresponsible and rude 8th graders. (I know what you're gonna say: new job and she's already complaining!? What's the matter with this girl!) The fact is that, despite how exhausting it is, I must say I do love it. Even tough I got here in the middle of the school year, which is the toughest moment for a newcomer to take over, finally my skills and energy are at full use. My time is at last used to the last minute and my brain is aching to keep up with all the research and lesson preparation, which is the absolute opposite to the dullest year of my life. On the other hand, the wage is definitely better and now there are fringe benefits, which were non-existent at my previous job.

So, I took the leap, and decided that, if I'm gonna be stuck somewhere for the rest of my life (since I'm about to turn 35 the Mexican labor market is eager to mark me as "disposable"), I'd rather be stuck doing something I really love, and God granted me this blessing, and I am oh so grateful for it.

Greetings to everyone!!

Day 98: Are you still out there?

2007-11-16T08:25:00.001-06:00

What's going on, guys? Are you all on vacation or something? Is this some kind of weird cycle during which bloggers go mute?

Or is it just me and I have become boring again?

Day 97: Chronicle of a trip to The Heart of Mictlan

2007-11-08T09:28:00.000-06:00

I have spent this wonderful long weekend doing a lot of stuff I wanted to do that had been conveniently procrastinated (house chores, basically) with the wonderful excuse of lacking enough time to proceed with them.

Even though, I decided that Friday the Second was the perfect day to visit the monumental shrines and offerings presented by Mexico City’s government at our main square called “El Zócalo”. The sky was clear, blue and cloudless, the sun was shinning, the air was cool and I was in ther right mood, even after spending one sleepless night thanks to my fu**ing neighbors downstairs who threw the most raucous party that ended at 4 am (and the bastards didn’t even had the kind gesture of inviting us over). Needless to say I spent the night watching all my pending Halloween movies, which have gained with the addition of Pirates of the Caribbean I and II.

But anyway, I decided to grab my sun blocking lotion, my cap and my backpack and take the subway downtown.

All an adventure by itself if you take into account I hadn’t used this means of transportation for two years and the service is not what it used to be. Anyway, I was able to make my way to “Zocalo” station and visit the shrines. It is very sad to say they were kind of a disappointment due to the huge amount of people around them. I was only able to get a look at the traditional wood ovens that produced free “pan de muerto” (bread of the dead) for senior citizens and children only, admire the “Tzompantli” with more than 700 plaster heads in remembrance of an ancient Aztec war ritual and admire the monumental Machepaper skeletons of Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. The rest of the exhibits were so absolutely crowded and the queues were so long that I decided it was not worth even trying.

It was then when I decided that having taken the trip, a visit to The Major Temple Museum was in order, just not to waste the trip. I had forgotten my Teacher ID, so I had to cough up $45 pesos (around 4.20 US Dollars) for the ticket, but I thought it was OK, since this used to be my favorite museum. And I remark the “used to be” because INAH, the National Anthropology and History Institute has really neglected it. Empty cases, missing stuffed animals, low quality index cards, awfully accented tour guides… Obviously they haven’t taken care of it. I am obliged to say, though, that the splendor of ancient Aztec pieces survives the worst display.

The nicest thing was getting home to my husband, take a wonderful two-hour long nap to recover from the party and taste our Bread of the Dead accompanied by a large mug of hot cocoa, which is mandatory during these days.

Templo Mayor pictures by George and Audrey DeLange.

None of these pictures were taken by me.

Reproduced with cultural, non-profitable purposes only.

Day 96: It’s Halloween at last!

2007-10-31T15:30:00.000-06:00

Finally we are here, the spookiest, scariest, horrifying and most terrorizing date on the calendar: All Hallows Eve.

Doing a little research on the origins of such a creepy holiday, I found out a lot of interesting information from its ancient pagan origins to the relatively modern introduction of the holiday into the United States by the Irish immigrants fleeing from the Potato Famine in the mid 1800’s.

But why do we find this particular date so fascinating? Personally, I do believe that even the most modern, skeptic, scientific and aseptic 21st century citizen will find difficult to detach himself from the influence of natural cycles, which become more evident on this particular moment of the year and affect our physical performance as days are getting shorter, days are getting windier and the moon looks bigger and brighter than ever.

On the other hand, even though we could be expected to have developed a more rational approach towards reality, the blatant truth is that human race is collectively moving back into a new dark age, reviving the boom for ghosts, divination, Mayan predictions, horoscopes and all the imaginary terrors that go bump in the night. How then, can we forget that Halloween is one of the four marked dates on the Witch Calendar, where the bonds between the spiritual underworld and ours thin and any kind of supernatural being has the chance to roam freely through the night? How can we subtract ourselves from the romantic atmosphere created by candle light and incense perfume? Is it possible that anyone may forget that the last crops have been harvested and it is time to thank and placate the powerful, magical and dark forces of fertility before they go to the symbolic death of the winter?

It is also difficult to forget we take advantage of this time, as I have done throughout the previous posts, to remember the things that used to make us tremble when we were younger, and the process of mastering those fears. Even now we are afraid of different things as grown-ups (unemployment, illness, old age, death, etc.) we are more capable of dealing with them thanks to our previous training in overcoming the overwhelming fear to vampires, ghosts, boogey-men, were-wolves, nahuales, chaneques and supernatural beings we used to think all-mighty, mysterious, powerful and deadly.

Therefore, I salute tonight all the Dark Creatures who dwell on this night, the most magical of them all, who bring us the conscience of power and will.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO EVERYONE!

Day 95: Getting Ready for Halloween: Scary Declarations

2007-10-30T12:25:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, two of the most important national newspapers, El Universal and La Crónica, devoted huge columns to report Mexican Church’s position on Halloween, published on the weekly paper “Desde la Fe” (From Faith), stating that this celebration undermines catholic values and promotes demonic sectarianism.

(http://www.cronica.com.mx/nota.php?id_nota=330351)

Honestly, I find this position rather obtuse. As I mentioned last year, I stand for the preservation of Mexican traditional holidays, as well as for a bicultural education that permits our children a better comprehension of other cultures, but stating that Halloween is a pagan celebration with malevolent expressions promoted by satanic currents… well now, that is exaggerating.

If we go back into Mexican History, the traditional Day of the Dead was also inspired by a pagan ritual to the gods of Mictlan, the Aztec underworld of the dead. Right after the Conquest, Spanish Church had to incorporate a lot of the ancient rites into their beliefs in order to promote Catholic Religion among the natives, so this particular attack on “pagan rituals” seems totally out of place. On the other hand, adoring a bunch of images on the shrines does look as paganism to me, according to the Old Testament.

But the most interesting point to me here is that nowadays, Halloween doesn’t seem to have anything to do with the old Sam’hain celebrations anymore. As far as the regular Mexican citizen is concerned, Halloween is just an opportunity to buy a bunch of Chinese products to decorate their houses, wear funny costumes, throw raucous parties and allow their children to bother all the condo neighbors with their “may I have my little skull?” (our version of trick-or-treat). More threatening to the Catholic faith would be the “Saint Death” cult, I’d say, but since that is a narco expression of faith, the Mexican Church has conveniently kept silent about this spurious “saint”.

In conclusion, I find this situation rather scary. As I have mentioned before, in the dawn of the 21st century we have learned nothing about the dangers of blind faith and fanaticism. It is obvious to me that Mexican Catholic Church wants to keep its followers in the dark, making them fear any shadow that may “threat” the alleged “purity” of their faith, fooling them with this nonsensical attacks to a celebration that, besides the fun for the children, is nothing but mere mercantilism.

Day 94: Getting ready for Halloween: Scary Videos

2007-10-29T11:35:00.000-06:00

I have mentioned before that I am basically a visual learner, that is, everything that makes an impact on my mind has to get in through my eyes. Therefore, some of my best nightmares have been plagued by imaginary delivered by particularly frightening monsters conceived by visual artists who know what terrors make people tickle.

Some of them are presented here for all of us who are addicted to that rush of adrenaline triggered by fear.

1. Thriller, Michael Jackson.

This one I saw when I was around 9 or 10 years old, all by myself at my granny's house, while my mom was taking a trip. I don't quite remember why there were no adults around, or why my brother wasn't there to share my terrors, but what I do remember is that I curled up against the Old English Shepherd my aunt Marissa used to own at that time, trying to keep the zombies away.*
.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtyJbIOZjS8

2. Attack of the Killer Toys, Akira.

First time I saw this particular clip, I hid all my stuffed animals for a month.

3. The Headless Horseman, The legend of Sleepy Hollow.

This wonderful piece, narrated in Spanish by German Valdez, haunted our imagination for many years. One of my favorites nowadays.

4. The Cat with Hands.

I'm not pretty sure where this came out from, but my husband made me see it out of sheer curiosity. Well, unlike the cat in this story, my curiosity was almost killed. I couldn't sleep for a week!

I hope you are still able to sleep on these creepy nights before Halloween, after watching these videos.

BOOO!

*Sorry I was unable to embed the actual video, but that feature has been disabled by you tube. Anyway, hope you can find it in the link provided.

Day 92: Getting ready for Halloween: Scary Books.

2007-10-24T12:11:00.000-05:00

Literature in general has had an extraordinary impact in my life, providing me with different parameters under which analyze the world and its events, as well as contact with a variety of schools of thoughts and philosophies that have helped me create a belief system of my own.

I have read books that have made me laugh, and cry, but indeed very few books or stories have made me tremble with fear.

I am glad to present you with my horror stars that have instilled terror into my literary world:

1. Children of the Corn. Stephen King, 1977.
This short story by the master of terror is the first “monster story without a monster” I ever read. You know there is a monster, but you never get in touch with it properly. The idea of a way of life ruled by fear and fanaticism, and exerted by children, more than the monster itself, gave me the creeps.

2. The Exorcist. William Peter Blatty, 1971.
I was lent this book by my best friend (an avid reader himself) when I was 16, after I told him about my fear of the movie. And probably because of that, I started feeling extremely disturbed while reading it, to the point of almost having a stroke when I once was reading late at night and my lap dog unexpectedly jumped onto my bed.

3. 1984. George Orwell, 1949.
I am fully aware that this is no horror book, but a dystopian novel. However, the notion of being deprived of the most essential elements of private life and the ultimate rape of human individualism, more that poverty and war themselves, really shook me up at that time. Even now, the idea of being regarded as nothing more than a sheep in a herd makes me sick

I hope one day you may enjoy being scared by literature as much as I have!

Day 91: Getting ready for Halloween: Scary Movies

2007-10-19T13:46:00.000-05:00

And I’m not talking about this farcical title, but the movies that have really made me jump out of my skin.

I do acknowledge the fact that most people will consider my selection childish, even naïve, mostly because the vast majority of grown-ups have been able to conquer their imaginations thus perfectly separating fantasy and make-believe from pedestrian reality. I do know the difference as well, but I cannot help letting myself go whenever I am watching any appealing story. Therefore, the impression made on my psyche by horror movies is by far more intense than others may perceive

The most frightening movies I’ve ever watched are:

1. The ring – 2002, Gore Verbinski (is that name for real?).
Although it was a remake from the Japanese “Ringu”, the visual effects and the unusual treatment of the ghost threat gave me the creeps for weeks. Even my husband, hardened as he is, couldn’t sleep well for three days. Imagine how I was affected. In fact, it was so scary that, to this day, I cannot gather enough courage to watch it again.

2. The Blair Witch Project – 1999, Daniel Myrick.
Honestly, I don’t care if most people regard this movie as a piece of crap. First time I saw it, I had a week’s worth of terrifying nightmares revolving around finding Josh.

3. Más Negro que la Noche (Blackest than Night) – 1975, Carlos Enrique Taboada.
In this movie, 4 friends move into the inherited house of a maiden aunt, with the condition of taking care of her cat. Unfortunately, one of them kills the cat, with the connivance of the other two, and the Aunt returns from the other world to take revenge on all of them, except her own niece, who manages to escape the haunted house by jumping over the fence. The scariest element was that the ghost was not bound to a single place, but managed to hunt the 3 friends one by one even at their working places.

4. The Hand that Rocks the Craddle – 1992, Curtis Hanson
In my opinion, a master-piece thriller. The possibility of unknowingly having the enemy inside your own home and how little nuisances can end up ruining family relationships.

5. Las Momias de Guanajuato – 1972, Federico Curiel.
I have mentioned this one a thousand times before. Enough said.

6. El Ataúd del Vampiro – 1958, Fernando Mendez.
Same as above.

6. The Exorcist – 1973, William Friedkin.
This is a very curious case, since I never got to see it when I was a child, but several of my former elementary school classmates did, and they said it was so frightening and evil I spent years fearing it, until my ex-boyfriend (now my husband) literally dragged me to see it on the anniversary theater release. And indeed I got disturbed enough to almost pee in my pants, until the last climatic scenes where Linda Blair’s head rotates and then the priest suicides (sorry for the spoiler). It was the ultimate incongruence of this sequence of events which broke the absence of incredulity, thus making me impervious to further influence, finally curing me of an unfounded fear, although I bet that, had I seen it at a younger age, I wouldn’t have been able to stand it.

If you ever get to see them, I do hope you enjoy getting scared as much as I did. Enjoy!

PS: Sorry there were no pics, but I haven't learned yet how to crop and paste them from other websites.

Day 90: Getting ready for Halloween: Are you afraid of the Dark?

2007-10-18T11:39:00.000-05:00

As I stated last year, Halloween and Dead's Day is my favorite season of the year, now surpassing the thrill of Christmas, given the fact most store chains are already shoveling down our throats every imaginable item for that season.

Being the first of an intended series, I would like to start celebrating Halloween remembering those things, imaginary or real, that used to give me goose bumps and make me tremble under my blankets when I was a kid.

1. Vampires: when I was an over-imaginative 9-year-old kid, I got to see the wonderful "The Vampire's Coffin", with 'Count Duval', the main character, performed by German Robles. It was such an impressing movie that I spent the next 7 years of my life rolling up like a taco the blanket hem to stuff it around my neck at night, just in case the vampire decided to visit my room.

2. Cats: for many years, my family transmited this atavic fear towards these "awful, treacherous beasts", especially due to the strange noises they produce during mating season.

Fortunately for me, this only lasted for a couple of years, until an extremely friendly cat one of my aunts used to own did his best to demonstrate they are not monsters. Nowadays. I have my own cat!

3. Guanajuato Mummies: still being a classic of B series terror movies, "El Santo vs. Las Momias de Guanajuato" became one of the benchmark in my childhood terrors. Watching this gigantic and over-muscled mummy with a horribly rotten face breaking at night into a house to strangle its victims in his powerful grip left me sleepless for countless nights.

4. Snails, worms, catterpillars, maggots: believe it or not, some of the most peaceful creatures on Earth still are the main stars in my worst nightmares. My elder cousins on my mom's side used to throw the snail shells at my brother and I stating that the slime was corrosive. If you take into account I was around four or five years old, you may understand why this turned into a life-long trauma. To the date, it is enough but to glance at them to make me climb up the walls in phobic panic.

5. The closet in my bedroom: not the boogie-man ("el coco", as we call it here), but this dark, deep, full of shadows and lumps, creepy passage to terror. My brother and I never knew what horrible things nested behind its closed door at night, so we left the door open, ready to see any monster who might decide to slip out of it. Funny how we found a closed door more terrorizing that anything it could hide.

6. Ghosts, Spirits and Naguales (naeh-WAEH-les): contrary to other children, I have never been afraid of "La Llorona" (The Mourning Woman), the most famous Mexican spirit, but of all the others. Both sides of my family have collected through the years some of the most fearsome and daunting horror stories any child would love to hear, especially when you get to hear that your grandfather's house had been haunted for several years by a walking shadow passing by the front windows, or the black dog which misteriously climbed the fence to haunt my great-grandfather...

Do you remember what you used to fear...?

Day 89: I survived my wedding

2007-10-16T15:14:00.000-05:00

TA-CHAAAAAAAAAAAN!!

Here we are, safe and sound after the chaotic 3-ring-circus my wedding ceremony became. Again, I want to publicly thank miao for her nice support under this affronting circumstances.

Just in case you want to know how this soap-opera drama ended, I will say that the ceremony was routinely formal, except for the fact that my mother arrived shamefully late and barely screeched her tires in time to sign the official document.

Later, she asked my recently-accquired hubby and I to go shopping for her since she had no time to purchase "guacamole" (wa-ka-moh-leh), thus causing our team to arrive, to our dishonor, an hour after all the gests had gathered at the reception.

The wedding cake, as I predicted, was a total bitter dissapointment, given the fact my mother accepted it with such and awful, conventional and wrong decoration, blatantly contravening my precise instructions on it, thus letting the decorator to get his way with it. Fortunatelly, at least the filling was as delicious as I expected, as it was I who decided which one was the more likely to be found tasty by my guests.

The funniest thing (yes, still there was something funny) was that the person my mother made me invite under the premise he was going to provide us with the best present ended up giving

us nothing but his gracious presence. TAKE THAT ONE, MOM!

So here we are, with nothing in our relation changed at all, except for the fact that today, while filling up the required format to apply for an American Visa (which I was granted, by the way), they forced me to include the "De Valdes" on the list of any name I might be called by, an ancient custom I have loathed all my life, since I never agreed on belonging to anyone just by signing a paper. Therefore, I will forever defend my right to sign my maiden name, given the fact I have no license plaque hanging from my neck.

I hope you have enjoyed the tale of this wedding adventures more than I did. Ja, ja.

Day 88: Heterodoxy as a form of individualism

2007-10-09T11:23:00.000-05:00

I used to believe that once I reached adulthood I would stop fighting to preserve my individualism (certainly aging had to have at least that advantage, right?), but life and my family have proven me wrong again.

It has been a really frustrating experience to discover that my own family, especially my mom, do not happen to accept that doing things in an heterodox way is not a form of rebellion, but a form to stand for one's believes. It is not that we critizice their way of doing things to prove them anacronistic or invalid, but a desire to stand out from the herd used to doing all things the same old ways, always following the same treaded paths. Developing a unique way of doing things is part of human development towards an effective way of life, thus rendering heterodoxy as a healthy experiment on new ways and trends.

However, I have been told that a mother's greatest dream is to see her daughter getting married as an excuse for not letting me get away with my own "heretic" and "socially incorrect" wedding plans. From the guests to the wedding cake decoration, I have been emotionally blackmailed into accepting a painfully long list of social conventionalisms that outrageously disrupt the solid edifice of my personal convictions, thus tearing apart any chances I might have had of enjoying the event.

Following the sentimental thread, if a mother's deep feelings and expectations over such a grand occasion are to be taken into account, I cannot help but wonder why that mother is not willing to comply with her beloved daughter's own agenda for what is suppossed to be the "greatest day in a woman's life" (sic), especially when that mother has publicly stated that she only has that daughter's best interest at heart. How can anybody say something like that and then completely ignore what the other person trully wants?

To be honest, I have been virtually kicking my own ass for giving in at all these stupid requests. I have been constantly blaming myself for being so week to sucumb at the face of awfully stressing endless arguments. I truly despise myself for not defending "to the last man" my position regarding stupid XIX century customs. Somehow I feel I have again lost a battle to retain the last shreds of whatever personality I might have developed throughout my troubled teen years and tempestuous young-adult life. It has been eating me in the inside that the people who are suppossed to support me have turned into my worst enemies when it comes to "keeping the appereances" in front of a bunch or relatives who don't give a shit whether I live or die.

The only good thing is that all this bizarre circus is gonna be over next Thursday, and my partner and I have sworn to seclude ourselves in a monastery for the whole next weekend, thus being able to rejoice privately about renewing the vows we made when we hit it off TWO YEARS AGO!

Day 87: Fifteen Questions

2007-10-02T13:32:00.000-05:00

I do love quizzes because they give me an insight of people. It's like taking a picture of them when they are not aware.

Inés, on Outstanding Thoughts, answered the following, thus prompting me to do the same, and I'd also like to invite you to "get your picture taken".

1. Pick the closest book, go to page 18, and transliterate the fourth line.

"Very well" - she said. "You have passed the first test". (Dune, Frank Herbert)

2. What was the last thing you saw on TV?

"Primero Noticias", the morning news, with Carlos Loret de Mola

3. Beside the noise of the PC, what do you hear?

My electric fan and all the noisy people in the office

4. When did you go out last time , and where did you go?

To the movies, with my husband, to see "Pirates of the Caribbean, Dead Man's Chest" (shopping doesn't count, I guess)

5.What are you wearing now?

Blue trousers, white shirt, black socks, black shoes and a navy blue knitted sweater (I know, I dress like a granny).

6. When did you laugh last time?

Last night, about something funny my hubby said.

7. What is on the wall in the room you are located now?

The company's logo.

8.Did you see something weird today?

A big machine digging a hole in the ground with a huge drill, about 10 m. high.

9. What was the last movie you saw?

"The Fountain", starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weiss. Not the best movie, but one of the finest of Jackman's performances.

10. If you become a billionaire tonight, what would be the first thing you buy?

A big house with swimming pool at Las Lomas neighborhood

11. Tell us something of you that we don't know.

I go berserk if I ever happen to lose at something.

12. Do you like to dance?

I love to, but have very few chances to.

13. What names would you pick for a boy and a girl?

Martin and Andrea.

14. Did you planned to live abroad?

That's one of the dreams of my life.

15. What would you like to hear from God when you reach paradise?

"And you thought you weren't going to make it!"

I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Day 86: Prizes awarded

2007-10-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

Keeping my promise of catching up before October 11th, I have placed comments on your blogs.

Anyway, if you want to see the award, here it is.

Dedicated to all people who make learning something fun.

Day 85: Excuses, excuses...

2007-09-28T13:54:00.000-05:00

Oops! I’m awfully sorry for not being able to post till today, and worse, not being able to post on your corresponding blogs the thing I intend to be the prize for the trivia, but I have a very good reason.

Ready?

I’m getting married.

Ok, now that you’ve caught your breath after gasping, let me explain, if you missed the first posts, that I’ve been living in partnership with my future husband, so we’re just “officializing” our society.

What’s driving me crazy is that we the bride and groom are certainly not enjoying having to set everything for the “reception” after the Civil Ceremony. Bah! I hate those social conventions SO much, while my mom is becoming a real annoyance and making such a fuzz about it. But I guess, as she said that your only daughter doesn't get married every day.

In case you may be wondering why we’re getting into so much trouble after living together for two years, I must say that yep, this is only the legal requirement, nope, we’re not doing anything religious. And in case you may be thinking bad gossipy thoughts, I’m not pregnant either. But if you thought we’re doing this as a legal trick for the insurance benefits, you thought right. Ja!

So, I’ll do my best to catch up before October 11th.

P.S.: Ain’t you gonna congratulate me?

Day 84: And the winner is...

2007-09-25T08:17:00.000-05:00

Okey, I have to admit it. It was very difficult to finally determine a winner for the "Geek of the Week" Award, since all our enthusiast contestants gave their best and got some of the answers right, but no one got all the 25 correct, although torquer might think otherwise. Personally, I have no favorites.

And even if most people may think it unfair, I do believe the prize should be awarded to...

ALL AND EVERYONE WHO PARTICIPATED.

Keep checking your blogs to see what you got!

And again, thank you for participating, despite the boos and the awwws this result may obtain.

Stay tunned for more exciting (sure, let me dream) quizzes!

Day 83: And finally, ANSWERS TO TRIVIA!

2007-09-24T13:33:00.000-05:00

O.K., Bloggers, you've had the whole weekend to check the answers for the "Stop Cathegory 5". Obviously, as miao wisely pointed out, all the answers could be googled, but we appreciate the effort made in using your own memories. Personally, I had to research some of them, and I hope you forgive this old lady, since my memory is not what it used to be (ja, ja)

If you may find any inaccuracies in the answers, please let me know so we can check them again and contribute to increase our knowledge.

And the answers are:

1. The five most expensive movies of all time:

Here we went crazy, because according to Forbes.com, the most expensive films ever made are: Cleopatra, Superman Returns, Titanic, Waterworld and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. However, according to Wikipedia, they should be: Cleopatra, Spider-Man 3, Titanic, Waterworld and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines.

I believe the Russian Alexander Nevski and other non-american productions were blatantly overlooked.

2. Five of Shakespeare most famous villains:

According to About.com:

Iago, Richard III, Cornwall, Aaron the Moor, Edmund.

In my own personal opinion, Lady MacBeth counts as well, and should’ve been ranked first.

3. The five richest men on Earth.

According to Forbes.com, in 2006:
William Gates III, United States; Warren Buffett, United States; Carlos Slim Helu, Mexico; Ingvar Kamprad, Sweden and Lakshmi Mittal, India.

As far as I know, in 2007 Carlos Slim surpassed Bill Gates, but I would hate to admit it, whether it is true or not.

4. The five most famous stories of Sherlock Holmes.

According to a 1999 poll by Baker Street Journal, the most popular are:
The Hound of the Baskervilles, The Sign of the Four, A Study in Scarlet, The Valley of Fear and The Speckled Band.

We made no distinctions between long or short stories; just popularity. Personally, my best is A Study in Scarlet.

5. Five enemies of Wonder Woman.

And here the list goes on an on. According to Wikipedia, WW's villains are:

Doctor Poison, Baroness Paula Von Gunther, Ares, Duke of Deception, Mavis, Doctor Psycho, American Adolph, Cheetah, Zara, Queen Clea, Giganta, Anton Unreal, Eviless, Hypnota, Draska Nishki, Third World War Promoters, Gentleman Killer, Minister Blizzard, Blue Snowman, The Mask, The Purple Priestess, Ironsides, Tigra Tropica, Badra, Lya, Anti-Electric, Mona Menise, Circe, Nuclear the Magnetic Marauder, Termite Queen, Duke Dazam, Angle Man, Human Tank, Thought Master, Volcano Prophet, Mirage-Maker, Machino, Time Master, Professor Menace, Professor Andro, Image-Maker, Mouse Man, Egg Fu (sic), Paper Man (idem), Crimson Centipede, Doctor Cyber, THEM!, Morgana, Wade Dazzle, Red Panzer, Osira, Armageddon, Barno Blitzkrieg, Kung, S.C.Y.T.H.E., Martin Markham, Prime Planner and the Cartel, Perfection, Red Dragon, Silver Swan, Captain Wonder, The Adjudicator, Aegeus, Tezcatlipoca (is this a joke!?), Decay, Shim’Tar, White Magician, Dark Angel, Devastation, Cyborgirl and Veronica Cale (pfeuff!).

Any five of these would have done.

Geek of the week will be announced tomorrow.

Thank you all for participating!!

Day 82: One thing to get cheered up

2007-09-19T11:42:00.000-05:00

I guess almost everybody has heard about the vocabulary game "Stop", in which you look for words that begin with a certain letter to match several cathegories.

Well, my brother-in-law has taken things a little beyond and last Sunday proposed a game of "Stop, Cathegory 5". This is, you have to mention 5 correct items under a specific cathegory (Oh my gosh!).

Put your memories to the test with this game. The correct answers will be posted soon.

1. The five most expensive movies of all time.

2. Five of Shakespeare most famous villains.

3. The five richest men on Earth.

4. The five most famous stories of Sherlock Holmes.

5. Five enemies of Wonder Woman.

Whoever gets the 25 correct answers will be awarded the "Geek of the Week Award".

Let's play!

Day 81: Lately, my life sucks

2007-09-18T07:22:00.000-05:00

Many will regard this post as a mid-life crisis, which I disagree with, but anyway, I can’t help but feeling that my life currently sucks, in the most comprehensive meaning of the word.

Everything began with a medical issue. As many working adults, I found myself suffering from the infamous condition know as “colitis”, which causes abdominal pain for starters (the other symptoms are so disgusting I don’t dare mentioning them, but if you are over 22, you may as well be pretty familiar with them). Therefore, I had to start a series of medical exams, and taking an amount of pills that any addict would find offensive. But nothing serious, not really serious; therefore, so far so good.

But the real problem arised a couple of weeks ago, when one of the routine sonographies showed gallstones, this tiny but dreadful white solid shadows inside the gall bladder, a view to give any one the cripples, especially when the technician goes on with his job without uttering a single word. (I’ve heard cases of chatty technicians scaring some patients to death with a misinterpretation, but I’d rather take that than stony silence). For his misfortune, I’ve seen enough sonograms to detect what shouldn’t be there, and the diagnosis was confirmed by my doctor last Sunday, who told me with this odiously sweet and paternalist smile that I require to be cut in half with a cost between $14,000 to $19,000 pesos (that’s around $1,261.01 to $1,711.36 USCy), which there is not the slightest chance I may be able to gather in the near nor the distant future.

What really made me go ballistic was the absolute confidence which he spoke with. I mean, come on, man! I’m not an ignorant laborer who accepts blindly whatever doctor says (unless it was Doctor House, and even then, I would ask all the whys). There is always an alternative treatment, so don’t dare come to tell me in my face there’s no choice but to cut.

So far, I had been able to emotionally handle all this, by becoming proactive in the face of catastrophe, looking up information on the web, looking for some other doctor for a second opinion, etc., but today my psychology just crashed face-flat on the floor. Probably it is just a trick of my stupid brain due to the bad news, but I have been feeling that nothing is what I had imagined. You know the usual stuff: I’m stuck in a dull job, my budget is always so reduced, my brain is about to die due to lack of stimuli, yadah, yadah, yadah, and now, just to cap it all, I’m sick, not beyond all hope, but seriously enough to make me feel like crap. This is nothing of what I had dreamed for my life at this age…

There is a positive side, though. It’s not cancer, to get started, and there are options, and my family is being oh so supportive. I do see the good things, but I’m on the verge of depression.

Maybe I should try to post the sonograms, to look at them like this weirdo who donated her sick heart to an exhibit, and lived to tell the tale. Just for fun, and let the fear all pass over and through me, so when it has passed, I'll find myself again.

Day 80: Things in common

2007-09-17T09:34:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned before, something I was pleasantly surprised to discover was the amount of things I still have in common with the youngest sector of my readers (ja,ja, as if I had those many).

There were two items I found most significant on a personal level: the first was our tastes in literature. J.R.R. Tolkien, Terry Pratchet and Neil Gaiman are common grounds to us (among general, not-enlisted readings), and I think it would be interesting to discuss what each person gets out from them according to age, and how our views on them tend to change as we read them over and over. In yours truly case, what at first was being read as a fantastical entertainment continued to be read as a metaphor on life.

The second item was to discover that miao and I share the idea that we are way too many populating this world. Many years ago, I volunteered in the Voluntary Human Extinction Program, promising not to produce any offspring of my own, although my reasons to do so are slightly different from miao’s. I felt a great deal of relief in finding that I’m not the only “crazy” one that believes that a drastic reduction in human population would be an advantage and not a catastrophe.

In conclusion, I’m happy to find that I still have things in common with the younger sector of the bloggosphere. I’m not that old yet!!

Day 79: Comments on Differences

2007-09-11T15:40:00.000-05:00

I'm starting to believe that the first and obvious sign of "generational breach" is music. As mentioned on the previous post, most of my young blogger-peers refer to bands that I've never heard of before.

Just to show you that I am still willing to learn, here's what I found on a quick google search about bands you guys listen to:

- Martín Buscalgia: if I'm not mistaken, the last name should be Buscaglia. If that is right, his website is pretty funny and complicated. I'll keep looking for some biographical info.

- Sankuokai: according to google, this is not a band, but an anime series. I would really appreciate if ines could clarify this point.

- Jazz and Blues: I do believe this is an acquired taste. Altough I bought the "Chicago" DVD, I find modern jazz trully unnerving. The lack of patterns and the chaotic mixture of instruments really gets on my nerves. Which is a pitty, since my husband is such a great fan, but I cannot find the intelectual strength to deal with this; sorry.

-Coldplay: now that's one that at least I've heard about, given the fact they formed in 1998 (still my days, eh?), although I can't remember a single song from them.

The second generational chasm would be, of course, technology. I bet that none of you young technogeeks (no offense meant, just a joke, ok?) would remember what a walkman is, right? Or what life used to be like without cellphones. But please don't get to believe that yours truly is a muggle (defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person having trouble understanding modern technology, or something like that). I am perfectly aware of, although not perfectly familiar, with MP3s, iPods, PSPs (thats the name, right?), Wiis, XBox 360s and the likes. It's just that I'm too lazy to invest my precious time downloading all that music you store by the megas, when I can buy it and save the pain. Please take also into account that my home connection is too slow for that. However, I must admit that Jingo has a point, though. Downloading is cheaper and I am a collector too.

Then I get to remember what my brother in law says: that you've fallen into the generational abyss when you mention "Mazzinger Z" and no one knows what the heck you're talking about.

I'll comment on the similarities on a next post.

Day 78: The answers I got

2007-09-10T15:54:00.000-05:00

I hope my young friends don't mind my publishing the results I got, since I was sincerely surprised by the variety of good things I'm missing, especially regarding music. To be absolutely honest, I found myself lost with the names of some bands, but I've set myself on the path of enlightment and I'm currently looking for some info about them on the web. Other differences found will be the topic for subsequent posts. On the other hand, I am truly amazed to discover the large amount of stuff we do have in common, making it true that we have no nationalities, but we are citizens of the same universe. This topic will also be discussed later.

yosoyines said:

1. Martín Buscalgia or Sankuokai, both on Indie style.

2. My cellphone, definitely

3. Because in a iPod your percentage of storage increases a lot.

4. Discussions and debates without a practical solution.

5. It has a future, but not a very happy one. More polluted, more violent, and so. But livable.

6. I hope so, if not, i'll be living under a bridge.

7. Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tlokien

8. Mostly personal weblogs, and technological stuff (yes, I'm a geek, hahaha).

jingo said:

1. Anything apart from R'n'B and rap, although there are exceptions. I mostly listen to indie bands and jazz/blues/classical when I'm studying.

2. My digital radio. It records, rewinds, pauses live radio and everything! My 80GB ipod comes a close second though.

3. Because I don't do CDs. If I had bought all my music I'd be a very poor man indeed. People only buy CDs to collect and to be cool - everyone else just downloads.

4. Exams.

5. Yes it is. And I blame America.

6. Of course! If I didn't I wouldn't be working as hard as I do!

7. Don't really read comics, although I did go through a phase... I read a variety of books, but I do follow Discworld, Bryson and Gaiman books quite closely.

8. News. Keep up to date with the world. Research for work occasionally.

and last, but not least, miao said:

1) If I really have to choose, I'd choose Coldplay. Basically I like all kinds of music except hard rock, rap and hip hop.

2) Tough choice, but I'd pick my computer.

3) I don't have an iPod. I buy CDs.

4) Currently, my main concerns are my studies, my family and my friends. And it disturbs me how human beings are doing colossal damage to the environment and the other living things on Earth. I'm all for the voluntary human extinction programme - that is, every couple should take the initiative to not have any offspring (or each couple should have at most only one child, since the annihilation of mankind would also potentially become a very tragic affair, considering all the other beautiful things mankind has accomplished as well, e.g., poetry, architecture, science, etc.), so that mankind will one day naturally become extinct, or at least our population will be reduced so greatly that no significant harm can be done to our planet anymore.

5) Let nature takes its course.

6) Of course! My definition of 'a good career': A job I really enjoy very much, and which allows me to earn enough to get by comfortably and possibly retire early.

7) I like reading Discover, a scientific magazine. Basically I read anything that interests me, and I have interest in many areas.

8) Mainly blogs and academic research. And news too.

And finally, thanks to all the people who have participated in this exercise, giving me an insight of your own personal stuff, and material for several posts.

Thank you all !!

Day 77: Questionnaire for the young

2007-09-06T10:24:00.000-05:00

As usual, my dear miao places things in the right perspective. As I spend time complaining about the past (crap! I've grown into an adult!), she has given me an epiphany and make me notice I am obliviating the things that young people are worried about.

Therefore, I want to state that I DO care about what young people are going through, and thus I invite you all readers to let me know the things YOU are interested about by providing me with a reference frame. This are some things I am curious about:

1. What is your favorite music group and what current or style do they belong to?

2. What is the most important technological gadget in your life?

3. Why do you prefer to have an iPod if it requires more work than a CD?

4. What are the issues that cause more anxiety to you?

5. In your personal opinion, does the world in general have a future, is it going to the dogs, or you just don't care?

6. Do you care about having a good career in life?

7. What's your favorite comic/book/magazine?

8. What stuff do you look up for in the web?

Of course, participating in this activity is completely voluntarily, but I will certainly appreciate if some younger people could help this "old" woman (I'm 34, for God's sake =D) to understand your particular perception of the world better, so I can stay tunned, keep my mind young and maybe share something young mates may benefit from, in the intelligence that

Wise is the one who learns from his own mistakes,

but wiser who learns from the mistakes of others.

Thank you in advance for your valuable colaboration (if there are any)

Day 76: Where is everybody?

2007-09-05T08:06:00.000-05:00

I can't help but wonder: is this blog not interesting anymore, or is everybody still on vacation?

Where are you, people?

Day 75: No Summer Cherries

2007-09-03T16:11:00.000-05:00

When I was a kid, natural cherries used to be so unpopular you could get a kilo for a dime. Well, not exactly, but in those days they were so disliked in comparison with their processed sisters that they used to be really cheap.

Nowadays, I have spent the last 2 weeks looking for natural cherries and found none, in the middle of the Summer, for Heaven's sake! What is going on, I wonder? (besides global warming, I mean).

Maybe it is just a simple stupid excuse to get depressed, but it really makes me sad when I find that some things have irreversibly changed, like the availability of certain fruits that used to be grown in my country, and now we have to import. And most people will scream in my face that I'm trying to live in the past, but let me tell you one thing: there were certain things that were better when I was a little younger, and an individual with my personality is certainly not prone to give up on good things without at least a complaint.

On the other hand, it may only be a seasonal nostalgia, due to the fact that we are already overwhelmed by the ammount of Christmas products displayed at supermarkets, thus completely ignoring "Fiestas Patrias" (Independence Day, for instance), Halloween and "Día de Muertos" (Dead's Day). Maybe it's just the feeling that time is relative, and summer days are flying instead of dragging, as they used to do during my summer vacations.

Even if it's just a childish tantrum 'cause I can't have something I want, I shed a tear because there are no summer cherries.

Day 74: Some things you didn't know about me

2007-08-31T19:54:00.000-05:00

1. Two brushes with fame: I had the chance to talk to Stan Lee at the '94 Comicon. When I was leaving the table, he turned to his translator, who happened to be the Vid publishing house official translator, and said "Now, you see, that's English!".

A couple of days ago, I ran into Sergio Sarmiento, a very famous political journalist right outside from my work. I said "Mr. Sarmiento" and nodded... and he nodded back at me!! (but I forgot to ask for his autograph).

2. The only thing I regret in life: not completing my bachelor's degree. I dropped out in 96, and now I've lost two wonderful job offers due to lacking that stupid paper.

3. Books: I've read over a thousand books in my life. Some borrowed, or stolen or bought, but I must confess I've found some books that I definitely threw out of the window, like "Niebla" or "Doña Perfecta". Shakespeare in English has always overwhelmed me, although I'm a pretty good reader both in English and Spanish. Last achievement: finishing "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" in 4 days (take into account I was working my hellish schedule).

4. 15 minutes of fame: when Role-Playing-Games had their boom in Mexico, I won a second-prize for game-mastering at the aforementioned 94 Comicon, I appeared on TV (in the background, but TV anyway) and in two radio programs. I retired at a 30-player game at which all characters were killed... and they still loved me!!

5. Pets: I love pets. I currently have a wonderful Maine Coon named "Fuzhienran" (the tiger-orchid in Chinese). I've had tropical fish, turtles, mice and dogs. The only ones I hate are birds.

6. Life-Time Record: 8 years of absolute fidelity and faithfulness to my partner.

7. Competition: I define myself as a natural-born-competitor. Since the cradle I used to steal my brother's milk bottles. That thirst to win at everything has taken me far in life.

8. The lone wolf: I spent half of my life trying to fit, and the other half, trying to be left alone. I work better by myself, and defend my private time zealously.

9. Collections: I collect suns, books, lions and superstitions, especially those particular to households or family traditions.

10. Things I am superstitious about: Although I define myself as a skepchick, I go crazy about money superstitions. I never place my bag on the floor or on the bed, for instance. You scare money away!

Feel free to ask any questions just in case you get curious.

Day 73: Why I hate Summer Vacations

2007-08-31T11:14:00.000-05:00

Now that Summer Break is finally off I can express why I hate it.

Since I was a child, summer break was one of the most dreaded times of the year. In those days, Mexican schools used to grant two full months off, which meant we kids had to stay stuck at home with nothing to do, since it is not customary to assign summer homework as in other countries. It was the time of boredom. The only positive thing was the opportunity to wake up late and watch over 12 hours of cartoons, when broadcasting systems still cared about the youngest sector of the market.

Nowadays, all that has dissapeared. Kids only get 3 weeks that they spend creating havoc in the tenant buildings' corridors 'cause parents don't want them at home and TV is no longer the best nanny, since the "children schedule" has been traded for the most profitable informertials. Most parents prefer to grant their children free rein and let them sleep late, with the results you can imagine on their neighbors' sleeping schedule.

On the other hand, if I am to be honest, some of the bloggers I keep in touch with usually take vacations out from home, and thus we miss the opportunity to read the only interesting material available at the office, which makes me really sad. They usually post some great pictures afterwards, though.

However, Summer holidays are finally over. Little monsters are back at their cages and restrained by piles of homework in the afternoons, and traffic has gone back to the usual heavyness. Autumn is just a few weeks away, and a little peace has befallen the building's corridors.

Did you have a good vacation?

Day 72: It was my birthday.

2007-08-23T20:41:00.000-05:00

Last Tuesday, August 21st, was my birthday. Now I'm 34 - one year away from "discardability age'. Some would start having the 'midlife' crisis. Not me, of course. I knew since 25 that from that point on it was going to be harder. So, at a time I feel tempted to believe everything is going to go downhill, I remind myself my creed:

Who I am: a winner.

Where I am: on the road to something better.

What I want: peace of mind, body and spirit.

Day 71: Eight things my cat has taught me.

2007-08-17T15:18:00.000-05:00

1. Cleanliness is good, but never take your bath in front of strangers.

2. If you beg for affection, nobody pays attention to you. Be disdainful, and they’ll come by themselves.

3. Four small meals a day is more than enough to keep you healthy.

4. You want to play, carry your own toys.

5. Nap whenever you can.

6. Allow people to scratch you ears; never your belly, especially the youngest ones.

7. The silent always catches the prey (or the string, or the ball, or your master’s toe).

8. Day is dull, night is fun!

Day 70: My new car

2007-08-13T16:22:00.000-05:00

Finally, after months and months of paying installments and waiting, last Saturday my mom delivered my new car to its new parking space, at my building's parking lot.

This car is not new, and has had his good mileage, but coming from my mother's hands, it is certainly in top condition, guaranteed to be tame and safe. It's a red VW standard Pointer 2000 edition, with a pretty sticker of a horse (one of my favorite animals) in the back. I was so happy I couldn't help but hoping up and down when I was given the keys. And my mom was kind enough as to add new floor carpets and a special vacuum cleaner as aditional traits.

I can't wait to be seated at the steering wheel, wrestling my way along the crowded and crazed streets of Mexico City, dodging suicidal public transports, shopping on my own and filling the trunk to the brim with groceries, and leaving parties at any moment we like!!

And you want to know the really good stuff about this?

I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE YET!!

JAJAJAJAJA

Day 69: in the dark

2007-08-10T08:02:00.000-05:00

I'm writing this because I saw Miao's request for updating. My dear, you just have saved a blog's life.

Not only due to the criminally huge amounts of work and a power outage that has gone on for a whole week, but a mounting depression that is fighting to conquer the good parts of my brain.

I guess it happens to everyone, even people who have managed to grasp what we regular mortals call "success"... There is a time when the only light you see at the end of the tunnel is the C train.

I must say it is not a wrist-slashing matter, neither the dreaded "middle-age crisis". No, no, no. I have that dealt with since I was in my 30's. It's being stuck in this stinky rat-hole without a chance to throw everything to the dogs just because I'm tied by my household responsibilites. Were I single, I would've quit this shitty place months ago, but I decided, years ago, that I wasn't gonna let my partner suffer for any bad decisions I had made.

But going back to the original point, I've been fighting depression for around a month now. What pisses me is that I'M NOT A DEPRESSIVE PERSON. I hadn't been this blue since my 20's, for God's sake! But still here I am, fighting with all my might these horrible sensation of having become a total loser, unable even to tie her shoes right.

Sigh) Anyway, as I said before, I'm not the only one, and people around me (well, my beloved ones, I mean) are not guilty of this. They are not foreced to bear this burden. Sooner or later, I will rise again, like the fiery Phoenix.

I'll try to keep you updated.

And again, THANKS, MIAO!

Day 68: The nightmarish public loo

2007-07-07T20:02:00.000-05:00

I wonder how a problem that seems local may be found somewhere else, given the fact I've been studying how many ideas have found a way to repeat themselves in many cultures before the advent of world wide web, especially in the kitchen, like pasta, bread-covered meat, sauces and so on. In this particular case, I would like to know if this regular problem female D.F. dwellers encounter every day is common to other women in the world.

Any woman who has found herself in the inexcusable need of a restroom in a public place in Mexico City is familiar with the following disturbing and disgusting annoyances:

- Small stalls: there's no public place that hasn't been designed under the fixed idea of saving space in restrooms, and there's nothing more hateful that the fact that, when a lady is pulling down her pants or her stockings in order to take the inevitable seat, she finds herself brushing her clothes or her underwear against the toilet, which are never as clean as one would desire. Absolutely revolting.

- The wastebasket in the toilet: may the Almighty curse whoever came up with that idea, but it is customary to find in Mexican stalls a damned paper basket next to the toilet, where uneducated women discard the used toilet paper, not taking into account how unsanitary that is. And if you consider they are not frequently emptied, you can imagine the amount of germs floating in the air, not to mention the reek...

- Sanitary seatcovers: alas, to be born a woman who always has to take a seat! If the sanitary facilities are not provided with hygienic paper covers, you have to pull meters and meters of toilet paper to place on the seat in order to protect your sacred... parts, which is particularly stressing when you are almost at the end of your resistance.

- The Lady-in-wait: I grew up under the idea this situation was only acceptable at very prestigious, extremely expensive places, but there is a department store, identified by their 3-owl logo, that keeps this funny ladies in the bathrooms, who never empty the dirty baskets, but cut the paper towel (in affronting small pieces) for you, and expect a tip for that. What the f*** is with that!?

- Lack of toilet paper: have you ever finished doing your things just to feel your stomack freeze at the discovery the toilet paper is not present where it should be? Well, if you have ever visited a movie complex or a supermarket in Mexico in the first hours of the morning, that is bound to happen, and nobody will give a damn if you cleaned yourself with your stockings or if you had to run stall by stall holding your underwear between your open legs, 'cause no matter how many times you bitterly complain, it will happen again next time.

- Public restrooms in crowded places: believe it or not, it is not mandatory by public regulation to build public restrooms in places such as bus stations, subway stations or public markets. Whenever you are lucky enough to find one, at the door you will find this angry-looking lady, to whom you have to pay a certain amount for the privilege of access, and who never takes small coins, oh, no. Pesos or nothing. This payment entitles you to receive a piece of toilet paper (which is never to be found where it should be) that never lengths more than 12 inches! If you want more, you must pay extra, and take her disdainful look at your particular needs.

I won't continue making you sick, oh kind reader, with other small but still revolting small annoyances that you may find in the quest for freeing yourself from your particular burdens in Mexico City. I just beg you to let me know if you have happened to experience first hand any similar pains, in order to find comfort and solace in the knowledge of the common sufferings.

Day 67: I'm still alive!! (2nd Cry)

2007-07-05T06:26:00.000-05:00

I feel like crap whenever I remember I've been neglecting my blogs, and it really pisses me when the work load gets so heavy I can't even think a single creative idea. But enough complaints. That's what "Planeta Quejas" stands for.

Some unusual things I heard about or found out during this long hiatus:

1. A helicopter was stolen in Mexico City.

As amazing as it sounds, two guys rented a helicopter to take some aerial pictures, beat and tied the pilot up and flew away. No one happens to know where the chopper is right now. It vanished!

2. The ass is truly mightier than the proof.

My company has been about to loose a million dollar project just because one woman is sleeping with one of the fat cats. Despite the huge amounts of evidence provided by my company to proof this woman's incompetence, we almost lost the project! Thank God, the Big Boss heard about this and pronounced on our favor.

3. The naked guys on Reforma Av. are becoming a major tourist attraction in Mexico City.

The "400 pueblos" (synonym of tribe) continue their demonstrations wearing nothing but their long hairs (ejem) next to the Independence Monument. Hundreds of foreign tourists didn't miss the opportunity to video the naked mass. (Personally, I think human body is something beautiful... when it's in good shape!)

4. Intelipet makes your pet more intelligent.

Dog food brand 'Intelipet' claims their products can make your dog more intelligent. Rumor has they don't make cat food 'cause they would end conquering the world.

And so far these are the news for the week. And I'm still here!!

Day 66: Some things you don't know about me

2007-06-20T11:04:00.000-05:00

It all got started because a friend of my Spanish blog tagged me regarding certain things you'd like to take with you to a desert island, which I find funny 'cause nobody in his right mind would willingly be stranded on a piece of rock in the middle of the ocean. But I can tell you about some of my favorite things:

1. CDs: although I don't like singers per se, Mecano and Miguel Bosé are my favorite singers. I've got every single CD they've issued, except Bose's last one, which honestly sucks.

2. Books: my collection ammounts up to 300, but there are some which will always have a special place in my heart, like "Don Quixote", "The Three Musketeers" and "Mort".

3. DVD´s: another eclectic topic, varying from "Akira" and "The Grave of the Fireflies" to Disney's movies, but my all time favorites are "Lady Hawke" and the one and only "The Crow", with Brandon Lee.

4. Comics: again, I don't follow neither heroes nor series, but there are some I would certainly save from a fire: "Night Cries", "The Sandman Series", "The Books of Magic" and "Watchmen". The last one rocks!

5. Cartoons: They deserve a paragraph for themselves. "Batman the animated series" and "Remi" are some of the collections on my shelves.

6. Clothes: I'm nothing of a feminine woman at all, so a good pair of jeans, a long, thick cotton t-shirt and a good pair of trainers or hiking boots along with my indispensable baseball cap work well enough to me.

7. Relaxing activities: I'm a lazy bum, so I prefer lazy activities, such as reading, sleeping, going bowling and going to the movies. Nothing very exciting, but fun for the brain.

8: Pets: I like animals in general, but my favorites are cats, horses and dogs. Ferrets are ok, but after a while they seem just like stupid cats.

I'm not mentioning any toys since that was the topic of a past post.

There you are. I guess that's more than enough for starters when you want to know something relevant about people. My favorite technique is to ask about this items, and then about the details. You can have plenty of hours of fun at a party.

Day 65: How to cover you are waisting your time at work

2007-06-12T09:50:00.000-05:00

What are you suppossed to do when you are at work, after finishing all your tasks, and you have nothing else to do? Most Personnel Managers would say that you have to make your free time a productive one. I say you must take a rest, especially if yours is a very demanding job.

So, what can we do to conceal our doing nothing? I recommend the following tactics:

1. Pick up the phone: when you're doing nothing and you are able to hear your boss's footsteps down the hallway, pick up the phone and fake you're in the middle of a very important conversation. That'll give you enough time to turn around and seem busy.

2. Keep files open: when you're working with the PC, keeping several windows open will mantain the impression you're working hard while you hide your blog behind them (which is exactly what I'm doing right away).

3. Deal with old paper work: either filing all the papers you've scathered over your desk or cleaning your drawers, that gives you a good chance to relax your mind, exercise your muscles and give an impression of tidiness and commitment while keeping your mind blank.

4. Surf the web: when you work for Purchasing, Research or something related to computers, you can hide your illicit activities by opening tabs related to those products your company deals with.

These are only some options I have come across throughout my working experience. If you happen to know others, please let me know so I can seem productive while fooling around.

Thanks!

Day 64: How to waste your time in a waiting lounge.

2007-06-08T13:32:00.000-05:00

Whenever we are left to wait in a waiting room, most of us get bored. I have developed a few techniques to keep myself entertained and sometimes, be able to catch the receptionist’s attention.

1. Always carry a book: for me, that’s a must. Whenever I make an appointment, I carry the latest book I’m reading, to avoid getting bored.

2. Carefully read the magazines available: most of the companies keep a big stack of specialized magazines, which at least have interesting pictures. Sometimes, you can even find job offers on them, so read them thoroughly. You never know what you may find.

3. Tear the magazines: ok, this may be regarded as vandalism, but if I find a recipe or an interesting test and the receptionist is not paying attention to me at all, it’s her loss, and I’m gonna get as much advantage as possible of such a waste of my precious time.

4. Play videogames: this is not recommended for job interviews, of course, but if you have the chance to take your portable videogame, you will have a lot of fun. Besides, if you turn the sound on, you will certainly make the receptionist pay attention to your needs.

5. Chat with the receptionist: there’s nothing they hate more than a chatty visitor, especially when they are busy typing or making phone calls. In fact, they will call whoever they need to in order to get rid of you.

6. Talk on your mobile: similar to chatting with her, if you talk loud enough to interfere with the incoming calls, you’ll be sure they’ll do everything in their hands to stop you from interfering with their jobs.

7. Walk around the front desk: this works even more wonderfully than the former. There’s nothing more annoying than a person who is distracting you with the thunderous sound of his footsteps.

So, next time a receptionist doesn’t treat you well, or keeps you waiting for hours, make sure you let them know how valuable your time is. And I’m telling you this ‘cause I’m a receptionist myself!

Day 61: I'm still alive!!

2007-06-02T21:50:00.000-05:00

Shoot. It's been 12 days since my last post, and this was one of those things I had promise myself I wasn't gonna do: neglect this intellectual exercise. Therefore, here I am with the little news, so my hypothetical and real readers (God bless them all) may know I'm still alive.

1. Work: I've complained enough, and it's time to say I'm already on the move to get out of the rat hole. I've attended just one interview, but seems promising (keep your fingers crossed for me, ok?). I'm taking all my medication like a good girl, and I took today off from all responsibilities, so I could relax a bit.

2. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At the World's End": As part of my relaxing program, I went to a VIP hall to watch this movie. Sorry to say I found the ending disappointing. I'm not gonna spoiler it here, but I think some people deserved a happier ending. Guess I'd raised too high expectations on that.

3. Bowling lessons: Tomorrow I'll be attending my third lesson. Although my average has been worse than the last time I played, I must say I'm quite getting a grasp on this, and starting to throw a little bit more 'professionally'. I still look like a hippo on its tip-toes, tough, but I'm having a lot of fun.

4. New car: Next weekend I'm finally getting my greedy anxious hands on my new car. Unfortunately, I still don't know how to drive, but that is a minor annoyance now that I've pictured myself driving it. It's a second-hand VW Pointer, but it's in a swell condition thanks to my mom. I just hope I don't make my debut on it with a dent.

5. Wii: Finally, I was able to purchase my Wii console. We currently have just one game and one set of controls, and I've had very little time to enjoy it, but my hubby and I have had a lot of fun trying to best each other at different 'sports'. I'm becoming quite proficient at bowling, although it's so different from real bowling. We are also enjoying the planning of the games we're gonna purchase soon, such as "Monkey Ball-Banana Blitz", "Wii Play" and some others.

Well, I think that'll be all for today. I do promise I'll try to post more frequently. My friend "Y sin embargo"'s technique of posting small comments regarding current events is good to keep the pace up, so I'm gonna borrow a leaf from his book and give it a try whenever I run short of time or ideas. Keep looking!! I'll be there!!

Day 60: When time slips through your fingers

2007-05-21T14:51:00.001-05:00

How difficult it has been to reach this 60th post. I do hate it when the job becomes so overwhelming there's no time left for the little pleasures of life.

Right now, I'm cheating on my working shift, given the fact I'm suppossed to be collecting a certain information for my boss and I'm ditching instead, but my poor blog has been so abandoned that most of the people I get in contact with must be thinking I'm dead.

I usually keep my happy toughts for "The Usual Stuff", but I've been under so much pressure recently that I don't think I have enough left. Maybe it's just because it's monday, and I, like Garfield, happen to hate mondays, or maybe it's this heritage of adulthood that makes you feel that every second doesn't last enough when it comes to pleasent things.

That's what I think about when I explain Einstein's Relativity theory to my younger students:

when we are enjoyin the moment, time flies, but when we're bored or annoyed, it drags like a snail.

The one good thing is that I'm also using this time to continue looking for a job. If you happen to know about an English teacher or Trainer position where you live, would you be so kind as to let me know? I'd give everything to get out of this rat hole.

Day 59: The Animals and Me

2007-05-09T08:06:00.000-05:00

As I said before, I'm comenting on some of my most recent experiences, and one of them was the opportunity to enter "Toca-Mascota" ('Touch-a-pet'), in Plaza Polanco mall.

I'm not going to extend on the bad things I got to see there (that's what 'Planeta Quejas' stands for), but on the facts that I found most relevant or amusing.

First of all, I found it kind of touching that my 6-year-old niece, who usually behaves like a brat (and don't mean the dolls by any chance), was so enthusiastic about inviting me in. I had already been planning to ask her for that favor, since adults are not allowed in without invitation, but the idea came totally from her. I guess it's because I'm the only one in the family as crazy for pets as she is, and she knows it.

When you enter the facility, which reminds me of a gigantic fishbowl with a bench in it, you are told to rub your hands with some sort of disinfectant, to prevent animals from getting any disease. But I guess it must contain a certain amount of alcohol because, when I was holding a ferret, it started enthusiastically to lick my hands. Funny thing was it didn't stop there, 'cause it climbed up my arm, made itself comfortable at my shoulder and started licking my chin. Some people will say this is disgusting, but I was having a very good time.

Later on, I had the chance to hold a phyton boa. It felt like a plastic hose full of cool oil, and its skin was very soft and smooth. Contrary to their usual behavior, this one was rather lively, slithering its way up my arms and, when I hold it in front of my face to take a good look at its head, it touched the tip of my nose with its tongue, which I found really surprising, because it was really soft and delicate.

Finally, they lent me a chinchilla, which is some sort of super-sized mouse. I've never touched anything that soft ever in my life. It's almost impossible to describe. Like fluffy velvet, I think. Unfortunately, the chinchilla wasn't having as good a time as me, 'cause it was pretty frightened and nervous, especially after my niece tried to put it on its back. But since I have a little experience dealing with scaredy cats, I was able to calm it a little bit down and enjoy the pleasure of its amazingly soft fur.

I wish this kind of experiences were available to adults as well. The ability to wonder is not exclusive of children, for me at least, and I would love to have more chances to experience the unknown. I really enjoyed this experience, and my inner child had good chance to share a good moment with my niece.

Day 58: A special weekend

2007-05-08T16:15:00.000-05:00

These was a happy weekend, full of events, ‘cause I was finally able to accomplish three things I had been looking forward to doing for a long time.

1. WII: Finally, at last, after such a long wait, I was able to purchase my Wii console. It didn’t come cheap, tough, since I had to buy it at “Liverpool” department store, but I was lucky enough to find a sale with 18 months installments, interest free. WEEEEEEE!!.

2. Bowling set: I also purchased my first (and hopefully not the last) bowling set, with ball, shoes, bag and wristband. This was possible ‘cause both my bosses are pro bowlers, and when they learned about my interest on this sport, they helped me by paying the equipment with their supplier and discounting it from my paycheck in 10 comfortable installments. Al last I’m getting something good out of my company!

3. Toca Mascota: I was able to sneak my way into “Toca-mascota” (“Touch-a-pet”). This is a facility sponsored by “Mascota” pet shop, where kids can go and lay their hands on different animals. My 6-year-old niece renewed her membership and suddenly decided she wanted to share her obsession with pets with her favorite auntie (the only one that goes along with that), and invited me in, which was very fortunate, since adults are not allowed in there without a kid (=P). So I had the chance to hold different animals in my hands: a ferret, a python boa, a parrot, a tortoise and a chinchilla, which happens to have the softest fur I have ever touched, and get a kiss from the ferret and the snake, but I'll talk about that later.

And at last, I'm able to say at least one good thing about my job, since the rest remains as crappy as usual. Thank God, next weekend I'll be able to go bowling, and the poor pins will have to pay for it. Muahjahjahjah!

Day 57: TEEN LOVE

2007-05-06T19:45:00.000-05:00

I recently heard on a cartoon that teen love never lasts. The passion, commitment and even obsession we are able to feel when we are between 13 and 18 years old eventually wears off as we grow old into grumpy, hurt and paranoid adults. I am fortunate to say that is not my case.

I met this classmate when I was 15. We happened to be together in the first year of high school. He was handsome, sportive, intelligent and cultivated and he managed to become popular almost at once, while I was naïve, overweight, nerdy and nothing more than a wall-paper flower at most. Of course, I fell for the guy immediately. For months, I fought to catch his attention, unsuccessfully, of course, and only managing to embarrass myself each time in front of him and the whole class at the same time.

After a while, he became boyfriend with my best friend. Well, that wasn’t an easy-to-take blow, but I survived through it because I was truly in love with this guy, and by that I don’t mean this obsession about “getting the guy”. It was mainly because I had been able to evolve from the teenage infatuation into a real interest for the person itself. I remembered (and still do) the words from a former junior-high teacher, may God bless him forever, who had told me that you stopped being in love with love when you managed to still love a person even after finding out about his defects. Now that was something that put things into a more realistic perspective, and indeed helped me not to lose my head completely. I was lucky enough to become some sort of ‘best friend’ to him, and get to observe all his defects closely. I found out about his arrogance, his insecurity, his boasting and his family problems. And still I knew I liked him.

For seven years (seven years! Can you believe that?) I clinged on the hope that we eventually would end up together. And finally I succeeded. We spent 3 weeks as an official couple before realizing we were loaded with a heavy burden of past events and too many different points of view on life to carry on. We broke up,obvously, without tears nor regrets, but promising to be friends forever.

And so it has been for the last 10 years. Although our sentimental relationships are all settled, we still get to see each other and find that special person we are able to share everything with. Things that we don’t tell our significant others are easily discussed among us. Any sort of problem can be analyzed and solved, while receiving the most neutral, loving and objective support one may wish for. Not even a professional counselor could provide such variety of angles from which take a view into situations. And,the most important, we never, ever, get to judge each other. Whatever mess the other gets into, we refrain from pronouncing a final judgment on the person, which is something not even the family is able to do, and you know what I mean. Even our closest relatives can’t refrain themselves from uttering such horrible phrases such as “Oh, how could you be so stupid?”, “For God’s sake, couldn’t you foresee this was coming?”, “Well, when you screw it, you always do it big time, don’t you?”, or, even worse, help you out with this humiliating look of pity and hidden superiority in their eyes.

But that has never happened between my friend and I. We have reached that rare level of relation where two adults get to understand a person’s individual decisions. We know that sometimes our best friends are there to see us take some stupid leaps, and fall flat on our faces, and throw a blanket on the pavement before we scratch it with our teeth; friends are there to share their time when they have to work early next morning, their money at the end of the fortnight, their food when they only have one piece of bread, their cars when they have a tight agenda, and their support when there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. And so we have done.

After so many years (come on; who’s been able to keep a friendship for 17 years?), I do keep a special place in my heart for this guy. And that doesn’t mean I am a cheater. I have been living happily with my significant other for two years, after dating for seven (a total record, ain’t it?), and he is about to settle down with his girlfriend after a three-year romance, which makes me really happy, after knowing how much trouble he used to have to maintain a serious relationship. It means that, in this world of loners, we have been blessed with a friendship that goes beyond brotherhood, a bond even thicker than blood itself. A friendship that is willing to commit from the moneybag to the blood, and a kind of love most people never find, not even among their relatives.

Day 56: Hell Unleashed, Retribution Day

2007-05-02T23:03:00.000-05:00

I think this must be unbelievable and unthinkable in developed countries. Working on holidays? Without payment? Well, that happens in Mexico, my friends. Bad thing is, IT HAPPENS TO ME.

I have been assigned a radio-locator in the office, the most devilish device ever created by men to prey on men. In my company, that means you "officially" become available 24/7.

As you know, last Tuesday was a Holiday. I knew what was coming: my boss dared to ask me to report for work, and I plainly said no, 'cause my chore schedule is very tight. He was ok at the moment, but today, it is time to pay.

I've been working my ass off for 16 hours... YES, 16 HOURS IN A ROW, working on this goddammed project that was twisted from the very beginning. It's 11 pm, CT, and there's no hope of goin home. Of course, The Boss is making me pay for skivving off work, and I knew it was comming.

Ah, but there are other ways to get even, rest assured. As you can see, while I'm supposed to be working on a translation, I've been catching up with my blogger friends and posting. I've been drinking as many free sodas as I can (by now, my bladder is about to explode) and I swear I'm gonna have as many snacks as I can smuggle home, and the manager who has been teasing me the whole fu**ing day has had to stay too. MUAHAHAHAHAH!!

Of course, this abusive behavior is everyday's bread. Day in, day out, we have to do our master's bidding, or suffer the consequences. AND I'M SICK AND TIRED OF IT!. I refused to come on a holiday because, if I let them step on my back once, I will become a doormat for the rest of my life.

I'm already looking for a way out of this hellhole, but the market for English teachers is way downpaid. Anyway, be sure, my dear readers, that I'll do my best to take advantage of this situation. I won't steal, as many people do here. That's not my style. But I give myself my honor word that I'll find a way to get retribution out this. Justice must be served.

Day 55: The dawn of the dead

2007-04-26T08:50:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-18T09:06:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-15T13:22:00.000-05:00

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?

Day 52: EARTHQUAKE!!

2007-04-14T22:01:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-10T15:32:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-04-06T10:23:00.000-05:00

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

2007-04-03T15:04:00.000-05:00

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!

Day 48: Back from Hell... into dulliness

2007-03-28T15:48:00.000-06:00

Here we are... back from hell into the routine of a never-changing story, battered and bruised, but all the same in the end.

I went to my "Integration Course", participated, got my share of the beat, won the first medal of my life (the first ever!) and returned knowing what I have always known: no matter how traumatic or joyful group experiences may be, nobody changes because of them.

It is true that some of us, the most observant, might have discovered some things about our co-workers we didn't realize before, but it is also true that, in the first meeting to evaluate the results, the boss's attitude has not changed a bit. He still believes we take 70% of his profits home, while we are working under an illegal contract where legal and mandatory fringe benefits are unknown. I'm still working with people who go as green as leprechauns when they see me obtaining something I worked hard for, and we still sharpen the knifes when the chance to criticize a parter arises.

Just one example:

At lunch time, in the common room)

A: Who won more tokens for the medal?

Yours truly: Me.

A: (to her team members): See? I told ya! If we had put ours together, we could've won that medal!

Yours truly: (with a scornful and ironic look): Oh, my dear, I'm so sorry you couldn't make it. It was as easy as raising your hand and participate!

Did we learn anything? No. Will we stop acting like ravenous wolves towards each other? Nope. The only good thing I brought with me (aside from the medal) was this answer:

Instructor: Please reflect upon this question: What are you exactly doing at your company?

Yours truly (to herself, with a big smile on her face): Looking for another job!

Day 47: Laws that rule the Universe: Hanlon's razor

2007-03-22T15:24:00.000-06:00

Finally, the one I believe summarizes and gives a perfect corollary to any serious reflexion on the Universe.

"Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explainded by stupidity"

or

"Never assume malice when stupidity will suffice."

Wikipedia says that "According to Joseph Bigler, the quote first came from a certain Robert J. Hanlon as a submission for a book compilation of various jokes related to Murphy's law published in 1980 entitled Murphy's Law Book Two, More Reasons Why Things Go Wrong."

The importance of the theory can be understood if we consider that it has been stated by different men, in different countries, at totally different times! For instance:

My favorite version is the one from Albert Einstein: "Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."

In Mexico, we say "we don't fear morons because they are morons, but because they are way too many to be defeated".

And the oldest seems to be said by Napoleon Bonaparte: "Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence."

All of them explaining brilliantly and simply why all the good, hard-working, well-meaning people in the world face so much trouble in succeding at almost anything. It's just about numbers: we are totally surrounded and outnumbered by stupids!! There's no army nor endurance that can beat that.

Therefore, next time you feel like killing your 'nice' co-workers for their mean behavior, your boss for yelling at you about a triviality or your assistant forgetting to inform you of an appointment, try to forgive them, because they don't know what they're doing. They are tooooo stupid!!

Day 46: Laws that rule the Universe: Finagle's Law

2007-03-19T16:38:00.000-06:00

This one is an obscure reference in a science-fiction novel entitled "Ringworld" by master Larry Niven, who just happens to be one of the most acclaimed sci-fi writers of the last century. Despite its obscurity, it still remains one of the truths that may explain the complexity of our Universe.

"The perversity of the Universe tends towards a maximum"

And if you take the time to observe life under this principle, you will see it in action. A good example of it could be a hailstorm destroying a garden full of roses, but leaving weed totally unharmed.

It also applies to people. I'd say, especially to people. No matter how well a person behaves, or how good they may seem, they will always find a moment at which they will show their perversity, and it will be so mean, dark and cruel that even them will be surprised. You can observe kids, for instance. Despite their cherub-like faces, each boy or girl will get his little wrong-meaning hands on a little insect and start ripping its parts away just for fun, at least once in their lives. Oh... I know what most people is gonna say, that they do it "out of their need to explore the world". Naaahh. They'll do it because they can't do that to other bigger beings. Or what about these lovely people who are always stealing the pens from your desk, no matter how many you keep at hand?

When circumnstances have the chance to do you any harm, they will always try to do as much as they can...

Paranoia? No, not really. It is just that knowing this has helped me to be better prepared to face the little, inevitable, unpredicted annoyances of life. Just think about it.

Day 45: Laws that rule the universe – Murphy’s Law

2007-03-16T09:39:00.000-06:00

Most people around the world have become familiar with the concepts, variations and circumvolutions of Murphy’s Law, but some of us have forgotten the essence of it.

According to Wikipedia (long life Wiki!) entry about Murphy’s Law, in its most summarized form, it can be stated as follows:

“Things will go wrong in any given situation, if you give them a chance.”

or

“If there’s more than one way to do a job, and one of those ways will result in disaster, then somebody will do it that way.”

Two attitudes can be taken out from this: either there’s no way to get things right, no matter what you do (and you might as well put an end to your misery right away), or there’s always a way to deal with disaster if you take all the possibilities into account from the very beginning.

This Law has turned into a practical use. For instance: “its spirit embodies the principle of defensive design — anticipating the mistakes the end-user is likely to make…The newer CD-ROM and DVD technologies permit one incorrect orientation — the disc may be inserted upside-down, which is harmless to the disc. A defensive designer knows that if it is possible for the disc to be inserted the wrong way, someone will eventually try it.”

Unfortunately, on the other hand, “if it seemingly is not possible to perform something incorrectly, someone will eventually manage it. This is often expressed as "Make something idiot-proof, and they will build a better idiot".

Another funny fact about the law is that “Murphy's law cannot operate as a subset of something useful; for example: "It will start raining as soon as I start washing my car, except when I wash the car for the purpose of causing rain”. That is, when we consciously try to make the Law operate in our favor, it won’t work, thus creating a paradox.

In my personal experience, Murphy’s Law has proven useful when dealing with the inevitable. Assuming that bad things tend to happen has helped me to deal with them in a more effective and light-hearted way. As we say here: “As soon as the Big Boss takes a business trip, something that requires his immediate attention will explode”. Murphy’s Law.

P.S. If you want to read more about this, check
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murphy%27s_Law

Day 44: Field trip with the Company - A desperate call for help

2007-03-14T13:38:00.000-06:00

I do not consider myself either a weak or cowardly person, but recently I’ve found something that has really given me the creeps – a 3-day field trip with my co-workers.

Everything got started with the Big Boss coming up with the idea that a field trip would build up the company’s general performance (as if), so he scheduled this visit to a training facility located in Mineral del Chico County. Up to that moment, everybody was kind of interested but, when he announced in a general meeting that attending was mandatory and that whoever didn’t show up for the trip would get his sacking cheque ready, the spirits started to sink. Sadly, they went straight to the bottom when he pompously announced that the sole purpose of the trip was to crop the personnel and get rid of the “bad elements” (shocked gasp).

Obviously, if we were already pissed for having to spend one of our precious weekends working without payment, that was the last straw. Now everybody is really angry and looking towards this with a really nasty attitude, which only worsens my personal situation.

Given the fact that I define myself primarily as a lone wolf, the sole thought of spending a car trip and a three day stay in the company of people who I regard as total morons has already made me sick with anguish and disgust.

My co-workers listen to trashy music with great pleasure, and bask for hours in dirty jokes which have no sense at all, so you can picture what a joy ride will a three-hour car trip be. Since this trip is intended to “evaluate and improve the productivity”, I’ll have to spend the darned three days forcefully restraining my fierce temper. In addition, they are stealing the precious time I usually devote to my family and my housework. And just to cap it all, we are going to share the rooms. Can you imagine the torture that represents to me?

If I am to be honest, I must say that it is really difficult for me to keep a low profile regarding olfactory traits (to say the least), and my territoriality usually demands privacy. Sharing a room (and a bathroom!) with a total stranger, ready to take note of the smallest flaw to gossip it out is one of the most stressing situations you can place me in. Therefore, as the date slowly approaches, I’m growing more and more frustrated and desperate, since I see no way to worm myself out of it.

If anyone may have an idea for a good excuse out of this, I will be indebted to that person for the rest of my life. I have already tried getting infected (by visiting a young neighbor with the measles) and getting bitten by a dog (it never fell into the provocation). Any idea (which doesn’t include suicide, of course) that helps me preserve my privacy, my dignity and my job will be taken into account at the Gates of Heaven.

Day 43: Things that make me crazy… with joy

2007-03-12T10:03:00.000-06:00

I’ve been dwelling in my thoughts for several days, wondering what my next post would be about. Since I was totally unable to write something really funny about my more-than-regular life, I decided to write about things that make me happy, maybe just to compensate for this strange rainy, windy, kind-a-gloomy weather we’re currently experiencing.

Happiness is something quite difficult to grasp, especially when you are not aware of the things or events that can trigger the feeling. Fortunately, I’m one of the few people who have been able to identify some.

1. Flying: I don’t care what they say: the greatest achievement of men has been the conquest of the skies. I’ve had the chance to practice abseiling, and I’m dying to fly a delta-wing. There’s nothing in the world that can compare to the emotion of taking off. How can people grow tired of flying?

2. Books: as I have mentioned before ‘till redundancy, starting a new book really makes me happy. It’s a new opportunity to escape from the little annoyances of daily life into a private world completely closed to others. Except for the statistically rare case someone is reading the same book in my vicinity. Not likely to happen.

3. Cats: most people regard those furry little beasts as treacherous and mean miniaturized tigers, to which I must disagree. If cats are treated with the same amount of attention and love dogs are given, they are very likely to develop the behavior one would expect from a dog. “Fuchi”, (/FOO-shi/) my Maine Coon queen cat is a perfect example. She is so fond of human company that most visitors to my place find her disturbing (and sometimes annoying). And all felines, both big and small, represent the sum of beauty and power to me.

4. Horses: what could be more delicious that hanging around with horses? Whether riding or tending them whenever I have the slightest chance, I can go crazy with joy if I can get my hands on them, not to mention taking a good ride.

5. Cartoons: again, my tendency to escape to little worlds of fantasy leaps with joy if I happen to find a good cartoon with a good story. From Noir to Danny Phantom, I can spend 30 minutes with my eyes glued to the screen, following their adventures rapturously.

6. Writing / Drawing: well, basically whatever involves a creative process. Actually, that’s one of the reasons why I accepted the suggestion to write a blog. Since my writing creativity seems to be on indefinite leave, I decided that at least I should try to continue expressing my thoughts in an articulated way (yeah, sure) to avoid getting rusty.

7. Expensive restaurants: due to the budget and dietary restraints, I haven’t been able to enjoy this one very much lately, but there’s nothing more pleasant than going into a fancy restaurant and try something unusual, such as frog legs, caviar, “escamoles” (ant eggs and larvae which, as disgusting as it may sound, are regarded as the Mexican caviar), and, of course, the dessert tray!

In conclusion, I must say that indeed is the simple things of life which can give us with those tiny little moments of happiness that may turn a dull day into a remarkable experience.

Have you found what makes you happy?

Day 42: Usual Annoyances at the Front Desk

2007-03-02T12:52:00.000-06:00

Given the fact this blog was christened ‘The Usual Stuff’, I’d like to talk about that usual stuff going around my workstation, which happens to be The Front Desk.

Many people tend to believe, in a totally misinformed conception, that being “the receptionist” is a petty, unimportant, two-bit, sub-servient, low-status, any-man’s job, which only indicates how little importance we give to those apparently intranscendental* tasks that usually go unnoticed but happen to make life more comfortable, just like house keeping. It is commonly believed, as I mentioned before, that ‘anyone can do it’, so it is waged in consequence, and people who end up performing these jobs are regarded as mediocre, although the degree of preparation, experience and good attitude both require is usually ignored by most employers. Therefore, whoever outstands the regular performance is normally acquainted as either a shoe-licker or a total freak, thus gaining them people’s loathing, instead of their applause, which happens to be one of the usual annoying things I've found about it.

In addition to the situations I listed on a previous post, I would like to mention some other Usual Stuff that I have found highly irritating in this job:

1. Telephone sales: no day passes without receiving at least 5 phone calls asking for people who don’t work with us anymore, trying to sell credit cards. No matter how many times you tell them they must stop calling because they’re jamming the ring central, the same out-bound call center will call at least twice the same day.

2. Cookie monsters: one of my duties is to set the snack-and-drink service when my boss schedules meetings, and a cookie tray is set for that. Whatever I do to prevent it, there’s always one smart-ass who picks the cookies, leaving the obvious blank spaces on the tray, thus causing my boss to get mad at me, because there never seem to be enough cookies for the visitors.

3. The unpunctual visitor: tardiness is part of Mexican culture, so I’ve learned to live with it. What I can’t stand is these people who want to make a good impression by getting to appointments half an hour early. They cram the reception (which happens to have 3 damn chairs), they get in everybody’s way and they keep asking every 5 seconds if the person is already available. Sorry, but that is another form of unpunctuality.

4. Personal phone calls: I understand that sometimes it is necessary for our family and/or friends to reach us at work, but I really go berserk when I receive 8 phone calls a day (and there’s written proof!) from a girl’s boyfriend exactly at the moment when really relevant phone calls are hail storming over my head. In order to be fair, I must say that my family has strict instructions to call me to my mobile. Whenever this happens otherwise, I also jump at their throats.

5. Background music: we are supposed to have music all day long in the internal speaker system. To my despair, the selection tends to be must unfortunate, such as the awfully chaotic jazz music my boss loves, or the crappy, low-life-style ‘banda’ music my co-workers favor when the bosses are not around. Having that noise piercing my ears while I try to concentrate on a customer’s call, especially if it is in English, can really drive me psychotic.

As a form of conclusion, I would like to mention, in order to be fair with both sides of the story, that not all the receptionists are precisely saints. As a customer, I have also suffered the blatant incompetence of receptionists who seemed to have been placed at the front desks just because of their good looks. Women who are chatting, putting up make-up, chewing gum, smoking or answering personal calls right on the visitor’s face do not help improving the low perception this position has in the job market. In order to be honest, I must confess that all my complaints regard those situations that prevent me from fulfilling my duties with the high quality both my bosses and my clients deserve.

*If you happen to find any spelling mistakes, please feel free to correct me. I’ll sincerely appreciate it.

Day 41: How stupid can it get? 2nd Part

2007-03-01T17:18:00.000-06:00

Following up the obsession idea, I just discovered a new one: actively noticing and recording how stupid people can be. Last time I wrote about it, it was more like a pressure release than an elaborated essay about human stupidity or lack of common sense. Since once in my life I took Psychology courses, I am willing to understand that some factors, such as fatigue, anger, hunger, stress or simply wanting to visit the loo are likely to affect our judgment at certain moments. On the other hand, we happen to live in a complicated world, where technology and human relations are more complex than ever, and some of us may seem a little slow at understanding things that are a piece of cake to others. But what I can’t understand is why people seem to use their brains less and less every time, as if the reasoning process hurt. Are we becoming more and more stupid due to pollution? Is it that people who show a hint of intelligence have been ostracized in our society for centuries? Or is it that we are desperate to fit in a dummy world?

Here you have some examples I had the bad luck to experience:

1. Finding a seat: here we are, my hubby and I, sitting exactly at the center of the projection hall, down at the center at our favorite locations and, right after the movie had started, there arrives this couple, standing right in front of us, wondering for five, five long minutes, where to sit. How long can it take you to decide when the hall is almost deserted?

2. Technology dummies: I left for home, ready to forget about the office work, and then I receive a phone call from the Systems Manager (believe it or not), asking me to unveil the mysteries of Fax Operation. I know these devices can be tricky but, isn’t that the reason why they have this enormous icons on the front to depict how to place the paper to be sent?

3. The phone number: do you really have to wait for your co-worker to arrive in order to decipher an address book? If the fax number is not indicated there, couldn’t you call the company to find out? I assumed it would be a matter of pure logic that, if the indication was not there, the same number serves as phone and fax, you dummie!

4. Language: If you are asking a yes or no question (in grammar terms, a direct question), the least you could get is a yes or a no, isn’t it? The answer is no, as you can see in the following example:
Me: Co-worker A, would you happen to know were the VGA cables are?
Co-worker A: I gave them to you. It was your responsibility to keep and eye on them. Besides, if they got lost, you will have to…
Me: Thanks for the extra info, but a yes or a no would have sufficed. Do you know where they are?

Co-worker A: No!

Me: Thanks. That's the only thing I needed to hear.

Which was the right answer from the very beginning.

And these are only the few examples I found mildly amusing, among another dozen I found just plainly annoying. Feel free to share your own.

In conclusion, I must say that it is not my intention to make public my intellectual superiority (I rarely screw it, but when I do, I do it big time!), but to make evident that something really creepy is happening among us, maybe some sort of evolutionary treat that is regressing us back to the dawn of humanity, or a conspiracy from the governments to make us so stupid that Americans might vote for Bush again and Mexicans for Lopez Obrador, or something. I don't know for sure, but I wonder if the truth might be out there.

Day 40: Obsessions

2007-02-28T15:23:00.000-06:00

I guess this was bond to come naturally. After discussing addictions, I found myself observing other people's obsessions, because, again, all of us so called "rational beings" are burdened with maniatic, compulsive and obsessive behavior.

All of this started when the Principal Financial Administrator (who also happens to be co-owner of the company I'm currently working for) started to worry about the restroom keys. Each employee is suppossed to have his or her personal key, and there's another one in a special keychain for visitors only. All of a sudden, it became my responsibility to prevent anyone from taking that key. In consecuence, she started nagging me just because it is more comfortable for everyone to take the public keychain instead of carrying their own The top of it came when, at 9 a.m., when we never have any visitors, the damned keychain was not on the counter and she started wondering out loud, "what would happen if we had a customer". Immediatly, I showed her the especially-kept-for-emergencies extra pair I had been hiding for months. And then, she gave me this kind of angry look and said "Anyway, the keychain has to be here!" Worst of it, she's been asking every single day, as she passes by my desk, where the damn keychain is! Now that's what I call an obsession.

Personally, I believe that being obsessed is not always a bad thing. In my case, I'm obsessed with keeping my working space clean and neat, since it helps me to reduce my stress levels. Another obsession is punctuality. People who make me waste the only asset I cannot replace really drive me crazy. Personal space and boundaries are another thing that would deserve a post on its own, since I really go mad when people mess around with my personal stuff. But there are other obsessions that can even destroy the balance of daily life, like the "having the last word" obsession exemplified before, which prevents this people from cutting a win-win deal with a lot of people, thus making her lose a lot of opportunities.

I wonder how many obsessions my hypothetical readers may have.

Day 39: Addictions

2007-02-20T17:09:00.000-06:00

Sadly, my post on Danny Phantom didn’t turn out to be as interesting as I thought it would be. Pity. But I got me into thinking about why I let myself become hooked on things. My own answer was ADDICTIONS!

Everybody has an addiction. Some people (like me) are addicted to tobacco. That’s pretty common. Others (unlike me) are addicted to booze or drugs. That’s kind of common as well. But I have also discovered some people (like me again) are addicted to other totally different things. Some of my uncommon addictions include:

1. Books: My day is not complete at all if I don’t get to read at least 3 pages from a new book, especially before I go to bed. You can imagine the tantrums I throw every time I finish a book without having a new one right at hand. Going to Book Fairs without money represents one of the finest forms of torture I may suffer, given the fact I hate to look without getting. Life without books (whatever form of literature you choose) would be like hell to me.

2. Tobacco: I know this one is already killing me, but the more people insist I quit, the more I fix the cigarette to my mouth. Funny thing is my husband doesn’t smoke, but he’s never said a word about it. Probably that’s why I smoke less around him: ‘cause he’s shown a lot of respect on my habits, so I tend to respect his breathing space.

3. Adrenaline: Who needs drugs to get high when you can experience the delight of flirting with death? By this I don’t mean going into suicide, but taking into extreme sports. Abseiling, rafting, climbing, delta-flying (sorry for my lack of vocabulary) can give you all the emotions you may need to recharge your batteries. On the other hand, once you have managed to accomplish something difficult and survive the experience,you are to gain tons of self-confidence, believe me.

4. Strong emotions: Again, why taking drugs when you can let yourself go with a good movie or cartoon? Sadness, anger, anguish, happiness, excitement, all of them are just a good movie/cartoon away. And that’s why I never watch videos at home. I get so deep into things that I start making funny faces, or frowning, or crying, and people start staring at me and jiggling. It’s a lot easier at the movies, where the dark conceals my gestures, and I don’t feel that ridiculous.

5. Learning: There’s nothing more challenging and exciting than using my brain to learn something new. Whether it is Japanese culture, technical vocabulary, movie-industry know-how... you name it. The idea is to put my brains up to something new that is not easy.

6. Food: This is another killer, and that’s why I just went on a diet. (I’m fulfilling my new year’s resolutions). It’s extremely difficult to control what you eat when the experience of new, undiscovered flavors reaches your tongue. I bet only sex is more pleasant than the explosion of different tastes in your mouth. Sushi, Italian food, desserts, Chinese food, Mexican food... there’s no ending to the pleasures of the table (except the grave, maybe).

OK. In conclusion, I would say this would sufficiently explain why I became madly fascinated with the young half ghost. Emotions really took the best of my rationality. And I loved it!

Day 38: Late as Usual, Hooked as Usual

2007-02-19T13:19:00.000-06:00

I always get late to big stuff. Maybe that’s due to my allergy to t.v., since I’m not regularly able to watch more than 1 or 2 hours in a row without getting bored, start zapping and end up grabbing a book.

But now I would like to page homage to my latest t.v. addiction: Danny Phantom!

Since Jetix was outcasted by Cablevision, I lost track of the series for a while, until I was able to find it again at Nickelodeon (You can tell I don’t watch the telly by that), and I was lucky enough to catch the movie “The Ultimate Enemy” and get totally hooked.

Now, why should a cartoon without the wonderful animation style I love from anime happen to catch my attention? Because of The Stories. Once I was told by literature coach Pepe Rojo (God bless him) that the best stories are the ones focused on the “realistic methapore”, that is, a normal situation turned or depicted as a fantastic one. In other words, using the fantastic elements to convey and reinforce the message about a daily life situation, and Danny Phantom is full of that.

I perfectly know that the matter of a teenager dealing with supervillians while trying to keep his own life in one piece has been dealt with before, but taking into account the moronic language currently used by many cartoons to refer to the old matters of self-acceptance, peer pressure and school grades, it certainly makes this series a bit refreshing, as long with the simple, non-pretentious design that favors concentration on the story rather than on the flamboyant drawings (as frequently happens with anime).

On the other hand, I must confess that I have some sort of ‘crush’ or ‘fatal attraction’ with heroes that actually have problems (which happened to be one of the main crisis in comic book streams many years ago). Living daily life is troublesome sometimes; dealing with several matters at the same time can get really hectic. Just add up some fantastic action and you’ve got me.

If you are not familiar with the series, you must know that, according to Wikipedia, “Danny Fenton is a nervous, clumsy, and sometimes superficial 14-year-old boy who tries to fit in with his peers. But he is also able to transform into his ghost form (his transformation words are normally "I'm going ghost!"). Upon transformation, his normally black hair turns white, his eyes change from sky blue to ectoplasmic green, his skin changes from light to dark, and his normal attire becomes a black hazmat suit - with white boots, gloves, belt, and starting from the second season, a "D" emblem on his chest, becoming "Danny Phantom".”

Unfortunately, it has been announced that the series is going to be cancelled (if it hasn’t already been by now), which happens to be a pity. We don’t get to see well thought cartoons a lot these days. Sob.

PS: You can notice I'm not good at this posting images stuff. Sorry.

Day 36: Something unusual at the usual stuff

2007-02-16T13:32:00.000-06:00

Now this was really surprising: did you happen to know that the plant ‘tomacco’, mentioned as a core part of the plot in "The Simpsons'" 'E-I-E-I (Annoyed Grunt)' episode, has actually been created?

According to Wikipedia, “A tomacco is originally a fictional hybrid fruit that is half tomato and half tobacco, from the 1999 episode "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)" of The Simpsons; the method used to create the tomacco in the episode is fictional. The tomacco became real when it was allegedly produced in 2003. The tomacco is one of the few made-up words in The Simpsons that resulted in real life application.” Also, it is noted that: “In the Simpsons' episode, the tomacco was accidentally created by Homer Simpson when he "planted a little bit of everything" and fertilized his tomato and tobacco fields with plutonium. The result is a tomato that apparently has a dried, gray tobacco center, and, although being described as tasting terrible by many characters (Ralph Wiggum: "Eww, Daddy, this tastes like Grandma!"), is also immediately and powerfully addictive. The creation is promptly labeled "Tomacco" by Homer and sold in large quantities to unsuspecting passers by.”

The interesting thing starts when “In 2003, inspired by The Simpsons, Rob Baur of Lake Oswego, Oregon successfully grafted a tomato plant onto the roots of a tobacco plant, which was possible because both plants come from the same family, Solanaceae or nightshade, and furthermore both plants are dicotyledons. (It is not possible to graft monocotyledons, because the xylem and the phloem are distributed in bundles throughout the stem, and therefore it is impossible to align the vascular tissues of the two plants.)
The plant produced fruit that looked like a normal tomato, but Baur suspected that it contained a lethal amount of nicotine and thus would be inedible. Testing later proved that the leaves of the plant contained some nicotine. The world's first tomacco fruit, destroyed in the testing process, contained no nicotine. The second tomacco fruit was given to a Simpsons writer. The third was sold on eBay and the fourth was eaten by a Xerox engineer who suffered no apparent ill effects from the fruit. The Tomacco plant bore fruit until it died in October due to weather-related causes at the ripe age of 18 months, having spent the previous winter indoors.”

Obviously, you can learn more about this in the following address: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomacco, where this information was taken from.

I don’t usually copy for my blog, but I found this hilariously interesting. You can also check some really interesting stuff about avocado and chocolate. Did you know they may result harmful to pets? Check it up and have some fun!

P.S. We don’t intend to infringe any copyright laws, and we hope we haven't.

Day 35: How stupid can it get?

2007-02-09T23:59:00.000-06:00

OK, here I am, about to return to my creepy office work after some wonderful, blissful and lazy days, during which I went totally blank and served my poor brain some 8 to 12 hours of TV a day. (So long for a person who doesn't like TV, eh?)

Unfortunately, right as I foresaw, someone from the office had to ruin it, adding it up to my own stupidity for answering the phone.

But let's get down to this in order, right? 'Cause I'm quite sure this has happened to every single person on the planet: facing complete and absolute stupidity, which leaves you wondering how these morons have made it to survive to be thirty.

Case no. 1 is plain and simple. Remember this lady I mentioned before? The one who trusts boss's criteria? Regretfuly, she was assigned to cover my post while I was out. (And I bet you can see it coming...) Well, here I am, enjoying my glorious and well deserved break from the office chaos, when my cell phone rings. Stupidly, I must confess, I took the call, just to find myself answering her the stupidest question about the simple location of a simple document. I mean, how come she is able to rumage through my desk in front of my nose while I'm there and she wasn't able to look for it when I wasn't? I was already boiling by then, but the top of it came when, with a very friendly, loving and tender tone she uttered the damned words; 'Oh, we miss you so much around here. There are piles of work here!'.

Doooooh? And what the hell do I care?! That's your assignment now, you a*****e!! You must be thinking I'm taking it too personally, but I do think you need to be brain damaged to tell anyone on vacation such a poisonus, putrid and mean thing! (Of course, the second option is that she is just a... bad... mean... awful... Well, you know what I mean).

Case no. 2 can only be found in Mexico, where regulations are beautiful books destined to collect dust through decades without any conection to reality. And by this I mean the Neighboring Regulation. How stupid, stubborn and maleficent do neighbors need to be in order to slam the w.c. seat cover at 2 in the morning, knowing that the sound is going to spread all over the damn building and that your neighbors downstairs - that's us- wake up at 4 a.m. every day to get to work? And that's just an isolated example. I could write kilometers on these guys' wrongdoings, not to mention the rest of the tennants, specially those with kids.

Case no. 3 is universal, and I mention it because this one hit the news just yesterday. Can you explain to me what parents in the right minds would give a 'Magic Oven' to a 3-year-old child to let her sustain 2nd. degree burns on her fingers? Aaaahhh!! But it was the producers fault, wasn't it? Because they only indicated 'for ages 3 up' on the box, right? Did he forget to stamp the 'Requires Adult Supervision' legend on it? No! It was the stupid parents who forgot to read!! How are they suppossed to be raising a child if they are not even able to pay attention to such tiny details?. It's funny that in some countries you need a license to own a dog, but any idiot can be a parent.

(Sigh) Well, I guess this is the end of my vacation. The only good thing is that I might (please pray to the Powers, my brothers) have a chance to change to a better job soon, where there's no room for this kind of, as we say in Mexico, "burros" (asses=donkeys). No foul language if I can help it, ok? Jajajajajaja.

Day 34: Things to be happy about

2007-02-02T09:40:00.000-06:00

February seems to bring good things with its winds. Some things that are making me happy after the awful end of the Christmas season.

1. HOUSE: Finally Universal Channel for Cable in Mexico has announced the release of the third season of 'House'. I've been in love with this guy since the first episode I saw, right in the middle of season 2. I can hardly wait to laugh with his acid remarks and suffer with his new problems.

2. LONG WEEKEND: Next Monday we're taking a long weekend due to the anniversary of the Mexican Constitution. Very welcome because of...

3. VACATIONS: Taking advantage of the long weekend, I scheduled my 5 days of vacation to run from Feb. 6th to Feb 12th, thus taking 10 days off. For goodness' sake I need this break.

4. MOVIES: I'm not a crazy moviegoer, but it's been a while since the last time. My hubby and I are already scheduling 'The Perfume' and 'Hollywoodland' with my dear, handsome, Ben Affleck. He might not be the best actor ever, but I do like his tender puppy eyes. (jajajaja)

5. TAMALES: Today it is Candlemas Day in México, or 'Día de la Candelaria' (DEE-ah -deh- lah- kan-deh-LAH-ree-ah), so we're having tamales for breakfast at the office this morning, for free. Well, free for my co-workers, 'cause I got 'el mono' last January the 6th, and I had to invite part of the tamales, but anyway is good to get away from routine once in a while.

So I hope the wind season brings some positive things to everybody as well.