A simple blog with the humble ambition of keeping in touch with friends scattered around the world, as "home" is more and more a vague concept. Motto: If-I-am-ever-in-your-neighbourhood-lets-go-for-a-beer!
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
James Brown... RIP
Yo!
"I feel good!!! Nananananana!!"
This has been my wake-up music for most of 2006 and, even in those tough mornings when there is still something left in my blood that shouldn't be there, it has been a great way to start the day!
Yesterday James Brown left this world, definitely a polemic figure but, inspite of all his defects, someone who belongs to the rare group of singers who created authentical anthems for life. Today, the world is a poorer place...
Small rituals from yet another very Happy Christmas... For future recollection...
... helping my mother frying the traditional pastry, Filhós and Rabanadas ... Buying last minute gifts on the 24th, sometime during the day ... Getting spanked in PES 5 by both my eldest nephews ... Setting up all the outdoors light effects + random Santa's in the garden ... Trying to control my nieces during the day ... Having dinner, codfish, potatoes & cabbages with my whole family ... Getting lost in endless deserts ... Preparing coffee and Port wine ... Listening to my father's speech about the year that passes and the year to come ... A small prayer in remembrance of my grandparents ... Wrapping-up the last gifts and setting up the room so that in the morning the kids can open their gifts
If life is to be measured, not by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away, I do hope your Christmas was as mine, the first of many "moments" that will continue throughout 2007.
After pretty much five "pure Madrid" weekends almost in a row, therefore a statistically significant period of observation, I am now in a position to share the second keystone of my theories (and to some extent practical)about the way dudes and women relate...
Hypothesis - Regarding the way a dude approaches a woman he wants to "connect" with, we can identify 3 basic stereotypes, in parallel drawing an analogy with the world of fishing and fishermen: - Fisherman with a net (pescador de arrastao!!) - this is the kind of dude to whom the word "standard" has no meaning and to whom the end justifies any kind of mean... We all know who they are... We've all been there... more or less often... - Fisherman with harpoon/Underwater hunter (praticante de caça-submarina!) - These are the active focused dudes, the ones who identify their target and immediately are able to dive in and go after'em! Again, we all know who they are and generally, on latin cultures, these are the preferred types by the opposite sex... - Fisherman with a rod (Pescador de cana) - These are the more passive dudes, who identify a target and work on their bait, trying to make it as suitable as possible to the prey they want to catch... Typical nice guy profile, that always gets it wrong!! Either the bait is not right... either the wrong fish comes after the bait... etc etc.
Regarding the last topic, the only competitive advantage these dudes have (where obviously I am included) is that they are able to multi-task and to adapt to different types of "ponds and preys", which can obviously generate tricky situations...
Is this applicable to the opposite sex? That will be a theme for a next theoretical incursion...
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the places and moments that take our breath away" (annonymous)
After a year focusing on Madrid by night, it was time to diversify my cultural life here and to try to multiply the "moments" in other fronts, specially the cultural ones... My first "Cool-ture calls" email, last week, resulted in one movie and 2 concerts...
First, last Thursday, the Pink Tones, a band that plays Pink Floyd covers and that recreates many of the details that made Pink FLoyd concerts unique (all the "The Wall" sounds, the circle of lights, weird instruments, etc.etc.). A Great show!
Then, last night, the band that allowed me to enjoy several "moments" of sheer bliss, Nouvelle Vague! This french bunch, with 2 fantastic, fascinating singers and 4 very good guitar/drums/chellow/keyboard artists have performed a hell of a show, with their unique chill out bossa nova style, playing around with less comercial versions of the post-punk 80s. After Pearl Jam and Ben Harper, this was a great come back to the concert halls of Madrid... And December is not over yet!
Zero 7, Nitin Sawhney, Anthony & the Johnsons, Feist, Catwoman, Sia, Damien Rice, Rodrigo Leao definitely an alternative chill out style of music I suggest you all to check!
"Life is not measurd by the number of breaths we take, but by the places and moments that take our breath away" (annonymous)
After a year focusing on Madrid by night, it was time to diversify my cultural life here and to try to multiply the "moments"... After my first "Cool-ture calls" email, one movie and 2 concerts... First, last Thursday, the Pink Tones, a band that plays Pink Floyd covers and secondly, the band that just a couple of hours ago, allowed me to enjoy several moments of sheer bliss, Nouvelle Vague!
This french bunch, with 2 fantastic, fascinating singers and 4 very good guitar/drums/chellow/keyboard artists have performed a hell of a show, with their unique chill out bossa nova style, playing around with less comercial versions of the post-punk 80s. After Pearl Jam and Ben Harper, this was a great come back to the concert halls of Madrid... And December is not over yet!
"I feel good!!! Nananananana!!"