Summercase!! (www.summercase.com)

Yoooooo!!!

Last weekend, my return to summer music festivals, attending Madrid's biggest, with an A M A Z I N G set.... Going one by one (following my usual BCG style evaluation...):

Day I
James - Muuuu! - Walked in the Festival at the sound of "Don't Sit Down!", remembering the good old days playing this tune to start sessions in AIESEC conferences... Amazing how many lyrics have survived in my brain after aaaaall these years!
Jarvis Cocker - AU! - Pulp are gone... forever...
The Gossip - Muuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!!!!
One set of drums, one guitar/bass player (depending on the song...) and one of the most amazing singers I have ever seen! I jumped as if there was no tomorrow!
Air - Au! Au! - great music to hear indoors, not in a Festival!
OMD - Muuuu! - For an hour, the 80s were back!!!! :D
Kaiser Chiefs - Muuuuuu! - Brit Pop at it's best... but then...
!!! - Muuuuuu! - The first of the two "tribal" experiences of this Festival... Tremendous energy, tremendous rythm, great show on stage!
(couldn't stick around for Chemical Brothers....... the gang was tired!!)

zzzzzzzzzz

Day II
PJ Harvey - ???? - Awful conditions, lousy sound and instead of betting in her most "movy" songs, she decides to get on the piano... baaaad move for a Festival!
Arcade Fire - Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!!! - Intense... Second "tribal" moment... even though the songs were definitely not the most energetic of the concert, their energy was quite overwhelming!
Bloc Party - ***** - First experience listening to these guys and I must say the tunes are quite good! Something to explore!
LCD Soundsystem - Muuuuuuu!!! - Electronic extravaganza, great dancing moments, excellent mood in the crowd!
Scissor Sisters - ???? - Tick!

Brilliant weekend! After last months Smashing Pumpkins+The Killers+Kasabian, the summer quota will be complete with Police, back in Lisbon next September!

Carpe Diem!

Reflections and changes...

Greetings,

Tough day at work... the clear perspective of a very loooooong and troublesome summer brings me home in a more reflective mood. (for later to remember...) What is life like today:

... Work...
Still enjoying myself, starting a second year on this assignment, a second year when the results and the legacy will need to be built. Managing 6 very different people in the middle of a major integration has been kick ass experience, all of them very different... the resources are as usually insufficient, the major business trends are against our work needs
(my team's) but for sure we will pull it off!

... Madrid...
Excellent chat with my flat mate today, as he decided to return to Lisbon taking advantage of an excellent opportunity... He ends a phase of 8 years out of Portugal. We end a chilled out year together in this flat. I loose the proximity of yet another very good friend here in Madrid. People are leaving, and as time goes by I feel like moving on as well, less in the mood nowadays to meet new people, to constantly start over again...

... Dillemmas...
The nomad vs. the portuguese thoughts return... on one side, looking at many of you, globetrotting and having a great time both professionally and personally, some even with major steps on the family front... but on the other side, I have to recognize tremendous attachment feelings that haunt me every time I step in an airplane or in a car on the way to Madrid... Is this the end of the nomad side...? Naaaa!!! A trip to Argentina and the perspective of a 3 month sabatycal next year will make sure of that (Southeast Asia or Latin America???). But, I do feel deep deep down that it might make sense to start planning my return, even if temporary, to the place that is my true "home".

Holidays!! I need holidays!! :)

Carpe Diem!