Thursday.
Wake up feeling refreshed. Uh. This is strange… alarm hasn’t gone off yet. Nice. Switch the alarm off. I don’t need it today. Meditate and stretch a bit.
It’s pretty early so I open the curtains, open the window and get myself sorted for the day. It’s raining so put some comfy trousers on and a t-shirt. No make-up yet. I want to fly away with the watercolours before I start my day. It’s nice to disconnect with them, gives an extra layer of relaxation to the morning routine.
I take my neighbour as a source of inspiration and draw what I can see from my window. I let myself go and play intuitively with the lines.
Ah…Feels good coming back to my colours. To let my hand go again. To decipher the colour of the bricks and make magic mixing tonalities. To distinguish the light and analyse how that affects the colours of the street.
Random Playlist plays Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warns ‘Up Where We Belong’ in the background. I pay attention to the lyrics. They are pretty revealing, actually. The road is long… there are mountains in our way…we climb a step everyday… I guess this is what we’ve been doing up until now.
I like the song even more.
Done with the watercolour session, prepare breakfast and get on with work. Today’s workload is alright, finish everything I planned easily and have lunch at a reasonable time. Pasta salad because I cooked too much of it and we can’t waste any food.
I crave cheese… Need to do the shop soon. I think I was a bit too over-optimistic when I said I would be able to stay home for 3 weeks with no need to do the shop. Hmm…
Look at the window. Raining showers. London had to release all this summer as well. Back to cosy blanket and heating as I’m writing. Random Playlist goes with Bruce Hornsby’s ‘The Way It Is’ and yeah, some things will never change. Taking London weather as an example.
I remember I used to call this song ‘the travel song’ as a child. Mom and Dad used to put it on our way to visit family for Christmas. Bruce Hornsby, Alfa Romeo 33 and the highway. That’s the way it was.
Seriously, it’s pissing down. Big storm in North London. Switch on the lights, it’s getting darker… oh. Great. Third lightbulb on the ceiling that has gone off. My hope is clinging on the only surviving lightbulb and the lamp of my bedside table. And I’m not sure of how to change these lightbulbs.
Lots of writing and meditation but no DIY nor cooking. I’m becoming the definition of a modern bohemian female in confinement.
Seriously considering buying a lamp on Amazon..at least I can change those lightbulbs.
It’s too dark and rainy and I’ve been sitting for most of the day so I dance to ‘Shake it off’ on a loop. Shake the storm off, girl. There’s always sunshine at The Queen’s Room Social Club.
Have a small bite before today’s evening workshop and my Zoom meeting with friends from uni. We haven’t caught up properly since Ire’s hen do. I arrive right after finishing the workshop. They’ve been struggling to set the whole thing up so I’m pretty much on time despite my lateness.
We talk about lots of random stuff, just the way we’ve always done for the 11 years we’ve known each other. YouTube videos, books, music, and obviously Ire’s wedding in December. There’s a discussion on the hair issue and propose Ire to organise a Viking wedding. Long hair and beards included.
Seems a pretty attainable goal.
At this point, she says she’s not sure if that’s going to happen, really. Too much uncertainty in the air for an international wedding. She says she will ‘cancel indefinitely’ if they can’t get married in December.
Uh, no no.
JM refuses any cancellation plans and demands a big fat Sevillian wedding in December. We all support the motion. We’ll all get wasted on December 19th. It’s bound to happen (Covid19 don’t you dare).
We also talk shop, as usual. Translation, translation fees, translation worries, translation crap… I listen because it’s been 8 years since the last time I was in direct contact with the professional translation world. But I don’t mind. It’s good to catch up with what’s going on at the moment.
Some things never change.
We’ve always been pretty passionate with our field of study… to the extent of having a massive argument —hung-over and in the middle of the streets of Santorini, on how to translate the word ‘fries’ (spoiler: it always depends on the context). Ah, good old times.
JM and Essie also tell us shocking news in Apocalyptic Barcelona. Apparently there’s been a homeless serial killer in Barcelona . If Coronavirus wasn’t enough. Coronavirus and serial killers, apparently Barcelona is sparkling the flame of the Apocalypse. Luckily he’s been caught by the police.
I can’t help but popping the question, how do you catch a sociopath, serial killer keeping social distance? No one knows… Food for thought, I guess.
I also learn that there’s been a massive gipsy quarrel in the streets of Granada. It all started small and things escalated pretty quickly. 2 gipsy clans against each other and the police. Drugs, guns and family pride in the midst of the Apocalypse. Like a mix between Narcos and Game of Thrones with social distancing.
Pretty hardcore stuff...
Talking about hardcore stuff. Miriam plays on her Random Playlist the latest discovery: Holy Week breakbeat music. Because why not. The group, Califato ¾. The song, Critto de la nabaha (Christ of the bladed knife, if that could be translated into something that makes sense). They have another hit, Bulería del Aire Acondiçionao (Air-con bulería).
Fuck.
Too many shocking revelations for the night. I’m so astonished I laugh so hard I almost choke. Ire’s face goes pale and Dan carefully listens to the tune. I think he wants to understand why on Earth someone would mix Holy Week music like Avicii. No one knows, really… So much innovation at once can be overwhelming sometimes. We keep on laughing and chatting until past midnight. Can’t wait to see them.
Go to bed rather late, but I don’t mind. I’m full of great energy. Tomorrow’s Friday, May 1st.
Another month, another day, another step climbed.