Last weekend

This past weekend we went to Madrid. There's only one photo -- either the city's not that photogenic, or it didn't seem photogenic in the rain, or we just weren't in that sort of mood... I can recommend to you however the museums Del Prado (Goya!), Thyssen-Bornemisza (modern art galore, including new artists as yet unknown to me!) and Reina Sofia (Guernica, the real thing, in person, finally!!!!).

Anyway the weekend before that was tidying up the garden on the roof (among a long list of other things, mostly social, and very tiring) -- but gardening was quite rejuvenating, and yielded this:

Aspiration

Grace, she takes the blame
She covers the shame
Removes the stain
It could be her name

Grace, it's the name for a girl
It's also a thought that changed the world
And when she walks on the street
You can hear the strings
Grace finds goodness in everything

Grace, she's got the walk
Not on a ramp or on chalk
She's got the time to talk
She travels outside of karma
She travels outside of karma
When she goes to work
You can hear her strings
Grace finds beauty in everything

Grace, she carries a world on her hips
No champagne flute for her lips
No twirls or skips between her fingertips
She carries a pearl in perfect condition

What once was hurt
What once was friction
What left a mark
No longer stings
Because Grace makes beauty
Out of ugly things

Grace makes beauty out of ugly things

- U2

The smell of wine

When I walked into my living room this evening, it smelled like wine. Mmm! The culprit? These roses, perfuming the air:

Also of note, I bought some new shoes last week. My spouse thinks they look too mannish, but I think the heel makes up for this. Do you agree?

Not out to get me

Life keeps teaching me its tiny lessons: the wisdom I have for others, applying it to myself. How often have I not been insulted by a statement, suggestion or facial expression that was most certainly not intended to convey the meaning I attributed to it? Like when my spouse asks, "Did you do (x) yet?" and I fly off the handle because he obviously thinks I'm lazy, forgetful, incapable or slovenly.

Or even today, and Friday (and even earlier I realize in fact), how personally hurt and offended have I not been by a decision of my boss' boss, which I interpreted primarily as an insult to my person and to my professional capabilities, but which was in fact driven (as usual in his case) by a very cold, impersonal and rational calculation of the costs and benefits of a particular course of action?

Physician! Heal thyself!

Not out to get you

If I see something on the Internet, or meet someone, or experience something in my daily life, and it makes me think, and I post these thoughts on the Internet, I do not mean it as a personal offense to anyone whose thoughts, experiences, appearance or existence may have inspired my thoughts.

Notwithstanding the above, CB, my apologies for any offense taken.

Not yet

I am not yet so old that I feel flattered when people think I am younger than I am (except at the liquor store, maybe).

Perhaps it's because I, also, think I'm younger than I am.

Perhaps it's because I take my youthful appearance for granted.

Mysterious package a.k.a. stupid bank

The headline for this post was supposed to be mysterious package and by double-heading it I give away the punchline, but I really am peeved. Also at myself, but the reasons for that will become obvious.

My spouse told me that the package was probably: a binder from our bank. That's right, our bank sends us binders from time to time, presumably to facilitate our storing the bank statements in an orderly way. I say "from time to time" because this happened also last year. A package! And then trekking to the post office only to find: a binder. Because these binders, you see, don't fit through the mail slot.

Anyway, last year they sent us two binders. Two! And this year, I got one from a neighbor who happened to be home when the post attempted delivery. She knocked on our door to present me it. I acted pleased, I mean, it's not her fault they keep sending us these stupid binders. As if we don't have a filing cabinet. As if we want to store our statements in binders. As if we can't buy binders, ourselves, having a more attractive appearance that "white with bank logo." But then I acted grouchy with my spouse, and after all, it's not his fault either. Stupid bank.

So I already had one binder, and then there was a package slip from the post office. Pick up your package at (address quite a bit further from our house than the former package-pick-up location around the corner, where I grumblingly picked up last year's binders). Still with me? So spousykins says, it's probably another binder. You remember, they sent us two last year. Which I didn't remember, but I guess it was true. So Saturday afternoon I pass by this postal location but, alas, it closed at 14:00 on Saturday. Then whilst blogging yesterday I stumbled on the thought that, hey, maybe this package is something I actually want, like a package from my mommykins. So I headed up there again this morning, cutting into my work time (hey, every cloud has a silver lining) and stood in line (well, actually here you take a number), and then waited forever while the guy looked everywhere for my package -- the package slip said house number 88, whereas my actual house number is 81, whereas the package was marked with 18 -- anyway, it turned out to be (you guessed it by now): the binder from the bank.

Which brings me back to my original conclusion.

Stupid bank.

Good to see ya!

I see that word is getting out about my blog. So, if you're reading this, thanks for coming by.

As for news, I have the following to report.

• Halloween came and went with no costumes (in the case of me). Also for the record, no candy corn (frequently sent to me around Halloween-time by my mother, in the past). Although, come to think of it, what was that mysterious package I failed to pick up at the post office on Saturday?... On the other hand, I did have some nice Halloween stickers provided to me by my sister.
• A US visiting colleague asked me if "they" celebrate Halloween over here, and when I started to reply that I didn't have any kids, so I'm not really sure, but for adults it's not really a big deal, he started to get all apologetic about apparently seeming to imply something about whether or not I would have any kids. It was a bit funny.
• I enjoy the negotiating of contracts.
• My husband and I went ice skating yesterday, which is possible outdoors in this country even when the temperature outdoors is 13 Celsius. He on the other hand is headed to Vilnius this evening, where the forecast temperature is -13 Celsius.
• Some friends had a baby and they named him William, which is also my dad's name, even though they do not know my dad.
• I am going to Zurich on Thursday-Friday.
• We reserved our tickets to the US for Christmas, which I am very excited about.

What are you sinking about?