Day 7 - Carla vs. The Universe 8:13

I confess to being one of those persons who has great ideas about how organized her life should be but often lack the discipline, the time or the mood to put them into action. Another of those things that theoretically I defend but often really really mess them up in practice is establishing priorities.

I'm quite a perfectionist and, being such, I always do things the hard way. I like my foundations set properly before I decide to build, which often leaves me so exhausted even before I start something for real.

Today, on the other hand, I went practical, threw perfectionism aside and, after rolling up my sleeves, set myself to prepare for tonight's seminar. I did all the printing and set myself up to do all the reading, when, an hour before I was supposed to leave the house, my sixth sense kicks in and tells me to go check the students' platform... And that's how once more (twice this semester) I avoid doing 20 something Kms in heavy traffic to have a lesson that I'm not going to have after all.

I do love this part of me that I often call my "guessing finger"... I love the way that I can predict certain things with a severe degree of acuracy that often leaves me stunned. I particularly love it when it helps me avoid doing something like catching my daughter from school in the middle of her lessons, drive down faster than advisable due to lack of time, only to realize that all was in vain and that I should just have stayed home and packed my bags for the upcoming weekend retreat. I also love it when the news come, via guessing finger, that I don't have to leave my sofa, my blanket and my cup of tea, to go freezing, coughing and sneezing to a often boring lecture on whatever it is that it ends up being about. Yay me!

On the other hand, I get utterly outraged that, the news coming so late, aren't sent out to the recipients in a more effective manner. This way, one has to almost double check the students' platform every time one is about to leave the house, just in case a mad professor caught rabis on his way to class and couldn't make it there safely without bitting any of us.

Since I'm in good spirits - having finally talked to Santa about getting my daughter that extremely expensive present she's been asking for so long and being on the verge to leave my four walls for a weekend getaway where no one is likely to get to me - I'm going to call this a tie and bugger off to do some shopping and some packing.

Have a great evening everyone! And a particularly calm, relaxing and fun weekend! I know I will... ;-)

Day 6 - Carla vs. The Universe 7:12

One of the topics I often nag about - and by often I mean every single time I'm behind the wheel and that I'm required to drive for more than 1 Km - is the way Portuguese people drive. I'm quite sure that, at least, 98% of Portuguese driving is done aggressively and in total disrespect of everyone else.

People generally don't respect speed limits, seem to have a particular difficulty in spotting stop signs or zebra crossings, haven't shown full comprehension of the concept of priority and the rule applied when you encounter obstacles and most definitely think they're entitled to park their car wherever is most convenient to them.

Obviously that it doesn't really help our situation that speed limits aren't often in accordance with the demands of the road you're driving in, forcing people to slow down for no particular reason or highering the speed limit when it isn't advisable. As for the stop signs, I must say they're used so very often and in so many absurd situations, that even I feel the resistance to stop in certain situations. Zebra crossings, on the other hand, should often be repainted and signaled properly, as this lack of maintance often leads to serious tragedies.

But there's also the issue of road works... They pop up everywhere, badly marked, taking ages to be completed and, once they're done, the asphalt is rarely ever put back properly, which leads to a road full of bumps or holes.

What saddens me most, though, is the general aggressive wave you feel when you're out driving. Even the nicest people seem to take on a different personality once they're behind the wheel - and it's not a nice one. Considering the high number of accidents on the roads every year, and now that Christmas is around the corner, it wouldn't hurt being nice to one another every now and then...

Food for thought, dear drivers! Food for thought!...

Day 5 - Carla vs. The Universe 7:11

It is said that women love hairdressers. In fact, there are those who cannot pass without a couple of weekly visits to a salon, those who claim that they couldn't pass without their favourite hairdresser, those who think less of other women because they cannot see the divine in a hairdressing moment.

I've grown up in close proximity to a hairdresser. I saw her start her first salon, then her second, then close her first, then open her third. I spent hours and hours seeing people in and out of all of them in a cloud of hairspray and new polished nails. I even got to work in one of them for a while, only to feel a little like a guinea pig, who's hair kept on changing colour almost in an attempt to match the nails.

Still, after all these years, I am still so allergic to entering a hairdresser... Months pass by while I (in a mix of unhappy happiness) postpone the decision of entering those scary places. I guess my biggest problem is really the fact that I never seem to like the results - at least, not twice in a row. I've been noticing a decrease of quality in this area and I just don't like it. I've seen lack of professionalism, people saying that they can do about a billion different things without being qualified or experienced to do it. It's truly scary.

But, anyway, there's a time when I do get fed up with looking myself in the mirror and feeling like that there's just nothing else to do with my stringy hair than getting it cut. Yesterday was one of those days.

This time around I decided to pick a new hairdresser salon, considering how disappointing my last visit was. Service was speedy and, soon enough, I was relieved of my coat, bag and scarf, thrown into a blue gown and sat by the mirror so I could more closely admire my hair disaster. My instructions were simple - due to a rather annoying health situation, my hair seems to be falling by the load and I'm undergoing treatment for that problem, so what I really want is to get it cut cut cut, as in rather short, because I'm sick and tired of this few strands of hair I've got left.

I did think my instructions were rather simple, and as I was in a hurry, I expected to get my hair washed, cut, blow dried and, after being relieved of the necessary amount of Euros, just be out the door in time to pick my daughter up from school. But, of course, (as experience warned me), it just wasn't going to be that simple. First, I had to politely refuse a super duper extra great anti-fall treatment, even if I had just mentioned I was undergoing one, especifically prescribed by doctor for my condition. Then I had to refuse the super duper extra hiper great shampoo, that just wasn't going to do anything anyway. So, after a while, I tried to make my message sms-short: I just need my hair cut, that's about it! And finally, my original idea of wanting it super short in the back and chin length in the front seemed to the professional quite outraging and so, half anesthetized, I just settled for whatever cut would be coming my way, desperate to get out of there, at least in time to not get my child handed over to the social services based on parental abandonment.

I did get out of there... Eventually... And, almost!, in time to get my daughter from school... It took me 1,5 hour to get a haircut - not what I had in mind, you see, but whatever my skilful hairdresser had in mind for me... And my evergrowing hairdresser panic is fed once again for the next half a year or so. My wallet is also slightly confused - mainly for the fact that I paid almost twice as much as I have been paying for the same kind of service.

---

"What about your nails? Do you want to get them fixed?"

"You know, once again, I did only come in for a speedy haircut!"

Carla 0 - The Universe 1

Day 4 - Carla vs. The Universe 7:10

And so the weekend is gone... A weekend spent home, in the warmth, listening to the rain falling outside, while watching a movie (or several). Very lazily and very late, we went out to do a bit of lightning shopping and to eat something quickly. Once more, my daughter casted a quality vote for a McDonalds dinner and so it was what we had...

Not that we had much choice, really. According to the schedule put up in every entrance of the shopping center, all restaurants in it are open until 23:00. The thing is, they are OPEN - that's truly a fact - but apparently, they decided not to work some time around 22:00 or so, independently of the fact that there were still people around and wanting food. It was with a mixture of incredulity and amusement that I saw people approaching different restaurant counters, only to stand around waiting for ages, while the worker, who should have been by the cash register, walks around in the kitchen of the restaurant, either cleaning or just merely chatting with those who were cleaning, occasionally throwing a glance in the direction of the counter and the waiting people, expecting them to just be tired of waiting and go away. Some of them were more resilient and seemed to refuse to go away, only to be waved off, some minutes later, with a confused look, by a bored and half asleep worker.

Even McDonalds was doing its best to try the patience of a hungry person. First, the concept of FAST food seems not to apply to them on Sunday nights - they seemed to be taking about 10 minutes to serve each client. Second, they seemed to be intent on giving my already ordered and done Big Mac to anyone who would order one after me - and ended up forgetting to melt the cheese on the one that finally was destined for me. (Carla 0 : The Universe 1)

It's a bit complicated for my brain to take in all these impressions... There's the claim that the country is going under (which, apparently, they only seem to realize now... and that, I'm sorry to say, is the biggest shocker for me!), that companies are closing down, that people aren't buying, that people are get unemployed as a consequence of the previous statements. Still, those who ARE working at the moment, especially those who have to deal with the general public, seem to be bored senseless and just totally not care - both company and workers. For me, it's hard to face the fact that the world has turned around in such a way that the costumer seems to be always absolutely wrong and should even get out of the house (if he/she was intending on grabbing something to eat) in a time that would be more appropriate for companies/workers, even if a stupid paper says that they must stay open until a certain hour.

Of course that this isn't absolutely new to me... For years that I've been avoiding certain restaurants at certain hours even if they claim to be open, because I just know they aren't really serving at certain times and, even if they do, food will be far from great. But this peculiarity of mine was one of those (many) things that my foreigner husband couldn't possibly understand. "If it says open, then it's open. They have to serve us!" Eight years later he has learnt better than believing in that and I've actually stepped over the line to his side and every now and again go into a restaurant in the off hours, order crappy food to an annoyed worker that should rather be chatting with his/her pals in those calms hours and then eat my cold and tasteless meal half happy in the thought that I did something to re-establish the order, though deep inside I know it's all just in my head.

But what really lingered on in my mind after (and during) that dinner, was something else completely different and much more heartbreaking. A little girl, about the size of my own daughter (about 6 years old), approached our table and asked if she could have a french fry. It wasn't the regular kid, who's curious about what other people are eating, and much to the embarassment of the parents, pop to the neighbouring table and asks questions and requests food. It was a rather small, unwashed and sad looking gipsy girl, who's smart eyes screamed hunger. Clumsily I grabbed a box with fries, wrapped them in a napkin, gave her some ketchup and saw her disappear faster than I could process the whole scene. When I did, and looked around, I couldn't see her anymore anywhere.

My head was so full of thoughts that my appetite was gone. I looked at my daughter, privileging her fries over the nuggets, much to my husband's usual annoyance and my heart broke. Somewhere - in many somewheres, in this country, in the world - people starve, feel all weathers in their bones, lack the comodities many of us take for granted. (Carla 0 : The Universe 2)

I guess that the world is wrong in so many ways. One tries to fix what one can, with what's at our reach, but it feels so insufficient, a little droplet of water into a thirsty desert. And so I eventually got home, prepared the bags for the coming day, put my daughter to bed, read her a chapter and a half of the "Through the Looking Glass" until she fell asleep, got myself to bed and got up this morning with a sense of hopelessness that was half topped half emptied by the news on the radio.

Apparently, every day of the week, left over food, provenient from public services, public companies, schools, etc, has been thrown in the garbage rather than being used to feed the poor. The State can't afford to help so many cases of existing and arising poverty, but it seems to be able to afford to throw food in the garbage that could feed so many mouths. The only thing they'd need to do would be to find appropriate transportation to keep the quality of the food until it reaches it's destination. (Carla 0 : The Universe 3)

From what I heard, a man, in this country of mine, seemed to not accept this situation and started a petition in order to save this food and give it to those in need. In a country of 10 million people, where 6 million claim to be Benfica supporters, the petition has little over half a million signatures and seeking more. On the other hand, the echo of its message has made itself heard in the right instances and so it seems like people are on the move to take this step in the direction of eradicating hunger.

Day 3 - Carla vs. The Universe 7:7

Ahhhhh! The pleasure of a home-spent Saturday morning!...

I guess I should start by explaining that this is almost as rare as the Halley comet. :-S (Carla 1 : The Universe 0)

Every morning of my week (except, perhaps, for Sunday) starts with a mad run somewhere and Saturday's aren't an exception, as they're the designated days for swimming class. Not for me, mind you; for my daughter. I actually feel a little bit bad being so happy for staying home this morning - (well, maybe not so bad after all, as she has just found me out hidding in my home office and has started a true earth-quake of all sorts of questions as she tries to turn on the computer to play some games at nickjr.com...) - considering how much she loves swimming and the fact that she's just staying home because she's been having a nasty cough and a wounded knee (considerate contributions from the nasty weather change we've got about a week or two ago and a painful fall in school ground).

So, here I am, by my computer, looking out through the window by my desk and watching the sun trying to break through heavy rain filled clouds, sipping on a cup of tea (Pickwick's "Forest Fruit", that has come all the way from Sweden, from a dear dear friend of mine), wearing an extra-extra-extra overseized bath robe that I offered my husband a year or so ago (and strangely have seen him wear it very seldomly... Hmmm... It might have something to do with the fact that I kind of wear it every chance I have, I guess... :-S) and an extra fluffy pair of socks (the second one!) that same dear friend has sent me from the far northern lands. She's the best! :-) (Carla 2 : The Universe 0)

But, anyway, what I wanted to tell you about wasn't necessarily about my zen moment... I was intending on telling you about yesterday's evening, and so, here we go...

My weekly schedule is a bit tricky. Yesterday was one of those days that seem to be a little trickier than others. Someone had moved a seminar class I had signed up for in September and re-scheduled it altogether, without consulting those who had signed up for it (Carla 2: The Universe 1). Well, the story is a bit more colourful than that actually... It started with the fact that two of the original classes (out of a total of five) were scheduled for the first week of November in which, as it's costumary, the university is closed. Yay for considerate planning! As I signed up for them, I noticed this fact and so I immediately wrote the representative for the office that handles these things asking if it was supposed to be like this or if it was just not considered the fact that the university would be closed then. The e-mail was sent out in the first days of September. Today is the 20th of November. Two months and a half later, I still didn't get a reply. (Carla 2 : The University 2) In spite of the fact that I didn't get a reply to my question, I did receive several e-mails re-scheduling and re-re-scheduling those classes - which, to me, seems quite quite absurd, considering that you cannot just change them around, as it might collide with some other class people signed up for or anything else one has scheduled afterwards on those dates. Absurd! (Carla 2: The Universe 3) In my case, it wasn't such a big deal, really, considering I'm signed up only for a couple of classes, but it did affect many people, who had to leave one hour earlier from another class, to attend the second half of the class for this seminar, so I guess that I'm still entitled to complain about it, right?!...

To somehow top it all, the lesson was supposed to start at 18:00, but it only started well after 18:20, because the professor decided that she should give a bit of benefit to those who would be arriving late due to the colision of classes. I really don't see any problem with that, to be honest. What I find problematic is the fact that I was there on time and so were some other persons, just to be left waiting, and waiting, and waiting... The concept of warning people about this little detail seems to not even have entered their minds. (Carla 2 : The Universe 4)

But, there's more... Considering I needed to pick my daughter up from school at 17:30 and my seminar would be starting at 18:00, that would leave way too little travel time, especially on a Friday evening and so I decided to write the teacher informing her that I needed to pick my daughter up 15-20 minutes before the usual hour. Needless to say, I was expecting to be ringing on the door and have my daughter delivered to me within seconds, which was, I should have known!, such an utopic thought. Instead, I had to scream through the gate to a slightly confused janitor, who open the gate, just so I could bump into four more on my quest to grab my daughter and get the h**l out of there! It seems to not have crossed the teacher's mind that, well, considering she wouldn't be the one teaching that last class, maybe she should inform the teacher than would be doing such, along with the people responsible for handing the children over to the parents. I just "love" (huge ironic flag waving around here!) the way people choose to knowingly mess other people's lives up! (Carla 2: The Universe 5)

With all this mess behind, and finally all set in class, last evening was not such a bad one, academic-wise. I was on top of my game, which, I must confess, was a bit of a first for a long time. (Carla 3 : The Universe 5)

Life has managed to get in the way of my goals and dreams and so, often, I have felt like I should throw in the towel and move on. This year has been a trying one, in many ways. I had decided that I wouldn't pursue my academic career, as it was feeling too overwhelming. The single person in my life who truly and fully knows every corner of me thought that it wasn't time - not just yet - and so slightly pushed me back into it, with the advice that I should go for something more inspiring to me, something new, something that could make me take a deep breath and get back on the horse... and so I did. (Carla 4: The Universe 5)

The way back home was a troubled one... Rain started pouring with increased strength and, by the time we were in mid-higway, it became unbearable. No one could literally see where they were going and, for a moment or two, the scary thought of "OMG! I can't see! I can't drive! I can't stop here!" along with the even scarier realization of having every element of my little family in that car with me filled my mind. I was behind the wheel and had their lives in my hands. (Carla 4 : The Universe 6) But, you know what?... We made it home. Safe and sound. Shaken but absolutely unharmed, wishing that everyone would be as lucky as we were (which wasn't so sure, judging by the amount of ambulances that passed us by on the way). And so the balance restored itself... (Carla 5 : The Universe 6)

Day 2 - Carla vs. The Universe 2:1 :-)

Well, I did promise myself that this would be my nagging corner... You see, I'm in a bit of nag-therapy.

All of a sudden, I saw myself hitting the big 30 and realized that I have been nagging a lot more than desirable for the past decade or so. Justice be made, I do have a lot of reasons to nag, but I also have come to the conclusion that it's been more energy draining and time consuming than desirable and it does seem to bounce off my four walls.

So, I have fully understood that I do have a need nag, but only to a certain extent (and then move on, because, after all, life does seem to go on without me anyway...), and I also need to be more effective while doing it. That's why I'm sending out the echo of my words, that bounce off my walls and enter the realm of the "world wide web" and, hopefully, will meet someone on the way that will eventually nod in agreement and don't just say (the all-so-dreaded) "well, that's just how life/the world is".

Even though I do (from now on) publicly allow myself to nag, I also want to make this the corner where I tell all about those things that warm me up inside. Those moments when the universe and me seem to be in unison. That's precisely what I mean to tell you about today... :-)

I guess I should start by saying that I'm not a soccer/football fanatic, but I do love to watch my team play (and particularly, WIN!) every now and again. With this clarification made, I am proud to announce that I'm one of those who saw (well, the wording should be "heard about", because the game was only transmitted by an extra paying channel provided by our cable tv supplier who requests an absurd amount of money for this extra service - Shame on you!) F.C. Porto beat S.L. Benfica for 5-0! It's not like we don't give them a real beating every now and again, but this time it was particularly divine, not only for the amount of goals involved but also because it just has a mist of instant karma to it. On an interview before the game, the coach for Benfica was asked which was the desirable result for that game and he just blurts out... 5-0! I guess he just forgot to be more specific about who would get those 5... and who would be left with the 0... :-)

Another high moment of the recent past was the friendly game between Portugal and Spain on the past 17th. I guess most people remember Portugal's downfall before Spain in the World Cup '10. I certainly do. :-( I really was expecting our boys to show nuestros hermanos how good we are, but they seemed to not be so sure about what they were doing in South Africa and so we got our... hmmm... backside... kicked and wrapped, along with those return plane tickets. :-S

Well, even though it was a friendly game (but, honestly, who cares?!), we outdone ourselves and sent the Spaniards home with their tail between their legs, with a major 4-0 (a robbed one, I must say, otherwise it'd have been more)! Yay Portugal! High 5, Mr. Universe! :-)