My 20s were a social and financial disaster. The big things (two degrees, moving to Spain) are overshadowed by no boyfriend and being nowhere close to where I thought I would be when I turned 30. I thought I'd have the husband and two golden retrievers by now. Like Rachel in The One Where Everyone Turns 30, I much feel pressed for time to start a family, if that's what I desire.
I do see myself as a writer somewhere on the Mediterranean between Valencia and Barcelona capitals (probably closer to Barcelona than Valencia). When and how I'll get there, that remains to be seen.
Last June, when I had no laptop, I wrote out a Bucket List. I already accomplished one thing on it (visit all 17 Comunidades Autónomas of Spain, so now I have to see all the provinces.)
In random order...
-52 provincias españolas, along with Ceuta y Melilla
-Step foot on every continent (If you count the Canarias as Geographically Africa, I've been to 3 of 7. Sorry, I cannot make myself see only 5 continents!)
-Camino de Santiago
-Ruta de Quijote
-Read Quijote i Spanish
-Become a published author
-Learn Catalán and Italian at at least a B2 level
-Get married.
-In Europe, travel to Greece, Norway, Andorra, go back to Italia, Portugal and Paris
-In South America, Macchu Piccu, Argentina and Chile
-In Asia, Great Wall of China
-In Africa, the Sahara and the Pyramids
-Learn to surf
-Try to snowboard
-Learn yoga
-Get a master in Spanish, if not Ph.D
-Come out to my mom
-Meet Mariah Carey, Felicity Huffman and Lady Gaga
-Read the Complete Works of Shakespeare (And Hemingway and Dickens while I'm at it. And Unamuno).
-Have a French 19th Century style Masquerade/Bachnalia (maybe my future husband will let me have this as a reception)
-Drive Route 66
Monday, December 26, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
mi cumpleaños numero 30
The Pablo show has just entered it's 30th season, and we here at Entertainment Weekly España sat down with the headwriter for our annual conversation. We know it's a few days late, but there's a good reason.
EWEspaña: 30 years. Wow.
Headwriter: Shutup.
EWE: I mean, congratulations wow.
Headwriter: Okay, better. Thanks.
EWE: You're welcome. So first of all, last year, we were celebrating a 5-0 Barça win. This year, we have a 3-1 win to celebrate.
Headwriter: I know. Collonut, as they say in Barcelona.
EWE: In the 29th season, we saw Pablo meet one of his major life goals, visiting all 17 Comunidades Autónomas of Spain by hitting 15 Murcia, 16 Extremadura and 17 Asturias. Congratulations. Do you have any holidays planned this year?
HW: Back home to Valencia for a quick visit next week, then to Catalunya, specifically Girona and Barcelona for New Year's Eve. There might be a trip to Ibiza in January. Now that we have the Comunidades down, the new goal is the provincias, so lots of weekend trips we hope. We are also hoping for a return to Italy and Portugal, and trips to Morocco, Ireland and Greece.
EWE: Catalunya's for sure, right? At least Pablo will get to travel a bit out of Spain for once.
HW: Oh someone is just courting Catalan viewership for us, thanks for that!
EWE: We try. Now, why the hell did you move the main character back to Madrid when he was really starting to come into his own in Valencia? Viewers were hoping for a master in Barcelona.
HW: The puta crisis de mierda. No other option. We hope to do the máster this season.
EWE: Once upon a time, we always heard the same line from the Will and Grace writers. When the hell are you going to cast a boyfriend?
HW: We are always looking at potential boyfriends, but casting is extremely hard. It's hard to find someone with the right chemistry. After finally getting over his crush on Spanish C, he's slowly starting to open up his heart again. But to whom? This is a theme we hope to explore this season.
EWE: What else is in store?
HW: We are hoping to return to the States for the summer after a sweeps stunt walk on the Camino de Santiago. The more we say this, the more it will come true.
EWE: One of the biggest surprises in Season 29 was the gym, specifically Body Combat. How did that come about?
HW: Pablo has a fascination with the Federico Moccia books. When Step (Not H, silly movie!) joins the gym, Pablo was inspired. He found the gym helps out with anxiety and depression, so he keeps going. Body Combat was suggested, and he ended up loving it.
EWE: Fascinating. And any plans on that novel?
HW: More work on the novel...working on getting the first published. A poc a poc. Hey, Pablo did learn catalán/valenciano as promised! Xé que bo!
EWE: Xé que bo indeed. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Anything else you'd like to add?
HW: Beyonce is responsible for the Partido Popular winning.
EWE: Every show has to have a villain.
EWEspaña: 30 years. Wow.
Headwriter: Shutup.
EWE: I mean, congratulations wow.
Headwriter: Okay, better. Thanks.
EWE: You're welcome. So first of all, last year, we were celebrating a 5-0 Barça win. This year, we have a 3-1 win to celebrate.
Headwriter: I know. Collonut, as they say in Barcelona.
EWE: In the 29th season, we saw Pablo meet one of his major life goals, visiting all 17 Comunidades Autónomas of Spain by hitting 15 Murcia, 16 Extremadura and 17 Asturias. Congratulations. Do you have any holidays planned this year?
HW: Back home to Valencia for a quick visit next week, then to Catalunya, specifically Girona and Barcelona for New Year's Eve. There might be a trip to Ibiza in January. Now that we have the Comunidades down, the new goal is the provincias, so lots of weekend trips we hope. We are also hoping for a return to Italy and Portugal, and trips to Morocco, Ireland and Greece.
EWE: Catalunya's for sure, right? At least Pablo will get to travel a bit out of Spain for once.
HW: Oh someone is just courting Catalan viewership for us, thanks for that!
EWE: We try. Now, why the hell did you move the main character back to Madrid when he was really starting to come into his own in Valencia? Viewers were hoping for a master in Barcelona.
HW: The puta crisis de mierda. No other option. We hope to do the máster this season.
EWE: Once upon a time, we always heard the same line from the Will and Grace writers. When the hell are you going to cast a boyfriend?
HW: We are always looking at potential boyfriends, but casting is extremely hard. It's hard to find someone with the right chemistry. After finally getting over his crush on Spanish C, he's slowly starting to open up his heart again. But to whom? This is a theme we hope to explore this season.
EWE: What else is in store?
HW: We are hoping to return to the States for the summer after a sweeps stunt walk on the Camino de Santiago. The more we say this, the more it will come true.
EWE: One of the biggest surprises in Season 29 was the gym, specifically Body Combat. How did that come about?
HW: Pablo has a fascination with the Federico Moccia books. When Step (Not H, silly movie!) joins the gym, Pablo was inspired. He found the gym helps out with anxiety and depression, so he keeps going. Body Combat was suggested, and he ended up loving it.
EWE: Fascinating. And any plans on that novel?
HW: More work on the novel...working on getting the first published. A poc a poc. Hey, Pablo did learn catalán/valenciano as promised! Xé que bo!
EWE: Xé que bo indeed. Thanks for taking the time to chat with us. Anything else you'd like to add?
HW: Beyonce is responsible for the Partido Popular winning.
EWE: Every show has to have a villain.
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Mi Grana'
Back from Almería and Granada. This trip was a bit weird, a bit of a downer. Granada is definitely a place to go with a boyfriend, and if he doesn't exist, well, friends.
I got up too early to go to Almería on Thursday morning, still recuperating from farangitis. My duffel bag decides to break, and then my backpack, full with all my clothes, decides to do the same. Fantastic. I take a cab to Cibeles to catch the bus to the airport, go through security without any problems what so ever, and then have two hours to kill. I watched some Angel...plane ride non eventful as I was asleep after only about 3.5 hours of sleep.
Almería is sort of ugly, it's true, but the Alcazaba was pretty damn cool. I was being followed by cats everywhere. And they seemed to like my Barça wallet that was a gift from Valencia. Everyone commented on it, and it seemed to make me friends. I went to the beach and sat a while, looking at my favourite sea (the Mediterranean). And I was able to understand andaluz everywhere I went. My friend Rubén, who I had been talking to online since 2004!!, and I met up for tapas and so he could show me the town some. It was one of the most fun nights I had had in a while, seeing the Almería gay life and just spending time with someone I knew from the virtual world.
I knew 3 Almerineses in Valencia...one being my Body Combat monitor, one being another monitor at the gym, and the other being Spanish Flake from June, who showed that the andaluz stereotype of being falso exists for a reason :-/
Friday morning, I get up to go to Granada, then find out that I could have caught the bus to Cabo de Gata, which is the national park I really wanted to see in Almería. Ah well, there's always next time. The contrast of desert and mountain is the coolest thing to see in the landscape between Almería and Granada. I caught a cab to the pensión where I stayed, which is one of the worst experiences I've had and put a damper on the weekend. No internet, no heating, no hot water, bad location (I only like staying in the Albacyn!)
So I went to a really cool bar for café con leche, and hiked out to the Sacramonte caves, where gypsies (gitanos) make their residence. And my camera batteries died, of course. One gitana tried to rip me off, but I just walked out and didn't stand for it. I went back, ate cheap at a nice restaurant in the Albacyn, the neighbourhood that is really a labyrinth of white cobblestone streets. Because of cloud cover, I wasn't able to understand the Best Sunset in España from Mirador de San Nicolas as I wanted (but I did on Saturday).
I felt a little down being alone as I wandered the streets and saw all the Christmas lights. Not going to lie. This time of year is hard for me. Especially since I turn 30 tomorrow (more on that later) and have no relationship or permanent job to show for it. Anyway...
I decided to try going out by myself, and the bar played Mariah's All I Want for Christmas and two Lady Gaga (my two fave singles), Alejandro and Poker Face. But they played some Beyonce shit that affected me to the point of having a panic attack on Saturday. People think I make this up, about her causing panic attacks, but it's true...
Came back early, woke up Saturday and decided to spend the day roaming Granada some more. Maybe a mistake, but there is a lot to enjoy in Granada. I walked back up to Sacramonte, went through the maze of streets, found a new Mirador, had too many cafés con leche, tried and failed at a siesta, tried and failed at finding a chino to buy a new backpack (have to do that now), made it to The Best Sunset in Spain which was amazing as always. A lot of hippies go there, as do a lot of flamenco singers, which add to the ambience. I have my panic attack, then recover and go out again. They played Mariah All I Want for Christmas again...then Beyonce, and this time I had finished my Coca Cola (as I'm still on antibiotics and am concentrating on my health).
Granada remains one of my top 5 cities in Spain. However, next time I go, I hope it's with an amazing boyfriend by my side. More on this later.
I watched Ángel on the way back. I still hate the character, but I love the supporting cast, even if they killed myDoyle. Now if I could just have Giles and Wesley do some research that Cordelia would approve of, and have Buffy fight off the demon that causes one to turn 30 and kill it. 12 hours left of my 20s. Not sure where it's gone to. Again, more on that later.
I got up too early to go to Almería on Thursday morning, still recuperating from farangitis. My duffel bag decides to break, and then my backpack, full with all my clothes, decides to do the same. Fantastic. I take a cab to Cibeles to catch the bus to the airport, go through security without any problems what so ever, and then have two hours to kill. I watched some Angel...plane ride non eventful as I was asleep after only about 3.5 hours of sleep.
Almería is sort of ugly, it's true, but the Alcazaba was pretty damn cool. I was being followed by cats everywhere. And they seemed to like my Barça wallet that was a gift from Valencia. Everyone commented on it, and it seemed to make me friends. I went to the beach and sat a while, looking at my favourite sea (the Mediterranean). And I was able to understand andaluz everywhere I went. My friend Rubén, who I had been talking to online since 2004!!, and I met up for tapas and so he could show me the town some. It was one of the most fun nights I had had in a while, seeing the Almería gay life and just spending time with someone I knew from the virtual world.
I knew 3 Almerineses in Valencia...one being my Body Combat monitor, one being another monitor at the gym, and the other being Spanish Flake from June, who showed that the andaluz stereotype of being falso exists for a reason :-/
Friday morning, I get up to go to Granada, then find out that I could have caught the bus to Cabo de Gata, which is the national park I really wanted to see in Almería. Ah well, there's always next time. The contrast of desert and mountain is the coolest thing to see in the landscape between Almería and Granada. I caught a cab to the pensión where I stayed, which is one of the worst experiences I've had and put a damper on the weekend. No internet, no heating, no hot water, bad location (I only like staying in the Albacyn!)
So I went to a really cool bar for café con leche, and hiked out to the Sacramonte caves, where gypsies (gitanos) make their residence. And my camera batteries died, of course. One gitana tried to rip me off, but I just walked out and didn't stand for it. I went back, ate cheap at a nice restaurant in the Albacyn, the neighbourhood that is really a labyrinth of white cobblestone streets. Because of cloud cover, I wasn't able to understand the Best Sunset in España from Mirador de San Nicolas as I wanted (but I did on Saturday).
I felt a little down being alone as I wandered the streets and saw all the Christmas lights. Not going to lie. This time of year is hard for me. Especially since I turn 30 tomorrow (more on that later) and have no relationship or permanent job to show for it. Anyway...
I decided to try going out by myself, and the bar played Mariah's All I Want for Christmas and two Lady Gaga (my two fave singles), Alejandro and Poker Face. But they played some Beyonce shit that affected me to the point of having a panic attack on Saturday. People think I make this up, about her causing panic attacks, but it's true...
Came back early, woke up Saturday and decided to spend the day roaming Granada some more. Maybe a mistake, but there is a lot to enjoy in Granada. I walked back up to Sacramonte, went through the maze of streets, found a new Mirador, had too many cafés con leche, tried and failed at a siesta, tried and failed at finding a chino to buy a new backpack (have to do that now), made it to The Best Sunset in Spain which was amazing as always. A lot of hippies go there, as do a lot of flamenco singers, which add to the ambience. I have my panic attack, then recover and go out again. They played Mariah All I Want for Christmas again...then Beyonce, and this time I had finished my Coca Cola (as I'm still on antibiotics and am concentrating on my health).
Granada remains one of my top 5 cities in Spain. However, next time I go, I hope it's with an amazing boyfriend by my side. More on this later.
I watched Ángel on the way back. I still hate the character, but I love the supporting cast, even if they killed myDoyle. Now if I could just have Giles and Wesley do some research that Cordelia would approve of, and have Buffy fight off the demon that causes one to turn 30 and kill it. 12 hours left of my 20s. Not sure where it's gone to. Again, more on that later.
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