tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-152663742011-11-14T15:47:24.679+01:00Working like a dog. Living like a dog?Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.comBlogger791100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-15342507921735952392007-07-18T01:02:00.000+01:002007-07-18T01:20:42.904+01:00

Like footsteps before bedtime - you know when you walk through the dream? I wonder many things, tell me a story please? I had a dream which I wish I'd written before so that you would believe me, but I told enough people and I guess a blog is essentially for myself so it is alright.I dreamt that I was walking up the road to Christchurch lying grey against the morning sky. It was overcast and

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-71650355249257978272007-05-07T00:12:00.000+01:002007-05-07T01:00:30.621+01:00

I haven't been around a lot lately, mainly because there has been little time for me to sit down and write, or little privacy. I think about it often, but like my old counsellor sometimes I am afraid of visiting my blog. And the people I know who read it. I will have to change one day.I left my old job, letting Spring take me on it's way down a new stream. The interview was a 90 minute event,

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-29691908056814841202007-03-13T01:13:00.000+01:002007-03-13T01:40:37.893+01:00

Every time I look in the mirror I cannot reconcile myself with the person I see looking back at me. Often I think I know who I am, but maybe I am just terribly delusional. Who is this fat-faced girl looking back at me. I don't live in this shell, this cage of aspiring dreams and broken reality. I live somewhere out there. That is why I need to climb mountains even when they are full of shouting

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-61479688457753079022007-01-26T03:26:00.000+01:002007-01-26T03:50:17.650+01:00

Wearing high heels can be difficult.Stepping through the brittle winter sunlight as a tall white woman, I can't help but stand out. The terraces are full of muffled cappuccino drinkers eyeing each other up, and I bury deeper into my cream granny crocheted scarf. I sit down nervously, aware that these eyes are critical not appraising, and take my coat off in my confusion. It takes a full seven

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-25930456468646470182007-01-24T00:46:00.000+01:002007-01-24T01:11:41.016+01:00

As we cross the crest of the hill, the side of the old Jail choked with dead ivy greeted us, the air dead and old and damp in our nostrils. The tower of an old cathedral lies silhouetted against the sky on the way down to the river valley, and shafts of yellow dusky light break through the gloaming. We entered silently through the front gate, the echoes of forgotten hooves in our minds and our

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1165845419229620752006-12-11T14:35:00.000+01:002006-12-11T14:56:59.476+01:00

God, I am so funny. What a pun eh? Took me two seconds to think of it. Not surprising really....So after my last blogs, I went down to the winetasting. Lately I have not been able to eat very much so I was drinking on an empty stomach. There are lots of photos, me looking slightly sad in a green jacket and all-embracing cream scarf, wineglass in hand, cheek glued to someone's head, normally poor

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1164731449862445702006-11-28T17:22:00.000+01:002006-11-28T17:30:49.926+01:00

Mabel invited me to go to a wine-tasting session this evening. I agreed, despite feeling slightly depressed. I can only assume it is the come-down after the gig that has left me so hopeless. It will be fun. Giu came down to see us chatting. No kisses on the head this time. He stood by the wall. Mabel ran, "leaving us to it" and smiling manically. I am sure the girls behind me were watching with

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1164670974622010532006-11-28T00:23:00.000+01:002006-11-28T00:42:54.636+01:00

What more could go wrong? We had not rehearsed together since the last gig in September as Alex had been in the states, and then as soon as he came back Gordon had some sort of flu. So on Saturday night as I went down the stairs to check if everything was ready before the gig, I prayed nothing else would happen. The minute I walked in it was clear that the left speaker wasn't working. Alex and

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1164231455088950292006-11-22T22:18:00.000+01:002006-11-22T22:40:54.660+01:00

Two conversations:Giu and I are awkwardly but happily chatting as he sits at his desk and I lean on the edge of it.Yannis: So are you two exchanging....music again?Giu and I, simultaniously: Eh no! I...she....I...she...came back to give me a tenner...Yannis: It looks bad, you guys...in work...*Excessive blushing and a delighted smile from Yannis before he takes off*Yannis: So I told you I'm

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1163902293768856902006-11-19T02:37:00.000+01:002006-11-19T03:11:34.376+01:00

Lollipops are the theme I have chosen for my band's webpages, and I like the idea that they are like a brightly coloured mix of flavors, somewhat like our music. I also like writing that if you are not dazzled by us, then get blind drunk and look again. Thing is, the music is not moving. We play in a week, on Saturday the 25th, and our bassplayer is still in England, returning on Thursday. He is

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1161641766838099302006-10-23T23:10:00.000+01:002006-10-23T23:16:06.856+01:00

There is a reason I don’t go to Irish bars much in Barcelona. It seems to defy the purpose of running away. But every so often you feel the need, and when football is involved, it is a safe bet that the Irish bars will be showing the match.So with this in mind, I dragged my visiting cousin Donog, and my friend Julie, down to the Dubliner, a home-made bar in Gracia run by the lovely Steve, that

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1161217842278209072006-10-19T01:21:00.000+01:002006-10-19T01:30:42.296+01:00

Well I am completely hammered, and as a closet Chelsea fan, I am delighted and embarrassed to report Chelsea WHOOPED Barcelona's ass tonight in football, and I'd a great time, drinking wine with Mable while advising her about work (as in my work is like a family and be careful what you say cos it get's around) and then having beers with the band while talking about what we need to do, and then as

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1160851930715511812006-10-14T19:45:00.000+01:002006-10-14T19:52:10.730+01:00

And that is not an incomplete stutter about the 24-year old I was eying-up recently. Tomorrow night I have potentially six ladies coming over for an evening of drunkenness and probably a lot of bleeding hearts. And potentially one of them is moving in for 2 weeks cos she is splitting with her boyfriend. Why do they all split with their boyfriends, and why do I always feel I should offer them a

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1160609767617093272006-10-12T00:18:00.000+01:002006-10-12T00:36:07.903+01:00

So now Alex (the bassist) is off to New York, and I am insanely jealous, I have lots of time to write scarey music. In fact last night I freaked myself out so much that I couldn't sleep the whole night. The music probably wouldn't scare your average folk, although the bass line of grated rhythm might, I can't describe how much it scared me. I got right into it, and suddenly I couldn't see because

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1159918203148250542006-10-04T00:05:00.000+01:002006-10-04T00:30:03.326+01:00

We had arranged to meet there at 7 because we thought we might get a sound-check in earlier somehow. But the shell of the stage had only just gone up in front of the church and there was a mass on. So of course we ended up sitting in the local bar drinking beer and rattling our nerves in advance of the earth-changing gig we were about to do. Outside punks with dogs and old ladies dragging each

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1158877045507995642006-09-21T23:09:00.000+01:002006-09-21T23:17:25.526+01:00

In a week and a day we play a gig where the band is unknown, the name posted is wrong, we don't know where(except roughly), we don't know the time, we don't know the other bands. However, I know it is for the festival of Hosta Franca in Barcelona on the 29th of September, and that my band, Cobalt, will play for 45 minutes a set list that ranges from a dirty angry teenage-angst powerchord track,

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1156806955125969192006-08-28T23:57:00.000+01:002006-08-29T00:15:55.146+01:00

Red sky at night. Things have been really quite hectic here over the last two weeks. In an effort not to wonder at the lack of communication from Nico, I moved on. I rehearsed with the band. I recorded a twelve hour session which was an experience and a half. I squeezed an eventual perfect drum recording from the drummer, put my foot down over some sounds and waited patiently for other things

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1155946549012382512006-08-19T00:52:00.000+01:002006-08-19T01:15:49.023+01:00

Already having shown my amazing ability to obsess over nothing, I shall now demonstrate my mind's penchant for silliness.Nico is depressed. I should know, cos I was depressed up until recently myself, and I can just hear it in his voice. He made great effort to contact me and explain to me what was going on, which isn't easy when you are speaking to someone on a balcony with a toothbrush in their

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1155774065059161352006-08-17T00:59:00.000+01:002006-08-17T01:21:05.126+01:00

This morning I woke up without a wrinkle in the sheet, as I had not moved the entire night. Mind you the entire night consisted of 3 hours, as I followed my current trend of drinking to forget. The night before I had found myself in a Karaoke bar with black walls and neon lights along the edges only, full of round men and cigarettes, and beer. This morning I didn't want to get up, what is more, I

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1155585742349751392006-08-14T20:59:00.000+01:002006-08-14T21:02:22.373+01:00

The LCD sign tells me it is 24 degrees but it desn´t feel like it. It is cold and windy, the air damp from the sporadic tempestual showers that August brings Barcelona. The streets of Gracia are full of long tables with various shapes made of foam and old tetra bricks being spray-painted bright colours in advance of the week-long festival that takes place this week. Everyone I know is making an

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1154985184866178312006-08-07T22:11:00.000+01:002006-08-07T22:13:04.886+01:00

We had drinks on Saturday for a girl who is leaving. The lads from work decided to go to an 80s club to dance, but I dunno why, I just felt that I needed to go to the Chilean bar. I was determined not to go on my own, so I called my friend Alex who finished work at 2am. “Yeah, I’ll meet you at the Sugar at 3. I’m with 2 friends from work. I think it would be really bad form if you stayed home now

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1154652012724999602006-08-04T01:39:00.000+01:002006-08-04T01:40:12.726+01:00

I just realise what I did. In the below post I outlined events today, omitting one important detail. The bit where I say to Sergio to stay in touch regardless, cos maybe we can organise gigs with our two bands playing together. I believe I may even have said something shamefully similar to a marketing executive, along the lines of “The two styles could really complement each other” although I am

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1154650268366837532006-08-04T00:52:00.000+01:002006-08-04T01:11:08.436+01:00

If I were to write my own horrorscope, I would write:Time of emotional turmoil. You know what you want but you don't know how to get it. Despair, and give up. You know things will just go the way they want to anyway. PS don't date bandmates.But I don't write Horrorscopes.I have cheated on my band. We had a very messy rehearsal recently so I excused myself from today's rehearsal and went to find

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1153700410953735272006-07-24T00:58:00.000+01:002006-07-24T01:23:26.970+01:00

Once upon a time there was a little girl. And this little girl realised very early on that although her parents loved her very much, she came second in the world. Not because they already had another daughter, but because they had to look after themselves first. So this little girl went into the world believing that she had to learn to look after herself too, but never quite acheiving that.There

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1153616814261165142006-07-23T01:18:00.000+01:002006-07-24T00:53:46.160+01:00

A while ago I may have mentioned, a hundred times or so, that I was looking for a drummer. Well, what I neglected to say is that I found him. And at this juncture I am regretting having changed my blog from anonymous to some-people-who-know-me-know-it, cos I am in a pool of confusion and feel like naming everyone and everything.So the new drummer is from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1153091814844859182006-07-16T23:12:00.000+01:002006-07-17T00:26:58.823+01:00

So I broke my duck. For the first time I can remember, I have been robbed. And it happened on exactly the night I knew it would, so I had left my camera at home and given away my money. Let me explain:Sometimes when I waken I think I am under the copper mountain, sharing the acrid earthy air with soldiers sheltering from the fight. I don't know if they are relics from some world war, guerrilla

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1151532078777514892006-06-28T22:33:00.000+01:002006-06-28T23:03:40.953+01:00

Currently playing in The Green Room:Will I move to Sweden or return to Ireland?What should we name the band and will we find a drummer before our first gig?Why smiles are frightening.andAll about the scary date.So first up in my mind’s eye, will I go to Sweden or return to Ireland. Well, I reckon I will probably return to Ireland in the short term anyway, if only to spend a wee bit of time with

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1151274662136931782006-06-25T22:57:00.000+01:002006-06-28T23:07:06.743+01:00

I am twenty-six years old and I still suffer from nightmares. I still encounter the recurring dreams of my childhood, as well as new delights which leave me numb. I don’t even get frightened anymore, I just feel despair. One recurring dream is the one of the teddybear’s picnic. I am in a land of green, there is no sky, no grass, only green. There is a teddybear and a blonde-haired doll and a

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1148596017916889082006-05-25T23:18:00.000+01:002006-05-25T23:26:57.930+01:00

When I lived in Dublin, once I wished for a white chair. It appeared on my doorstep the next evening and I found it when I came home from my walk in the rain. Last night I wished again for a white wooden chair, and I found it as I walked home from the wrong bus stop. I had to hobble cos I'd a huge blister on the sole of my foot that had just decided to burst, but I didn't care. That I was happy

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1148243162675650632006-05-21T21:05:00.000+01:002006-05-21T21:41:01.673+01:00

There is a wee Chilean bar at the bottom of the Rambla de Raval. It doesn't even have a name. The door is just wattle strapped together and covered with some sort of dark grass, and the shutter is always half-open. When you enter it is a bit like going into someone's kitchen, with it's white glass door, and the fridge with its donkey sticker greeting you at the entrance. Julie and I always

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1147641597697571482006-05-14T21:49:00.000+01:002006-05-14T22:19:57.713+01:00

Several weeks have passed in the vortex green bubble of my new flat. Where I had been careful with money, now I am reckless. Where I spent time rehearsing I now look for things to fill my empty days and increasingly find myself walking around aimlessly whether filling the time between work and meeting someone or just cos I have nowhere better to go is much of a muchness.I know that when I wander

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1145557752357309112006-04-20T18:52:00.000+01:002006-04-20T19:32:15.443+01:00

Like a piece of chewing gum on your clothing, dreams stick in my head when I awaken. I am used to being fuly awake as soon as I become concious in the morning, and often remember my dreams despite the sudden awakening. Like a habit. But lately when I waken, my body feels so heavy and disorientated. And all I know is that I have to get out of bed now or I will be in trouble. Like when we were kids

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1145203953292832142006-04-16T16:42:00.000+01:002006-04-16T17:12:33.306+01:00

When we were small, we lived at the end of a laneway. There were two small single storey houses, and ours was the one with the red door. When my dad painted the door, he had to wash my sister from head to toe in white spirits because she jumped into the bucket of paint when he had his back turned a second. And I spoiled another bucket of paint by balancing three milk bottles on my head and

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1144962717085592092006-04-13T21:11:00.000+01:002006-04-13T22:19:43.770+01:00

The sunlight is locked out of the hallway full of stairs, and the iron railings curl like tenrils of poison ivy up the wall. The door slams shut behind me with a dull thud that, though it is quiet, it has a hard finality to it. The only way is up, either by marble staircase or death-defying elevator. I choose to scrape my flipflops up to the fourth floor, and drag myself huffing and puffing into

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1144795502352183732006-04-11T23:27:00.000+01:002006-04-13T21:11:12.593+01:00

There is a painting in my room that everyone wants to buy. It is a grey green mountainscape in early morning with ghostly white trees reaching their skeletal hands upwards, straining like eager beggars to the morning's stingy sunlight. I think it is in winter. There is the slightest reflection of the dim yellow of the sun in the water and that is it. I don't want anyone to buy the painting

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1144064308142908972006-04-03T12:03:00.000+01:002006-04-03T13:10:03.706+01:00

I went to London on a whim. I basically sat here and decided I wanted to go somewhere really soon, and London was it. I thought I was mad, because I have a craving for green and for countryside and the noise and dirt of Barcelona is getting to me. I knew I had been irritable and scratchy lately and withdrawing from people. Suffering from fatigue, on edge, nervous, and on top of it all unhappy but

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1142793558939295872006-03-19T19:34:00.000+01:002006-04-03T12:03:49.743+01:00

Dear You,I know that lately you feel a need for space and desire silence. This is no new development, and I respect that need. However, there comes a time in every persons´s life when he or she has to stop being a spoiled child and realise that it is important to help others. That time in your life is now. It is all very fine and well for you to preach tolerance, but you are one of the most

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1139236530804559112006-02-06T15:23:00.000+01:002006-02-06T15:35:30.836+01:00

Friday night was clement, but the last few nights have been bitterly cold. As I strolled in an hour and a half late to work today, my boss informed me through a mouthfull of smoke that snow is on the way. I hope so because I wished for some last night. No point in having the cold if there is no snow, I reckon! I enter the lift as though in a dream and drift up to the fourth floor.My family came

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1137408535380746242006-01-16T11:26:00.000+01:002006-01-16T11:48:55.396+01:00

Some people like the rain because it is different. I like it because it ushers in a kind of loneliness that I can accept and understand. The sky is that odd shade less than bright white, and the world seems less real because there is no blue sky. There is no gap between the endless grey of the city and the clouds. People stay in their own heads, and warm light seeps out into the damp streets.

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1136221419875550242006-01-02T17:51:00.000+01:002006-01-02T18:03:39.890+01:00

There is no snow. The days are old like dirty clothes and the trees are still holding onto their leaves like old bus tickets stuffed into last year´s pockets. Christmas has been. New Yearçs has come and gone. All were full of people and equally empty.I wonder if I am depressed and then I recall the black pit that is depression. No, I am not. I wonder if I am bored. It is the easy excuse, or

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1135614271349099822005-12-26T17:18:00.000+01:002005-12-26T17:24:31.366+01:00

The minute you step on board an Aer Lingus flight is your first step into Ireland. The cabin crew are efficient but friendly (not that all Ireland is efficient, mind) and there is no more shoving and dirty looks. The man beside me offered me sweets "for take-off" and behind me the aer steward was chatting to a passenger about the fate of Roy Keane and Celtic. The pilot gave us a rambling rundown

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1133171298636081302005-11-28T10:44:00.000+01:002005-11-28T10:48:18.650+01:00

It's just 2 days until I go home, and there is snow on the ground. My dad wrote me a text telling me to wrap up warm and an email to tell me he will collect me from the airport if I like. I think I would rather have him collect me than Dani because I am tired of how disorganised Dani is. I haven't heard from him since he was cut off, and I don't know what to do. I have organised somewhere for

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1132909532797479162005-11-25T10:05:00.000+01:002005-11-25T10:05:32.823+01:00

Today, without thinking, I chose as song of the day "Loser" by Beck. Already I am reaping the rewards. I am sat on my own amongst the Italians, only none of them seem to be in today. My workmates are all round the corner. My manager brought in a Christmas calendar with everyone´s name on one day EXCEPT ME! What am I supposed to do? I don´t like looking for my name cos it is arrogant but I did so

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1132743932173245302005-11-23T11:59:00.000+01:002005-11-23T12:22:10.586+01:00

Last night I slept 2 and a half hours. 4 hours the night before. A familiar moan I know, and one I make often. But if you saw how many times I have had to type these last sentences you would understand. I am wrecked tired. And I cannot function normally.The upside is that I feel like I am wrapped in cottonwool and everything is cosy and distant. The downside is that the cottonwool is made of

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1132647050554214682005-11-22T09:10:00.000+01:002005-11-23T12:09:32.666+01:00

Fake plastic snowflakes hang between buildings in preperation for Christmas. The markets are candle-lit and it doesn´t truly get light at any time of the day now. The streets are packed with brightly coloured bescarfed and bag-laden couples, and chestnut sellers line the streets(and their pockets).On Saturday I found a street that is full of music shops. I had to laugh because Barcelona is all

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1132340486772625612005-11-18T20:33:00.001+01:002005-11-18T20:03:31.506+01:00

It is dark outside and the office smells of stale smoke. This week my work has taken on yet another two countries and I have honestly not had time to jump over desks, let alone change my socks or annoy my colleagues. My schedule has changed again, and I am working mornings only now, which is nice in that after 4pm I am free, but being a dedicated insomniac I of course am still sleeping badly. For

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1131489250435640012005-11-08T23:37:00.000+01:002005-11-08T23:34:10.523+01:00

I know it is November. I know that soon we will get the whole "bah humbug" and all that. But I LOVE Christmas! Regular as clockwork every year people get annoyed at how early the decorations are and how the real meaning of Christmas is gone, but you know what? I LOVE CHRISTMAS!To me it is not about anything other than age-old children´s feeling of excitement, where you don´t really know what you

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1131230260721834782005-11-05T23:26:00.000+01:002005-11-05T23:37:40.750+01:00

I read today on the BBC website that primroses have been spotted in Dublin, and that Spring is already on the way, despite Autumn barely being past. I think that warm winters definitely have affected our seasons, but I suspect that Spring will still be more or less on time this year, despite giving early signs. Many visitors to Ireland have told me that it is a country without seasons, so maybe I

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1130982865118867262005-11-03T02:54:00.000+01:002005-11-03T02:54:25.133+01:00

Although I only made it to bed at 9am this morning (with my four crossword puzzles) I was out and about again by 2 to have coffee with Nathalie. Tato is most certainly back now, and she is in the strange position of half-living in my room, and half in his. Because we do shift work we are rarely in bed at the same time so it pretty much works out. It was sunny and we had our coffee in the graden

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1130984934205030992005-11-03T01:13:00.000+01:002005-11-03T03:28:54.220+01:00

There is a small man with a funny lip who walks around the office at night. I only see him when Julie has gone to the toilet or for a smoke. He sidles along in his green overalls, with a twiching grin on his face, but his eyes don´t smile. He stares, and if I stare back, he twists his head as he walks, or sometimes even stops and grins demonically. I don´t even know if it is his idea of friendly,

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1130911960384650622005-11-02T06:28:00.000+01:002005-11-02T07:16:50.136+01:00

Today was one of those days when you wake up with a premonition of things to come. I slept a troubled sleep, constantly aware of the noises around me, and awoke entirely unrefreshed. I got up and stumbled into the bathroom naked, only to stumble back out to poor Tato. I think he was more embarressed than me, as I just stood there rubbing my eyelids and he motioned to the door mumbling "hello...er

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1130809369000281542005-11-01T02:48:00.000+01:002005-11-01T03:14:07.326+01:00

Halloween has always been the start of my new year as far back as I can remember. As a kid I always believed that I could travel through the gates that seperate the mortal world from the immortal, and everything seemed to be half-in half-out. It is a terribly pagan way of looking at it but I still feel the same electrical feeling and re-alignment of the world every Halloween. I can imagine the

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1130806087836260482005-10-31T01:27:00.000+01:002005-11-01T02:59:59.066+01:00

There are times when I dream intensely, and become semi-concious as I pass from one dream to the next. Some nights I can remember as many as five or six dreams. Because they are so vivid, they are hugely gratifying, but also very disorientating. I thought I would share a few ongoing ones with you:DREAM ONEI am a soldier in a jungle that I suspect is somewhere in Africa as many of my comrades are

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1130009930282475922005-10-22T22:17:00.000+01:002005-10-22T21:11:44.756+01:00

Lately I have been rediscovering myself, and feeling like a concentrated version of the person I am. I am not very ambitious as an individual, but I have always had this really strong sense of self, but my passions strengthen and wain not unlike the moon. I feel like myself again, and like I know what I need and want from my life.I wrote a few days ago that I needed to go mad (in the English

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1130011750403386452005-10-22T19:54:00.000+01:002005-10-22T21:33:47.703+01:00

Only One Touch Warms meIt Saddens me too SometimesGolden Sun Falls On Your BrowIt Saddens me too SometimesOnly One Look Holds meUntil the End of TimeFrozen Eyes Sear All my FrontsThey make me Feel SublimeOnly One Word Holds meReduces me to MimeEven a Shoulder is Cold ComfortThis Path I choose as Mine.YouFill Me UpBring Me JoyKiss Me

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1129928113149243882005-10-21T21:44:00.000+01:002005-10-21T21:55:13.156+01:00

...a knowledge you never doubt, something that turns you inside out, a secret you want to shout...I am sorry to announce that I am in love, and yes ladies and gentlemen, it is the same person I have been in love with for a long long time. I just can´t get him out of my heart. And when I felt I would hear from him and dismissed it,-well, he sent me a text message. Nothing out of the ordinary,

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1129845497060758732005-10-20T22:52:00.000+01:002005-10-20T22:58:17.066+01:00

This is a really quick blog just to explain that I had two days off, and went to Darren´s house and forgot to eat but drank more than enough to make up for it, recorded some tracks, then slept on his floor....well...slept....i read actually, and didn´t sleep so when I woke up I was tired TIRED and then stayed lounging on his couch as he cooked and worked all day...Ladies and Gentlemen, sometime I

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1129524630067730722005-10-17T04:19:00.000+01:002005-10-17T06:07:31.726+01:00

Do you know that I am the proud owner on O (that´s zero) Catalan friends? Why is that, I hear your electronic impulses bleep, like one of those 60s-sci-fi-film-spaceship-dashboard-indicator-switches. Well, that is because:A. Barcelona is a city full of foreigners. I suspect that Barcelona is actually devoid of Catalans altogether.B. I can´t speak Catalan.C. Catalan people stick to their own,

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1129437760523183402005-10-16T06:43:00.000+01:002005-10-16T06:48:50.326+01:00

I have spent the last six hours alternately raiding the machine here for food (and it offers only fake plastic crisps or rubber waffles), surfing the web, having baths in the bathroom and laughing. From my office window, for it is at work that I do be after having been, I have a fine view of downtown Barcelona, or rather would have if it were light outside. I love being paid to sit here arsin´

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1129352604647366252005-10-15T05:43:00.000+01:002005-10-15T06:21:15.033+01:00

I really must remember to bring my dinghy next time I go for a walk in this town. I was up in La Sagrera there two days ago for some music and ego-massaging and didn´t the heavens just open and throw down all their dishwater! Poor auld Darren had just hopped on his bike to come and collect me (cos I couldn´t find his house) and although it is less than a minute away by bike he was absolutely

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1129059825957010982005-10-11T19:42:00.000+01:002005-10-11T20:43:45.966+01:00

October has definitely arrived in Barcelona. The days are cool and overcast, and the rain is more sporadic and less stormy than before. It starts getting dark early too, and the mornings are often dark until late. There are less tourists also, and the shops now have their lights on before the shut, giving me that festive sense I associate with, dare I say it; Christmas. Yes, I found myself

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1128980772613006032005-10-10T22:13:00.000+01:002005-10-10T22:48:05.663+01:00

Living in Sant Miquel over the last week has been a lovely experience, despite being slightly overcrowded. Anyone who knows me knows that I can be difficult to live with, between my slightly obsessive need to do things my way, my door-closing, and my inability to sleep when there is the slightest noise, but as I suspected these may be exaggerated by disquiet in my life and haven´t been a problem

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1128370424440849252005-10-03T20:58:00.000+01:002005-10-03T21:13:44.450+01:00

Last night I moved house, having packed my entire life again into my rucksake and carrying it down the road closer to the lovely Placa Jaume 1 where I will start my new life. The living situation is slightly complicated by the coming and going of people, but they are so easy to get on with that I am sorry there will be any going at all.For the first week we all live together, that is Nathalie,

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1128204393236286512005-10-01T22:43:00.000+01:002005-10-01T23:06:33.243+01:00

I have once again just finished one of my "weekends" off, which in Barcelona is always a bit of an ordeal, or maybe that´s just my life.The first day was lovely and relaxing and consisted of drinking coffee and beer with Nathalie and Nina in Placa George Orwell, a strangely triangular square which is always dirty yet seems to host a never-closing bar scene. Then Nathalie and I went to buy some

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1127952767810568402005-09-29T00:38:00.000+01:002005-09-29T01:14:01.413+01:00

This last week I have mostly be working the night shift. This means I fanny-about looking for stuff to do before going into work. Honest! I never thought I would be the type who waits around to go into work, but there is a kind of twightlight zone in Barcelona between 9 and 12 at night.So last night I decided I should really get out of the house, and armed with my last 50euro note which has to do

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1127867884007341502005-09-28T01:32:00.000+01:002005-09-28T01:38:04.013+01:00

Is someone updating/editing my blog? I mean, I know I curse loads but they´ve been removed, and some put a-correct-way-backward (and yes that is a word) accent on Montpellier...I also want to know how to make a living with out having to make money, for those of you who want to help...

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1127782126929019782005-09-27T01:25:00.000+01:002005-09-27T02:00:49.556+01:00

This last weekend was the Festival of Le Mercé in Barcelona, a festival, apparently in honour of our Lady of Mercy who freed the city from a plague of locusts in the 1600s, but only after the entire town prayed to her. Very apt really, as it is a non-stop party for 3 days and nights, and the whole world decends on Barcelona rather like a plague of locusts.Luckily for me, I was off this weekend.

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1126989179775966792005-09-17T21:25:00.000+01:002005-09-17T21:38:48.420+01:00

I came home last night after a 40 minute walk in a thunderstorm of enormous preportions. It is strange when you unlock the door to a place which used to contain two and find only the slightly musty smell of your own damp clothes mixed with the eerie light of being alone.I started to clear up the remains of my life and a little yellow post-it caught my eye. It was a crude picture with the words "

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1126907105702323762005-09-16T22:35:00.000+01:002005-09-17T21:51:21.320+01:00

The weather in Barcelona is beautiful. Either the sun is splitting the rocks, or the rain beats down complete with massive thunder and lightening storms.Dani went home yesterday. We went out the night before, and he drank himself stupid. He was to meet me in a local pub, but he ended up missing his train, and for a horrible half an hour I had no clue where he was or if I´d ever see him again, as

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1126494543855890952005-09-12T04:02:00.000+01:002005-09-12T05:27:36.883+01:00

I watched the Ireland France match in a pub called MacCarthy´s on Via Laeitana. Somehow we were in the midst of the French fans, and you can imagine my despair when, after a perfectly promising start, France scored against us. I really felt we deserved more, but that´s football.Then suddenly, in the middle of a quiet spell of play, a banner popped up at the bottom of the screen, announcing that

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1126411353243380512005-09-11T04:20:00.000+01:002005-09-12T05:37:23.006+01:00

Let me take you on a trip to my bathroom:You enter the door on Calle Brosoli (or Broccoli, as we like to call it) and climb the terracotta stairs. The door after the red gloss barred window is mine, and you turn the key anticlockwise to unlock it. As you stoop under the lintel to enter, you see what looks like a frosted glass window on your right. Open the rubber-sealed window to a sea of fruit

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1126410628543103572005-09-03T04:42:00.000+01:002005-09-17T21:53:14.960+01:00

Carlos Ruiz Zafon wrote this beautiful story about Barcelona which was recommended to me by my mother. It is the story of a boy called Daniel and the Cemetary of Forgotten Books.I have no books to read anymore, so Dani went out and decided to buy me one. Entrigued by his namesake on the cover, he bought me "The Shadow of the Wind". I had been planning to buy it as I only read it once and loved it

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1126409449730256912005-09-01T03:40:00.000+01:002005-09-17T21:53:55.543+01:00

There is a village near Valencia called Bunol, where on the last Wednesday in August the locals celebrate by throwing a tomato festival. Somehow, this fruit fight celebrates the Virgin Mary, perhaps the origin of the Bloody Mary drink? In any case, if there is one thing that you do in your lifetime, try and do this.It took us about 4 hours to drive from Barcelona to Bunol, along the main highways

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1125024787823724492005-08-26T02:53:00.000+01:002005-09-17T21:55:45.076+01:00

I think I am currently faking a mid-life crisis, which at my age is rather scarey because despite my peevish teenage insistance that I would not live long, I would rather like to.Poor Dani has a lot to contend with.We woke, or rather, I woke this afternoon at about 3pm to the beautiful sound of moving furniture upstairs. I am convinced that the witches bought football-boots intentionally just to

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1124944487586017202005-08-25T14:20:00.000+01:002005-09-17T22:09:44.826+01:00

I got this deadly little lighter which is lovely and red, and has a little light on the end which is red and scares the crap out of babies. It´s great. And refillable. And bulb-replaceable. Fantastic. I believe the bauld Dani had to crawl through the city´s red-light district to get it, and nearly got mugged on his way back by a group of Ladies of the Naiiiight.Speaking of which, the boyfriend

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1124221593640471732005-08-16T20:33:00.000+01:002005-09-17T22:16:23.896+01:00

There is a pub in Port Olympico, they call it Australiaaaaa...I went down to find the bar where Dani works, and there, amid all the Art Nouveau and tiny parrot-carrying bars of Catalunya, I found a strip of madness. Apparently for the Olympics, Barcelona decided to build a line of bars on the port where at a mere 9 euro per Guinness tourists can get gee-eyed and be liberated from their money. In

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1123709169541121232005-08-10T22:23:00.000+01:002005-08-16T20:56:50.966+01:00

I think I promised I would fill you in on my flat fiasco. So:When I came to Barcelona I found a flat reasonably quickly, through my dad´s friend. The rent was reasonable, and even though quite far outside the centre, it was just on the metro and handy enough. Everything was fine until my boyfriend came over. Then the trouble started.One day I received a phone call telling me that I would have to

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1123709006697591502005-08-10T21:49:00.000+01:002005-08-16T20:58:12.046+01:00

Maybe Ireland is more conservative than I ever thought. Or maybe the people of Catalunya are just stark raving bonkers. Either way, there is no accounting for tastes, as a quick glance at Barcelona youths will show you.There seems to be two types of haircuts. 1. The Mullet, which consists of long top and back, and short sides. 2.The Mop, which seems to consist of ratty dreadlocks with a

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15266374.post-1123619568131781652005-08-09T21:09:00.000+01:002005-08-09T22:09:57.940+01:00

Well, I am aware of the fact that since I have been in Barcelona (since May 23rd to be exact) that I have only sent a few measly postcards and stingy texts. This is because when I arrived in Barcelona I immediately hated it. I am pretty sure it had little to do with the city, and a large amount to do with my heavy bag, lack of direction, and the general unfriendliness of the city´s inhabitants.

Green Glass Beadshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04566889912459256250noreply@blogger.com1