Monthly Archives: November 2011

on clients and friends…

10 Thursday Nov 2011

Posted by in friends, twitter, work

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So this was my today, spent with these three lovely people…

I had an appointment with María Paz to help her revive the blog I’d made for her a couple of years ago, and integrate that with new social media accounts I’d created. Our appointment was for 11 o’clock, and I thought we’d finish in time for me to get to the gym, shower and have a quick bite to eat before my Spanish/English class with Pablo at 3.00. Well, due to this and that María Paz didn’t show up until 1.40 which kind of put the kibosh on, well, everything. Though I did manage a quick shower before she finally arrived. And then made a sandwich after Pablo got here. A part of our class involved helping Pablo get connected with London people on Twitter for an upcoming trip there, and it ended just fifteen minutes before my “proper” English class with my friend Agustín’s son (also Agustín)… and whew! Not the day I’d expected or planned but lots of cool stuff happened, and I was inspired in a many ways. But the really cool thing is how my personal life is also becoming my professional life, which is turning into what I’d want to do anyhow when I get out of bed in the morning. So it’s sometimes hard to tell when I’m working and when I’m not.

After all this it was suddenly 8pm and I remembered that another Twitter pal from Madrid was in town for a bloggers convention, and so I called Graeme and he met Nog and I for a lovely dinner out at one of my favourite places, La Azotea. And I actually got to eat! Which doesn’t often happen on my tapas tours, so that was a nice change.

And now I’m home and thinking about all the social media stuff I need to get done in the morning before I go to the gym and then prepare for an impromptu gourmet tapas tour that was booked by a group of Dutch people who happened to run into the group of Dutch guys that had been on my tour the day before… yeah, I know!

I really love how some friends have become clients, and how clients and online acquaintences end up becoming my friends. It’s all mixed up and it’s great. Just how I like it. And now to bed! There’s a little black cat waiting for me…

in sync

09 Wednesday Nov 2011

Posted by in fitness, gadgets, gym, health & happiness

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Ever since I got my *ahem* iPod Nero it’s been a great alternative to using my mini stereo, which is just as well as it seems it was damaged during the move and the CD thingy no longer recognises when it has a CD in it. But the thing about my iPod is that it’s packed full of music, a lot of which was given to me and isn’t stuff I necessarily what I want to listen to every day, and so – almost four years later! – I got around to syncing it yesterday and creating a couple of playlists. I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to do this.

I also finally recharged my little clip-on Shuffle (which has been sitting on my desk here since the move) and wore it to the gym. Which was really the reason I bought it in the first place and – oh man! – what bliss not to have to listen to the gawd-awful crap they have blasting there. Not only that, but the music of my choice actually inspired my workout and I didn’t feel like cutting it short just to get away from the throbbing electro beat bullshit that more often than not leaves me feeling stressed out and annoyed. Another positive step.

Now I’m quite looking forward to making a few more playlists and getting better use out of my iPod. Better late than never.

my elixir

08 Tuesday Nov 2011

Posted by in christmas, retail therapy

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It’s always a drag running out of perfume before Christmas. Not because I expect it as a gift but because I prefer buying the gift boxes that come with a couple of extras and are actually cheaper than just buying a bottle of perfume. And I can usually only find these around Christmas time (though I think they may also do some for Valentine’s and Mother’s day).

Well, I ran out of my Clinique Elixir a couple of weeks ago. In previous years I have waited it out until Christmas, making sure I spritzed up at the Corte Inglés perfume counter while walking by. But this year I was sure that there must be a left-over gift box hanging around somewhere in Sevilla, so while out and about I’ve been stopping in at every place that carries perfumes and finally found this last night. One lonely gift box on the shelf with body lotion and travel spray “extras”, all in a cute toiletry bag (perfect for those monthly trips I’ll be making to Málaga). So there. Perserverence paid off.

And I now smell fabby again. I get asked a lot what my perfume is – I think it really suits me.

bedroom tv!

07 Monday Nov 2011

Posted by in change, films, gadgets, home, television

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Now that it’s officially autumn – and I’ve even had to get out the duvet! – thoughts of cosying up in bed this winter with a book (or my iPhone) suddenly extended to… watching films in bed! Why had I never thought of  this before? I mean, I already had this smaller flatscreen tv and dvd player inherited from Susan when she moved back to the US.  In the old place they were set up in Nog’s “office” and occasionally got used, but since moving here they’ve been upstairs and weren’t even properly set up. The idea was that someone might want to watch a film upstairs sometime, which has never happened.

And so last night I moved it all downstairs and set it up on my somewhat rickety old bookcase next to my bed, removed one of the shelves to make room, and I love it! This is the first time in my life I’ve had a television in my bedroom – feels rather decadent. And okay, it’s not set up to the satellite service so I will only be able to watch DVDs on it, but it still seems a bit like Christmas.

Do you have a tv in your bedroom?

tapeo extremo II

06 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by in food & drink, restaurants, sevilla, tapas, tapas tours

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So this is what I did yesterday! Met up with some Twitter pals and fellow bloggers for a Tapeo Extremo, a term coined by travel writing legend and hardcore tapeo phenomenon Annie Bennett. Taking part were Fiona (Scribbler in Seville), Kate (Tales of a Brit Abroad), Kate’s friend Nicki, and Kim (Becoming Sevillana). I’ve known Fiona for quite awhile now, and Kate and Nicki had been on a tapas tour with me last summer, but it was the first time meeting Kim. Everyone knew that this was going to be pretty darn demanding and they had a lot to live up to if they were going to reach “extremo” standards. And well, the girls did good.

MY challenge was that nobody in the group ate meat, and one only tolerated fish in small amounts, so it had to be a pescatarian/vegetarian affair. Was I daunted? Hell no. Though it has to be said that the tour focused more on fish and seafood until the fourth and final tapas stop. But I’m getting ahead of myself…

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