posted June 29, 2009 07:05 PM            

Guess what?

While in Bloemfontein forthe Spain vs. South Africa game. We were staying at the hotel where the Spanish press was staying. So, because I am a stalker at heart, I asked where the team was staying (Spanish Team) and the Spanish press told us. So, we planned to scope the area the next day.

Then, I had a hectic night and in the morning while the boys I was with were doing whatever boys do, I decided to get some beauty sleep. I couldn't sleep so I asked them to come back and get me because I was not driving. They took their time.

By the time they got back to get me, they had photos, PHOTOS OF THEM AND THE SPANISH TEAM. They went ans stalked the hotel which WE all sgould have gone to stalk, but because boys are selfish, they didn't think to wait for me! SO I missed it.

They have photos and they plastered them all over facebook. I was so jealous!!!

LOL

Other than that... well... I dunno, I am hurt by that whole thing.

posted June 30, 2009 01:10 AM            

They went to take photos of the Spanish team without you?! If I was you, I'd be kicking their sorry arses.....especially if they got a shot with Iker. I'm so sorry hon, I can imagine your pain. (((((hugs)))))

Oddly, I feel kinda empty without soccer to watch too....I'm so glad the show the Argentine Clausura and MSL on TV otherwise I'd be having serious withdrawals.LOL

posted June 30, 2009 05:39 AM            

Hey, maybe we can fill the void with Wimbledon? That's my next plan of action.

posted June 30, 2009 05:51 PM            

Can't say I love tennis as much as I love soccer but Wimbledon does seem to be the next best thing.

posted July 04, 2009 02:58 PM            

-My friend introduced me this week to a very handsome Nurse from Portugal. He's signed on right now and I'm a goner. *sigh*

posted July 05, 2009 01:27 PM            

quote:

---

I don't recommend attempting to talk footy/soccer with hormone-driven 18 year olds online. Just don't try it.

---

Hahaha

posted July 06, 2009 08:41 PM            

I'm flattered, but we all know footballers, eh? And I'm not attracted to him, or am I. And oh, I have a boyfriend!!
He called today and I didn't know it was him since he had never called before. (I'll explain)

I speak of him because he called today. I missed that call as I was working. He left a message with just his name:

"his name" it read.

Wtf? So prima donna to just leave your name in a text like that without explaining himself.

**

So, I told my boyfriend what happened, that **** called. He wasn't impressed but he wasn't upset either.

Oh, **** found me on facebook. He added me. Then said he liked my work, then he asked to meet. I gave him the run around on facebook, until one day he asked for my numbers. I was single and bored so I gave them away. So, we were about to go on a date when my phone got broken a day before the date- broken before I could find out where we were going to meet etc.

I went to his facebook and told him that my phone is broken so he won't be able to get hold of me. Then he just never replied.

This was February, the Valentines weekend. Yes, I had given him Valentines. But, when he didn't say a thing, another guy was slotted in his place, and that guy is my current boyfriend.

posted July 06, 2009 11:02 PM            

And yes, I'm sure by now we understand the mind of most footballers and that sucks that the guy can't take no for an answer. Would he happen to have a strong Aries influence?

posted July 06, 2009 11:42 PM            

He's removed that thing on his head. It's back to normal. Ag! He drains me regardless of the flattery.

I think I am thinking of Javier Bardem, as far as that guy whose ass you'd tap in a heartbeat.

Oh, who's Abel Xavier. Ayaiyaiyay! These peroxide brothers. So misled. Fashion no, no!!!

Aries Mars conjunct Jupiter is scary. I'm a Scorpio Mars and Jupiter also. tsk tsk tsk. I think I'll ignore his calls actually. Dicey? Yes.

posted July 08, 2009 07:25 PM            

I can't believe a guy like this exists!

posted July 10, 2009 02:24 PM            

BM - Maybe it's those aspects that make you unable yo shake him off.. I feel for you though. You know what they say about Saturn...?

Saturn's Mother!

posted July 15, 2009 10:52 PM            

This First clip comes from a Sci-Fi Fic (based on Heroes) I'm currently co-writing, its probably my favorite plot in the whole fic. ^__^

quote:

---

Andrea Gomez was already sad to be closing shop at the Museum up in Spanish Harlem.

New York City was very interesting, but there’s no place like the Museum as far as she was concerned. All the hectic bustling chaos of modern life did her head in, but her work place was like a living breathing time capsule to help her escape it.

Whether it was the Afro-Spanish influences of the Caribbean Art or the Amerindian culture that influenced Mexican Artists such as Frida Kahlo, Andrea was lost in the swirl of vibrancy and exoticness that was a part of her heritage.

After making sure everything was locked up, she usually made this one ritual out of going by a particular painting.
It was a painting by, as she would refer to him back then, this upcoming 18th Century Artist from Cuba. It was suppose to be a Wedding Portrait of a Mestiza Maiden and her handsome Spanish Husband.

It was titled: Don Pedro Bomar De Castanella and his Bride, and the artist's name was Rubén De La Red.

Don Pedro was dressed in all the finery a man of his class would be and La Doña was dressed as fashionably as a woman of her class would’ve been; in the French Style that Marie Antoinette perpetrated across Europe…..even all the way to Cuba where the Bride was from.

The Don was very happy and so was his bride, but it had been too hot that day to be stuck in such a tight corset and a wide dress. Pedro's new wife bared it for the picture though, so that Pedro’s Family back in Spain could see what a beautiful choice he made.

Andrea knew this all because the Bride in the picture was her.

She kissed the picture and shed a tear, before leaving it to go home. Home as in an apartment in the Bronx, not the Home she once knew in her youth.

The Cuba of today was definitely not the Cuba of her past, as she soon discovered when she was accidentally transported to this time 5 years ago. It was no longer under the control of the Spanish Crown, and had passed through many governments before finally landing in the hands of these people the Americans bitterly called ‘Communists’.

The Whole Western Hemisphere had changed for that matter; this United States of America that used to be under British, French, and Spanish control was now the most powerful nation in the World. Most of the Americas were now Independent Nations as well, with the few exceptions of British, French, and Dutch Islands. It was surreal to Andrea at first, but she was soon used to it.

She would never be used to what has happened to Cuba though, never. Though she couldn’t say it was much better under all the other Governments either, or even the Spanish Crown.

Politics were the last thing on her mind though: she would just hope that someday, someday soon, she would find a way to get back to the Cuba she knew…..the Cuba which had her beloved husband.

---

posted July 15, 2009 11:43 PM            

quote:

---

Chapitre onze

So Ricky Q. and Taray had been betrothed to each other since birth. Very intriguing.

But really, was this secret enough to kill for? It isn't exactly your average 'sleep with your wife's sister type scandal after all. But then again, Ricky was willing to kill me if I had let it out anyways.

That interview had been so intense that I decided to go down to the Chateau's bar for a late night drink. I know alcohol is the devil's drink, but even an Inspector needs a buzz to relax sometime, now doesn't he?

"One Bloody Mary, please." I told the bartender. Yeah, I was getting smashed tonight. What are you gonna about it?

I noticed two people at the other end of the bar, canoodling... should I have been surprised to see that it was Cesc and Kei. I shall sigh over young love once again, and remember what that was like.

We were both seventeen, the night in Madeira was young, and...

"Ah, young amore!" The bartender said, handing me my drink. He was looking over in my direction where Kei and Cesc were seated. "You remember what that was like?"

"Oh, don't remind me." I rolled my eyes and sipped swiftly from my cup.

"Humph, most people look back on their first loves very fondly. I remember meeting mine in the town of Capri right near the Italian border. She was like a Valkyrie, but her Italian was divine. And then, she floated away to Torino," the Bartender sighed. "So what's your story?"

"Bruna... We were seventeen and two fools in love, in Coimbra..." I sighed.

"Bruna, eh? She sounds like a real gem. Lei Sei Bella?" He asked.

"Bella is an understatement for my Bruna..." I trailed off.

I was now drifting into another place, another time... another world. The world where pink wasn't such a bad color after all. And neither was going to see chick flicks on a Saturday... by yourself. The same world where blissful ignorance was not untainted by harsh reality. Where being broke wasn't so bad because as long as two people were everything to each other, nothing else mattered.

"So why'd you let her go?" The Bartender asked me, bringing me back down to reality.

"I didn't. She left me for Brasíl." I said quietly. Man, I really wish this drink would go to my head now.

"Mi dispiace!", the Bartender stressed in that dramatic Italian way. "That's tough, I sure hope that young man over there enjoys it while it lasts." He sighed, while looking over at Cesc.

"Well if he was my murderer, then I would say the same thing." I said with a sad smile.

"Your murderer? Oh Bello Mio, you're the investigator on the death of Don Fabio, aren't you?" the Bartender exclaimed.

"Yes, that's me, Inspector Miguel Veloso," I smiled.

"My name is Fabrizio and I'm so glad I could finally reach you! I tried calling your office but it was always busy and..."

"You tried calling me? What for?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Mama mia, on the night of the murder I saw two people do the most subtle thing. At first, I paid no mind to it... until the police arrived at 3 AM to find poor Don Fabio dead. It's been eating at me in my sleep that I haven't been able to reach you about this and finally you're here and..."

"Signor, what is it you have to tell us?" I leaned in.

"I saw two people put something into Don Fabio's drink the night of the murder, at the dinner party," Fabrizio said.

"Really?"

Bingo, finally I was getting somewhere.

"Sí, Sí!" He said, "A man and a woman!"

"Can you describe them?" I asked.

*****

"Ah, come in and take a seat, Signor." I said the next morning as Alberto Gilardino and his wife Megan walked into my interrogation room.

They both fit Fabrizio's description perfectly, the petite woman with the frizzy mane and the tall handsome Italiano with the high forehead.

"Grazie, Inspector." Alberto said. "We're glad we can be of service to you," the Italian held out his hand for me to shake. Only when I shook it, water came squirting into my face.

"Haha! We got you!", Alby teased while Megs laughed.

Great, A couple of practical jokers.

It didn't stop there either. When I took a seat in my chair, I heard a farting noise and they doubled over in laughter.

They had put a whoopy cushion on my chair when I wasn't looking.

"Right, real funny you guys!," I said dryly. "Now, let's begin..."

"Wait, wait, give me a high five!" Megs declared.

"Why?"

"Just, it's important! Do it, do it!" Megs insisted, and I complied... for ulterior motive's sake. But as soon as I raised my hand to give her the high five...

"Raise your hand if you're a pedo!," Alby yelled, and both him and his wife quickly put his hands down and I was left confused, with my hand still up. They both laughed madly again.

"See, you weren't as quick as we were!," Megs said in between laughter.

"Wow, you two are quite some jokers." I chuckled.

"Really? We try!" Megs squealed.

"Yeah, really!" I also squealed. "How about a high five? Come on, come on now!" And they both gave me a high five.

"Raise your hand if you murdered Capello!." I quickly exclaimed, leaving them confused now... with their hands in the air.

They wisely put their hands down soon enough though.

"Where are you going with this?" Alby's tone suddenly got serious.

"What do you mean where am I going? I haven't even started."

"Huh?", was both their responses.

"I mean, I haven't even began to get into how exactly the two of you poisoned Capello on the Friday the 13th, the night of his murder!" I laughed.

"WHAT?" They both said.

"The autopsy on Capello just came back...."

"And?" Alby asked.

"Oddly enough, there was also a strange liquid found in his system during the autopsy..." I continued.

"What?" Megs said shakily.

"Then, a witness spotted two people put something in Capello's drink!," I said, slamming down my pen and paper.

"Who?"

"That's classified information."

Gilardino looked uneasy and Megan sighed: "I wish we had an Invisibility Cloak."

I looked intently on them, waiting for one of them to break.

"It was only veritaserum, I swear! J.K. Rowling herself gave us the ingredients!," Alby blurted out in a cold sweat.

"Veritaserum?" I asked with one raised eyebrow.

"Duh! The truth serum in Harry Potter?" Megs rolled her eyes.

Ah, with the Latin spelling, I should've quickly caught on to what it was; but sue me if I don't read Harry Potter.

"And why would you do that?"

"Why not? Capello had no trouble digging up the ugly truth in other people's lives and if he didn't find any, he'd lie and make them up! We thought it would be time to return the favor." Alby said sardonically.

"Yeah, for the greater good!", Megan added tightly.

"Was death also on the list of favors to return?" I asked.

"Aw come on, we didn't mean him any harm with that potion, honest!," Alby pleaded.

"Okay, I'll tell you guys what," I started. "I want you to write down every single ingredient to this same 'potion' you put in Fabio's drink on the night of the murder. Every single ingredient." I slid them my notepad.

After some bickering about portions of ingredients, Megan handed me my notepad and told me that the ingredients were written in the order of which they should be added to the cauldron and then should be left simmering for a month.

I looked awkwardly at the ingredients, skimming them for anything toxic, but in vain. The ingredients did look weird but I wasn't sure whether combined, they'd produce a killer poison or not.

There was a moment of silence, which I broke by asking them the last question of their interrogation. "Where were you during Capello?s murder?"

"We were still in the event hall, taking the mickey out of Robin Van Persie and Cesc Fabregas," Megan said.

"Gunner trash," I heard Gilardino mumble under his breath.

"Thank you for your time," I said before turning off the recorder and showing them out of the room.

Veritaserum?

There was no doubt that every frigging member of the press today needed it, but would it work?

Or would the ingredients that J.K. Rowling had told the Italian couple compose not a truth serum but a deadly poison?

Had this couple tried to stop the Chateau's Bartender from telling me about their little addition to Capello's drink, fearing that what looked to be like a joke would ruin their careers?

---

posted July 16, 2009 12:33 AM            

quote:

---

We're two Moons in June, me and him. No, really...we're *literally* two moons in June; our June birthdays are year and a day apart if that's any indication to all the palm readers, astrologers, or numerologists I would hope. The only stigma attached was that he was the younger,and shorter, one.

You may find it hard to believe, given his occupation, but for 10 years he has come by this same library every afternoon on the hour of 3. Sometimes to immerse himself in some of the Classics for what could be hours, sometimes to chat about them. And when he doesn't have the time, he would take something home with him.

A creature of habit, you might call him. A very handsome creature of habit.

How do I know all this, you ask? Because it started one afternoon, 10 years ago, in this library. The afternoon on which our fates were almost unintentionally intertwined forever.

You might say I am a creature of habit myself; I wasn't really looking to become linked arm-to-arm with one of the most iconic figures in Spain, nor was I waiting for him to gallop into my life on his white horse. I was just sitting somewhere deep inside the largest library in Madrid, worrying about finishing this paper on time for the close of the Semester.

He did come into my life, but in the most unexpected of ways. I mean of all things, it was through an inquiry about where the Captain Alatriste novel could be found.

"Alatriste by Riverte?" I asked, rather impressed. What would a (seemingly) young hotshot footballer be doing reading complex novels? Okay that was mean, but you know you'd be wondering the same thing too.

"Yes, I apologize for the disturbance... I have never been to this library before...and its actually quite big." He stammered a bit, in the same whisper. Cute.

"Well Universal Libraries are suppose to be big," I shrugged, "I suppose you could look in the Fiction Section on next floor."

He thanked me for my help as I directed him on his way, not expecting to see him again after the encounter. That's why you can imagine my surprise when he was back the next day, same time and same place.

"Perdoneme, but what are you working on? You've been pretty intent on it for the last two days." That same soft voice asked me again.

"A thesis on Goya's works through the years....how they changed and why."

"Oh yeah, him! Great guy..." My new acquaintance chuckled.

"Yeah..."

"His pictures got real disturbing after that brain disease he got. I mean, that old man chomping on the baby's head...Whoa, intense much?"

I had to laugh. "Well, if that's how you see it....." I shrugged, "But between you and me, I think it would make a great analysis for any shrink."

Now it was his turn to laugh.

"No seriously, alot of his portraits (minus the ones he comissioned for prominent Figures) give great insight to his mind.If the eyes are supposed to be the windows to the soul, then etchings are what you see through it."

"And what would I see through your's?" He abruptly asked, dark eyes suddenly trying to see through me.

Do I have butterflies or what? Because it seems like things just went from light to intense in a nano second. No, it was he who went from light to intense in a nano second; a trait that I would witness frequently throughout the next 10 years.

"So how's Alatriste coming along?" I chuckled, changing the subject.

More surprising: he could go on and on about that book. If you get the impression that it bored me, you're utterly wrong.

If anything, I was fascinated with the way he got into the most minute of details. So fascinated, that I wondered if I would ever run into him again in this spot.

I lucked out, it seemed.

He would be back at the library at the same time, and the same place. Often checking out historical novels, as expected.

He also had this need to discuss what he was reading with whomever happened to be around him and usually.....that was me.

It was annoying at first since I usually had things to get done while I was here in this library but it turned out that we never ran out of things to talk about.

Besides his excitement for history, I did learn alot more about him through these daily library encounters. Especially about his hopes and his dreams. Though it seemed strange that he would still have dreams considering that to me, he was a dream.

He also had lots of passion for life, but was also oddly superstitious. I lived through many a day where he would worry about having chicken the night before his next match, and I don't think you'd want to know about his undersocks.

He was a very private and proper man despite being an early 20-something. Sometimes I wonder if he himself stepped out of one of the Alatriste novels as even though he spoke like any other person our age, his manners and charm we're very retro. No, sorry, quaint. Quaint is a better word.

I wasn't aware of it at the time but I now notice that once we crossed paths our lives seemed to evolve at the same pace, almost as if they were one. Once his career began to take off and he was on his way to become legendary, I had already been soaring on my own at my awesome new job restoring Old Art. Once he was finally Captain of his squad, I had been offered a new job at the Prado Museum.

His highs were my highs, and my lows were his too. I was in a pretty dark place after the death of my mother and the turmoil within my family that followed. Despite the stress and pressure on him to be as great as he once was before, he was my solace. Just meeting him at the library, just to talk, just to cry, just to laugh in the midst of my world seeming to crumble was all I needed.

No, *he* was all I needed. With his cool demeanor, quiant charm, big nose, but most of all.....big heart. I never knew why its taken me so long to realize this, but I love my library companion...my Raul.

I don't question that he loves me too, but it may not be in the same way that I love him. Some days it doesn't matter, because just seeing him everyday is enough. Other times, my secret is dying to come out....but caution is what stops it from escaping my lips. Caution over ruining the beautiful thing that I already have with him.

Caution does not stop crazy dreams though, does it? Just this past night, I dreamt I was watching him at a game from the stands. When he scored I noticed that he and I had matching rings, and that he looked at me and kissed his band. If only....

"Mamen!" Came that familiar voice. Right on the hour of 3 as I could always depend , he was here.

"Hello," I smiled..

"Just found this by Alexandre Dumas, have you heard of it?" He asked excitedly as I looked at the cover.

"You mean you've never heard of The Count of Monte Cristo?" I teased, and he grinned sheepishly while shaking his now curly mane from side to side.

"Sit down and will discuss it."

Maybe another day, I thought, in the meantime. Another day.

---