Cadaques Weekend

At Dali's House in Port Lligat


And at the Dali museum in Figueres

One of the many egg's at Dali's house (Easter egg hunt, anyone?)


Found another one! Woo hoo!

Cadaques

Frenchy at breakfast

At Cadaques

Cap De Creus

Adventures in Flossing

Sometimes you just can't win. The other night in Cadaques, after a fantastic dinner at Can Rafa (I had monkfish and prawns, Frenchy had calamari) I was flossing my teeth and I told Frenchy he should probably do the same.

Frenchy: But I never get anything stuck in my teeth.
Noelle: Yeah but it's good because you get out the stuff that builds up that you don't even feel.
Frenchy: But I don't get anything there.
Noelle: BECAUSE YOU DON'T FEEL IT! But it's there.
Frenchy: Hmm, I don't know.
Noelle: Anyway it's good for your gums. It helps prevent gingivitis. But fine, do whatever you want.

I went back to my flossing. Frenchy admired himself in the mirror. After a long pause...

Frenchy: What's gums?

Oh, by the way, Cadaques was really beautiful.

Frenchy Calisthenics

This is why Frenchy will never get fat. (Even though he claims to be on a diet right now.) These photos were taken over the span of about 4 minutes of Frenchy dancing. So much action! Such drama! Such flair! So jazzy! So French!

Carbon Footprints on Giants Causeway

So recently I've been thinking about how my company could be more ecologically-minded and, more importantly, how I could be personally. Last week in a taxi in Paris I started talking to a colleague about it (Eugenio, who claims to be too boring to make a blog appearance - HA!) and found he was interested in the subject as well. He's also interested in lots of other things, like movies, music, literature... not very boring after all, eh?

But I digress. The point is that on Friday, when I was back from Paris, I decided to try one of those online carbon footprint calculators. Wow. I'm a pretty eco-friendly person overall: small apartment, no A/C, no car, minimal electrical appliance use... except for the air travel. Um, my air travel alone just for the first three months of the year brought me to 15 tons of CO2. Whoops!

Okay but hey, that's not gonna stop me from going to Ireland for Joanne's birthday. It was the perfect opportunity to catch up with some old IESE pals, see a lot of rain, check out the Giants Causeway, and drink Guinness. So off we went. Anyway, this was two weeks before I knew about my enormous feet of carbon.

Joanne's party had a 1920s theme and was held in a big old wacky house near Derry, way up north. Never one to shy away from a theme, I did the best I could with limited time to make a costume work. Anyway, that was Saturday night, following Friday night in a Derry pub and Saturday at the incredible Giants Causeway. I think it may officially qualify as one of the longest weekends of my life simply because I slept so little. But it was totally worth it to see everyone and dress up silly.

Getting some pre-party fresh air on Giants Causeway. (If you've never seen this, you really should. Incredible!)


The IESE crew at the beginning of the night, before we started doing the usual clothing swapping.... Ahem. David, Lindy, Francis, Moi, Juha, Birthday Girl Joanne, Diego, Ryan, Frenchy, and Alex.

Clothing (and facial hair) exchange started quite early... I think this was taken just a few minutes after the one above.

And this is around 4am... Devo dancing up a storm, that big dude taking up half the couch, and Juha and Frenchy having a heart-to-heart. Priceless.

Monday on Skype with George

I know it´s supposed to be Sunday in the Park with George, but as George and I no longer live in the same flat, let alone the same city, we can´t just wander off to the park and chat. We have to make do with Skype most of the time.

So I had just sat down with my afternoon coffee (the 5th of the day? hmm maybe I should slow down) when George´s message popped up on Skype:

EA offered 2Billion for Rockstar games! (I used to work at Rockstar.) And so the conversation continued:

[16:30:45] George says: EA offered 2Billion for Rockstar games!
[16:32:18] Noelle says: yes, last week
[16:32:24] Noelle says: for Take 2 Interactive
[16:32:35] Noelle says: a week ago sunday
[16:34:16] George says: : u are telling me i'm telling u very old stuff?
[16:34:25] Noelle says: yes! :)
[16:34:42] George says: did u know that brad pitt and jennifer aniston broke up?
[16:34:44] George says: :)
[16:34:49] Noelle says: WHAT?!?!?!
[16:34:51] Noelle says: NO!!!!
[16:34:55] George says: i'm not kidding
[16:35:03] George says: this news f*cked up my whole weekend
[16:35:08] George says: i was so sad for them! :)
[16:35:12] Noelle says: haha
[16:35:14] George says: :)
[16:35:25] George says: ok i'll go back to my old newspaper

So, unfortunately I don´t get to go home and have these same conversations with George in the living room at Calatrava, but at least we have Skype. I miss you, George. And La Dolce Vita!

End: Travel Karma. Begin: ugh...

So it seems (and I'm saying this very quietly so as not to jinx myself) that my bad travel karma got bored with me and decided not to follow me into 2008. Since the new year started - actually, since my birthday! - I haven't had a cancelled flight, a delay, or a lost bag. Well, aside from that plane crash at Heathrow that kinda screwed things up the day I was in London in January... but even that went relatively smoothly.

In it's place, I seem to have developed a pretty bad outbreak of tech karma. After spending 3 days in San Francisco at the Game Developers Conference, where my hotel was exactly 100 feet from the Apple store, my Macbook Pro (purchased in August) decided to die a strange death. AFTER I ARRIVED AT THE AIRPORT TO GO BACK TO SPAIN!!! Perhaps it was just the lunar eclipse and, as a result, a one-off. I hope so.

Basically, my Mac decided that it didn't feel like following any more commands, so the keyboard and mouse trackpad have stopped responding. The guy sitting next to me at the airport said he'd heard of such a thing happening with the new Leopard operating system, but I was on the older Tiger version. So today I had to drop off my Mac at a shop to get fixed. We will be separated for a minimum five days. I'm really not sure how I will cope. If you can believe it, I'm now writing the post from a PC! Ugh!

Anyway last night was the always-fabulous IESE MultiCulti party, so I promise to have more cheery news (and photos) later this weekend.

The Curious Incident of Fidel and the iPhone

As you may or may not recall, in August last year, I bought an iPhone. Total impulse purchase, which didn't sit well with me for the week I left it in its box on the counter. I returned it and 24 hours later, Apple dropped the price by $200.

A week and a half ago I returned from a week in Cuba and this morning Fidel announced he's dropping his supreme dictator title.

Far-fetched, egomaniacal coincidence?

I THINK NOT!

Anyone need me to travel to far-flung places or buy unnecessary objects? I'm happy to help out solving disputes in any way I can.

And now for something completely different

As you’ve probably noticed by now, I gave up writing about my love life early on in this blog. I decided it wasn’t fair to the person I was with, to anybody I might someday be with, and to myself. So I stopped. And it was probably a good idea… though perhaps the blog would have been juicier and more interesting than it already is, it would have been a lot more Bridget Jones and a lot less … well, whatever it is now.

But as you’ve surely also noticed, lately I’ve taken to referring to a certain French someone, and that was only after a long period of blogular absence on his part because I didn’t think it was fair, for the reasons outlined above. The funny thing is that if you’re in someone’s life but not in their blog, I guess it’s a little weird. And so, with Frenchy’s blessing, he has slowly been woven into the fabric of my life story. Apparently, his appearances keep his mom entertained too, which is extremely important!

So why am I even writing about this now? Partly perhaps because I finally had a full day to spend with him after nearly three weeks. After spending all week in the office, then traveling for work for ten days, and then jumping right back into work (and him into classes), this past Friday night and Saturday that we had all to ourselves was a very special occasion. And even more so, considering I’m writing this from an airplane seat somewhere over Greenland as I head to San Francisco for the annual Game Developers Conference. (AKA Nerdfest 2008!)

But even more than that, it’s because this weekend, and February 15 in particular, marks one year since we suddenly realized we couldn’t live without each other. From the first sneaky kiss at the BOW at Otto Zutz (ok, maybe not so sneaky…) to now, one year later, Frenchy has been at the top of my thoughts and has held the entirety of my heart. He’s my first thought every morning, no matter where I am, and my last thought before I fall asleep. I would love to have a job that requires hanging out with him all day, because he never bores me or gets on my nerves. And since such employment is unlikely, we content ourselves with seeing as much of each other as we possibly can, including during nearly five months we spent on different continents, in different hemispheres between June and November. Now that we live in the same city again, life is more brilliant than usual.

Before all of this, when Frenchy and I were just in a band together, just friends harboring secret crushes on each other, I was happy. My life was full and wonderful. Full of friends, family, travel, fun, and adventure. I didn’t really think it could get much better until February 15, when my world was turned completely around and upside down, in the most spectacular way.

For those of you who are reading this and thinking I’ve lost my mind, my edge, my toughness, my je ne sais quoi, I apologize. It may be true. And if so, I don’t mind never getting back to “normal.” For those of you who have never felt this way, and feel rather like barfing over my cheesiness, I hope that when the opportunity appears, you grab it. Because it’s amazing. And for Frenchy, who is surely reading this, thank you for the best year of my life. You are perfect.

Why I Vanished For 10 Days

Oh yeah, and for work too. I had to give a presentation. :)

To continue where I left off...

... before I was so rudely interrupted by a fantastic work trip (which I'll have to get to later)....

One night I was in the kitchen cooking dinner. Frenchy was reading emails on the couch and suddenly said, "Sweetie? What does it mean 'to hook up'?"

Me: Well, it depends who you ask. Some people will just say it's kissing someone, others say it's more than that.... WAIT, WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME THAT????

Frenchy: Because Xandy just sent me an email saying we should hook up tomorrow at school.

Needless to say, I was very relieved. Xandy is male. And married. And simply wanted to work on a case report. And, well, Frenchy was relieved too. I'm sure Xandy is also now relieved, knowing how close he came to making out with Frenchy.

Just Another Day in my LIFE OF CONFUSION

The other day, I was in the kitchen cooking dinner.

Okay, stop laughing. And no, that is NOT the point of the story.

Forget it. I'll tell you later.

Return of the Blog - A Christmas Tale

This is the first time since I started keeping the blog that I have ever gone so long without posting. It's just that I got so sick in December, then had so many Christmas parties, then went away for the holidays, then came back and Blogger wasn't cooperating, then started working again and ... well... that's how it goes, I guess. But the longer I went without writing, the worse I felt, and now it's finally time to get back on the horse and ride!

So for starters, let me tell you a little tale about Christmas. Which really means Christmas party season and, thus the IESE Christmas ball. (And my company Christmas party, but that's not what blogs are for... unless you want to get fired.) The theme was famous couples and the location was a venue that was once a massive private home but is now rented out for private parties. And so it had a very different feel from Christmas parties past, where everyone dressed a bit more formally. But don't get me wrong... no matter how formal you might appear when you enter an IESE Christmas ball, you will probably looked like some sort of street urchin when you leave.

So Frenchy and I decided to skip the middle part and go as Slash and Axl Rose. Please, before you protest, I KNOW SLASH AND AXL WERE NEVER A COUPLE. Well, at least officially....




Among other couples... the gay cowboys from Brokeback Mountain, Sandy and Danny from Grease, a few incarnations of Roman gladiators... And, as usual at such parties, everyone ended up wearing everyone else's accessories by the end of the night. Basically, if you leave a party like that wearing the same wig you walked in with, you're a total uptight loser.

Look, even Franz our Decision Analysis teacher, ended up with a hat that wasn't his.


And as the only one who had to be at an office the following day, let me just tell you that it's a good thing I thought all evening about the fact that I had to be at an office the next day. Or it could have been very painful!

Two days after the IESE Christmas ball, Frenchy, Tucker and I boarded a Clickair flight to Geneva for a very momentous occasion. The meeting of the Frencies and the Americanos. Indeed, it was the parental summit, held in neutral Switzerland, wherein few of us could claim to speak a common language. For instance:

Frenchy: English, French, Spanish
Noelle: English, Crappy French, Spanish
Frenchy Father: English, French
Frenchy Mother: French
My father: English
My mother: English and some interesting Spanish
My sister: English and Spanish
Tucker: Southern Fried Amuhrcan

Bear in mind we were in the GERMAN part of Switzerland. Ugh.

After two days, Frenchy decided he couldn't take anymore and made a dramatic triple axel, double toe loop diving leap off the top of the mountain. A helicopter was required to remove him so that the rest of us could continue skiing. Some people are SO inconsiderate when they dislocate their shoulders! And such a flair for drama! I mean really. He even got a RED helicopter, so everyone would really notice, just in case the sound wasn't loud enough.

Moments before the fateful plunge...

And shortly afterward... (I stole his wallet while he was incapacitated.)
Loading the Frenchy burrito into the chopper.
Nearly two hours after crashing, we were finally rid of him! And had to carry his skis and poles down the mountain....

A few hours later, many degrees colder, and a few years' worth of worry older, Frenchy's parents and I made it to the hospital and found him, high as a kite, smiling like a lunatic, with his arm in a sling. In my haste I forgot that he might need a change of shoes, and poor Frenchy had to clomp out of the hospital in his no-longer-necessary ski boots, completely delirious.

One-armed Christmas Eve dinner.
The following day, after skiing with Tucker and nearly falling off the lift (something I've never, EVER come close to doing in my 23 years of skiing), nearly falling off a cliff on a toboggan, and slipping on some ice and nearly falling on my ass, gravity finally got the best of me. Not one to be outdone by fabulous French falls, I gracefully stepped into the shower just before Christmas dinner ... and slipped. For a full 60 seconds.

I worked very hard to save myself, first tearing off the shower door, then ripping the shower head out of the wall, but finally I landed directly on my ribs, draped over the edge of the tub like a towel, completely naked, spraying water everywhere. After hearing the strange noises coming from the bathroom (as well as some expletives which I cannot repeat because my grandparents read this), my sister came running to my rescue, only to be sprayed in the face with the shower, the cord of which I had managed to wrap around myself like some sort of sexy Gaultier metal tubing outfit. I looked up at her, barely able to breathe, and managed only the words, "You're all wet!" Nicole replied, "Yeah, because you sprayed water everywhere." Indeed, three nearby rolls of toilet paper were unsalvageable. Poor toilet paper. At or around this time, I decided it might be best to take a bath.

So, one dislocated shoulder and a couple of cracked ribs later, (I still managed to ski, though Frenchy wasn't allowed - this is why you shouldn't go to the doctor! haha!), after several days of perfect weather and great skiing, and even a trip to see the Matterhorn, our Swiss family Robinson adventure was over. Frenchy and I are still speaking to each other. More so, now that I've recovered my lung capacity. And, though slightly disabled, we're so far living happily ever after.

PS - This is the TRUE STORY, and all of you who don't believe that I slipped in the shower and Frenchy fell on the mountain.... get your mind out of the gutter! :)

Adventures in Electricity

So last night I planned a glorious night of fighting evil with my new XBox 360 and Halo 3. The night before I'd been out with some work colleagues having dinner and doing cultural things like seeing live music, and last night all I wanted to do was sit in front of the TV and (attempt to) shoot bad guys.

Frenchy had his first round of physical therapy for his shoulder so I read for a while (Crime and Punishment... you know, to counteract the supposed brain numbing that was to come in front of the video game console) while he was gone and then we headed off to my apartment. Upon arriving, I found a bill from Telefonica and an already-opened notice of some sort, which said at the top "Suspension." Hmmm. I hadn't received any prior notifications of problems with my electricity bills, and I said so out loud, probably while stamping my foot.

Anyway I opened the door, and flicked on the light.... Flicked off the light.... Flicked on the light... uhhhh. Hmmm. They shut off my power! And my whole apartment is run on electricity, not a drop of gas in the place. So that meant no lights, no heat, no stove, and no hot water. Ugh! Thoroughly irritated, I lit a few pathetic candles and stomped around looking for work clothes for today, packed up my laptop (now I had two with me: my work one and my Mac) and found, in a small pile of mail I was saving to forward to Chris, the former tenant, a letter from Endesa informing CHRIS that the payment from his bank didn't go through.

No wonder I didn't see any notifications. They were sent to Chris! And the account was still in his name, even though the leasing agent supposedly switched it to my name in May. Hmph.

As we were walking back to my moto to go back to Calatrava, I said to Frenchy, "See? This is why we can't move in together. We NEED two houses!"