You Didn't Deserve to Go Like This. Rest in Peace

BARACK OBAMA IS THE NEW PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I'm happy. Now let's see what's next.

VOTE FOR OBAMA 3

If you don't go today and VOTE FOR OBAMA, tomorrow this could be your president if McCain suffers a heart attack. And she's ignorant, stupid, and uses big words to say nothing. Sarah Palin doesn't know the name of the Canadian prime minister or the fact that Johnny Holiday could not be Sarkozy's American adviser. The United States don't need metaphors and idiocy, they need facts and willingness. They need OBAMA. The world needs OBAMA.

Vote for McCain = Vote for Palin = Vote for disaster
Support for Obama, but not going to vote = Vote for McCain = Vote for Palin = Vote for disaster
VOTE FOR OBAMA = VOTE FOR THE LAST CHANCE THERE IS

Obama Lost because of Mirela

This is the best idea I've seen in a long time. GO VOTE FOR OBAMA! You wouldn't want the weight of such a loss on your shoulders.

Mariana, you've made my day!

Vote for Obama 2 - Sarah Silverman


The Great Schlep from The Great Schlep on Vimeo.

Privind în cruciş

1. Cum n-aveam internet acasă, într-o marţi seara m-am uitat şi eu la "Gran Hermano" în Spania, să mai pierd ceva timp pe la 10.00 noaptea. Am rămas stupefiată când am auzit deodată pe fundal o melodie românească ce suna tare mult a manea. Şocul a fost amplificat de un anunţ apărut ulterior în josul paginii, care mă invita să formez nu ştiu ce număr pentru a descărca miunata melodie habar n-am care a lui Florin Salam. Se pare că şi televiziunea spaniolă s-a adaptat cerinţelor spectatorilor săi români şi-a zis că, dacă tot trebuie să-i suporte, măcar să scoată un profit de pe urma lor.

2. În Spania există imensa obsesie a repartizării salariului până la sfârşitul lunii. Cand m-am dus pe 23 septembrie cu o hârtie de 50 să cumpăr o pâine, vanzătoarea mi-a spus printre z-mbete că sunt tare norocoasă sşi că ar trebui să fiu dată drept exemplu. N-am mai stat să-i explic că pentru mine era un fel de început de lună, că nu aveam mai mult de 9 zile de stat acolo. După câteva zile, mergând să-mi deschid un cont la bancă, descopăr o broşură care îmi promitea să mă ajute să ajung la final de lună cu bani în buzunar. Încă n-am intrat în panică... poate pentru că n-a trecut o lună de stat acolo.

3. Tot din cauza lipsei de internet, până să încep cursurile mă duceam şi eu la internet cafe să îl mai informez pe soţul meu în legătură cu vieţişoara mea de pe-acolo. A se lua în seamă faptul că locuiesc în Cerdanyola del Vallés, un orăşel aflat la jumătate de oră de Barcelona, deci nu chiar în buricul târgului. M-am trezit înconjurată de o mare de români care comunică numai prin enumerarea diferitelor denumiri ale anumitor organe. Am ajuns să mă bucur atunci că pot fi cnfundată cu o rusoaică sau poloneză, pentru că nu insitam neapărat să ajung să fac parte forţat din grupul lor.

4. Din motive destul de serioase, a trebuit să mai pompez nişte adrenalină şi să mă întorc pentru 1-2 săptămâni în Montreal. Problema prezintă două aspecte pozitive, dintre care unul este faptul că-mi revăd soţul. Al doilea aspect pozitiv TREBUIE să se facă simţit mâine. Partea proastă este că pierd o grămadă de cursuri dintr-un an de Masterat, ceea ce sigur se va resimţi mai târziu. Asta ca să nu mai pomenesc banii daţi pe avion, dar ce contează, că doar soţul e izvor nesecat. Ştiam că la un moment dat va trebui să fac această deplasare, dar parcă nu mă aşteptam să sosească atât de repede scadenţa.

Simple Makes Nice

When accepting and delivering translations to the company I work for, I usually end my messages by writing "have a nice day", "enjoy your weekend", or any other such appropriate wish. Sometimes I also use "best regards", but I find that somewhat cold, so I just insert it, for variety, when I know I will soon be sending another message to the same person. I don't like the "sincerely yours" ending, for instance, although I do insert it when writing a pretty official message; after all, do I need to add "sincerely" to prove that I'm truthful :-)? Furthermore, does that mean I belong to every person I write to?
Anyway, after having sent my translations today, I received two messages from the person that handled them. The first one thanked me for the work, but the second one, which had been sent after one minute, thanked me and wished me a nice day as well.
Sometimes I think that people are too busy to care about such details, and that they might even think I'm sort of childish, but I keep adding these simple wishes because, after all, who doesn't need a nice day? Or at least a wish for it? Well, today's messages prove that sometimes people take notice. So I'll keep on doing it.

Image source: ThinkUKnow.co.uk

Daily Conversations

First phone call
My mom: "Mirela, there's been some sort of bacteria they found in Canada, in Toronto, I think, and some people have died because of it. It's found in meat, so pleeeeaaaase be careful not to eat too much meat and look at the package carefully."
Me: "Don't worry, mom, we don't east that much meat during the summer, and I always look at the expiration date when I buy it." (at that time, I had no idea there even existed such a warning, and it didn't impress me too much; I had bigger fish to fry and worry about. The only thing I knew I had to do was to assure my mom we'd be fine).

Second phone call:
Hypermarket (machine): "We'd like o inform you that there's been a warning issued regarding the product XXX that you bought from us. Although it is not on the list of potentially contaminated meats, we have been asked to withdraw it from circulation and to ask all customers to bring back the product so that they're reimbursed."
My husband: "Oooo Kkkk..."

- Ten days had passed since we had bought the product. It was for my husband's work, and, since it was very tasty and light, I had also eaten a considerable part of it. We had 3 slices left.-

First reading

Me: "It's not on the list, but it did come from that plant. I've just read some info and it says the number of the plant, which is identical with the one on the package. It says between three weeks and 70 days could pass before any signs appear, after which it is already too late . I'll go get my analisis done tomorrow, and depending on my result, you'll either take a day off now, or you'll have them done before I leave, during your vacation."
My husband: "Don't worry, I'm sure it's nothing serious. They're just being extra cautious. Go have your analysis done, so that you can leave with a light heart, but you'll see it's nothing. If you got listeriosis, it's from that mouthwash you use, Listerine. (trying to make a joke which didn't really work on me at that time)"

First visit to the clinic
Me: "I wouldn't want to seem crazy, I'm not a hypochondriac or paranoid, but I've just received this call and I would like to get some analysis done to make sure I don't have listeriosis."
Receptionist (smiling ironically and speaking loudly): "Miss, there's been no recorded cases in Quebec, so we don't have the required analysis. We wouldn't want to cause panic among people. If you want, you can call this number."

Second reading
Me: "It's on the new list! Obviously. At first there were 3, but now 15 people have died."

I have to say I'm somewhat scared. And the irony is that the way authorities and medical staff handles the issue is what made me so. I understant there's no analysis available yet here, but don't laugh in my face and tell me you don't want to panica people. I was the one who got the phone call, so I didn't just start inventing symptoms out of some sort of hypochondriac issue. There's been no recorded deaths in Quebec yet? OK, so we need a few casualties before we can start protecting and informing people. I try very hard not to exagerate, but it's kind of hard when you know you're leaving in two weeks to a country that most certainly does not have the means to detect or treat such a disease, while leaving your husband alone, who's known for not being the first to go see a doctor. Although you realize the odds are in your favour, knowing that there is a remote possibility to feel sick only after more than two months can cause you anxiety.
I just hope no one else gets sick and dies. Maybe it could be contained. You know it's unlikely to get sick, but it's a grim feeling, nevertheless.