Conspiracy theories

You have probably heard about the concept "conspiracy theories"; they are theories that explain events in an alternative way to that is accepted by most people, and think that the "official theory" is just a big lie.

The list is as endless as human's paranoia, and includes the following:

• The moon landing (alunizaje) was a hoax (fraude) staged (montado) by Nasa, but it never actually happened 

• 9-11 was an "inside job"; a self-attack prepared by the USA as an excuse to invade Irak. I must confess I find this one plausible... I have read some evidence that seem to make sense (tener sentido), but to be honest, I am not going to investigate any further.

• Chemtrails.This theory states that water condensation trails (estelas) from airoplanes are in fact chemical or biological agents to control the population. I, in fact, have a friend who believes this and says that when these trails appear in the sky he always gets a bad headache! (?)

• Flat earth theory says, as you have probably guessed, that... the earth is actually flat (plana)!! The photographs we have of the Earth as a globe are of course fake (falsas). There is a "flat earth society" and all, that get together to speak about their paranoia.

All of these conspiracy theories are relatively harmless (inofensivas) and even funny, but it gets a lot less funny when you hear about anti-vaccines (antivacunas), who say that there is a causal link (conexión) between vaccines and autism, and decide to not vaccinate their children. Unfortunately we are already suffering the consequences.
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Unfortunately I recently I found out (descubrí) that my cousin's wife is an anti-vaxxer, and she refuses (se niega) to vaccinate their three-year-old child because she believes this pile of shit (montón de mierda). She told me herself: "I don't vaccinate my child because I am well informed" Aha...

And what did I do? Well, I knew there was no point (no tenía sentido) in me arguing (discutir), so I just listened to her explanations. It was frustrating, but I knew there was absolutely nothing I would say that would convince her, and my dissagreement would only create more distance and mistrust (desconfianza) between us.

As I read in an article not long ago, in an argument it’s not enough to be right—you also have to be kind.

Taking in the good

What a lovely weekend I spent in Valencia! It turned out to be (resultó ser) quite different to what I was expecting, but it was nevertheless really enjoyable.

My favourite part was undoubtfully the afternoon we spent at the beach. To me there is something about the beach that I feel connects me with some primal (primario) instinct, something maybe similar to what our primitive ancestors felt in the presence of the sea and what it probably represented for them; an abundant source of food and maybe of enjoyment too.

When I am at the beach there are two things I love doing above all; one of them is just looking at the blue horizon in the distance and letting myself be mesmerized (hipnotizada) by the waves (olas), seeing them coming and going, hearing the monotonus sound of the ocean.... In those moments I have an overwhelming (sobrecogedor) feeling of complete gratitude to life for allowing me to enjoy such sight (vista).

 

The other thing I enjoy so much is going for slow walks, distractedly looking at whatever there is lying on the sand; shells, insects, algae, pebbles (piedrecitas)... And again, I feel that these "inspection walks" were exactly what the primitive women-gatherers (recolectoras) used to do, maybe looking for some sorce of proteins for their offspring (crías), maybe trying to make a mental map of what kind of life there was in that part of the world...

 

 

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Some years ago I read an article about how to build a happier brain. According to Dr. Rick Hanson, a neuropsychologist, "our brains are naturally designed to focus on the negative, which can make us feel stressed and unhappy even though there are a lot of positive things in our lives (...)"

What he suggests is that "we should train our brains to appreciate positive experiences when we have them, by taking those extra 10, 20, 30 seconds to focus on them and install them in the brain."

The beach is definitely one of those places where I take the time to take in (absorber) the good... How about you?

Procrastination

So, I am quite excited today because tomorrow I am going away for the weekend to Valencia with a couple of friends. We are leaving early in the morning, but I haven't even started thinking about what I am going to take with me; clothes, snaks for the journey, or anything else. And I have certainly not started packing anything.

Well, I guess I am lying a little, because what I know I am going to take with me is my crochet; I have started a new project -a net (red) bag- just so I have some entertainment in the car on the way there and on the way back. Maybe I will even crochet a little at the apartment we have rented, after dinner -I particularly like crocheting at night.

But back to packing my bags... I am a born (nato) procrastinator. Do you know what procrastination is? Basically it is to put off (posponer) what you have to do until the last minute. You have a list of things to do, and although you are very aware (consciente) of them, you avoid (evitar) doing them. Sometimes you even do other things just to give yourself an excuse not to do those things on the list that you really don't feel like (apetecer) doing. That is me.

 

In a way, being a procrastinator can be a little of a curse (maldición); you always see deadlines (fecha límite) getting closer and closer (más y más cerca), and you just can't start doing whatever it is that you have to do... BUT, like everything in life, it also has some positive aspects. In fact, there are two.

I saw a conference about this first advantage; in this conference the conclution of an experiment was that, in creative tasks (tarea), procrastination often gives you the chance to consider divergent, non-linear ideas; to "think outside the box". When the person finally started doing the task, the result was better than if they had started earlier, because while they were putting off their task, their mind was in fact working on the best way to do it.

The other positive aspect is one that I have been able to observe in my many years of experience as a procrastinator: when I put off something until the last minute, I obviously have less time to do that thing... which means that I end up doing things a lot faster and therefore wasting (malgastando) less time. In the case of packing my bags for my trip to Valencia, I will probably do it tomorrow morning, so, instead of taking me a few hours, I will just do it in one, maximum.

And what if I forget to take something? Well, I am just going to Valencia for three days, not on a trip around the world.

Graphic pollution

These days we hear and read a lot about pollution. When we say "pollution" we normally refer to air pollution, but there are other kinds: there is acustic pollution, light pollution... and also visual pollution. Have you heard of visual pollution before?

According to wikipedia, "visual pollution is the presence of any unwanted sight (vista) that can ruin the aesthetic (estética) of an area. It is especially strong in city and urban areas. Billboards (vallas publicitarias) antennas, electric wires and automobiles are often considered visual pollution."

And what are the effects of the exposure to visual pollution? Well, again in Wikipedia, it says "they include: distraction, eye fatigue, decreases (descensos) in opinion diversity, and loss (pérdida) of identity” In my opinion these two last things are probably a bit of an exageration, but maybe there is evidence for this, I don't know.
 
In an attempt (intento) to control this visual pollution, about ten years ago, São Paulo approved a "Clean City Law", prohibiting the use of all outdoor advertisements (anuncios), including on billboards, transport, and in front of shops. I have seen some before and after pictures and the difference is fantastic!

I agree so much with this law! I wish they would do it in Madrid -anthough I know they never will. I think we citizens (ciudadanos) are treated just like consumers. From every corner of every city there are signs shouting at us: "BUY THIS!", "BUY THAT!" When we walk in the streets it is difficult not to read every sign there is... it's a little tiring (cansado) when you think about it! I would call all this excess of letters and words, "graphic pollution"

When we buy something, we also take home all those big and bright letters and words in the products we buy, and from the shelves where we put them, those products are still shouting at us and making us read them, breaking the silence and the quiet in our heads.

Ok, it's true that we sometimes need those words to identify what there is inside, although most times a picture would be enough. So what I started doing a few years ago is -especially in the bathroom- as soon as I put something on the cabinet shelves (estantes del armario) or somewhere visible, I peel off the lable (despego la etiqueta). The shampoo, I just put it in a soap dispenser. No words. No voices.

And my bathroom is a quiet space, all silent, as I like it. 

Naughty sparrows II

Please, if you haven't read "Naughty sparrows" do so before reading this second part, as it contains spoilers (destripes).

Every day after I finish my working day, I spend a little time speaking with Meire, the cleaning lady. We go outside the academy for a few minutes and we just chat about our day or whatever comes up (surgir).

Yesterday she told me that she had had to tell off (regañar) María, the recepcionist, because she caught her opening a window to show some children a little nest (nido) that has appeared in one of the plantpots "A nest??" That's lovely!" -I said. "Yes, -she replied- and you should see it! It's so perfectly made; it's a little piece of art! All the little twigs (ramitas) are so perfectly plaited (trenzado)... it's beautiful!"

As she was speaking I was imagining the little mummy and daddy birds collecting little twigs from everywhere, and working on the construction of the home for their future little birds, and suddenly a lightbulb appeared above my head: OF COURSE! -I said.

"Of course what?" -asked Meire. "I have solved a mystery!" And I told her about my clovers and how they had been savaged (atacados salvajemente) by the sparrows. "They were just picking twigs to make their nest! -I summed up (resumir)" "That makes all the sense!" (tiene todo el sentido) -she agreed.

When we finished our little chat she told me I had to see the nest, and she took me where it was. I took a picture of that wonderful piece of art thinking of you, thinking I would definitely have to tell you on Thursday that somewhere my sparrows have a nest, maybe as beautiful as this one, made with the clovers they took from my plantpot.

Here it is!

Naughty sparrows

 I have a bird feeder in my kitchen window that I made for the sparrows (gorriones) that live on the roof (tejado) of my house. I've had it for over ten years now.

 

At first I started feeding the birds little pieces of bread and breadcrumbs (migas) but then I read about how we shouldn't feed bread to ducks, because it is really not all that good for them. I thought that if it wasn't good for ducks it wasn't good enough for my sparrows either, so I started buying special food for them -bird seeds (semillas) and also sunflower seeds (pipas).

When I have foster cats at home they always loooveee to see the birds when they come to eat -although they can only see them blurry (borroso) through the window. So the cats are another reason why I keep feeding the sparrows; to give them entertainment, it's a bit like "cat TV" for them.

kitties watching birdies. On the right, Lápiz hiding in the sink

When Lápiz and Boli were here, part of my morning routine was feeding the cats and the birds, so that when the cats finished their breakfast they could enjoy the bird-show. But since they left, I very often forget to feed the birds. And I think they are not happy about that, and they have decided to let me know.

I have a plantpot of clovers (tréboles) on the window sill (poyete) next to the feeder, that was looking so pretty; like a fantastic green pompom. Yesterday I saw some of the clovers scattered (esparcidos) on the window sill, and an area of the plantpot was completly "mowed" (segada). I found it strange because it has never happened before, but I thought the sparrows probably needed water and they ware getting it from the plants.... so I put a dish with some water, and I also put plenty of seeds in the bird feeder.

But what I have seen today makes me think there is some other reason for their behaviour (comportamiento) ... the water hasn't stopped them from picking all the clovers-a lot of them are on the patio floor! I have no idea why they are doing it, and to be honest I don't really mind for the plant, I find it very funny... 

...but why are they doing it??? Any ideas?

Kintsugi

Have you heard of Kinsugi? It is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery (cerámica) usually with  gold.

Kintsugi originated when a important Japanese man (a shogun) in the 15th century asked for his favourite bowl to be repaired, and the craftsman (artesano) returned it repaired with gold. He was extremely pleased with the result.

Since then everybody liked this art so much that some collectors even broke expensive pottery intentionally so it could be beautifully repaired with this method and it would be worth (valer) more money.

But I am more interested in Kintsugui as the philosophy behind it; an object is more valuable when it has been repaired, and the repair should not be disguised (oculto); these "scars" (cicatrices) are part of the history of the object.

So when I want to repair something, I always let the "scars" visible. For me, showing I spent time and effort repairing something shows my care for the object, and yes, the object becomes more valuable in my own eyes.

Here are a few examples:

My venecian blinds that were broken by the wind

 

The vase for my hyacinth bulbs -I don't have gold,
so glitter (purpurina) will do :D

Last weekend a friend of mine asked me if I could please mend a tablecloth that he has accidentaly burnt, and I am definitely going to go "the Kintsugi way". I was thinking of embroidering (bordar) a little yellow sun, or a green leave... I haven't decided yet; all I know for now is I won't try to hide the repair.

Spring signs

I like the seasons very much; spring, summer, autumn and winter. Each one has something about them that I like. I guess I particularly like the change, the recurrent change; the cycles. Nature manifests everywhere, even in cities, where people tend to live with their back turned on nature; the temperature, the trees and all the plants, the longer days...

Although I love all four of them and I feel that's how it should be -the same as you shouldn't love one of your children more than the others...- I must confess I do have a favourite, which is spring. Spring is nature at its best; it's the re-birth after the winter rest; all plants start to sprout (brotar), some trees get their leaves back, some start to bloom (florecer) and mild (suaves) temperatures return as to invite you to get out of your home and enjoy the spectacle... and it's all so beautiful.

There is an official date for the beginning of the spring, this year will be March 20th, but nature doesn't care about formalities, and in reality spring starts a while before.

Here are the spring signs that I check to confirm that it is already here, in the order they usually happen:

-The hyacinth (jacintos) bulbs that I buy every winter, bloom

-There are little daisies (margaritas) scattered on the grass in parks, and sometimes there are violets too

-The cherry trees (cerezos), almond trees etc. bloom.

 -Irises (lirios) bloom (there are some in El Retiro that I usually go and check)

-I see my first ladybird (mariquita) of the season

And, where are we at the moment? Have you noticed any of these spring signs? Maybe the cherry trees and almond trees? Well, I have. But I hadn't seen the Irises yet, so last Sunday I went to El Retiro for a cycle with my niece Elia and I took her on an "expedition" to see them... and I wasn't dissappointed (decepcionada); there they were!

 I still have to see my first ladybird; will I see one before the 20th March? I will let you know when I do.