so super sorry for being quiet for so long!
i don't even know where to start, actually. i've had a lot of things to think about and to do lately... i think? i'm actually that tired and confused now!
perhaps the best thing i can do is just catch myself up on everything, and hopefully it will give me some perspective as well, because sometimes i feel so frustrated that things aren't necessarily where i want them to be-- but at the same time maybe i should give myself a little credit once in a while!
so, what have i been up to since i last wrote here... well, in no particular order: the paperwork for the restaurant has finally been completed (that was epic, and i plan to never go through that again!), i discovered my own sawing skills, i learned how to fill 20cm holes in the ceiling (which i would give a thumbs up for :), i successfully remembered the birthdays of all 3 of my siblings, made about 4 or 5 new friends (real friends i mean, not the facebook ones), reconnected with 3 very old and wonderful friends, enjoyed the visits of 4 buddies from out of town, rediscovered my love for shishas, visited the farm of an organic meat producer- among other amazing products, looked for an apartment, moved to a new apartment, accidentally locked myself out of that apartment, (have now made a copy of the keys to give to my friend for said apartment), fallen asleep on my computer numerous times, swung back and forth between being totally inspired and completely deflated at LEAST once a week, spent hours painting walls, the ceiling, all sorts of random corners and wires... read 1 book, started a new book, had my fingerprints taken (and no, not because i was arrested :b), applied for the second time for my portuguese temporary residence, filled in for the first time a friend's residence application, started taking portuguese classes once a week, finally chased down both mine and my friend's social security numbers, started jogging in the mornings a couple of times a week, waited in more ticketed lines, in more offices around the city than i can count, lost my place in those lines more times than i'd like to admit, finally got one of the ladies at my local bakery to start smiling at me (still one more i'm working on...), actually got the good grace of a woman at the finance department (this is a serious feat, believe me!), helped to proofread a friend's thesis on wave energy converters, nearly finished designing a table, and participated as a guest interviewee in my friend's project celebrating female artists in europe. whew!
oh yeah, and i also made that lovely pasta up top to fill the hole in my stomach before sitting down to write this. i call it the 'green and black' pasta, because i put in everything green that i had in my fridge in it, and some black olives.
so ok, actually i do feel better. i don't think i've been a complete waste of space this whole time! and now, all i have to do is open the restaurant :b
well, it's definitely getting there, and i am proud of the fact that, at the very least, i haven't given up :)
i will be updating again soon, but in the mean time, i'll leave you with the recipe for the pasta just in case your curious :b
spaghetti (my favourite pasta!)
and sautéed gently with loads of very good olive oil: leeks, fava beans (the entire thing), zucchini, garlic (okay it's not green but i don't know how to make pasta without this...) pinch of salt and fresh ground pepper
sliced basil and black olives mixed in at the end with the pasta, and a mountain of grated parmesan that your italian friend hooked you up with on top of everything :) ok, i'm going back for seconds!
peace......
