tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-66730836783263181282024-03-19T13:14:49.030+01:00Translating like a ninjaLauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6673083678326318128.post-79855777505413213362012-07-26T12:37:00.000+02:002012-07-26T12:37:48.570+02:00Hell is other peopleToday I got an email from a client telling me he hadn't finished the article he was writing and was planning on sending me today before I headed off on holiday. Seeing as we were going to have to push everything back until next week I found myself with 5 hours on my hands before going to pick the BF up at work and speed off to the beach.<br />
<br />
So here I am, finally sitting down to post something on my blog. I know I should be getting back to my American adventure -there are so many things I want to jot down and save for posterity, but I have a backpack to pack and a dog to drop off with the dogsitters before I get going so... Hopper it is!<br />
<br />
I'd had my eye on the Hopper exhibition since it opened here in Madrid, but I'd been waiting for the perfect time to go. If it were up to me, I'd obviously have gone on a random Tuesday morning before school was out, so I could have wandered around at my leisure, but the BF is also a bit of an art buff and wanted me to wait for him. Then I read that the Thyssen was going to stay open until 11pm for the duration of the show and I thought that would make for a perfect night out (remember I'm the girl who walks into to Ikea at 9.30pm through the check outs and is out of there at 9.58pm).<br />
<br />
Apart from the actual show, the Thyssen also have a Hopper-related film cycle on for the summer and last Saturday we decided to check out the film. Despite the fact that we got there early, it was already packed out and they'd locked the doors (this is Spain, people might not be big on culture but they certainly are big on free stuff that they can enjoy in the comfort of an air-conditioned film theatre).<br />
<br />
Seeing as we'd made after-art plans in the area, we decided to stick around and bought tickets for the exhibition. What a huge mistake. <br />
<br />
Picture me, surrounded by people chatting away about anything and everything under the sun as they leisurely fanned out around the paintings for eons. There were some ladies having a riveting conversation about a banister (in the museum, NOT in a painting), a couple who clearly needed to get a room or get their PDA under control, and a guy babbling away on his phone. Not to mention the kids.<br />
<br />
Hey, I'm all for people introducing the young'uns to the arts, but come on, can't you also teach them to keep a lid on it?! There are ways to keep kids entertained that don't involve me having to put up with you merrily playing I spy with your kids in a loud voice and getting them all so worked up they end up kicking each other "'cos I saw it first!!". Jesus!!!<br />
<br />
You never know when you might encounter your kryptonite, so I always keep my antidote within arm's reach. I rummaged around my bag, found my beloved headphones, plugged myself into my phone and Wilco-ed the exhibition away, occasionally fishing the earplugs out to whisper a comment here and there. <br />
<br />
I loved the show, I love Hopper, I love going to museums... but never again will I go to a Spanish museum on a Saturday afternoon.<br />
<br />
PS. If you're in Madrid and you're into art, get yourself over to the Thyssen, but make sure you pack some headphones. Better to be safe than sorry!!LauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6673083678326318128.post-30933181899344487082012-06-16T21:17:00.000+02:002012-06-16T21:24:10.622+02:00The American Dream (part I)Hello blog!!! Long time no see, I know, I know... I should have been back here telling you all about my holiday in the States but, luckily, I was welcomed back by a helluva lot of work which came in pretty handy considering I'd just spent three weeks travelling around California!!<br />
<br />
I've decided to just run through the highlights because we wrote a travel journal on the road (handwritten, old school style, packed with stories and decorated with everything and anything, from plane tickets to fines (!) to Walmart receipts). I'm going to break the trip down into several posts because we did so many things and saw so many sights that I just cannot see how I can squeeze it all into a single post.<br />
<br />
<br />
Let's start with LA in the movies.<br />
<br />
We decided to hit <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westwood_Village_Memorial_Park_Cemetery" target="_blank">Westwood Memorial</a> for our first visit. I mean, where else would you have me go?! Marilyn, Truman Capote, Natalie Wood, Farrah Fawcett, Bettie Page, Frank Zappa, etc. From there we made our way towards Beverly Hills. Don't get me wrong, though, I was NOT driving around in search of Beckham's house, more like the house where <a href="http://www.seeing-stars.com/imagepages/BugsySiegelHousePhoto.shtml" target="_blank">Bugsy Siegel</a> was gunned down, <a href="http://0.tqn.com/d/gocalifornia/1/0/l/K/3/20100210_0017-a.jpg" target="_blank">the witch's house</a>, the <a href="http://www.seeing-stars.com/ImagePages/ElmStreetPhoto.shtml" target="_blank">Nightmare on Elm Street house</a>, 10066 Cielo Drive...<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDoezL8FA62EHnHu_qKlh4Fl5EFBR-c-uP7FLzWhrBQmO2k5C53MPeOcQsGPbY80v6PA4LwfUsPBQhcVhQZQRHHLX_P2443QP9Am3DavFtvTt-3Qy9ia7Ef-r4TSycpwYfhasF9wEUJSs/s1600/IMG_4363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Afterwards, we drove all the way up to Mulholland (über cool) and then sat in a traffic jam on the way down to have lunch at <a href="http://www.mussoandfrank.com/" target="_blank">Musso & Frank</a> before stepping into Terminator's shoes at the Chinese Theatre. I still can't get over how tiny Rita Hayworth's feet were!! The fact that the Kodak Theatre is actually inside a shopping centre was also pretty mind blowing. Very strange!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.hollywoodforever.com/" target="_blank">Hollywood Forever</a> was also on our to-do list, obviously. It's one of my favourite cemeteries ever, up there with Montparnasse. It's like a massive garden, peacocks, geese and ducks galore. Such a cool place, what with the lake, the animals and the Hollywood sign there in the distance! It's home to the likes of Johnny & Dee Dee Ramone, Don Adams, Vampira, Cecil B. DeMille, and a host of others.<br />
<br />
Other movie and TV locations we called in at included Griffith Observatory, the American Horror Story house, the Fisher & Sons funeral home, Doc Brown's house from Back to the Future, Los Angeles river, High Voltage Tattoo, the Formosa, <a href="http://www.sixfeetunder.com/" target="_blank">Six Feet Under</a>, the tar pits in La Brea, and my all-time favourite, the Walsh house.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDoezL8FA62EHnHu_qKlh4Fl5EFBR-c-uP7FLzWhrBQmO2k5C53MPeOcQsGPbY80v6PA4LwfUsPBQhcVhQZQRHHLX_P2443QP9Am3DavFtvTt-3Qy9ia7Ef-r4TSycpwYfhasF9wEUJSs/s1600/IMG_4363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDoezL8FA62EHnHu_qKlh4Fl5EFBR-c-uP7FLzWhrBQmO2k5C53MPeOcQsGPbY80v6PA4LwfUsPBQhcVhQZQRHHLX_P2443QP9Am3DavFtvTt-3Qy9ia7Ef-r4TSycpwYfhasF9wEUJSs/s320/IMG_4363.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I could go on and on and on but it's football time. Me and my priorities!! I know!!!<br />
<br />
To be continued...<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />LauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6673083678326318128.post-58475487416916889822012-03-14T16:13:00.004+01:002012-03-15T11:37:11.416+01:00The freelance wardrobe<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:worddocument> <w:view>Normal</w:View> <w:zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:trackmoves/> <w:trackformatting/> <w:donotshowrevisions/> <w:donotprintrevisions/> <w:donotshowmarkup/> <w:donotshowcomments/> <w:donotshowinsertionsanddeletions/> <w:donotshowpropertychanges/> <w:hyphenationzone>21</w:HyphenationZone> <w:punctuationkerning/> <w:validateagainstschemas/> <w:saveifxmlinvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:ignoremixedcontent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:alwaysshowplaceholdertext>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:donotpromoteqf/> <w:lidthemeother>ES</w:LidThemeOther> <w:lidthemeasian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian> <w:lidthemecomplexscript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript> <w:compatibility> <w:breakwrappedtables/> <w:snaptogridincell/> <w:wraptextwithpunct/> <w:useasianbreakrules/> <w:dontgrowautofit/> <w:splitpgbreakandparamark/> <w:dontvertaligncellwithsp/> <w:dontbreakconstrainedforcedtables/> <w:dontvertalignintxbx/> <w:word11kerningpairs/> <w:cachedcolbalance/> </w:Compatibility> <w:browserlevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> <m:mathpr> <m:mathfont val="Cambria Math"> <m:brkbin val="before"> <m:brkbinsub val="--"> <m:smallfrac val="off"> <m:dispdef/> <m:lmargin val="0"> <m:rmargin val="0"> <m:defjc val="centerGroup"> <m:wrapindent val="1440"> <m:intlim val="subSup"> <m:narylim val="undOvr"> </m:mathPr></w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:latentstyles deflockedstate="false" defunhidewhenused="true" defsemihidden="true" defqformat="false" defpriority="99" latentstylecount="267"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="0" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Normal"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="heading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="9" qformat="true" name="heading 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 7"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 8"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" name="toc 9"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="35" qformat="true" name="caption"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="10" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" name="Default Paragraph Font"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="11" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtitle"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="22" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Strong"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="20" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="59" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Table Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Placeholder Text"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="1" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="No Spacing"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Revision"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="34" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="List Paragraph"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="29" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="30" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Quote"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="60" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="61" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="62" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Light Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="63" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="64" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="65" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="66" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="67" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="68" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="69" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="70" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Dark List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="71" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="72" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful List Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="73" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="19" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="21" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Emphasis"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="31" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Subtle Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="32" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Intense Reference"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="33" semihidden="false" unhidewhenused="false" qformat="true" name="Book Title"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="37" name="Bibliography"> <w:lsdexception locked="false" priority="39" qformat="true" name="TOC Heading"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif][if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Tabla normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0cm; mso-para-margin-right:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0cm; line-height:115%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif"; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> <![endif]--> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:justify"><span style="Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-GBfont-family:";" lang="EN-GB">If you’re proud to work in your pyjamas you might want to look away now. That said, each to their own. I’m not here to nag about your fashion faux pas!! Personally I hate working in my pyjamas. I feel lazy, unmotivated and sluggish, but that’s just me. </span><span style="Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:justify"><span style="Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-GBfont-family:";" lang="EN-GB">When I first started working as a translator back in year 2000, in a world without wifi, Google and decent Internet connections, I still lived with my parents. I’ve never been one to sleep in but I do like snuggling up in bed on a cold morning with a book or lost in my own thoughts. So sometimes when I couldn’t drag myself out of bed and had to proofread or translate a short text at the crack of dawn, I’d just reach over to my desk (conveniently located in the comfort of my room) and deal with the text before heading down to breakfast and a morning chat with the family. So... I guess that could count as working in my PJs. Oh, the horror!!!!</span><span style="Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:justify"><span style="Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-GBfont-family:";" lang="EN-GB">FF a few years on down the line and cut to me living in my first flat and suddenly being able to make my own rules. Sure, I’d been away on an Erasmus in Geneva and studying an MA in the UK but in both of those cases I actually had to get dressed and leave the house everyday to go to uni and I usually spent the weekends <s>nursing killer hangovers</s> doing my homework and can’t really remember what I was wearing. Although I was obviously free to do as I pleased I hardly ever lounged around in my PJs. Maybe the fact that my parents had a strict pyjamas ban had something to do with it. Pyjamas were to be worn in bed and occasionally on a lazy Sunday morning at the breakfast table. That was it. Shuffling around in pyjamas and a dressing gown when you had a cold was out of the question.</span><span style="Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:justify"><span style="Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-GBfont-family:";" lang="EN-GB">Soon after moving out I got a dog and as soon as Silva entered the stage the unthinkable thought of ever working in my PJs flew out the window since the first thing I'd do was get dressed and take her for a walk. Back then, my garment of choice was the tracksuit. Guess I could blame it on the <a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/1I6eY59YPyiHVTwv7RJfYH">tracksuit-clad</a> <a href="http://open.spotify.com/track/1158ckiB5S4cpsdYHDB9IF">bands</a> I was listening to. Adidas <i style="mso-bidi-font-style:normal">was</i> actually all the rage at the time, so I <i>could </i>get away with calling it a fashion statement. [Lamest excuse ever?]. I cringe at the thought. I now only wear a tracksuit on the occasional visit to a muddy park with the dog or when I’m making my way back from the gym on a cold winter night. I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing one in public for any other reason.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:justify"><span style="Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-GBfont-family:";" lang="EN-GB">Instead of going through every single item in my wardrobe I’m going to fly with that last thought “I wouldn’t be caught dead wearing that in public” because it crosses my mind almost every single day. </span><span style="Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:justify"><span style="Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-GBfont-family:";" lang="EN-GB">I’m no fashion guru and I don’t follow up on every single trend listed in the Vogue look book, but I do pride myself in being a somewhat stylish dresser with a strong penchant for the <a href="http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSKyzJrePJR8vY1cCAxANgDG_4chNd1dx5qQO_S6y2DY_28jR0T">90s</a> when I’m out and about, but at home I seem to have become an onioner and a compulsive clothes-changer.</span><span style="Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:justify"><span style="Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-GBfont-family:";" lang="EN-GB">Being an onioner, for those who haven’t guessed, is all about layers. Working at home exposes us to ever-changing climates. My flat now has central heating, the kind that is decided for me by whoever runs this building, so being the early bird that I am, when I get up at 7am it’s freezing. I usually pull on a pair of leggings/jeans and a thick jumper and head into the office to <s>get some work done</s> check my Reader before I take Nara for a walk. I’m always cold and my fingers go numb (more on that in another post) so I put on an extra jumper, sometimes pull on a pair of jeans, a scarf and two pairs of gloves. When I get home I peel off layers of clothes and make breakfast. By the time I sit down I’m cold again so I'm back to adding layers, another cardigan here, a snood there and I throw a pair of thin gloves into the mix just for fun. Then the heating comes on at midday and I run through the opposite process, leaving my extra office chair strewn with clothes for the day. On “paper” this doesn’t sound as extreme as the combinations I put together are. You should actually take a look at the crummy leggings, bobbly dresses/jumpers and t-shirts that I sit around in. When couriers come round, I take a deep breath before opening the door and greeting them in my combination of old jeans, woollen dress, slippers, fleece, sweatshirt and scarf. All at the same time. Summer’s different, I usually type away in flimsy old dresses or an old t-shirt and girl boxers. The keyword to the disgraceful summer look is “old”. Holes are always welcome.</span><span style="Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:justify"><span style="Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-GBfont-family:";" lang="EN-GB">Hairstyles are also worth a mention. I wear my hair à la garçon at the moment, but I used to sport the Louise Brooks look and you don’t want to know about the state of my fringe when I needed a haircut. Barrettes, hairclips and bobby pins galore. Plus, without my GHD irons, I get cowlicks all over the place. Frizzle is my middle name, so my shadow during lunchtime walks with the dog makes me look like Tintin. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;text-align:justify"><span style="Times New Roman","serif";mso-ansi-language:EN-GBfont-family:";" lang="EN-GB">So to cut a long story short, my freelance wardrobe is all about jeans, woolly dresses, leggings, thick tights, sweat shirts and cardigans in the winter, and hot pants and a vest in the summer. No pyjamas for me!!</span><span style="Times New Roman","serif"font-family:";" ></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="Times New Roman","serif"; mso-ansi-language:EN-GBfont-family:";" lang="EN-GB">Now please excuse me as I hurry off to change because I have people coming round to watch the footie!!</span></p>LauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6673083678326318128.post-57042410923479869612012-03-01T13:06:00.005+01:002012-03-01T17:13:38.058+01:00The Freelance Life (I)<div style="text-align: justify;">Yesterday I decided to make the most of the freelance life. I handed in one of the books I'm working on last week and I had just sent out an estimate for a project that, if accepted, will have me up to my ears in work for the whole of the month. Before I start touching up and finishing the translation of the book I have due in June, I thought I'd chillax a bit and take advantage of the freelance life to check out an exhibition and catch up with some friends.<br />The best thing that can happen to a freelancer is to have other friends who freelance too and can join them in their escapades. One of my best friends works as a freelance stylist so on the rare occasion that we both have some free time, we team up and go for it. A couple of years ago we spent a whole long weekend lounging at my parents' beach flat, last year we were both too busy for words and this year seems to have started in the same style, so we made the most of the day instead.<br />We spoke at 9.30 am and decided on the Fundación Mapfre's Lewis Hine show. Highly recommendable.<br />As soon as I put the landline phone down, my mobile started ringing. A client. What to do? I decided to pick up, because it was one of my best and favourite clients and a phone call meant something was up... I mean, email is what normal work is for, right?<br />She was in a right pickle. She was heading off to the printer's when she realised she had a poster that was still in Spanish. She'd forgotten to send it to me to get it translated. It was just three sentences long, so I told her to send it over to me asap. Once I'd sent it off back to her (and saved the show), I switched off the computer, only to have her call me 10 minutes later to say she needed another quickie.<br />I finally managed to make it out at midday. The show was great, and the museum was a lot busier than I'd expected. Don't know if that had to do with the time of day or with the fact that it was a free show, but it was definitely pulling in the crowds.<br />We ended up having lunch with my family. My brother usually has lunch with me on Wednesdays and my parents happened to be in the Prado, so we all got together and giggled the meal away.<br />After lunch we made our way off towards our favourite café to indulge in a slice of carrot cake before we parted ways.<br />I got home to a sleepy doggie, who did not seem to have missed me a bit, and sat down to sort out my invoices.<br />All in all it was a great freelance day.<br /><br />Afterthought: as I was writing this post, another one came to mind. "Smartphones, are they wreaking havoc on my 'freelance life' escapades?". Stay tuned for my conclusions on that!!</div>LauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6673083678326318128.post-814276025754748572012-02-25T09:42:00.015+01:002012-02-25T10:28:47.197+01:00Paul Auster<div style="text-align: justify;">Paul Auster came to Madrid on Thursday. He's one of my favourite contemporary authors. I quite enjoy going to book signings and I really hate the fact that Spain doesn't seem to be into that kind of thing. Although the turnout on Thursday might change the game a little. I once queued for Javier Marías during the Madrid Book Week. He's one of the only Spanish writers I actually enjoy reading. I don't know why it is, but I can't stand the way Spanish authors write. I am yet to find someone who can blow me away. And I've tried, believe you me!</div><div style="text-align: justify;">So, Thursday afternoon, I finished my word count for the day and decided to head off to the venue. Paul was outside when we arrived and we walked inside to try to snatch a photo of him before the event. Good job we did because although it cost me an angry glare, it also meant we got to be some of the last people who were allowed to queue inside. I know Madrid isn't Siberia, but waiting outside in the cold for two hours at 8pm isn't the coolest way I can think of to spend an afternoon. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">Our coffee plans were botched and we had to gossip the hours away surrounded by eavesdroppers and on our feet. The occasional cookie was a welcome surprise, although some kind of liquid to wash down the sweetness would have been appreciated. Still, don't look a gift horse in the mouth, as my mum would say. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">The first part of the event was a conversation with a Spanish author. There was supposedly going to be a monitor streaming it, but the zigzagging queue arrangement cut us out of the picture and we could sometimes hear bits and pieces of what the interpreter was saying but it wasn't clear enough to actually get the gist of what was going on. Not cool, Fnac.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When Paul finally started the signing, the queue started moving at full speed. People started asking questions, there was a buzz in the air. PR people gave us our orders and curtly answered our questions. 'Open the book at the right page. He'll only sign the title page. No photos. No, you can't chat to him. One book per person. More than one book is out of the question, I don't care who it's for.' We started snapping away as we approached the table, some people got told off and others were able to get a so-so pic of him.</div><div style="text-align: justify;">When I got to the table I was lucky enough to have him talk to me. I'd taken a copy of '<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Auggie-Wrens-Christmas-Story-Auster/dp/0805077235">Auggie Wren's Christmas Story</a>' with me. It's a cool glossy illustrated edition I bought in New York, and the only hardback book I have by him. </div><div style="text-align: justify;">He was signing copies with a Sharpie, quite a challenge for my glossy paper. After he signed his name, he stopped to blow on his signature for a second and then told me to make sure I didn't close the book right away or the ink would run and stick to the other page. I told him I would take good care of his name and thanked him for coming. Then I was ushered out of the way without even being able to snap a picture of my friends as they got their books signed and we went out into the night to compare signatures and point our fingers at all the people left queuing in the cold. </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKniVnmQBi4WRnPPmBVxO0w_5w_ii73xoK3IVJ1i_fP108HVMEqXqlrsQrRzk3dnKUrOVVCkkrfKWOjmMsmHwLj423XKtf9cTXqAm7MuuTuY_Qs1cjSuzFI57HfFDJ1-Mu45wKBiK_pGX2/s1600/auster.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKniVnmQBi4WRnPPmBVxO0w_5w_ii73xoK3IVJ1i_fP108HVMEqXqlrsQrRzk3dnKUrOVVCkkrfKWOjmMsmHwLj423XKtf9cTXqAm7MuuTuY_Qs1cjSuzFI57HfFDJ1-Mu45wKBiK_pGX2/s320/auster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713002299005131090" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOzHLq5rPs-95J0kJEUnR9kbDtNj_FJitlCbDUG7qMeR5KZxSq-22qarTWXrtrtcgdM99Vu_lbODLIUiJP556EGSmd8AaVC7WDrKeBR_y3NLylyG84ElIzzwwQTcSywEIxk7UsPzp11kl/s1600/la+foto.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 239px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqOzHLq5rPs-95J0kJEUnR9kbDtNj_FJitlCbDUG7qMeR5KZxSq-22qarTWXrtrtcgdM99Vu_lbODLIUiJP556EGSmd8AaVC7WDrKeBR_y3NLylyG84ElIzzwwQTcSywEIxk7UsPzp11kl/s320/la+foto.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5713002293872114402" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div><br /></div>LauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6673083678326318128.post-11257006009906039552012-01-24T11:12:00.008+01:002012-01-24T13:26:14.659+01:00The groupie interpreter<div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">As well as working as a translator, I'm also an interpreter. That said, the kind of interpreting I do is pretty strange. I've been working as an interpreter for many years, but I've never set foot inside a booth since I graduated from uni.<br /><br />I get such a buzz from this kind of gig. I have always been a first-class groupie. I'd hang around outside the venue before or after a gig to try to get the band to sign my CDs. (Let me add I was always in complete control of my senses, do not mistake me for a twi-hard fan). As you can imagine, when I first started working this kind of jobs, I couldn't believe my luck. I started out thanks to some friends who worked for a now-defunct Spanish TV channel called C: (on Canal Plus). I got to meet the artists, got in free to the gig and sometimes got some swag to take home with me too. Getting to share a sofa with Nicky Wire has been one of my favourite moments ever.<br /><br />I graduated from music into film and TV a few years later and found myself dealing with press conferences, TV sets and swanky hotels. I debuted in the film world thanks to <a href="http://www.imdb.es/title/tt0409793/">Cargo</a>. I worked for a day in Madrid and a day in Barcelona. They flew me out to Barcelona first class, I loved the celebrity lifestyle. The cast were all really great and Peter Mullan and I got on like a house on fire. We had such a giggle. It was hard work, press conferences, back-to-back interviews, no time to eat, no time to rest, but working with such a nice bunch of people made it so much fun.<br /><br />Over the years I've dealt with egos the size of double-decker buses, met some of my favourite groups, actors and directors, chatted to some of the nicest people ever, faced 3,000 screaming teenagers in a bullring (thank you, Twilight) and have tried to make myself heard over frenzied teenagers in a cinema (thank you, Zac Efron).<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I can't wait to see what the future has in store. I'm still reeling after meeting yesterday's diva!!<br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLUw2aMz3tgjHYPpwdXT6L3-RcbmlkeLHObXEEGRClWr0S7b9ePfmoBLVlNSP4k9wajP8t2bebbkGt-grTjujmg_aABd9Y-HlcKRs3Q9vMb-VQOKXkBcyZQC0-_oKuGQH_iOmX2Axoxr5/s1600/IMAG0537.jpg"><img style="float: left; margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; cursor: pointer; width: 319px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmLUw2aMz3tgjHYPpwdXT6L3-RcbmlkeLHObXEEGRClWr0S7b9ePfmoBLVlNSP4k9wajP8t2bebbkGt-grTjujmg_aABd9Y-HlcKRs3Q9vMb-VQOKXkBcyZQC0-_oKuGQH_iOmX2Axoxr5/s320/IMAG0537.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5701164542495749058" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><br /><br />That's me on the left with Claire, my partner in crime.</span><br /></div></div>LauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6673083678326318128.post-43133339413156599022011-11-25T12:50:00.009+01:002011-12-05T17:16:17.761+01:00Mummy & Papá<div style="text-align: justify;">I'm really proud of my mum and dad for bringing us up bilingual. It must have been pretty hard work.<br /><br />My brother and I were born in London, my dad's Spanish but my grandparents moved to London in 1960 so he's bilingual too. My mum started learning Spanish when she met my dad and she has afforded us a great many laughs over the years as she's continued to perfect her grasp on the language.<br /><br />When we lived in London, they always tried to talk to us in Spanish at home and then reversed their policy when we moved to Madrid. We spent every summer in Spain with my grandparents and I sometimes came on my own for Reyes (double the pressies, double the fun!!). When we moved to Madrid we'd visit my family in the UK once or twice a year (HMV, Virgin, Waterstones, Boots, Topshop!!), although we never did holidays... I mean, Christmas in York is <span style="font-style: italic;">nothing </span>like summer in Alicante!!<br /><br />My voice is distinctly different when I speak Spanish and English. I once spent a month in Spain as a kid when my mum was too pregnant to travel for the summer. I didn't speak a word of English over that time as I spent the days playing with my Spanish grandparents and my Spanish friends. I would not speak English when I got back. My playschool teacher called my mum to tell her I could understand everything that was going on but kept talking to all the other kids in Spanish. Years later I spent a month in Paris at the Sorbonne speaking only French or English, I came home and realised I hated the sound of my voice in Spanish. I think that was also what happened to me as a child, although I probably didn't know it at the time.<br /><br />When it comes to names, there's also a clear difference. My parents decided on names that would work in both languages. Hence 'Laura'. My brother was going to be 'Daniel' for a whole 9 months of planning and baby names. The day he was born my dad decided to scrap all that and insisted on having my brother continue his name. Enter 'Javier'. My entire UK family (mum included) let out a groan. My mother was always 'mummy' when we were kids, she's now 'mamá'. My brother has always been 'Javs' (pronounced /habs/). My father is 'papá', he has never been and will never be 'dad' or 'daddy'. He hates it.<br /><br />I speak to my mum in English. Always. I text her in English. I email her in English. I find it very weird when she talks to me in Spanish when we're on our own. As for my dad, we usually communicate in Spanish when we're on our own and will use English when my mum's also around.<br /><br />Things are different with my brother, we're terrible. We use a horrible combination of Spanglish, not so much in that we pepper English sentences with Spanish words or the other way round, it's more a case of chopping and changing from one language to another in each sentence. E.g. "Vas a ver el partido en casapadres? Yo sí. BTW, I checked out that bluray you said they wanted for Xmas" and so on and so forth. Truly terrible, and a very bad example for everyone. Although it gives our friends loads of comic material when it comes to taking the mick.<br /><br />Do you come from a bilingual background? How do things work in your house?<br /><br /></div>LauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6673083678326318128.post-8070209483741980472011-11-18T18:54:00.008+01:002011-11-21T12:01:06.222+01:00The Shining<div style="text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;">Tonight I'm going to be watching my all-time favourite film on the big screen. I recently came to the conclusion that it was my all-time favourite film when I got a little bit too carried away about being able to watch it again in a theatre. Plus I also realised you can't be 35 and expect people to take you seriously when you say <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097493/">Heathers </a>is your favourite movie, or that you can't decide whether The Breakfast Club, The Lost Boys or The Goonies is the better film (it's The Lost Boys, I mean, come on, there's vampires, there's a comic book store and there's the two Coreys).<br />Although I don't know how valid it is to say The Shining is my favourite film when I don't really understand the ending!! I've read long studies about the film, overanalysing it frame by frame, taking a deeper look at every tiniest little detail, but that still doesn't make things any easier. Thanks, Stanley.<br />Still, I'm not about to go into the magic and horror of room 237 (or 217 if you're going by the book, which is another masterpiece in itself) because this post does actually tie in with languages!<br /><br />I watched the film for the first time when I was 12 years old. I'd sometimes stay over at a friend's house and her older brother would go to the video store and rent horror movies for us to watch. We were in Spain at the time which meant the video store only had dubbed versions of the films. I still remember to this day how we popped the video in the VCR... and spent the next 142 minutes laughing our heads off. We actually spent the rest of the evening pretending to be Jack Torrance. What made the film totally laughable was the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO8rK4GJpb8&feature=related">ridiculousness of the Spanish acting</a>, particularly the voice of the actress chosen to play Wendy and the weird choice of swear words used in the translation, which were limited to variations on <span style="font-style: italic;">joder</span>. We may only have been 12, but even then we knew that Spaniards rely on a selection of <span style="font-style: italic;">mierda</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">me cago en la leche</span>, <span style="font-style: italic;">puta</span> and other colourful expressions apart from the omnipresent <span style="font-style: italic;">joder</span>.<br />When I got back home, my dad asked about my weekend and was blown away by the fact that we'd laughed through the film.<br />About a year later, we went to London to visit the family and he decided to buy a copy of The Shining to watch at home. I sat down to watch it with him, with all the cockiness of my teenage self and got pulled into the film, no language distractions, all Jack Nicholson in all his glory. I absolutely loved the film and I was completely petrified!!<br />I didn't sleep for a month afterwards.<br /><br />Kubrick was a control freak. I know he came to Spain to supervise and handpick the voice talent that would be portraying the actors in the movie. To this day, I still cannot understand what made him choose Verónica Forqué and I do not know a single person who does not find her ridiculous in the film.<br /><br />That said, and although I didn't realise it at the time, my little bilingual brain was certainly aware of the importance of languages, dubbing... and swearing!<br /><br />Now, if you'll excuse me, Grady is waiting to show me to The Overlook's private cocktail bar.<br /><br /></div><br /></div>LauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6673083678326318128.post-87226410715676029922011-11-09T09:55:00.015+01:002011-11-09T11:39:18.650+01:00Work space<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMFXriiepiyct2OjOxZ56VOsoEEG60m_03mvkeRiqQVJLTpL3wMkAqU1wTleKBgA3lhjuoIr9rLSf1Ymw5HuXZSVP5uX3zbIS_Sszd1JDIc6w1ENJaClEge0O5yojFl0MHBrDy-3OD7Uu/s1600/IMAG0329.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMFXriiepiyct2OjOxZ56VOsoEEG60m_03mvkeRiqQVJLTpL3wMkAqU1wTleKBgA3lhjuoIr9rLSf1Ymw5HuXZSVP5uX3zbIS_Sszd1JDIc6w1ENJaClEge0O5yojFl0MHBrDy-3OD7Uu/s320/IMAG0329.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5672917990545238850" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">My desk on a tidy day<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;">This is what my desk now looks like. Up until a few weeks ago I used to toil away happily on my laptop. That all changed dramatically one morning thanks to my oh-so-loveable dog, <a href="http://twitter.com/#%21/lfftrans/media/slideshow?url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwitpic.com%2F788ac5">Nara</a> (believe you me, she is going to be a fixture on this blog).<br /><br />I must say that I had been considering buying myself a screen, the laptop keyboard I can handle (in fact I'm still breaking in my new keyboard, and I'm always pressing the wrong keys, particularly when it comes to Spanish accents), but I had started to give some thought to getting myself an extra screen for proofreading or for browsing sites whilst translating without having to split the screen up into a million pieces.<br /><br />My morning ritual usually involves catching up on a half-hour tv show over breakfast and the morning papers. Nara is usually chilling on the sofa behind me, worn out after our morning walk, but she sometimes jumps up to snoop around or to bring me a toy to play with when she thinks I've been typing away for too long.<br /><br />Since I'm pretty much the Bridget Jones of translators (more on that in future posts), Nara jumped up, nudged my elbow, my elbow jerked my hand, hand jerked the spoon, laptop lapped up my cereal. Delightful way to start the morning.<br /><br />Cut to me frantically backing up my files (I regularly back up everything, but just the thought of losing something makes me panic!), watching milk pour out from under the keyboard and then wrecking the keyboard as I tried to pop the keys back on the keyboard after prying them out not in the most expert of manners.<br /><br />After powering up my 10" screen netbook and proofreading and handing in a text that I had thankfully translated the night before on my 16" laptop, I set off to kit myself out with a screen and keyboard. I went for a 20" screen and a wireless keyboard and mouse because although I'm messy by nature, I get a bit claustrophobic when my desk is too cluttered and I didn't want the extra cables getting in the way of all the pencils, pens, mugs and other stuff that I generally litter my table with.<br /><br />I'm really happy with the change. I'm the kind of person that learns the hard way, so I really do thank Nara for nudging me towards changing my set up.<br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><br />Photo breakdown: keyboard, mouse, wrist cushion, pink notebook (my current "word jotter," I have countless little notebooks that I jot down words, expressions, terminology in. I know this is incredibly old school but I find that writing them down makes them stick in my brain, I do use excel for "official" glossaries though), speakers (I could not live without my music), book stand (I work from converted pdf files, but like to keep the book close at hand for quick reference), chapstick, hand cream, day planner, and lots of little flannels that I brought back from my summer trip to Japan and don't really know what to do with but are too cutesy to throw away. </span><br /></div>LauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6673083678326318128.post-11339161935861629752011-11-08T16:09:00.000+01:002011-11-08T18:17:46.999+01:00New blog!!!<div style="text-align: justify;">Hey, Blogger, long time no see. This feels just like January 2003 all over again.<br /><br />Oh, but haven't things changed since then?<br /><br />All for the better, I'd like to add.<br /><br />Back then I was already working as a freelance translator (I've been at it since around June or July of the year 2000), I'd just finished an 8-month stint at the Spanish Foreign Affairs Ministry during Spain's EU Presidency in 2002 and I had just met Virginia, who is now one of my best friends, at the UN translation exams they held that year in Madrid. Neither of us passed the exams, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to work for the UN, but I'm so glad I sat those exams or I would never have met her.<br /><br />She was a keen blogger at the time. I'd never even heard of blogs, but I soon got caught up in the whirlwind. I loved blogging, I'd ramble on about almost anything and everything, but mainly gigs and tv shows. My blog also worked as a diary, I'd use it to talk about the important things that went on in my life.<br /><br />It was also a great way to keep in touch with people. My brother was living in London at the time, and he used to say that he loved tuning in for his daily instalments of my life!<br /><br />This time I've decided to make things a tad more professional. I promise to not get lost in breaking down the characters on my favourite tv shows or meticulously analysing the tracks on my favourite album of the week, but then again, this won't be strictly about translation. After all, I'm not cut out for being all about business.<br /><br />So fret not, this blog is going to be about translation, but with a twist. I hope to talk about what it's like to be a freelance translator, what it's like to work from home, about how to work having a dog into working from home, how to work having a life into working from home, how to work weekends into working from home. You get the gist.<br /><br />All those things that we translators face day in and day out as we type away.</div>LauraFFhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15473286531656331833noreply@blogger.com1