Last Friday, Anna brought her final grades for the school year.

She received an A on every subject, except on Physical Education where she was given a C.
“Anna does not like to play with other children and is unwilling when asked to participate in group games".
That´s what her report card says.

Once upon a time, I received similar comments on my report cards.

Knowing full well how it feels to look at your grades and seeing that hateful, ridiculous C on Phys. Ed., I pretended not to see it and far from commenting on it, I exclaimed: “A” on everything! You deserve something as fantastic as your grades! What is it you like?”

Being a girl of simple pleasures, she replied that maybe I could take her to the beach the next day.

“The beach, you say? The beach you´ve got!”

And far from taking her to the beach right next to my mother´s house, I threw us on a boat going to Mallorca.

Mallorca is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean with beautiful weather, kind people and great beaches.

Today we´re back at Grandma´s house with great tans, tons of ice cream in our bellies and our eyes full of blues and greens. Here are some pictures:

In a park, we saw this street performer, who played BEAUTIFULLY.
I was so taken by his music, I forgot he was human and I could ask him questions such as “What is the name of this instrument?".
If anyone knows, please let me know.

These last few days have been very calm.
I find myself doing my work dutifully and drinking neverending pitchers of lemonade.
The store had a super-deal and I filled all the drawers in my fridge with lemons (any ideas?).

Some afternoons, I walk on the beach and a gorgeous mermaid buys me Coke and asks for advice.
She says I´ve grown wise over the years.
I´m far from wise and so I tell her. I quote Indiana Jones and say “it´s the mileage".

I remember being a very impatient person, always trying to rush everything, burning my candle at both ends while holding my lighter to the middle, for good measure.
I´m in no hurry anymore.
People come and go from our lives and the ones who remain without being asked to, those are the ones that count.

On the eve of the summer solstice, I saw witches´ magic.
I saw them jumping 3 times over a pyre and washing their feet in the ocean.
I sat on a rock, watching them.
They offered me binding, enlightening, liberation and luck spells.
I said no and reminded myself to not go down to the beach again on the eve of summer soltice.
I did almost ask them to read my hand.

Thirteen years ago, a gypsy witch read my hand in a dark bar, while we sat on ratty red velvet couches.
Everything she told me turned out to be true.
I wish I could find her again, if only to give her a bigger tip than I did that night.

The witches at the beach kept doing their things, a little dissapointed with my unwillingness to use the forces of the universe to my advantage.

Maybe I was a little harsh on them, but I didn´t know how to tell them that I´m taking things slow and easy, that I do not wish to weather any more storms, that my fridge is full of lemons, that I know things are rarely what they seem, that my hands are empty, that my nightmares consist of giant bubbles of tetris pieces falling from the sky, that the only things I wish for are some peace and quiet, a breeze and a drink.

And heck, “Thriller” playing in the background wouldn´t hurt.

It´s Happy-Song Monday!

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree,
And he sang as he watched and waited ’til his billy boiled
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”
And he sang as he watched and waited ’til his billy boiled,
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Down came a jumbuck to drink at that billabong,
Up jumped the swagman and grabbed him with glee,
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”
And he sang as he shoved that jumbuck in his tucker bag,
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Up rode the squatter, mounted on his thoroughbred,
Down came the troopers, one, two, three,
“Where’s that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker bag?”
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”
“Where’s that jolly jumbuck you’ve got in your tucker bag?",
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Up jumped the swagman and sprang into the billabong,
“You’ll never catch me alive", said he,
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me".

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me”
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong,
“You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.”
“Oh, You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me.”

“Paris, Je T´aime” is a movie consisting of 18 short love stories, each filmed in a different neighborhood in Paris (there are actually 20 arrondissements in Paris, and 20 short stories were filmed, but 2 of them ended up being cut off).
This is my favorite one, maybe because I scream a lot.

A similarly structured film, “New York, I Love You", focusing on life in the Five Boroughs, is set to be released sometime this year.
I´m excited to see it.

“I think, Have I given up anything by living with another person? Has there been a trade-off? Always, there is a trade-off. And the answer comes to me instantly. I have given up a certain degree of freedom. The ability to plow through my life with utter disregard for the thoughts and feelings of other people. I can no longer read a magazine and throw it on the floor.
In exchange, I get unlimited access to the one person I have met in my life whom I automatically felt was out of my league. My favorite human being, the single person I cherish above all others. This is the person I get to share the oxygen in the room with.
And for this, I will happily scrub the toilet. And I won’t make fun of anybody who drives an SUV. Unless, of course, they really deserve it.”

- Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs

There are so many things I have to tell you!
First, my agent is breathing down my neck and since she is bent on me writing non-stop, I´m not gonna be able to blog as much as I have lately. Or breathe. Or sleep.
I could tell you about the strange turn of events that made all of this possible, but if she catches me…I´m afraid for my life.

Secondly, come August, I´ll “get unlimited access to the one person I have met in my life whom I automatically felt was out of my league. My favorite human being, the single person I cherish above all others.". And saying I´m thrilled about it, doesn´t come close to describing how I feel.

Third, I´m getting a St. Bernard. Yeah, the dog. I was told about it yesterday. And apparently I´m going to Switzerland to get it.

There are so many other things!
I´ll tell you about them “soon". Until then, best of luck to everyone.

May your children and your dogs grow wise and strong.