• Home
  • Posts RSS
  • Comments RSS
  • Edit
Blue Orange Green Pink Purple

Random thoughts from an unconventional Spaniard in the States

.

Tríptico borgiano (I): "The unending gift"

Un pintor nos prometió un cuadro. Ahora, en New England, se que ha muerto. Sentí, como otras veces, la tristeza y la sorpresa de comprender que somos como un sueño. Pensé en el hombre y en el cuadro perdidos.
(Solo los dioses pueden prometer, porque son inmortales)
Pensé en un lugar prefijado que la tela no ocupará. Pensé después: si estuviera ahí, con el tiempo sería esa cosa más, una cosa, una de las vanidades o hábitos de mi casa; ahora es ilimitada, incesante, capaz de cualquier forma y cualquier color y no atada a ninguno. Existe de algún modo. Vivirá y crecerá como una música, y estará conmigo hasta el fin. Gracias, Jorge Larco.
(También los hombres pueden prometer, porque en la promesa hay algo inmortal).


Painting: "The persistence of memory", by Salvador Dali

One painter promised a picture to us. Now, in New England, I know that he has died. I felt like other times, the sadness and the surprise to understand that we are as a dream. I thought about the man and the picture lost.
(Only the Gods can promise, because they are immortal.)
I thought about the place that the paint will not occupy. I thought later: if it were there, it would be with time that thing extra, a thing, one of the vanities or habits of my house; now it is limitless, it exists anyway. It will live and grow like a music, and it will be with me until the end. Thanks, Jorge Larco.
(Also the men can promise, because in the promise there is something immortal).

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Nanauat | edit post

Prologue into the past

A couple of posts ago, we remarked that "what is past is prologue". Today, the prologue belongs to the past and the tale, indeed as old as time, unveils anew magnificent and uncertain.

"As the years passed, he fell into despair, and lost all hope.
For who could ever learn to love...a Beast?"

Read More 0 comments | Posted by Nanauat | edit post

Ojalá

I discovered the beauty of this song thanks to some good friends during a Thanksgiving diner in Baltimore (which was, probably, one of the last scenarios where I would have ever expected to do so).

At times, the lyrics become particularly meaningful and touching.

Ojalá que tu nombre se le olvide a esa voz. Ojalá.

Read More 3 comments | Posted by Nanauat | edit post

Past, present and future

“What is past is prologue” (William Shakespeare)

“The present is a gift” (popular saying)

“Future belongs to those who believe in the
beauty of their dreams” (Eleanor Roosevelt)


Read More 0 comments | Posted by Nanauat | edit post

Second anniversary

Two years in Baltimore, and still counting. Still looking for a place, still looking for a face that ain’t looking through me, still waiting for a moment that just don't come. Still believing in faith, and hope, and love. Still relying in the notion that it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive. Still struggling to rise above these badlands. Happy anniversary to me.

Lights out tonight, trouble in the heartland...


Talk about a dream; try to make it real.
You wake up in the night with a fear so real.
You spend your life waiting for a moment that just dont come.
Well dont waste your time waiting!


This post is dedicated to the innocent victims of the tragedy at Virginia Tech. A part of us died with you today. Rest in peace.


Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Nanauat | edit post

The promised land

The email finally arrived. Paris, November 2004. The familiar beep caught my attention and a swift alt+tab led me directly into Outlook. This was the email I had been waiting for during the previous couple of weeks. The sender, a French Professor from Ecole Polytechnique with whom I had discussed the possibility of doing my research internship in the US. He had sent an email to a colleague in Pittsburg and the American guy was willing to accept me. No funding was offered, so it would be kind of an unconventional bet, but still there it was: my first opportunity to go to the US. My heart skipped a beat. A dream was in the making, it was no longer that far away, no longer science-fiction. I thought of my first day of university in Madrid, of how I took the “cercanias” train that morning, and of the long and winding road that started in Aranjuez and led to Carnegie Mellon. Minutes later, the chill was still there, running up and down my spine. Those are the moments that can change a life. A couple of months later, the offer from Hopkins would arrive and this episode would become little more than an anecdote. Still, it left an everlasting impression in my heart.

I remember that I felt a little bit overwhelmed at the time, so I decided to lie down on my bed and relax listening to some music. Springsteen felt just right. I threw in a dvd from his concert in Barcelona and this song came up: “The Promised Land”. Beautiful coincidences. My mind started to wander away, I thought of how different this music would sound if I finally made it to the US, wondered if sometime into the future a different me, made to evolve by the whims of destiny, would indeed experience the song in a more authentic, a more genuine way. The coin was tossed and life brought me here, to Baltimore. Today, when I listen to this song, I can’t help thinking about that good old chap, lying stupefied on his bed, both innocent and brave enough to dream. His heart had skipped a beat.



“There's a dark cloud rising from the desert floor
I packed my bags and I'm heading straight into the storm
Gonna be a twister to blow everything down
That ain't got the faith to stand its ground
Blow away the dreams that tear you apart
Blow away the dreams that break your heart
Blow away the lies that leave you nothing
but lost and broken hearted”
Read More 1 Comment | Posted by Nanauat | edit post

Discovering Bruce

A few years ago, I didn’t really know who he was. Of course, I had heard his name a bunch of times and I could recognize one or two of his most famous songs, namely “Born in the USA” and “Streets of Philadelphia”. Today, I am in love with his music. I love the power of its lyrics, the emotion and the passion they convey, the rhythm that fits right in, his social portraits and critiques, etc. A vigorous cry for freedom which urges us to stand up with dignity, to not fear anyone, while remaining humble in the essential.

For me, it all started with a rainless rain, a rainfall on a sunny day. A most elaborate and beautiful way of simply saying “please, don’t cry’. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome him for the first time into our blog. He’s the Boss.



"It's rainin' but there ain't a cloud in the sky
Must have been a tear from your eye
Everything'll be okay.
Funny, thought I felt a sweet summer breeze
Must have been you sighin' so deep
Don't worry we're gonna find a way..."
Read More 0 comments | Posted by Nanauat | edit post

Souvenirs de Paris

“Qui que tu sois, voici ton maître;
Il l'est, le fut ou le doit être!”

Voltaire, à propos de l’amour. Victor Hugo, à propos de Paris.


Exactly one year ago I was in Paris for the last time. I went there with my parents, for my commencement at ENST, and stayed only for the weekend. On Sunday evening, I was left on my own and decided to go for a walk to enjoy the last moments in the city where I had lived for a year and a half. At sunset, I headed for the Eiffel Tower and climbed to its top. I have considered that place to be one of the most beautiful spots in the world since I was there for the first time. The view of Paris transitioning from day to night is simply breathtaking. The wind on you cheek reminds you of the fact that you are not dreaming, even if surrounded by a dream. I stared at the Arc de Triomphe and I made a promise. I promised that one day I would go back to that same spot, the top of the Eiffel Tower facing the Arc de Triomphe, and I promised that when that day came I would be a better person, a better man. The promise lives on. To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield.

Read More 2 comments | Posted by Nanauat | edit post
Newer Posts Older Posts Home

Busy Living

  • About me
      Hombre sencillo, piedra aventurera. A sailor of the world, bound for all ports.
  • Twitter

    Facebook Badge

    Francisco Sanchez | Create Your Badge

    Google Voice

    Blog Archive

    A few blogs that I like

    • A legal alien in DC
    • Call me chicken
    • Dream Essence
    • got to go to got
    • Kirai, un geek en japon
    • La moqueta verde
    • My heyday
    • Regreso al Futuro


    View My Stats
  • Search






    • Home
    • Posts RSS
    • Comments RSS
    • Edit

    © Copyright Busy living. All rights reserved.
    Designed by FTL Wordpress Themes | Bloggerized by FalconHive.com
    brought to you by Smashing Magazine

    Back to Top