Monday Randomness

Not enough for a blog story but just enough for some random thoughts....

I went to the cinema on Friday to see The Fighter. I went to the concession stand to buy some popcorn. The attendant asked me if I wanted sweet or salted or mixed popcorn. I asked him if the salted popcorn came with butter. I got the strangest look from him and repeated my request. He didn't understand...I guess salted, buttery popcorn must be an American thing.

It's funny what you hear in the ladies bathroom...or toilet as they say here. The Fighter was about an Irish American boxer from Boston. After the movie was over, I heard a few women asking why the main character considered himself Irish. He wasn't from Ireland. Was his parents or grandparents from Ireland? I pretty much get this a lot here in London/Europe. Even though my family are Mexicans, if you were born in American, you are considered American. Although I do get the occasional...but you don't look like an American. Then I have to explain. It seems Americans tend to hold onto their roots.

One final thing about The Fighter. In one of the scenes, the championship title was held in London. I turned to my friend and commented that I didn't know big boxing events were held in London or that boxing was even big here. I was told that no, not everything was "American."

Helen and I went to the Wildlife Photography Exhibit at the Natural History Museum. It was amazing. We laughed like teenagers at the Bearded Tit bird and the Sperm Whale photographs.

I felt like I was in a time warp this weekend. After seeing my friend play a gig in Soho, we decided to bar hop. We thought we heard Jamie Fox' "Gold Digger" song. We went upstairs to check it out only to find George Harrison look a-likes and nothing but 50s music playing. The people/hipsters were even dressed from that era. We decided to leave because we felt slightly out of place and then headed to another bar not too far down. We then transcended to the 60s and 70s. The DJ was a short Asian guy with long hair and a black robin hood velvety hat. He was grooving to his tunes. I think there were other people out of place because there were a few guys overdressed with suits. It was hilarious to be off the beaten path!

A Year Wiser

Today I am 34 years old - my second birthday in London. It 's been wonderful!

On Friday, I went to see my first live mainstream concert - Maroon 5. The cool thing was that the venue was a 10 minute walk from my house. Afterwards, we went to our neighborhood highstreet and had a drink at 63rd and Social, one of the local lounges.

Saturday, Alicia hosted a girls nite out at her flat. We share the same birthday so we decided to have a joint celebration. Our friend Crystal brought this delicious cake from Chinatown. A proper birthday celebration. It was so much fun being surrounded by the friends that I have made here.

Sunday, Sandra hosted brunch at her flat with some of our friends. She had a nice spread. Cinnamon muffins, eggs, british bacon, strawberries, walnut bread from our favorite brunch place. She also made pancakes with the Aunt Jemima pancake mix she brought back from Canada and we drank mimosas all afternoon. What a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Then a special friend cooked me a nice Sunday roast for dinner. It was the perfect weekend.

Today, I took the day off and will pamper myself with a facial and a massage at a spa in Notting Hill. This will be my first spa experience in London. Then I am going to meet up with my friend Helen for dinner.

I've asked myself, what is so different than all the other years....And the answer is not much.

I write this all in a good way. As I grow older, I've come to stop searching for the next best thing and be satisfied with what I have. I've realized that the best birthday celebrations involve being around the people that make you happy. It feels really good to be in a comfortable place within yourself - to know who you are, what makes you happy and where you want to be. Most importantly to be happy with the simple things in life.

With all my great fortune, I still can't help but feel a little sad today. Today was always a special day for me and my mom. We'd always take the day off from work and we'd do go shopping, to dinner at Lalo's or the Ale House, or get a manicure or a massage. She'd wake me up at 7:11a.m. on the dot to wish me a happy birthday and tell me the story about my birth.

My mom will always live within me but like I said, it's just the simple things that make you happy and you come to appreciate.