Flush It Friday: Jaded Spañard Edition
¿QUÉ OS CONTÁIS, OH HABITANTES DEL RETRETE DEL AVERNO?
Ah, time is ams fickles mistress(s). It seems like just yesterday I was taking my Spañard’s equivalent of an SAT (or PAU, because that’s just how much we love our finest baskeball export) and trying not to give too much thought to the mind-crippling uncertainty which lay in store for me at summer’s end. Come September I was starting college, living on my own and away from my family for the first time ever, in a city bigger than my own with a whopping total of zero familiar faces anywhere to be found. Yet here I am exactly four years later, one of very few alive to tell the tale of the Engineer: a tale equal parts procrastination, hard work and hopeless despair (kinda).
At any rate, it is time once again for a weird summer in which I don’t really know what will come next for me. On this occasion though it’s a lot less daunting than the last time around, because in my years at college I’ve learned a lot both in and out of the classroom. I’m actually excited for September because I’m starting my Master’s degree, and I’m always up for a good challenge. But before that I have in front of me what are undoubtedly the busiest three months I’ve had lined up in my entire life. Read on…
I googled “Spanish Engineer” and this came up. I have nothing further to add here.
-GOOD: As always, the consistently good thing in my life is music. In two weeks I will be enjoying the formerly fresh air of Western France soured by 150,000 other smelly metalheads at Hellfest Open Air. This is the 10th edition of the festival and the fifth that I’ve attended in a row since finishing High School, and as always the lineup is incredibly diverse. Count on a fifteen part epic series recanting my adventures when I get back.
-BAD: Finishing my end-of-undergrad project (hereby known to you all as TFG) is turning into a real dolor de muelas. You know that rule that says that 80% of the work is usually done in 20% of the time? Yeah, that’s real and it bloooooooows. I’ve been putting the finishing touches on it for over a week and it seems like I’m never going to finish the damn thing, even though everything important is already written. I hate Word now more than ever. I can’t wait to turn it on the 15th and go stright to Hellfest.
-UGLY: My overall physical appearence when I get home the Monday after the fest. Oh yeah, and the fact that I have to defend my TFG in front of two separate tribunals on Tuesday and Wednesday. Spacing things out is for betas, brah.
-GOOD: After I’m officialy done with school I have a really cool string of, again, mostly music related stuff lined up: I’m going to Be Prog, My Friend festival in Barcelona, I have a show for a battle of the bands-type contest lined up with one of my bands, and another show with a different band opening up for an American Death/Grind band signed to Relapse who just released an awesome album and whose name starts with the letter M. Talk about gigs just falling into your lap from out of nowhere, I am beyond stoked for this and won’t believe it until it happens because…
-BAD: I’ve also been tasked with booking/organizing said show. It’s the first time I do something of this (relative) magnitude, and to make it reeeeally special the dudes at the local squat house are being extra lazy and not giving me a straight answer on the availability of the date. They probably ran out of speed or cocaine and just need more before they can answer me, but still. Yet another egg to the stress basket.
-UGLY: I’ve been recording, editing mixing and everything-ing my non-grind band’s debut EP for a couple of months now, and I’ve just had to postpone doing anything more with it until July. I’m a super anal perfectionist when it comes to this stuff, and since I don’t have any sort of formal training and don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, it takes me forever to do it. On top of that, I’m moving out of the place where I’ve spent the last four years and am moving into someplace with different people because the relationships with the ones I’ve been living with have deteriorated to an unrecoverable point. So I’m stuck with having to find a place before August because…
-GOOD: I’m going on an RV trip through Europe with some of my friends from college. We’re hitting France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, Germany and Switzerland, stopping at natural parks, lakes and whatnot along the way. I’ve never been to any of those countries other than France (barely) so I think it’s going to be really fun and totally worth anything sub-par…
-BAD: Driving. I hate it, but I do it because I have to. I don’t consider myself a “good” driver by any strech of the word, but I’ve had my license for two years and haven’t screwed up majorly. Thing is we all are going to have to take turns driving the RV doing pretty crazy hours (all during daylight) because we’re doing the entire trip in a week, and I am really, really scared about doing it. But if I stopped doing stuff because I was scared, I’d never do anything at all…
-UGLY: The prospect of love on said trip. Without getting into too much detail, I’m not a man prone to “make a move” on anyone, ever. But I feel a new type of courage coming on, and I’m going to try something outside of my comfort zone (which is very, very limited). At any rate it’ll be… interesting, so wish me luck.
-GOOD: After the best trip to Europe ever/the merciless death of all my hopes and dreams, I’m coming to the States for a few weeks!! Mostly just visiting family and going to a few cool shows (Alice in Chains maddafakka!!!!), but if any of you terlet brolos happen to be in or around Harrisburg PA, hit me up. If you can reach me of course…
-BAD: The place where I’m staying at doesn’t have any sort of telecom connection set up. Super basic cable and that’s it. I have to figure out a way to get an unlimited data plan of some sort because having 1 GB a week last year was HARD. I’ll be forced to enjoy the green of Pennsylvania instead of staring at a screen all day. UGH.
-UGLY: Once again, my body when I get back home to Spain. Half the fun of going to Estados Unidos for me is FOOD, and unfortunately the foods that taste more like freedom are the ones that are probably the worst for me: golden oreos, pretzel rolls, vanilla coke… the list is infinite. I’m really going to try to pace myself and get more exercise when I’m over this year, because just the fact that I drive everywhere instead of walking is bad. Wish me luck, again.
Anyway, that’s it for me. Off to try and relax as much as I can this weekend because I might have to pull an all-nighter or two next weekend to finish the neverending TFG. Till next time, flushers, groove out on this lovely (and REALLY HOT where I live) Friday.
