How do you know when you're not getting enough sleep?
When your staff looks at you and asks you to go home because you look exhausted. When people at work keep asking you, "Are you ok?" When the couch in your office starts talking to you, saying things like: "A little nap won't hurt. Come on over and sit down..."
To say I've been busy is an understatement. With the arrival of our new Ambassador, I've been burning the candle at both ends. Actually, I've been burning more than one candle at both ends. I couldn't take the vacation I'd planned because I needed to be here to make sure that when he arrived, everything was taken care of. I also wanted to be here so that I could answer any questions he had. I wanted us to start off on a good note, so that when it came time to ask questions about Management Issues he came to me first and got the correct answer. That doesn't always happen, and I was adamant that I get off on the right foot. It'll make my life, and my staff's lives, easier in the long run if I put in the work now.
The good news is that it worked. He arrived, and everything was going the right way. After his first day with me, he shook my hand and said, "I'm going to stump you, Jay. I haven't been able to as of yet, but I'm going to try!" That's one of the best compliments you can get as a Management Officer. It means you thought through all the possible pitfalls, and mitigated them. Of course there have been some bumps, but it looks like we're on our way to getting the benefit of the doubt for at least the first month.
The main issue I've had is that with all of this going on, I haven't been able to sleep well. I know my mind has been going 100 mph, and it's been an issue. I had finally decided to get into a workout schedule, and then I got sick again. (Apparently that happens a lot here in Argentina to newcomers.) So that hasn't helped any at all.
Look, the long and the short of it is that I've been worried about this arrival, and it's caused me some issues. I decided that my staff had things to get done, so instead of bothering them with issues I needed solved, I took it upon myself to make sure it got done. Not great managing, I know. I also realized I wasn't spending enough time with the family, and I needed a break.
Luckily for me, the hard work paid off, and the Ambassador seems to be happy, and our hard work was recognized. My boss told me to take a couple of days off, and I decided he was right. So this Thursday and Friday I'm taking the day off (with the caveat that I have a lunch I am hosting for members of the Diplomatic Community at the Hard Rock Cafe on Friday, so that's 2 hours I have to work). Then on Saturday, Lovely English Lass and I are taking advantage of having her parents here to go and spend the night at an estancia. Should be a good time, and I'm sure that the kids will love being with their grandparents.
Now, if I could just get some more sleep, maybe people would quit coming up to me and asking if I'm ok...
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
MILB: "Do I Wanna Know" by Arctic Monkeys.
I've already done an Arctic Monkeys song previously, but I was recently re-listening to their last album, "AM" and found another great song I wanted to talk about. If you haven't listened to this album, please do. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised to find it has a lot to offer.
The basic idea of this song is that the protagonist is a guy that's still hung up on his ex. He thinks about her all the time, and she's something he just can't seem to shake. He's basically talking through all the issues he goes through, and hoping that she misses him the same way.
Now let me tell you something. Anyone that has ever been broken up with understands this feeling. Your first love breaks your heart, and you end up sitting around listening to music that makes you think of them, and having dreams about them, and wondering if you could call them and try to make it right. It's human nature to think that way, for goodness sakes. It's a warm comfortable feeling, and one that makes you long even more for the people who've left you.
That's exactly what this song's about. Alex Turner does some amazing lyrics for this song (and actually the whole album) evocative of emo without the whiny parts. Lyrics like, "Have you got the guts/been wondering if your heart's still open/and if so what time it shuts." and "Do I wanna know/if this feeling flows both ways/sad to see you go/was sort of hoping that you'd stay/baby we both know/that the nights were mainly made for saying things you can't say tomorrow day" really get across the feeling of want. You can almost see the man sitting in his apartment, listening to the music on repeat with a drink in his hand until he passes out spilling the drink on the couch. These are the visuals you get listening to Alex Turner's voice. He may have lost most of his Yorkshire accent in the recording of the song (except for the random use of summat instead of something in one of the lyrics) but he's definitely got a voice that emotes.
The Arctic Monkeys get a lot of press, especially from NME, about being "The New Rock." Their previous efforts definitely were more raw, and they've been accused of selling out, and having Josh Homme change their sound (he being the lead singer and main group member of Queens of the Stone Age and a friend of the band). I don't believe it, but that's what they say. Still, this song is fantastic, and one that I've really listened to quite a bit. There are several layers to it that require multiple listenings just to find all of them. When you get a chance, see if you can listen to it and hopefully you'll like ti.
The basic idea of this song is that the protagonist is a guy that's still hung up on his ex. He thinks about her all the time, and she's something he just can't seem to shake. He's basically talking through all the issues he goes through, and hoping that she misses him the same way.
Now let me tell you something. Anyone that has ever been broken up with understands this feeling. Your first love breaks your heart, and you end up sitting around listening to music that makes you think of them, and having dreams about them, and wondering if you could call them and try to make it right. It's human nature to think that way, for goodness sakes. It's a warm comfortable feeling, and one that makes you long even more for the people who've left you.
That's exactly what this song's about. Alex Turner does some amazing lyrics for this song (and actually the whole album) evocative of emo without the whiny parts. Lyrics like, "Have you got the guts/been wondering if your heart's still open/and if so what time it shuts." and "Do I wanna know/if this feeling flows both ways/sad to see you go/was sort of hoping that you'd stay/baby we both know/that the nights were mainly made for saying things you can't say tomorrow day" really get across the feeling of want. You can almost see the man sitting in his apartment, listening to the music on repeat with a drink in his hand until he passes out spilling the drink on the couch. These are the visuals you get listening to Alex Turner's voice. He may have lost most of his Yorkshire accent in the recording of the song (except for the random use of summat instead of something in one of the lyrics) but he's definitely got a voice that emotes.
The Arctic Monkeys get a lot of press, especially from NME, about being "The New Rock." Their previous efforts definitely were more raw, and they've been accused of selling out, and having Josh Homme change their sound (he being the lead singer and main group member of Queens of the Stone Age and a friend of the band). I don't believe it, but that's what they say. Still, this song is fantastic, and one that I've really listened to quite a bit. There are several layers to it that require multiple listenings just to find all of them. When you get a chance, see if you can listen to it and hopefully you'll like ti.
Friday, January 2, 2015
Southern Hemisphere Christmas and the year in review
You know, no matter how long I spend in the Southern Hemisphere, it's always hard to get going for the Christmas season when it is so hot outside. Don't get me wrong, I like the weather, and once I get the pool fixed I'm sure the kids will love playing in the pool during their vacation, but it's just weird. Heck, I grew up in Florida where it's warm during Christmas season, but this is crazy!
Last year we were in the opposite of warm in the UK, so I suppose I got my fix for cold weather then. We'll see how this "winter" is, but so far it's characterized with mosquito bites and crazy weather. It's either too hot or rainy and cool. No in between.
Christmas was lovely though. The kids seemed to enjoy their gifts, and I liked having time off work to just spend time with the family and go do stuff. We got out of the city and went places as well, which was very nice. San Antonio de Areco was quite nice, although the next time we go we're definitely going earlier. Tigre was good as well, but the weather was so hot it wasn't enjoyable. When the in-laws get here we'll try again. For presents I got a lot of Bar-B-Que stuff, which I enjoy, and a Nerf gun and some cuff links and other cool gifts as well. Lovely English Lass got more stuff for her budding hobby in photographery, which I hope she liked. All in all, a good time was had by everyone. However, a kind thought for LEL, as Crazy Little Man and Lovely Little Girl are off school for the next month, so she'll need the patience of Job to deal with that!
As for 2014, it was an interesting one, wasn't it? (And I mean that in the US Mid-western "interesting" way, not in the "That's an interesting comment" way.) We didn't know where our next posting was going to be until March. Then we had to move quickly to organize everything so that we could move. Very difficult to plan all of that stuff in 2 months. After that came my disastrous Spanish classes, followed by Lovely English Lass and kids having to go to Argentina without me. All the issues that came up afterwards, and then I had to leave on short notice to get to post, which was great but still stressful. Needless to say, we're very happy to have the back end of that year come and gone.
For 2015, I'm not going to make any resolutions. Everyone breaks those, so I'm going to just try my best this year. I want to travel more through Argentina with the family. I'd like to try and get to Antarctica, as it'll be my seventh continent visited. I'd also like to maybe try and ride my bike more and eat a little healthier. Definitely want to play more football and baseball with Crazy Little Man, and try harder to connect on a better level with Lovely Little Girl. I'd also like to spend more date nights with Lovely English Lass, as we definitely need a break once in a while.
However, which I really want is for my friends in family to have a happy and healthy new year. Thanks for reading my ramblings, and I hope you all are doing well, no matter where in the world you are right now.
Last year we were in the opposite of warm in the UK, so I suppose I got my fix for cold weather then. We'll see how this "winter" is, but so far it's characterized with mosquito bites and crazy weather. It's either too hot or rainy and cool. No in between.
Christmas was lovely though. The kids seemed to enjoy their gifts, and I liked having time off work to just spend time with the family and go do stuff. We got out of the city and went places as well, which was very nice. San Antonio de Areco was quite nice, although the next time we go we're definitely going earlier. Tigre was good as well, but the weather was so hot it wasn't enjoyable. When the in-laws get here we'll try again. For presents I got a lot of Bar-B-Que stuff, which I enjoy, and a Nerf gun and some cuff links and other cool gifts as well. Lovely English Lass got more stuff for her budding hobby in photographery, which I hope she liked. All in all, a good time was had by everyone. However, a kind thought for LEL, as Crazy Little Man and Lovely Little Girl are off school for the next month, so she'll need the patience of Job to deal with that!
As for 2014, it was an interesting one, wasn't it? (And I mean that in the US Mid-western "interesting" way, not in the "That's an interesting comment" way.) We didn't know where our next posting was going to be until March. Then we had to move quickly to organize everything so that we could move. Very difficult to plan all of that stuff in 2 months. After that came my disastrous Spanish classes, followed by Lovely English Lass and kids having to go to Argentina without me. All the issues that came up afterwards, and then I had to leave on short notice to get to post, which was great but still stressful. Needless to say, we're very happy to have the back end of that year come and gone.
For 2015, I'm not going to make any resolutions. Everyone breaks those, so I'm going to just try my best this year. I want to travel more through Argentina with the family. I'd like to try and get to Antarctica, as it'll be my seventh continent visited. I'd also like to maybe try and ride my bike more and eat a little healthier. Definitely want to play more football and baseball with Crazy Little Man, and try harder to connect on a better level with Lovely Little Girl. I'd also like to spend more date nights with Lovely English Lass, as we definitely need a break once in a while.
However, which I really want is for my friends in family to have a happy and healthy new year. Thanks for reading my ramblings, and I hope you all are doing well, no matter where in the world you are right now.
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Quick post from New Years
happy new year everyone. I've got another post I was working on to tell you how things are going, but wanted to share a great story from last night.
We spent a lovely evening with a nice couple from Belgium last night, who are in BA for the next 4 months. They have three kids, and while the parents speak English (and quite well) the kids don't really speak it at all. So I was interested in how my kids would interact.
Lovely Little Girl was herself, as per usual, and just kind of enjoyed being by herself. Crazy Little Man was all over the place with the oldest two sons, running around and playing soccer outside and having a great time. At the end of the evening, the oldest of their sons and CLM were sitting around watching soccer highlights together, yelling, "GOAL" over and over. Talking to each other and laughing. Neither speaking the same language, but definitely being friends.
Isn't it just like kids to show you that no matter where you're from, we're really all the same. No kid Is born with the knowledge of being different. It's something that's taught.
Hope you and yours have a happy new year from me and mine.
We spent a lovely evening with a nice couple from Belgium last night, who are in BA for the next 4 months. They have three kids, and while the parents speak English (and quite well) the kids don't really speak it at all. So I was interested in how my kids would interact.
Lovely Little Girl was herself, as per usual, and just kind of enjoyed being by herself. Crazy Little Man was all over the place with the oldest two sons, running around and playing soccer outside and having a great time. At the end of the evening, the oldest of their sons and CLM were sitting around watching soccer highlights together, yelling, "GOAL" over and over. Talking to each other and laughing. Neither speaking the same language, but definitely being friends.
Isn't it just like kids to show you that no matter where you're from, we're really all the same. No kid Is born with the knowledge of being different. It's something that's taught.
Hope you and yours have a happy new year from me and mine.
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