On the Road to Find Out

There’s a problem when any journey ends. Namely ‘when does the next one begin?’ It seems that generally it doesn’t. Reality has to be faced after any long journey. After all, maybe they’re only ‘gap year’s’ or ‘once in a lifetime’ experience anyway. Shiny shoes need to be applied to feet, as does a shiny new hairless face as the gripping urge to quell debts or just to get back to a ‘normal’ existence becomes too much to bear.

The urge has yet to reach my door. The idea of being able to maintain the travelling lifestyle seems to much of an option. But what is this travelling lifestyle? I think all I really mean is to be able to lead a life that is not stuck in any one place. This means working via the laptop (meaning not-being restricted to any one location) while also pursuing opportunities that involve the possibility of working abroad.

This is why I currently find myself in Barcelona. The first 7-8 weeks since I returned have been a mixture of catching up with friends and of working out new possibilities. Any idea of being able to make money from writing means that you need to be an expert in an area. Seeing as I completely fell in love with Brazilian music this seems to be the way I’m heading – maybe I should mention more how that is unfolding in another post.

My trip to Barcelona is happening because PopMatters have asked me to write about the Primavera Sound festival (I say asked when perhaps relented to my constant badgering would be a better way of putting it!) This means writing for a well-read music magazine as well as the opportunity to make contacts, enjoy Barca, and above all else, take a dip in the ocean.

In news of writing going online I did just notice that A Different League have put up my article on the World Cup in 1930. It can be found here:
World Cup Retrospect – Uruguay 30 (A Different League)

I believe I mentioned hypersensitive head in a previous post. I believe it’s something that the doctor just made up as I did have a very sensitive head and I think he was looking forward to having some lunch. Anyway, it’s something that I’ve suffered for over a year, which sometimes disappears but tends to re-emerge when I’m working a lot. Which means that it could be caused by stress, but seeing as I never feel stressed at all this is doubtful. The reason explanation I believe is that it is exacerbated when I drink a lot of caffeine, which is what I normally do when I’m working. For the past week, I have been working on plenty of little projects, and the hypersensitivity came back, being pretty horrible on Saturday. So yesterday (Sunday) I decided to completely give up caffeine for the day. It was one of the worst decisions of my life. I felt foggy for the whole day, my head still hurt and I couldn’t even begin to do anything that could be deemed creative. Instead, I read a book and watched a couple of DVDs, as well as some football, which goes without saying.

Today, after being completely disheartened by the whole experience of being without caffeine, I have decided to get back on the wagon, and have subsequently felt pretty damn good.

It makes me it impossible to decided whether to ever seriously consider giving up caffeine or sticking with it and just putting up with the fact that every now and again I will touch my scalp and have to put up with a jolt of pain. It is quite clear that caffeine affects me in strange ways. I had to give up mate in Argentina because I had started to feel really harsh pains behind my right eyes, and finally realised that the pains coincided with the days when I was sucking up mate like a newly born does milk. A family who have serious issues with migraines also makes me think that my genetics just ain’t good for these things.

The debate will go on, no doubt in my mind as much as anywhere else. I know for sure the idea of sitting in a cafe without a coffee in my hand or sitting outside on the garden furniture without a pot of tea in close proximity seem pretty impossible, so for now I will continue to swill my way through that caffeine goodness.

I can’t help but find myself completely underwhelmed by election fever gripping Britain right now. It’s not that I don’t care or don’t believe that my vote makes a difference, it’s just that I can’t stop concentrating all my attention on foreign shores. Short-term plans to head to Europe are materialising but the real long-term goal is to return to Brazil. Although there are already signs that Brazil may be starting to change. The clean-up has started, as mentioned in the article ‘Brazil’s ‘Big Prostitute’ Banning Grilled Shrimp on Rio Beaches‘. No more grilled shrimp on the beach – too much risk. No more football either before 5pm (although they have already got around this by making up a new game called Foot Volley which is essentially kicky-uppy’s around a volleyball net). But no more caipirinhas on Copacabana beach, now that is a bit much! It’s a clean-up campaign to rival Giuliani’s. One of the main policy’s: to tell people that it is not alright to just piss wherever they want. Considering the various places where I’ve seen people unleash their hosepipe’s in Brazil this could be particularly tricky. The thing is I just can’t help but be jealous of all these going on’s.

However, I am not in Brazil, I am in Uttoxeter, and as some sort of tribute to this little place where I’ve spent a pretty huge portion of my life here is a little photo tribute.

The real picture I should be taking of course is the public toilet next to the bus station. Single-handedly the greatest public toilet I have ever been to. I just need to find a quiet moment. Coming soon…