anathemas anathema: [act of] curse, condemnation, disapproval

At the beginning of my stay in London, I mostly used bus number 73. Bikes were not allowed in the place where I lived, and I didn’t have enough money to use the tube, so walking and taking buses for very long distances were the available options.

I am going to Palestine soon. Plans are taking shape faster and faster, although to be truthful, what is taking the most defined shape is this kind of goodbye, more than anticipation. It is estrange, it is like imagining the functioning of many things in your absence, and preparing everything to make sure that this machinery will go on like this, functioning.

At last I read this famous book. I have used the chance to guess why it is a best seller… and I have mentally compared it with other books that I have liked a lot. “Un largo silencio”, (a long silence), or “La hija del canibal”, (The cannibal’s daughter) (I don’t think these two have been translated into English but I do think they deserve it – I could do it if it paid!) or “The name of the rose”. I’ll speak about those books on a later date.

I have no idea of what made my flat mates throw sulphuric acid down the toilet – funny word that the English had to borrow from the French because they didn’t find a word to name such thing.

I finally have a mobile! At last I am contactable, and I know what time I am living on without having to ask, and I also have an alarm clock. All in one.

The downside has been not to be able to get a mobile that “Ethical Consumer” considers the best, because the monthly charge was prohibitive. So, mea culpa, I go on with a company that has the call centre in South East Asia, where I am sure people are exploited or nearly… I know it because every time I call them it sounds as if they are far, far away, it gets cut often (although only for a few seconds) and they all have the same accent. When I first started with this company all had Northern English accents – so I presume they had the premises there -, it didn’t get cut and the sound was good. I would have changed but I had to continue with them if I wanted to keep the same number as before and a cheap rate. When I am richer, I will be able to be more ethical. Yes, it sounds horrible but that is how things are. And the same applies to fair trade and organic food, unfortunately.