Used To Be a Sweet Boy (perfect playlist no.2)

the haze of the holiday is slowly wearing off as is my tan, but i am finally back home, safe in my english flat, safe and comfortable from all that is...i am listening to one of my old playlist of songs that are part of my "lifeline"(wos)...i have some iconic songs like "a day in the life", "real love", "you can't put your arms around a memory", "the only living boy in new york", "my way by sinatra", "big louise", "on days like these", "life on mars", "all in love is fair", and "now my heart is full", plus some that i feel are pure genius like "the two of us" by suede which is such a passionately melancholic song (listen until the end and here the lines "alone but not lonely" - simply brilliant), nico "afraid", "exit music"(keep breathing), and the great elvis cover "in the early morning rain and i just can't help believin"

so i tried to do a blog on creating the perfect playlists...well now the proof is in actually listening to the songs you choose which i wonder if many people ever do? These are songs that have impacted my life in times of challenge and triumph...they have been extremely reminiscent as i get older and maybe helpful as my plight has lightened and they are there for me to not forget where i come from or what i have experienced...they are like the intro time capsule to my memories and the pursuit of my dreams...forever more.

The good news is that most songs will not be the same each repeat listen, but gratefully they get to sometimes bring me back to some nostalgic memories...occasionally to a better time or place or at least a more glacier reflection.

So...how does one preserve the past and filter the future? I think that music is the remedy to actually bequeath such exorcisms...and pop song hits will come and go...but songs like "God only knows", "i want a little sugar in my bowl", "Who knows where the time goes", "the bridge", "broken stones" and "forgiven" remind me of who i was and where i cam from, and who i am now...

So lost & alone - trying to get home
the lone reindeer

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Location:London

How to make Lemonade: Holiday in the Sun part 2

i have been searching the web looking for anecdotes to this prison...again so many people would be looking at me as a complete tit!

what did i want:
sun (check)
beach (check)
pool (ish)
relaxing (?)
good food (no)

be careful when you make wishes because i think that you need to be VERY specific...not just ANY sun...i want FRENCH sun or MALDIVES...not just any beach...i want a private beach with waiter service and extra large loungers...and a pool with no children crying and no people that put their towel out the night before...so i want a 5star holiday, but for a 3 star price...

don't we all, you may think. and you may say, "stop being a tight git and pay for the luxury if that is what you crave"...i know and you are right...so many people in these financially hard times do not have the option of a holiday let alone complain about it...more on complaining later...

so i have decided to let the disappointment go, release the 3 star displeasure and just squeeze lemons until i can make something to drink...i am not a sour person...i am thankful for each day and everything that i have...so yes my standards may be slightly close to 4.2 star...but that does not mean...i am better than clean solid good 2 star. i would like to think that i am able to mix with all stars as long as they are genuine in their ranking...spain is spain and has a proud and long history as a solid 3 star country...some people love tapas and the long siestas every day...i am embracing the sun, reading: already on my second book and it is only day 5...creating this holiday blog (more to winge than share anything useful about spain to any brave holiday soldiers) and to try top just relax and get back to BASICS!!! So stiff upper lip -mad dogs and englishmen...carry on regardless!
seasick and sunburned but drinking lemonade...s



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Location:Spain

Holiday in the Sun

What was the film called, "lonely is the long distance runner" or something to that effect...
i tend to get myself into little dribbles of discomfort sometimes and going on holiday and having my place in the sun can be a constant struggle...
first off - i prefer France, Cote d'azur to be more precise, when requiring sun, sea, loungers, sand, and screaming kids then i at least want a decent wine on offer...so to my better judgement and dismay, i find myself in a "basic" holiday in espana...
i like spanish people and actually enjoy barcelona as a business city...but to spend more than 4-5 (max) working days is one thing...sun holiday is holi-HELL. Just to be clear and completely BLUNT, spain is BASIC...water pressure, internet speed, options for food, depending on where you go, loads of Brits and Dutch. Again, nothing against them...when you have a few kids and want summer break for the family then spain is a good option...but i am without child, so holiday for 2 is all i require(plus my executive rider requirements)...but i do feel that in Spain they feel that their food is the best and that everyone eats bloody pork...what gives? tapas, tapas and more tapas? it is not that i do not like some tapas in small doses and think that you can incorporate the concept of small plates to other cuisines but it is hard to eat 24/7. And i guess i am not a fan of the siesta concept either...i know what you are thinking, americans work 16hrs a day, not the european way...well i am sure spanish people are hard working but i find this concept difficult in coastal tourists towns....not everyone on holiday is spanish or prefers to be on siesta at the same time...so this causes challenges. Again, you can say that i should not go to bloody spain if i do not adhere to they're ways of doing things...fare point...but from a touristic stand point and if your country is in deep debt, you should throw a parade for everyone who books a ticket here!

back to this situation...so i booked an apartment in spain from a reasonable source and had hoped for the best...well the place was a dump, pool is for out of school local delinquents, no sun lounger or table for afternoon rose, and no waiter to bring me a sandwich...
the apt has one a/c unit in the living space, nothing in the sauna, sorry bedroom and finally it is in the middle of nowhere...again could be my problem? but on top of my complaints...it has no hot water for shower...and that is not my problem but a BASIC need. C'mon Spain where is my hot water???
que lastima...adios zorro!
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Location:some well in spain