Friday, August 15, 2008

Out of service

August is my favourite month, I always try to work and postpone my holydays because when you live in town there's nobody around you! Traffic is calm, people are less stressed, rush hours on the roads are like driving on sunday mornings, the chaotic life is slowed to a point where you see what people actually looks like, speaks like, etc.

I drive with my window down because air conditioning is like being stapped at your back, it's not so good for your body and it wastes too much gas from your car. I get to work happier because those who drive badly aren't around to bother you, they are probably on vacation with a rented car bothering other people, maybe American tourists. 

I tend not to watch television, the summer programs are bad, so bad that they won't even play re-runs of any kind, rather a new summerish format is proposed in the wake of those who are left behind at home. I stay on the computer watching movies that are rarely on tv, or those shows that are too good to be broadcasted more than once. 
If the day is too hot I drink water as much as I can along with OJ, this helps me keep my energy and get less  dehydrated. Once you loose a lot of water and minerals from the heat of the summer, you start feeling tired half-way the day and you start bitching left and right about anything. If I can find fruit that hold lots of water, like watermelons or cantelopes, I manage to eat them at least once a day as a snack in the afternoon along with water to stay fresh. This method is helpful and keeps the stress away.

At night if some of my friends are  still in town we go out for a couple of drinks, life is calmer and you can enjoy all those places with table outside or patios, a gaze at the star and you think you are in heaven. Starting from 2001 a few outdoor bars have opened around all corners of town, mostly in the outskirt. They are beach-theme bars where fences made out of bamboo surround you and tiki bars serve you with dance music coming from the floor, some of them got real sand on the sides of the paths to make you feel in a tropical paradise. The drinks that they serve are mostly long drinks like Cuba Libre, Mohito, Negroni, Long Beach and such, but prices aren't getting any lower because the inflation of prices among bars,  pubs and clubs is rising constantly with an average of 10% to 15% every year.

August is the month of those who know how to relax and when to holiday. There is a sense of calm and quite that no other time of the year can offer you, probably not even Christmas morning; it is a slice of tranquillity that allows you to work with more concentration and precision, but you cannot forget the heat that is waitng outside for you.