Life and Work in Lisbon

As you all know by now, I am living in Lisbon, which (I have to admit, even though my northern heritages compel me not to) is a really nice city, very beautiful, full of sun and light and oversupplyed with culture – if that is something that is possible at all!

So apart from some “lisbon-like-kind-of-weird-habits” from the autochthonous (which again may derive from my northern heritage, but still drive me CRAZY), life is good, weather is nice and hapiness stress flourishes everywhere!

YES, stress, non-stop-crazy-maniac-workaholic so, what I mean is: everything would be perfect ifI actually had the time to do something!

Let me explain: One Day in my Life

I wake up at 7h30 everyday (after going to bed at 1 or 2 a.m. the night before – sometimes, on very rare occasions, by 11 p.m. I might be sleeping on the couch) and go outside to take Fox (“zee Dog”) for a walk of about 10-15 min.

More than that will destroy my carefully timed schedule! I speak to a very nice old couple from accross the street that is usually waiting for the free daycare bus at this time (and this is also included on the 15 min. tops moment!).

I go upstairs and sit on the kitchen floor and grab Fox. She is now taking medicine for somekind of an alergy she got in her skin. Apparently, and in a very weird and ironic way, my dog is alergic to flees! Ever heard of a dog allergic to flees? Well, now you did! Moving on…

So we pass a few moments trying to convince each other that medicine should or should not be taken and I usually win, not for being more persuasive, but because of the Alpha female (in my case!) rule: the dog believes he lives in a pack, and I am the provider, thus the leader!

Then I fight to put the pill inside her mouth while grabing it at the same time. When this is overcome, I pass on to the second medicine: she is taking a LIQUID antibiotic! Thus I have a seringe, that needs to be filled till 2,6 ml. even though this specific seringe is not divided in 0,5, causing me to imagine whereabouts this amazing measure would be! I grab the dog’s mouth again and I try to put the seringe inside and pull the liquid…

Of course this experiment is not as easy as it seems! Try to give to a dog, or a cat for that matter, something that it does´n’t want and you’ll figure it out. Still I will try to explain: she moves her neck forcibly form one side to another, she tries to spit the antibiotic back at me (and sometimes manages!), she gets herself and myself ready for bath!

Then, I need to convince her to lay down!

Normally it is easy, but sometimes after all this, she tries to evade herself, sick and tired of medecine and torture! When she stays still, I need to clean her skin on the harmed area with cotton and a betadine solution after which I will pass somekind of a balm.

And then I just need to put the “funnel” on her head, feed her, and change her water!

Then I move to the toilet! Shower, brush my teeth, dry my hair, make-up, clothes, shoes… This also takes more or less 15-20 min.

Breakfast time usually does not exist as I lost all my time already!

So I prepare 2 yogurts, some cookies and a sandwich to go, I drink a glass of milk, I “re”-feed Fox (so she will have food during the day), I close the living room windows, turn on the radio (so that the dog won’t feel alone) and leave the house!

At the beginning I walked to the Office. It was circa 30 min. and I loved it but days with 40 degrees at 9 a.m. do not allow you to do that after a while. So I catch the bus! (check out the map below to see my walk to work)

Check Map

When arriving at the OTSH, I basically work, work work, work, work, work, work, work work, work, work, work, work, work work, work, work, work, work, work work, work, work, work, work, work work, work, work, work, work, work work, work, work, work, work, work work, work, work, work, work, work work, work, work, work, work, work work, work, work, work (…) all day! From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. – sometimes a bit later – with an hour break for lunch, usually between 1 and 2 p.m.

At the end of the day I always walk home and sometimes decide to go to the supermarket and carry the bags (just because I am weird!) – but I garantee you all, I now have a marvellous figure ( :p ) – and force Alex to come (he also works at OTSH by the way!).

Then we either go home and Fox goes crazy with happiness and needs attention which she shows by being hyperactive! And then is time for cleaning, cooking, ironing, plus a little bit of work I sometimes take with me to finish. OR, if we have something going on, all this will stay for the next day, thus acumulating loads of stuff to do!

At about midnight (normally) Alex takes Fox for a walk, and when he comes back its time for medecine again! So…

“I sit on the kitchen floor and grab Fox. She is now taking medicine for somekind of an alergy she got in her skin. Apparently, and in a very weird and ironic way, my dog is alergic to flees! Ever heard of a dog allergic to flees? Well, now you did! Moving on… So we pass a few moments trying to convince each other that medicine should or should not be taken and I usually win, not for being more persuasive, but because of the Alpha female (in my case!) rule: the dog believes he lives in a pack, and I am the provider, thus the leader! Then I fight to put the pill inside her mouth while grabing it at the same time. When this is overcome, I pass on to the second medicine: she is taking a LIQUID antibiotic! Thus I have a seringe, that needs to be filled till 2,6 ml. even though this specific seringe is not divided in 0,5, causing me to imagine whereabouts this amazing measure would be! I grab the dog’s mouth again and I try to put the seringe inside and pull the liquid… Of course this experiment is not as easy as it seems! Try to give to a dog, or a cat for that matter, something that it does´n’t want and you’ll figure it out. Still I will try to explain: she moves her neck forcibly form one side to another, she tries to spit the antibiotic back at me (and sometimes manages!), she gets herself and myself ready for bath! Then, I need to convince her to lay down! Normally it is easy, but sometimes after all this, she tries to evade herself, sick and tired of medecine and torture! When she stays still, I need to clean her skin on the harmed area with cotton and a betadine solution after which I will pass somekind of a balm. And then I just need to put the “funnel” on her head, feed her, and change her water!”

PLUS, at night she also gets a little spray on the harmed area!

And after this is either time to finish the “bit-of-work-I-took-home-with-me-and-now-I-already-regret-it” or I just fall asleep and prepare myself to live and fight for the next day!

Weekends are slightly different, but that is subject for a whole new post! 🙂