she screws everybody.”
“That’s the thing about pain, it demands to be felt.” – both quotes by John Green (from The Fault in Our Stars”)
Happy weekend folks! I just finished reading the aforementioned novel, and I must say I basically sobbed relentlessly for the final twenty percent of the story. I have always struggled with accurately labeling myself when it comes to romantic views – aka do I identify more with the realist or idealist camps, or perhaps I am actually of the hopeless romantic variety? Like most hard questions, I am currently unable to wholly claim one particular stance or another. I was deeply grateful at Mr. Green’s portrayal of Hazel’s Dad’s character in the novel… in his belief that “the universe wants to be noticed.” Now there is something I can agree with. I also felt a particular connection to Augustus’ sentiment, “My thoughts are stars I can’t fathom into constellations,” in regards to my tumultuous relationship with writing. That’s exactly it Waters, I indeed do have what feels like thousands of fleeting glimpses of articulate thoughts that refuse to work together in forming coherent lines of thinking. Damn the creative mind and the less-than-convenient timing of mental-meets-written streams of consciousness.
Anyways, I did recently finish reading The Fault in Our Stars in a dark bedroom of a 5-star hotel in Barcelona (I’m babysitting for a couple from Holland). At several points between 82 and 99 percent way through the Kindle-version of Green’s novel, I was semi-concerned that I would wake the baby with my sobs of grief and anger whilst reading what a shit storm Green’s main characters were going through. It’s funny how a really good book makes you think about your own life…. Or perhaps that is just the habit of a pretty self-centered, American, twenty-something. Hard to say. Forever my literary better half, Lindsay and I commiserated at how lovely it is to think of loving someone else as a privilege. Upon searching ‘fault in our stars’ via Pinterest, and seeing the abundance of pins in various squiggly typography relating the words: “some infinities are bigger than other infinities,” I was reminded of the countless rounds of Would-You-Rather of which I have been apart; I would still choose a heart changing, Augustus-Hazel love, however fleeting and painful it may be, over a long, safe, conventional endeavor any day. As Augustus pointed out, there is a certain triumph in being deeply loved rather than widely loved.
OK! Enough post-great-book-ranting for today! Life update: Things that have not changed since we last spoke… Intercambio, running, did some more FIFO photos reading, Damian being… my champion. The Corte-Ingles 10km race went super well for Brenden, Cass, and myself! (Although it was really more like 11km, but who’s counting?) 
I am no longer watching April everyday and instead I now nanny two Catalan girls named Mar and Clara. They are dolls. I recently interviewed with the Ritz Carlton property here – the interview with their HRD went really well. Papers are a nightmare so we will see what happens. All in all, felt good to get a very professional, all in Spanish interview under my proverbial belt. I also recently helped Adi out as much as possible around here, as last week she had emergency surgery to remove her apendix. Although she was in pain, it was fun to hang out with her lots lately and watch SATC episodes with her. Now she’s in Isreal for Passover and I miss her … a lot!
I am EXTREMELY excited for my mother to arrive in BCN on Sunday morning, God willing! We have already started preparing for her arrival and cleaning the apartment. Our Sagrada tour tickets are bought, home-stay dinner plans are in the works, and beauty rituals have taken place. Now it’s just time for her to get here already!
SAMHOPEHANSEN 