Sick and grumpy

I've decided to rant today.. I have my reasons! I have been away from my desk the past two days because a bloody kidney infection prevented me from getting up. It hurts! I am better now and as I said I am back at work.. 50 emails to read, 50 voicemails to listen to, people at your desk the whole bloody day, leave me alooooooone! I want my bed, or better lying on this beach there. It is a beach on Isla Mujeres, an island just a few kilometres away from Cancun, the horrible / vulgar / colonised / bad taste party/ fuck / cocaine spot. Brrrr, just thinking about this place gives me the creeps... This island is very nice though, we rented bicycles my copine Elo and myself and the coast was empty, no bloody tourist annoying you, just enjoying a bit of the sea and palm trees..

I was ranting wasn't I? I am angry at this country's health system (which is a great word for such a shitty stuff). I went to a doctor 2 days ago, the consultation fee is €55 (who the hell can pay that???), the antibiotics are three times more expensive than at home... I spent €80 for 15 minutes at the doctors and a week of medication. Not that I can't afford it myself, this is not the issue, but I don't like the principle at all. I remember accompanying a friend of mine to a (public) hospital two years ago. She went there by 8 o'clock. When I came back from work (at around 7PM), she was still in the waiting room, they had taken 3 or 4 samples of different body fluids, no info, no follow-up, no results. After I threatened the whole lot of doctors, nurses etc she finally got a bed, around 10PM.. She went out the next morning, with the advice that if the troubles were coming back (her tummy was so painful she couldn't even sit...) then she would have to be admitted again... I have thousands of stories on the health system in this country, diagnoses that never are revealed to the patient, results of cancer tests that are false and that delay treatments and so on.. Just to make you aware why it makes me that angry is that Ireland is now the 2nd richest country in Europe after Luxemburg, the 6th richest country in the WORLD (GDP per capita). But the services are still the ones of a poor country.. but only for poor or not that wealthy people. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

Seriously Ireland is the perfect country to live in if you are two or more of the following: young, healthy, rich, white. If you are old, with a chronic disease, a non well paid job and that you belong to the quarter of people having difficulties with literacy well good luck.

Bonjour les amis! J'ai fait ma merde, je le sais... N'ai meme pas pense a editer ce petit blog qui pourtant me fait du bien.. Alors les news, les news... Encore change de travail! Je suis maintenant dans un service public. je distribue des sous aux gens qui aident d'autres gens. C'est une administration, c'est long, fastidieux mais c'est un soulagement que de faire quelque chose d'utile. Et puis les conditions de travail sont bonnes, c'est toujours tres pres de chez moi je suis contente!

En photo mon velo.. Mon velo est mon meilleur ami, mon partenaire, plus fidele que Lassie et sans faire de caca.. Il m'emmene partout et j'essaie de le choyer, meme si sur les routes TRES defoncees de Dublin ca n'est pas evident. Et puis il faut lutter contre les bus a deux etages (en photo egalement), les voitures, les vans, eviter les pietons (qui traversent n'importe comment), affronter le temps dublinois.. Les cyclistes ont du courage ici, c'est meme limite suicidaire.. Chuis po tres inspiree pour le moment, je vous dis seulement encore merci pour la grosse fete, ce fut fantastique, mon foie se souvient encore du punch. A bientot!

Until the end of the world..

J'ai appris ce matin que la Russie réclamait les terres arctiques, et plus précisément les fonds sous-marins dudit continent. Motif: "grâce" au réchauffement climatique, les glaces fondent, les fonds sont plus accessibles et qu'il y a t-il dans ces fonds sous-marins, question a 2 balles: du pétrole bien sur, et du gaz aussi! C'est désespérant, il n'y a donc rien en l'homme qui permette de penser que les choses ne s'améliorent un jour... Ces histoires de jours meilleurs, de ne pas répéter l'histoire, d'expérience qui permet d'éviter les erreurs et de progresser c'est de la douce merde, de la superstition. Les grandes puissances mondiales (même si j'ai des doutes sur le statut de la Russie) veulent plus de pouvoir, de fric, d'influence et basta. Rien n'est appris, rien ne s'apprendra jamais.. les salauds sont les salauds, les plus jamais ca sont des illusions, et nous nous confortons dans nos petites lâchetés du "que veux-tu faire?" et bientôt les bébés phoques, déjà chasses a coup de harpon, n'auront plus d'autre choix que d'aller chez Mc Do pour bouffer..

Même chose avec la Lybie.. une spécialité bien française que de se faire de la thune sur des libérations d'otages, plus une jolie publicité politique (ca s'était déjà vu...). Que c'est beau cette abnégation de la classe politique et de l'Union européenne, oui, tout faire pour libérer les otages (d'Etat) parce que la défense des droits de l'homme est ce qu'il nous anime. Mon cul c'est du poulet de batterie nourri au mais OGM.. Ces pauvres bulgares (et le médecin qui nous est toujours présente comme "d'origine palestinienne", je sais pas ce que ca veut dire mais c'est comme lorsque des émeutes éclatent et on nous parle des populations "d'origine immigrée".. et toi Ducon, t'es pas d'origine immigrée?? Si t'habites Paris et que t'es né a Boulogne sur Mer, t'appelles ca comment? Bref, tout ca pour dire que comme d'habitude, notre beau pays se distingue par son souci de préserver la dignité humaine a n'importe quel prix... bon a priori c'est bon pour le commerce extérieur, ca amène de la croissance, cessons de nous plaindre!

Ca me donne une forte envie de me saouler la gueule et d'enrichir par la même occasion Pernod Ricard, grand défenseur des cancers devant l'Eternel.. Vive les drogues legales!

I was listening to some radio programme this morning before going to work, the subject was how to improve the carbon footprint and reduce the ecological consequences of our post-capitalist ways of life. I was wondering about where to begin and with what. The main problem in my case would be to stop taking flights. Living abroad, the airport has become my train station, I go there as often as a person living on the continent would take the bus. I have a sea to cross, two even, and I am still wondering about how to reconcile my taste for travelling and my pseudo political consciousness. I went on wondering about those things the whole day long. My way of transport is not the accused one: I cycle all the time, I have never driven a car in my life, I have my driving licence for a motorbike but I've never owned one. Then, my way of eating: I eat less and less meat, try to privilege the organically grown vegetables, produced locally (even though the locally produced in Ireland are quite limited). I do produce too much waste though, and I am trying to reduce the amount of plastic bags.. Not an easy thing to do either, the slightest banana is wrapped in a plastic envelope in this country.

The most difficult matter for me is to know which is the most ecologically responsible way of drying my hands after going to the bathroom (I like using the word "bathroom", it is so bloody stupid not to use the word "toilets" anymore just because you kinda admit you're going for a pee this way). Anyway, once those hands are washed, let's say in the office, how the hell do you dry them? If you use the papers provided, you produce a lot of waste, and this paper is generally treated with a lot of chlore. Otherwise you can use the electric hand dryer. But this uses electricity, and electricity in Ireland is produced almost exclusively from fossil energies. Then you can still carry your own handkerchief and use it again and again, but this handkerchief will have to be washed at some point, which uses electricity + detergent. The debate's still open...

If you want to know what your carbon footprint is per year, and how to reduce it, you can go to

http://www.earthday.net/footprint/info.asp?country=France&language=French&wwf=True

We would need 2 planets like the Earth if everyone was living the way I do..

Cieux irlandais

Encore une photo prise de ma fenetre, de chambre cette fois-ci (vous devez vous dire "elle passe sa journee a prendre des photos de sa fenetre celle-la" ben oui en ce moment, oui). Voici la lumiere de l'Irlande, telle que l'on peut la voir apres le 62eme jour de pluie consecutif (source, RTE, la tele nationale locale). Je vous rappelle que l'Irlande est a la meme latitude que le Danemark, les jours sont en consequence tres longs l'ete et extremement courts l'hiver (avec la deprime qui va avec.. pas moyen de voir la lumiere du jour si l'on travaille, c'est pas evident a supporter). Alors sur les conseils de ma copine Eleonore, je fais une petite serie sur les cieux irlandais, parce que c'est beau.

Plantes et autres carnivores

La photo que vous voyez a ete prise sur le rebord de fenetre de mon petit appartement. J'ai cede a la tentation des planteses carnivores, et voici la preuve que ces petites choses (celle que j'ai doit faire maximum 15 cm de haut) bouffe de la viande! La pauvre mouche, j'espere qu'elle n'a pas trop souffert. Je suis curieuse maintenant de savoir combien de temps elle va mettre pour la digerer..

La plante en question est une "venus flytrap", un piege a mouche avec le nom de la deesse de l'amour, je trouve la combinaison charmante. "Viens par ici mon petit, regarde comme je suis jolie et attirante.." Bzzzz et glurps!

Temps de brin....

Today I got a new job. It is the same work as the last one, only permanent contract and in the historical part of the city. I'll be there cycling about 15 minutes, the government's buildings and the Taoisach's (pronounce Teeshock, prime minister) department will be just a few doors away. I cannot say I am jumping with enthusiasm even though I am glad and relieved. Not so much more to say for the moment. The two pictures represent either a fantasy either the reality. The first picture was taken in Mexico last year. The second picture was taken on the Dublin seaside this morning...

Have a nice weekend all! Bisous

Protester en Irlande

Alors la photo qui est attachee a ce texte ne devrait pas etre trop exotique pour ceux d'entre vous qui vivent sous le regime sarkozyste. Ceci est un membre de la Garda Siochana (prononcer Gaarda Chiocana), un flic quoi. Les contestations sociales etant une chose assez rare en Irlande (mais elles sont traitees par la police irlandaise de la meme facon qu'a la maison, c'est presque emouvant), je vous raconte ce qu'il se passe avec le mouvement "Shell to Sea". La denommee compagnie petroliere (au fait, pardon pour l'absence d'accents mais c'est tres chiant a faire sur le clavier ici) souhaite, avec l'accord du gouvernement construire un gazoduc long de plusieurs kilometres dans la region de Mayo, a l'Ouest du pays. Malgre les protestations des habitants (le gazoduc est un projet jamais encore realise, les militants denoncent des risques environnementaux et contestent la securite du site), le gouvernement a donne son aval. Et ca dure depuis 2003... La Haute Cour de justice a en 2005 a rendu un jugement favorable a Shell en lui donnant autorisation de penetrer sur des proprietes privees (par exemple les jardins des 16 maisons qui seront dans un rayon de moins de 2 kilometres de la centrale). Cette meme cour a condamne 5 militants de Rossport (dans le meme coin) pour obstruction aux travaux. Et c'est a partir de la que les choses ont commence a bouger au niveau national et qu'une contestation dans tout le pays s'est mise en place. Bon, c'est a l'irlandaise.. mais quand meme! Les mouvements de contestation ont fait tellement pression sur Shell qu'ils ont permis que ceux-ci retirent la plainte contre les Rossport 5 qui ont ete depuis liberes, le lobbying vers les norvegiens (oui Shell c'est aussi Statoil, et ca c'est norvegien) marche aussi, des delegues ayant ete depeches sur place et remettant en cause le trace du gazoduc.

Et pour faire le lien avec la photo, ce gentil cop est en fait en train de tabasser des manifestants dans le comte Mayo, qui ont porte plainte.. Ah j'en aurais presque le mal du pays....

Pictures Trip Mexico

This is a selection of some pictures I took when I was travelling with my copine Elodie last year. A very partial view of course, the country's so wide, so rich, so diverse. So those images are taken in Mexico City, Palenque and San Cristobal de las Casas (both cities are in the Chiapas area, a beaaaautiful but terribly poor region).

Qui est fou?

Today I went to my weekly psycholanalysis session. When this lovely guy (whom I pay a lot to listen to my crap) asked how I would categorize myself, I described it as I thought it was, i.e. middle-class / slightly academic very usual person. He noticed I never mentioned my gender. And in fact, I don't think this is relevant. Why should I be considered a woman before the forementioned elements? I asked him what the proportion was between women and men when it came to psychosis and insanity. He told me the proportion was 80 / 20. Are we all chicks absolutely insane? But wait a minute... Who defined insanity? My petit doigt tells me it is a person born with the male-gender... What is so surprising then that in a world where men have power, where men define what is normal or not that the other gender, conditioned as it is (and don't misunderstand me there, men are conditioned too, and harshly so..) does not comply to the society which is not created at their image and hat this male gender despises everything that would considered as "the other" (i.e. female. Who has never said "don't be a girl / a sissy, you have to be tough"?). Next week I'll ask my analyst if what he is doing to me is not an attempt to "normalise" me (as if there was such a thing) and put me into those categories that the precious BUT phallocratic Freud created. And to end with this, a quote from Jean Dubuffet: "For me, insanity is super sanity. The normal is psychotic. Normal means lack of imagination, lack of creativity."

JAPAN!

C'est beau le Japon nan?

Ca fait un mois et demi qu'il pleut, j'en ai marre! Une petite photo de Dublin pour les gens egoistes et terriblement mechants qui ne sont pas encore venus me voir.

This is Mexico City.

This was the first stage of our 6 week-long trip. Mexico City is, needless to say, absolutely huge. Oppresssive, dirty, boyant. Millions of souls walking, running, begging, families staying on the footpath, thousands of tourists trying to speak English with the autochtones. smell of tortillas.. and men. Oppressive impression to be looked at, stared at the whole time. If it is possible to integrate theory in a sensorial experience, then I can say that the feminist approach as the woman considered as "the other" is terribly suitable for Mexico. There is no such thing as equality, universalism or discretion in the Mexican society. Not as a tourist anyway. It is not possible to forget the gender one belongs to since men around you keep telling you what you are: a walking object, the other, the weak one. This impression never left me during the whole trip, except on the South Pacific Coast, which is a peace haven.

French Taunting - Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Fetchez la vache!

I arrived in Mexico one year and 10 days ago, came back to Dublin 6 weeks afterwards.

For this period of time I've been lazy, postponing the time when at last those bloody pictures would be published. It is apparently very unfashionable to develop pictures on paper. Alright the web version is cheaper. Alright, it prevents people from putting their greasy fingers on them and it takes less space in shoe boxes. BUT I have as usual something to complain about: it is standardized, everyone can make fun of my pictures because they can access the blog, and it makes me do other things than working at work which is unproductive. Oh well, think I'll live with my contradictions.