Birthdays

Distance makes some things harder than you could possibly imagine. The ability to remember people, names, dates, fades, even for those that have always been proud of their own like myself. It sinks into a passive limbo from which it is only occasionally rescued by otherwise unimportant events such as a song that a radio dj put on at the right moment or a photo that slided in the laptop's screensaver just on time.

But it is exaclty then, when out of the blue, a simple thing sets off an avalanche of memories...

Then you drift away into this complete universe. Warm spring afternoons listening to Morissey, or Pulp, trying to put your Organic Chemistry notes in order, while you could not stop thinking of a cold beer on a terrace, or warm summer nights when after a couple of ouzo bottles you would look down at these stairs with fear. You can still smell the lousy food at the faculty's cafeteria, mixed with the salty breeze that blew from the sea on a freezing February carnival night.

Then a birthday party, begginings of May, waiting for the summer holidays like every year. Then another one, few days before the kick off of another world cup, like this year.

Longer days, more drinks, louder laughters.

You lift your head up, dizzy, comparing this sudden burst of rapid access memory that cannot be compared to any computer you have ever used. You feel happy, that you still remember. You feel lucky, that you have such good things to remember. You feel optimistic, because you keep making moments worth it.

It doesn't have to be to obvious. Friendships that last, can stay well hidden in the back of our heads.
Their memories, well protected by the passing of time and the consecutive layers of trivial information, (science theories soon to become obsolete, football players that will prove fakes, e-mail addresses and pin numbers), will always be there.

This goes out for Errika who has her birthday today. And to Patra, where many of us have spent such a good time, although I only rarely realize it.

Feliz cumpleaños chica!
Happy Birthday!