Flicker

Renovating Neighbor (he of the drill a few posts back) is at it again today. This time, they’re welding. I shouldn’t mind or even care, except every time they do the actual welding, my lights and monitor flicker. Even with my limited knowledge about the workings of electricity, I know this can’t be a good thing. I don’t understand it- I had welding work done here last year and this disco-style flickering never happened. I rent a 96sqm home to use as an office/studio, and since I’m alone, even the hint of an electrical problem makes me uneasy.

Good thing though that today is a very short workday for me. I leave early for merienda cena for a cousin visiting from Spain, Mikel. His sisters were here earlier this year (Isabel flies 747s for Air Iberia, and Tinie is a samba singer in Mallorca …how cool is that?). Last time I saw Mikel he must have been around 10 years old. He’s in his early 20s now. I just know we’re in for a shock.

Last night my brother and I took a walk around our neighborhood. It isn’t as small as we originally thought. We included the streets that we normally don’t pass either on foot or by car, noticed how many new houses there were. I had the pleasure of going down the darker, tree-lined streets I’d skip if I were alone. Mikki is 5’8” at 16, with the endurance of a pack animal -- the perfect running, walking and travel companion. We discussed in brief his college plans, turned over random ideas, critiqued architectural styles and the health of neighborhood trees, but mostly we just enjoyed the good breeze and each other’s company. No small pleasure, this one. He’s a lovely human being.