✧ About Me ✧

Boa noite (or boa tarde, depending when u find this page lol) — I'm Marta. I work night shifts as a nurse here in Lisbon, which means my whole relationship with time is a little bit sideways. The tram ride home around dawn is honestly my favorite part of the job — the city is quiet, the light is doing something impossible, and I have my nose in a sci-fi book the entire way. I read WAY too much sci-fi, it's probably not healthy, but I regret nothing.

When I'm not at the hospital or on a tram with my nose in a book, I'm out on my tiny balcony, which is mostly basil at this point, plus one tomato plant that has more personality than some of my coworkers. That tomato plant is DRAMATIC. It leans, it droops theatrically when it's thirsty, it produces like three tomatoes a season and acts like it did us all a huge favour.

I've also been learning the accordion for two years now. I want to be honest with you: I am still bad at it. My neighbours can confirm this, and probably have strong feelings about it that they are too polite to share with me directly. But I keep going, because there is something magical about squeezing a box and having actual music (well, actual noise, we're getting there) come out of it.

And then there's Bolacha, my cat, who judges everyone. Doesn't matter who you are — doctor, patient, tomato plant, accordion — Bolacha has an opinion about you and it is rarely a good one. I love her more than most things in this world.

☾ Bolacha's Official Profile ☾

Name: Bolacha Occupation: full-time judge of the household Fave nap spot: unknown, probably wherever I need to sit Opinion of the accordion: visibly against it Opinion of the tomato plant: has not commented, which is somehow worse Opinion of my sci-fi books: tolerated only when used as a warm flat surface Bolacha does not do tricks. Bolacha does not need to. She simply exists on a higher plane and lets the rest of us feel it.

✿ The Balcony Garden ✿

My balcony is small, but it has ambitions. Currently in residence: a whole lot of basil (I make pesto more often than is probably reasonable) and The Tomato Plant, who I have decided does not need a cute nickname because "The Tomato Plant" already carries enough weight on its own.

This plant leans dramatically toward the sun like it's auditioning for something. It droops if I forget to water it for one (1) day, as if betrayed. When it finally produces a tomato, it's treated in this household like a small miracle, because frankly, it kind of is one, up here on the 3rd floor with pigeons judging us from the ledge (Bolacha judges the pigeons back, it's a whole ecosystem).

Basil update: thriving, aggressively. Send pesto recipes if u have good ones, I am always taking suggestions.

☆ Shrine to Mazzy Star ☆

If you need me and I'm not answering, I am probably listening to Mazzy Star on the tram with my book closed on my lap, just staring out the window like the credits are about to roll. Their sound is exactly what 4am Lisbon feels like — hazy, a little sad, but so warm at the same time. Perfect night-shift music. Perfect balcony-with-basil music. Perfect everything music, honestly.

I don't need a dozen albums to be obsessed — that dreamy, slow-motion sound is enough to make an entire commute feel like it means something. This is the sound my whole page runs on, even if u can't hear it through the screen.

✧ Site & Accordion Update Log ✧

• Oct 14, 2002 — added the Bolacha profile section finally, she has been demanding it for weeks (via judgemental stares)
• Sept 2, 2002 — accordion update: I can now play a full scale without stopping to apologize to it. Progress!!
• Aug 21, 2002 — the tomato plant produced TWO tomatoes this week. Unprecedented. I may have cried a little.
• Jul 30, 2002 — finished another sci-fi book on the tram, started a new one before I even got off. No self control and I love that for me.
• Jul 3, 2002 — fixed the marquee up top, it was scrolling backwards and honestly kind of worked but I fixed it anyway

☾ Cool Links ☾

For the sci-fi tram reading:
- GameFAQs style forums where ppl argue about book endings for hours
- Local library catalog (bless the Lisbon library system)

For the garden:
- AllRecipes.com, mostly for pesto and "what do I do with 40 tomatoes when they finally come in" recipes
- Any gardening webring that will have a balcony-only member

For the stars and the general mystery of everything:
- NASA.gov (I check the astronomy picture of the day most mornings before bed, which is a weird sentence but that's night shift life)

For Mazzy Star appreciation:
- any decent MP3 fan page, may they rest in peace in our hearts forever

✧ Sign My Guestbook! ✧

PLEASE sign it, it makes the whole night shift worth it