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runswithscissors


Wednesday, January 08, 2003

Monday, el Día de los Reyes Magos (the day of the Three Kings):

On my way back into my building, I run into the teeny elderly woman who lives on the second floor (see journal entry of 23 December) as she slowly, carefully descends the stairs, one step at a time, all done up in Sunday clothes. She sees me, unleashes her radiant smile, saying something I don't understand. "¿Como?" I respond. "Felizes Reyes," she repeats, a bit slower this time. "Es lo que decimos hoy." ("Happy Kings. It's what we say today.") "Ah!" says I. "Gracias. Igualmente." ("The same to you.") She takes my hands, her eyes half-closed from that high-wattage smile. "Gracias," she says. "Me alegro mucho." ("That makes me happy.") We continue on our separate ways, me giving thanks for small moments.

Tuesday:

Yesterday a.m. around 6:45 a.m., me drifting in and out of shallow sleep, sounds from out in the street wake me. Sounds of trucks, of large, heavy objects being moved. The kind of hubbub that suggests construction, and given that the vacant lot (across the narrow calle from this building) is slated to begin its transformation into an apt. building any day now, I assumed that process had gotten underway. It was the morning after the holiday season's final day -- why waste time? My hand groped its way into the drawer of my bedside night table, found earplugs, stuffed them into the appropriate, er, orifices. Ahhh, quiet -- much better. More dozing. On leaving the house for classes, around 8:40, I saw that the lot across the street remained untouched. All neighborhood Christmas lights were gone, though. The morning after the final day of the season, well before the crack of dawn, the city had sent trucks around, removing all traces of holiday cheer. A handful of stray lighting displays remained in local shop windows, but they've since melted away, like ice in a January thaw. Back to normalcy. (Waaaahhhh!)

Today:

On recounting a bit of last night's visit to the gym in today's language class (see yesterday's entry), I find out that the Spanish don't use the term 'Amazon' to describe a woman of exceptional physical condition and comportment. Instead, the Spaniards use the term "caballo" -– horse. Hmmm. Am not sure that that's a complimentary term, which brings to mind another less than flattering term, the Spanish word for handcuffs: la esposas (the wives). The words of a machista society, I think, feeling just the teeniest bit of condescension until I remember that in past years (and still, for all I know) many American males used the term "ball and chain" to refer to their spouse.

More recently-learned bits of Spanish Spanish:

– El/Ella está como un tren (He/She is like a train) = He/She has a great body.
– The word "chulo" has three different meanings: (a) a pimp, (b) cool (i.e., something is "muy chulo"), and (c) an excessively proud or arrogant male.
– Tirar perdigones = to spray someone with food while talking.
– Un lifting = a facelift. (I am not making that up.)
– Un lio = confusion, a mess, a hassle (as in "¡Qué lio!" – "What a mess!")
But: Tener un lio (To have a mess) = Tener un amante (to have a lover)
– La papilla = the babyfood
Echar = to throw, hurl
Echar la papilla = to throw up, hurl, toss one's cookies, blow chunks.
– Polvo = dust
Echar un polvo = to make love (hacer amor)
– Un kiki = what a baby has when its parent ties a bunch of its hair with a ribbon.
Echar un kiki = to make love.

rws 3:53 PM [+]

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BLATHERINGS

August 2001
September 2001
October 2001
November 2001
December 2001
January 2002
February 2002
March 2002
April 2002
May 2002
June 2002
July 2002
August 2002
September 2002
October 2002
November 2002
December 2002
January 2003
February 2003
March 2003
April 2003
May 2003
June 2003
July 2003
August 2003
September 2003
October 2003
November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
February 2004
March 2004
April 2004
May 2004
June 2004
July 2004
August 2004
September 2004
October 2004
November 2004
December 2004
January 2005
February 2005
March 2005
April 2005
May 2005
June 2005
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
February 2007
March 2007
April 2007
May 2007
June 2007
July 2007
August 2007
September 2007
October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008
August 2008
September 2008
October 2008
November 2008
December 2008
January 2009
February 2009
March 2009
April 2009
June 2009
July 2009

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MORE FOCUSED BLATHERINGS


Travels:
London '01
Pamplona
Italy '03
U.K. '03
Sevilla
Casablanca
Stoke-on-Trent
Barcelona
Québec/Ottawa
Boston/Lisbon/Madrid
Italy '04
Montréal
La Sierra

Events:
Madrid -- arrival
9/11
Emergency Room I
Holidays 2001
Holidays 2002
Holidays 2003
Holidays 2004
Holidays 2005
A neighbor's passing
Madrid -- March 11 bombings
  and aftermath
Emergency Room II
Israeli friend/Madrid Marathon
Madrid -- Royal Wedding
The DELE exam

GONE, a novel:
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

THE BASTARD CHILDREN OF
JOE ROCCO, a novella:
-- Part 1
-- Part 2
-- Part 3

BURBANK SHRUGGED,
a screenplay:
-- Part 1
-- Part 2
-- Part 3
-- Part 4

Short stories:
Murphy's Wife
Another Autumn
La Queja de Una
  Hermanastra Muy Conocida

Autobiography
-- Personal History
-- Hormones On Parade
-- Accidents, Random Mishaps,
    Personal Problems

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .


OTHER SOURCES OF WHOLESOME ENTERTAINMENT

People/Weblogs:
dooce
foxvox
fudge it
fear not
rebekka
bookslut
802online
idle words
madhaiku
wockerjabby
grow-a-brain
rebel market
letting me be
out and about
kung fu grippe
fanatical apathy
baghdad burning
wfuv's music blog
kexp's music blog
mimi smartypants
between the miles
just a hippie gypsy
the impossible cool
tomato can brushes
vermont homestead
sugar mountain farm

Good Clean Fun:
gizmodo
futurismic
postsecret
dave barry
human clock
mcsweeney's
spaceweather
book-a-minute
internet archive
self-portrait day
my cat hates you
out of context quotes
surrealist compliment
  generator
strindberg and helium

Makin' Musical Whoopee:
last fm
stereo8
pandora
soma fm

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ABOUT RWS/CONTACT





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