far too much writing, far too many photos

runswithscissors


Tuesday, April 15, 2003

Out doing errands this morning, I'm walking down a side street, the air mild and fresh after the recent days of rain. A quiet street, both residential and commercial in nature, buildings stretching upward in several floors of pisos, the street level featuring some small shops and restaurants. I'm almost at the corner, ready to step out into a bit of sunlight and head off to the right, toward the local bakery for an excellent baguette, a sandwich, maybe one or two other items. A splash of yellow catches my eye, I look across the street to see a narrow storefront I've never noticed. New, it seems to me, a place I don't recall seeing before. A big, goofy papier mache sun hangs halfway up the rear of the small display window, shining down on a quirky, hand-made scene of what appears to be a busy neighborhood. In the uppermost part of the storefront, the business's name curls around in big, friendly, sprawling letters, spelling out SR. GOMA -- La Condonería de Madrid [MR. RUBBER -- Madrid's Condom Shop]. (I am NOT making that up.)

I cross the street to check out the display, I find myself gazing at a small, cheery barrio, just as it appeared to be from across the street. Several apartment buildings stand shoulder to shoulder along the rear, a few miniature stories high, windows and balcones looking out over a hand-painted two-lane street on which three or four cars are planted, all convertibles, their drivers happily in transit to carefree places, driving in safe, relaxed, orderly fashion. Two cheery people stand at the far side of a crosswalk, waiting for the light. Along the front of the display are three small patches of green -- one a park with a tiny bench, the one in the center featuring a fountain, the third a teensy pond, surrounded by minuscule flowering bushes. Parked off at one end of the street stands a truck, one of those hefty concrete-mixer type buggers, hinting at the kind of ubiquitous activity one encounters in this hopping, full-sized barrio I live in, Chueca.

This cheerful, midget-sized scene is dotted with denizens of the mini-neighborhood, each resident made from a condom packet of square, various-colored foil wrappers, one sporting dreadlocks, all suggesting a happy multicultural community. Littlel bitty condom people with arms ending in white Disney-esque gloves, legs ending in rounded black shoes. All frozen in easygoing postures, singly or in pairs.

A sandwich and a baguette waited patiently at the bakery to come home with me, so I didn't linger, didn't go inside Señor Goma's joint to check out the wares. Maybe another time.

I headed off to finish my errands.

Just another morning in the barrio.

rws 1:14 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
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April 2004
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August 2004
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October 2007
November 2007
December 2007
January 2008
February 2008
March 2008
April 2008
May 2008
June 2008
July 2008

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MORE FOCUSED BLATHERINGS

Personal History



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

Excerpts from GONE, a novel:
Chapter 1 (complete)
Chapter 6 (complete)
Chapter 8 (excerpt)
Chapter 9 (excerpt)
Chapter 9 (excerpt)

Screenplay excerpt:
BURBANK SHRUGGED

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

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .


OTHER SOURCES OF WHOLESOME ENTERTAINMENT

People/Weblogs:
dooce
foxvox
fudge it
fear not
rebekka
bookslut
802online
idle words
madhaiku
wockerjabby
grow-a-brain
digital camel
letting me be
kung fu grippe
franklin avenue
fanatical apathy
baghdad burning
the happy booker
mimi smartypants
between the miles
just a hippie gypsy
tomato can brushes
playing with my food
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:
muxtape
soma fm
pandora
last fm

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ABOUT RWS/CONTACT





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runswithscissors would like to thank everyone who's ever lived for everything they've ever done.



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