far too much writing, far too many photos

runswithscissors


Thursday, June 12, 2003

Damn, I’m good at futzing about and wasting time. (Should I be concerned about that?) There is always something I can turn my attention to do which will piss away major chunks of temporal reality, especially if that something has any connection with my computer and/or the 'net. Sit me down in front of my little laptop and, without achieving anything of substance, I can wipe out hours and hours of the day in no time flat. Or that at least is how it feels. Computers, like televisions, are time machines. Turn 'em on, and mornings, afternoons, evenings immediately wink out of existence. It’s a bona fide phenomenon, one that should be studied and harnessed for the good of, er, whomever.

I do not spew empty blather with that first paragraph. No, no -- I speak as one who knows at least vaguely whereof he speaks, one who just spent an entire afternoon sitting in front of his computer doing a whole lot of, well, nothing, really. Not that all of it was intended to be pointless. A chunk of it got spent trying to transfer the software for my Salon.com webpage from my old, ailing laptop to my new, perky laptop. (According to the Radio UserLand license, that bit of software may only reside on one lonely computer at a time. Which means that if one wants to make entries to one’s Radio UserLand blog from a different computer, one has to MOVE the software.) The problem: the new, youthful, high-tech laptop uses only CDs, no floppy disks; the old, ailing warhorse only writes onto CDs. I attempted emailing the various files to myself, sending them from the old codger to the young punk. That simply didn't go the way it should have -- do you have any idea how many little teeny piddling files there are in that goddamn software package? -- and it wouldn't surprise me if you experienced the resulting teeth-grinding as something that felt like distant tremors.

And before I knew it, early afternoon had given way to six o'clock, the day continued galloping on toward the evening hours, when I had an intercambio scheduled. Managed to pull myself away from all the afternoon's fun, made the day's first meal (it's real damn easy for me to forget to eat -- how do I do that?), hoovered it down. Pulled on clothes, got out into Madrid's hot weather version of fresh air. A long walk took me through rush-hour crowds and traffic to a table at a halfway point between here and where D., today’s intercambio, works. Which turned to be one of Madrid’s only Starbucks outposts. Not a place I frequent in the States if I can possibly help it. Here, to rendezvous with a new Spanish friend, what the hell.

A fine intercambio – conversation in Spanish and English about sports, work, language, women, movies (most of the basics) -- compensating for some for the buggering-up of the previous five or six perfectly good hours of sunlight. Recently, I've gotten hooked up with some great intercambios, meeting fine people in the process, people I hope I'll remain connected with when I get back here in November (he said wistfully).

This morning I stopped in at the local centro comercial, visited three or four of the stalls I frequent, picked up enough groceries to last me until I get out of here on Monday. The last grocery shopping for this time around. (*SOB!*)

Right. Enough of that. I will not get maudlin. At least not right this nanosecond.

To finish up for today: a brief rundown of some genuine websearches conducted through Google and other engines which have led unfortunate souls to this webpage:

Tomato Vender (sic) in Spain

Women’s Belley (sic) Button Photos

Incredible Hulk Tattoos

liquid refreshment photos

homemade diapers

rws 5:50 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
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June 2003
July 2003
August 2003
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November 2003
December 2003
January 2004
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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

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



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