far too much writing, far too many photos

runswithscissors


Wednesday, March 03, 2004

Got out of bed at a decent hour this morning; showered, shaved and otherwise pulled myself together. Pulled on clothes, went out for the morning's wake-up espresso and bite to eat. Along the way, picked up a copy of El País to thumb through as I sipped/nibbled. Got an eyeful of the headlines as I walked away from the magazine stand -- jumpin' Jesus, what a nightmare.

If one is paying attention to the picture painted by the local news media today, the world is not just accelerating downhill in the general direction of hell, we're doing so in the fashion of a pack of gibbering, partying apes, tossing confetti and firing off whatever noisemakers are at hand (while those in charge drain the brake fluid from our collective handbasket to sell back to the rest of us hapless nitwits at inflated prices). And if one studies that picture carefully, one can spot the distant figure of Hope off in the background, running toward the horizon with its ass on fire.

I stare at the front page: images of bodies amid the flaming wreckage of bombings (nearby people screaming religious epithets), stories of outrageous corruption, instances of blatant lies being spouted by various governments and political types. Then I look up and gaze around me here -- life going on normally; people drinking coffee, eating sweet rolls; two young mothers with babies at a nearby table, faces radiating contentment with their situation; others walking past the cafetería's windows, talking, carrying bags of groceries, maybe stopping to buy a lottery ticket from the woman at the corner or exchange a comment with one of the guys at the fish market across the way. I look back down at the paper: death, destruction, chaos. I look around me once again -- a quiet midweek morning in Madrid, air cool (though milder than in past days), sun shining through hazy clouds, people carrying on normal life.

I reflect on this contrast, and I think about the way we're trained to focus in on the hotspots of trouble, difficulty, tragedy, ignoring the rest of the picture -- the overwhelming majority of the picture -- where life goes its way, most things in most places functioning normally, existence carrying on in an intricate, beautiful dance of amazing variety and overall balance. And I think, who am I going to believe: media outlets who paint a picture that simply doesn't jibe with my general sense of the world, or my eyes, ears, etc.?

Seems a fairly clear choice to me, though one that might get me labeled naive, willfully dim, or other far less complimentary adjectives. Fortunately, I care progressively less about what other people think of my choices as I stumble my way through this life (and, paradoxically, I enjoy and care more for people in general as I care less about what they think about me).

I had no idea what to expect when I flew down to Casablanca at the end of last week. To that point, I'd never spent time in any part of what might be called the Islamic world. If I'd relied on the general picture I see sketched in the western media (on and offline), that Islamic world is a dangerous, alien place for an individual like myself, born in the States, carrying an American passport. There's no question that it was different in many ways from the cultures I've wandered through, and there were uncomfortable aspects, challenging moments, happenings that left me startled, momentarily disoriented. It was also fascinating, lovely, intriguing, touching, congenial, packed with sensations, sounds, smells, things to watch. Unbelievably complex, overall.




[Continued in next entry]

rws 6:59 AM [+]

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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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