far too much writing, far too many photos

runswithscissors


Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Sunday: took a field trip. Hopped the Metro, made the trip out of the city center almost all the way to Barajas Airport to a hugeass exposition center, the site of, among other humongous affairs, the annual Leisure Fair (la Feria del Ocio). Don't ask me what drove me to go to this event -- I have no explanation. Saw it in local what's-happening listings, felt myself seized by an irrational impulse. Next thing I knew, there I was, one among hundreds, then thousands that streamed into the expo center. The entry passage to the pavilions that housed the fair were off to one side, I noticed people heading in that direction clutched big green passes that lackeys tore bits off before letting anyone in. I noticed that, but try as I might I couldn't see anywhere to pick up a pass. Finally went to the big info. desk, put the question to one of the women there who stared at me like I was mentally deficient and directed me to a row of ticket windows outside the building, was off to one side.

Bought admission pass, went back inside, presented it to ticket-tearing lackey. Ticket torn, I slipped inside to find....

Four enormous exhibition halls filled with stuff I didn't want. All sorts of stuff, all of it products that might somehow -- vaguely, barely in some cases -- be considered to have a connection with leisure.

Furniture, especially leather living room furniture. Wii. Sharp flat-screen TV's. Playstation. One or two stalls of decent art, many other stalls of hideous art (i.e., bad copies of classics like The Starry Night -- but happily, nothing on black velvet and not a single image of Elvis in sight.) Cookware, with demonstrators making yummy-looking dishes that no spectators got to eat. Greenpeace. (Huh??) Jacuzzi's. Prefab swimming pools. More prefab houses than I have ever seen in one place in my entire blessed life (most looking far, far too artificially rustic). Flats for purchase or rental in other countries. Motorcycles. ATV's. Camper vans, camping trailers. Tents, from the modest to the wildly, bizarrely ostentatious. Stalls for campgrounds (called 'campings' here).

Entertainment! (space shuttle simulator to the rear)



A pause to retreate to a nearly-empty cafetería for a decent cup of café con leche and a half-decent croissant. A trip to a men's room filled with the sound of kids carrying on -- high-pitched voices talking excitedly, laughter, a few well-executed farts, more laughter.

Then back out to continue wading through the world of leisure:

Stalls for products made from aloe vera. A stall selling los libros más pequeños del mundo (the smallest books in the world). Stalls peddling trashy tchotchkes from Russia, from India. Huge lines of people waiting at stalls for Nestle's, Buitoni, etc. for teeny samples of drink and pizza pockets. A stall with mountains of bonbons wrapped in brightly-colored paper. And finally, large, wonderful stalls of Spanish food from all over the country. No samples being handed out, but visuals that made me happy.



And finally out into sunshine/chilly air and down into the Metro, squeezing into a train filled with travelers making the trip from the airport into the city center, baggage on wheels everywhere.

Sunday. In Madrid. Taking in some weird entertainment.


España, te echo de menos.

rws 12:48 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
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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
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October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
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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

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .


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

.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .


ABOUT RWS/CONTACT





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