tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31011682010-02-16T10:29:39.085-05:00far too much writing, far too many photosrwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.comBlogger1360125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-16803919131939979822010-02-15T19:18:00.000-05:002010-02-16T10:29:39.092-05:00

The morning routine had me so absorbed this a.m. that I didn't really glance out a window before leaving the flat. So when I stepped out of the building, the sight of snow falling took me completely by surprise. Snow -- lots of it, really coming down. None of your gentle, lyrical flurries. The air thick with big, flat flakes dropping as if they meant business. Not that there was any

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-43214929762687332622010-02-08T08:08:00.000-05:002010-02-08T08:10:07.644-05:00

Recent moments:-- Making the return trip home on the Metro from the city center two nights ago, the train blessedly less crammed with tired travelers/commuters than usual. Next to me stood a 30ish male, normal looking at first glance, neither unpleasant nor memorable. The kind of individual who would blend into a crowd easily. If, that is, he hadn't been so restless, so anxious, with something

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-85677347325941737922010-02-02T23:49:00.000-05:002010-02-03T19:57:06.003-05:00

Woke up early this morning, somewhere around 5 a.m., with music from Dr. Horrible streaming perkily through my sleepy brain. From that point on, I drifted between sleep and barely-awakeness, dreaming about being in a Dr. Horrible sequel. (And how bitchen would that be?) The dreams about the sequel actually featured original music, featuring some pretty respectable tunes.. Sometimes my

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-25458705556193212142010-01-30T08:29:00.004-05:002010-01-30T08:44:18.114-05:00

Every now and then, I'll come up out of the Metro into what passes as fresh air in Sol, the very heart of Madrid's city center, and someone earning slave wages will be standing at the top of that long, steep set of concrete stairs that give out to the extreme edge of the plaza's west side. Performing the thankless task ofthrusting a handbill at everyone who passes -- a small square of white

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-55695485007223233222010-01-25T15:53:00.000-05:002010-01-25T15:54:15.491-05:00

And speaking of dreams -- ‘cause, you know, that is what I was blathering on about in that last entry -- yesterday morning, I found myself awake in the wee hours, thinking (for reasons unknown) about a classic, deeply creepy episode of Dr. Who. Images of weeping angels, individuals thrown back in time against their will with no way to return to where they should be. With no idea why my

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-12175558791920978542010-01-22T11:56:00.001-05:002010-01-22T11:57:59.518-05:00

A couple of people asked me recently if I've dreamed in Spanish, my second language. The answer: I'm not sure. I know I have nights of dream-filled sleep, but for the most part hardly any of it returns to waking life with me apart from vague images and sensations. It's a genuine occasion when I return with something clear, usually the product of a dream that's especially intense or strange

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-59763067467833426912010-01-17T11:16:00.000-05:002010-01-17T11:18:29.092-05:00

The rent was due this last week. That meant a call to the landlord, followed by a fast walk-through by her to collect the gelt.My current landlord: an elderly woman -- short, a bit squat, hair done up in the classic feathered helmet style. Walks with short steps, just this side of a shuffle, recent treacherous weather making her movements even more tentative, cautious. Talks very formally

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-13125764549810745602010-01-10T14:34:00.005-05:002010-01-17T12:34:42.280-05:00

Woke up this morning with part of a David Bowie tune running through my head.Oh, don't lean on me, man, 'cause you can't afford the ticketI'm back from Suffragette City....Why that tune? Why that bit of lyric? No idea. Haven't heard any Bowie music in a while, haven't even heard his name mentioned since... can't remember. A while ago.Not a bad tune, as tunes go. But I decided I didn't want

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-39386620076019934352010-01-07T06:59:00.002-05:002010-01-20T07:50:55.122-05:00

[continued from previous entry]When I fled in early October, I wasn't sure where I'd end up or how long I'd be gone, so hadn't taken precautions like removing battery from car to store indoors. Which turned matters like the question of whether the car would start after sitting out in subzero temperatures for weeks ‘n' weeks into just one more adventure. (It started -- yee-ha!)Showered, shaved,

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-21348418003993353142010-01-06T08:30:00.007-05:002010-01-07T06:44:56.835-05:00

[continued from entry of December 29]As hoped, within an hour I was ensconced in the flat of friends, G. and S., using my paltry charm on S. in an effort to get her to head down Mass. Ave. to a café (me hoping a shot of caffeine might perk up my tired bod, my system having been up since before the previous midnight, Cambridge time). We went. It worked. For a while anyway. Long enough for S.

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-37077086636487044112010-01-04T08:03:00.002-05:002010-01-04T08:12:48.150-05:00

Yesterday morning: after a long, delicious night of sleep, stumbled out into a gray morning, headed directly to the newspaper/magazine kiosk that's planted about 15 feet from my building's front entrance. From Monday through Saturday, a 20-something male presides there, cloistered inside the snug space inside the small structure, accepting money, giving change, doling out extras that sometimes

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-81479307757395898622009-12-31T21:32:00.001-05:002010-01-01T09:38:00.892-05:00

This morning: dragged my sleepy bod out from the between the sheets at an indecently early hour. Showered, shaved, pulled on gym clothes. Stumbled out the door into not very user-friendly weather -- gray, cold, rain pissing down. (The case most mornings this week, the local jerkoff weather deities apparently having decided to make us work and suffer for our Christmas spirit.) Made the

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-23137516232189970342009-12-29T09:23:00.005-05:002010-01-01T09:41:37.627-05:00

Two weeks ago: woke up real damn early, as sometimes happens on days that will involve big traveling (my bod keyed up in anticipation). The first leg of the trip involved a ten-minute hike through dark, early-a.m. local streets to the Metro, dragging baggage. Before leaving, stepped out onto my teeny-tiny balcony to see what the weather was doing, receiving the day's first surprise: snow,

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-28157822521107219492009-12-25T19:35:00.007-05:002009-12-30T12:20:28.346-05:00

Stayed up far too late last night. Far, far too late. Saw no sign of oversized dude in red suit, no trace of airborne reindeer. Every now and then explosions rattled windows (I have no idea where that custom comes from, am grateful local mischief-makers only started with the fireworks two or three days before Christmas instead of weeks before as in my last barrio of residence), the 'hood

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-13005672533171162662009-12-21T21:28:00.002-05:002009-12-21T21:33:39.190-05:00

Here, in a nutshell, is what I think (not that you asked):I think we're meant to love, without holding back -- open our hearts and let it rip. Not demand things of our partner, just appreciate the hell out of them and savor the days, months, years we're fortunate enough to have in their company. Because there is no guarantee of how long that span of time will be, and whether it turns out to be

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-13786927321877023822009-12-20T11:02:00.003-05:002009-12-22T07:08:46.259-05:00

Got back late yesterday afternoon from a fast -- and I do mean fast -- trip stateside. Some things came up that needed serious attention, hasty arrangements were made, I flew out of Madrid last Monday a.m. Had to book the return trip via Munich, which meant going through the German version of a security check on the way to the connecting flight back to Madrid. A slight, serious-expressioned,

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-83883796980605249332009-12-13T12:13:00.004-05:002009-12-13T12:22:20.749-05:00

A few days back, friends stateside let me know they'd gotten a whole lot of snow dumped on them, the first major accumulation of the season. Two days later -- yesterday morning -- cold weather arrived here, the very first truly blast of what passes for frigid air here. I wasn't prepared, stepped out the building's front door in my usual a.m. state of near-sleepwalking, found myself suddenly

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-9338239363372872332009-12-08T06:37:00.006-05:002009-12-09T20:15:44.250-05:00

When I arrived in the U.K. -- two weeks ago now -- the Christmas season was just getting to its feet. Lights were up, daylight hours were growing real damn short, and one could feel the very beginnings of the yuletide atmosphere that would be cranking some serious rpm's before long. Pubs were finishing up with the annual holiday facelift -- and mostly looking pretty good, I have to say. In

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-32648889815232670672009-12-03T12:49:00.004-05:002009-12-09T05:06:27.269-05:00

Back in Madrid after 8 nights in the U.K. A few thoughts and observations in the wake of the journey back:Sitting in a café off Oxford Street yesterday morning. A place run by extremely nice Italian folks. At the table next to mine, two suits sat working on coffee, a morning scene I´m used to from here in Madrid. One major difference: instead of chatting over coffee as they do here, these

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-88184209756373822072009-11-25T12:39:00.002-05:002009-11-25T12:54:20.389-05:00

Yesterday morning: found myself awake in the early hours, body keyed up for a day to be spent traveling. Had to be at Barajas Airport to catch an 8:45 plane to London, which meant, of course, arriving much earlier than takeoff time. Much, much earlier. Or at least that's what I thought, me still working on the stateside concept of pre-flight arrival time. (3 hours before takeoff.) Figured

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-58850921125226928822009-11-15T11:05:00.000-05:002009-11-15T11:06:26.275-05:00

Yesterday morning: got myself up and out in time to do grocery shopping before swarming crowds of caffeinated consumers descended on local shops. Realized I'd finished with enough time to hop a bus and make the trip to a museum for its 10 o'clock opening, thought ia an excellent idea. Flew out of the flat, caught a bus, switched to a second bus, reached the museum just shy of 10. Discovered

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-62840955518718310422009-11-14T13:53:00.006-05:002009-11-14T14:43:06.190-05:00

City crews here have been methodically working their way through the city in the weeks since my return, and I'm not referring to the traditional ripping apart and reassembling of streets, sidewalks, plazas, etc. I'm talking people in cherry-pickers, hanging big light displays -- the first tangible sign that Christmas is sneaking stealthily up, looming closer with every passing November day. At

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-35321472518980762022009-11-11T08:45:00.002-05:002009-11-11T09:21:35.855-05:00

This last weekend being the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, news outlets here were awash in stories and images about it -- remembrances, coverage of anniversary celebrations, all that. Me, I went out for a long walk on Sunday, found myself drifting along el Paseo de la Castellana during the afternoon, pulling up alongside the German Embassy. It occupies a fair-sized chunk of

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-44827315579312314742009-11-09T17:24:00.008-05:002009-11-10T18:01:18.168-05:00

Two days ago, had the impulse to go to the movies for the first time since returning to Madrid. (And before that, now that I think about it.). For the most part, since settling into the new flat I've spent far too much time holed up in front of the computer. Getting work done (this is a good thing) -- a pretty fair amount of work. But spending long days indoors. Haven't had the vaguest

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3101168.post-37515987061064570012009-11-04T16:29:00.001-05:002009-11-04T16:32:22.705-05:00

Last night: coming out of the Metro close to 9:30. The avenue -- a broad, four-lane city thoroughfare -- more tranquil than during the daylight hours. Dark. Except for the twirling blue lights of a police van. Three Madrid cops carrying out a traffic stop -- one standing by the driver's window of a car that had been pulled over, dealing with the detained individual; the second standing by the

rwshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09521749388187417560noreply@blogger.com0