musings from spain

barcelona is empty.  restaurants, barbershops, supermarkets, cafés concel their vacant insides with formidable metal garage-type doors, covering even the sign that usually proudly carries their namesake.  construction on the streets has popped up as well, taking advantage of the empty streets and empty apartments to drill, pound, and jackhammer throughout the day without the guilt of bothering the hidden inhabitants.  and my office is empty of life right now, except little me, stealing this moment to blog.  no rings of the telephone, no spanish chatter, no tapping of the keyboard save mine...nothing except my dear friend vienna´s voice flowing through the earphones of my trusty ipod. 

i´m feeling nostalgic for san francisco, as it´s drizzling outside amist grey skies - typical for an august in my quirky city.  in fact, mediterreanen thunderstorms have been passing through barcelona these past two weeks...rushing in dramatically, with flashes of lightning, deep grumbling, and aggressive blankets of clouds, only to continue on their way after a mere ten minutes of fierce pounding on our rooftops.  it´s a welcome relief from the summer heat that i´m still not quite accustomed to and contributes to a strange feeling of peace...but is it true peace, or just a slowing down of life?  when life slows is when the environment is ripe for thinking, contemplating, reflecting.  seems like barcelona is trying to tell me something...but i´m still learning the language.