Tsunami, 29. As Normal As It Gets.

On Saturday, I did my weekly shopping in Boiro, finally.

Some of the stores had new products, or changed a couple of things around. Another was comfortably the same. It felt good, getting back to routine. It's a feeling like meeting an old friend from adolescence that hasn't changed at all. You see them, and fall into the same speech patterns, the same topics, the same gestures. It's a reassuring feeling, that even though all else might change, your friend won't.

What was disturbing was the amount of people on the terraces of all the bars that were open. Most had their masks pulled up, but not all. Some people were standing next to the maximum four that could sit together, acquaintances catching up. A few café owners are bad at math; fifty percent didn't look like fifty percent, unless previously the tables had been packed in like sardines. Take a Spaniard out of café life, and they wither away. 

This morning dawned grey and rainy. So much for a week of nice weather ahead. Now, it's a mixed bag, with two or three wet days forecast. I went back up to Santiago this morning, to visit the mall where the nice sneaker store is.

When I got there, shortly after it had opened, there weren't that many people. After about an hour, it was more or less like any other weekday morning. Some stores have disappeared; I don't even remember which ones are missing, it's been so long since my last visit. One or two new ones were there, including a fun one that seems to have Japanese origins, though it's probably more a question of esthetics. It has all sorts of things adolescents and young adults will faun over and purchase. It's fun, but I doubt I'll ever buy anything in it. 

The sneaker store was still there, and it still had some winter sales items. I picked up a pair of very comfortable walking shoes at half price. There were a pair of white sneakers with different colored hearts doodled on them, but they weren't on sale. Those, I will look at in the summer sales. Perhaps because I have difficulty finding shoes and sneakers that won't hurt my feet, I have a debility for buying footwear that feels good and looks fun. I try to keep it as cheap as possible, though.

I didn't really bother to look in other stores because I don't need anything else. At least, not until I check my fair weather clothes, and throw out whatever is beyond repair. Some of the colors in the shop windows were fun, and I saw a lot of shirts, almost like the big, oversized ones that we doted on back in the 80's. But cotton shirts tend to be high maintenance, needing ironing every time they're washed. I have one, and that's enough. 

I did stop at the Carrefour before leaving. I've become like my mother. Whenever she saw clothes detergent on sale, she would buy a box or two. Whenever I see a supermarket, I'll buy a packet or two of cat food, more if it's on sale. I can never have too much cat food in this house. My cats agree.

Life continues.