16/01/2018
Five days until National Squirrel Appreciation Day
Remember to pick up some UNSALTED peanuts at the store. National Squirrel Appreciation Day is on Sunday.
21/12/2017
Winter Solstice
Winter Solstice, a poem and the science . . .
Christmas is a few days off. Nostalgia and expectations are high. Neighborhood houses, trees, and bushes twinkle with lights and glowing Santas and cartoon characters wobble in the dark. Other than time with family, I do my best to avoid the whole thing. Instead I quietly observe the winter solstice. It is my Sanctum Sanitarium so, as on other years, I am re-posting a poem I wrote to celebrate it. It's my candle in the window during this longest, darkest of nights.
![Winter Solstice illustrated](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3791/11681159643_61de65696f_z.jpg)
The image came later. It's based on a photo I took of the full moon rising over a ravine in the Nevada outback. It was a ridiculously difficult place to get to. We walked the road first just to see if the jeep could make it down. Now, after some unusually wet springs and increased flash flooding, I doubt road to this incredible place still exists.
I started this post in the morning and now, hours after dark, I'm finally getting around to finishing it. Tonight is the solstice so I must. I wish you a serene end to the old cycle and at least one moment of deep peace sometime during this longest night.
First the poetry
Christmas is a few days off. Nostalgia and expectations are high. Neighborhood houses, trees, and bushes twinkle with lights and glowing Santas and cartoon characters wobble in the dark. Other than time with family, I do my best to avoid the whole thing. Instead I quietly observe the winter solstice. It is my Sanctum Sanitarium so, as on other years, I am re-posting a poem I wrote to celebrate it. It's my candle in the window during this longest, darkest of nights.
![Winter Solstice illustrated](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3791/11681159643_61de65696f_z.jpg)
The image came later. It's based on a photo I took of the full moon rising over a ravine in the Nevada outback. It was a ridiculously difficult place to get to. We walked the road first just to see if the jeep could make it down. Now, after some unusually wet springs and increased flash flooding, I doubt road to this incredible place still exists.
Now the science
I started this post in the morning and now, hours after dark, I'm finally getting around to finishing it. Tonight is the solstice so I must. I wish you a serene end to the old cycle and at least one moment of deep peace sometime during this longest night.
Labels:
night,
poetry,
science,
solstices & equinoxes
10/12/2017
Bird Park December update
![](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rHWHUPfkeSc/TBZe-7uY11I/AAAAAAAALVI/ae8SB3JeRco868q45ixDgqIdHX6kNdKwwCPcBGAYYCw/s200/chimp%2Brt.1.gif)
We've been gone for six months but, as usual, Maggie the 7 o'clock Magpie, showed up the first morning we were back. She's always got half an eye on the place. The little birds, doves and quail appeared a couple of days later. They are out there now pecking away at apples and seed. Today was the first time a whole tiding of magpies came. Grackles showed up about 20 minutes in. I hope they stick around after breakfast and chat awhile. Their conversations are enchanting. Oh and seems Rosie the skunk is still here. She woke me up two nights ago fighting with someone. She sprayed the hell out of them. I believe she may have taken up residence under the house in what was BoB's old place. The horrible neighbor cats may have gotten him but, by the smell of things, they won't be getting Rosie anytime soon. This will be interesting. We'll have to relocate her at some point, just not today.
The only guys I haven't seen yet are the crows. They're always the last to arrive. Very careful, the crows. Smart. We might not see them before we leave for Oregon on Wednesday but we'll be here this winter so, I'm sure at some point, they'll make an appearance as well as a hawk or two. They come to the valley for calving season but that's another story. The tiding is gone now but Maggie is still here. How do I know it's her? She's my girl, the fat one . . . first to arrive, last to go.
Labels:
Bird Park
05/12/2017
Stewart Lee and good-bye
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Leicester Square Theatre - London |
Last night we saw Stewart Lee at Leicester Square Theatre. A wonderfully outrageous fellow, I've been wanting to see him perform live for a few years now so this was a real treat. Tomorrow we leave London for the US thus ending this odyssey which began in London last July.
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Angels on Regent Street - London |
03/12/2017
30/11/2017
Junction of the ages
Back from Africa and in London for the next week. I woke up dreaming about the animals again. Seeing them in their wild state was life changing. After a week in the bush, I was grateful to not see a giraffe or elephant in the game reserve just outside Johannesburg. The 4m electric fence separating it from the freeway, separating the Holocene from the Anthropocene, made the rift between the ages sadly all too clear.
Labels:
Africa,
Anthropocene,
critters,
travel notes
14/11/2017
Moving on
Let's see. My last post was a month ago. Since then I tried writing something about our two weeks in Berlin but got bogged down so I'm moving on. After Germany, we spent a very cold week in very expensive Copenhagen then stayed two weeks in Egypt. Like Berlin, it was a shock and overload but of a different order. Since childhood, I've been fascinated by the mystery of Egypt, its pyramids, mummies, camels and cats. Being there only deepened the mystery. I also tasted Egypt's bitters. Maybe more about that later. Maybe more about Berlin later. This post is just an ice breaker because I backed myself into a corner trying to write about Germany and stopped posting altogether.
We are currently in Cape Town, South Africa and today we're going out with the hope of seeing some whales and penguins. Tomorrow, we'll try to catch up with a few of the native baboons that live here. If we do see any, I'll try to avoid their tricky ways. Seeing as monkeys manage to snatch things from my hands, I'm sure I'm no match for baboons. Also, haven't seen much of the night sky yet but I hope to get a good look at it before we leave this continent. Being that we're now (finally) in the Southern Hemisphere and a good distance from the equator, there should be constellations I've never seen before.
We are currently in Cape Town, South Africa and today we're going out with the hope of seeing some whales and penguins. Tomorrow, we'll try to catch up with a few of the native baboons that live here. If we do see any, I'll try to avoid their tricky ways. Seeing as monkeys manage to snatch things from my hands, I'm sure I'm no match for baboons. Also, haven't seen much of the night sky yet but I hope to get a good look at it before we leave this continent. Being that we're now (finally) in the Southern Hemisphere and a good distance from the equator, there should be constellations I've never seen before.
Labels:
Africa,
Berlin,
EU,
travel notes
16/10/2017
Balkans good-bye
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Brasov, Romania - train to Budapest |
I didn't post much about our summer train tour of the Balkans while it was happening and now it's over. That's how life goes, isn't it? One day, you're just starting out and the next you're looking back. It all started last winter in Bangkok. M. Lee got the crazy idea we should check out Romania this summer by the most indirect, meandering, roundabout route he could devise and, well, that is what we did.
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Romania anytime in the last 1000 years ~photo by M. Lee~ |
We left London in July on the Eurostar and, to date, have taken 16 trains, one plane, one bus, lots of undergrounds and trams, rented one car, and walked hundreds of miles exploring some new-for-us old worlds in northern Italy, the Balkans, and now northern Europe. We're done with the train part of the journey now. It's hectic being so much on the move but it's been fun. Plus, we both love trains anyway, even Balkans trains which are pretty funky.
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Swami viewing "Dracula's castle" from afar |
As M. put it, “comparing trains in the Balkans to the Eurostar is like comparing skateboards to rocket ships”. OK, an exaggeration but that's how it felt after being on a train averaging 25mph for 13 hours . . . with no dining or café car, no vendor with water and snacks, and no toilet paper. However, experience has prepared us for days like this. We brought our own sandwiches, apples, cookies, water, and tissue.
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Vlad Dracul House, birthplace of Vlad the Impaler in the medieval town of Sighisoara |
But trains aside, seems M. really was inspired when he came up with this trip. Romania is a special place. Of course, Transylvania is in Romania so, yes, we drove out to the village of Bran to see "Dracula's Castle", a hot tourist spot in the Transylvania mountains. Its real name is Bran Castle and it was built by the Saxons at the end of the 13th century. Some claim it was Vlad the Impaler's (aka Vlad Dracul) castle during the 15th century and that Vlad Dracul was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula but the history is unclear. Whether Vlad Dracul ever lived at Bran Castle or Bram Stoker knew anything about him is up for debate.
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Inside the 16 ft (5 m) walls of the fortified church in Prejmer The town's people took refuge there when invaders attacked the village. |
What is clear is that Vlad the Impaler was an all too real, brutal sadist, as well as a prince and wartime leader. For example, I read that when he was imprisoned he amused himself by torturing rats. And a Romanian fellow we met along the way was only too happy to tell us that, according to legend, knowing that the Ottoman army was approaching, Vlad Dracul personally impaled 1000 Ottoman soldiers and laid them out row by row as a way of greeting and that upon seeing the carnage, the army turned around and left. We only did a drive-by at "Dracula's Castle". The tour gets horrible reviews.
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Outside the inner walls of Viscri, a medieval church in Romania ~photo by M. Lee~ |
What we did do, and really loved, was exploring a few of Transylvania's amazing medieval fortified churches and villages. Romania has been an out of the way place for centuries which means many of its historical sites have survived intact to the present day.
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Outside the inner walls of Viscri, a medieval church in Romania |
Of its over 300+ fortified churches built between the 5th and 15th centuries, over 150 well-preserved sites remain and many are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. We rented a car just so we could visit a few. Also amazing is that we were free to wander around the 1000+ year-old churches on our own. Sometimes we even had the place to ourselves. That is positively as good as it gets.
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Balkans good-bye ~Horse, colt and wagon along the railroad tracks~ |
And Romania's countryside was the most pristine and beautiful I’ve ever seen. Shepherds and dogs still tend their flocks on the mostly open (no fences) gently rolling hills and horse and wagon are still a regular means of transportation. Now it has already been a month since we left Romania and the Balkans behind. I took this picture (Balkans good-bye") from the train the morning we left. As it has been since humans and horses first worked together, the colt is running along beside his mother as she and another horse pull the wagon. Romania, the land where time goes to get away from itself.
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Romanian countryside |
So 15 cities and 12 countries later it's autumn. Though I haven't written much about it here, I took hundreds, maybe 1000s of photos along the way and even managed to post a few here, on Instagram and Flickr and will continue to. We've been in Berlin a week now and are leaving on the bus Saturday for Copenhagen and with that, this episode comes to an end. Next, Africa.
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Vienna, Austria |
Labels:
Balkans,
EU,
travel notes
23/09/2017
Vagabond Lee's very good birthday in Romania
It's been about seven years since the vagabond guest blogger, M. Lee, contributed anything here but last week, after his birthday encounter with a Romanian cop, he agreed to share the story here.
I like Romania. It likes me. Here is my birthday story.
Today was our last day with the car. We're leaving tomorrow for Budapest. I hate renting cars and I'm pretty sick of driving in general, but for here, it's a necessity. So we had this car for six days. On the first day, I dented it. I have 3rd party insurance, but still, paperwork, anxiety, etc. That was the first day. Do you think I put it out of my mind? No, of course not, each passing day it only got worse.
Asha hurt her knee so she can't walk much right now but we already took yesterday off, so I was at least going to take a road trip. We headed out to visit Peles Palace on the main highway, a two lane road. According to Google, it would take us an hour to go 20 miles. I moved with the flow of traffic and about 20 minutes out I got flagged by a traffic cop who was parked by the side of the road. I've been through this enough, it's the shake down and fuck it, Romania is cheap, but I've been saving the last of my Romanian money to fill up the gas tank on the way back. It's a minor inconvenience, but I'm not really sweating it when the traffic cop comes over and starts talking to me in Romanian.
"Romeneshte no, inglese?" I say.
"I need to see identification and license please."
I hand over my passport and drivers license and he tells me to get out of the car and follow him back to his car. There, he shows me a dashboard device displaying, presumably, my speed and the contrasting speed limit. The angle is bad and I can't really see it but who cares, I know where this is going.
"You pay the ticket now. 145 lei. You pay now."
"I need to see the ticket first, can you show me the ticket." I say.
He shows me the large ticket book but remains adamant, I must fork over the cash now, and he'll give me the "ticket" after. I fork over the cash.
"You go back to your car now and wait."
I'm back in the car, waiting as instructed, about 50 US dollars poorer. The other cop, the guy's partner, flags down a bus. I don't feel so persecuted, so singled out. If this is not a scam, they must have a remote radar somewhere on the road because otherwise, they are just two fat cops sitting in a car on the side of the road waiting for random victims. As that guy passes me, heading toward the bus, he says "you go back there now". So I go, back to the patrol car.
There, my cop has my passport open and points to the date and says "today is your birthday". "Yeah" I reply, thinking, I don't know, maybe it's his birthday too? "Happy birthday" he says, sticking his hand out to shake my hand. I shake his hand and say thanks in Romanian and then he hands me back my money. What? "Happy birthday, you buy the missus with you some champagna, da? You buy the champagna!" Then he finishes writing the ticket, which takes about five more minutes because bureaucracy, and hands me my copy. "Souvenir, you keep this for souvenir."
"Mooltzu mesk, la revederay" I say, showing off my scant Romanian, and skip back to the car.
And the dent later in the day at the car agency? Fortunately, it's hard to see if you're tall, it's on the underside of the car below the door. There's even a chance I didn't do it. Amazingly, I get the tallest guy in the place to come look at the car, taller than me. I wait inside. He's back in a minute, rustling around, probably looking for accident forms while I act cool and pretend to be doing something on my phone. He hands me a receipt showing the release of my deposit and I practically run out of the place before he can change his mind.
If the absence of pain is pleasure, then this has been a very good birthday.
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Peles Palace Romania |
I like Romania. It likes me. Here is my birthday story.
Today was our last day with the car. We're leaving tomorrow for Budapest. I hate renting cars and I'm pretty sick of driving in general, but for here, it's a necessity. So we had this car for six days. On the first day, I dented it. I have 3rd party insurance, but still, paperwork, anxiety, etc. That was the first day. Do you think I put it out of my mind? No, of course not, each passing day it only got worse.
Asha hurt her knee so she can't walk much right now but we already took yesterday off, so I was at least going to take a road trip. We headed out to visit Peles Palace on the main highway, a two lane road. According to Google, it would take us an hour to go 20 miles. I moved with the flow of traffic and about 20 minutes out I got flagged by a traffic cop who was parked by the side of the road. I've been through this enough, it's the shake down and fuck it, Romania is cheap, but I've been saving the last of my Romanian money to fill up the gas tank on the way back. It's a minor inconvenience, but I'm not really sweating it when the traffic cop comes over and starts talking to me in Romanian.
"Romeneshte no, inglese?" I say.
"I need to see identification and license please."
I hand over my passport and drivers license and he tells me to get out of the car and follow him back to his car. There, he shows me a dashboard device displaying, presumably, my speed and the contrasting speed limit. The angle is bad and I can't really see it but who cares, I know where this is going.
"You pay the ticket now. 145 lei. You pay now."
"I need to see the ticket first, can you show me the ticket." I say.
He shows me the large ticket book but remains adamant, I must fork over the cash now, and he'll give me the "ticket" after. I fork over the cash.
"You go back to your car now and wait."
I'm back in the car, waiting as instructed, about 50 US dollars poorer. The other cop, the guy's partner, flags down a bus. I don't feel so persecuted, so singled out. If this is not a scam, they must have a remote radar somewhere on the road because otherwise, they are just two fat cops sitting in a car on the side of the road waiting for random victims. As that guy passes me, heading toward the bus, he says "you go back there now". So I go, back to the patrol car.
There, my cop has my passport open and points to the date and says "today is your birthday". "Yeah" I reply, thinking, I don't know, maybe it's his birthday too? "Happy birthday" he says, sticking his hand out to shake my hand. I shake his hand and say thanks in Romanian and then he hands me back my money. What? "Happy birthday, you buy the missus with you some champagna, da? You buy the champagna!" Then he finishes writing the ticket, which takes about five more minutes because bureaucracy, and hands me my copy. "Souvenir, you keep this for souvenir."
"Mooltzu mesk, la revederay" I say, showing off my scant Romanian, and skip back to the car.
And the dent later in the day at the car agency? Fortunately, it's hard to see if you're tall, it's on the underside of the car below the door. There's even a chance I didn't do it. Amazingly, I get the tallest guy in the place to come look at the car, taller than me. I wait inside. He's back in a minute, rustling around, probably looking for accident forms while I act cool and pretend to be doing something on my phone. He hands me a receipt showing the release of my deposit and I practically run out of the place before he can change his mind.
If the absence of pain is pleasure, then this has been a very good birthday.
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In the rafters of a medieval church |
Labels:
EU,
guest blogger,
Romania,
travel notes
22/09/2017
Autumn Equinox
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Vienna at twilight |
Labels:
EU,
Italy,
my photos,
solstices & equinoxes
15/09/2017
Athens
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Exarchia neighborhood |
In its own way, Athens is a something of a wreck. Greece has been in an economic tailspin for years now and, at least there, it shows. Of course, the fact that we stayed in Exarchia, (Aug 17/24) a neighborhood the US Embassy advises travelers avoid, amplified that reality. The streets are lined with olive trees but its otherwise post-apocalyptic look and feel is definitely not for everyone. We liked it. We had a quiet flat above a small grocery story and the area has a lot of excellent street art. I even liked the gutter to rooftop crust of weather-beaten posters and layers of graffiti.
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Swami on the road to Plato's Academy |
We stayed seven days so we bought the three day pass and walked to all the main sites, covering some 10 to 15 miles a day. One of my favorite places was the Kerameikos Cemetery. Its earliest tombs date back to 2700-2000 BC. Even Plato had an Academy there, although there's nothing left of it but a sign and path leading to the face of a small hill upon which apartment buildings now stand. And we went to the Parthenon.
As is so often the case at historical sites, it was roped off for renovation. The Parthenon has endured countless sackings during its 2455 years but the worst was by the Venetians in 1687. Thinking no one would fire upon a site of such historic importance, the Ottomans were using it as ammunition dump. Sadly, they overestimated the Venetian's cultural values and sense of history. Immediately upon hearing about the dump, they shelled the building. The damage was immense. The roof caved in, pillars collapsed, enormous sculptures were destroyed and 300 people were killed. The following year, now themselves facing attack by Ottomans, they fled. They considered blowing up the entire Acropolis before leaving but, lucky for us, didn't get around to it.
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The Acropolis, Athens Greece |
During high season, there's no beating the crowds. Five cruise ships were in port the day we visited. I'm glad we went but, really, I think the most inspiring views are from a distance.
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Swami viewing the Acropolis |
To be continued....
Labels:
Balkans,
EU,
Greece,
travel notes
04/09/2017
And now the Balkans
We're currently in the Balkans. I know very little about this area. I'm not even certain which countries are in the Balkans. Opinions differ, plus it depends on which century you're referring to. The one thing people do seem to agree on is that they're in eastern and southeastern Europe.
The history here is wildly complicated but one thing I have learned is that, from the 15th century, most of the Balkans were under Ottoman rule for about 500 years. By the mid-20th century Balkan countries, free of Ottoman influence began experimenting with socialism and communism. Today, the Balkan countries are all more or less democratic but still very raw. Romania, where we are now, only got rid of its strong man dictator in 1989.
But back to now. On August 9, we took the train from Venice to Slovenia, our first country in the Balkans. We stayed three days there, in Ljubljana - then five in Belgrade (Serbia) - six in Athens and five in Thessaloniki (Greece), and then five days in Sofia (Bulgaria). Now, after a ten hour train from Sofia to Bucharest, we're in Romania for 11 days . . . five in Bucharest then on to Brasov for six including, of course, Transylvania. It's hard to keep up with all this here. We're out every day and when I'm online, sadly, the current Trump and Republican shit show in America occupies a fair amount of my attention. Paltry as they be, the following notes are all I've got for now.
Our apartment in Ljubljana was a tiny quasi-fascist era flat, very basic but good internet, quiet, centrally located, with a very friendly host, an American fellow married to a Slovenian. And Ljubljana itself is a nice town built along a river in an area first settled about 2000 B.C. According to legend, it is guarded by dragons. It's a very livable place, with pedestrian streets, lively open air cafes and markets. There's even an anarchist neighborhood in Ljubljana famous for its graffiti, art projects and night life. Luckily, the world wars of the 20th century mostly bypassed Ljubljana though it was under fascist rule from WWII until 1991 which, predictably, left it somewhat bleak.
Belgrade was a different story. Its history dates back to at least 7000 BC and, because of its strategic location at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, it has endured 115 wars and been razed to the ground 44 times, including by Attila the Hun in 471. Most recently, 1999, Belgrade was bombed again, this time for 78 days straight during the Kosovo War by both sides in the conflict.
To be continued . . .
The history here is wildly complicated but one thing I have learned is that, from the 15th century, most of the Balkans were under Ottoman rule for about 500 years. By the mid-20th century Balkan countries, free of Ottoman influence began experimenting with socialism and communism. Today, the Balkan countries are all more or less democratic but still very raw. Romania, where we are now, only got rid of its strong man dictator in 1989.
But back to now. On August 9, we took the train from Venice to Slovenia, our first country in the Balkans. We stayed three days there, in Ljubljana - then five in Belgrade (Serbia) - six in Athens and five in Thessaloniki (Greece), and then five days in Sofia (Bulgaria). Now, after a ten hour train from Sofia to Bucharest, we're in Romania for 11 days . . . five in Bucharest then on to Brasov for six including, of course, Transylvania. It's hard to keep up with all this here. We're out every day and when I'm online, sadly, the current Trump and Republican shit show in America occupies a fair amount of my attention. Paltry as they be, the following notes are all I've got for now.
Our apartment in Ljubljana was a tiny quasi-fascist era flat, very basic but good internet, quiet, centrally located, with a very friendly host, an American fellow married to a Slovenian. And Ljubljana itself is a nice town built along a river in an area first settled about 2000 B.C. According to legend, it is guarded by dragons. It's a very livable place, with pedestrian streets, lively open air cafes and markets. There's even an anarchist neighborhood in Ljubljana famous for its graffiti, art projects and night life. Luckily, the world wars of the 20th century mostly bypassed Ljubljana though it was under fascist rule from WWII until 1991 which, predictably, left it somewhat bleak.
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Sad reminder of the Kosovo War Belgrade, Serbia |
Belgrade was a different story. Its history dates back to at least 7000 BC and, because of its strategic location at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, it has endured 115 wars and been razed to the ground 44 times, including by Attila the Hun in 471. Most recently, 1999, Belgrade was bombed again, this time for 78 days straight during the Kosovo War by both sides in the conflict.
![]() |
Downtown Belgrade with bombed out building Serbia |
It was eerie being in a city my "own" country helped bomb. I could see the remains of a bombed out building from the window of our flat. And, as if that were not spectral enough, on what had been the fourth or fifth floor, a house nestled in the hollow of the building's skeleton. There were bombed out buildings in the center of town as well. I kept reminding myself that I am simply another bystander along the road as history marches by but, after hearing our tour guide's take on things, I have the distinct impression that poor Belgrade, hanging by its hinges, disagrees.
To be continued . . .
Labels:
Balkans,
EU,
reality checks,
travel notes
25/08/2017
18/08/2017
Bullshit
Sick and tired of the bullshit GOP and Trump clown show? Princeton Professor Emeritus Harry Frankfurt runs it down. Don't miss it.
BULLSHIT! from Think Nice on Vimeo.
Harry Frankfurt is an American philosopher and author of the New York Times Best Seller "On Bullshit". Although first conceived as an essay over 30 years ago, his theory on bullshit is more relevant than ever before.
BULLSHIT! from Think Nice on Vimeo.
Harry Frankfurt is an American philosopher and author of the New York Times Best Seller "On Bullshit". Although first conceived as an essay over 30 years ago, his theory on bullshit is more relevant than ever before.
Labels:
politics,
reality checks,
Republicans,
videos
16/08/2017
Venice, truth and illusion
Venice, Italy
What can I say that hasn't been said about Venice a million++ times? And, of the hundreds of photos I took of Venice, what can I post that isn't already a cliche? But we were there for the two weeks straddling July and August so, for my own record, I leave mention.
For starters, I don't know which will destroy Venice first, sea rise due to human caused climate change or us humans tromping through it's crumbling maze. Beautiful, timeworn, sea-wrecked Venice.
It's listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site yet is "close to losing its hallowed status in exchange for a place on the "In-Danger" list - a category normally reserved for war-ravaged ruins and dilapidated historical sites in Third World countries".
What hope is there for poor Venice? I think of myself as fairly savvy about these things but still that didn't stop me from touching a brick in one of its ancient walls then being "startled" when red silt gushed from it like blood from a wound.
Of course, like everyone else, we were put off by the hoards of other tourists. Some 70,000+ people pour into Venice daily even though it's more an apparition than a place. However, most are day trippers or cruise ship passengers there only for a few hours. The majority want to see the same things so, if you're willing to walk, you can explore Venice more or less on your own. That's what we did. It's what we always do.
We did not take a gondola. It costs about €80 per boat ($95 US). At twilight, the price goes up to around €100. However, we did take the Grand Canal ferry. That cost us €7 each. Never mind we got on the wrong boat, an island hopper, and missed the canal altogether. We rode it to the end and hopped a return ferry which did go through the Grand Canal. I highly recommend it.
On our last two days there we attended the 57th Venice Biennale. Since it began in 1895, the venue has grown so huge, it is now more of an expedition into strange lands than anything resembling an "art show". The exhibits are organized by country and the two main locations alone house miles of art . . . installations, performance, cinema, music, spectacle from around the world.
Also, the grounds themselves are historic and fascinating. And, beyond the two main venues, small exhibitions are tucked into various buildings within the city maze. We stumbled onto a few but missed most.
Recorded in the Venice Arsenale.
I love the sound the old building makes.
video by anonymous
If you travel at all, are thinking of trying it out, are an artist, lover of art, lover of spectacle, a history buff or whatever, consider attending the next Biennale in 2019. I hope by then Venice will have established daily tourist caps. In any case, if you plan on going, plan ahead.
More photos here.
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Venice - one fish eating another? |
What can I say that hasn't been said about Venice a million++ times? And, of the hundreds of photos I took of Venice, what can I post that isn't already a cliche? But we were there for the two weeks straddling July and August so, for my own record, I leave mention.
![]() |
Merchant in Venice |
For starters, I don't know which will destroy Venice first, sea rise due to human caused climate change or us humans tromping through it's crumbling maze. Beautiful, timeworn, sea-wrecked Venice.
![]() |
Venice, Italy with cruise ship |
It's listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site yet is "close to losing its hallowed status in exchange for a place on the "In-Danger" list - a category normally reserved for war-ravaged ruins and dilapidated historical sites in Third World countries".
![]() |
Venetian wall |
What hope is there for poor Venice? I think of myself as fairly savvy about these things but still that didn't stop me from touching a brick in one of its ancient walls then being "startled" when red silt gushed from it like blood from a wound.
![]() |
Damn. I really am part of the problem. photo by anonymous |
Of course, like everyone else, we were put off by the hoards of other tourists. Some 70,000+ people pour into Venice daily even though it's more an apparition than a place. However, most are day trippers or cruise ship passengers there only for a few hours. The majority want to see the same things so, if you're willing to walk, you can explore Venice more or less on your own. That's what we did. It's what we always do.
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Gondola jam |
We did not take a gondola. It costs about €80 per boat ($95 US). At twilight, the price goes up to around €100. However, we did take the Grand Canal ferry. That cost us €7 each. Never mind we got on the wrong boat, an island hopper, and missed the canal altogether. We rode it to the end and hopped a return ferry which did go through the Grand Canal. I highly recommend it.
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- Support - Sculpture by Lorenzo Quinn as seen from the ferry. 57th Venice Biennale |
On our last two days there we attended the 57th Venice Biennale. Since it began in 1895, the venue has grown so huge, it is now more of an expedition into strange lands than anything resembling an "art show". The exhibits are organized by country and the two main locations alone house miles of art . . . installations, performance, cinema, music, spectacle from around the world.
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Roberto Cuoghi, The Imitation of Christ photo: anonymous |
Also, the grounds themselves are historic and fascinating. And, beyond the two main venues, small exhibitions are tucked into various buildings within the city maze. We stumbled onto a few but missed most.
Recorded in the Venice Arsenale.
I love the sound the old building makes.
video by anonymous
If you travel at all, are thinking of trying it out, are an artist, lover of art, lover of spectacle, a history buff or whatever, consider attending the next Biennale in 2019. I hope by then Venice will have established daily tourist caps. In any case, if you plan on going, plan ahead.
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Venice at twilight |
More photos here.
Labels:
art notes,
EU,
Italy,
The Arts,
travel notes
05/08/2017
Cimitero Monumentale
I didn't intend to but I spent all morning reading and commenting about Trump again. So irritating. It's such a flaming shit show. Everyday there's a new outrage. I'm glad Mueller has finally impaneled a grand jury. They've got to nail these bastards.
OK. Breathe. Breathe.
![]() |
Kiss of Death |
Now . . . back to Milan.
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One of the grander tombs |
Of all that I saw in Milan, the Cimitero Monumentale (Monumental Cemetery) was the most remarkable. This cemetery, founded in 1866, houses acres of amazing works in marble . . . everything from ornately carved name plates, portraits, busts, and figures to entire scenes, obelisks, and sepulchers. The artistry rivals many, if not most, museum pieces I've ever seen.
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Some of the tombs depict the life, others betray the vanity, of the dearly departed. More importantly, most are extraordinarily expressive, making love, in life and in death, visceral.
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The tomb of Zaira Brivio B. 1876 -- D. 1896 |
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The tomb of Zaira Brivio B. 1876 -- D. 1896 |
On another day, we visited Milan's Brera Art Gallery (Pinacoteca di Brera). The museum's collection was not the best but there were highlights. My favorite was Caravaggio's Supper at Emmaus,
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Supper at Emmaus by Caravaggio Pinacoteca di Brera museum - Milan, Italy |
M. Lee's was an early perspective painting by Jacopo Tintoretto - St Mark Working Many Miracles
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Jacopo Tintoretto - St Mark Working Many Miracles attribution: Tintoretto [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons |
This summer we are moving around a lot more than usual. Since July 4, we've been in London a week, Basel Switzerland a week, Milan a week and now, many many photos later, we've been in Venice for almost two weeks. It's very hot. This Wednesday we leave for Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Labels:
art notes,
EU,
Italy,
Milan,
street scenes,
The Arts,
travel notes
29/07/2017
Milano
The best part of Milan was having dinner on a warm July evening with new friends in a pleasantly crowded courtyard cafe. It all felt very Italian until I declined the after-dinner coffee although, to their credit, everyone graciously pretended they weren't dismayed by my response. I was sorry to drop out of the flow but I like to sleep at night.
It's certainly not that I don't like coffee. I drink coffee by the mugful. It's one of the few things most of us Americans still agree on, the mug, though it's not so important in the rest of the world. We've stayed in over 50 Airbnb apartments, mostly outside the US, and of those only a couple were stocked with American-sized mugs. And, if you're traveling outside the US, forget about refills. If you want more coffee you buy another cup, full price. Say what you will about the treasonous dimwit and crew currently infesting the White House, at least in America it's possible to find a diner that still pours the proverbial endless cup. Not to say Italians don't love coffee. It ranks not far below the hallowed wine itself, but no sloshing gallons for them. In Italy coffee is a ritual so, as M. Lee recently forwarded me the Ten Commandments of Coffee, I've included them here for your convenience, should you be planning a first trip to Italy.
Beyond that dinner, the Basilica of St. Ambrose (Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio) was one of my two favorite sites in Milan. The 1600 year-old basilica doesn't look that impressive from the outside. Its decorative plaster and bright frescoes are long gone leaving bare brick which makes it seem more like a garden house than important historical site.
I had to remind myself that St. Ambrose built his cathedral in the 4th century, 800 years before Cambodia's crumbling Angkor Wat was built which, by comparison, seemed so much older. Of course, over the centuries, parts of the basilica have also collapsed, been torn down, re-built, built up or over. It's like George Washington's axe which is said to be the very one young George used to chop down the legendary cherry tree, although both the head and handle have since been replaced.
St. Ambrose died in Milan in 397 and he, and his two companions, have laid in the crypt below the alter ever since—give or take a few centuries during which time they disappeared.
Next . . . the Cimitero Monumentale.
It's certainly not that I don't like coffee. I drink coffee by the mugful. It's one of the few things most of us Americans still agree on, the mug, though it's not so important in the rest of the world. We've stayed in over 50 Airbnb apartments, mostly outside the US, and of those only a couple were stocked with American-sized mugs. And, if you're traveling outside the US, forget about refills. If you want more coffee you buy another cup, full price. Say what you will about the treasonous dimwit and crew currently infesting the White House, at least in America it's possible to find a diner that still pours the proverbial endless cup. Not to say Italians don't love coffee. It ranks not far below the hallowed wine itself, but no sloshing gallons for them. In Italy coffee is a ritual so, as M. Lee recently forwarded me the Ten Commandments of Coffee, I've included them here for your convenience, should you be planning a first trip to Italy.
![]() |
Skeletons of St. Ambrose and his two companions |
Beyond that dinner, the Basilica of St. Ambrose (Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio) was one of my two favorite sites in Milan. The 1600 year-old basilica doesn't look that impressive from the outside. Its decorative plaster and bright frescoes are long gone leaving bare brick which makes it seem more like a garden house than important historical site.
I had to remind myself that St. Ambrose built his cathedral in the 4th century, 800 years before Cambodia's crumbling Angkor Wat was built which, by comparison, seemed so much older. Of course, over the centuries, parts of the basilica have also collapsed, been torn down, re-built, built up or over. It's like George Washington's axe which is said to be the very one young George used to chop down the legendary cherry tree, although both the head and handle have since been replaced.
![]() |
White slippers cover St. Ambrose's feet. The foot bones of one of his companions are exposed. |
St. Ambrose died in Milan in 397 and he, and his two companions, have laid in the crypt below the alter ever since—give or take a few centuries during which time they disappeared.
Next . . . the Cimitero Monumentale.
Labels:
EU,
Italy,
Milan,
travel notes
17/07/2017
Basel lion and the strange drifting refrains
Basel, Switzerland
This "music" was coming from within
a 700 year-old cathedral where this lion was embedded in the door.
They say life is what you make of it. Yes, it's an irritatingly simplistic saying, an elitist platitude but, even at that, there is something to it otherwise we are dupes only, powerless to shape or influence our reality. So what do I make of life? A favorite view of mine is the surreal. I enjoy dark, ironic, absurdist and/or stupid humor and thrive on life's strange details hidden in plain sight. No wonder then, when I heard creepy organ music wafting from the nave of the 700 year-old built and rebuilt Münster (cathedral) in Basel I had to stop, listen and watch.
This "music" was coming from within
a 700 year-old cathedral where this lion was embedded in the door.
They say life is what you make of it. Yes, it's an irritatingly simplistic saying, an elitist platitude but, even at that, there is something to it otherwise we are dupes only, powerless to shape or influence our reality. So what do I make of life? A favorite view of mine is the surreal. I enjoy dark, ironic, absurdist and/or stupid humor and thrive on life's strange details hidden in plain sight. No wonder then, when I heard creepy organ music wafting from the nave of the 700 year-old built and rebuilt Münster (cathedral) in Basel I had to stop, listen and watch.
Labels:
alternate realities,
Invisible Theatre,
moments,
travel notes,
videos
06/07/2017
Firewords and another cemetery
4th of July Fireworks - Los Angeles
On the 4th of July flew from LA to London where we've been for the last few days, back in our old Finsbury Park neighborhood. This time we're much closer to our favorite halva place, Kofali Hot Nuts. The first day we bought a 2 lb block and have been working on it since. Also since arriving in London we've taken some good walks.
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Lovely day in a London cemetery |
For our first outing, needing a good walk to survive the stupor of jet lag, we went to Kensal Green Cemetery. Nice place to visit. It's a charming mix of history, ruin and repair. Along with some 65,000 others, some English notables are laid to rest there including Charles Babbage, often referred to as the "father of the computer" and playwright and Nobel Laureate Harold Pinter.
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Road's end |
Labels:
London,
Los Angeles,
travel notes,
UK,
videos
02/07/2017
Rosie or As the Century Rolls On
![source: imgur.com](https://i.imgur.com/fnTiM.jpg)
The Bird Park has changed in the months we've been away. It's full of cats . . . and a skunk with a fabulous long flowing tail whom I call Rosie. In the brief time we were back, I put food out as always and good old Maggie Magpie, who ever keeps an eye on the place, showed up for breakfast as always, but she was one of the very few birds daring enough to do so.
Of course, predators have hunted here before but never stayed. Until now, the Bird Park was a relatively peaceful world just for birds. No more and I'm sad about that. I suspect these cats live in the house just over the back fence so they have the place for now. The black one spent most of her time staking out the squirrel hole and all four came and went at will. At various times I chased them away but it won't matter. I'm already gone again for months. Perhaps this is the end of an era.
21/06/2017
Happy Summer Solstice
First day of summer. All the mysticism and high holy aspirations aside . . . do yourself a favor. Pause. Yes. Take a moment or two today to breathe, look around, start fresh. Pass it on.
Labels:
DITL
07/06/2017
On the eve of Comey's testimony . . .
. . . life goes on . . .
Cow: is this bus going downtown??— Lone Wulf (@14thSquadLt) June 7, 2017
Driver: depends on whether or not you have moola lolol
Cow: I'm fucking late to work Craig.
pic.twitter.com/P2J7xmH5Me
Labels:
alternate realities,
humor
25/05/2017
Why tick tock, zig zag, ding dong, King Kong?
If you're a word geek, there's a delightful article at the BBC by Mark Forsyth I think you'll enjoy. Check it out. "The language we know but don't know we know."
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The big bad wolf ie the rule of ablaut reduplication |
“Adjectives in English absolutely have to be in this order: opinion-size-age-shape-colour-origin-material-purpose Noun. So you can have a lovely little old rectangular green French silver whittling knife. But if you mess with that word order in the slightest you’ll sound like a maniac. It’s an odd thing that every English speaker uses that list, but almost none of us could write it out.” - Mark Forsyth, BBC
Labels:
writing
21/05/2017
Freedom, sweet freedom!
These animals are tasting freedom for the first time pic.twitter.com/zd1yfQh9kz— The Dodo (@dodo) May 21, 2017
Labels:
animal rights,
animals,
Big Events,
compassion,
critters,
music,
rescues,
victories
09/05/2017
Desperate Trump fires Comey
Trump just fired James Comey, the man who was leading the FBI's ongoing investigation of his campaign ties to Russia during the hacked 2016 Presidential election. The Golden Boy's hubris is staggering. He actually does think he's above the law. The truth is he's a brazen, dirty, greedy, smug incompetent.
He might as well have written "GUILTY of TREASON" on his forehead in that crazy scroll of his. The New York Time's calls Trump’s Firing of James Comey as Echoes of Watergate.
The NY Times posted a link to the letter Trump sent to the FBI announcing the news of his dismissal of Comey. Fox Fake News ran a different story, of course, claiming Comey resigned until finally it was impossible to deny.
He might as well have written "GUILTY of TREASON" on his forehead in that crazy scroll of his. The New York Time's calls Trump’s Firing of James Comey as Echoes of Watergate.
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Trump's firing of Comey "echoes of Watergate". - NYT |
The NY Times posted a link to the letter Trump sent to the FBI announcing the news of his dismissal of Comey. Fox Fake News ran a different story, of course, claiming Comey resigned until finally it was impossible to deny.
Labels:
politics,
reality checks,
swampass
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