Tuesday, October 31, 2006
The Spanish Ministry of Defense?
Wow! This sitemeter stuff is really cool! Apparently someone from the Spanish Ministry of Defense just visited my blog. Maybe to check that i'm not a security risk?
Monday, October 30, 2006
Slippery slope
I saw two people slipping on the ice today. Came very close to being number three a couple of times, too. Buying a pair of those rubber things with spikes to attach to shoes seems a necessity here.
On the other hand, i was waiting for the bus today and noticed that the whole area around the bus stop, including a stretch of sidewalk up and down from it, are not only free of ice but totally dry. Same thing on the other side of the road. I bent down to touch the ground, and yes, it's warm. Heating elements under the pavement, i suppose.
Now that i think of it, i've seen such dry patches around the city, particularly downtown. One more factor that underlies Norway's high energy consumption, no doubt. Of course, it is either spend on that, or on mending broken bones and dislocated joints.
On the other hand, i was waiting for the bus today and noticed that the whole area around the bus stop, including a stretch of sidewalk up and down from it, are not only free of ice but totally dry. Same thing on the other side of the road. I bent down to touch the ground, and yes, it's warm. Heating elements under the pavement, i suppose.
Now that i think of it, i've seen such dry patches around the city, particularly downtown. One more factor that underlies Norway's high energy consumption, no doubt. Of course, it is either spend on that, or on mending broken bones and dislocated joints.
On cosmetics, again
Back to the topic of people's obsession with beauty products, M. sent me the following link yesterday (it's in danish, but if you took norwegian ab initio, you should be able to get the gist of it. If you don't, be thankful):
A special kind of facial cream
I didn't know they were doing this kind of research at this egregious alma mater of mine, and it's hard to believe someone would buy such a product. Although, on the other hand, people have been buying creams with collagen for years now, and they get that compound from placentas.
Hey, wanna make some money? Sells us your placenta after your baby's born! S/he doesn't need it anymore, and it can help smooth some wrinkles off somebody's face somewhere.
A special kind of facial cream
I didn't know they were doing this kind of research at this egregious alma mater of mine, and it's hard to believe someone would buy such a product. Although, on the other hand, people have been buying creams with collagen for years now, and they get that compound from placentas.
Hey, wanna make some money? Sells us your placenta after your baby's born! S/he doesn't need it anymore, and it can help smooth some wrinkles off somebody's face somewhere.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Night storm
It's still snowing, and very windy. Under the cones of light cast by street lights the snow passes fast, thick, torn from roofs and treetops, as if the world is crumbling into dust. Most of it feels gone, already, turned into a haze that makes the dark air syrupy. Eddies form on the downwind side of buildings; a snowplough driver has taken a break and is having a smoke outside, protected by the bulk of the machine. She seems content, in a thoughtful mood, but satisfied.
Just went out
Just went out to get lunch. As i was arriving back, it stopped snowing. This is what the facade of my student residence looks like today:
A 250 ton monster
"Candidate (20e) wins when DEP is dominated by the others", "LIN ranks higher than MAX, thus the violations that do occur are not fatal" and "This discussion also serves to introduce evidence of a conspiracy between substitution and deletion"... Fragments from a yellow mystery? A sumo match commentary? An article about sexual abuse in the military? Hardly. Just excerpts from a couple of articles i'm reading for my phonology class. I'm expected to produce their abstracts and present them in class.
Apparently, phonologists love to personify their study subjects. Yet, considering that what phonology studies is how different sound features interact in human speech, it is disorienting to think authors would go to the bother of giving human traits to processes that are so inmaterial. Plus, why complicate things with metaphores? Isn't this stuff unintelligible enough already? Granted, drawing comparisons can be helpful sometimes, but in this case i just find them distracting.
"Candidate (20e) ended up leading the mission because of his interpersonal skills. He proved to be the only one able to get the other finalists to act in a coordinated manner, and since such coordination was the only way in which the cruel DEP could be defeated, everybody accepted his dominance. Massing 250 tons and towering over the city's skyscrapers, DEP was created to test that those citizens aspiring to replace the mayor would really risk their life for the welfare of their hometown."
That's more like it! But i'm sure this is not the kind of abstract they are after.
Apparently, phonologists love to personify their study subjects. Yet, considering that what phonology studies is how different sound features interact in human speech, it is disorienting to think authors would go to the bother of giving human traits to processes that are so inmaterial. Plus, why complicate things with metaphores? Isn't this stuff unintelligible enough already? Granted, drawing comparisons can be helpful sometimes, but in this case i just find them distracting.
"Candidate (20e) ended up leading the mission because of his interpersonal skills. He proved to be the only one able to get the other finalists to act in a coordinated manner, and since such coordination was the only way in which the cruel DEP could be defeated, everybody accepted his dominance. Massing 250 tons and towering over the city's skyscrapers, DEP was created to test that those citizens aspiring to replace the mayor would really risk their life for the welfare of their hometown."
That's more like it! But i'm sure this is not the kind of abstract they are after.
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Reflections
I enjoy looking at reflections. I agree with Borges: mirrors make you believe they are gateways to other universes. Windowpanes even more so, as you can see both what lies behind them and, superimposed on that, another place, ghostly, both there and not there. Mannequins with paralytic smiles modelling the season's latest, and at the same time buses and cars and people scurrying in all directions; the warm bustle of a university entrance hall and likewise an open, gray sky, leaves falling from tree branches and a dot in the distance that turns out to be a helicopter.
And then, if you focus, you meet your own eyes, your choices. Perfect imitators, those others, but each different.
Two realities coincide on the reflective surface, and for a few seconds or minutes they are both cordinated. But as soon as we move out of the frame our paths diverge, and while i bend down to tie my shoelace, he's done something totally unexpected, like bumped into a rhinoceros or adjusted his breathing pack in order to take a walk on the surface of his planet.
Maybe he gives me the finger, too, and i just can't see him doing it.
And then, if you focus, you meet your own eyes, your choices. Perfect imitators, those others, but each different.
Two realities coincide on the reflective surface, and for a few seconds or minutes they are both cordinated. But as soon as we move out of the frame our paths diverge, and while i bend down to tie my shoelace, he's done something totally unexpected, like bumped into a rhinoceros or adjusted his breathing pack in order to take a walk on the surface of his planet.
Maybe he gives me the finger, too, and i just can't see him doing it.
Mining
Meridian Gold is a multinational company with base in Canada, interested in exploiting an open air, gold and silver mine in Esquel, Argentina. It promised employment for 300 workers, but a group of neighbors started a campaign to bar operations. Since the separation of gold and silver from their ores requires the use of cyanide and arsenic respectively, people were worried about the possible contamination of rivers and ground water. They formed a neighbor assembly, organized peaceful protests and finally convinced the communal authorities to call for a plebiscite. The voting options: yes to the mine, no to the mine.
In turn, Meridian Gold organized "information events" designed to convince the constituency of the supposed safety of their intended enterprise. Barbecue, training shoes and other gifts were offered to those attending, a strategy that has been common in the political past ("past"?) of Argentina.
In any case, people ate the barbecue, accepted the shoes and other gifts and in march 2003 went to vote. 75% of the municipality's voters showed up, a record high. Of all ballots, 81% went to "No to the mine". This should have been the end of the matter.
"A people who do not sell themselves cannot be bought", said an inhabitant of Esquel on TV. But there is always a but, and money has its weight, particularly when there is a lot of it to go around among politicians and corrupt union workers. You may not want to be bought, but you might still be sold. Of course, again, one may wonder why ethically enlightened nations allow unethical companies based on their soil to conduct such unethical business with such unethical partners.
In any case, and since we are talking about corruption, consider the following facts:
1) Meridian Gold's work plan would mean an extraction of gold from the Esquel mine equivalent to 2.5 billion dollars in 10 years. Silver production is not included in these calculations.
2) Law 25.161 states that the argentinean nation may only receive a maximal 3% in commissions from any company exploiting mineral deposits within its borders. These commissions will be calculated on the value of the mineral as it is extracted from the mine, which is always much lower than after refinement. Incidentally, the same laws say that the argentinean state can exploit mineral deposits only through private companies (it still would have to prove to me that it would do a cleaner job, but at least it'd have more incentives to do so. In any case, this fact does give an idea of the thinking behind such laws. Let's encourage investment by all means, right?).
3) In round numbers, and assuming that the value of the gold, as extracted from the mine, were equivalent 2 billion dollars in 10 years, the part corresponding to the state would be some 60 million dollars. However, since the 3% figure is only a maximum set by national law, Chubut province (where Esquel is) has legislated that 2% should be enough (Provincial Law 004018). We are down to 40 million dollars.
4) Another couple of interesting national laws that help illustrate the situation are 23.018 & 24.490. In order to favor exports from Patagonia, the state will reimburse 5% of the value of such exports to the exporters. This would mean that Meridian Gold would be receiving 125 million additional dollars.
THUS, ARGENTINA WOULD BE PAYING 85 MILLION DOLLARS TO MERIDIAN GOLD SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE 2.5 BILLION DOLLARS AWAY!
And this is without taking into account other "incentives", such as a 100% deduction of prospecting expenses (law 24.196), the promise that taxing will remain constant for 30 years (same law), and a long etc.
Going back to the situation in Esquel, here are the developments after the plebiscite.
The company promised to respect the decision, but started lobbying for exploitation again shortly after. Public resistance continued and, finally, on july 14th of this year the province proclaimed a moratorium on mining in the Esquel area... for a period of three years (hoping that it will be long enough for people to forget?). Then, this month, the argentinean subsidiary of Meridian Gold took six citizens of Esquel to the federal court, accused of making public a recording of a 2003 meeting of CEOs and consultants of the firm. In it one of the executives is clearly heard saying: "the people of Esquel must not know that we intend to bend their will".
You can find more information about all of this on:
www.noalamina.org (Spanish. This is the site created by the Esquel neighbors.)
http://www.anred.org/article.php3?id_article=1786 (Spanish)
http://www.nodirtygold.org/esquel_argentina.cfm (English, but a bit dated: 2003)
If you want to hear the company's side of the story, here is their website:
http://www.meridiangold.com
You can phone them at their headquarters and ask them (phone is the only choice, as the only e-mail they publish on their website is for you to contact them if you want employment):
Meridian Gold Inc.
9670 Gateway Drive, Suite 200
Reno, Nevada 89521
Telephone: +1 775 850 3777
Also, to learn more about mining investment policies in Argentina, you can go to
http://www.inversiones.gov.ar/documentos/mineria.pdf
You can check there that i'm not exaggerating. Again, unfortunately, this is only for Spanish speakers.
Finally, here are some people you can call:
Matilde Lenzano: +54 2945 453713
Lino Pizzolon: +54 2945 453679
Silvia Pérez: +54 2945 454811
Chuni Botto: +54 2945 452521
These are some of the Esquel inhabitants in the neighbor assembly. The one i talked to is Silvia Pérez.
In turn, Meridian Gold organized "information events" designed to convince the constituency of the supposed safety of their intended enterprise. Barbecue, training shoes and other gifts were offered to those attending, a strategy that has been common in the political past ("past"?) of Argentina.
In any case, people ate the barbecue, accepted the shoes and other gifts and in march 2003 went to vote. 75% of the municipality's voters showed up, a record high. Of all ballots, 81% went to "No to the mine". This should have been the end of the matter.
"A people who do not sell themselves cannot be bought", said an inhabitant of Esquel on TV. But there is always a but, and money has its weight, particularly when there is a lot of it to go around among politicians and corrupt union workers. You may not want to be bought, but you might still be sold. Of course, again, one may wonder why ethically enlightened nations allow unethical companies based on their soil to conduct such unethical business with such unethical partners.
In any case, and since we are talking about corruption, consider the following facts:
1) Meridian Gold's work plan would mean an extraction of gold from the Esquel mine equivalent to 2.5 billion dollars in 10 years. Silver production is not included in these calculations.
2) Law 25.161 states that the argentinean nation may only receive a maximal 3% in commissions from any company exploiting mineral deposits within its borders. These commissions will be calculated on the value of the mineral as it is extracted from the mine, which is always much lower than after refinement. Incidentally, the same laws say that the argentinean state can exploit mineral deposits only through private companies (it still would have to prove to me that it would do a cleaner job, but at least it'd have more incentives to do so. In any case, this fact does give an idea of the thinking behind such laws. Let's encourage investment by all means, right?).
3) In round numbers, and assuming that the value of the gold, as extracted from the mine, were equivalent 2 billion dollars in 10 years, the part corresponding to the state would be some 60 million dollars. However, since the 3% figure is only a maximum set by national law, Chubut province (where Esquel is) has legislated that 2% should be enough (Provincial Law 004018). We are down to 40 million dollars.
4) Another couple of interesting national laws that help illustrate the situation are 23.018 & 24.490. In order to favor exports from Patagonia, the state will reimburse 5% of the value of such exports to the exporters. This would mean that Meridian Gold would be receiving 125 million additional dollars.
THUS, ARGENTINA WOULD BE PAYING 85 MILLION DOLLARS TO MERIDIAN GOLD SO THAT THEY CAN TAKE 2.5 BILLION DOLLARS AWAY!
And this is without taking into account other "incentives", such as a 100% deduction of prospecting expenses (law 24.196), the promise that taxing will remain constant for 30 years (same law), and a long etc.
Going back to the situation in Esquel, here are the developments after the plebiscite.
The company promised to respect the decision, but started lobbying for exploitation again shortly after. Public resistance continued and, finally, on july 14th of this year the province proclaimed a moratorium on mining in the Esquel area... for a period of three years (hoping that it will be long enough for people to forget?). Then, this month, the argentinean subsidiary of Meridian Gold took six citizens of Esquel to the federal court, accused of making public a recording of a 2003 meeting of CEOs and consultants of the firm. In it one of the executives is clearly heard saying: "the people of Esquel must not know that we intend to bend their will".
You can find more information about all of this on:
www.noalamina.org (Spanish. This is the site created by the Esquel neighbors.)
http://www.anred.org/article.php3?id_article=1786 (Spanish)
http://www.nodirtygold.org/esquel_argentina.cfm (English, but a bit dated: 2003)
If you want to hear the company's side of the story, here is their website:
http://www.meridiangold.com
You can phone them at their headquarters and ask them (phone is the only choice, as the only e-mail they publish on their website is for you to contact them if you want employment):
Meridian Gold Inc.
9670 Gateway Drive, Suite 200
Reno, Nevada 89521
Telephone: +1 775 850 3777
Also, to learn more about mining investment policies in Argentina, you can go to
http://www.inversiones.gov.ar/documentos/mineria.pdf
You can check there that i'm not exaggerating. Again, unfortunately, this is only for Spanish speakers.
Finally, here are some people you can call:
Matilde Lenzano: +54 2945 453713
Lino Pizzolon: +54 2945 453679
Silvia Pérez: +54 2945 454811
Chuni Botto: +54 2945 452521
These are some of the Esquel inhabitants in the neighbor assembly. The one i talked to is Silvia Pérez.
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Huh?
"Although we cannot find that a fundamental right to same-sex marriage exists in this state, the unequal dispensation of rights and benefits to committed same-sex partners can no longer be tolerated under our state Constitution," Justice Barry T. Albin from New Jersey argued, in passing a state court ruling that does... exactly what?
Does he mean find as in when you're looking for something, or find as in "pass judgement"? If the first, duh! Gay marriage is nowhere to be found. At least not in that constitution he refers to towards the end, which is where i supposed he would have looked. If the second, why can he not pass judgement on it being a fundamental right? "The unequal dispensation of rights and benefits to committed same-sex partners can no longer be tolerated", but marriage is one of those rights, isn't it?
Maybe he meant that the constitution must be interpreted to say that denying such rights is inconstitutional, even though it does not expressly allow homosexual marriages. If so, it needs to be changed to include them.
OK, 6-7 for clarity. As for intentions, let's give him the benefit of the doubt.
Does he mean find as in when you're looking for something, or find as in "pass judgement"? If the first, duh! Gay marriage is nowhere to be found. At least not in that constitution he refers to towards the end, which is where i supposed he would have looked. If the second, why can he not pass judgement on it being a fundamental right? "The unequal dispensation of rights and benefits to committed same-sex partners can no longer be tolerated", but marriage is one of those rights, isn't it?
Maybe he meant that the constitution must be interpreted to say that denying such rights is inconstitutional, even though it does not expressly allow homosexual marriages. If so, it needs to be changed to include them.
OK, 6-7 for clarity. As for intentions, let's give him the benefit of the doubt.
Beauty marks and the such
Yesterday i watched "Some like it hot", with Marilyn Monroe. Neat movie, but minds work strangely, and since mine is very weird --as it's been amply shown here-- it started mulling on the beauty mark Marilyn had above her lip. From there it locked on to the words "beauty mark" themselves. Why not simply "mole"? What is it about a mole that creates beauty? Placement? Maybe. I have a mole on my neck, but haven't been asked to star in any movies, so it probably doesn't qualify... Shape? My mole is lumpy and not totally round, with a couple of hairs coming out of it. They do say beauty is in the eye of the beholder though, so if you're interested, remind me to show it to you next time we meet.
Anyway, back to real beauty marks. I've read somewhere that two or three centuries ago they were the rage in France, particularly among the high classes. Except they weren't real beauty marks, but fake ones. Both men and women would glue bits of black taffeta to their faces in the hope of heightening their looks. But isn't a mole, by definition, an imperfection on the smooth surface that the skin is supposed to be? How could fake moles make them more beautiful? What the heck were they thinking?
The french aristocracy of the time has such a bad reputation already (i mean, their heads ended up being chopped off, so they must have been quite nasty) that i'm sure nobody would mind my interpretation: they thought themselves so perfect already, that they wanted to pretend they had imperfections, pretend being the keyword. "Hey, look" they were saying with their bits of black taffeta. "I'm so perfect that even my imperfections are fake."
But, as it turns out, i'm wrong. I got on the net and the story is quite different. Before i go on, and in case you're wondering, i do have much better things to do (i.e. homework) but it's boring.
In any case, the fashion of sticking bits of cloth to the face originated in England in the XVIth century, not in France. In that country and at that time, people would use not only black taffeta, but all kinds of fabric, and even leather, all dyed different colors. They'd plaster themselves with several pieces at a time, cut out in various shapes. It seems that smallpox was rampant, and these patches were supposed to cover the not-so-beautiful marks the sickness left behind. That it later became a fashion even for the unscarred is not so surprising, given the monkey-see-monkey-do monkeys that we are.
Me, if i'd had to choose, i would have worn the carriage and horses. Rather that than making a hole in my nose and hooking a bit of metal through it.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Sunday, October 22, 2006
More
27 hours of continuous snowfall, so far. We're up to 50 cm already. This means no more rain till at least april, i hope.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Faces
Thinking of faces. What are they? When you're a child you draw them as an oval; then you attach eyes, a nose, a mouth. Ears, too, if you're really into details. That's why Mr. Potato head is such a popular toy, i suppose. We're obsessed with faces. We love to attach things to them, to guess their story. If you're shy you avert your eyes, as if looking away from a face made your own disappear.
There is no other part of the body we decorate more: rouge, lipstick, earrings, shaving, waxing, filing away of cheekbones, whitening tooth paste, facial soap, piercings, base, depilation, nose-hair trimming, silicones for the lips, rimmel, glittery dental caps, eye-shadow, mint drops, artificial eyelashes, haircuts, lip balm, wigs, nose jobs, facial scrubs, liftings, anti-wrinkle cream...
Yet we don't consciously think of faces all that much. I guess that as we grow up we become used to them. We learn to see them as a whole. Only sometimes you pull back, and you wonder why a nose is where it is. You're taken aback, your analytical mind hits static.
The mouth, smooth and red, tiny vertical lines on lips, and where the lips meet, an angle, as if a hinge. The mouth is not round. Sometimes there is that fuzz that grows above the upper lip, those creases that converge on the toothy gap, fractured as if river canyons that run to an inland sea. The tongue, why wet? The nose, no such thing as a cute one: all grotesque, mountains and caves on a smooth plain. The ears, atrophied things that do not move, misplaced, the wings on Mercury's sandals. The eyes frustrating, not windows of the soul but a reminder that you can never get past them, you can't ever really get in. The forehead that goes on and on, a wasteland, twin to the cheeks.
There is no other part of the body we decorate more: rouge, lipstick, earrings, shaving, waxing, filing away of cheekbones, whitening tooth paste, facial soap, piercings, base, depilation, nose-hair trimming, silicones for the lips, rimmel, glittery dental caps, eye-shadow, mint drops, artificial eyelashes, haircuts, lip balm, wigs, nose jobs, facial scrubs, liftings, anti-wrinkle cream...
Yet we don't consciously think of faces all that much. I guess that as we grow up we become used to them. We learn to see them as a whole. Only sometimes you pull back, and you wonder why a nose is where it is. You're taken aback, your analytical mind hits static.
The mouth, smooth and red, tiny vertical lines on lips, and where the lips meet, an angle, as if a hinge. The mouth is not round. Sometimes there is that fuzz that grows above the upper lip, those creases that converge on the toothy gap, fractured as if river canyons that run to an inland sea. The tongue, why wet? The nose, no such thing as a cute one: all grotesque, mountains and caves on a smooth plain. The ears, atrophied things that do not move, misplaced, the wings on Mercury's sandals. The eyes frustrating, not windows of the soul but a reminder that you can never get past them, you can't ever really get in. The forehead that goes on and on, a wasteland, twin to the cheeks.
A skewed view
Legs: the twin appendages that grow out of the ground till they connect with the hips. Regularly and alternatively uprooted, they may allow the hypothetic wearer a motion of some kind.
Coffee: the perfect drink for the insomniac. It unnaturally extends wakefulness, so that when its effects wear off the organism is truly exhausted and sleep can be easily achieved.
Canned guacamole dip: a paste made of soya oil and maltodextrin designed to taste as nearly unlike avocados and tomatoes as scientifically possible.
the moon: generic name for the luminiscent circles or sickle shapes that are occasionally cut out of the sky when it turns dark.
boredom: the irresistible desire to do nothing.
Coffee: the perfect drink for the insomniac. It unnaturally extends wakefulness, so that when its effects wear off the organism is truly exhausted and sleep can be easily achieved.
Canned guacamole dip: a paste made of soya oil and maltodextrin designed to taste as nearly unlike avocados and tomatoes as scientifically possible.
the moon: generic name for the luminiscent circles or sickle shapes that are occasionally cut out of the sky when it turns dark.
boredom: the irresistible desire to do nothing.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
The prediction
I don't remember the exact circumstances, but when i got to Guangzhou and attempted to buy the train ticket to Hong Kong, they would not take my money. Somehow it wasn't possible for me to get any until i got to the Hong Kong side, but i couldn't get there without it... So, i stood in the platform, smelly clothes and huge backpack on my shoulder, and explained the situation to some passersby: do you speak english? could you please pay for my ticket, and i will give you back the money as soon as we arrive?
Finally this guy stopped, looked me up and down, asked me a few questions about myself, and agreed to help me.
We started chatting on the train. He was cantonese, 40-something, i guessed. He asked me what i was doing in China, what my occupation was, where i lived... Then it was my turn to ask. He said he worked for some kind of organisation, Maharishi something-or-other. As he talked i realized Maharishi was a new age institution or group: he talked about energies, life lines, predestination... I don't exactly remember, either. This was 15 years ago, after all.
He was helping me, and he didn't seem to be proselitizing, so we had an animated conversation. However, when i tried to ask somewhat critical questions about some of the stuff he said, he didn't seem to like it very much; i figured he'd be happier if i just let him talk, so i only asked enough to keep him going. At some point (i don't know how we got there) he was reading my palm, and that part i remember very well.
He said i am the eldest of three brothers --i am--, he said i was born in march --i was-- and he said i would die in a catastrophe at age 34 --i stared at him.
"Really?" i asked after a couple of seconds.
"Well, one can never be completely sure, but as far as i can tell, yes. There will be a big disaster, and you'll be one of the victims" he said.
"And is there any way i can avoid it?"
"No. [Destiny something or other]"
I was remembering this stuff yesterday afternoon, as it was the 34th birthday of a guy at the uni today. Maybe i should have waited to write about it till i turned 35 myself, but what if that catastrophe gets in the way?
Not that i'm very worried, really. He himself said i shouldn't, and that i'd meet the woman who'd be my wife in the following weeks.
Finally this guy stopped, looked me up and down, asked me a few questions about myself, and agreed to help me.
We started chatting on the train. He was cantonese, 40-something, i guessed. He asked me what i was doing in China, what my occupation was, where i lived... Then it was my turn to ask. He said he worked for some kind of organisation, Maharishi something-or-other. As he talked i realized Maharishi was a new age institution or group: he talked about energies, life lines, predestination... I don't exactly remember, either. This was 15 years ago, after all.
He was helping me, and he didn't seem to be proselitizing, so we had an animated conversation. However, when i tried to ask somewhat critical questions about some of the stuff he said, he didn't seem to like it very much; i figured he'd be happier if i just let him talk, so i only asked enough to keep him going. At some point (i don't know how we got there) he was reading my palm, and that part i remember very well.
He said i am the eldest of three brothers --i am--, he said i was born in march --i was-- and he said i would die in a catastrophe at age 34 --i stared at him.
"Really?" i asked after a couple of seconds.
"Well, one can never be completely sure, but as far as i can tell, yes. There will be a big disaster, and you'll be one of the victims" he said.
"And is there any way i can avoid it?"
"No. [Destiny something or other]"
I was remembering this stuff yesterday afternoon, as it was the 34th birthday of a guy at the uni today. Maybe i should have waited to write about it till i turned 35 myself, but what if that catastrophe gets in the way?
Not that i'm very worried, really. He himself said i shouldn't, and that i'd meet the woman who'd be my wife in the following weeks.
Some yummy crumbles of that pie
(by Don McLean)
A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And i knew if i had my chance
That i could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.
Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the bible tells you so?
Now, do you believe in rock 'n roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance
Real slow?
Well, i know you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm 'n' blues!
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But i knew that i was out of luck
The day the music died.
A long, long time ago...
I can still remember
How that music used to make me smile.
And i knew if i had my chance
That i could make those people dance
And maybe they'd be happy for a while.
Did you write the book of love,
And do you have faith in God above,
If the bible tells you so?
Now, do you believe in rock 'n roll?
Can music save your mortal soul?
And can you teach me how to dance
Real slow?
Well, i know you're in love with him
'Cause I saw you dancing in the gym.
You both kicked off your shoes.
Man, I dig those rhythm 'n' blues!
I was a lonely teenage broncin' buck
With a pink carnation and a pickup truck
But i knew that i was out of luck
The day the music died.
A room with a view
Check out this link out:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3491667610082638914&pr=goog-sl
It is a video that Thomas B. made by splicing together pictures taken from a window in Andresen building. He apparently took them during the same time of day throughout a few weeks in the fall of 2004: this beauty is the result. I came across it in a link on the college's homepage. Hadn't visited in a while, was nice to be back.
Thanks, Thomas.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3491667610082638914&pr=goog-sl
It is a video that Thomas B. made by splicing together pictures taken from a window in Andresen building. He apparently took them during the same time of day throughout a few weeks in the fall of 2004: this beauty is the result. I came across it in a link on the college's homepage. Hadn't visited in a while, was nice to be back.
Thanks, Thomas.
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Aural clues
I'm in my office. I close my eyes and i can know:
how much it's snowed by the almost mute quality of the sounds made by cars in the street outside; that Kwame hasn't peed in a long time because the splashing in the toilet goes on forever; that the air i'm breathing has come to me through tubes, by the whispering of the ventilation system; that my chewing of the gum in my mouth pushes aside the saliva that covers it over and over, by the squelching sounds produced every time i sink my teeth in it; that there is some kind of spring underneath the keys on the computer's keyboard, because i hear them twang faintly when i release them.
how much it's snowed by the almost mute quality of the sounds made by cars in the street outside; that Kwame hasn't peed in a long time because the splashing in the toilet goes on forever; that the air i'm breathing has come to me through tubes, by the whispering of the ventilation system; that my chewing of the gum in my mouth pushes aside the saliva that covers it over and over, by the squelching sounds produced every time i sink my teeth in it; that there is some kind of spring underneath the keys on the computer's keyboard, because i hear them twang faintly when i release them.
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