Parting from the problems of the day, but now I am starting to leave the time away behind. Sorry for the repetition, but the wake of a boat and Formentera inspire nostalgia for . . .
Category Archives: Digressions
Hippies with Dreadlocks and why I quit Reggae
I used to be the only 13 year old kid expert in Rastafarianism and Reggae in the US. I say “used to be” because it lasted for a few years (1985-89). I still appreciate it, but even at 16 I was mature enough to know that White guys can listen to Reggae but cannot hear it. Its message is simply not for White people. As a matter of fact, the Rastafarian movement could even be considered exclusive. So, why are there so many White hippies in Europe with Dreadlocks? And what is a group of White, aging hippies on Ibiza’s Benirras beach doing playing tribal drums? What happened to bag pipes and clavicords?
Filed under Digressions, Essays
A city becomes a world
“A city becomes a world when one loves one of its inhabitants”.
–Lawrence Durrell, Justine
And if a city and the ones who inhabit it are being willingly destroyed, does that mean they are not loved?
If a picture speaks a thousand words, how many words do these pictures speak?
Filed under Digressions
Is the grass greener?
En inglés tenemos un dicho, “The Grass is greener on the other side of the fence”. Le acabo de preguntar a una compañera mía del trabajo si existe un dicho parecido en español. Claro, tengo que explicar primero que en el mundo ideal americano (que ya es un tópico), tenemos nuestro jardín con su cesped verde y una valla blanca que nos separa con nuestro vecino. Y como siempre pensamos que se vive mejor al otro lado de la valla (que el vecino lo tiene mejor), decimos que tiene el cesped más verde. O quizás que pensamos que se puede vivir mejor de otra forma. Pues, mi compañera lo ha pensado y dice que no existe dicho parecido. De hecho, según su criterio, el dicho simplemente es incorrecto. No es veraz. ¿Pero quién no piensa que la mujer del vecino esté más buena? ¿Tiene más vacaciones? ¿Mejor conexión WiFi?
Filed under Digressions, Living la vida española
Maryland Blue Crabs
I have decided to take a short break from pig conspiracies and Zidane fighting the power to simply reflect upon the beauty of Maryland’s blue crab (“Maryland is for crabs”). I am not a huge crab fan, but I do have wonderful memories of looking into the Chesapeake Bay and seeing my state’s insignia blue crab emerge from the water. What I do enjoy are soft shell crabs (which are not common place in Europe). In Spain, there are a plethora of fish and shell fish to choose from, but no blue crabs. In any event, enough about blue crabs. It’s just nice to see a picture of them every now and then. I shall be home in a few weeks, even if for only a short time. I probably won’t eat any crabs or see any blue ones for that matter. I really don’t care; being at home will suffice (surrounded by the Black-Eyed Susans in my mother’s garden).
Filed under Digressions, Living la vida española
Vanity
For no reason whatsoever, I just recalled this line from Stephen Vizinczey’s An Innocent Millionaire (I also recommend In Praise of Older Women):
“To be jealous of a woman one doesn’t love is the most ridiculous form of vanity . . . “
Filed under Digressions, Literature
La Resistance: It was fun while it lasted
I have decided to end my political activism and radicalism with regards to Zizou’s famous cry of “basta ya“. It has been loads of fun. I encounted my alter ego as a soap box orator. Yet, now my past three sleepless nights of indignation have concluded. But before retiring completely, I would like to thank the Men in Black for their support in their recent post, William for his disucssions on this matter, Waya for her empathy, Berga for running the political campaign, and my brother for his “Rage Against the Machine” inspiration. Finally I would like to conclude with the following thoughts:
Filed under Digressions, Essays, Zizou
Zizou Zizou Zizou
It doesn’t matter whether France wins another game in this World Cup. What matters is that Zinedine Zidane has demostrated once again what he is all about. Where was Ronaldinho? He may be the future, but Zizou is still Zizou. Zizou showed the Brazilians what it’s like to play Samba….during his last tango in Germany. Let’s enjoy what’s left of his final matches. Don’t retire him yet.
And by the way, I am rooting for France. Not because I particuarly like the French, but because I love that the French team is made up of immigrants. Rarely do immigrants triumph in Europe, and this French team (like the one in 1998) is an example of immigrants succeeding and becoming national heros in xenophobic Europe.
Filed under Digressions, Zizou
The Fury without the Sound
I have recently found that the men’s “facilities” in the office building where I work have come to stink. Now, that is not such a surprise in and of itself as the bathroom has no windows. What is curious is that this overwhelming stench has increased in intensity over the past few days. I think of Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” in Leaves of Grass: “I sound my barbaric yalp over the roofs of the world.” But this barbariety does not leap over roof tops, straddling the world. Rather, it permeates within the enclosed walls, soundless in stealth.
As a matter of fact, I have often wondered what exactly makes one’s “air” more fragrant than another’s, or violently more noxious. Here at the office, we all eat the same thing everday for lunch. This makes an examination of the evidence inconclusive. Does this mean that the “air” is not traceable to a sinlge point source, yet attributable to all? Like Milton’s continental man, does the bell toot for thee? Or is there a distinguishable factor making one’s pipes behave differently from others? This is the eternal scatological “chicken and egg” debate. In any event, I will defer to Mark Twain to ponder the routes behind this matter . . .
Filed under Digressions
Kids and dogs
I am sitting outside in a garden working on my computer, and I can hear little kids playing. They are yelling out unintelligible sentences that most people would consider cute. This is something that is beginning to bother me. Why do kids get away with so much (and all the attention)? You see a kid walking around like a drunkard, slurring speech, and everyone says, “oh, how cute.” The same thing happens with dogs. Dogs get all excited and jump up on you, lick you, wag their tails. If I were to do the same thing, I would be locked up. Is this fair? Is this right? Why do kids and dogs get away with behaving in a socially unacceptable manner? The more I think about it . . .
Filed under Digressions
Grave Error 