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# Ireland    02'08'26 18:38

Ireland is great so far. This is the first time I'm checking my mail - in ten days - and the paper I bought yesterday is still lying unread at the bottom of my little bagpack.
Three days in Doolin which were nice, the Barren impressive, the cliffs not suo much as there were a few tourists in the way *couch*.
Then Clifdon which got me hooked. Excellent hostel (friendly owner who puts his soul in the place - you pick that up, so the kitchen was naturally kept clean, people friendly, and so on.), some good people there, met some folks with a car so got driven to p-laces I otherwise wouldn't have been to. But the best thing? Spending time alone during the day. Hired a bike one day and did some 60km through some really forsaken wild land - bogs, mountains, then around pinetree island which was civilisation compared to what came before. Another day, hitched to the southernmost peninsula and walked from bay to bay until I had one for myself. And sat there for hours, watching the atlantic come on. A beach with cows - they're grazing on the adjacent meadows but occasionally like to take a walk on the beach. Heavy beasts - their hooves made deep footprints in the sand.
And much more of course. Too much to type in in an internet cafe at 6 euro per hour with the sun shining bright outside (oh, the famous rain - which rain?) but it's been good. Really coming to rest.
So now arrived in Galway, and it is a shock to be back in a city. I think I'll flee to one of the Aran islands tomorrow, and then wednesday off to Ennis - Galway is a fine city from what I've seen so far, but it is that; a city. Haven't quite adjusted yet. So I sat down with a latte in a quiet place away from the main tourist trade (it seemed, at least), then treated myself to a haircut of all things. Oow-ee-are. Yay. Feels good. They won't recognize me in the hostel where I checked in this afternoon...

# what's this say about the dutch?    02'08'15 10:59

Just found out that Eudora's spellcheck knows the english emigrate but not the dutch emigreren. Now what does that say about the dutch.

# Vondelpark this sunday    02'08'09 13:00    link

And if you're in Amsterdam this sunday: check out the open air concert in the Vondelpark. Looks like a great afternoon, highlights: Lillian Vieira (of ZUCO 103 fame) at two, Raymond van het Groenewoud at three, and, of course, the great Fernando Lameirinhas rounding it off from five to six.
Here's to a great afternoon. Even if it pours.

# Great balls of fire    02'08'08 10:05    link

Accordion virtuoso Rolf Harris' accordion caught fire on stage.
guests brought the blaze under control by pouring pints of water over the accordion.
"It was a case of spontaneous combustion - imagine the insurance claim," Harris later joked.

Gotta tell Accordionguy ! Dangerous sport, mate!

# Mesquita    02'08'08 01:00    link

Mesquita, Cordoba

# guilt    02'08'07 13:17

And then she asked me if I had ever truly felt the pain and suffering I had caused to others without the guilt coming in.


Silence on the line. And I realized, I never have.


You see, I have caused others pain. People I love. It happens all the time. Either because I was stupid and made a mistake, because something had larger ramifications than seemed at the time, or because I just chose the least bad option in a tricky situation. And sometimes, the hurt was already present inside the other, and I brought it to the surface.
There's no avoiding it. It happens. It is part of living life in this illusionary world.
But how difficult it is to accept it. Guilt lurks around the corner, and damnit, it's so easy to let it overshadow everything else, including compassion for the person in pain.


A friend called last night, in distress, she needed support. I listened, let her talk, I'm good at that. Then we came to the bigger issue - the hurt she's still feeling about what I did to her when (to summarize a long story in three words) I left her.
And immediately *bang* ... there was my guilt trip ... and in no time, I was lost and confused, stuttering on the phone, my head taking over the talking, and with that I was of no support to her at all, effectively turning all attention to me. Shite.


And then she asked me if I had ever truly felt the pain and suffering I had caused to others without the guilt coming in.

And she was so right. Time to grow up, again.

# Technology and buddhism    02'08'06 10:01    link

How can the technology of the 21st century “information age” be effectively utilized to help preserve and strengthen Tibetan Buddhist traditions of learning and practice?

# 50/50    02'08'02 10:03

CBR theorie-examen uitslag: 50 vragen goed uit 50
Sweet, sweet. Journey, single step, starts with, etcetera. I've booked an eleven-day intensive course - I'd nearly written crash course there - for the practical side of things, but this was the first hurdle.