I am getting tired of the non-news that is filling up the world.
Starbucks can put whatever they want on the cups. Get over it. If it really does offend you take your $ elsewhere.
If a store starts to decorate for a season too soon for you, take your $ elsewhere.
People say things that offend you? If it does not threaten your life and livelihood, take your indignation into private and just get over it.
If you do not like some one's opinion, use polite discourse to change their mind. And if nothing in the world can make you change your own mind...... you are the problem, not the people you are hurling vitriol at.
Anonymity is the mask of a coward. If you hurl insults and threats from shadows you are lower than a bully and the only thing you deserve is to fade from life and be alone in your anger. If you want to join the human race and have your opinion heard, stand in the light and speak up.
Be pleasant to the police. It does not always mean they will be pleasant to you, but the odds are much higher if you start with a smile than if your first response is anger.
Don't want your children to be vaccinated? No problem. If they have horrible medical problems because of your decision, you get to pay the full cost. If they die, you get charged with premeditated murder.
If you truly want to be free, and be able to do what you want, give others that very same freedom.
I guess somehow this post morphed from petty to serious issues. Mostly what I am wanting to say is that there are more than enough truly serious issues in the world that need solving and for the truly trivial things that crop up, get over it or get counseling.
And most of all, please keep your indignation over the trivial from my news feed.
Monday, 9 November 2015
Sunday, 8 November 2015
Antigua, 2015
Once again I have found myself in Antigua Guatemala. This time around, I did a walk through the local market, avoiding most of the tourist stalls and winding my way through the small stalls and glancing at what the local had for sale.
If I even slowed down in my walk, the vendor I was in front of immediately started to talk in Spanish about what they had and hoe great their prices were, and as I moved along, this chant was passed from place to place. The thing that always hits me in looking at these many small stores is the dichotomy between both how similar they all are and at the same time how different they are. There are stalls that virtually the same, the same brands and articles and colours that can make you think there is no difference between them, and a slow blending as you move and the next few stalls carry more and more different things so that by the time you have passed fifteen places, the stall has totally different stock, but the echoes of the first one remain, and it all somehow blends.
For some reason, I was reluctant to haul out my camera, and this time I settled for watching the people and things around me with trying to capture it to share the visuals. The whole place was busier than I have seen before, with a lot of foot traffic during the day and a steady stream of vehicles in the late afternoon. There was a celebration issuing from a large church, I am unsure as to what was going on, but it was less of a religious feel than a celebration, and a local said it was about the founding of the church. It made for crowded roads and hordes of people in a good mood.
Earlier I had parked my butt on a park bench, enjoying the day and reading a book. A local came to share the bench, and we began to talk.
Two hours later we switched to a bench in the shade and continued.
He was only five years younger than me, and curious about Canada, the differences between canada and the USA, and in how I saw Guatemala. He seemed to be quite interested in the world at large even if he had never traveled outside of Guatemala, and was just beginning to learning about Canada. That is not all that we talked about, and the whole range included human rights, gay marriage, violence, the military and veterans, children and family, religion and our over all view of the world.
As my way was blocked by the stream of people heading to the church, I started to ask three other tourists what they were doing. A long conversation evolved out of that as they were on a missionary journey that would take them to at least two more continents, and they were curious about my view on god and religion, so for the second time that afternoon, I ended up in a talk about what I believe and a bit of it was how my belief has changed. I will not go into the discussion at this time, but it was both pleasant and not heated.
All in all an interesting day in Antigua, and although I am heading on to San Pedro, I will be looking forward to returning here again.
If I even slowed down in my walk, the vendor I was in front of immediately started to talk in Spanish about what they had and hoe great their prices were, and as I moved along, this chant was passed from place to place. The thing that always hits me in looking at these many small stores is the dichotomy between both how similar they all are and at the same time how different they are. There are stalls that virtually the same, the same brands and articles and colours that can make you think there is no difference between them, and a slow blending as you move and the next few stalls carry more and more different things so that by the time you have passed fifteen places, the stall has totally different stock, but the echoes of the first one remain, and it all somehow blends.
For some reason, I was reluctant to haul out my camera, and this time I settled for watching the people and things around me with trying to capture it to share the visuals. The whole place was busier than I have seen before, with a lot of foot traffic during the day and a steady stream of vehicles in the late afternoon. There was a celebration issuing from a large church, I am unsure as to what was going on, but it was less of a religious feel than a celebration, and a local said it was about the founding of the church. It made for crowded roads and hordes of people in a good mood.
Earlier I had parked my butt on a park bench, enjoying the day and reading a book. A local came to share the bench, and we began to talk.
Two hours later we switched to a bench in the shade and continued.
He was only five years younger than me, and curious about Canada, the differences between canada and the USA, and in how I saw Guatemala. He seemed to be quite interested in the world at large even if he had never traveled outside of Guatemala, and was just beginning to learning about Canada. That is not all that we talked about, and the whole range included human rights, gay marriage, violence, the military and veterans, children and family, religion and our over all view of the world.
As my way was blocked by the stream of people heading to the church, I started to ask three other tourists what they were doing. A long conversation evolved out of that as they were on a missionary journey that would take them to at least two more continents, and they were curious about my view on god and religion, so for the second time that afternoon, I ended up in a talk about what I believe and a bit of it was how my belief has changed. I will not go into the discussion at this time, but it was both pleasant and not heated.
All in all an interesting day in Antigua, and although I am heading on to San Pedro, I will be looking forward to returning here again.
Thursday, 3 September 2015
Refugees
As difficult as it is for refugees, as heart rending as it must be to change countries, to move away from all you know to escape either conflict or persecution, the world at large is a scary place, and the leaders of our countries are not making things any easier.
Governments are caught in a vice, between the will of the people and the limits of law and policy, but there are times when the will of the people needs to win out over the law and policy.
Yes we need to ensure that the people who enter our countries as refugees are indeed the persecuted and not the persecutors or fleeing from legitimate justice.
But.
We also need to open our doors to our new neighbours.
When the government of Iceland set the number of refugees at 50, which considering the size of the country is small, but not outlandish, the people expressed their will, and 5,000 stood up to welcome new neighbours.
That means to me, that the people of Iceland is shouting their collective choice at their government, and those citizens have just shown the rest of the world what it means to be a compassionate human.
Now it is our turn.
Governments are caught in a vice, between the will of the people and the limits of law and policy, but there are times when the will of the people needs to win out over the law and policy.
Yes we need to ensure that the people who enter our countries as refugees are indeed the persecuted and not the persecutors or fleeing from legitimate justice.
But.
We also need to open our doors to our new neighbours.
When the government of Iceland set the number of refugees at 50, which considering the size of the country is small, but not outlandish, the people expressed their will, and 5,000 stood up to welcome new neighbours.
That means to me, that the people of Iceland is shouting their collective choice at their government, and those citizens have just shown the rest of the world what it means to be a compassionate human.
Now it is our turn.
Monday, 3 August 2015
Nakusp and AT War
Arrived Friday 24th of July to a dry (as in dusty) town on the Arrow Lakes in BC. The weather was cool and rainy, and a full day of on and off again showers cut the dust, but was not enough to drop the campfire ban.
Although the town is smallish, pop. 1,500, it seems to have a nice mix of shops and services, and there were posters all over the place advertising the mideaval demo we were doing as part of the SCA event.
The event itself went well, and the stroll through town in costume helped to build a positive buzz.
The event went smooth, very smooth considering that it was the first time at that site, as well as having a portion of the event open to the public.
The weather was hot, the shade was minimal and the people took it well, and had fun anyway.
Although the town is smallish, pop. 1,500, it seems to have a nice mix of shops and services, and there were posters all over the place advertising the mideaval demo we were doing as part of the SCA event.
The event itself went well, and the stroll through town in costume helped to build a positive buzz.
The event went smooth, very smooth considering that it was the first time at that site, as well as having a portion of the event open to the public.
The weather was hot, the shade was minimal and the people took it well, and had fun anyway.
Saturday, 20 June 2015
New camera
So I have finally gotten a nice camera to replace the one stolen in Peru.
It is a Pentax K-50, and it will be a very long time before I figure out all the bells and whistles on it.
But, here is a picture of my dad and a neighbour at a backyard BBQ. I do love how a cloudy day softens shadows and lends itself to informal portraiture.
More pics later this summer as I get used to the camera.
It is a Pentax K-50, and it will be a very long time before I figure out all the bells and whistles on it.
But, here is a picture of my dad and a neighbour at a backyard BBQ. I do love how a cloudy day softens shadows and lends itself to informal portraiture.
Sunday, 14 June 2015
Why travel?
I recently read a post on Traveling.
The person writing it was much younger than me, and their outlook on life was very different because of it. traveling gave him/her a different perspective and linked him/her into the traveling community. Going back to mainstream after one year of travel would be as major a change for a lot of people as one year of military service or another life changing event.
As an older person, traveling did not affect me as deeply. More, core values have not changed, and the way I look at others is still the same, albeit from a slightly different angle. If anything traveling re-affirmed that underneath all the differences of language, culture and clothing, all of us in the Americas are far more alike than we are different.
Being poor sucks. Being wanted lifts you up. Needing ask for help when you are used to fending for yourself is a mix of humiliating, humbling, frustrating and depressing things. Helping a friend when they are stuck down a hole is beyond rewarding, it is life affirming. Helping a stranger, even with something trivial connects and lifts all. Being needlessly mean sucks the life out of you and those around you.
All of that and more is brought home into your heart when you travel, and whether you assimilate this on the road or after does not matter.
Whether you travel across the globe or across the street does not matter.
It is the mind set you travel with, and the new angle of looking at the same places and people when you return that matters.
If you fail to see others living, and how they can be happy while having very little and empty inside while having plenty, you have failed in Traveling and just might be failing at Life.
I gave up a lot of material things to travel, and would do it again in a heartbeat.
What I am is not what I own or what I can buy.
It is who I connect with and who I love that define me more than anything else.
The hardest part of Traveling is letting go of connections, never knowing if they will be re-newed, and always being willing to make new ones, knowing how fragile they can be.
The person writing it was much younger than me, and their outlook on life was very different because of it. traveling gave him/her a different perspective and linked him/her into the traveling community. Going back to mainstream after one year of travel would be as major a change for a lot of people as one year of military service or another life changing event.
As an older person, traveling did not affect me as deeply. More, core values have not changed, and the way I look at others is still the same, albeit from a slightly different angle. If anything traveling re-affirmed that underneath all the differences of language, culture and clothing, all of us in the Americas are far more alike than we are different.
Being poor sucks. Being wanted lifts you up. Needing ask for help when you are used to fending for yourself is a mix of humiliating, humbling, frustrating and depressing things. Helping a friend when they are stuck down a hole is beyond rewarding, it is life affirming. Helping a stranger, even with something trivial connects and lifts all. Being needlessly mean sucks the life out of you and those around you.
All of that and more is brought home into your heart when you travel, and whether you assimilate this on the road or after does not matter.
Whether you travel across the globe or across the street does not matter.
It is the mind set you travel with, and the new angle of looking at the same places and people when you return that matters.
If you fail to see others living, and how they can be happy while having very little and empty inside while having plenty, you have failed in Traveling and just might be failing at Life.
I gave up a lot of material things to travel, and would do it again in a heartbeat.
What I am is not what I own or what I can buy.
It is who I connect with and who I love that define me more than anything else.
The hardest part of Traveling is letting go of connections, never knowing if they will be re-newed, and always being willing to make new ones, knowing how fragile they can be.
Friday, 13 March 2015
Back in Canada
Last time I returned, I wrote about the things I had missed, and the little things that returning meant to me.
This year, those things applied, but perhaps not with quite as much force. I spent a fair amount of time at the end of my trip in Cusco Peru, not doing much, just hanging out, keeping spending low and waiting for my flight home to roll around.
I tried to spend some time walking around in the city away from the tourist zones, but ended up with a mild head cold and so did very little. When you are not really used to the elevation, 7,200 feet does take a lot of stamina out of you. On the other hand, even though I had a cold, when I got to Vancouver, I had a surprising amount of stamina.
The number 1 thing I brought away in the difference between Canada and Peru was what you do not see from the front.
In Peru, for the majority of the buildings, if you could not see it from the front, the walls were not finished or painted. To my eyes, it gave a lot of the city a half-finished look. Add in how much was brick and adobe, it left the overwhelming colour of the cities as being red-brown. Add in the lack of green in terms of front yards and easements, it turns everything into industrial harsh. Viewed from above, there are quite a few trees and green spots hidden away in courtyards and walled off areas which make for pleasant breaks when you find them, but from the outside reduce the atmosphere of the cities.
And as in most of the other countries, trash was very much a not-in-my-yard affair. The empty lot next door could be knee deep in trash, but as long as your own yard was clean, that was all that counted. This seemed to extend to roads and railways as well, in that within towns, the ditches were kept clean, but as soon as the town limit was reached, it was crystal clear because of the amount of trash that piled up on the edges.
In the coastal areas of Peru, they do make large efforts to green up parks and other areas. All the settlements I noticed were there because of ease of access to water. The entire coast has so little rain fall that if there is no river, there is no way to live, and they really appreciate the green of grass and trees. Walking across lawn gets you dirty looks, sitting on the small patches of grass in a public park will soon have a peace officer making you move off it. But due to the lack of rain, the overall feel of the coast was for light blowing sand and a lack of green. Very much not my cup of tea.
Canada is the same as ever, and the West Coast will always have views to lift my spirit. Time to visit friends, make some food, and tell some stories. I will not blog much during the coming months, but they should be busy ones, and so the time will fly by.
Comments on where to go next are welcome this time, I am contemplating a run to Spain, Morocco and Crete. Opinions?
This year, those things applied, but perhaps not with quite as much force. I spent a fair amount of time at the end of my trip in Cusco Peru, not doing much, just hanging out, keeping spending low and waiting for my flight home to roll around.
I tried to spend some time walking around in the city away from the tourist zones, but ended up with a mild head cold and so did very little. When you are not really used to the elevation, 7,200 feet does take a lot of stamina out of you. On the other hand, even though I had a cold, when I got to Vancouver, I had a surprising amount of stamina.
The number 1 thing I brought away in the difference between Canada and Peru was what you do not see from the front.
In Peru, for the majority of the buildings, if you could not see it from the front, the walls were not finished or painted. To my eyes, it gave a lot of the city a half-finished look. Add in how much was brick and adobe, it left the overwhelming colour of the cities as being red-brown. Add in the lack of green in terms of front yards and easements, it turns everything into industrial harsh. Viewed from above, there are quite a few trees and green spots hidden away in courtyards and walled off areas which make for pleasant breaks when you find them, but from the outside reduce the atmosphere of the cities.
And as in most of the other countries, trash was very much a not-in-my-yard affair. The empty lot next door could be knee deep in trash, but as long as your own yard was clean, that was all that counted. This seemed to extend to roads and railways as well, in that within towns, the ditches were kept clean, but as soon as the town limit was reached, it was crystal clear because of the amount of trash that piled up on the edges.
In the coastal areas of Peru, they do make large efforts to green up parks and other areas. All the settlements I noticed were there because of ease of access to water. The entire coast has so little rain fall that if there is no river, there is no way to live, and they really appreciate the green of grass and trees. Walking across lawn gets you dirty looks, sitting on the small patches of grass in a public park will soon have a peace officer making you move off it. But due to the lack of rain, the overall feel of the coast was for light blowing sand and a lack of green. Very much not my cup of tea.
Canada is the same as ever, and the West Coast will always have views to lift my spirit. Time to visit friends, make some food, and tell some stories. I will not blog much during the coming months, but they should be busy ones, and so the time will fly by.
Comments on where to go next are welcome this time, I am contemplating a run to Spain, Morocco and Crete. Opinions?
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