Where Else Would You Be?

via AudioBoo

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Seasonal Change

Hmmm. Is it me or is there something different upon awakening? There is a change in pressure and the wall of heat that has been here since June has finally left.

To celebrate, I put on a pair of jeans. Oh such pleasure, there is a slight chill in the air and its delicious.

Outside, a few clouds gather together for solidarity, but by the afternoon they grumble in anticipation and begin to move in with greater confidence. 

I smile inside.  At last the summer is over. Nature has declared it so. I try to close the balcony door for the first time in months and it complains  - but I insist. Then there is little left to do, but wander aimlessly and taste the richness of anticipation. 

Then it arrives. First in my imagination as the feint sound of tapping on tiles, unfamiliar but insistent. Then it hits: Everything is hit.   All the collective dirt, dust and grime of months of building work pours off the roof and down still guttering-less walls. It streams down and into gaps where windows should be, under doors that still have no frames and flows back into the house where tiles have still to be laid to take the water away. And still it comes, harder and harder, down through the air vent in the bathroom, running down exposed beams and filling one corner of the untiled patio with enough water for the dog to swim across. 

But the Nispero leaves smile as their once cement covered leaves are cleaned, and the honeysuckle opens out to welcome the water and from the dripping hallways of an old house in the barrio alto, one person at least smiles Inwards.

Rock Watching for Beginners

For some its the thrill of Bird Watching. For others its spotting butterflies, trains, mushrooms or rare Spider-man comic books. Each to their own.

But for those seeking the very latest in slow-pastimes; the very latest in meditative moments and inexpensive home hobbies then the time is right to try your hand at Rock Watching.

Its not necessary to go out and buy binoculars, multi-pocketed waistcoats with brown or green colour schemes or to hide in reed bushes for the appearance of flighty beaked animals. Rock watching is far more substantial and demands none of this hanging around and waiting business.

With Rock Watching, you just simply select a rock - try and find the most uncarved looking one you can see - approach it with humility and a tasteful tea-shirt and then go about watching it.

Questions and Answers

Q. So what do you watch exactly?

A. Well, that depends on you and the rock that you are watching. I recommend starting with a medium size rock and one not too far from home - but - somewhere out of the way that neighbours are unlikely to spot you and call an ambulance.

Q But what do you actually do?

A. Get as close as you feel comfortable, introduce yourself and then start.

Q. Start what?

A. Look for the darker shades, (Yin) and then look for the lighter sides (Yang). As the sun moves overhead, watch as one becomes the other.

Q And thats it?

A. You want more? Ok. Look for creature holes, emerging succulents and nice mossy atmospheric protrusions.

Q And then?

A. Stand to one side and see if you can spot the profile of someone famous. Do you see Mohammed Ali, Uri Geller, Hilary Clinton or maybe Tweety Pie?

Q And then?

A. Ask yourself, how old do you think your rock is? How did it get where it is? What would your neighbourhood be like the year that rock arrived?

Q And then?

A. And then, when you feel there is nothing left to watch, just stop. Don't do a thing. Don't look for anything specific. Give the rock your best non-judgmental smile and breath deep. Then, and only when you are really really ready, reach out and touch the rock and leave your hand in contact for a couple of minutes.

Q. And then?

A. Stand up, and walk away. Thats your first watched rock. You can now go home and twitter it. Or start a facebook group for Rock watchers.

Foretelling the Arrival Of Change

The seasonal changes are often foretold by subtle visible shifts in our most immediate environmental patterns. Upon close scrutiny, it is possible to read the vocabulary of change and become adept at recognising this cyclical language. However, many mystics and prophets have confined themselves over time to the study of minutiae in the natural world, casting yarrow sticks, reading bird-droppings or tasting the blood of a freshly sacrificed okapi.

But cycles, by there very nature are not static and consequently one has an obligation to update ones toolbox, sharpen ones axe, or download the latest version - so to speak.

One such audible clue is the subtle tonal change in bird song, or the sudden presence on our streets of imbeciles driving quad-bikes along pedestrianised paths. Another - somewhat more pleasant clue - is the presence on the air waves and digital platforms of other cultural sounds - in particular the sudden presence of Brazilian Samba fused with American Jazz - the ultimate and immortalised representation being The Girl from Ipanema by Getz and Gilberto in 1964. Summer is here.

The Video is from the now - rather comically titled film from the same year - Get Yourself a College Girl. Worth watching for no other reason than to marvel at the sheer variety of cardigans present, and the blue hair style of the woman 1 minute in.

Thanks to Kisco for the inspiration for this post.

The Search for Vulnerability

The Confirmation Bias

We all have bad habits. Some of us smoke, or drink too much. Some of us scratch our bottoms whilst shaking hands with the mayor and others spit unconsciously when they get excited about a subject, and you find yourslef ducking under flying saliva and placing a protective hand over your glass of wine.

But that is not the real problem. The problem with bad habits lies in our tendency to look to corroborate them in the world that we construct around us.

For example, in our arguments we always seek out others that can corroborate what we already think - as opposed to go looking for those arguments that may disconfirm our long-held ideas. Consequently we build up a list of corroborators that back up our beliefs and further entrench us in dogmatism. This is called The Confirmation Bias by scientists.

By Tai Chi exponents it is called Push Hands.

Push Hands is a partner exercise that involves constantly searching for the vulnerable in your partner. This is not so that you can then topple or unbalance s/he. It is so that s/he can then learn from such exposure and gradualy improve their technique over time. It is not an easy exercise, and many students resent the repetition of the movements. But it is often in the study of slow repetition that bad habits come to the surface.

The difficulty is we all have a tendency to want our egos stroked and therefore as much as we can we tend to avoid such scenarios. But we can learn from vulnerability and exposure, it is a powerful method for finding the truth and avoiding the old patterns that infect physical and intellectual routines.

Questions and Answers.

Q: How do we know that this post is not an example of such bias? Perhaps you have written this to confirm and already exisiting tendency.

A: That is a fine point. However when shaking hands with the mayor I always - as a matter of course - scratch my bottom first.

Q: What happens in Push-hands if you don´t go for vulnerability? What if you go for the jugular of your opponent.

A: There is no opponent. Only yourself.

Q: Yes OK. I get the Zen bit - One-handed claps and stuff. But what if someone does go for your jugular?

A: Then in the act of - going - they expose themselves and become tense with anticipation and muscular tension. Consequently you relax and move. You learn to stay calm under stress - and they learn not to telegraph their moves. Generally though, we do not practice jugular attacks during Push-Hands, this is generally confined to visits from local politicians.

Billy Braggs about File Sharing.

Just to finish off this thread, here is an interesting post over at TorrentFreak that quotes Billy Bragg on the issue of file-sharing. Its an interesting piece as we generally only hear from those that condemn the technology and the attitude of music file sharers.

Yet here is someone who can see beyond the name calling and the deeply entrenched interest of the music industry and offer some useful comments as to the long- overdue direction that the industry needs to take. And all this from someone still with an investment in recorded music.

OK - no more on file-sharing. Back to Uncarved approaches now...

Entering the Ring Alone

¨Another trumpet blew and El Chanti carefully folded his cape away, picked up two brightly adorned sticks and re-entered the ring alone. He raised the sticks out to his side, arched his back and then began a suicidal run at the bull from the other side of the ring. The animal waited, watching and then chose its moment to charge. Suddenly, El Chanti was swerving, leaping, twisting and then he was gone leaving the two spikes hanging limply from the hide of the confused bull. Blood ran down its flank as the Matador was handed the next two sticks.¨

An excerpt form the novel: Sand Sea and Sky.