To observe, I meditate on it for a few each year. Coming up on Wednesday, 20 Feb. 2024.
International Mother Language Day 🌐 🗣️
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mother_Language_Day
To observe, I meditate on it for a few each year. Coming up on Wednesday, 20 Feb. 2024.
International Mother Language Day 🌐 🗣️
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Mother_Language_Day
Fictional story.
We were at a cliffside bar in Tangier overlooking the sea. He offered me some hash to smoke, saying, “go ahead, nobody here cares.”
I didn’t feel like getting fucked up during the day, so I declined and lit a Turkish “camel dung” tobacco cigarette instead while sipping a sweet Turkish coffee.
A serene moment with a friend who has since reappeared.
I put out some of the Halloween decor today. If it’s like some years, it will stay until there’s an immediate swap out for the Christmas.
1985 at my school in Guadalajara, Mexico.
A friend and me posing in front of a poster we made to remember those atomic bombs.
I don’t remember her name now. She asked me if I’d help her do something to remember the atomic bomb drops on Japan. I though it sounded like a fine idea. The tracing on the paper is of me. I laid down, she drew it.
She originally thought of chalking up the sidewalks in front of the school, but since we were not Mexican citizens, we thought it better to do the poster and not deface anything.
I thought the poster was quite polite. No criticism, no blaming, just “remember this.”
Little did I realize that all MF hell was to break loose. BIG complaints from the students from California, mostly. It was the Reagan years. They ran right to the school director and demanded blood.
The director called us into the office individually to tell us we were to be suspended. After that got around, several of the Mexican teachers went to the director to stand up for us. The director stood down, so we were able to stay.
This pic was taken by one of the Mexican teachers shorty after our chewing out by the director. I was clowning to try to mitigate the stress. The poster stayed up for several days.
Many American students remained abusive to us for the rest of the term. The Mexican teachers treated us very well. Some of them even suggested further action. I loved them.
I learned a shitload that semester and my love for Mexico was growing fast.
~~
Image:
The two of us posing with life-size poster of a human form traced on paper with the words:
A shadow was all that was left of nearly 200,000 people who were killed instantly when the atomic bombs were dropped on Japan 40 years ago.
Remember history so as not to repeat it.
Hiroshima Nagasaki August 6th and 9th 40 years ago.
I recently posted on a different network that my spouse and I went to a performance of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra.
The first comment was, “What symphony did they play?”
I thought it would be fun to be a little smart assy and reply, “The Symphony Orchestra did not play a symphony. It’s not required.” lol
The orchestra played a selection of avant-garde pieces and jazz with guest musicians.
I would never smart ass someone like that. If someone is kind enough to drop by, I keep my mental high jinks to myself. It was fun to think about.
I replied with a link to an article about the performance.
My spouse and I went to the annual Kirkwood 4th of July Parade. It’s a small neighborhood parade going on since 1949. 🇺🇸🎆
Nobody noticed that I had a Soviet t-shirt on. 🤣
Shirt: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Motherland_Calls
I don’t claim fluency, I never will, but I can get around in the language. It has helped me stay employed for decades and has enriched my life.
Anyway, 1980, age 21, my family was in self-destruct mode. Very unpleasant.
My father said to me one day, “Why don’t you get out of the house for awhile.” It really was time.
I went back to him later with the info and said, “write a check for this school in Mexico, and I can be gone for a long time.”
He did, and off I went.
I would come back and live in the house briefly after the return but didn’t stay long.
It started a lifetime of trips to Mexico, Cuba, Spain, and others, as I could afford them. After the first check for the school in Mexico, my father wouldn’t pay no more. lol
Posted in rambling
Things to do on a day off after mowing the yard then finding it underwater an hour later due to rain.
This is the full-size popcorn popper I saw at Target. I thought I had found it for $10 less at Amazon without realizing that it was for a miniature version that wouldn’t make enough popcorn for a baby. 👶
The Saturday-night movie on TV requires a large quantity plus a chugger-size soda (now flavored soda water to balance the popcorn gorging). 🍿🥤🎥
Shopping online, the pics looked the same for the normal one at Target and the itty-bitty Amazon mini. Color was the same and everything. Details were buried in the micro text, plus one had capacity listed in quarts, the other in cups. Pfft.
Amazon returned. Target picked up. Ya try to save a little money and time, wahhh!
All is now well for this coming weekend.
A lot of people post Instagram links that I cannot see because they require a login. I decided to get an account to have a look around and was pleased that, unlike TikTok, an app wasn’t required for signup, only an e-mail.
I followed a few friends and had a look around. That’s all.
Day 3, I get blocked with a notice that my account was locked for community violations. I hadn’t even done anything yet. No Uploads, nothing. It demanded a phone number to unlock. I assume getting the number was its goal.
I have a spare virtual number, so I provided and confirmed that. Bam! It moved on to the next step seen in the image. I actually started to do it but was lacking the dexterity and coordination that day.
I decided that this is too stupid for words, and it doesn’t even say that providing the image will be the end of it. There might be more.
Fuckit. Don’t need it. I’ll never see anyone there.
Old story. Part one.
Pre-Internet traveling abroad, not knowing where to go, arriving Madrid and wanting to dance in a gay club the first night, a quick yet unreliable way was to get into a taxi, and if the driver didn’t look like he’d be bothered by it, ask where to party.
I stopped a few cabs looking for a younger driver who might know what was trendy. All of them were old, so I got in with an old one and asked. He confidently popped it into drive.
He drove me to the red-light district full of sex clubs and workers walking the street. I asked the driver, “but where are the dance clubs?”
He said, “I thought you wanted sex?”
Me, “well sure, maybe later, but I need some hours of drinking and dancing first.”
I paid, got out, and asked some people in the street if they knew. They pointed me to some nice clubs.
—
Part two. Many years later.
Once the Internet got going, and early way of finding the party places was to go to a net cafe and get on certain channels on IRC (Internet Relay Chat). Mérida, Mexico, was well set up in that way. Clear, quick, information, and offers of company to the clubs.
I figured anybody that eager might not be a good date, and I was with my spouse anyway, so we’d just log off and go ourselves. At least in the clubs, we could look somebody over first.
Funny how things go.
fear must always precede anger in the human mind - s.t.c.
"If you are not willing to be a fool, you can't become a master." ~ Jordan Peterson
Analysing capitalism from unexpected angles
Understanding Life with Art
Analyzing the American empire and its failure to live up to its high-minded rhetoric
m/m original fiction and fanfic for adults only
Just another WordPress.com site.
peering into the underworld
News from the people’s perspective
Film reviews by André Crous
Journey with us as we share all that God is doing in High Point and around the world
The Triad's Socialist Magazine
Astronomy
This WordPress.com site is the cat’s pajamas
Addressing each of my life choices one at a time
reflections on the religious and spiritual journey
peering into the underworld
On a Journey to Find Themselves
Landscape and abstract paintings
A blog about a gay Floridian's thoughts and feelings
Musings from Boston, Mexico City, and Beyond!
These are amusing short stories about events like "Walking the dog" or "Manufacturing Jewellery"
The public blog of Andrew Turner (a.k.a Luther Spectre)
Batman, Random Things & Geek Stuff
Fashion, Life, and Starbucks
It's Funny to Me ...
meandering thoughts, ideas and opinions
Depressing Music, Dark Literature and Positive Thoughts
Mostly photos, with an occasional garrulous ramble
and be ready for...
3D Graphics and other hobbies
art, poetry, life
peering into the underworld