Blogs on PACIFISHTICKS http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/ Recent content in Blogs on PACIFISHTICKS Hugo en-us elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:50:07 +0000 Those who can, do http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2024_08_26_19_50_07_those_who_can_do/ Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:50:07 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2024_08_26_19_50_07_those_who_can_do/ Those who can’t…. The circle finally seems round. After a detour in Ghent, I moved back to Leuven, where I’m originally from. Sorta, kinda. At least it’s where my longtime friends live, and I feel at home there. In an equally big change, I started teaching at the local college, which is the one I attended myself, teaching programming and coaching internships. It all feels a bit strange. A lot of my collegues used to be my teachers, and a lot of the students remind me of my then-collegues. Return http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2022_06_20_20_21_23_return/ Mon, 20 Jun 2022 20:21:23 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2022_06_20_20_21_23_return/ Historic times http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2020_03_15_23_02_24_historic_times/ Sun, 15 Mar 2020 23:02:24 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2020_03_15_23_02_24_historic_times/ I haven’t updated this blog these last 2 weeks. I haven’t uøpdated it in years, but this time is different. I have a ton of time, and a ton of will to update this blog. But we’re living in historic times, and things keep changing every day*. Or at least from what I can tell from the newspapers, my world has shrunk to my apartment, the grocery store, and the 400 meters between them. New primary email http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_09_05_20_38_10_new_primary_email/ Wed, 05 Sep 2018 20:38:10 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_09_05_20_38_10_new_primary_email/ I’ve finally figured out how to make my new email adress work, so I’ll be running that as my main one for know. daan at elmarcel.com Feel free to update your contact / say hi as you please. PGP info on the home page for those interested Support the living http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_08_04_17_44_06_support_the_living/ Sat, 04 Aug 2018 17:44:06 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_08_04_17_44_06_support_the_living/ A smart person on Twitter pointed out that it’s good to buy art from living artist rather than the dead ones, because they need the money a bit more. Which is a very good point. So here a list of recent acquisitions (all three of which I really love): bohemianchaos viiolaceus IleanaHunter Latency http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_06_08_22_27_48_latency/ Fri, 08 Jun 2018 22:27:48 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_06_08_22_27_48_latency/ I arrived home late-ish today. 19:30, after a pretty unsuccessful day at the office. The sun is still out, not particularly warm and low in the sky. Golden. I change into my running gear. Shorts and t-shirt. Lie in the couch for another half our, just wallowing in a renewed distaste about the whole endeavour. 20:00. Still golden. I walk to the sidewalk, turn right, and start trotting. The first minute is the same as my commute. I suck something new and that's awesome http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_03_31_22_32_20_i_suck_something_new_and_thats_awesome/ Sat, 31 Mar 2018 22:32:20 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_03_31_22_32_20_i_suck_something_new_and_thats_awesome/ Last year I picked up sculpting on a whim (putting it very mildly here). I bought about 2 kilos of clay (water-based, what you can imagine playing in as a kid) and some random wire for armature, and then got to work. Pictured the goal in my head. Found some good reference art. Created a skeleton out of wire and started shaping out my figure in clay. All of it without too much preparation or thought. Up up and away http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_01_31_20_55_23_up_up_and_away/ Wed, 31 Jan 2018 20:55:23 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_01_31_20_55_23_up_up_and_away/ I guess today is finally the day. I’ve been wanting to open up about it for a long time, and since I’m virtually anonymous here, I pretty much can say whatever the hell I want. And you probably will be polite about it, and listen. So here goes nothing. I haven’t admitted this freely to anyone yet, but thinking about gravity often causes an impending sense doom in me. It’s called barophobia and it’s a real thing. That's nuts http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_01_17_23_08_43_thats_nuts/ Wed, 17 Jan 2018 23:08:43 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2018_01_17_23_08_43_thats_nuts/ I’m living in Sweden now, and that’s nuts. I’ve been here for 3 months, life is good, work, which was my primary motivator to move, great, and that’s nuts Yesterday I walked in the dark at 4 pm slipped on the snow and hurt my ass hoping to assemble my ikea bed in time to sleep in it and wake at 8 am at when it’s dark and that’s nuts Sapiens http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_12_10_22_36_43_sapiens/ Sun, 10 Dec 2017 22:36:43 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_12_10_22_36_43_sapiens/ I read Sapiens by Harari, a book about the evolution of the human race. It has long chapters on how settling and agriculture changed society, and how that change came about for reasons that differ a lot from what you expect. Really well written, novel and interesting. Few things are as satisying as a well written introduction to a whole field of knowlegde you don’t even know the basics of I told some people about it, and several people mentioned both having read it, and loving it to bits. Play it again, Sam http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_07_22_00_24_31_play_it_again_sam/ Sat, 22 Jul 2017 00:24:31 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_07_22_00_24_31_play_it_again_sam/ I’m probaly repeating myself. But, this time, there’s a sliver of a chance I’m repeating myself. As you’ll see, very much in the theme of it :) The most important thing I’ve learned over the years, is to iterate. Not only when writing creatively, but it’s the one I’ve seen the most dramatic bump in quality. If you’re going to write a thousand words, delete 800 and publish 200. At the very, very least reread your text once. Screw the dailies http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_07_21_22_24_47_screw_the_dailies/ Fri, 21 Jul 2017 22:24:47 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_07_21_22_24_47_screw_the_dailies/ I’m going to pull the plug on the dailies. I’ve been writing sloppily just to try and hit them. The more I’ve churned out some evenings, the more I’ve avoided sitting down and actual doing it in a way I get any satisfaction out of it. In short: kudos to those who can, I couldn’t, I shouldn’t, back to the regular programming. The best thing is that I can continue, rather then cutting to another post for metric’s sake. Passive knowledge http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_07_06_22_21_59_passive_knowledge/ Thu, 06 Jul 2017 22:21:59 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_07_06_22_21_59_passive_knowledge/ Describing a location on a street is a bit weird. Nobody uses address numbers. I barely know my own. We say “Down”, “Up”, “At the end of”, “At the beginning”. Up and down can make sense if a street is not flat, but we still use it when it it isn’t. And end? Both the beginning and the end are pretty much the same thing. The weird thing is, we usually know what is meant. I think about this every day http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_07_06_22_13_48_i_think_about_this_every_day/ Thu, 06 Jul 2017 22:13:48 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_07_06_22_13_48_i_think_about_this_every_day/ At the exact moment you’re reading this, at least a million fucking. That means at least a thousand are engaged in something nasty. That means at least one couple…. (44/365) Only the best, artisan oil http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_07_02_22_28_11_only_the_best_artisan_oil/ Sun, 02 Jul 2017 22:28:11 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_07_02_22_28_11_only_the_best_artisan_oil/ It’s pretty late as I’m writing this, and I’ll definately not hit my 8 hour’s worth by tomorrow. Not just today, every day. If I need to be up at 7, I’ll sleep at midnight. Up by 10, sleep at 3 in the morning. I know this is a terrible habit, and I’m sure that for every hour I sleep to little, I lose two in productivity during the day. The Wire 201 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_29_22_42_26_the_wire_201/ Thu, 29 Jun 2017 22:42:26 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_29_22_42_26_the_wire_201/ If you haven’t watched the wire, skip this post. Obviously, I like the wire a whole lot. I love the wire a whole lot. If you don’t, you probably won’t get a lot out of this post. Best to leave. Everyone who loves (or even watches?) the Wire cannot shut up about it, and neither can I. Hence, one big post to get it out of my system once and for all. The Wire http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_29_22_19_34_the_wire/ Thu, 29 Jun 2017 22:19:34 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_29_22_19_34_the_wire/ If you’ve watched the wire, please feel free to skip this post. It was always heading to this direction. Anyone who likes, or perhaps has simply seen The wire, can’t help evangelizing it to everyone at every (in)opportune moment. So here goes. You really, really need to watch the wire. For me, it’s the show where characters are flawed, and evolve. Good characters get punished for it. Bad people sometimes prosper. Great words http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_29_22_13_38_great_words/ Thu, 29 Jun 2017 22:13:38 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_29_22_13_38_great_words/ Sisyphusian is one of them (39/365) You thought we'd forget http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_29_20_35_06_you_thought_wed_forget/ Thu, 29 Jun 2017 20:35:06 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_29_20_35_06_you_thought_wed_forget/ Have you watched the TV show “The Wire”? You really should if you haven’t, but it’s not the time for me to convince you of that fact. There’s a beautiful, tragic character that accidentally is directly responsible for the death of his best friend. He immediately confesses his crime to the police. He even tries to commit suicide right there and then, in the police station. The policeman in charge releases him right there and then. You don't want to be my kid http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_27_22_24_49_you_dont_want_to_be_my_kid/ Tue, 27 Jun 2017 22:24:49 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_27_22_24_49_you_dont_want_to_be_my_kid/ Imagine you would like to build something with your kids, as a learning experience. For example, a bike. No gears, simple brakes, simple frame. You can probably fit everything you have to make in your head. But you still need to build it… You’d probably have to have some sort of rule, so you don’t cop out. For example, are external tools bought, or also made? Are big tools (eg professional lathe, or an oven) allowed? Coining it http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_27_22_18_30_coining_it/ Tue, 27 Jun 2017 22:18:30 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_27_22_18_30_coining_it/ Malice tempered by incompetence (36/365) Left Right http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_27_21_17_10_left_right/ Tue, 27 Jun 2017 21:17:10 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_27_21_17_10_left_right/ I’m definitely a walker. I live in the bike capital of Belgium, and due to the enormous ratio of students to population it’s the bike theft capital of Europe. Every single one of my friends commutes by bicycle, be it dropping kids off in the morning, going to the train station, or the entire commute. The train I take every morning and evening is full of people with collapsible bicycles. Tastebuds.fm http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_22_17_52_22_tastebudsfm/ Thu, 22 Jun 2017 17:52:22 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_22_17_52_22_tastebudsfm/ Totally out of character, but I’m member of a dating site called Tastebuds.fm. Nobody uses it for dating. It’s mostly a place to shout into the void. But it does have one amazing, unique feature, and you should join just for that. Tastebuds.fm allows you to find the the one user that matches you the best. Which is huge. This is the person, out of tens of thousands of others, matches your music taste the best. Will totally work http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_22_16_25_50_will_totally_work/ Thu, 22 Jun 2017 16:25:50 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_22_16_25_50_will_totally_work/ Sorry for the rant. Something constructive this time. Every day, half of the wealth of the richest person in the world will get redistributed. Surely, if you’re the richest, you can afford it? (33/365) Why is Trumpcare http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_22_16_19_19_why_is_trumpcare/ Thu, 22 Jun 2017 16:19:19 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_22_16_19_19_why_is_trumpcare/ Seriously though 1000 dollars is the minimum to own to have slightly less stress 10000 is enough to weather some unemployment / other misfortune 100000 is usually enough to send your kids to college 1000000 is definately enough to comfortably retire and not have to worry for a long time but 10000000 is enough to screw over the disabled, poor, disadvantaged. Reduce fire coverage. Open national parks for exploitation. Do business with Mexican cartels. The great heat of '17 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_22_16_01_13_the_great_heat_of_17/ Thu, 22 Jun 2017 16:01:13 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_22_16_01_13_the_great_heat_of_17/ It’s been consistently peaking over 30° the last week or two. Good. Everyone has turned into a more beautiful version of themselves. Not only better dressed, somehow opener, more confident. A camaraderie of of sharing the same burden. A burden, untempered by everyone’s amnesia about the terrible shit we usually have around here. Nobody packs umbrella’s, jackets,… nobody even checks anymore. Eating outside is default. Flip-flops at work. Walking instead of riding. Dilemma http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_20_22_55_27_dilemma/ Tue, 20 Jun 2017 22:55:27 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_20_22_55_27_dilemma/ Being bad at something you like Not liking something, but getting satisfaction because you’re good at it Dear reader, where y’at? (30/365) Landan http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_20_22_51_16_landan/ Tue, 20 Jun 2017 22:51:16 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_20_22_51_16_landan/ I said London in my previous post My appologies That’s a long ting Landan Shudders (29/365) Sidetracked http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_20_22_04_18_sidetracked/ Tue, 20 Jun 2017 22:04:18 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_20_22_04_18_sidetracked/ When learning English, just as in other languages, there is a point where you have to commit to a specific accent/dialect. None of them are intrinsically more “correct” then the other, even though CNN/BBC English are often considered the gold standard. Fools. Never fall for the obvious option. It’s a trap! I’ve been listening to a lot of grime music lately, which is, inaccurately, aggressive hiphop from North/East London. And I absolutely love it for it’s language. Here we go again http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_20_21_29_37_here_we_go_again/ Tue, 20 Jun 2017 21:29:37 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_20_21_29_37_here_we_go_again/ This evening, my train was late In the late evening, there was an “incident” in the train station Tomorrow, my train will be late, just like most other days…. (27/365) Unwashed And Somewhat Slightly Dazed http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_14_19_32_54_unwashed_and_somewhat_slightly_dazed/ Wed, 14 Jun 2017 19:32:54 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_14_19_32_54_unwashed_and_somewhat_slightly_dazed/ Tuesday morning-ish. Sunny, after weeks of consistent sun. The ambience is low-key agreeable. A bit sweltering with my head against the train window. Just my tshirt: no jacket, no backpack. Earbuds. A past version of me made sure I would listen to Bowie today. After weeks, I’m finally in the mood: not quite enough sleep to be fully functional, a hangover leaning on the strange side of pain, and a desire to launch myself in space. You owe me, Leopold Museum, you owe me http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_04_23_25_57_you_owe_me_leopold_museum_you_owe_me/ Sun, 04 Jun 2017 23:25:57 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_04_23_25_57_you_owe_me_leopold_museum_you_owe_me/ DISCLAIMER: pretentious stuff ahead. I hate it when people try to help me in secret. Call me callous, but I usually don’t appreciate it at all. I’m convinced I know what good for me better then anyone else. Particularly when people help me in a way that makes things worse. When you have to be grateful for their help, when you’re actually angry. I wouldn’t be surprised if this is a manifestation of being a control freak. An old echo http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_04_23_09_24_an_old_echo/ Sun, 04 Jun 2017 23:09:24 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_04_23_09_24_an_old_echo/ Next time, you’ll be me and I’ll be you (24/265) Let the beat control your writing http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_04_22_16_46_let_the_beat_control_your_writing/ Sun, 04 Jun 2017 22:16:46 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_04_22_16_46_let_the_beat_control_your_writing/ I read something good. About writing. And pacing. And punctuation. Specifically, sentence length. You should keep it varied. Not only use short ones. Some sentences should be longer then twenty words. Others are less, but more than, say, seven. Everything shorter than seven is short. The point is, you have to vary them. Not have 3 or more of the same type, consecutively. That is not only boring, but also predictable. Sit down http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_04_21_56_45_sit_down/ Sun, 04 Jun 2017 21:56:45 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_04_21_56_45_sit_down/ People who don’t drink People who don’t sleep naked People who don’t curse People who don’t have an absolute garbage dump as a desk People who don’t listen to music older then themselves People who don’t dwell on the past People who don’t hate getting up in the morning I’m going to follow you around with a notepad, and try to sell an article to National Geographic. (22/365) Pro Forma http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_04_21_45_12_pro_forma/ Sun, 04 Jun 2017 21:45:12 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_04_21_45_12_pro_forma/ The problem with doing “dailies”, is the risk of rushing through some content, without iterating/critiquing enough. And that defeats the whole point. Some posts ago I mentioned “deliberate practice”. Deliberate means you scrutinize your learning process while practicing. The difference is huge. In ordinary practice, you’re literally just practicing your craft. Want to run better? Run more often. You just do more of it. In deliberate practice, you might identify bad ingrained habits, dogmatic beliefs, knowledge outside the domains you’re already familiar with. Dailies http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_03_23_07_41_dailies/ Sat, 03 Jun 2017 23:07:41 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_06_03_23_07_41_dailies/ As you might have noticed, the last handful of posts have had a strange fraction at the bottom of each post. But, more importantly, there hasn’t been a new one in about 4 months. And this site looks uncannily different now. Both are related. When the year started, I committed myself to posting a post every day, all year. This was inspired by someone who does it every day, and someone on twitter from who I’ve stolen the idea of sequencing on the post, as well as the name “dailies”. Ten thousand hours http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_02_17_212_ten_thousand_hours/ Fri, 17 Feb 2017 00:13:44 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_02_17_212_ten_thousand_hours/ I think there’s an enormous over-emphasis on natural talent. In my work, programming, there’s often a perception that people who started early in life (say, 12 years old) have a huge, insurmountable advantage over people who start later in life. In the art world, this is even more pronounced. Mozart, whose main quality is his age. Picasso, who must have had an innate ability to do what he did. The latest viral video of a 12 year old child dancing or singing on youtube. Ambitions http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_02_14_5_ambitions/ Tue, 14 Feb 2017 00:53:53 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_02_14_5_ambitions/ Mine is pretty simple. I want to wear a tie, sit behind an empty desk, and bullshit into a camera. Some guests would be nice. Probably would call it comedy, as a cover. And yes, I miss Jon Stewart. (18/165) Primitive http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_02_14_4_primitive/ Tue, 14 Feb 2017 00:49:49 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_02_14_4_primitive/ This years World Press Photo has been announced. It’s a very angry man, who has just murdered someone he has never met before, and has never interacted with. His face, even after the act, is a mask of pure hate. It’s not an easy photo to look at. Most of the good qualities of standard photography that apply (eg composition, framing) are incidental, or tangential. And it does seem there’s a lot of naked hate out there. Lexicon http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_02_05_221_lexicon/ Sun, 05 Feb 2017 23:40:03 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_02_05_221_lexicon/ I recently learned that you can append " mw" to any google search, and a lookup of that word in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. I’ve been looking up some words that I’ve learned through context only. Sometimes it’s actually quite surprising to see the precise definition, as it’s often a lot wider then I thought. Here’s the first load: vulgar odious legitimize betrayal lgbtq queer sapiosexual cavalier embrace bigotry pugnacious grandee “ape drunk” “lion drunk” firebrand mandate bellicose chutzpah sclerotic deplane svengali lucent lexicon Does unintentional count? http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_28_224_does_unintentional_count/ Sat, 28 Jan 2017 00:17:53 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_28_224_does_unintentional_count/ American Carnage In the context, and with tone it was uttered, it was utterly disgusting in it’s dishonesty and intent. Surrounded by so much verbal sewage. But it’s still a great phrase. I think (and hope) a lot of writers are kicking themselves of not coining it before. Hunter Thompson would have killed to have it this in the Nixon years. Here’s the context that phrase works best. Imagine the college textbook typesetting, and a comforting distance of decades. Ask not what http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_28_219_ask_not_what/ Sat, 28 Jan 2017 00:05:59 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_28_219_ask_not_what/ This week might have been the largest fart in quite a while. Even though it came from a wind-bag, and is gag-reflex inducing, it’s quite harmless. And funny in the most toxicly crude way. Let’s hope we can open enough windows before we start lighting matches. (14/365) I can't even http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_27_223_i_cant_even/ Fri, 27 Jan 2017 00:36:50 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_27_223_i_cant_even/ My first American election I remember/followed is the reelection of Bush Jr. It started with a lot of doubts on the legitimacy of the election. It gave us “pre-emptive strike”, warfare justified on lies, and Guantanamo bay. He was the vehicle for nihilism to project itself on the world. This is the baseline. Things seem very fucked to the baseline. I wish I could have a beer with him now. Seems like an amiable guy. Back to artisan http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_25_222_back_to_artisan/ Wed, 25 Jan 2017 23:45:44 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_25_222_back_to_artisan/ Finally, we have enough time to take care of the basics again. We can stop shaving with those disposable razors, and do it right. We can stop buying these ready made meals, broths, and marinades. It’s time to make our own. We can make our own clothes, we can make our own wallets, belts and buckles. We can throw away our smartphones, and focus on the here and now. We can go and live in the country, away from the radio waves Double apt nowadays http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_21_218_double_apt_nowadays/ Sat, 21 Jan 2017 23:10:31 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_21_218_double_apt_nowadays/ “Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles.” George Jean Nathan. (11/365) Relative perceptive http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_21_220_relative_perceptive/ Sat, 21 Jan 2017 02:59:56 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_21_220_relative_perceptive/ As we saw before, colour can be hard to call out. The colour was a dark version of “plum jam”. I only figured this out by comparing the image with the Pantone catalogue. Because, once you start to look into it, colour is a total confusion. The colour I gave you for my hoodie doesn’t look like the colour I see right now. This is due to the environment lighting, and probably due to a lot of factors between my eyeball and my brain. The clown http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_20_215_the_clown/ Fri, 20 Jan 2017 00:30:24 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_20_215_the_clown/ I show up in a coffee bar, expecting to meet a local girl. And a couple of other. The others turn out to be a 2 Turkish men. Both fluent in Farsi. And interested both well versed and interested in the culture. 4 is always a nice number. The coffee is bad. The company is good. I’m wearing light green/camo trekking pants, a threadbare red t-shirt that I got from the salvation army. Another day, another triplet http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_17_217_another_day_another_triplet/ Tue, 17 Jan 2017 00:09:54 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_17_217_another_day_another_triplet/ Colour is weird. I take it for granted, as in, I don’t think about it at all most days. Even quite rarely when I’m working with it professionally. But you can’t avoid them forever. Today’s shocker comes from a sweater. This has nagged me all day. Because it ain’t purple. Can you guess what it is? Soon : the answer! (8/365) What is the mechanism of making friends? http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_14_216_what_is_the_mechanism_of_making_friends/ Sat, 14 Jan 2017 01:58:22 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_14_216_what_is_the_mechanism_of_making_friends/ I still don’t know how people decide do make friend. I’ve seen seen the obvious. I’ve met good friends sharing hobbies and interests. I’ve met good friends sharing ambitions. I’ve met good friend out of necessity. I’ve met friends by elimination. And, above all, I’ve met people by drawing a line through the sand, and finding ourselves on the same side of it. And I mean this as the reason to form the friendship, not to maintain it. Out there http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_12_214_out_there/ Thu, 12 Jan 2017 00:11:01 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_12_214_out_there/ I’m sorta committed to put something out there every day, for the entirety of 2017. No particular reason why, I stole it from someone on twitter. But it seemed like a good idea. Weirdly enough, forcing yourself to put something out often forces you to create something within. And I’m happy to say, not only am I already behind more days then I’ve completed, I’ve already counted low effort quote tweets as “one thing put out there”. Wishbone http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_08_213_wishbone/ Sun, 08 Jan 2017 13:04:01 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2017_01_08_213_wishbone/ Discussing with my father about one of the crossroads in his/our lives. In ‘91, he had to choose between staying in the US (we moved there about 2 years prior), or coming back to Belgium. The choice was pretty much made for him, due to some bad luck. We moved back, and I barely remember any of my time there. But it’s fun to wonder what would have happened if we stayed. Apple ballet massacre http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2015_04_04_211_apple_ballet_massacre/ Sat, 04 Apr 2015 21:35:10 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2015_04_04_211_apple_ballet_massacre/ We made a thing I’m proud of Apple, Ballet, Slaughter from El Marcel on Vimeo. Berlin (the infinite) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2015_03_30_210_berlin_the_infinite/ Mon, 30 Mar 2015 10:01:48 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2015_03_30_210_berlin_the_infinite/ Back in Berlin for a bit over a week. I’m realizing I’ve never really written a good text on this city, and would be hard pressed to do it now. A lot of things have changed here, but nothing truly new. There’s Zapatist coffee, and laughter yoga therapy. My friends are into banjo’s, Catalan folk songs, and the correct way to pronounce hummus. I’m feeling quite self-conscious about my cynicism, and wonder if it’s really a productive state to be in. Popeman http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2015_03_12_208_popeman/ Thu, 12 Mar 2015 00:36:41 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2015_03_12_208_popeman/ The pope pontificated everyone who doesn’t have/want children selfish. I spend a long time deciding to be indignant over AIDS, overpopulation or the moral compass of the catholic church. But we’re gonna keep it simle. Et tu, fucker? A couple of hours, tops http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2015_02_21_209_a_couple_of_hours_tops/ Sat, 21 Feb 2015 23:43:04 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2015_02_21_209_a_couple_of_hours_tops/ This is a story from a couple of years ago. I don’t quite remember the day or month, and it isn’t particularly relevant. There were a lot of people around the house, and even that isn’t particularly relevant. She was there. In the beginning, just as a lot of other people were there. But we got to talking. We talked small, in a small group, as you do. Probably over a couple of cheap, half liter beers. Medina (Morocco volume 1) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2014_08_18_207_medina_morocco_volume_1/ Mon, 18 Aug 2014 00:45:54 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2014_08_18_207_medina_morocco_volume_1/ I write Medina with a capital letter. It seems only fitting, as it is both principal and personal. When I arrived in Morocco, my first impressions were as faulty as my expectations. For 20 minutes we cruised leisurely past nondescript apartment blocks, neon, and old city walls. For one minute, one might imagine one has mistakenly taken a flight to a bad copy of Brussels. This impressions is quickly dispelled as one reaches the frontier of The Medina. Meanwhile, irl http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2014_01_31_206_meanwhile_irl/ Fri, 31 Jan 2014 19:34:23 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2014_01_31_206_meanwhile_irl/ Seems more then a year and a half since I updated this blog. Oh well. Life is… different. I’ve been firefighting the last months. Which is ok if it’s only work, or only private life. But it seems to be both at the moment. It’s interesting, and a good opportunity to learn, but boy, is it tiring. I don’t like the UK, and I might be turning Tory with age. Unwind http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_05_31_205_unwind/ Thu, 31 May 2012 21:50:42 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_05_31_205_unwind/ Back home after Nepal. The usual pictures and stories will have to wait until I have some logistics and backlog issues figured out. But it was good. Here’s the no-nonsense rundown. On the way there I was a bit anxious to be on the road again, as well as worrying about the fact that I was joining forces with a friend, something which I haven’t done in a long long while. Yeah, I know, it suprised me too http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_04_28_204_yeah_i_know_it_suprised_me_too/ Sat, 28 Apr 2012 07:46:09 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_04_28_204_yeah_i_know_it_suprised_me_too/ Thursday morning, slightly more than two weeks ago. I’ve just arrived in London for a conference, and while walking to the hotel my sleep deprived brain is jolted into overdrive. Something about this street, but what? Got to follow the colleagues, but what? And it hits me. I’ve been here before. I’ve been here before, exactly one year ago. Exact same street, exact same weather. I had just been rejected for a job teaching in Africa, after making it through to the final 24 out of more then a thousand candidates. Left and right http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_03_23_202_left_and_right/ Fri, 23 Mar 2012 01:08:14 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_03_23_202_left_and_right/ Drunk weekend before, new headphones today London in 3 weeks, Nepal for May Still no idea where this is heading but luckily, cool people almost everyday New flat on the weekend Mexican, Greek and me maybe a shave and a haircut doubtful, but let’s see No matter how old I become, I’m always surprised when spring comes, as if it’s not certain. Oh, BTW, this is actually important http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_02_24_203_oh_btw_this_is_actually_important/ Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:26:18 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_02_24_203_oh_btw_this_is_actually_important/ For everyone who has a GMail account (or some other Google service, but for the majority of you this will be GMail. Please visit www.google.com/history and enter your password. Also, best to do it now, don’t procrastinate. What you should see is a list of every single search you’ve done for a good couple of years, tied directly to you email account, hence also your full name. Probably best to delete this entire thing, as well as to kindly request G to stop tracking you in the future. BTW FYI http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_02_14_201_btw_fyi/ Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:22:22 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_02_14_201_btw_fyi/ I’m fine. I’m rushed, and slightly hunted, but I’m fine. There are many things I want to write about, but all of them will be half-hearted unless I put the time and effort in. Considering that I’m simultaneously being kicked out of my flat, being indignant about the Western/Israeli effort at staging a war against Iran, as well as planning a heroic escapist caper, please forgive me this post-it. As well as some other stuff emerging that I’m not supposed to talk about. Some strange things http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_01_28_198_some_strange_things/ Sat, 28 Jan 2012 02:40:15 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_01_28_198_some_strange_things/ in old Cockburn street BTW http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_01_23_200_btw/ Mon, 23 Jan 2012 23:39:10 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_01_23_200_btw/ I have my camera again. The same dirty, scratched one. The good ones go first http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_01_20_199_the_good_ones_go_first/ Fri, 20 Jan 2012 23:44:34 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_01_20_199_the_good_ones_go_first/ Today, the only thing that matters is that Etta James is no more And thanks to modern times, my links to her music broke. Ping me and I’ll burn you a CD. 2011: A retrospective http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_01_10_197_2011-_a_retrospective/ Tue, 10 Jan 2012 01:00:35 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2012_01_10_197_2011-_a_retrospective/ There’s a lot of things I can say about 2011, but, in all honesty, there’s very little I want to leave to posterity. There was one thing I did want to write about, but to my later amazement I discovered I was dead wrong. For about 15 minutes, I truly believe I didn’t fall in love at all last year. What was actually going on, is that I was loathe to admit that the only time I feel in love last year was with a woman that I’ve never met with person, that I only know from listening obsessively to the same couple of music records I found on some dusty corner of my hard drive. Edinburgh, pt 2 (the sun) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_12_18_195_edinburgh_pt_2_the_sun/ Sun, 18 Dec 2011 22:45:17 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_12_18_195_edinburgh_pt_2_the_sun/ Winter equinox is coming up. Edinbr’a will have an amazing 6 hours and 57 minutes of sun. I like being able to start work later, I get to see the sun in the morning even if it’s on my back. I try to sneak out for lunch late, so I can catch it again when it’s low. Today I spend the whole day outside, and realized the major problem isn’t that it’s so short, but that it almost never reaches you in the street, unless you’re lucky enough to walk a street in the right direction. Edinburgh, pt 1 (the letter) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_12_04_196_edinburgh_pt_1_the_letter/ Sun, 04 Dec 2011 03:01:34 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_12_04_196_edinburgh_pt_1_the_letter/ I’m moving to Edinburgh. And, in trademark style, I manage to put off the actual packing until it’s too late to make any better effort than the one needed for a half asses job, and I’m left with making one pass over my meager possessions, chucking everything that seems semi-useful into a well-designated corner. Frantic as I am, I resist the common temptation of perusing all the optimistically bought books, still unread from the day they claimed their place in the bookshelf. Oversight http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_11_04_194_oversight/ Fri, 04 Nov 2011 00:18:31 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_11_04_194_oversight/ Sometimes, I manage to overlook some very vital things. For example, I consider myself an amateur listener of soul music, but the very embodiment of that genre managed to fly completely over my head. Sam Cooke, in this instance with the extremely poignant “A change is gonna come”. I was born by the river in a little tent Oh and just like the river I been a runnin’ ever since It’s been a long, a long time coming but I know A change gon’ come oh yes it will It’s been too hard living but I’m afraid to die Cuz I don’t know what’s up there beyond the sky It’s been a long, a long time coming but I know A change gon’ come oh yes it willI go to the movie, and I go downtown Somebody keep tellin me “don’t hang around” It’s been a long, a long time coming, but i know A change gon’ come oh yes it willThen I go to my brother And I say “brother, help me please” But he winds up knocking me Back down on my knees There been times that I thought I wouldn’t last for long Now think I’m able to carry on It’s been a long, along time coming but I know A change gon’ come, oh yes it will Here comes Johnny http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_08_30_192_here_comes_johnny/ Tue, 30 Aug 2011 00:03:12 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_08_30_192_here_comes_johnny/ Today I’m exited to discovered Johnny Depp is, again, doing what he does best: playing Hunter Thompson. Expect a movie adaptation of the excellent novel “The Rum Diary” at the tail end of October. I’m exited for two reasons: because of Depp’s excellent performance portraying Thompson in Fear and Loathing (and, while you may think it’s a comical portrayal, it turns out that Thompson is actually exactly like that in real life). They don't make them like that anymore http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_07_28_193_they_dont_make_them_like_that_anymore/ Thu, 28 Jul 2011 01:47:25 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_07_28_193_they_dont_make_them_like_that_anymore/ Counterpoint http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_06_08_191_counterpoint/ Wed, 08 Jun 2011 22:48:13 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_06_08_191_counterpoint/ Slovenia http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_06_06_190_slovenia/ Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:43:24 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_06_06_190_slovenia/ Lake Bled. You were there http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_05_30_189_you_were_there/ Mon, 30 May 2011 02:13:13 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_05_30_189_you_were_there/ You were there. And not in a metaphorical way. Even though I couldn’t recognize your face in the dark, it was your voice speaking to me and it was your arms that were wrapped around my waist. From what I remember, we only talked. I don’t remember what we talked about, but it was way in which we talked that I clearly remember right now. The same way we talked only a handful of times. False start http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_05_21_187_false_start/ Sat, 21 May 2011 00:01:31 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_05_21_187_false_start/ Some sunny day in London, in the British Museum. A place I’ve heard a lot about and have wanted to visit for a while. All expenses paid. My shoes are killing me. They’re business shoes, I guess they’re supposed to. My mind isn’t here. It’s somewhere else, in a small conference room with cheap carpet. With a lingering, stuff smell of 20 perspiring maybes. Unfortunately, my feedback started with “Unfortunately”. Hence, it’s ironic I find myself here when I don’t want to be here. Friends, pt 3 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_04_15_188_friends_pt_3/ Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:18:01 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_04_15_188_friends_pt_3/ Today, I’m very proud to feature a story written by a Marta, a very erudite Catalan friend of mine, with whom I have never failed to have an enlightening conversations about literature. She’s also the first to coin the term “it probably takes more than a lifetime to understand”. Unfortunately, a translation is not yet available, but we’re working on it. Una ombra s’accosta / A shadow approaches La dona que s’ha passat dos dies llegint ja no sap distingir si el soroll que ha sentit era també dins del llibre i quan pensa ho fa en prosa perquè és una novel·la. Atheist holidays, pt 1 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_04_12_168_atheist_holidays_pt_1/ Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:32:25 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_04_12_168_atheist_holidays_pt_1/ Today is the 50th anniversary of one of the most important milestones of human ingenuity. Half a century ago, science had advanced to such a high degree, one courageous Russian decided it was safe to climb in a tiny tin can, and be literally shot all the way around the world. The flight took less than two hours, and the pilot landed safely in the country side. The peasants were understandably a bit surprised to see a bright orange clad man parachute down into their potato field. We will all live here in the future http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_03_31_186_we_will_all_live_here_in_the_future/ Thu, 31 Mar 2011 19:05:46 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_03_31_186_we_will_all_live_here_in_the_future/ Errata http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_03_28_185_errata/ Mon, 28 Mar 2011 01:11:00 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_03_28_185_errata/ Finally found a picture of Belgrade worth posting Serendipity pt 2 (128 + 1) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_03_25_183_serendipity_pt_2_128_+_1/ Fri, 25 Mar 2011 01:35:06 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_03_25_183_serendipity_pt_2_128_+_1/ A follow up to part one, which you can find here.She looks around the bar, not sure how to compose herself. All the other people in the bar assume she’s waiting for some one else to arrive. Perhaps feeling a bit sorry for her, as she’s been there for an hour already. And she doesn’t look like the kind of woman you would want to miss an appointment with. But they’re dead wrong. Gender confusion http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_03_12_182_gender_confusion/ Sat, 12 Mar 2011 13:25:02 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_03_12_182_gender_confusion/ I was very surprised today to browse through the winner’s of Transistion Abroad’s narrative travel writing contest. Apparently, there’s a woman (scoring third place) who has been leading a very similar life to mine. Good for her. On the Sunny Side of the Street http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_03_06_184_on_the_sunny_side_of_the_street/ Sun, 06 Mar 2011 22:02:10 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_03_06_184_on_the_sunny_side_of_the_street/ Grab your coat and get your hat Leave your worry on the doorstep Just direct your feet To the sunny side of the street A short history of civilization in 10 concepts http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_02_23_167_a_short_history_of_civilization_in_10_concepts/ Wed, 23 Feb 2011 20:19:50 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_02_23_167_a_short_history_of_civilization_in_10_concepts/ spears agriculture soap gunpowder colonies dishwashers contraceptives computers terrorism WikiLeaks 25th Bahman 1389 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_02_17_2_25th_bahman_1389/ Thu, 17 Feb 2011 03:05:23 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_02_17_2_25th_bahman_1389/ As you might have noticed, lately things are burning in the Middle East. And while the events in Egypt and Tunisia are historical, and the events in Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan and Algeria are worth following up, today I want to talk about only the country of which I can tell you something new. I’m speaking, of course, about Iran. And I want to highlight the difference between the protests that are happening right now, and the protests of last year. Nesfe Jahan, pt 84 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_02_01_181_nesfe_jahan_pt_84/ Tue, 01 Feb 2011 21:31:18 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_02_01_181_nesfe_jahan_pt_84/ I asked him the way to the Iranian embassy. He went ten minutes out of his way and paid my bus ticket. Erzurum, Turkey. Nesfe Jahan, pt 83 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_31_180_nesfe_jahan_pt_83/ Mon, 31 Jan 2011 21:29:28 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_31_180_nesfe_jahan_pt_83/ Maranjab desert. Nesfe Jahan, pt 82 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_30_179_nesfe_jahan_pt_82/ Sun, 30 Jan 2011 21:26:40 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_30_179_nesfe_jahan_pt_82/ They look innocent, until you get them in a classroom. Guclukonak. Nesfe Jahan, pt 81 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_29_178_nesfe_jahan_pt_81/ Sat, 29 Jan 2011 21:24:53 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_29_178_nesfe_jahan_pt_81/ Turkish and Kurdish teachers, Guclukonak, Sirnak province. Can you guess which is which? Nesfe Jahan, pt 80 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_28_177_nesfe_jahan_pt_80/ Fri, 28 Jan 2011 21:22:53 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_28_177_nesfe_jahan_pt_80/ Donkeys. Of course. Nesfe Jahan, pt 79 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_27_176_nesfe_jahan_pt_79/ Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:20:44 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_27_176_nesfe_jahan_pt_79/ My mountaineering friend. Gilan province, Iran. Nesfe Jahan, pt 78 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_26_175_nesfe_jahan_pt_78/ Wed, 26 Jan 2011 21:18:09 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_26_175_nesfe_jahan_pt_78/ In Iran, there’s a thin line between tea shops and unemployment offices. Estimates range between 20 and 40 percent. Estimates, because, just as inflation, the official numbers are heavily fudged. Nesfe Jahan, pt 77 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_25_174_nesfe_jahan_pt_77/ Tue, 25 Jan 2011 21:15:08 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_25_174_nesfe_jahan_pt_77/ Nomads, always a favourite. East of Turkey. Nesfe Jahan, pt 76 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_24_173_nesfe_jahan_pt_76/ Mon, 24 Jan 2011 21:13:06 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_24_173_nesfe_jahan_pt_76/ Deep South East of Turkey, abandoned village Clarification on the NPT http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_23_1_clarification_on_the_npt/ Sun, 23 Jan 2011 12:26:32 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_23_1_clarification_on_the_npt/ In the light of the nuclear talks with Iran breaking down, a short summary on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Agremeent, or NPT for short. Non-proliferation, aka no new weapons for countries that don’t have them already.* Disarmament, aka no new weapons and destruction of old ones for countries that do have them.* The right to use nuclear energy for peaceful programs, as well as the right for international assistance for the program. Chess http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_21_172_chess/ Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:47:36 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_21_172_chess/ Chess in French : “Échecs” Failure: “Échec” It’s unclear which came first. The object of the game is probably to fuck up less than your opponent. Hitchhiking / Paris888 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_20_171_hitchhiking__paris888/ Thu, 20 Jan 2011 15:32:28 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_20_171_hitchhiking__paris888/ I just noticed my friend’s documentary on hitchhiking is online. In my opinion it’s excellent, but of course I’m biased due to the empathy I feel with the characters. If you’re a hitchhiker, this is mandatory material (watch out for the scene where Pascal tries to flag down twenty cars in a row, and waits until the exact moment the last car passes to express his frustration). For you who haven’t hitched before, this is rare opportunity to see what the experience tends to be like. Gandhi http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_20_3_gandhi/ Thu, 20 Jan 2011 00:38:54 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_20_3_gandhi/ I read the autobiography of Gandhi, “The Story of My Experiments with the Truth” a couple of weeks ago. It’s not an entire retrospective, it only covers the story until 1920. But it’s written by him, and it’s a very interesting document that permits us to get into his mind, rather than to try and interpret him from his famous actions, and his portrayal in films. At a certain point, Gandhi’s young son is sick to the point of being in mortal danger, and the doctor recommends the child eats beef broth to get up to strength. The webdesign blues http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_16_170_the_webdesign_blues/ Sun, 16 Jan 2011 21:46:11 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_16_170_the_webdesign_blues/ Going through some updates for the website. Everything looks fine and dandy for most of you, but I’m afraid internet explorer users are going to have to suffer for a while longer. Honestly, you’ve been suffering for a while anyway. I don’t feel like going into the details, but in a way you’re supporting the regime of a rogue state that chooses to defy international agreements. And violate basic human rights. Refinement http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_12_166_refinement/ Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:50:43 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2011_01_12_166_refinement/ Berlin, yet again. An old man with his arm shoulderdeep into a glass recycle bin. There’s money for those committed enough to fish it out. At the bin next to him, a posh looking woman tries to hide a nasty habit. The snow is gone, but the gravel used to cover the sidewalks is still everywhere. I visit friends, so I mainly walk the old neighbourhoods. Filthy battleship-grey apartment blocks, random collections of dumped trash. Nesfe Jahan, pt 75 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_28_165_nesfe_jahan_pt_75/ Tue, 28 Dec 2010 16:03:50 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_28_165_nesfe_jahan_pt_75/ Lake Ochrid, FYROM Nesfe Jahan, pt 74 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_25_164_nesfe_jahan_pt_74/ Sat, 25 Dec 2010 04:00:03 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_25_164_nesfe_jahan_pt_74/ 2 am on some expressway in Tehran. The streets are deserted, even though it’s the first evening of the weekend. Nothing new though. The social gathering happens, as unusual for a small percentage of the people behind a closed door. But not for me. Tonight, I’m leaving Tehran, Iran, and probably the life I’ve been living the last months. I said my goodbyes to the handful of people here that have become very close to me. Nesfe Jahan, pt 73 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_22_163_nesfe_jahan_pt_73/ Wed, 22 Dec 2010 12:38:38 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_22_163_nesfe_jahan_pt_73/ 100 kilometers south of Shiraz, 25 degrees. Me and my friend A travel to the nomads who ferry between Esfehan in here. There is no question about them hosting us for the night, and giving us food. Fresh from the goat’s teat. When I ask one man if he has some cigarettes, since mine are done, he disappears for an hour. When he’s back, he wordlessly hands me an expensive pack, still unopened. Nesfe Jahan, pt 72 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_19_162_nesfe_jahan_pt_72/ Sun, 19 Dec 2010 07:04:57 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_19_162_nesfe_jahan_pt_72/ Why I’m only paying what we agreed on? Well, first of all, you had to come from out of Shiraz, so it doesn’t matter where you picked me up from. Likewise, I know the place you’re going to drop me off is just as far as the bus station, and I’m sure you can find a fare here, as it’s the tourist center. I don’t agree with you that you had to wait a long time, I know you go to Persepolis all the time with tourists, and most of them stay longer than I did. Nesfe Jahan, pt 71 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_12_161_nesfe_jahan_pt_71/ Sun, 12 Dec 2010 13:44:45 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_12_161_nesfe_jahan_pt_71/ Esfehan, again. Not me, the story. I’m in Shiraz tomorrow. A scramble to get to another mosque before sunset turns into another anthropology field day. The poor side of town. Busy, dusty streets. Five people to the motorcycle. Long shadows hiding the border between woman and road. The loud cackle of the live poultry market. Five tiny shops form the mirror district. I’m so out of place here, people finally start to harrass and make fun of me again. Nesfe Jahan, pt 70 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_10_160_nesfe_jahan_pt_70/ Fri, 10 Dec 2010 13:30:30 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_10_160_nesfe_jahan_pt_70/ If you’re wondering why there aren’t any pictures of Tehran, let me satisfy your curiosity. Nesfe Jahan, pt 69 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_09_159_nesfe_jahan_pt_69/ Thu, 09 Dec 2010 12:49:11 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_09_159_nesfe_jahan_pt_69/ One more experience to add to the pile. I got sick here right after eating the infamous fesenjoon. With the hilarious consequence of having walnut pieces stuck in my orifices, and the less funny consequence of being stuck here for another couple of days. Nothing serious though. A lot of time spend looking at a pile of memories. Wondering what to do with enough pictures to wallpaper a decent size apartment. Nesfe Jahan, pt 68 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_07_158_nesfe_jahan_pt_68/ Tue, 07 Dec 2010 09:59:18 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_07_158_nesfe_jahan_pt_68/ Late afternoon on a residential street in Eastern Tehran. A man tidies up the uncovered hair of his young daughter. A twinkling reflection on a motorcycle windshield, a businessman with a suitcase hitching a ride on back. An intense and confused look from inside a chador. The smell of roasted beet from a cart. Random conversations on the subway, every single time. Autumn in Tehran. The gleaming rooftops at sundown. Sometimes, it lift you up when you are down. Nesfe Jahan, pt 67 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_06_157_nesfe_jahan_pt_67/ Mon, 06 Dec 2010 13:18:23 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_06_157_nesfe_jahan_pt_67/ “So, what do you think of Iran?” I think it’s West of Afghanistan and East of Turkey. Nesfe Jahan, pt 66 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_05_156_nesfe_jahan_pt_66/ Sun, 05 Dec 2010 13:00:34 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_05_156_nesfe_jahan_pt_66/ Tehran, still. I’m starting to love my hate for this place. My excuse this time is a duo of bike bums, friends of friends when I figured out they were close, but now friends. Crazy enough to bike Chalus-Tehran. At a certain point, some weeks ago, I figured things were stable. That I’ve had all the types of experiences I could have had. Comfortable with road trips, new cities, inter-cultural communication and collisions. Nesfe Jahan, pt 65 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_04_155_nesfe_jahan_pt_65/ Sat, 04 Dec 2010 12:59:26 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_12_04_155_nesfe_jahan_pt_65/ Somewhere in Tehran. A brother’s apartment, who working in Germany for a couple of months now. Still, rent is paid every month. Iranians really like their country. An ideal place to bring an illicit girlfriend, there’s no security guard at the entrance. Or to host a stray backpacker you found somewhere.Editing pictures of a road trip in the desert with two student friends. A car with bad, modern hip-hop blaring. Reckless driving for entertainment. Nesfe Jahan, pt 64 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_29_154_nesfe_jahan_pt_64/ Mon, 29 Nov 2010 12:22:31 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_29_154_nesfe_jahan_pt_64/ The observant readers amongst you might have noticed I don’t write any names in full anymore, nor do I post a lot of pictures of people close to me. The reason for this is, despite my many discourses defending anonymity on the internet, I kind of made a booboo when I switched my blog to this space. While this is absolutely no problem for me now, it might become a problem if I want to get a visa for this country again. Nesfe Jahan, pt 63 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_28_153_nesfe_jahan_pt_63/ Sun, 28 Nov 2010 11:18:37 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_28_153_nesfe_jahan_pt_63/ “The world is round” Message from the first Iranian satellite. “Filternet” Local name for the Internet. By default, Facebook, Myspace, Youtube, Flickr, Skype, Linkedin, Twitter, Livejournal, and about every single login page for a blog is censored here in Iran. As well as any page that contains the word for certain parts of your body. But, as always, it’s a 5 minute fix if you know how. But it’s why I can’t post so easy here, I need internet in someone’s home, which is not so cheap here due to low salaries. Nesfe Jahan, pt 62 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_27_152_nesfe_jahan_pt_62/ Sat, 27 Nov 2010 11:18:11 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_27_152_nesfe_jahan_pt_62/ A quick snapshot from the road. Just arrived back to Esfehan, after road-tripping in another desert with the friend that picked me up in the first desert, and one of his allies. But this is now, and many things have happened before that have not found a home yet in this blog. They have been edited and digitalized, but they are currently residing in Tehran, and I have to go back there anyway to pick up my shiny new visa for the coming weeks. Nesfe Jahan, pt 61 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_26_151_nesfe_jahan_pt_61/ Fri, 26 Nov 2010 14:45:44 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_26_151_nesfe_jahan_pt_61/ Hasankeyf. The time to go would be now. Nesfe Jahan, pt 60 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_25_150_nesfe_jahan_pt_60/ Thu, 25 Nov 2010 15:23:49 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_25_150_nesfe_jahan_pt_60/ Malatya, Eastern turkey. Just a stop on my hitch to Erzurum. But I explore a little bit looking for lunch. I ask two old guys in shalvar (baggy Kurdish pants, my new favorite). They insist on walking half an hour with me, towards the good place. I’m disappointed when I discover it’s kabob again. But it’s smack in the middle of the iron monger’s district. Everywhere there is loud banging, the sounds of mending and welding. Nesfe Jahan, pt 59 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_24_149_nesfe_jahan_pt_59/ Wed, 24 Nov 2010 15:17:46 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_24_149_nesfe_jahan_pt_59/ Capadoccia. Of course. Nesfe Jahan, pt 58 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_23_148_nesfe_jahan_pt_58/ Tue, 23 Nov 2010 15:12:45 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_23_148_nesfe_jahan_pt_58/ My first days in FYROM, I couldn’t understand why the Greeks could be so pissed at them, the name of their country, and their old flag. The country is poor and backwards. they need all the help they can get. And then I saw their old flag, spray-painted on the main train station in Skopje. Wouldn’t you feel slightly uneasy, knowing a part of your country is on another country’s flag? Nesfe Jahan, pt 57 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_22_147_nesfe_jahan_pt_57/ Mon, 22 Nov 2010 15:07:05 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_22_147_nesfe_jahan_pt_57/ A two hour ride to Cize, Turkey. A stone’s throw from the Syrian border. The driver interrupts me brusquely when I try some Turkish words. He really doesn’t like Turkish. Instead, he calls his daughter who speaks passable English. When I get her on the line, she is laughing hard. She tells me her mothers says I’m very handsome. Her mother is wearing a hijab in the Cizre style, where the mouthpiece is not black, but an eerie translucent white, showing only silhouettes of the facial features. Nesfe Jahan, pt 56 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_21_146_nesfe_jahan_pt_56/ Sun, 21 Nov 2010 15:02:19 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_21_146_nesfe_jahan_pt_56/ Budapest. A pretty (useless) picture. Nesfe Jahan, pt 55 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_20_145_nesfe_jahan_pt_55/ Sat, 20 Nov 2010 14:57:00 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_20_145_nesfe_jahan_pt_55/ Lake Ohrid, Macedonia. It’s amazing what you can do with a group of like minded individuals. Getting terribly lost in the middle of the night, for example. Or just waste time in the sun. Nesfe Jahan, pt 54 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_19_144_nesfe_jahan_pt_54/ Fri, 19 Nov 2010 14:51:39 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_19_144_nesfe_jahan_pt_54/ Hasankeyf. Sometimes, I do get out of bed early. Most of the times I can’t be bothered though. Nesfe Jahan, pt 53 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_18_143_nesfe_jahan_pt_53/ Thu, 18 Nov 2010 19:45:53 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_18_143_nesfe_jahan_pt_53/ Kashan. A medium city between Tehran and Esfehan, smack next to the Maranjab desert. The first place in Iran I don’t manage to find a host on hospitality exchange, even though I asked 24 hours before. But I manage to haggle the hotel for forty percent. Somehow, my dirty backpack and clothes are quite convincing. The city itself is mildly interesting. The hamman in the bazaar has tiny basins to wash, there is only one designated place to submerge yourself in. Nesfe Jahan, pt 52 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_17_142_nesfe_jahan_pt_52/ Wed, 17 Nov 2010 14:35:19 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_17_142_nesfe_jahan_pt_52/ We arrive to Tehran, and I’m immediately reminded why I hate big cities. It takes me an hour to not find the subway station, and I look so confused I get a free lift on a motorcycle. Another mad ride. Here, everyone drives like a cab driver, and the cab drivers… well… they’re more expensive here, risk compensation I guess. Still not easy to find a decent restaurant, still not easy to find cheap tea places. Nesfe Jahan, pt 51 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_16_141_nesfe_jahan_pt_51/ Tue, 16 Nov 2010 14:34:00 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_16_141_nesfe_jahan_pt_51/ Shah Alborz in Alamout valley, and the long, muddy road to Pichebon. Nesfe Jahan, pt 50 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_15_140_nesfe_jahan_pt_50/ Mon, 15 Nov 2010 14:20:02 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_15_140_nesfe_jahan_pt_50/ Next stop : Qazvin. If you look it up, it will probably tell you it was a captial of the Safavid monarchy for a blink of an eye, and a couple of sites. But this is not why you go to Qazvin. You go there to visit the Alborz mountains, at it’s most interesting and stunning. Which is exactly what I do. I’m going to the Valley of the Assassins (tm). Nesfe Jahan, pt 49 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_14_139_nesfe_jahan_pt_49/ Sun, 14 Nov 2010 13:31:49 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_14_139_nesfe_jahan_pt_49/ Qajar palace, Tabriz. Revolution in 1979 happened for many reasons. One of them, leveraged by powerful leaders, is that Qajar shahs were very rich. And the people very poor. Very beautiful place though. Nesfe Jahan, pt 48 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_13_138_nesfe_jahan_pt_48/ Sat, 13 Nov 2010 13:30:06 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_13_138_nesfe_jahan_pt_48/ I’m the only tourist on the minibus to the Iranian border. There is only one other man who speaks English. Unfortunately. It turns out he’s loud, obnoxious, and a terrible listener who can’t even give a straight answer to a direct question. Sigh. After hitchhiking, I feel that paying for a ride should give me the right to be left alone. But no such luck. As we walk to customs, he asks me if I know any farsi, and I reply with “salaam”, glad that after 30 minutes he shows the slimmest interest in something else than himself. Nesfe Jahan, pt 47 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_05_137_nesfe_jahan_pt_47/ Fri, 05 Nov 2010 18:59:02 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_11_05_137_nesfe_jahan_pt_47/ I apologize for the lack of updates, but apparently, here in Iran, I am experiencing some “technical difficulties” in accessing my blog. And even more sharing my pictures So, unfortunately, it will be harder for me to keep everyone as up to date as I managed to do during my time in Turkey. Rest assured that I am having an incredible time here. I have been in a tiny, isolated hamlet in the snow, I have seen the lush forested hills of Gilan. Nesfe Jahan, pt 46 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_31_136_nesfe_jahan_pt_46/ Sun, 31 Oct 2010 05:48:21 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_31_136_nesfe_jahan_pt_46/ Capadoccia. Objects may appear larger than they are. Nesfe Jahan, pt 45 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_30_135_nesfe_jahan_pt_45/ Sat, 30 Oct 2010 12:46:34 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_30_135_nesfe_jahan_pt_45/ I make it to Van with no problems whatsoever. The famous lake here, Van Golu, fails to impress me (not that I made an effort), and the next day the guidebook hint of breakfast was just a rip off. The whole city is under siege, it’s republic day. A waste if a perfectly good school day, if you ask me. I get stopped by white-gloved parade police three times and have to empty my backpack. Nesfe Jahan, pt 44 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_29_134_nesfe_jahan_pt_44/ Fri, 29 Oct 2010 05:56:33 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_29_134_nesfe_jahan_pt_44/ Capadoccia. Nesfe Jahan, pt 43 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_28_133_nesfe_jahan_pt_43/ Thu, 28 Oct 2010 03:31:56 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_28_133_nesfe_jahan_pt_43/ Final day here. When I come down the stairs, I do a double take. The manager is there, standing straight as an arrow. Hand extended in Nazi salute, two fingers under his nose. I lose it, shout “WHAT THE FUCK???!!” before I’m myself again. He breaks out laughing, stroking my shoulder, pantomiming eyes, beard, and hair. “Hitler!”. I run into the cafeteria, quickly grabbing the nearest passable English speaker I can find. Nesfe Jahan, pt 42 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_27_132_nesfe_jahan_pt_42/ Wed, 27 Oct 2010 08:00:59 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_27_132_nesfe_jahan_pt_42/ Today I was a teacher in Guclukonak itself. And it’s way better. Here, it’s the big village. 6000 people instead of 800. It’s a world of difference. Most kids are actually in class to learn, and I’m better now too. We do Hello/Thank you/Please in 6 languages, English number’s till a billion. Actually, the school here could be in Belgium. Overcrowded classes because of a lack of teachers, but we have that at home too. Nesfe Jahan, pt 41 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_26_131_nesfe_jahan_pt_41/ Tue, 26 Oct 2010 08:00:39 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_26_131_nesfe_jahan_pt_41/ Reporting live from Guclukonak The next day I wake up after a long comatose sleep. It’s Sunday, and I’m happy I don’t have to face the kids yet. I still need some time to get used to the direct environment, before I become the tourist attraction for a hundred 10 year olds. A local teacher takes us for a small tour of the village. We stop for a moment at what he calls the “old village”. Nesfe Jahan, pt 40 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_25_130_nesfe_jahan_pt_40/ Mon, 25 Oct 2010 03:55:08 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_25_130_nesfe_jahan_pt_40/ Dear reader. Sometimes I get it wrong. I try to blog punctually and keep you up to date on my experiences, moods and current location. I leave out certain facts, to highlight others. What you read here will never be my direct experience, and I think it’s the nature of all writing that it is never like this. It’s also, and probably much more, the end product of many hours of contemplation. Nesfe Jahan, pt 39 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_24_129_nesfe_jahan_pt_39/ Sun, 24 Oct 2010 20:18:56 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_24_129_nesfe_jahan_pt_39/ Shot from the terrace of the Istanbul Modern Nesfe Jahan, pt 38 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_23_128_nesfe_jahan_pt_38/ Sat, 23 Oct 2010 12:00:39 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_23_128_nesfe_jahan_pt_38/ The day I get my visa is the day I know I’m leaving Erzurum. I’ve learned the things I needed to learn there, and I’m dying to make the most of my most essential resource here: time. Even on my way to the highway, I’m torn in two. I know I can easily extend my visa for Iran in the country, and that I really should be there now. But I also know there is a reason to stay for just a bit longer: Hasankeyf. Nesfe Jahan, pt 37 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_22_127_nesfe_jahan_pt_37/ Fri, 22 Oct 2010 05:52:59 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_22_127_nesfe_jahan_pt_37/ Hiking in FYROM, with the intention of catching a ride for part of the 80km. Even the orthodox priest with an empty car didn’t pick us up. Nesfe Jahan, pt 36 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_21_126_nesfe_jahan_pt_36/ Thu, 21 Oct 2010 05:50:59 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_21_126_nesfe_jahan_pt_36/ Budapest. Tomb of Gul Baba, Turkish poet. My real first hint of Islam. Nesfe Jahan, pt 35 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_20_125_nesfe_jahan_pt_35/ Wed, 20 Oct 2010 12:00:05 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_20_125_nesfe_jahan_pt_35/ Needless to say this means a lot to me. But that is probably only in a week or two, if I manage to restrain myself. First, I would like to visit Hasankeyf, a unique and beautiful village that will disappear because of the GAP project in three years time. It’s Turkey’s Three Gorges Dam. I’m well prepared to go. But also that is the future. Now, I have to spend my last night with the people I have spend the last 4 days, quite intensively. Nesfe Jahan, pt 34 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_19_124_nesfe_jahan_pt_34/ Tue, 19 Oct 2010 05:42:30 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_19_124_nesfe_jahan_pt_34/ Nesfe Jahan, pt 33 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_18_123_nesfe_jahan_pt_33/ Mon, 18 Oct 2010 20:26:26 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_18_123_nesfe_jahan_pt_33/ Posting pictures of Capadoccia will be harder than the others. The right sequence and timing. Conveying the utter lack of time, the feel of elemental forces, the alien strangeness Nesfe Jahan, pt 32 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_17_122_nesfe_jahan_pt_32/ Sun, 17 Oct 2010 08:57:55 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_17_122_nesfe_jahan_pt_32/ Tuesday I left Adana behind me to go and visit Nemrut mountain. Open any guidebook on Turkey and it’s in their top ten. On the summit, some great megalomaniac Hittitiet king ordered the construction of huge statues. Since it’s a volcanic mountain, most of the heads have fallen off due to tectonic activity, and everyone recommends to visit the site at sundown or sunrise, when it’s eerie. But hey, I have all the time in the world, right? Nesfe Jahan, pt 31 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_16_121_nesfe_jahan_pt_31/ Sat, 16 Oct 2010 16:00:39 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_16_121_nesfe_jahan_pt_31/ Adana. Big. Mostly suburban sprawls of generic apartment block +- 5 stories tall, the kind you can see everywhere in Greece, South of Italy and probably Spain. Also ugly. The picture doesn’t do it justice, it’s more uniform and bland than that most of the time But a great base for me, with a hitchhikster who gives me perfect hospitality. And a great story for the ongoing series of “real things that happen to me that I embellish and turn into fiction”. Water http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_15_120_water/ Fri, 15 Oct 2010 02:00:03 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_15_120_water/ A little change of scenery here. I’m participation in the Blog Action Day 2010. Which means I’ll write about water. Like the thimblefull of tapwater my friend F drank in Beijing, rendering him incapable of leaving the toilet for 2 hours. Like the fountain in Skopje I talked about recently, connecting me to a local community for four hours. As well as giving them a communal meeting point for many years. Nesfe Jahan, pt 30 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_15_119_nesfe_jahan_pt_30/ Fri, 15 Oct 2010 01:00:07 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_15_119_nesfe_jahan_pt_30/ Antep. We get dropped off at the toll booth right in front of the city. The only reason we’re stopping there is because the baklava is supposedly legendary, and… well, it’s the best baklava in the world. So sue me for being uninformed. While we are walking up to the booth, I flash my sign at the first car to wait, and he immediately waves us inside of his car, and inside of Turkish hospitality. Nesfe Jahan, pt 29 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_14_118_nesfe_jahan_pt_29/ Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:33:54 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_14_118_nesfe_jahan_pt_29/ Urfa Our driver’s name is called Said. His smile flashes a golden tooth or two. Everything I read turns out to be true. Urfa is Arabic, Kurdish, and Turkish. You can see Syria from here. It’s also an extremely important place for a couple of major religions, as it’s the birthplace of Abraham. I drank water from his cave. It’s a crazy place, truly very different from everything I’ve so far. Nesfe Jahan, pt 28 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_13_117_nesfe_jahan_pt_28/ Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:29:40 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_13_117_nesfe_jahan_pt_28/ Capadoccia. Oh my God, Capadoccia. Oh your God too. Really. The minute you arrive. You’ll notice from the truck/bus that the landscape changes every 5 minutes. And that you’re still a way from ground zero of the beauty, Goreme national park. Green vallies, dry hills, lunar scenes, rock churches, houses, castles, everything. And not that far from each other. Cheap accommodation. Easy hitchhiking. One village has more tourists then population, 5 km further I see a big woman working the field while her man sits on the donkey observing. Nesfe Jahan, pt 27 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_12_116_nesfe_jahan_pt_27/ Tue, 12 Oct 2010 12:09:25 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_12_116_nesfe_jahan_pt_27/ Istanbul. I’m hosted by Trevor, old time partner from the Berlin/Roskilde crowd. And as soon as we meet up that first night, we paint the town red. Haggling over fish sandwiches, quipping with touts, random walk. He lives in a residential area a stone’s throw from the busiest and most infamous shopping street of Istiklal. Well, truth to be told, you’ll have to throw your stone pretty high. The tiny streets all have inclines of more than 10 percent. Nesfe Jahan, pt 26 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_11_115_nesfe_jahan_pt_26/ Mon, 11 Oct 2010 12:08:42 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_11_115_nesfe_jahan_pt_26/ Just some quick updates until I have more time for something more meaty. Since I left Capadoccia, I’ve been in Adana, as well as wandering around the Western part of the border between Syria and Turkey. 32 degrees and scorching. I’m mostly coming back to Adana as I’m very comfortably hosted by a fellow hitchhikster from Slovenia, Simona. She’s a turkophile, and I’m starting to understand that’s not the worst thing that can happen to someone. Nesfe Jahan, pt 25 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_05_114_nesfe_jahan_pt_25/ Tue, 05 Oct 2010 22:21:43 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_05_114_nesfe_jahan_pt_25/ I’m still happily hitchhiking in Turkey. Somehow, there are much more telephone numbers and tea to go around than in Europe. Oh, and tractors. Nesfe Jahan, pt 24 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_04_113_nesfe_jahan_pt_24/ Mon, 04 Oct 2010 21:42:03 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_10_04_113_nesfe_jahan_pt_24/ Actual traveling has been getting in the way of my blogging. As well as some minor technical hiccups I can’t seem to find time for. Probably the way it should be. It’s not for lack of inspiration though. Istanbul has been a tough city, that managed to make me rethink it just 2 days before I left it. But I want to go to sleep now. So I can only post a picture of Hassan to give you an idea. Nesfe Jahan, pt 23 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_24_111_nesfe_jahan_pt_23/ Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:05:17 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_24_111_nesfe_jahan_pt_23/ Skopje, FYROM, 2nd day. Yesterday, dodgy phone connections, Macedonian independance day and the difficulties of transport between here and Greece keep me in the city. Today, I realize it’s end of Ramadan, and things don’t look any better. I tried my luck yesterday to find a cheap place to sleep, but the only person on Couchsurfing that replies has more than enough problems handling his drunk father to also be a good host for me. Nesfe Jahan, pt 22 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_23_110_nesfe_jahan_pt_22/ Thu, 23 Sep 2010 14:58:02 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_23_110_nesfe_jahan_pt_22/ Somewhere between Lake Ohrid and Lake Prespa Nesfe Jahan, pt 21 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_22_109_nesfe_jahan_pt_21/ Wed, 22 Sep 2010 14:50:53 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_22_109_nesfe_jahan_pt_21/ Close to Magdenburg. Hitchhiking, sunsets are bad news. Nesfe Jahan, pt 20 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_21_108_nesfe_jahan_pt_20/ Tue, 21 Sep 2010 14:46:58 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_21_108_nesfe_jahan_pt_20/ Lake Ochrid. The picture I missed first time around. Nesfe Jahan, pt 19 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_20_107_nesfe_jahan_pt_19/ Mon, 20 Sep 2010 14:10:07 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_20_107_nesfe_jahan_pt_19/ Istanbul. It’s not really like this. Most of the time. Nesfe Jahan, pt 18 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_17_106_nesfe_jahan_pt_18/ Fri, 17 Sep 2010 12:00:58 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_17_106_nesfe_jahan_pt_18/ “Hello my friend, where are you from?” “Belgium” “Parlez Francais ou Neerlandais? “Nederlands” “Goed goed! Welkom!” “Deutch?” “Ja, naturlich” “Farsi midunid harf bezzanid?” “Je kammi baladam” “Goder” “No hablas Espanol” “Yeah, me neither” Nesfe Jahan, pt 17 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_16_105_nesfe_jahan_pt_17/ Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:14:57 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_16_105_nesfe_jahan_pt_17/ Istanbul. The minute I arrive I wonder if I should take the next train out of here, or start to hunt for a room. Medium heat, high humidity, buckets of sweat. I’m here 24 hours now, and I’m having a ball. Surviving traffic and Turkish weddings. Nesfe Jahan, pt 16 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_13_104_nesfe_jahan_pt_16/ Mon, 13 Sep 2010 18:48:21 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_13_104_nesfe_jahan_pt_16/ Thessaloniki. So crowded and noisy I can barely hear myself talk. Expensive, and about 200 km west of where I was yesterday. Yes, I’m cursing myself for having come here. If you want to visit Greece, make sure you go to an island for the majority of your time. Tomorrow, the road to Istanbul. Greek hitchhiking is very bad, apparently worse than Spanish. I haven’t been very lucky the last 2 weeks. Nesfe Jahan, pt 15 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_13_103_nesfe_jahan_pt_15/ Mon, 13 Sep 2010 00:39:08 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_13_103_nesfe_jahan_pt_15/ Memories of Lake Ochrid, FYROM. Nesfe Jahan, pt 14 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_11_102_nesfe_jahan_pt_14/ Sat, 11 Sep 2010 12:46:40 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_11_102_nesfe_jahan_pt_14/ Xanthi city festival. A great opener on the main stage, we crawl onto a fence and enjoy an eclectic mix of traditional and contemporary Greek music. A white bell tower on the background, and even further some houses build on an impossibly steep hill. Random gusts of wind help blow away the sweat and dust. An hour later we’re listening to juvenile rock provided by “the Skooligans”. They’re playing Skape, and a bunch of other styles I missed due to the blues. Nesfe Jahan, pt 13 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_11_101_nesfe_jahan_pt_13/ Sat, 11 Sep 2010 02:48:29 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_11_101_nesfe_jahan_pt_13/ Xanthi, after Thessaloniki, after Skopje. Many things to tell, but not right now due to sheer exhaustion. And culture shock. I think going from FYROM to Greece is a much larger difference than going from Budapest to Belgrade, or Montenegro to Albania. Anyway, I can write this much clearer and better tomorrow. Today, all that is left to do is blissful sleep. Out of style http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_09_100_out_of_style/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 12:00:57 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_09_100_out_of_style/ but just a straight link to a very well written opinion on the Muslim centre in downtown NYC. Nesfe Jahan, pt 12 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_09_99_nesfe_jahan_pt_12/ Thu, 09 Sep 2010 00:08:09 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_09_99_nesfe_jahan_pt_12/ I’m in Skopje right now, after some bad hitchhiking from Ochrid. I’m even further from my destination, Xanthi, now, but I imagine more traffic passes this way and at least I got somewhere. Since it’s extraordinarily difficult for Macedonians to get a vise for Greece, the border could be a problem. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. It’s more or less 500 kilometers, so that’s ok. But Montenegro-Macedonia was the same, and that took 2 days. Nesfe Jahan, pt 11 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_04_98_nesfe_jahan_pt_11/ Sat, 04 Sep 2010 12:00:17 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_04_98_nesfe_jahan_pt_11/ The long road to Ohrid ** Macedonia Easy hitch from Bigova to the main road (I’m very hesitant to call it a highway). After that, an extremely gentle Montenegrin truck driver. The road is extremely twisty and steep (well, “black mountain”), no shoulder. But Zlatko stops now and then to let me take pictures in ease, and he even stops halfway for a beer! Great closer, because when he drops me off in the general area of the border, it’s the start of a new episode. Nesfe Jahan, pt 10 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_03_97_nesfe_jahan_pt_10/ Fri, 03 Sep 2010 11:49:05 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_03_97_nesfe_jahan_pt_10/ Today, on the road to somewhere on Lake Ochrid, FYROM. 3 days ago, trying to hitch Tivat to Bigovo, Montengro. A native picks me up. We have no shared language. Once in the car, I feel my pants, and realize I can’t feel my wallet. I cry “STOP!”. He nods sagely, and calmly continues on his way. I shout “STOP!!!!”. I shout “Arrete, merde”. I shout another 10 things that all come down to the same basic things. Nesfe Jahan, pt 9 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_02_96_nesfe_jahan_pt_9/ Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:48:59 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_09_02_96_nesfe_jahan_pt_9/ Ain’t got no time to take the fast train. I arrive to Tivat at four in the morning. I made the classical mistake of thinking I could catch some sleep on the bus. And then I push myself hard to arrive to my destination around 10 o’clock. I’m figuring out that I’m not that strong, but stubborn as hell. This place has no highways, but no sidewalks either. But these are not the important things. Lonely planet, Eurotrip edition http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_31_95_lonely_planet_eurotrip_edition/ Tue, 31 Aug 2010 12:00:59 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_31_95_lonely_planet_eurotrip_edition/ I’m thinking of making a proposal for a new Lonely Planet: Europe, the North American/Oceanic way. Everyone is invited to participate. Mainly, we try to affirm all the cliche’s. Prague as an excellent way to have a stop in Eastern Europe. Amsterdam covering 80 percent of the surface of the Netherlands. Bruges as the capital of Belgium. Overuse the term “run down charm”. Barcelona as a nice way to sample Spanish culture. Nesfe Jahan, pt 8 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_30_94_nesfe_jahan_pt_8/ Mon, 30 Aug 2010 13:35:54 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_30_94_nesfe_jahan_pt_8/ Well, actually I failed to hitch worse than ever before, for many scorching hours. The only upshot was that I didn’t get anywhere at all, so I was able to take a bus straight back into the city. And now, I’m hanging out in a bus station waiting to catch one to the Montenegrean coast. And frankly, I don’t give a damn. I did have a loose plan to hitch all the way (where? Nesfe Jahan, pt 7 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_30_93_nesfe_jahan_pt_7/ Mon, 30 Aug 2010 12:00:54 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_30_93_nesfe_jahan_pt_7/ I should be on the way South-Westish right now. At the time of writing I don’t know where or when. Memories of a road between Budapest and Belgrade. A border checkpoint in the middle of nowhere. A highway that simply ends. Single lane turn into 2, getting out of this place is an emergency so it’s allright. Not a mountain in sight for hours. A surprising amount of abandoned cars in the ditch. Nesfe jahan, pt 6 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_29_92_nesfe_jahan_pt_6/ Sun, 29 Aug 2010 12:00:15 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_29_92_nesfe_jahan_pt_6/ Belgrade. A walking city, mainly by virtue of it’s complete lack of subways. Run-down in a good way. Marseille without a sea. Cyrillic shenanigans. A smell of queer bashing hangs in the air. You can almost hear the concrete creak as it expands in the heat. A touch of recent bombing. A lot of walking. Cheap beer, and the art of making sandwiches. I think I really like Belgrade, but only time will tell. Nesfe Jahan, pt 6 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_28_91_nesfe_jahan_pt_6/ Sat, 28 Aug 2010 22:54:14 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_28_91_nesfe_jahan_pt_6/ Today, Belgrade. Monday, Adriatic coast. No idea where. Life is good. Nesfe Jahan, pt 5 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_26_90_nesfe_jahan_pt_5/ Thu, 26 Aug 2010 12:00:55 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_26_90_nesfe_jahan_pt_5/ As a counterpoint to the assault and battery experiences on the water recently, I indulged and spend about 4 hours in a Hungarian bath. Well, I spend about 4 hours in a Turkish bath in Hungary to be precise. After a couple of hours, all present worries are processed in your head. And you only have the easy choices to make in life. 18, 22, 32, 36 or 42 degrees? Steam bath or sauna? Nesfe Jahan, pt 4 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_25_89_nesfe_jahan_pt_4/ Wed, 25 Aug 2010 23:46:21 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_25_89_nesfe_jahan_pt_4/ I made it to Budapest faster than it would have taken by train. But this is not what matters. I was actually not what matters. I originally wanted to go to Pecs, in the south of Hungary. Perhaps in an attempt to avoid a capital city, perhaps because it’s description reminded me a lot of Leuven. But in the end, a combination of gas-station-missing snoozing and faulty navigation computers caused my Ukranian driver to take the most direct route East, straight through the city centre. Nesfe Jahan pt 3 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_23_88_nesfe_jahan_pt_3/ Mon, 23 Aug 2010 17:40:19 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_23_88_nesfe_jahan_pt_3/ I’m still in Prague, but I’m leaving tomorrow for Hungary. I don’t have any pictures to show, as I’ve mostly been hanging out with old and new friends, cooking, discussing and partying. We had a really nice crowd going, it’s as always amazing that it happens, and bad because it dissolves after a couple of days. The only real photo opportunity I had, canoeing on the Sazaka river slightly south of Praha. Nesfe Jahan pt 2 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_19_87_nesfe_jahan_pt_2/ Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:00:41 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_19_87_nesfe_jahan_pt_2/ Right now, somewhere between Berlin and Prague. EDIT: or Prague, actually. Despite a Czech truck driver who really tried hard to get me stuck for the night. Friends, pt 2 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_18_86_friends_pt_2/ Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:00:07 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_18_86_friends_pt_2/ I lived with Christina for several months in Berlin, and she has been a great friend. I’m still amazed that she could cope wtih me for so long. How to do the dishes properly (The German way) What you need: sponge (with one rough side for pots), soap; cloth Preparation: After using pots for cooking, fill them with hot water and soap immediately to make it easier later to clean them. Fireflies http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_17_85_fireflies/ Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:00:47 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_17_85_fireflies/ She smiled apologetically at me, indicating that my backpack doesn’t really need to occupy 2 seats on the metro, and, at the same time, that she regrets interrupting my light musical trance. And she’s right, it’s the first time in a couple of days I have the luxury of listening to my music, and I’m blissfully unaware of my surroundings, completely tuned in. I listen to Mohammad Reza Sajaranian, or more precisely his orchestra with one of his disciples singing a heartbreaking song about…. Friends, pt 1 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_16_84_friends_pt_1/ Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:00:10 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_16_84_friends_pt_1/ Today, I’m happy to show you the first post send to me by some of my friends. the author is Trevor, probably the only person I know who can be called a movement even when he’s alone. Enjoy. Italy, July, how we tramped away from the beach after nightfall, the eight of us, up a slight hill, past a hotel, descending carefully as our eyes adjusted to the starlight to a small clearing off a garbage-rife path next to a rocky beach. Nesfe Jahan pt 1 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_15_83_nesfe_jahan_pt_1/ Sun, 15 Aug 2010 16:38:16 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_15_83_nesfe_jahan_pt_1/ 3 days of windsurfing in Holland. Tons of Germans, and tons of blisters on my hands. I didn’t manage to surf more than a minute straight, but I had a great time nonetheless. There is always something very appealing about new things, at least for me. I love trying thing I haven’t done before, much more than I like to get better at them. This is probably not good iin the long term, but at least I know what makes me happy. Who cares http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_07_82_who_cares/ Sat, 07 Aug 2010 15:28:58 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_07_82_who_cares/ Frantic packing. Not sure when I’m leaving, but I’ll be living out of my backpack in about an hour. Foreign languages from Monday on. The great unknown in a week of 2. It feels ridiculous packing longjohns in this kind of weather, especially as I’m aiming to migrate South with the birds. And to be as free as one. Join me somewhere. The book of Rob http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_06_81_the_book_of_rob/ Fri, 06 Aug 2010 17:09:40 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_06_81_the_book_of_rob/ Dear congregation. I stand here in front of you today to tell you a story. The story of a man that lost something. Something very dear and precious to him. And that man had to lose it, just to find out how precious it actually was. It’s a story about belief, belief and care for the things we value the most. Belief in the Lord, and a belief in Vespa. Experiment http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_03_80_experiment/ Tue, 03 Aug 2010 23:21:22 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_03_80_experiment/ Just had the idea that it might be nice to open up this blog for you. Basically, you know what kind of things tend to come here, so if you ever felt the need to publish something (article, picture, whatever), feel free to do so. I would especially love to recieve some short essays, or pieces of fiction. You will, of course, recieve full credit. Send me an email if you’re interested. The Battle of Karbala http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_02_79_the_battle_of_karbala/ Mon, 02 Aug 2010 22:24:21 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_08_02_79_the_battle_of_karbala/ I encountered this painting in the Brooklyn Museum of Arts, a wonderful, eclectic museum. A bit like a mall, just as the Met. It has a nice ethnographical collection, and I’m a sucker for that. It depicts the battle of Karbala, a very important historical event in the history of Shiism. It’s also know as an important example of chivalry, and self-sacrifice These kinds of paintings (and there are many more just like it) were used by travelling story tellers. Roskilde, pt 1 (iCUP movie) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_07_23_78_roskilde_pt_1_icup_movie/ Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:09:26 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_07_23_78_roskilde_pt_1_icup_movie/ I actually don’t remember hoe it got started. Something undefined was mentioned during a humid afternoon spend in the shade, it lingered over the empty cans of Tuborg for a while, and was then laid to rest in everyone’s imagination. It was at the point where most ideas die, not strong enough to carry their own weight, or not interesting enough to inspire the next idea.. but 2 days later I found D diligently constructing our first piece of equipment: the Can-on 1 P. In the loop http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_07_13_77_in_the_loop/ Tue, 13 Jul 2010 19:17:15 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_07_13_77_in_the_loop/ Belgium, after Roskilde. Roskilde was pretty great, I had some noteworthy experiences that deserve a dedicated post. I’m just waiting to lend some photographic material from other people. Watch this space. Right now I’m just yelloweyeing[1] in Leuven. The heat is a convenient excuse for laziness, and the only concrete thing I’m doing here is looking to the future. Seeing friends, seeing family. The Gentse Feesten, a ten day festival in the city centre of Gent, with a huge attendence and eclectic offerings of techno music, street theatre and general rowdiness. Just around the corner, actually http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_06_22_76_just_around_the_corner_actually/ Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:41:23 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_06_22_76_just_around_the_corner_actually/ When I passed the corner, and our eyes met, I was hit with the force of recognition. But, as it tends to happen in these cases, the conscious realization of what had happened only came to me a couple of streets later. When I returned fifteen minutes later, he had left his table, and was smoking outside. I approached him, and it was immediately understood that we both knew the connection. anti-disposophobia / book-o-phile http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_06_20_75_anti_disposophobia__book_o_phile/ Sun, 20 Jun 2010 01:57:00 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_06_20_75_anti_disposophobia__book_o_phile/ I’ve arrived safe and surprisingly comfortable ( considering I was carrying my heaviest load hitchhiking yet ) in Leuven. And, as a first priority, I’ve given myself the task of junking(1) most of the stuff I had left here. If I didn’t needed it since I’ve been away, I doubt it’s important enough to worry about. I think my favourite physical things are all edible. My top priorities to go: Minor update http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_06_15_74_minor_update/ Tue, 15 Jun 2010 13:23:06 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_06_15_74_minor_update/ Yesterday’s tomorrow will be tomorrow’s today. So hopefully I will be home on Wednesday. Berlin epilogue (je n'en connais pas la fin) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_06_14_73_berlin_epilogue_je_n%23039en_connais_pas_la_fin/ Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:22:32 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_06_14_73_berlin_epilogue_je_n%23039en_connais_pas_la_fin/ Tomorrow, I am leaving Berlin and it’s perfectly fine that way. I’ve spend the last couple of weeks enjoying the company of friends, and a city revitalized by the arrival of summer. Somehow, the knowledge of imminent departure made my life here take a more focused and enjoyable turn. After a couple of months of cohabitation, I finally discovered a shared musical emotion between me and my roomie: a total adoration for the late and great Jeff Buckley. NY, pt 8 (the Flatiron) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_15_72_ny_pt_8_the_flatiron/ Sat, 15 May 2010 18:10:56 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_15_72_ny_pt_8_the_flatiron/ The Flatiron was not the first skyscraper in New York, nor was it the tallest when it was finished in 1902. But everyone cuts it some slack, because it was the first that wasn’t hit with an ugly stick. New Yorkers would hold wagers on how far you could find pieces of it when it would finally fall over. They had problems hiring staff for the offices inside, as most people were dead afraid of dying on a weekday. The Artist Studio http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_14_71_the_artist_studio/ Fri, 14 May 2010 16:46:55 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_14_71_the_artist_studio/ When organizing something, either kitchen ingredients, hardware tools, or your favorite computer program, there are basically 2 factors that need to be considered. One is, of course, the ease of use, and this is the original reason we organize stuff. People tend to say we organize things so we can find them, but in reality it’s more general than that. We do it to get stuff as soon as possible, and finding it is only a part of it. Caravanserai http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_13_70_caravanserai/ Thu, 13 May 2010 03:31:39 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_13_70_caravanserai/ Caravanserai is a word that comes from Persian. It denotes a specially designated place ,or structure ,where caravans (the camel kind) could rest for the night, stock up on supplies, and observe religious rituals. Often, these buildings would be lavishly decorated and quite luxurious, as the ruler of the place would do everything in his power could to ensure these caravans would travel through his cities. In those days, it made a pretty huge difference if your city was on the infamous Silk Road, or not. The Neighbour Party http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_09_69_the_neighbour_party/ Sun, 09 May 2010 14:40:56 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_09_69_the_neighbour_party/ Invite all your hip, multikulti friends to your apartment. Identify the languages your neighbours speak at home. Have a native speaker invite them at your place. Have lot’s of cakes. Learn at least 2 new ways of making coffee. On Germans http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_06_68_on_germans/ Thu, 06 May 2010 01:00:58 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_06_68_on_germans/ “I Speak Spanish to God, Italian to Women, French to Men, and German to My Horse” Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain “The most beautiful girl or woman in the world would be a matter of indifference to me, but tall soldiers–they are my weakness.” Frederick William I of Prussia Dearth http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_05_67_dearth/ Wed, 05 May 2010 03:06:41 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_05_05_67_dearth/ As you might have noticed (or not noticed, where you normally would), I’m getting pretty sloppy at Xing this blog. Updating? I’ve quit using this as a way to keep my friends and family up to date. My life is not that exiting, and I would much rather hoard all the good stories for the next exchange at the local bar when we meet up. Expanding? That would imply I am trying to make a finished product. Sweden, again http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_04_13_66_sweden_again/ Tue, 13 Apr 2010 13:32:18 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_04_13_66_sweden_again/ Desipite my earlier resolution to never return to Sweden, here I am. This time I’m visiting friends in Malmo and Lund. Lund is more or less like Leuven, 100000 people, 30000 students and a very liberal bike policy. Malmo is the more gritty and industrial of the two, and I like it more. Check out the report from CBNNews if you want a completly wrong impression of the place. American news, in an attempt to prove that becoming for European means a step closer to hell, claims that police here are afraid to go into the immigrant neighbourhoods, for fear of violence. Inertia http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_26_65_inertia/ Fri, 26 Mar 2010 03:00:01 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_26_65_inertia/ Yes. It took me a couple of seconds to find my own country, and no matter how long I look, England still looks downright wrong While it might be very tempting to think human vision acts like a camera, there are so many things happening unconsciously, that it would be very disrespectful to approach it that way, and also dead wrong. Face recognition, edge detection, our vision works much better than would be expected if we approach it purely as a sensor for light (like a camera). Note to self: use more often http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_19_64_note_to_self-_use_more_often/ Fri, 19 Mar 2010 03:36:12 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_19_64_note_to_self-_use_more_often/ I’m sorry, but you must have me confused with somebody who cares. March 18th, 2010 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_19_63_march_18th_2010/ Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:27:06 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_19_63_march_18th_2010/ Spring has finally arrived in Berlin. Nature is still dead. Only the colonies are in bloom with the first pink flamingos of the year. Everyone is out, still boasting full winter coats. Thin ice. The public park is still closed, because a big book in city hall says so. The most noticeable change is the silence. Winter is silent in a muffled way, the snow acting as the walls of a recording studio, drowning all ambient noises. Never again http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_12_62_never_again/ Fri, 12 Mar 2010 05:51:53 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_12_62_never_again/ For those of you who would be wondering, yes, it’s still snowing in Berlin. 7 minutes http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_09_61_7_minutes/ Tue, 09 Mar 2010 05:28:10 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_09_61_7_minutes/ Max put both of his hands on the railing of the balcony, and straightened his shoulders. As usual, he was amazed at how unnatural it started to feel, but he instantly felt the dull pain in his left shoulder decrease. His bare feet quickly started to get cold, but he never found the need to put on his shoes for the short intermezzo’s he spend here. Burned by the last drag of his cigarette, he realized he was smoking it too fast, again, and started to pay attention to his breathing. On Identity, pt 2 / the power of Why? http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_07_60_on_identity_pt_2__the_power_of_why/ Sun, 07 Mar 2010 20:43:17 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_03_07_60_on_identity_pt_2__the_power_of_why/ Preamble: this will be a longer post about personal identity, more or less a followup on this post from a while back. As always, don’t expect a conclusion at the end. I recently met with a close friend that I haven’t seen for over a year. As with all my close friends, the long separation with no news only served to make us enthusiastic about the amount of new insights and narratives share, rather than an indicator of declining interest in each others lives. Blueberry pie http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_02_16_59_blueberry_pie/ Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:35:43 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_02_16_59_blueberry_pie/ Her friend often made fun of it. She would prefer to sit in front of the greasy oven on a small pillow, unable to tear herself away for even a minute. From loading the loaf in the preheated oven, with a small handful of water for some added steam, until she judged the moment ready to release it’s trapped heat she would sit there. No conversation, movie, or accidental bump resulting from other people’s kitchening could dislodge her until it was time. NY, pt 7 (found objects) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_02_13_58_ny_pt_7_found_objects/ Sat, 13 Feb 2010 19:57:00 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_02_13_58_ny_pt_7_found_objects/ MOST Serene, Serene, most Puissant, Puissant, High, Illustrious, Noble, Honourable, Venerable, wise and prudent, Lords, Emperors, Kings, Republics, Princes, Dukes, Earls, Barons, Lords, Burgomasters, Schepens, Counselors, as also Judges, Officers, Justiciaries and Regents of all the good cities and places, whether Ecclisiastical or Secular, who shall see the patents, or hear them read. We make known, that the master of appearing before us, has declared upon oath, that the vessel, called the of the burthen of about tons, which be at present navigates, is of the United States of America, and that no subjects of the present belligerent powers have any part or portion therein, directly nor indirectly, so may God Almighty help him. Trampen mit Adolf http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_02_12_57_trampen_mit_adolf/ Fri, 12 Feb 2010 16:56:55 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_02_12_57_trampen_mit_adolf/ Since I was young, I always had a preference for association than of imagination. When I read a book, I would immediatly pick a person out of my direct environment after reading the first couple of descriptive lines introducing a character into the narrative. It could be a close friend, family member, or just a random face from the street that somehow got stores in my subconcious. For some reason, it made more sense to my subconcious to reconfigure my past experiences that to invent new ones. NY, pt 6 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_02_01_56_ny_pt_6/ Mon, 01 Feb 2010 19:01:15 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_02_01_56_ny_pt_6/ Left and right. Going fast and slow. Some of them damn fast. Some in groups, some with small ones, some with none. Some take the A, some the B. Others take J until Penn Station, and then the Z. There’s English, French and Dutch. There’s Russian, Spanish, and it’s too much. Book readers and chicken feeders. Break dancers and musical prancers. And they all talk to me. I’ve missed the express already 3 times now. Traveler's delight http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_30_55_travelers_delight/ Sat, 30 Jan 2010 23:51:56 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_30_55_travelers_delight/ Jacob woke up with a startle. Automatically, his left hand reached for his backpack, and his right for his wallet. Finding them still there, he contemplated opening his frontback to double check the big wad of cash. But he did that about an hour ago, and he decided against it, to avoid suspicion. Jacob looked anxiously out of the train. Only white. He waited impatiently till the next announcement came, but it was all garbled because of a broken speaker, or maybe because he never managed to commit himself to German. NY, pt 5 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_22_54_ny_pt_5/ Fri, 22 Jan 2010 19:35:41 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_22_54_ny_pt_5/ “There’s no reason to sleep curled up and bent. It’s not comfortable. It’s not good for you and it doesn’t protect you from danger. If you’re worried about an attack you should stay awake or sleep lightly with limbs unfurled for action.” Jenny Holzer, 1980 Photograph is “NudeAuguste Belloc, 1956 NY, pt 4 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_20_53_ny_pt_4/ Wed, 20 Jan 2010 01:57:16 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_20_53_ny_pt_4/ “…and that, my brother, is exactly what we can find in the Holy Book, when Matthew said…” “…and we could be on Jerome and 128th right now if I chose not to listen to YOU, and I would have made it VERY fucking clear to her…” “…learn that we are judged only by ourself, my brother, and that’s why I’m sure our holy sheperd has no problem with what is happening between the two of us, and when that day…. NY, pt 3 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_18_52_ny_pt_3/ Mon, 18 Jan 2010 06:19:14 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_18_52_ny_pt_3/ Hey lovely New York people, it’s a wonderful day here in the city, temperature is a good 45, plenty of shine and very clear. You’re on the L train, heading into Manhattan really soon now. It’s so beautiful outside, lots of sun, lots of smiles. If you’re going to Grand Central, get ready because we’ll be there in about 2 minutes. No need to rush though, take it easy. Also, we’ve had some small reports of pickpocketing happening on some downtown lines, so make sure you keep an eye on your stuff. NY, pt 2 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_12_51_ny_pt_2/ Tue, 12 Jan 2010 06:53:08 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_12_51_ny_pt_2/ This issa Brooklyn bound A Express, next stop Fulton, Franklin here, transfer to G, 1 2 3 downtown. How much do I get here for two thousand euros?* Twenny too hunnerd* What? Rate’s more or less 2 to 3. I would expect it to be close to 3 thousand than to 2.* Look, I canno give u more than twenny fai hunnerd. And that’s only only a deel wenya take it right NOW. NY, pt 1 http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_08_50_ny_pt_1/ Fri, 08 Jan 2010 18:07:09 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_08_50_ny_pt_1/ And I’m off to Ellis Island. Mayakovsky is right here with me, partly because the lingua france during my night in Frankfurt was Russian, probably because I packed “My discovery of America” for the trip. From what I can glimpse of the plane through the tiny portholes of the bridge, it’s a monstrosity. I’ve never flown 747 before. the surreal twilight and organic shape of the nose make me feel as if I’m boarding a trained whale, heading for the bottom. Almost http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_04_49_almost/ Mon, 04 Jan 2010 16:53:27 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_04_49_almost/ He was smart enough to figure it out, but too dumb to change it. They were different enough to make it interesting, and similar enough to make it pleasant. As every writer of the Dan Brown generation, he was bitter and obscure. Hurt http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_04_48_hurt/ Mon, 04 Jan 2010 00:32:18 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2010_01_04_48_hurt/ I’m sorry for all the hurt I caused in my life to everyone. It seemed a good idea at the time. Maybe I was frantic, drunk, lovestruck,an idiot or misunderstood. I don’t believe in vengeance or retribution. But I’ve hurt people . In every case I did what I did for other reasons. I regret it had to hurt. I try to live my life honestly and in harmony with every person on this planet. Confusion http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_27_47_confusion/ Sun, 27 Dec 2009 18:25:45 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_27_47_confusion/ It doesn’t seem like anything changed between you guys, I was expecting something else after all you told me. Serendipity (aka 60 second conversation) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_27_46_serendipity_aka_60_second_conversation/ Sun, 27 Dec 2009 16:03:13 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_27_46_serendipity_aka_60_second_conversation/ As soon as he saw her, he knew. And half a minute later, when he first heard that voice, there was no more doubt in his mind. Just as there was no doubt about the identity of the person facing away from him. Although it was a shock, the instantaneous recognition enabled him to continue his conversation without missing a beat. And so it seem she did, so the only thing he could still wonder was if she was wondering. The Anatomy of Loss http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_23_45_the_anatomy_of_loss/ Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:07:41 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_23_45_the_anatomy_of_loss/ Losing something is a curious process. As soon as one becomes aware of the loss, it becomes conspicuously present through it’s absence. The most typical example would be a phantom limb. The most common immediate reaction would be to replace the loss immediately, with no thoughts whatsoever to cost or alternatives. Frantic, ineffective searching is also high on the list. Curiously, I have found lately that all of this applies perfectly to both people and small objects related loss. Cold Mountain http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_20_44_cold_mountain/ Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:53:09 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_20_44_cold_mountain/ Belgium for Christmas Maybe Berlin utill right before New Year Most likely Belgium for New Year’s Eve New York between 6 and 26 January After that I have a laptop and I don’t know Vienna http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_12_43_vienna/ Sat, 12 Dec 2009 18:18:06 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_12_43_vienna/ Coming to Vienna was easy, with 2 friendly Hungarians taking me directly from Belgium. Being here is a different matter. Rather then being able to appreciate everything here for what they are, I keep framing it in terms of what I know and am comfortable with. Maybe it’s because I’m still speaking German. Maybe the city looks too much like Berlin in the dark and drizzle. Perhaps I just really want to be home, which is tricky because the home I would feel the most comfortable in is about 10 months in the past. Many Millions http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_07_42_many_millions/ Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:10:31 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_12_07_42_many_millions/ Please take me to this place of many million people where I can get lost without trying in the hope of finding you Please take me to this place where every corner is it’s own country ready to be found at random maybe everyone there is a traveler? Please take me, so I can walk the streets like all the other immigrants here full of wide eyed wonder Please let me find what I wasn’t even looking for Il y avait mon grand-père http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_11_30_41_il_y_avait_mon_grand_p%C3%A8re/ Mon, 30 Nov 2009 23:43:43 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_11_30_41_il_y_avait_mon_grand_p%C3%A8re/ I’m back. I waited a total of 20 minutes on the autobahn and learned many things. Apparently, the highway from Berlin west is called Warsaw Alle, which is way better than my attempt, Poland Express. Apparently, the Hungarians are just as great as Polish people. I was so relaxed the attendant right across the border asked me how I kept up my moral after 2 hours in the dark and cold. Hitchhiking: Journeyman http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_11_27_40_hitchhiking-_journeyman/ Fri, 27 Nov 2009 21:22:19 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_11_27_40_hitchhiking-_journeyman/ And that day, sonnyboy, we hitched a tour bus. The unbearable lightness of travelling http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_11_24_39_the_unbearable_lightness_of_travelling/ Tue, 24 Nov 2009 21:07:46 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_11_24_39_the_unbearable_lightness_of_travelling/ I apologize in advance for the biased and uninformed nature of this post. I’ve been reading Kerouac’s “Lonely Traveller” on the road, and it really is a piece of disconnected, confused, fibreless crap. The worst part of reading Kerouac is the realization that you could have spend your time much better re-reading Thompson, but then again, your books are at least 300 km away. To make a long story short, and progress to the actual topic of this post, I think Hunter Thompson is one of the best thing that happened in literature in the 20th century, and he has been a great inspiration to me. The Honeypot http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_11_08_38_the_honeypot/ Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:52:11 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_11_08_38_the_honeypot/ Finally made it home after some extensive travelling. I will blog more about the actual trip, right now I’m preparing to leave to Greece the 10th. I’m also very happy P, a very close Russian friend, arrived in Berlin. We have now met in 4 capitals: Prague, Paris, Berlin and Ulan Baatar. I’ve hitchhiked over 5000 km in one month. I had no internet for 9 days, and it’s funny it’s mentionable. Snail mail http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_10_20_37_snail_mail/ Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:30:31 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_10_20_37_snail_mail/ I took a bold step this week and did the unthinkable: I bought some cheap paper and a 100 envelopes, sat down and wrote some letter according to traditional recipe. It took me a long time, because my muscle memory has lost the ability to make all the abstract curves and lines pretty. I do intend those letter to also be read by the recipient. I found it surprisingly difficult to compose them, without the reassurance of fast feedback in case of misunderstanding that we have with electronic communications). Tu Puta Madre express http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_10_18_36_tu_puta_madre_express/ Sun, 18 Oct 2009 20:56:19 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_10_18_36_tu_puta_madre_express/ Mon déjeuner avec Martha http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_10_15_35_mon_d%C3%A9jeuner_avec_martha/ Thu, 15 Oct 2009 20:53:38 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_10_15_35_mon_d%C3%A9jeuner_avec_martha/ I spend almost four days in Barcelona, so I could see off T as she left for NY, and so I could spend some more time wrapping my head around the city. I also spend a delightful 3 hour lunch with her very Catalan mother, Martha. Polish express - autoroute vers le soleil http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_10_08_34_polish_express___autoroute_vers_le_soleil/ Thu, 08 Oct 2009 22:10:08 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_10_08_34_polish_express___autoroute_vers_le_soleil/ I started my official ¨vacation¨ (read: unemployment) by dropping T off in Barcelona for her flight to NY. By thumbing it. Original plan was to go through the Elzas, stay there for the night, and make in to Barcelona the next day. The result: *** The Dutch One guy I talked to close to Braunschweig said he would ask his wife if he could take us. One minute later he was speeding away. Stockholm http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_29_33_stockholm/ Tue, 29 Sep 2009 13:44:37 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_29_33_stockholm/ Went to Stockholm for a couple of days. Spend 3 days in a community in the middle of protected green area. An old hospital for TBC patients has been converted to 30 appartments, with over a 100 people living there. They’re only allowed to be there because their toilets use no water. People from all over the world come by busloads to see this. They make money by giving a tour of the place. Going to the Persian http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_16_32_going_to_the_persian/ Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:08:32 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_16_32_going_to_the_persian/ Went to a concert of the magnificent [Mohammad Reza Shajarian](Mohammad Reza Shajarian). Me and Clayton where in an ethnic minority in the concert hall, and as soon as he took the stage an ear deafening applause came from the crowd. I’ve never heard so much enthusiasm before a concert. He’s kind of a big deal. The concert itself was excellent. About 14 musicians, with traditional instruments (and a couple of MRS’s own design). The blues http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_14_31_the_blues/ Mon, 14 Sep 2009 23:38:42 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_14_31_the_blues/ I love the blues. So does Scorsese. Together with 6 other directors, he create 7 full length documentaries on different aspects of blues. Everything from Mississippi delta blues to Chicago style, over an episode exclusively dedicated to piano blues. The first contact I had with the blues was a stray album of Blind Willie Johnson lying in my mother’s cupboard. From the first time I heard the opening to “I Know His Blood Can Make Me Whole”, along the stangely uplifting “If I Had My Way I’d Tear The Building Down” (which, acoording to legend, got him arrested after beforming it in front of the New Orleans courthouse) to the absolutely great duet “Thanks God I’m Satisfisfied”. Learning http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_11_30_learning/ Fri, 11 Sep 2009 13:11:39 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_11_30_learning/ Many people I meet in our community are convinced the true value and pleasure in life is learning. Indeed, a large part of the people would label it a “learning community” At a superficial level, I totally agree. With total consideration for the cliche , I strongly believe the world today is changing faster and more profoundly than ever before (with possibly the exception of countries undergoing revolutions). Technology is changing (yes son, we didn’t have email back them), and as a direct consequence the availability of information has increased several orders of magnitude. Origami http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_08_29_origami/ Tue, 08 Sep 2009 00:05:59 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_08_29_origami/ Of all the traditional Japanese artforms, the careful folding of paper is probably the least worthy of your time. On identity http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_07_28_on_identity/ Mon, 07 Sep 2009 13:12:32 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_07_28_on_identity/ The more I think about it, the more I am convinced there are two main ways people form, or project their identity. The main way we encounter every day is defining it in relationship to another identity. This can happen in both a positive and a negative way. Negative will often take forms like this: Berlin is once again full of political slogans and ugly mugs. A large percentile of the slogans tells us the person will “attack and solve the problems”. Milestone http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_07_27_milestone/ Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:43:03 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_07_27_milestone/ There comes a time in every man’s life where he has to help his woman discard clothes…. I estimate 75 percent of my public (50 percent of the men, all of the woman) know what I’m trying to say. Irony http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_05_26_irony/ Sat, 05 Sep 2009 21:23:07 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_09_05_26_irony/ So, in the biggest news for now: I quit my job. I’ve felt unenthusiastic about it for months, and maybe even worse, unproductive and unattached to the work I was doing. While I contemplated taking a sabbatical month for a while, I felt it would be an unsustainable solution in any case, and I felt I was up for something new. In any case, I won’t be getting up at 7. Synergy http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_08_23_25_synergy/ Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:50:34 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_08_23_25_synergy/ It’s a myth synergy can’t be bad. It very much depends on the final goal both people are heading to. Synergy doesn’t have to explicit, and it’s the implicit ones that are the devil. It’s a myth synergy is always better than the sum of it’s parts. With people, even the action of synergy changes the state of the parts. It’s tricky to know the final outcome. But then again, reality was never so clear-cut as we would like. Shock http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_08_06_24_shock/ Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:09:48 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_08_06_24_shock/ If the state of Israel is torturing 14 year old kids, it’s time to send in the troops. 4 new tires http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_08_03_23_4_new_tires/ Mon, 03 Aug 2009 12:53:59 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_08_03_23_4_new_tires/ A new friend of mine massaged me, and during the maintanance she discovered some structural problems. Apparently, my shoulders in rest post are about 5 centimeters more forward then where they should be. It even hurts when I consciously put them in the normal pose, as the usually cramped muscles get stretched. Surprise, suprise, it’s related to long-term computers use. So don’t think I’m an idiot if it looks like I’m imitating the Guvernator. Nostalgia http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_08_01_22_nostalgia/ Sat, 01 Aug 2009 21:24:20 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_08_01_22_nostalgia/ Yesterday, I got claustrophobic in the subway, so I decided to just get out and walk home. The area I got off is right in the middle of Berlin’s Ellis Island, called Wedding. It’s one of the poorest area’s in Berlin, with about half the people belonging to an immigrant community. It’s also the area I wanted to live in when I heard about it. It seemed logical, I was fresh out of the boat. Over the hump... http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_07_22_21_over_the_hump/ Wed, 22 Jul 2009 13:04:54 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_07_22_21_over_the_hump/ … or here’s hoping Berlin is going to get colder weather, or nicer weather. I hate air conditioning, it makes my body and brani feel worse than sweating profusely. I hate the fact that people can’t just get along. Maybe this is related to most work is done discussing the politics and particulars of the work, that the actual work itself. This is the staple of software development. I wish I could just come home and do whatever I think is needed. Step out of it http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_07_19_20_step_out_of_it/ Sun, 19 Jul 2009 10:55:25 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_07_19_20_step_out_of_it/ Yesterday, Jade and Uri were hugging each other in the kitchen. Jade, a wonderful Lebanese girl, has been living in our project for a couple of weeks now. Uri, comes from Tel Aviv, and was last seen in Lebanon on top of a 1500 horsepower engine. He will stay with us for a month and try to sell some of his art. Im usually not a sentimentalist, but the experience touced me deeply. June, it can never end too soon http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_06_22_19_june_it_can_never_end_too_soon/ Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:41:22 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_06_22_19_june_it_can_never_end_too_soon/ Since the 30 days that have passed since my last post (does it still count a more than once a month?), I’ve haven’t been able to get my mind off of possible escape scenarios. Dramatics thoughts maybe, but I’ve found my old arm problems, and a lack of motivation have had an effect on my old productivity that can only be described with obscentities. Therefore, I’ve asked to take unpaid leave for a month around June. Snow in May http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_05_22_18_snow_in_may/ Fri, 22 May 2009 12:53:13 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_05_22_18_snow_in_may/ Back in Berlin, back to 16 degrees constant sunshine, and a pollen storm. Back to wonderful Danish bread, guests that specialize in speed-rubiks cube solving, and the delicate art of almond raisin chicken. Unfortunately, also back to the usual dissatisfactions and anxieties. I’ve loved working at ***, but I somehow can’t seem to have enthusiasm from 9 till 5 anymore, without some motivation from other people. Difficult to do in a solitary job like this, but I find it harder and harder to keep passionate myself if it’s only for the greater good. Don't speak bad of the dead... http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_05_17_17_dont_speak_bad_of_the_dead/ Sun, 17 May 2009 22:04:31 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_05_17_17_dont_speak_bad_of_the_dead/ I’m sorry mr Updike, I really am. You entertained me masterfully on a 5 day train journey with rabbit, and I was totally engrossed in Brazil. But how can you make spin a tale about terrorism around a 60-year old man having an affair with a woman from a different church? And haven’t we been there before? Rest in peace, and let’s hope for no posthumous release Wish me luck http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_05_13_16_wish_me_luck/ Wed, 13 May 2009 11:18:54 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_05_13_16_wish_me_luck/ In less than 24 hours, I will pass through 2 international airports with a respectable flu. I just hope I make it to Belgium, and that I don’t get stuck in German quarantine. Praha http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_05_10_15_praha/ Sun, 10 May 2009 02:17:37 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_05_10_15_praha/ Unwilling to visit Copenhaegen with T, I decided to visit the country that supposedly has a beer culture equal to Belgium. Welcome to Prague. The real reason for this trip was to visit a guy met in a big, deserted country far away. He now lives here with his wife, D, and daughter, W. He had 2 mountainbikes, which was nice. Apart from all the mountains. It's not so lonely http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_03_22_14_its_not_so_lonely/ Sun, 22 Mar 2009 15:55:19 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_03_22_14_its_not_so_lonely/ Or why lately I have been avoiding the Lonely Planet like syphilis. *** Suspect contributors Every author will have a particular view on a country/people. Therefor, it’s good to have multiple authors contribute on the same book. But why the hell do they have to come from a cricket playing country? No wait, no Indians either… All contributors for the “Europe on a shoestring” guide: Sarah Johnstone , China Williams , Jeanne Oliver , Greg Bloom , Simon Sellars , Ryan Ver Berkmoes , Leanne Logan , Geert Cole , Vesna Maric , Fran Parnell , Steve Kokker , Paul Harding , Wendy Taylor , Carolyn Bain , Verity Campbell , Anthony Ham , John Spelman , Josephine Quintero , Andrew Stone , Robert Reid , Tom Masters , Sarah Andrews , Becky Ohlsen , Virginia Maxwell , Terry Carter , Lara Dunston , Oliver Berry , Alex Leviton , Becca Blond , Craig McLachlan , Duncan Garwood , Joe Bindloss , John Lee , Lisa Dunford , Miles Roddis , Patrick Horton , Steve Fallon , Leif Pettersen , Brett Atkinson , Peter Dragicevich (from Australia) , Tim Richards , Aaron Anderson. How wonderful it is... http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_03_19_13_how_wonderful_it_is/ Thu, 19 Mar 2009 10:20:01 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_03_19_13_how_wonderful_it_is/ …to arrive 15 minutes late for work, and discover none of your collegues is there yet? All the non-graphic people are here on time. Somehow it has to do with the fact that the sun is out for the first time, and we have a special fascination for light. Consolidation http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_03_18_12_consolidation/ Wed, 18 Mar 2009 13:49:52 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2009_03_18_12_consolidation/ [insert usual excuses here] So, a lot has happened since the last time I synchronized with my personal pseudo facebook. I managed to get someone to back up my claims on the richness of Belgian food, I mean culture. My good friend C joined me and the (extended) family for Christmas. I won’t speak for him, you can read about his experience for yourself (EDIT: dead link). Here he is in one of the typical government worker water holes (aka “kneipe” in German) in Leuven Proverbs http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_12_25_11_proverbs/ Thu, 25 Dec 2008 17:40:05 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_12_25_11_proverbs/ Russian Proverb “If you can lift it - take it If not - leave it But you can always die trying” Unknow origin “When the shit hits the fan” American Proverb “I’m so angry I could sit down on a very thorny branch and bite it off with my arse-cheeks” (thanks Hanne for the original version) Proverb from Beerse, small town in Belgium Brueghel remains the reference for Dutch proverbs though. My dinner with Berlin http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_12_12_10_my_dinner_with_berlin/ Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:32:55 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_12_12_10_my_dinner_with_berlin/ Life caught up to me since the last post, I’ve started my work at ***, and up until know it’s been quite gemütlich. Currently I’m working on a terrain editor, and it feels good to have solid ground at work and home since our extensive gypsying experiences. I also made the mistake of asking the Mitarbeiters to speak German, so it’s off in the deep end from know. We had a bit more luck at the Turkish market (Yorkstrasse): Cultural Collision http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_11_19_9_cultural_collision/ Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:33:40 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_11_19_9_cultural_collision/ We took a last good look at the Ackerstraße. After more than a month of Bohemian living, it had served it’s part in our story, and was now only a place to be emptied of memories. As we were walking across this street, with our mattress held proud over their heads as a symbol of our new quest for habitation, fate decided to play a little trick on us: we were suddenly confronted with a ghost from our very short mutual past. Any way the work flows http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_11_04_8_any_way_the_work_flows/ Tue, 04 Nov 2008 12:16:00 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_11_04_8_any_way_the_work_flows/ Reunification month http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_10_27_7_reunification_month/ Mon, 27 Oct 2008 02:43:15 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_10_27_7_reunification_month/ So, me and T arrive in Berlin. We find a woman nice enough to rent us a room for three weeks, and crazy enough to demand 500 euros deposit after a week. Things sort themselves out though, we tell here to go f*** herself and move on. Pretty soon we find ourselves in another typical Berlin housing arrangement: 35 square, 200 euros, no furniture. The city is actually very liveable, with huge apartment blocks , big wide streets and ridiculously cheap Turkish markets. Changelog http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_10_19_6_changelog/ Sun, 19 Oct 2008 19:38:51 +0000elmarcel@elmarcel.com (@elmarcel) http://www.elmarcel.com/blog/2008_10_19_6_changelog/ In case you were wondering what happened… I arrived in Moscow after a 5 day train ride through Siberia at the break-speed of 60 km/hour. Bored with vistas, and the basics of Cyrillic, I was happy to find myself conversing with a Frenchman with a perfect Scottish accent. The novelty wore off quickly though, and the following day I met minds with T. Back then she forgave me for not speaking Catalan.