heathrow sux

London Heathrow airport is an interesting and enriching experience that enables one to better appreciate all things that do not suck nearly as much (which, to a very close approximation, is all things).

After the usual 10-minute bus trip between terminals, we had to traverse the entire length of Terminal 1 three times. We got to the entrance of the departure gate only to be told that we had to go back to the beginning to get a biometric scan. I'm not talking about the usual indignities, like seizing our terribly dangerous four-ounce bottles of water, or making us strip off our belts and shoes, or submitting to the random anal probes -- that's all old news. No no, this is a new one, where we get digitally fingerprinted and retinal eye-scanned. Think of all those high-tech security scans in sci-fi movies, like "Total Recall", "Minority Report", "Gattaca", "Code 46", and others. Now add in the Voight-Kampff test from "Bladerunner". Well, it's here, folks! We then had to register the digital fingerprint scan again back at the departure gate, just to make sure that we hadn't sneakily changed our DNA identity during the 15-minute walk. Sheesh.

The wing we're sitting in while waiting for our flight to Dublin is disgusting. I am actually experiencing full-on disgust and revulsion as i write these words. There are plenty of negative associations already built-up with this place, since we've been stuck here twice before -- domestic flights are routinely delayed (occasionally due to high winds, but usually due to general incompetence).

The terminal we're in is reminiscent of the inside of a large tin can turned on its side. The walls are concave corrugated aluminum, making it just about the most austere inhospitable dehumanizing soul-crushing decor a sociopath could ever conceive. The fabric seats are filthy beyond words. There is hardly any ventilation, which is just dandy, given the thousands of exhausted gamey sweaty travelers that file through here every day. Without wanting to belabour the point, let's just say this is a fine centerpiece in the Orwellian dystopia that is Heathrow airport.

[Did you see "Children of Men"? I'm certain the fascist Fortress State of oh-so-near future England was modeled on Heathrow. This place is the germ where the epidemic began.]

Oh well, one has to take the good with the bad, and this is the price we pay for a lovely week spent in Alberta. We were there primarily for Xan's Canadian citizenship exam, but it was also an opportunity to take care of some chores (like taxes and banking) and catch up with people.

It was nice to gorge on some of our yummy healthy comfort foods. After a big grocery spree, we had a bonanza of wholesome goodies to choose from. We both went for the nectarines first, but the 3-colour cole slaw and real yoghurt weren't far behind. [Right now i'm snacking on a distinctly Albertan delicacy: tasty and nutritious roasted Wheat Crunch (Cool Ranch flavour:).]

Despite the nuisance, it was strangely enjoyable to stroll along the crazy Tim Horton's line-up that ran out the exit, wound through tunnels and into the adjoining office tower. The journey didn't take too long, and it was well rewarded with the magical elixir that is genuine TH coffee. There are many more food-related anecdotes from the trip -- suffice it to say that i overindulged in that particular aspect of home.

However, a much greater pleasure was visiting with people, especially those at the U of A (the poker group, naturally, but also the Hex guys, the Netflix team, and a dozen other friendly faces). It's only been four months, but that's a long time when you're used to seeing them almost every day. It is enough time away to gain a bit of distance and a fresh perspective, and my conclusion is obvious and unequivocal: the people there are awesomely awesome. It's especially evident in contrast to Heathrow, where the people are often discourteous, uncooperative, passive-aggressive, and thick as a brick. [Not a fair comparison at all, of course, putting cool computer ubergeek elites up against the proletariat rabble of Oceania, but i can't help noticing the dramatic difference between these ultra-gentle and ultra-hostile environments.]

Okay, i'm gonna stop raggin' on this grotesque aluminum cesspool, and focus on something more positive and constructive -- leaving this hellhole!

Colours

Daffodils
Daffodils, planted a long time ago and now spread unevenly on the banks of roads, brighten the landscape. Yellow and green for many kilometers. I saw some pictures taken in our neighbourhood during the summer, and it seems that it will get much greener than it is now.
By the way, my daffodils are still in shape after almost a month, and there are more bunches coming into bloom. Now I understand why there are so many bulbs planted everywhere. They require little maintenance and last for so long.

Red Luas
The Red Luas is actually purple, just like the Green one. Actually it’s the red line and the green line. You would think there must be a reason for these colours, but they could also be randomly chosen -- like the bus numbers, which have no apparent logic or meaning. Plus, I couldn’t find route maps anywhere, just general sketches. Google is much more helpful than the official bus website because Google has the bus stops. (Bus is actually pronounced like boss and it’s funny when you ride the boss ;-)).

The names of the train stops are sometimes intriguing like: Museum. And you wonder: what museum? The mystery vanishes when you see the entrance to the National Museum of Ireland two meters away from the door of the train.

Downtown, the train goes on narrow streets, 1.5m away from window shops. Between the train window and shop windows, pedestrians walk minding their own business on the sidewalk. It’s dazzling when the landscape is so close to the train. I had the feeling of a metro going through a tunnel of buildings and walls.

Downtown it is always crowded, no matter where you are. Citizens are told by the Luas announcement lady in a sweet and reassuring voice that they should watch their belongings, as pick-pockets may operate on the train. After all, Dublin is a tourist city.

thotsam and jetsam

I was very leery about getting a cell phone. I've resisted becoming a gadget guy, like so many of my friends, because i treasure simplicity (i deal with extraordinarily complex systems every day -- i don't think more complexity is really something i need right now). But now i'm becoming just another degenerate addict to my Crackberry.

What this means to you, dear reader, is that i can now capture random thoughts for later blogging, with only 22 times more effort than scribbling a note on a piece of paper with my Fisher Bullet Space Pen. Tidbits that would normally pass like the wind (and rightfully so) can now be captured electronically, and added to the detritus and debris of virtual e-flotsam and e-jetsam, for the rest of eternity.

Let's think about that for a moment. Nothing is ever lost on the internet. Whatever lame-brained idea or stupid metaphor i come up with will still exist, in perfect condition, a thousand years after i'm gone. There will be a huge cache of information about my life, without the slightest hint of degradation -- an archeologist's *dream*. And what's more, absolutely _no one_ will care!

Anyway, on with the timbits. Er, i mean tidbits. Mmmm... timbits. Oh how i miss Tim Horton's coffee. I actually saw a woman carrying a Tim Horton's coffee cup, and immediately got terribly excited -- "Huh? What? Wait, whazat?". It seems the franchise has made it's way across the pond. We can, in fact, buy TH doughnuts at the local grocery store in the village. However, my informants tell me that the hard-to-find coffee places don't actually have genuine TH coffee, just the usual local rotgut in a TH paper cup. Sigh.

Where wuz i? Oh ya, i was talking about cars. So, we went to a couple of car dealerships yesterday in the Motown district of Dublin. That was an interesting experience. I've never seen so many men in dresses. [If you're lost and bewildered, that's exactly how i felt.]

It seems the Nation's Cup of rugby is in town, with the day's marquee match-up between Ireland and Scotland bringing loads of excitement and thousands of people into the downtown core, many of whom were wearing Scottish kilts. We learned about this later, by overhearing a conversation between two middle-aged women discussing the finer points of the game (which is interesting, because the smash-mouth sport only has crude points). 40-ish moms here don't talk about knitting. They talk about what formations our boys can use to try to stop France's monster, Didier, from breaking through the line. It was of the utmost urgency for these ladies to get to a pub to catch the remainder of the game.

The pubs here are awesomely great, by the way (to continue the stream of semi-consciousness). They are cavernous and warm, and full of ornate woodwork and fiddly bits. Pubs are the counterpoint to the cold and imposing concrete churches, and they are equally pervasive and central to communal life here. They are also landmarks -- at least one will be referred to in any detailed set of directions for getting somewhere. There is no grid system, so directions are of the form "Well, you go down the N to Ballycrotch, pass the Red Lion [pub] to Crinkbreaughlenlaough Lane, and it's three hoofs from the Stighgowainliangein". Uhh, right, got it, thanks. Everything makes perfect sense, provided that you and your ancestors have lived here for a minimum of 720 years, and you have an encyclopedic knowledge of every pub in the city -- which is taken as a given, naturally.

So far, the only thing we've really needed a car for is to go looking for a car. It was an hour and half journey, first by bus North to city center, then by Luas LRT West and way South again. The direct distance would be about a quarter of that. But the trip was enlightening, because we had never taken the Red Line of the Luas before. We got to see a bunch of new areas of Dublin, including some poorer run-down areas, which are a much better facsimile of the way things have been here for millenia, before the Celtic Tiger economic boom of ten years ago. We must have passed a dozen different unfathomably complex environments, each unlike anything i'd ever seen before. But i was able to shrug it off with my highly developed North American apathy and nonchalance.

One of the things i love about the Luas is listening to the bilingual announcements of station destinations. Irish Gaelic is a truly bizarre (and yet strangely beautiful) language. It sounds like a song (perhaps a traditional folk song), but it looks like some sort of strong encryption system. I've designed an algorithm for generation of pseudo-Gaelic. You take normal English words, rearrange and mutate a few letters, and then randomly insert extra vowels with roughly a one-third probably after each letter (with a particular bias toward i, a and u). Then you liberally sprinkle in some circumflexes, dots, accents, and whathaveyou, the way a chef would add herbs and seasonings to her latest creation. Voila, serve with a language soup, a syllable salad, and a nice Chablis.

I think i'm starting to get a handle on the lingo, though. One of the destinations announced by the Luas lady sounded something like "blaah-course", with a thick Irish lilt. That was the English version, mind you -- the Gaelic version was incomprehensible gibberish that went on for about thirty seconds, but it was very pretty sounding, like an onomatopoeic poem. Now, with my newfound experience in Irish word formation, i deduced that the actual destination was probably closer to "Blaughoarse" (with the usual almost Arabic haughing/hacking sound). When we arrived at the next station, the sign read... "Blackhorse". It was next to a big yellow pub with a big black horse imprinted on the side.

So, we test-drove a car (no big deal this time) and looked at a few others. Before embarking on the long journey home, we ate at a Subway. The North American corporations are moving in big time here, but i have to confess that i'm somewhat ambivalent about it. It's tragic to see the loss of yet another ancient culture, along with so many possibilities for truly edifying experiences. At same time, that familiar submarine sandwich from home was unquestionably the highlight of my very eventful day. Sad, isn't it?

Okay, silliest blog entry evaar, but it will have to hold you for an indeterminate period of time.

swedish meatballs (lack thereof)

Okay, i have been totally delinquent in blogging. I'll bet i'm the first one ever.

I tend to get busy on things, and when i focus on something, other things fade away completely and utterly. That's why you, dear reader, will have to endure long absences. I did jot down some notes along the way for future blog entries though. Maybe i'll write them up at some point.

I've still been working 10 and 12 hour days. I'm making progress, but i'm not very organized yet. You could say that i'm getting things done but not Getting Things Done, if you were clever with words, and knew the backstory.

This morning we have to go to the bank. Yawn, no big deal, you're thinking. Wrong. In this country, getting a bank account is a Very Big Deal. It's been five weeks since we applied for one, and it still isn't operational. That's why we're going to try another bank. Wish us luck.

We were also without broadband internet service for a month. Poor Xan called that useless company a dozen times, trying to get some resolution to the problem. We would have punted them if they weren't the only game in town (unfortunately, they know that, and abuse it).

These aren't the only examples of things not working. Far from it. I was warned about the poor service here, but wow. After living in a country like Canada, nothing prepares you for this kind of neglect.

While trying to understand the reason for our annoying split taps, Xan stumbled on a blog entry from a Swedish couple living in Ireland (Sweden parallels Canada in many ways, apparently). It has so many insightful observations on the differences in cultures that i'd like to recycle it for today's blog entry. Kindly read their article, replacing "mincemeat" with "fruit-bottomed fromage cottage". Thanks, Sven and Kari!

Impressions of Ireland (http://www.rosvall.ie/Intryck_eng.html)

Spring

It is totally spring in Dublin. Buds are growing, trees are blooming and spring flowers are coming into blossom. Actually it is very interesting how vegetation grows here. It is almost continuous and very slow. For instance the trees started to bloom two weeks ago and they are not yet done. The daffodils in my garden did the same and, to my joy, they last much more than the ones in a vase.
I went for shopping in the morning and I couldn’t resist stopping to smell the sweet fragrance of the flowered trees and feel the gentle sun beams on my skin. Too bad that I caught a little cold and I can’t stay longer outside.

Home

I am home again. Home… I lived in six cities and four countries. Where is home? I visited Romania, the country where I was born. So I was home and then came back home? And when I’m going to go to Canada, it will be again, home? Some would say that home is where your heart is but what can I say, my heart is big.

For me, home would be where I feel safe and comfortable. It is just a matter of getting used with your environment. When I moved in Canada, everything was foreign, different from what I knew. It was easy there, though. The society is built in order to accommodate newcomers that is, everything is well explained. In Ireland, things weren’t that simple anymore. Everybody knows this and that, if they lived here forever. But I think they are catching up with North America because the newcomers group is significant now. I was really surprised to see how many foreigners are in Dublin. In both cases, after three months I started to feel safe and comfortable. The longer you stay in one place, the more you get used to your environment.

Now, after almost four years, I visited Romania. I was amazed how familiar was everything I was experiencing, and yet, I was detached, observing and having fun of things that in the past would make me frustrated and angry. I guess my attitude was due to the fact that I knew I will leave soon. In a way I was disappointed that things didn’t change much. On the same token, I knew this will happen, that’s why I left in the first place. In a sentence I would say: the private business and property exploded whereas the public services and government duties are extremely disabled. I wonder when the elected leaders will realize that they have to work to improve people’s lives, not only their own pockets.

The time was short but I was happy to see my family, old friends, taste foods that are hard to find here, remember how it feels like to walk on streets with many loose dogs, and travel with crowded means of transportation. The weather wasn’t very good either, overcast and foggy, melting snow and lots of mud. Next time I’ll go in a better season. :-)

And above all, I was happy to return in Dublin, not only because the streets are always clean but because here is Darse and most of my heart is where he is.

"The Meaning of Life, the Universe, and Everything"

I’ve been thinking a lot lately. A friend of mine asked a hard question: what makes life worth living? Or in other words: we are born, we live, we die. Is that it?
Being such a hard subject, I couldn’t answer quickly. I have this habit of thinking a lot before answering hard questions. Also, it’s embarrassing, at my age, to not know this already. The problem with the meaning of life is that it is something very personal and it changes over time, like everything does when new data are gathered. I am going to try to find a general answer, though.
Let’s see. The things that matter most in our lives are the things that are there for the duration of our whole life. Such constants are: oneself, others, the Earth, the Universe. Further, I will try to explain why these are the constants, why we should focus on them, and how we should treat other important things as variables, including family, career, passions, and possessions.

Oneself
We must live with ourselves all our life, whether we like it or not. So we better like ourselves, or change into somebody that we like, in order to live happily ever after. But do we really know ourselves that well? To create a healthy life-long relationship, we need a deep understanding of the other person, to be able to love and accept him or her with all their virtues and faults. The same is true of ourselves. We have to understand our body, our mind, and our feelings. If we know how they work, we are able to shape them. Thus, we can prevent, avoid, and diminish pain. Controlling pain leads to less fear. We are in charge now.
It sounds selfish, but it is a simple fact that we are the most important person in our life.

Let’s take some time to know ourselves better.

Others
Our lives depend on others. Here I also include other life forms. We cannot live without them. We ought to treat them like ourselves; that is, learn about them, listen to them and understand them. We can transform hate and indifference into respect and gratefulness. Just look around! Every little thing in our life is produced by something or somebody. There is no way we can make most of these things by ourselves. Isn’t it uplifting knowing that we can cooperate to survive? Cooperation is the only way that everyone can win – without it, someone has to lose. Then why are we threatening other people and other species? Is it because we don’t know, or we are indifferent, or we are scared of the unknown?

Let’s take some time to understand others.

The Earth
I guess you already know why the Earth is important in our life. Yes, it is the only home and spaceship we have. Our lives depend so much on it. Recently, we started to listen to it. Let’s hope we will understand what the Earth is saying before it is too late. It is unlikely that a miracle will happen, so we better prevent further damage. Do we really know what is going on and what can we do to help?

Let’s take some time to learn about our planet.

The Universe
Apparently, there is no “reason” for anything in the Universe, yet, if you look closer, you will find that everything is interconnected. There is a flow of causes and effects, unforeseeable emergence of complexity, ultimately leading to life, so that the Universe can know itself. Knowledge is the new toy, and it will be developed until it reaches the point of a new, unpredictable outcome. On a universal scale, it is very likely that we won’t find out what’s next in the grand scheme of things. Regardless, our purpose is to expand knowledge and limits. We already know a little about the Universe, but the real challenge is to touch it in order to know far more. Maybe our destiny is to reach the stars. We’ve been dreaming for millennia about it. Before leaving home we have to pass the maturity test: can we survive in our own world before trying to survive in a foreign one?

Let’s take some time to dream.

And Everything
Now, that the constants have been described, perhaps you’ve already figured out what the variables are - family, career, passions, possessions, etc. I call them variables because they can come and go, and in many cases there is not much we can do about it. Obviously, if we rely entirely on them, sooner or later we’ll be hurt by loss. Spending some time developing the constants will reduce the impact of variance. For instance, if we know and trust ourselves and others, then shocks like a divorce, or getting fired, or losing wealth, etc. will be less disastrous and recovery will be faster.
Although subject to change, these things are invaluable because they give us the opportunity to experience and discover ourselves and the world. However, we should take care that we do not identify ourselves with the family, career, possessions, etc. A somewhat detached point of view should be maintained so that we control our lives, not the external factors. When they do so, we feel trapped and thorn. Detachment is hard to achieve, but the result is to see things as they are.

Let’s take some time to see our lives from other perspectives.

Our life is a ship sailing on the sea of constants. Variable wind and waves are the events that make the ship struggle, stagnate or go forward full speed. It is up to the captain to make the right decision in order to reach the shore. Is the sea his friend or his enemy?

-- --

After reviewing the text, I realized that this is a super-condensed version of my thoughts and it would take many pages to express my ideas fully. I hope I didn’t jump to conclusions without a good explanation, and in any case, I plan to develop the topic in future posts.

Ghosts and movies

If you are expecting me to talk about movies with ghosts, I tricked you. The truth is that it is just windy, again. So I am thinking that howling and moving curtains looks exactly like people usually describe ghost sights. No wonder that they were seen so often in UK and Ireland. It means that it is not windy but ghosty! ;-)

OK. We do have some movies in the menu, too. I recently saw two good movies: Amazing Grace and Blood Diamond.

I was eager to see Amazing Grace even though the subject looks lame at first. It is about the abolition of slavery. Unappealing, huh? But I read Wilberforce’s story in Wikipedia and it seemed inspiring. My expectations were way surpassed. It is a very well done movie (much, much better than many recent block busters) with well defined characters, very well told story and a good flow in action. Did I use too many “well” and “good” words? I guess I really liked it. Also, it is a movie for the whole family. Guess what: no killings, no violence and no chase scenes!

On the other hand, Blood Diamond has everything. Violence, killing, mutilating, chasing, suspense -- all the ingredients of a modern movie. I found it a little too violent for my taste but after all, this is the reality in Africa. They kill each other for no apparent reason. Of course, leaders are manipulated to play the game of those who want cheap resources. It was even a joke in there: “let’s hope they don’t find oil in Africa”. It is sad, very sad. Apart from the violent side and some very long time-outs in the action to build up drama, the movie tries something good: to make you think (;-) about the nature of people and life under the gun for years and years. It is a story about true events and was made, unfortunately, many years after the conflict was settled.
In conclusion, I didn’t expect much from these movies but they turned out to be very good. Life is full of pleasant surprises (if you don’t count the bad ones)!

adventures in mundania

Moving to Ireland is not one major change -- it's a million little changes.

I could list a few, or a few dozen, and it wouldn't seem like much of a big deal. I mean, does it really matter if the yogurt here has less than 5% protein and is made with whipping cream? Not so much. But when it's *every little thing*, it keeps you perpetually off balance. It's hard to get into a flow state, because flow requires ignoring everything except the one thing you're immersed in. I miss having the real world fade away for hours at a time...

Even things that are the same are different. For example, Xan bought the exact same brand and type of hair colouring she always buys, but discovered that the chemicals and the instructions were completely different. I walk down the aisles of the grocery store, and not even 5% of the brands are familiar. Sometimes it feels like i'm living in a totally foreign country!

We miss a lot of things, it's true. Especially in regard to the extremely healthy diet we had in Canada. Oh what i'd give for a big bowl of 3-colour coleslaw with diced dill pickle and creamy cucumber dressing. I had that almost every single day at home, but *none* of those things exist over here! But then, there are just as many new things that provide ample compensation. Nevertheless, the constant need for learning and adjusting and improving solutions gets to be a bit of a drag after a while. (Listen to the whine of a comfort junkie).

Xan neglected to mention who our first dinner guests were -- the finest of the fine, Aaron and Christine. Our transition would have been thrice as hard without them having already figured out the hardest things.

Mundane things

It’s been a while since I last posted. Darse is to blame. He stole all the hot subjects so I am going to tell you about the dull ones.

During the past days I was busy with mundane things. We bought some office furniture that I had to put together, we received a new leather couch for the living room and I arranged the guest bedroom. I also spent a lot of time looking for things on Internet like where to buy things, ordering some IT stuff and finally, booking my flight for Romania.

Yes, after almost four years, I am going to Romania for a week. It is the second time since we met that we are going to be apart for more than two days. Tough days are heaving at the horizon.

The great news is that (hurray!) we have all our papers issued. It is very funny that Darse has an immigrant card ;-). They didn’t give me one too because I am an EU citizen. We had a very long day because of that. We woke up at 6AM to beat the rush at the office but it turned out that there was no rush at all, at least there wasn’t before 9:30 when we left. It was a very short night, and on top of it, we received a call at 1AM from the Credit Card Company to confirm some shopping that I did yesterday. Crazy!

Sunday we had the first guests since we moved. It was a nice evening with good wine and good talk. I really enjoyed it. It seemed too short, though.

Things are getting even better. Monday I received the treadmill. I can walk and even run for however long I want in spite of the wind and the rain. I strategically positioned it in front of the big window facing the garden and it is like being out there but sheltered from the elements.

Life is very good!

PS: I attached some pictures taken during the New Years Eve in Dublin and Charleville castle.

Dame street, Central Bank



Ceilings in Charleville Castle, Tullamore