Date:	2008-07-12 10:07
Subject:	Porters and the Trek
Security:	Public
Mood:	contemplative

So, oddly this morning it seems like my left calf is hurting and my right thigh.. hrm.  interesting.  
Something I´m learning about myself is that no matter how excited about somethíng I´m suppoed to be, there are just certain things I´m interested in and certain things I´m not.  I certainly appreciated the trail.  It´s supposed to be magnificent, but I think I can just say I appreciated it. What interests me most about visiting another country is the culturé; how people live.  So ... yeah.

So, from standing around listening to some people talk:

Some people don´t get to eat
but they´re used to it so...
that´s ok?



and my stream of concsiousness on the porter situation:

What if I told you
I hired a black man
to carry my shit for three days
(figuratively and literally)

He was taught not to look at me directly
or interact with me

he was to be invisible
he gave me a bow of hot water to wash with
he bathed in a stream
I pooped in a tent with a seat

he squatted in a field.

I carried 5 pounds of water and extra clothes
he carried 50

I slept in a private tent, 
they crowded in our "kitchen" tent where they make us food
and our "dining" tent where we eat at a table and chairs.
I didn´t even get to see what they eat.

When I left camp they were packing up.
When I had gotten to the next camp 
they already had everything unpacked.

He wasn´t black
he was a peruvian indian, "Porters" So to speak.
I was a human being
he was just a mule
and I ¨rented¨him for $10 per day




My guide said "there shy", my first thought was "no, that´s opression"
it´s tough to watch, on one side I want to get all activistic on their asses, on the other side, I guess I sit back and observe and try to understand.  They´re amazing.  They carry 50 pounds of shit and get there before everyone else.      They have a race every year, and the winner does 26 miles in about 3.5 hours.  Now, a proffessional marathon runner I think can break 3 and almost hit 2 hours, but this trail is up at least 4000 feet, and there are tons of stairs and rocks and everything, _and_ most of them run it in sandals.  The food on the trail was the best I´ve eaten since I´ve gotten here, and he makes it with some little stove and all the kitchen supplies they can carry.

For a party of 5 walkers, we had 10 porters, 1 cook, 1 "head of porters" and one guide.  

I suppose it is what it is.  

I´ve got to go check out of my hotel now.  I´m sure there´s more.  But yeah...   Later

Date:	2008-07-11 18:11
Subject:	Peru
Security:	Public
Mood:	exhausted
Music:	Whatever is in the hotel lobby I´m listening to

I´m in Peru today.  I just got done with the Inca trail that I started on Tuesday.  I´m totally exhausted and everything is sore.

    I got into Peru Saturday night where we stayed in Lima.  Sunday morning we got up and flew to Cusco where we stayed a couple days to acclimatize to the altitude.  It really affects you like crazy and I had to stop every time I went up a flight of stairs, but I was the best off, my family ended up much worse, some of them staying in bed half the night, but fortunately we all made it ok.

It´s hard to describe what the wierdest thing about being there was.  There´s poverty.. I suppose it looks the way it does when you see a poor South American town in the movies, but depending on the store, they can all look the same on the outside, but you can walk in and it´s a store selling Luxury alpaca like you walked into a mall.  then when you walk back outside, there´s kids without family nearby begging for you to buy stuff on the streets, homeless dogs that are obviously malnourished.  And, if you can peak past the big wooden door leading back to where they live, you can see how barren and dirty their accomodations are.  

The city itself is rather clean and safe.  70% of the people there work in tourism, so they try to maintain that as much as they can.  

It is a beautiful country, mountainous with many Inca ruins(though many were torn down by the spaniards and the rock re-used to create churches and other buildings.)

I think the wierdest part so far was we were all sitting around at 7pm on Tuesday night waiting for the tour guide to give us a briefing about our trek on the Inca trail.  He´s laughing nervously as he talks to us.  It´s in Spanish, so I understand most of it, but some of it slips by me so as everyone is interacting I´m trying to catch up to what´s going on.  I´m hearing my second cousing say "No, he must be joking!" 

As it turns out, a transportation strike was scheduled for the next day.  Apparently since the people are so poor, they can´t really afford to do an all out strike, so they schedule it and it only lasts two days.  ¨We´re leaving tonight¨ he says.  It´s a little surreal, living in the states there are just certain things that would never happen, first of all there would be no planned strikes and secondly, the trip would certainly be cancelled.  Anyways, 2 hours later there we having rapidly packed waiting for him to come back.   We drive out about 2 hours away.  Along the way we pick up the porters(basically slaves, fear not, racism is alive and well in the rest of the world folks, (more on that later) who are to help us on the hike.  So, we´re driving through rural Peru, there´s no street lights so it´s completely dark out except when we´re in a town in a van full of very strong men that we don´t know -- if my family wasn´t there I would´ve had a panic attack for sure.  We end up at some random ass campsite in god knows where were we sleep the night.  The whole thing was a intense, and I´m almost shocked I didn´t freak out.  

This is getting long and I left my commentary on the porters in my room.  I´ll respond about more about the hike and stuff later.  It´s really a surreal experience for someone from the States.  As much as I knew that all this stuff existed, the emotion impact changes it a bit.  On some level I get angry and want to get all activistic on their asses.  On another, I kind of sit back and watch, observing what occurs.  By all means if there are any questions, please ask, as I´m sill trying to process everything.

In closing, I´m learning, there´s nothing like a family vacation to reinvigurate your misanthropy.  I´ve been getting along pretty well with my mom in general, but it just seems like the more I talk to her, the more shit that comes up.  *sigh*  All of them in general, somehow we half get along and it´s half oil and vinegar.

I walked in the front door and got a whiff of something nasty. It only got worse as I got farther into my apartment, so I decided to throw away all the trash bags that where lying around :-)

I've been doing some exploration of Oregon. Last week I drove North, This week I drove South (not far) to Aurora Oregon. I happened upon an architectural salvage store, that had all sorts of antique door knobs, light switches, crates, lights, doors, molding, stained glass, etc.. Which was all awesome. They even had some chandeliers. It was all original condition, which was kinda cool.

In doing this drive, I realized one of the biggest differences from moving from VA to here is in leaving Portland. I've had many "lifestyle" changes in the past(where my immediate surroundings, like where I live, where I work, where I hang out) change. But the biggest difference is I can't drive to Front Royal to get apple donuts any more. I can't watch planes land at National Airport. All the places I've accumulated in my mind as places I might go visit for nostalgic reasons, the occasionals, or weekend spots are no longer in driving distance.

Last week in my Drive North, I went to a park called the Ridgefield Natinal Wildlife Reserve. There's definetly some perks to all this rain:

http://homepage.mac.com/mikkergimenez/PhotoAlbum5.html

~Mik




~Mik

So, I'm at my grandparents house in Culver, IN. I think I made the record trip from DC to Culver in 9 hours 45 minutes(640 miles)(not for the distance, but for my family). I barely stopped to pee. I was just thinking how appropriate it was that I came here, because when I was a kid, my grandparents house and this town, were kind of a safe haven for me and as I have aged, has become spiritually cleansing when I come here. Anyways, I think it's time for bed. Long day ahead of me tommorow, then we head out Tuesday morning

~Mik

So, it's Sunday morning at 10:00am and I'm getting ready to have breakfast and head out. My first leg is an 11 hour drive today from here to Culver, IN. I won't ahve many pictures, because it's pretty much all flat.

For all of you I saw last night it was great seeing you. I thank all my friends for the support you've given me in the past few months as it has been very hard to make this decision. Anyways, I'll miss you all, and I'll try to leave updates along the trip. (If I can find internet). I expect to reach Portland by Thursday night

~Mik

LOOK OUT! ïòð

dwalen-doelloos is a radioactive squirrel!!

Here the list of dvds I'm getting rid of. I would appreciate a like $3 for each one you want, and maybe like 4 for $10 or something. But, I do need to get rid of them, so let me know and we'll work something out

187
60 seconds
A Better Place
A time to kill
Amistad
An American Wearwolf in Paris
Antitrust
Boiler Room
Bring it on
City of angels
Clerks Uncensored
Cocktail
Death to smoochy
Defending Your Life
Devil's Advocate
Dr. Strangelove
Dungeon and dragons
Evening stress release
Event Horizon
Family Values
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Filter(Music)
Finding Forrester
Forrest Gump
Gladiator
Great Expectations
Invader ZIM
JFK
Jacob's Ladder
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
Kalifornia
Kids
Kindred The Embraced
Life as a House
Manos the hands of fate
Meet Joe Black
Midnight in the garden of good and evil
Mystic River
Nixon
One Hour Photo
Open Your Eyes
Patch Adams
Pleasantville
Power Yoga for Strength and Endurance
Power Yoga: Total Body Workout
Simon Birch
Sound and Motion: Volume 1
Stretching for Flexibility
Super Mario Brothers
The Fast and the Furious
The Green Mile
The Lottery
The Mask
The NET
The Ring
The Skulls
The beach
The city of lost children
The grifters
The long kiss goodnight
The negotiator
The spanish prisoner
The way of the gun
True Lies
True Romance
Two if by sea
Waking Life
Woodstock99
Yoga Basics


And here is the picture of the bookshelf. It's pretty big, as long as you are willing to take it out of here, it's yours(about 8'x7')

Date:	2005-07-28 11:36
Subject:	Westward Bound (Updated list of selling shiznit)
Security:	Public
Mood:	excited

So, I don't know how many of you have heard, but I'm making plans to move westward. Currently the latest timeframe I'll be leaving is the first week of November, and the earliest I'll be leaving is first week of September. I told my boss yesterday, so it's pretty real now, which is the scariest/neatest/most exciting part.

I'm getting rid of alot of/most of my shit so if anyone is interested, I'll give ya a good price

right now on the list of big things to go is:(I will be updating this list as time goes by and I find more stuff)

--Dining room table and 6 chairs
--King Size futon
--Bookshelf(big, probably about 75" tall and 83" wide. If you've been to my house, it's the one the TV is in.
--I also have a couple of bookshelves that are the put together type. they're 2 shelves tall, ~ 1.25' between the shelves, and about 6' wide.(if you've been to my place they are the ones in my bedroom)
--Also, I be getting rid of the TV, it's a 30" widescreen samsung, and if I do get rid of it, it's the only expensive thing I'll be selling, I'd ask $450
--I have like 3 36" black lights
--2 19" Monitors
--plastic tably-thingy (I think it's like 5'x3' although, it might be damaged, 'cause I kept my monitor on it and that thing is heavy.
--Little mini 1' wide by 3' tall white bookshelf thingy with 2 shelves
--Also, I have various movies, books, and 3 crates of records that that I'll be cleaning out. I'll probably try to take a picture of the bindings or something and post them here, you can select from there if you wish.

There's probably more, but I'll keep you informed as the dates get closer

I hope to see you all between now and then,

--Mik

01001110 01101111 01110100 01101000 01101001 01101110 01100111

How Good are you at Certain Things?
Name
Age
Favorite Color
Nickname
Sex - 59%
Romance - 82%
Self - Control - 82%
Kissing - 24%
Cuddling - 54%
Kinkiness - 86%
This quiz by KillianO - Taken 1731970 Times. </a>

New! Get Free Daily Horoscopes from Kwiz.Biz

So I got back from vegas this weekend, which I went to for a wedding. It's kinda a neat town, really big, and not a place I'd need to go to again, but the fountains at the bellagio were amazing(nothing like could ever be depicted on TV). I would recommend to most people to go once to see the pace, but other then that, it's no big thang.

So, I found this poem that I wrote some time ago, and after I read it at a poetry reading, I thought it was pretty neat, so I thought I'd share.

--Mik


Mornings are a reflection of eternal damnation
the fire of the sun penetrates, burning my eyes
on a morning like this one,
I am reminded of the futility of existence
and keep thinking
"not now, why did I have to wake up now"
Like if I stayed unconscious long enough,
I would accomplish what I'd accomplished in the same time awake,
and I could wake up one morning, several years from now
bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and self-actualized
it would be a Tuesday
The sun would be high in the sky
like noon
and that would be ok,
because I'd be ready to start my day
my week
my life
it would be spring
the daisies beneath my window would be in full bloom,
their sweet scent would draft up the wall
I'd breathe in the daisies, the sun, and the metaphysical in one breath.
people would stop to say hi, from the glow they saw in my face.
"is that a star in your eye?" they'd say
"yes," I'd reply, "God has granted the divine upon me"
"God smiled down upon you today"
they'd say
and I'd reply
"he sure did, and I even saw the spinach in his teeth"

muahahahahahahahahahaah.

indeed.

Date:	2005-07-01 09:07
Subject:	What is your world view quiz
Security:	Public
Mood:	awake
Music:	Murder By Death - Intermission

You scored as Postmodernist. Postmodernism is the belief in complete open interpretation. You see the universe as a collection of information with varying ways of putting it together. There is no absolute truth for you; even the most hardened facts are open to interpretation. Meaning relies on context and even the language you use to describe things should be subject to analysis. </td> Postmodernist 88% Romanticist 81% Materialist 75% Modernist 63% Cultural Creative 63% Idealist 56% Existentialist 56% Fundamentalist 13% What is Your World View? (updated) created with QuizFarm.com

Date:	2005-06-09 00:10
Subject:	Time for my bi-yearly update
Security:	Public
Mood:	sleepy

At my poetry group, I was told that a "homework" assignment some time ago, before I joined (just ideas/inspiration that came up during a meeting) was "Gorilla at a bus stop". But no one had come up with an idea. I actually liked the concept(although, it was probably supposed to be funny, and I took it an altogether different route), and this is what I came up with




There was a chill in the air
It was the crest between autumn and winter
The leaves had fallen
The snow began to think about blanketing the earth
His icy-hot layer of protection

Two squirrels drowning in the gene pool
Chased each other around the stone gargoyle
On the ledge above the entrance to the museum
Angering him
Causing his eyes to glow red

A bear clawed at the window of a car stopped at a light
Out of gas
The passengers screaming inside

A panther wandered aimlessly through the streets
searching for the remains of his family

and across the street
catty-corner to I
wearing a fedora and trench coat
reading tomorrow’s newspaper stood
a guerilla at a bus stop

I looked down the four roads of the intersection
A few parked cars
Raccoons digging through the trash
Tumble weeds blowing in the wind.
The occasional pedestrian crossing the street
Coming down the sidewalk

The gorilla looked up from his paper
Flipped the page
But didn’t look back down at him
He was transfixed
At me?
I looked around
A girl sat on the sidewalk
Long black hair
Head in hands
Corduroy dress
Sobbing
Red slippers
Her tears smeared the dark circles around her eyes,
streaming faded black down her cheek
White turtleneck

A gorilla at a bus stop; smoking a cigarette,
Pawing at his leathery nose
Pupils wide at girl
The panther brushed by her knee and she reached out to pet him
Ignorant to the danger
I couldn’t move
Couldn’t scream out at her to be careful
Couldn’t relate to her my false empathetic story
The panther was too solemn to snarl
his fangs didn’t flinch
Jaw didn’t move

A gorilla at a bus stop looked down at his paper.
I searched for meaning in this surreal landscape
In the sky scrapers that stretched up into the clouds
the empty streets running into the greenless forest
I looked for her in the eyes of the girl,
leaning against the stone wall of the building
staring at nothing,
a blank look on her face

A gorilla at a bus stop searched for a deaf person
Panickedly tossing bodies with his excuse me gestures
An iris wilted and snapped off from a flower box in one of the many windows above us
The squirrels wrapped around her in their flirtatious chase,
She fell through their circular dances pulling them down with her.
I reached to grab her, but my arm never moved.
The iris floated to her resting place,
Presented in front of girl
I fell to my knees with the flower, unable to cry
She picked up that Iris and slowly walked across the street.

A gorilla at a bus stop waved his arms in fury
Signing every one of the 253 words they taught him
hoping for some type of response
The girl approached the curb
a bus, coming down the street
Twisted her body
She bounced against the pavement,
catching herself on the underworkings of the belly of the beast.
And All I could do was watch
numb

The bus driver opened the door and signed “time to go”
“it’s over” the gorilla responded, and got on the bus
the bus drove off, and I thought to myself,

A gorilla at a bus stop
Sighing the breath of rain.
Mute in all ways that mattered
I wonder where he is going.

Date:	2005-02-14 16:03
Subject:	Are Jesus Freaks the same thing as freaks for Jesus?
Security:	Public
Mood:	curious
Music:	Mono - Lost Snow

So, I was browsing a forum today, and thought I should share.



"1. Would you pay money to have sex with someone that you're strongly attracted to?
2. Would you accept money to have sex with someone if you weren't particularly attracted to them?

I'd have to say no to both questions because it's an intimate act to me, but I know a woman who told me that her fiance pays her for sex. She said that she isn't attracted to him "that way", and she doesn't enjoy it, so he started offering her money."

Date:	2005-02-09 00:06
Subject:	Too Me to pass up
Security:	Public
Mood:	flirty
Music:	Mono - Walking Cloud & Deep Red Sky Flag Fluttered & Sun

You Are the Very Gay Winnie the Pooh!

Come on, he doesn't wear pants! And he's a little too obsessed with Christopher Robin

I haven't posted in like 6 months and this is what you get..

It's a sad world.

This is what happens when I get bored, Not pearls of wisdom but total nonsense

If you read this whole thing.. I'm sorry....

KISSES!!

~~Mik

PS These are all(except maybe one or two that I made up) based on actual wise old sayings.. If you had to know.. Some of them(1 or 2) are actually straight up, just cause I thought they were fun


There's no A in Teamwork
There's no better place then Toys R us, There's no better time then when you get to it
What's good for the goose is good for thanksgiving
With a stout heart, a mouse can lift cheese
Where there is smoke, there is a ciggarette
Stop washing your hair with fake feces
Beggars are often choosers.
Be careful what you wish for; naked women can still swing hockey sticks
All work and no play makes Jack strong
A day is lost if one misplaces it
God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the strength to kick your ASS
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Please assist in demonstrating the twitchy-hold-open eye thing to said beholder so he can get it out
You can have your cake and eat it too
One day
Better to be safe than dead
poetry moves people; cause it's all emotional and stuff
Yield to all
One man may be more cunning than another
Caveat Emptor
Quality starts with a Q
All truth passes through three stages: First it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed and third it is accepted as being self-evident. -
Birds of a feather are glued onto it's butt
You can't build a relationship with a popsicle sticks
One man's beard is on fire;
A blind person who sees is not blind
You can't buy an inch of penis with an inch of gold
Our desires are the cause of sex
Parting sucks
You can drive out nature with a pitchfork
Rudeness is a weak man's imitation of his mom
You can lead a horse to water
You can fool people some of the time
You can only die once
you can beat a dead horse.. it's fun.. and relieves stress
You are a person
Better three hours too soon than a minute in the oven(if it's turned on)(too a high heat)
At high tide, surfing rules; at low tide, surfing not so rules
Absence makes the heart grow mold
Making money selling manure is better than losing money eating manure
Rome wasn't built in a day it was built in an hour. On the sixth day.
Beware of the person with two faces. He has the devil in him
Be nice to people on your way up because being nice is good... Peace out
Better ten times ill than one time dead
Better a thousand enemies outside the sleeping bag than one within it.
Measure until it's big enough


I just realized..
That before I did not quite express the level of empathy I feel
so, if you make it this far.
I am truly deeply sorry
~Mik



No but really..
Words cannot express how sorry I am

~Mik

(Ok, I'm done)

Date:	2004-03-25 14:15
Subject:	um... stuff?
Security:	Public
Mood:	peaceful
Music:	Broken Social Scene - Anthems for a seventeen year old girl

My friend sent me this e-mail today. It's worth reading:


Dr. Laura Schlessinger is a US radio personality who dispenses advice to people who call in to her radio show. Recently, she said that, as an observant Orthodox Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and cannot be condoned under any circumstance. The following is an open letter to Dr. Laura penned by a US resident, which was posted on the Internet. It's funny, as well as informative.

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God's Law.
I have learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that
knowledge with as many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the
homosexual lifestyle, for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus
18:22 clearly states it to be an abomination. End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some of the other
specific laws and how to follow them.

1. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a
pleasing odor for the Lord-Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They
claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in
Exodus 21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair
price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in
her period of menstrual cleanliness-Lev.15:19-24. The problem is, how
do I tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. Lev. 25:44 states that I may indeed possess slaves, both male and
female, provided they are purchased from neighboring nations. A friend
of mine claims that this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can
you clarify? Why can't I own Canadians?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2
clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill
him myself?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination - Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality.

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God if I have
a defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does
my vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair
around their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by
Lev.19:27. How should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me
unclean, but may I still play football if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev. 19:19 by planting two
different crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments
made of two different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also
tends to curse and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go
to all the trouble of getting the whole town together to stone them?
Lev.24:10-16. Couldn't we just burn them to death at a private family
affair like we do with people who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev.20:14)

I know you have studied these things extensively, so I am confident you
can help. Thank you again for reminding us that God's word is eternal
and unchanging.

Your devoted fan,

Jim



As certain politicians work diligently to prevent marriage between two people of the same sex, others of us have been busy drafting a Constitutional Amendment codifying all marriages entirely on biblical principles. After all, God wouldn't want us to pick and choose which of the Scriptures we elevate to civil law and which we choose to ignore:

Draft of a Constitutional Amendment to Defend Biblical Marriage:

1) Marriage in the United States of America shall consist of a union between one man and one or more women. (Gen 29:17-28; II Sam 3:2-5.)
2) Marriage shall not impede a man's right to take concubines in addition to his wife or wives. (II Sam 5:13; I Kings 11:3; II Chron 11:21)
3) A marriage shall be considered valid only if the wife is a virgin. If the wife is not a virgin, she shall be executed. (Deut 22:13-21)
4) Marriage of a believer and a non-believer shall beforbidden. (Gen 24:3; Num 25:1-9; Ezra 9:12; Neh 10:30)
5) Since marriage is for life, neither the US Constitution nor any state law shall permit divorce. (Deut 22:19; Mark 10:9-12)
6) If a married man dies without children, his brother must marry the widow. If the brother refuses to marry the widow, or deliberately does not give her children, he shall pay a fine of one shoe and be otherwise punished in a manner to be determined by law. (Gen. 38:6-10;Deut 25:5-10)
7) In lieu of marriage (if there are no acceptable men to be found), a woman shall get her father drunk and have sex with him.(Gen 19:31-36)

I love that phrase... "Waxing Poetic" Anyways I'm going to stop with the "and stuff"'s.

So, I'm posting this, mainly because I'm nervous about posting it. It's wierd how it's been so much easier for me to stand up in front of a crowd and talk about things going on in my life and how I'm feeling, but when it comes to this, something creative that in theory isn't showing anything that close to me, I'm scared shitless. Maybe because it's reflecting some of the darker parts of my soul, or because I really care about it or something. I dunno. Anyways, I know there are some issues with it, so constructive criticism is welcome.
--Mik

Of course, now someone is going to reply to this (one of all 4 -(minus) 1 inactive of you) and tell me about the amazing day your having, but does anyone have one of those days, specifically at work where you just want to fuck maturity and just start screaming and crying going "MAKE IT ALL GO MY WAY!!! MAKE IT ALL GO MY WAY!!!"..

Yes.. It's one of those days.

This mornings pearls before swine helped brighten my spirits a bit, and I shall share it with you now

(let's see if I can get some like thing working where I can put it right in here)