Mumonkan, Koan 3: Gutei Raises A Finger

Whenever Gutei Osho was asked about Zen, he simply raised his finger. Once a visitor asked Gutei's boy attendant: "What does your master teach?" The boy too raised his finger. Hearing of this, Gutei cut off the boy's finger with a knife. The boy, screaming with pain, began to run away. Gutei called to him and, when turned around, Gutei raised his finger. The boy suddenly became enlightened.

There's a big difference between someone answering a question about Zen by raising a finger, and someone saying a master teaches people to raise their finger. It's not that the boy really thought that all his master was teaching people was to raise their finger, but the fact that the boy attached significance to this action was mistaken. True understanding cannot be handed off in canned answers from one person to the next.

This is the danger of trying to communicate Zen learning directly, of 'feeding it' to people. The extreme lesson Gutei taught this boy was that truth is inside of him. Even without his finger, he can access it. This led the boy to make a leap and become enlightened.

Putting The Gloves On

Today in Hapkido, I got to put the gloves on and go to it with my punches! There are a series of six punches and, with the gloves on, and I had to throw the punches at the senior belt's hands (which are encased in thick pads). Plus you have to keep your hands in position around your face as a guard when the arm is not throwing a punch.

The catch is that the senior belt calls out numbers from one to six. If he calls 'one', then you throw the first punch in the series. If he calls 'two', you throw the first and second punch in quick succession. And so on. You never know what number is going to get called, and sometimes they fake you out. Like they will call 'one' a bunch of times in a row, and you just send out the quick jab that is punch one over and over. Then all of a sudden they say 'five' or 'six' and you have to immediately go from that repetitive motion into the full set. It can really throw you!

On top of that, they move in a slow circle. So you have to adjust your stance so that you can still punch the target. Then they throw in another curve ball. They'll start moving their hands to different positions with each punch so you aren't sure where you are going to have to throw those punches. I imagine this is to simulate a real fight situation where what you are going to hit might not always be in the same set place.

Overall, I made plenty of mistakes but, for the most part, I did much better than I thought I would for my first go at this! The sound of my punches on the pad was this loud BAM, and that was hot! I REALLY enjoyed it, and it's amazing how it only takes ten or fifteen minutes of this to get the sweat pouring. It is hard work!

LOVE IT!!!!!

Thwarted By The Heat

For the first time in a really long time, I pulled out some drawing supplies and went outside to sit and do some sketches. I always get the urge in the Spring, because Jim is always working in the garden planting new flowers guiding me around to show me he's moved stuff, and pointing out where new stuff is flowering.  There are so many colors, and I learned long ago that color is the main thing I respond to as a visual artist or art appreciator.

So out I went with my pad, my pastel crayons (wonderfully messy - I'm as fascinated by the mixture of colors that wind up smeared on my hands as a gypsy with a cup of tea leaves), and support materials (q-tips, charcoal, etc). I picked a spot, sat, and began laying out some flowers with contour drawing and then started adding the color in.

My contour drawings are the best ones I do, because whenever people make a loud comment about a drawing I've done it has always been the ones I do this way - working from real objects or people. However, the frustrating thing for me is that these drawings always look sloppy and half-baked to me. As a result, there is a very long time between starting a picture and working with it, when I am looking at it and thinking it's a total piece of crap. This is probably why I never pursued art; I just don't have the ability to see what I'm doing objectively.

Anyway, I was only able to work on it for a half and hour or so before the 90-degree heat and high humidity got to me. (I had wisely chosen to start this little project right around 1 or 2PM when the heat of the day is at its worst).  So I went back inside. Another reason I am not an artist; I lack that all consuming passion. The partially started picture is here in my study, really all ready for me to work again. I hope I do, but that day my attention strayed and I felt the urge to read some more.

On the plus side, I did go out and draw for the first time in years! I have forgotten how much I enjoy it; it's such an escape. I can shut out the whole world and enter a place - my drawing - that is all mine and consumes all my attention and thoughts.  At least for a little while!

Mumonkan, Koan 1: Joshu's Mu

"A monk asked Joshu, "Has a dog the Buddha nature?" Joshu answered "Mu."

First of all, "mu' is a word that meaning nothingness. Many zen practitioners speak it during meditation to clear the mind. (I personally dislike this, because I feel that focusing on 'nothingness' is still a focus and, therefore, is not really clearing the mind).

I meditated on this koan at night. After a while, I suddenly thought to myself: "Is the moonlight on my skin touching it or just illuminating it?" With this, I got the answer to the koan.

Joshu's answer meant that it's irrelevant whether a dog has the buddha nature. What has that got to do with anything? The way to truth for oneself is not by posing and answering a lot of dumb questions; it's by meditating and getting in touch with your mind where all the answers are. In a sense, he may even be saying: "Why are you asking me? Meditate and you can learn the answer for yourself."

This may not seem like much of an insight, but think about how - if you practiced it regularly - how much more self-reliant you would be.  How many times you might think before you ask a question to see if you already know the answer. Sometimes, when we ask someone else for an answer, it's because we hope they won't tell us the one we know deep inside is the right one. 

If you can picture this, then you can get an idea of how powerful meditation can be.

Mumonkan

I mentioned in an earlier post that I might start writing about what I learn while sitting in zazen (meditation) and working on koans. After all, this blog is called 'Zen Thrown Down'! I've really shied away from doing so up to now, because much of this is really personal and private.  I also find that it's almost impossible to put into words without it seemingly like I sat in meditation and came out of it with a simple truth that you might find wrapped in a fortune cookie.

The thing is that Zen is about simple truth. The problem with simple truths is that we may know them, but we seldom (if ever) practice them.  The power of Zen is that coming to these simple truths while zazen presents them to me in a way that is personally meaningful. That, plus the process of sitting in zazen, tends to cement them a bit in my brain.  By sitting in zazen regularly, behavior and mindset can be controlled and even shaped. When I regularly meditate, I can feel that I have a far calmer, centered approach to everything.  I can also stand outside myself much more easily and control my mind, reactions, responses, thoughts...everything. And I am much more happy as a result.

Zen is ultimately about harnessing your mind, focusing it, and learning how to keep that focus constantly directed only on what is real and important. It's how to dismiss meaningless or pointless thoughts and concerns (the 'noise' that constitutes virtually all of what is going through our minds at any given time). When I'm practicing regularly, it's obvious to me that each of us is the author of virtually all of our pain, sorrows, frustrations, angst, and unhappiness. We create it in our own heads and make it worse through our resulting actions and words.

So I'm going to relate what I learned from the first koan (or case) in Mumonkan, one of the great old collections of Zen koans. A koan is a mental puzzle designed to guide you to truth or a realization, but it is not a puzzle with one solution and the koan is typically pretty obtuse - even nonsensical - when you read it.  The point is to get at the truth while in zazen, where it will have some impact.

Typically, I read the koan and then meditate. During meditation - and this is crucial - I am not thinking about the koan or trying to solve it. I am not 'meditating on the koan'; really to meditate on anything is almost a contradiction in terms! I think people who practice Zen say they are meditating on something merely to suggest that it's in therie head and that they are also meditating.  It's a very important difference. In meditation I'm not thinking about anything; I'm clearing my mind of all 'noise'. By doing this, I find that answers just come to me.

Over time, meditation reveals many answers or simple truths. These build off each other and intertwine and you slowly begin to build a cohesive way of being. Like I said, each realization tends to 'stick' when you find it through meditation, and then it's there waiting for you when you have additional realizations. So keep in mind that each session of zazen is not about 'Ah, now I am enlightened! I may now live my life full of wisdom and simplicity!" It's a process of learning and training your mind.

I'm still not sure posting this is a good idea, but I'm going to give it a try.

First Bike Ride of 2010!

Jim and I rode 17 miles. Not exactly a trek, but we have to start somewhere and work up.  I've been working out again, although just once a week.  I've gone back to multiple exercises per body part and just doing one set at the highest weight I can handle wiht good form.  With that, plus making great progress in martial arts (I've got form 1 down, and most of the punches I need for my blue strip), I am officially a jock once again.

Who'd've thunk?

Conversation

This past Friday one of my very best friends, Paul, and I went out to dinner. Paul and I were partnered for about two years back when we were in our early/mid twenties. He was a straight-laced recovering Catholic and I was a street urchin poet and newly born professional.  We broke up over the movie Schindler's List (not related to the subject matter of the movie, because I have never seen it), which is another story altogether!  We continued as friends and roommates for another couple years, and then as friends ever since. So he knows me really, REALLY well (and vice versa).

One of the best things about Paul is that I can always have a great conversation with him. We caught up what is going on in our lives, of course, doing that meant we quickly veered into the world of ideas: literature, politics, movies, ideas we've read about that we thought the other might find interesting, etc. Conversations like this recharge my batteries in so many ways! So much of our day-to-day life is mundane and usual, which is inescapable I suppose, so it's great to be able to flex my brain a bit every now and then and talk about things that matter and make inside jokes with someone (cats do have feelings!).

Paul and I have both changed and grown in so many ways since we met way back when, and it's been a wonderful ride so far.  We've taught each other so much and, I think, have really influenced each other in many ways.  Love ya, Paulie!

New Music!

Some new music purchases filtering into my ears and providing me sonic enjoyment:

Various Artists - Six Degrees Global Groove Sampler This one was free for download on amazon! What a deal! It includes work by Malian blues guitarist Vieux Farka Touré (son of Ali!), American duo Undersea Poem, French-Finnish duo The Dø, Zuco 103, Gaudi (the track is 'No Time', one of my favorites of 2010), David Starfire, Midival Punditz, Lal Meri (another collective featuring the indispensable Carmen Rizzo), and others. This is the perfect example of why free music is wonderful and why 'illegal' downloads of music shouldn't worry real musicians. I would not likely have gotten a good listen to many of these bands without a free earful. I am planning on buying Gaudi's album, and I imagine one or two more of these will also be purchased before long. Very good stuff!

Kero One - Early Believers Positive hip-hop producer and MC from San Francisco, who has a very chill, old-school, true skool feel to his stuff. This is his second album, and he came up completely outside the major labels.

Erykah Badu - New Amerykah, Part Two: Return of the Ankh The second part of her trilogy of New Amerykah albums. The first one (4th World War) took some time to grow on me but, when I got it, I loved it! This one sounds like it might be a little less out there, but I'm glad Badu is back in my playlist. It's been awhile since I was getting off on her debut (Baduizm). 

Triptykon - Eparistera Daimones Black metal band Celtic Frost broke up again two years ago after the release of their phenomenal album Monotheist. This is the new band by Tom Gabriel Warrior. From the samples I heard before I purchased and the cuts I heard on YouTube, sounds like it'll be another mind-shattering trip through the valley of darkness. I can't wait!

BT - These Hopeful Machines One thing I like about producer/composer/technologist BT is he never puts out CDs that seem like he's only being half-hearted. Everything he records is epic and/or I can tell he's passionate about it, even if I sometimes dislike the direction he takes (Emotional Technology) This is probably his most ambitious work since his classic trancy/ambient debut ima, which completely rocked my world in terms of music.  These Hopeful Machines is 2 CDs and two hours of music. I'm expecting it to be quite an aural journey.

Various Artists - Riverside Scenes on a Bright Day Traditional Chinese music by artists such as guqin player Li Xiangting (whose Sleeping Lotus album is a favorite of mine for meditation and quiet times), Cui Junzhi, Zhang Weiliang, Song Baocai and others. Some serene and/or spartan arrangements for the most part using a variety of instruments.

Gotta go listen!

Austenmania

My dear friend John Heaton posted the following entry on his facebook wall:

"I am not sure what to make of the Austen culture. It boggles the mind that there is such a huge demand for Austen pastiches. The Republic of Pemberly has a list of more than sixty, which doesn't include any of the forty such books published by Sourcebooks, Inc."

I understand completely why Austen's novels excite such enthusiasm among contemporary readers (including this one!). As I make my points, you'll notice an unfortunate tendency to compare Austen to Victorian writers, which I probably shouldn't do since she died before that period began and she likely had little in common with them from a literary standpoint. I apologize in advance.

First, the rules of the world Austen paints are so different from our own and, importantly, they differ in a way that appeals to us to some extent. In our time etiquette is dead, a promise excites as much cynicism as faith, and many people function with no - or only a self-serving - moral code. Not saying I prefer the social structure of rural England during the late 1700s, but there is a simplicity and decency in the mores and customs Austen depicts that is sadly absent in our own culture. I believe this simplicity and decency appeals to us, no matter how post-modern we imagine ourselves to be.

This leads to my second point which is something the great novelist of the time, Sir Walter Scott, praised about Austen: her realism. Austen's realism was about painting a picture of the world 'as it is' and without an agenda. I believe this is why her books have such a straightforward and approachable tone. They are what they are, and the themes she explores flow naturally from the plot. Moving forward into the Victorian period, the theme started to take on so much importance that it often seemed to dictate plotting and characterization rather than working in tandem with these tools. In the hands of the next generation of British writers (Dickens, Gaskell, Eliot, etc.) realism became a means of pushing social and economic change. Moving into our own time - 'realism' seems to exile the concept of heroes and villains, good and evil. Everyone is a self-doubting, self-absorbed, and/or morally ambiguous/confused 'grey'. This trend strongly colors quite a bit of our literature, comics, movies, and culture, but I'm not sure how 'real' it is. In my opinion, it has become so de rigueur as to be predictable and tedious.

Third, while Austen is firmly entrenched in the 1800s, she has an extraordinarily contemporary wit. She writes her characters as flawed human beings and describes them and the situations they find themselves in with great candor and a sometimes catty sense of humor. In comparison, Dickens, Eliot, and Gaskell take themselves very seriously. Their agendas are laid on in a deadly serious, pedantic tone along with a heavy-handed dose of religion. It's usually very preachy, sometimes condescending, and often a bit 'much'. Austen, on the other hand, is focused on individual people, not masses of people, not social constructs. Her focus appeals to us because it's easier to relate to her characters and what they mean. And it's also a lot more enjoyable to read. The criticism would probably be that Austen's realism ends where her natural optimism begins, and there's some truth to this. However, I would argue that there's nothing inherently wrong with a novel or writer that is optimistic and that there is nothing inherently superior (or more realistic) about a novel that is dark and nihilistic.

Fourth, the pacing of Austen's novels is impeccable. No Victorian writer is so economical as Austen. As an author, her intrusions into the narrative are tasteful and well-woven into the fabric of her story, while writers such as Dickens and Gaskell leap completely out of the story to orate upon some issue or other. This is, in fact, a very bad flaw from a literary perspective. That Austen avoids it far more than her peers immediately makes her novels more readable and - on this point - infinitely superior to other big names from the 1800s. I'm not sure there's another novelist of the century whose proportion of plot and page is as well-balanced as Austen's. That's a massive strength as a writer.

Lastly, one cannot question the dramatic power of her novels or the richness of the characters. They seem like real people we know, despite the temporal issue, and their concerns become ours because we become emotionally involved and just plain like them. In contrast, authors like Dickens many times use characters merely as mouthpieces for specific moral or social positions. These characters can be colorful, but they are actually rather two-dimensional and predictable. Then there is the modern approach used in the movies and novels of today, where we do not relate to the characters and often do not like them. While this is sometimes done purposefully to make a thematic point, it is usually nothing more than emulating the current cultural tone. Regardless of why it is done, the effect is the same; it generally makes the characters and their conflicts less relevant (and sometimes irrelevant) to the reader. We are always watching from behind the glass, safe in the knowledge that we have no real emotional stake in what happens. We are not truly drawn in. Not so in Austen.

These are the points I thought of off the top of my head, and I'm probably not even making them all that well in this quickie blog entry. To be honest, I have only read half of Austen's novels. I still need to tackle Sense & Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. I must admit I have bought into Austenmania (I own several DVDs of BBC and Hollywood productions based on her novels).  I am quite a fan of her work, which is rather surprising since I generally dislike 19th Century British novels, even when I can admire the style or talent of a particular writer. Say what we will about Austen, she has certainly endured. And that is ultimately the key litmus test for great literature.

ssssSLAMed!

Back onto a regular hapkido schedule. There's a 4:30 class that I can make if I get into work early enough to leave at 4. It's much better going directly after work, and I can be sure I have had enough food at lunch to keep my energy up. The downside is the earlier class has a higher proportion of kids, which makes the dynamic a little less serious. However, the instructor is very good, and she gets guidance from the Master before each class.  I've been learning a lot of new stuff: forms, punches, escapes. Very fun and very demanding!

In an earlier post, I described how we learn to fall or be thrown when someone is practicing throws on us. It's important to 'fall right' so that being thrown doesn't hurt you, and that also is a good skill for an actual fight because being thrown can totally knock the wind and the fight out of you. Naturally, 'falling right' requires being focused and paying attention to what you and your partner are doing.

I was practicing throws with a black belt and, for some reason, I wasn't quite as focused as I should have been. In addition, the black belt was a little more 'enthusiastic' with this particular throw than usual. Bad combination. He threw me hard, and I wasn't in control of my fall at all. I went over his shoulder and slammed onto the mat on my shoulder and neck and back.  I could hear the Master run over and scold the black belt: "Gentle! Gentle!" I, of course, didn't betray anything. I got right up onto my feet again to show I was ready for more. The black belt was totally apologetic, but I knew it was partially my own fault.

I paid the price over the next few days. My neck was so stiff and it felt like there were a thousand tiny knots tied in the fibers of my back muscles. It ached bad! Hopefully, it's a lesson learned and I'll never make that mistake again!

Concrete Poetry

Many, many years ago I was exposed to the work of poet Pedro Xisto. His genre is concrete poetry, which can sometimes rise to a marriage between art and poetry.  As in this piece of his, titled Ephitalamiun. It's my favorite piece by him, and I have always remembered it from when I first encountered back in college.  I just found it while trawling for him on the web the other day. Hope you enjoy!

PS: Make sure to click and enlarge the 'key' on the bottom of the image is critical to interpreting the work...as is the meaning of the title.

Bibliophilia

I've always loved reading, and over the last ten years or so I have enjoyed finding nice hardcover versions of my favorite books. I'd also begun looking through the nicer used book stores for interesting and unique editions. For example, I bought an old hardcover version of Irving Stone's The Agony And The Ecstasy that has a slipcase and, in the book itself, plates of Michelangelo's artwork relevant to the story. I love finding these kinds of loving treatments of a great book.

Of course I'm no collector, as in knowing too much about how to spot a 'find'. I don't know what 'foxing' is, and I'm not sure what to look for beyond what interests me personally and the publication date.  But I've purchased some old hardcover editions I like: a hardcover of Pan Michal, a book of poems by William Cullen Bryant printed in the 1800s, and - just recently - a boxed set containing the first three Horatio Hornblower novels. This hardcover set was printed, I believe, within two years of the first editions, with a slipcase and frontpiece illustrations by N.C. Wyeth. Seemed like a nice purchase, and it only set me back $31 on eBay.

As time has gone on, I have become more interested in possibly becoming a more educated book collector. Maybe this casual interest will lead to something later in life?

The Rebel

At least according to the DVD case, this 2007 film is the highest grossing film in Vietnamese history. It's easy to understand why. The Rebel takes place in 1922 during the French occupation of Vietnam and clearly speaks to nationalistic themes that probably resonated for many people in Vietnam. Plus it's a beautifully shot film with great action sequences and awesome martial arts fighting courtesy of star Johnny Tri Nguyen (who played a villain in Tony Jaa's The Protector).

Nguyen, a martial arts expert and stunt double, also helped write and direct the movie. So this was clearly a labor of love for him.  His fight scenes are really strong, and there's no indication of any 'wire-fu'; these fights are real and gritty. In case you doubt it, one of the extras shows Nguyen demonstrating some the more impressive kicks and take-downs in 'real life'. Another plus (I have to admit) is that Nguyen is a very handsome man, as well as a terrific athlete, so there's some definite eye candy as well. In one scene Nguyen fights with his shirt off, muscles rippling all over the place. Very impressive.

The only critical comment I could make about The Rebel is that the pacing is a little off. The first third of the film moves very quickly, but then there are some slow scenes until the finale. It's not that they are boring or that the movie can't hold your interest, it's just these scenes come off as notably slow versus the rest of the movie.  Other than that, this is a well-shot and performed martial arts movie with a great story at it's core. Recommended!

Surprise At Work

As mentioned in another post, at the company I work at we often decorate people's cubes for their birthday's, usually in a very tongue in cheek way. Thursday was the birthday of my friend and co-worker Jenny, who is very neat and detail-oriented. So what better way to celebrate her birthday than cover her desk in crumpled paper, and make a huge mess of it? I got in extra early to do the work, tossed pages of newspaper circulars on the floor, and filled her drawers full of crumpled paper which made them rather difficult to open. It was a gift that gave all day long, as that's about how long it took her to clean it all up!  She loved it!

Red Cliff II

The blu-ray came and I got to watch the second part of Red Cliff.  What an amazing finish. There were already so many epic battles in this movie that I wondered how they could possibly top it off in the finale, but they did. I've never seen a military battle filmed so beautifully. And, once again, in the midst of the sweeping grandeur of the movie there are scenes focusing on the individual characters that are so intimate and emotional, and it's all in a stunningly well-balanced combination!

Again, I think this is a martial arts film in a rather loose sense. Certainly there is great fighting and weapons combat, but it is more about armies and strategy and characters than about one-on-one hand-to-hand combat.  The tone of the movie has much in common with most martial arts movies.

Don't watch the short version that was released in the US! Get the full 4-5 hour 2-disc international release version. Kudos to John Woo for an amazing film!

Pirate Latitudes - Michael Crichton

I've never read a book by Michael Crichton before, though I have seen several of the movies based on his novels. One thing I was impressed by was his versatility as a writer. He wasn't one of those people who writes a certain kind of book (e.g., legal thriller, horror, romance); instead he seemed able to move between a lot of different genres. I find that very interesting.

The villa Jim and I stayed at in St. John had many novels, and I found this one. Since it was a sea adventure, it seemed a fitting read for the poolside. I got hooked very quickly. In some places it's a bit silly but it really struck me as a kind of homage to all those pirate/swashbuckler sea novels from the past, such as Captain Blood or Treasure Island.

It wasn't published during his life, so I don't know if he was working on it and didn't finish it or if it was a sort of lark for him. In any case, I enjoyed it. A pleasant surprise as I find it very hard to sift through contemporary writers in order to pick something worthwhile. Though, like I said, this was definitely not a deep book. Have some fun!

St. John (Day 7 - Last Day)

Well, we had a great time. But all good things must come to an end.  I brought much less clothing this time and packed pretty light, but I still found that I had brought a bit too much clothing. Between having a washer and dryer on site and wearing my swimsuit so much, there wasn't a need for much clothing. Next time, I will try to get by with an overnight bag of stuff. I could probably be fine with 3 pairs of shorts, 5 underwear, and 5 shirts.

Said goodbye to Rocky, took a last look at the iguanas, and cast longing glances at the hammock and the pool.  However, I think we'll be back someday. Even though we did a lot of new stuff this trip, there's still plenty more we could do. For such a small island, St. John has a great deal to explore.

This final shot is a picture of a rainbow we saw from the deck as a small storm blew by out at sea. I'll post it here as a sign that we'll return.

Lazy Afternoon With Friends

Our friends Pete (I get called RePete to avoid confusion) and Mike came over to pick up some plants from Jim. We had a great afternoon with pizza, cake, Funny Or Die episodes, and...gimlets!

This past year, I have tried more different kinds of spirits that at any other time in my life. To my surprise, I'm finding that I like quite a few of them. Jack Daniel's is my drink of choice, with coke or straight.  I just like that charcoal-whiskey flavor. Didn't care for Southern Comfort. And now, Pete made his lime gimlet. I love them, but they sure pack a punch! I was pretty loopy after one (I'm a total light-weight). Luckily, I was already home.  Definitely took the edge off!

Later that night I re-ventured into the waters of eBay. I've started reading my second Horatio Hornblower novel (Ship Of The Line), but it's all in paperback. EBay had for auction a three novel set in hardcover of the first three Hornblower novels which are all set during the time he is a captain. The set comes with a slip case, so I thought that was kind of cool. We'll see if I win!

St. John (Day 6 - Part 2)

Last time, we left our intrepid explorers at the junction of the trail to the petroglyphs...

We did the extra .3 miles to petroglyphs over much easier ground.  As you could tell from the photos so far, everything around us was very much about forest and dirt and tree roots everywhere. When we got to the petroglyphs site, it was a very different story. We came to a natural spring that has been there for over a thousand years and, all rising all around it were these wrinkled walls of stone.  Some vines dangled down from the tops, but otherwise these walls and much of the ground were now solid rock. So the environment was completely unlike the rest of the jungle. In the picture above, the pool is behind Jim and some petroglyphs are in the lower right.

The pool is fresh water according to a placard there, but I wasn't going to test that out! The water had a dark red tinge to it and was home to dozens of big dragonflies with bright red bodies that were flying all around.  I honestly felt like we'd stepped into a different and fairly surreal place. This was only heightened by the petroglyph carvings.  While they're not something that really knocks your socks off, they were pretty interesting and added a feeling of tribal primitivism to the already 'Land of the Lost' setting. Again, there are petroglyphs alongside me in this picture. If you click the picture for a larger view, they are fairly clear.

Per a placard at the site: "Archaeological discoveries at Cinnamon Bay [another bay on St. John] confirm that these petroglyphs were carved around 900-1500 AD by the pre-Columbian Taino and their ancestors. The carvings exemplify the designs found on ceremonial Taino pottery. The pool and symbols were sacred dwelling places and ritualistic sites for the spirits of their ancestors. This spring-fed pool stays at nearly the same level despite rainfall, causing an interesting and perhaps intended mirror effect of the petroglyphs - a duality of the spiritual and living worlds often reflected in Taino art." Of course, from the Park District office displays, we know that the Taino were wiped out by Columbus and the Spanish, who introduced diseases to kill of most of them. Those who survived were exploited, enslaved, and/or killed.

After that we started the long hike back up (and I do me up, as in on an incline) the 1.8 miles back to the jeep. It was pretty humid by this point, so we were sweating pretty good. At the jeep, we had out ice chest with fresh supplies of cool water waiting. Tasted so good!

After that we drove to the East End to try and find Haulover Bay, but it wasn't easy to locate parking or a path down since locals mainly know about this place. Since it was pretty late, we were a bit too tired to make a huge effort.  And, since we knew the pool was waiting, we thought: "Let's go home!"  Plus we were getting hungry and tonight was Uncle Joe's BBQ for dinner.

Uncle Joe's is in Cruz Bay. It's an open air stand where they cook ribs and other food and, since the kitchen is open air too, it's not unusual to see wild chickens running around. Despite the lack of ambiance and the revolving door of grouchy young people who work there, the BBQ is amazing! We actually had it twice while we were on the island.  Spent some time that night, staring up at the stars. I remembered enough of astronomy to pick out Sirius, Betelgeuse (the red supergiant that - when it explodes - will be visible on Earth even in the day!), and Rigel (a massive blue star). Nice quiet way to end our - unfortunately - last full day on St. John.

St. John (Day 6 - Part 1)

There was a goodly amount of rain (I like the word 'goodly' but never get a chance to use it) today and that made travel around the island treacherous. The roads on this very mountainous island are steep and curvy. Even with our jeep, when the roads get slick, some of those turn-offs are tough. So we came back to Andante after about 5 minutes of unpromising driving. This was a good decision as we had 30 minutes of solid rain shortly after we returned. I'm on vacation, dammit, I do not want stress!

We finally got out (finally, hah! it was 10AM). Today, we decided to do the Reef Bay Trail, which 'descends 975 feet' into the semi-tropical forest and connects to trails that lead to some of the bays for which there are no decent roads (Reef Bay and the Lameshur Bays), as well as the petroglyph carvings in the center of the island.  I like hiking but I'm hardly what you would call and avid hiker, so we had to learn the hard way that a trail that 'descends 975 feet' is not 975 feet long. Oh no! It twists and turns on its way down and was actually 1.8 miles one way. Not the Trail of Tears but, in that steamy forest after a rain, we felt pretty sticky going down. As you can see, though, there was plenty of scenery to keep your mind occupied.

Along the way, we saw some plantation ruins (very ruined), although it sounds like there's some better stuff on the trail that foes all the way down to Reef Bay from the petroglyphs (maybe next time?). There was loads of wildlife, because we could hear it and see all the holes and pools and crevices under tree roots that suggested enough critters to make me expect Yoda to come walking out and: "Away put your weapon; I mean you no harm." The lizards were everywhere (see pic), leaping out of our path and climbing up trees.  Some were so close that I declared I was going to catch one.  Jim absolutely forbade me to touch anything and - probably for the best - cooler heads prevailed. Who knows what kind of plant I might have stumbled over in chasing one? 

Something I would not have touched for worlds were the giant millipedes we saw in the trees. I know some of these creepy crawlies have poison on their scales and some - not sure if it's the kind we saw - can spray stuff. There was plenty of prettier creatures though. Lots of butterflies that seemed to fly just ahead of us going down the path like in a storybook when there is a little fairy that beckons you on to the some gruesome fate. We didn't see any hummingbirds, though they were pretty much a daily sight around Andante. We did see some weird, big black bird up in the canopy making loud whooping sounds. There was also many bananaquits, these cute little black birds with white stripes on their heads and bright yellow breasts. They have a very nice call, and they are the official bird of St. John. And of course, there were tons of massive trees. Some of the slender trees were growing in helixes and wide curves as they swept up from the floor towards the light.

Definitely a good hike.  After a long while, we finally reached the junction to the path leading to the petroglyphs. Just .3 more miles to go! But this entry is long enough, so I'll save the rest for part 2!

Green Belt

Tonight was the rank test for my green belt. I did a good job, though I still did not get called out as 'excellent'. I'm not sure how they decide who gets called out for that, because some of the people I saw who were really good did not get called out. Oh well, I really shouldn't worry about it. The promotion is the thing that counts.  I thought I was going to have to do some sparring for the green belt but it might be the blue belt where I have to do that.  Bottom line, I'm progressing well and learning a lot. And it's a great fitness activity!

St. John (Day 5 - Part 2)

After the effort expended in snorkeling, it was definitely time for a hammock siesta! This, by the way, is an approximate view from the hammock siesta. With the sound of the waves and a nice breeze blowing over you (the hammock is also on the lower deck so it's not in direct sun), it's very easy to get a refreshing nap.

At the end of my siesta, I was just staring out over the sea when - what should I see not three feet away? An iguana walking along the deck. He saw me at the same time I saw him and he froze, his beady black eye blinking once in a while and his head tilting as he regarded me carefully.  He was about 2 feet long, including the tail, and he had the full-on back spines, death claw, and everything.  After a few minutes he scooted along and then leapt off the deck into the brush.  I stood to see where he was and he was on top of some plants a good distance away, staring up at me with a reproachful look on his face. Then he slunk off into the undergrowth. Sweet!

Speaking of lizards, we finally started to see more of the anoles and small lizards, which was a relief. They're no more than and inch or two long, they run away the second you seen them (probably often before you even notice they are around), and apparently they eat bugs on a grand scale.  That's why, when I went to Cozumel back in college, a native told me it's bad luck to kill one.  They're so cute, I can't imagine anyone doing that.  This picture is of a little guy who seemed to have claimed a particular pot and group of rocks about two feet square as his dominion.  He was always seated there like a king surveying his realm. I named him Rocky.

I've mentioned the pool a lot, and here's a picture of me enjoying some time in there. It was actually very private so I had to crop this pic to make it G-rated.  It was about four or five strokes to get from one end to the other and was always just cool enough to be really refreshing.  We spent hours in the pool, especially as, the breeze started to flag off a bit by this time. That meant things got a little stuffy at times, but not too bad all things considered.  I know it will be a big benefit tomorrow, because we plan to hike through the forest.  We'll need to cool off!

St. John (Day 5 - Part 1)

On this day we went back to Salt Pond Bay, where we had our best snorkeling last time we visited St. John. So, since I fully intend to run on endlessly about how fantastic this place is, I'm going to need two entries to get through Day 5.

First things first, getting to Salt Pond Bay is an arduous journey - at least by St. John standards. The funny thing is the bay is on the same side of the island as Andante, so it should be a short jaunt. However, between us and the bay is nothing but national park - and no roads. So we have to drive clear around the island to get to it. Since the island is so small, this takes about 30 minutes. No big deal really.

Parking is a rocky, gravel pull off with a run down stand where, allegedly, someone sells bottled water. We've never seen this place manned, so we bring our own in a cooler. And it is needed, because this part of the island is dry, very hot, and the sun seems much more intense for some reason. SPF 3000 is required, especially for your back! After parking, there's quite a hike to get to the bay. Take a look at this 'path' leading down to the beach. It's jagged rocks and pits and not much fun when you're carrying beach chairs, snorkels, and fins.

But, anyway, about Salt Pond Bay! It's our favorite snorkeling site on the island with no distant second I can think of. This place simply rocks! It appeals to both me and to Jim. Jim likes it because the water isn't rough and there's plenty to see in the broad sandy shallows. I like the reefs and the great visibility even in the deeper waters. We arrived really early - as usual - and had the beach almost entirely to ourselves, aside from a few boats moored in the bay. Here's Jimmy on the beach!

Of course, while our early arrival allowed us to get one of the picnic tables in the shade to stow our gear (very important at this bay), it wasn't perfectly sunny yet as a result of the prior night's rains. Therefore visibility in the water wasn't the greatest during the morning. Even so, we saw some incredible stuff. Naturally, there were big schools of tiny little fish that part before you as you swim through them. But these schools were not big, they were huge. Had to be thousands of fish in the largest one, no exaggeration.

Jim almost immediately spotted a starfish about seven inches in diameter (he later found another one that was burnt orange in color). I found a perfect whelk shell about six inches long, with brown and yellow colors and a surface so smooth it was like porcelain. (Yes, I out it back). Then, while I was darting after fish, I suddenly saw a sea turtle swimming no more than two feet away from me! He was as big as my torso and not at all interested in making my acquaintance. I swam with him a bit, but he was only that slow because he was surfacing to breathe. After two gulps of breath, he was off with a speed that would have kicked dirt in my face were we on land. This was by far the closest I had ever come to a sea turtle!

And this was just an appetizer of what was to come. We got out to sun until the sky cleared, and then went back in to enjoy the sights with the suns rays to make the water crystal clear, even over the sea grass. Off by the reef, there were giant sea urchins, brightly colored trigger fish, parrotfish of all colors, tangs in neon bluish-purple, sergeant majors, red bigeyes, and all sorts of wrasses, fairy basslets, and other tiny fish in scarlet, aquamarine, neon yellow, and all sorts of colors. I spotted a trunkfish, some foureye butterflyfish, and a fireworm (or a giant sea slug) creeping on some coral.

Other highlights included seeing about fifty small silver fish school in a dense ball as needlefish darted around them to pick off stragglers. Needlefish are silvery, very thin, and swim right near the surface so you often don't notice them. They have teeth but, naturally, they steer clear of us lumbering humans. As was the case last time, we saw reef squid. Five of them this time, and Jim was the one who spotted them. If you swim too fast, they are easy to miss but, once you see them, you can get close and take a look at the turquoise, brown, and yellow spots on their back and the big eyes they have. They just hover in the water, always keeping their bodies pointed away from you so they can jet away in a second. I'd love to make them shoot some ink, but it's so much better to watch them.

The best sighting this time was in the deeper water. I was swimming and noticed 'smoke' rising off the sea floor in about ten feet of water. I didn't want to swim into the 'smoke', so I circled and saw - on the bottom - a six foot long stingray stirring up the sand, probably munching on some food. He was huge and had (I think) a four or five foot wingspan. Dark brownish in color, with what looked like yellow spots. I swam parallel to him as he skimmed to seafloor. I could see him keeping an eye on me, but he didn't seem overly concerned. I followed him for a while, before returning to shore.

Awesome snorkeling day!

Red Cliff

Just finished watching part one of the international release of Red Cliff, which is John Woo's 4-5 hour epic treatment of the 14th Century novel The Romance of the Three Kingdoms. I had rented it through Netflix, but I was impressed enough to buy the blu-ray version to own. Hopefully, part two delivers as well as part one did.

In terms of martial arts movies, this one isn't straight forward hand-to-hand combat. There's definite skills of that kind in evidence, but the battles are often much larger scale. In any case, the battles are massive in size and very well shot. There are a few over the top acrobatics that make you roll your eyes a little bit, and they are especially unwelcome given the generally gritty feel of the battles. I think the excess was too much given the already impressive battle choreography.

Although there is a big epic sweep in the scope of the movie, there is a strong focus on characters as well. It's a little tough to keep all the players straight at first, but you slowly catch on as to who is who and who's on what side. I especially like the loud, wild haired general (not sure what his name was), as well as the tomboy princess. The two male leads (played by Tony Leung and Takeshi Kaneshiro who also starred in the excellent House of Flying Daggers) are great characters, though there is a bit of homoeroticism involved in their connection that I have to admit I enjoy a bit! In any case, the balance of intimate character scenes and big battles is nearly perfect.

The blu-ray came today, and I'm sure I'll be watching part two this weekend! Can't wait to see how it all ends!

St. John (Day 4)

Today we drove out to another bay we'd not been to: Lienster Bay. A bit cloudier today so maybe that's why it looked so unpromising. It seemed very rocky and dark, so we skipped it and went to another new bay: Maho Bay. Maho Bay is pictured in this post (it's a big pic so be sure to open for a closer look).

Maho Bay had a very nice beach and, as you can see, we were virtually alone for the early part of the day. In fact it never really picked up. This may be because the snorkeling wasn't really all that good (or that parking was really limited and chickens climb on the jeeps). Despite the lackluster snorkeling, we did have one great sighting. Jim spotted a hermit crab the size of a dinner plate, complete with a big, spiny conch shell on his back. He looked wicked!

As I was swimming, I stood up to adjust my mask when someone from the beach called out to ask how the snorkeling was. I looked up to see...lesbians! They were very nice, and we traded a few bay stories. They told me a giant stingray had been in the water swimming in the opposite direction as Jim and I. That's a metaphor for life, ain't it?

We didn't spend too much time at Maho, so we went back towards Lienster Bay to hike around some of the Annaberg Sugar Plantation ruins. St. John has ruins of sugar plantations all over the place, but these were the least ruined we have seen so far. What bothers me about some of these places is the tendency to sugarcoat what was going on. I mean, they don't hesitate to say that labor was slaves or anything like that. However, Annaberg has a room called 'The Dungeon' that was found with a post and shackles in one corner. It was here that (so the placard said, and I'm paraphrasing): 'severe discipline was dealt'. Can't we just say 'where the slaves were whipped and tortured'? After all, we all know what went on. I may be getting picky over language, but what's the harm in being upfront about this stuff? I noticed they hadn't yet found time to replace the post and shackles as part of the upkeep of the ruins.

After the ruins, we went to Cruz Bay for lunch. We chose J.J.'s, which is an open air bar right next to the ferry and what functions as a sort of town square. The place is full of hardcore tourists arriving from the cruise ships (you know the kind of people I mean) and chickens. The two groups make sounds that are often indistinguishable from one another but, luckily, there was a kettle drum player to listen to. Good burgers.

Back to Andante for - you guessed it! - siesta, tanning, pool, tanning, dinner, book, bed. I was looking a bit red today, but that just means a tan is in my future. Despite some of the snags, it was yet another beautiful day!

Guru (1966-2010)

Very sad news today. One of the greatest rappers of all time dies of cancer. Guru (or Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal) was the smoky, chilled voice of Gang Starr who, along with DJ Premier, were one of the best rap acts ever.

I bought my first Gang Starr album in 1992, and what an album it was: Daily Operation. I lucked out big time, because it's still the CD I consider the best rap album ever made. Deep lyrics, great beats, minimalist production, and one-of-a-kind MC-ing. It just never got better than that.

I followed Guru and Premier, both as Gang Starr and as solo artists. In fact, in 1996, I saw Guru perform live at the Metro in support of his Jazzmatazz, Vol. II album. The always scintillating Vanessa Daou opened for him, and then he came out with jazz legend Donald Byrd and performed a kick-ass show. Me and a friend were grooving and dancing amid an audience of every ethnicity. I've never seen such a diverse crowd at a show, before or since. It was an amazing night. And, yes, I got the T-shirt which I keep in a 'time capsule' of all sorts of belongings from that period of my life.

After that, Gang Starr reunited for a couple more albums, but they ultimately broke up. After that, Guru's music inexplicably became everything he had been fighting against during his career. So, even though the best days of his career were behind him, it's still very sad to know that such a great writer and performer is gone. He will be missed.

See ya at the crossroads.

St. John (Day 3)

This is a view of Chocolate Hole as seen from our patio. If you click to see an expanded version, you may be able to pick out the large iguana in the cactus at the lower left. We had never been to Chocolate Hole before, so we thought we'd take a look since it's within a short walk from the villa.

Of course, we drove since we were carrying all our snorkeling stuff with us. As always we're early risers so we got rock star parking. Unfortunately, Chocolate Hole was rocky, full of boats, and just didn't look very impressive. So we hopped back in the jeep and drove off to another bay we wanted to try. Another nice benefit of being somewhere we have been before, we knew the island well enough to - at a moment's notice - completely change our plans.

Instead, we went to Hawksnest Bay. This was much better! The bay was surrounded by steep hills/mountains full of thick undergrowth and palm trees. Very jungly looking and beautiful. The beach was small, but we were still ahead of the herds so we had no 'people issues'.

Hawksnest Bay had great snorkeling but, oddly, it wasn't because of the fish. There were plenty of the usual fish to see, of course, but what I liked best was the assortment of coral. A complete forest of it covered the bottom about 100 - 200 feet from shore in maybe eight feet of water (or less depending on how high the coral reached). I saw a carpet of I believe elkhorn corals stretching in a swath before me. They were yellow-green and a bit brighter than the picture here (which I pulled of the internet). Literally like a hundred of them, each about three to four feet across with green and purple sea fans in between and finger corals and grooved brain corals scattered around. It was like flying over a garden. While there were plenty of fish, I also saw a lot of crevices, nooks, and crannies. Unfortunately, I couldn't see anything hiding in them. I always take a second to look at crevices, nooks, and crannies because some really exotic stuff usually hides there: eels, groupers, and once - in the Turks and Caicos Islands - I even saw a nurse shark sleeping under some coral!

We were done snorkeling by about 10:30, so we headed back to Andante for tanning, pool time, lunch, hammock siesta, more tanning, more pool, dinner, cards, reading, and bed. During the day, there were iguana hunts and I was whistling at a brown bird which sorta seemed weirded out by me. The wildest thing was that, on the way back up the rocky road to Andante, we saw a big iguana - at least three feet long - race across the road. It's freaky to see them move so quickly because, usually, you see them sitting like bumps on a log when they sun themselves. But they can really move when they put their minds to it!

St. John Playlist

Knowing we would be tanning on the pool deck, I created a playlist for my ipod that I could pipe out onto the deck through the sound system. I picked songs that were laid back and often with a little South American flavor. Here's the playlist, and I hope maybe it's one that can be useful to others. It was very relaxing to zone out to this stuff while baking in the sun or lying in the hammock.

Venasque - Ian Pooley
Tropicalia - Blue Six
Surrender - Michiko
Momento - Bebel Gilberto
Tell Me - Wax Poetic
Speck Of Gold - Afterlife
Looking For The Sun - Aya
Quando Das Um Pouco Mais - Sara Tavares
Le Monde - Thievery Corporation
Sem Resposta - Celso Fonseca
Kissing - Bliss
Slippin' - Aya
Chiquita - Pacifika
En Cada Lugar - Federico Aubele
Ponto De Luz - Sara Tavares
Quedate - Andrea Echeverri
I've Given Enough - Blue Six
All Around - Bebel Gilberto
Feels So Nice - Michiko
Makeda - Les Nubians
Go Easy - Afterlife
Saudosismo - Rosalia De Souza
Azul - Bebel Gilberto
Moonchild - Cibo Matto
Searching - Nobukazu Takemura
Cafe Latino - PJR Peter Rooke
I Would For You - Vanessa Daou
Deep Surprise - Samantha James
Juliette - Vanessa Daou
Rain - Samantha James
Spirits - Latrice
New Beautiful Life - Newton
Besos De Sal - Federico Aubele
Previsao - Bossacucanova
Gafieira - Paula Lima
Nunca Mais - Zuco 103

St. John (Day 2)

First full day here! As usual in such settings, I get up at the ass crack of dawn and walk on the beach. It's very new-agey of me, but I can't help it. The smell of the sea and the cold wind over it in the morning is intoxicating to me.

It's actually not quite that romantic here, because the bay below the villa (Hart Bay) is not real hospitable. It's very rocky and in the rough water the sea grass is full of sea urchins the size of basketballs. The wind keeps things pretty choppy and rough. When we snorkeled here last time, Jim wasn't real keen on being tossed about by waves with the aforementioned sea urchins all around. I'm not foolhardy enough (so far) to go snorkeling here alone. The word is though that you can see sharks in the channel off this bay, which would really be something!

And just getting down to Hart Bay is a challenge/work out. There's a path from our villa to the bay, but it's very steep and made up of indifferently strewn jagged boulders running through tall grass and cacti. It's pretty thick undergrowth (see picture), and full of critters: iguanas (see picture), scorpions, spiders, anoles, assorted birds and lizards, and who knows what else! Oh yeah, and mosquitoes during some parts of the day and bugs that bite (no-see-ums?). But it didn't stop me from heading down. At heart, I'm that kid who has to put his hand on the stove to know it's still hot.

The iguana in this pic is a male (I think), and we called him Big Daddy. He looked to be around three or four feet long, and he always sunned himself on a cacti just off our deck. He was like clockwork, sunning between 7 and 8 in the morning and 4 to 6 in the evening. There was always two or three smaller iguanas in his cacti (his harem, I'm guessing?)

Anyway, by the time I got down to Hart Bay, I'd pushed through brush, swept spider webs out of my way, and probably done several things an experienced hiker would have groaned at. And I was sweaty! So it wasn't especially pleasant getting down there, and the climb back up was definitely not fun. Regardless, I had had my morning stroll.

Aside from trying to spot as many iguanas as we could from the porch (I think we saw five on the cacti right near the villa) and trying to find anoles and other small lizards (seemed to be less of them this year), I have little to report about this day. That's right, we did nothing. NOTHING! We ate breakfast at a snail's pace, tanned all morning, swam in the pool, and then I had my daily siesta in the hammock. Then it was lunch, tan, pool, dinner, and a relaxing night with cards, books, and the stars. Life in the real world had gone slap right out of our pretty little heads, and I'm proud to say we kept it exiled for the entire stay. Work/Life may be about balance, but we were fully committed to being totally unbalanced in favor of Life.

St. John (Andante By The Sea)

I should plug the villa we've rented both times we stayed on St. John: Andante By The Sea. I totally recommend it! A couple named Marilyn and Richard own the place, and they are fantastic hosts. They have done so much to make this place perfect for visitors, and they are always available to answer questions. Really friendly couple with a great house to share.

The villa website is http://www.andantebythesea.com/. It's hard to do justice to the place in photos, but I've made an attempt with this panorama shot (click to make it much, much bigger). The railing looks all jaggeddy because it's something like a 270-degree view merged together.

Andante has everything: amazing views, privacy, a hammock in the shade of the lower deck, a big grill on the patio, a private pool and hot tub, a sound system that lets you play music anywhere in the house or decks via your ipod, and the ability to watch the sun rise and the sun set. There's also a great breeze that keeps the place cool enough so you don't need AC. The villa sits on the side of a mountain/hill, and there's a steep trail down to the bay below (Hart Bay). Not much of a beach, but the snorkeling is rumored to be pretty good. We've only given the snorkeling there a trial run so far...maybe another year we'll really check it out.

The best thing I can say about this place is that, even with all St. John has to offer, it's sometimes a tough choice whether to go out in the jeep and explore the island or kick back at the villa all day to tan and swim.