make a wish
Wednesday, 2 February 2011
Friday, 20 February 2009
A New Job, and a hard decision
Well, back in July, as some of you may know, I began a spectacular period of unemployment with a little episode of yelling and screaming at someone who we'll just call 'Erika'. (Names have been changed to protect the innocent.)
My work-free summer was marred a bit by some nasty temp assignments, but all in all, I loafed. Add made no money. It was pretty hard going, and the fall saw some serious panic set in, but I was saved at the last by the Lovely Miss Rea, who threw me a stringy, cheesy rope and hauled me safely back to gainful employment. After two blissful months working with the fantastic cheesemongers of the Great Western Road Cheese and Bacon Emporium , I was given the opportunity to pilot my own cheese ship out into the great waters of the great retail sea. I accepted the commission straight away.
I now stand proudly at the helm of the casein classed battle-cruiser Victoria. I am also 50% of the entire crew.
OK, enough with that.
Long story short, I am now the manager of my very own shop. And I have a tough road ahead of me, and I have decided, unfortunately, that I cannot conceivably take 4 months off next spring to go traipsing about in Japan, for spiritual enlightenment, and shopping purposes.
I am postponing my trip for one year, and I will now be starting my pilgrimage along the Shikoku henro trail in April of 2011. I hate having to do this, but in order to take so much time off, I should be telling my boss now, and as I have been the manager for about 1 month, that would not look good.
My work-free summer was marred a bit by some nasty temp assignments, but all in all, I loafed. Add made no money. It was pretty hard going, and the fall saw some serious panic set in, but I was saved at the last by the Lovely Miss Rea, who threw me a stringy, cheesy rope and hauled me safely back to gainful employment. After two blissful months working with the fantastic cheesemongers of the Great Western Road Cheese and Bacon Emporium , I was given the opportunity to pilot my own cheese ship out into the great waters of the great retail sea. I accepted the commission straight away.
I now stand proudly at the helm of the casein classed battle-cruiser Victoria. I am also 50% of the entire crew.
OK, enough with that.
Long story short, I am now the manager of my very own shop. And I have a tough road ahead of me, and I have decided, unfortunately, that I cannot conceivably take 4 months off next spring to go traipsing about in Japan, for spiritual enlightenment, and shopping purposes.
I am postponing my trip for one year, and I will now be starting my pilgrimage along the Shikoku henro trail in April of 2011. I hate having to do this, but in order to take so much time off, I should be telling my boss now, and as I have been the manager for about 1 month, that would not look good.
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
10 days, and counting
Hallelujah!! D and I have finally found a place to live, and it is far, far away from here. We are moving on November 30, St. Andrew's Day.
No more disgusting community suppers, no more bad 70's rock blaring, no more wading through puddles of water on the bathroom floor, no more listening to the drunk babble endlessly on about subjects of which he knows nothing, no more crusty dishes, no more mouldy cabinets...I could go on for days.
We are going to have one serious party when we get to our new place.
I am so happy right now I could bust. Burst. Whatever.
No more disgusting community suppers, no more bad 70's rock blaring, no more wading through puddles of water on the bathroom floor, no more listening to the drunk babble endlessly on about subjects of which he knows nothing, no more crusty dishes, no more mouldy cabinets...I could go on for days.
We are going to have one serious party when we get to our new place.
I am so happy right now I could bust. Burst. Whatever.
Friday, 3 October 2008
Seasons change...
It has now grown cold in Glasgow, and we've got the heating on most of the time. Heating is not something I ever put too much thought into, but as I am in the LPG business (for now anyway), I am giving it lots of thought.
In order to facilitate my trip to Japan, of course I must work, so I reluctantly signed up with a temp agency who have gotten me a long-ish contract with BP. I'm working witht the customer service team, ensuring a smooth product flow from depot to customer. That's my way of saying that I answer the phone a lot and get yelled at by people who have run out of gas, and then in turn yell at the route planners, who yell back and then don't schedule that customer for a delivery.
So I'm thinking ots about heating this winter, and it is going to be on my mind a lot, mainly from 8-5, Monday to Friday. And then I'll be glas to come into my warm house (which is on mains gas) and not think about heating at all, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I'll be overjoyed that I am not a BP customer.
There's not anything at all to report on the Shikoku front. I'm afraid that my posts will be few and far between for the winter months in that arena, so I'll try to keep this little blog going with other tidbits from my life.
In other news, some of you might know that D. and I have put forward a proposal to the owners of acertain house in the north of Scotland for a sort of reciprocal long-term lease and refurbishment/b&b kind of scheme...
No news on that front, either. We are just waiting.
You know that episode of Star Trek/TNG, where the Q show Picard, I think, or maybe ryker what is like to be Q, and the imagery is that of a shack in the desert, with a long highway running past, and nothing but emptiness as far as the eye can see?? They of the Continuum are immortal and all powerful , so they've seen it all, and done it all?? They are just waiting in the desert for something to happen.
I feel like that is what my winter is going to be like here in Glasgow. I am waiting for news about my house (which could take a long time...they may not make a decision about it until November or later, which would mean not moving until after Christmas!!).
I am waiting for March of 2010 to roll around so I can hop on that plane for Kyoto.
And I am looking forward to a very, very, very, long season of trying to assure angry people that they will have a supply of gas sometime in the near future. I hope.
I wish I could be more positive about this winter, but right now I can't, so I will just stop for now,
and leave you in peace.
In order to facilitate my trip to Japan, of course I must work, so I reluctantly signed up with a temp agency who have gotten me a long-ish contract with BP. I'm working witht the customer service team, ensuring a smooth product flow from depot to customer. That's my way of saying that I answer the phone a lot and get yelled at by people who have run out of gas, and then in turn yell at the route planners, who yell back and then don't schedule that customer for a delivery.
So I'm thinking ots about heating this winter, and it is going to be on my mind a lot, mainly from 8-5, Monday to Friday. And then I'll be glas to come into my warm house (which is on mains gas) and not think about heating at all, but somewhere in the back of my mind, I'll be overjoyed that I am not a BP customer.
There's not anything at all to report on the Shikoku front. I'm afraid that my posts will be few and far between for the winter months in that arena, so I'll try to keep this little blog going with other tidbits from my life.
In other news, some of you might know that D. and I have put forward a proposal to the owners of acertain house in the north of Scotland for a sort of reciprocal long-term lease and refurbishment/b&b kind of scheme...
No news on that front, either. We are just waiting.
You know that episode of Star Trek/TNG, where the Q show Picard, I think, or maybe ryker what is like to be Q, and the imagery is that of a shack in the desert, with a long highway running past, and nothing but emptiness as far as the eye can see?? They of the Continuum are immortal and all powerful , so they've seen it all, and done it all?? They are just waiting in the desert for something to happen.
I feel like that is what my winter is going to be like here in Glasgow. I am waiting for news about my house (which could take a long time...they may not make a decision about it until November or later, which would mean not moving until after Christmas!!).
I am waiting for March of 2010 to roll around so I can hop on that plane for Kyoto.
And I am looking forward to a very, very, very, long season of trying to assure angry people that they will have a supply of gas sometime in the near future. I hope.
I wish I could be more positive about this winter, but right now I can't, so I will just stop for now,
and leave you in peace.
Thursday, 21 August 2008
Eighty-eight temples, one path
This blog is my attempt to chronicle my preparation for my journey around the Island of Shikoku, on the 88 Temple Pilgrimage, and the journey itself.
I first discovered the pilgrimage while searching for information about a paper workshop I had heard of, run by a Dutchman who is now living in Japan. I found the workshop, and on the same tourist information website, there was an article about the pilgrimage. I think I read everything about the pilgrimage on that first night, and I was hooked.
It is, of course a religious pilgrimage, and while I am not a Buddhist, I do love the rituals involved in it, and I love altars and temples.
While I was in Hawaii, I visited the Valley of the Temples on Oahu. This gorgeous temple is a replica of the Byodo-In temple in Uji. It is situated at the bottom of an incredibly lush green valley, and surrounded by gardens and pools. It is an incredibly peaceful place, and one of my favorite memories from my trip to Hawaii. I cannot imagine an island with so many Buddhist temples--Shikoku must have some incredibly peaceful vibes. I can't wait to find out.
While not really a temple, the Japanese Gardens in Portland were always one of my favorite places in the city. I love the way that Japanese gardens use colour and form to evoke emotion. It's like living art that you can step into.
I intend to make this trip in April and May of 2010. I know that seems like a long way off, but I have lots of planning and training to do. I have taken steps towards learning Japanese, and that will be a journey in itself.
My neighbour, Junko, has agreed to help me with this arduous task, but I haven't even had the courage to say 'hello'to her yet...I'm only a couple of lessons into my course--Oxford 'Take off in Japanese'--and I'm not getting much. I think I will just have to keep plugging way at lessons 1, 2, and 3 until I know them backwards and forwards before I move on. I've got 20 months, anyhow...
At first, I wanted to camp out several times a week, but further reading has convinced me that the extra pack weight of a tent and sleeping bag would ot be worth it. Most henro (pilgrims) who have done the Shikoku no michi in recent years report some pretty grim 'campsites'--rest areas with only benches to sleep on, parks, disued vegetable stands--, and I just don't think I would enjoy the journey that much if I was worrying about where I was going to sleep every night. Camping also requires you to carry food and extra water, and then there is the question of cleanliness--anyone who knows me at all knows that I just don't do dirty. So, during the course of my trip, I will be staying at minshuku (a private home providing lodging for travellers, like the B&Bs we have in Britain), ryokan (traditional (mostly) inns--most are of the tatami-mat and shoji screen variety, but you do get a few more modern ones).
What sort of prep have I done so far?? Well, to be honest, quite a lot, considering how far away my trip is. I have decided to do the pilgrimage by walking the whole way, wearing the full henro kit, and following the full ritual at the temples,(despite not being a Buddhist, I am somewhat of a purist when it comes to these sorts of things!).
I have already made a complete packing list,which was quite a lot of work. I copied david Turkington's equipment list and made a few additions, and deleted a few items I wouldn't use--like a laptop!!--, and then I got down to specifics which meant lots of web shopping and trips to the Tiso Outdoor Experience to pick out pack, boots, rain suit, etc.--nothing's bought yet--one needs money for that!!
I made notes of how much everything weighed, sometimes using my kitchen scale, and then calculated the total weight of my pack. It's come in at just over 11kgs, which is approximately 1/5 of my body weight.According to most experienced hikers, anything from 1/6 to 1/4 your body weight is acceptible, depending on your experience, strenght, and stamina, and the terrain.
I've been pretty harsh, with no luxuries included in that weight, except for maybe the basic clothing--I'm taking 5 each of underwear and socks, and 4 pairs of trousers and t-shirts--althought I am getting extremely lightweight things. This, again, comes down to cleanliness for me. I don't know how often I will be able to do laundry, and I don't want to be stuck having to choose which dirty shirt to put on. Having extra cleans clothes is definitely worth teh extra weight for me. I may feel differently about that after 3 or 4 days of hiking over mountains, but I seriously doubt it.
I also made noted of how much everything costs. I set myself a budget before hand, and I managed to get the final figure in way under. I should be able to manage one major purchase a month, starting with the pack, and that will allow me to be fully kitted out several months before I go.
Here are a few links if you'd like to read up onthe pilgrimage to see what I'm getting myself into:
http://www.shikokuhenrotrail.com/ David Turkington's blog, by far the most complete and informative site on the web about the pilgrimage.
http://www.gaijinhenro.blogspot.com/ the blog of eleanor Lefever, a New Zealander who walked the trail in 2006.
http://www.kushima.com/henro/comments_e/intro.htm--a Japanese site, with a few pages in English
And incidentally, I will also be staying in Japan for a few weeks after I complete the henro trail, to go here:
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~kamikoya/images/engf2.pdf
here:
http://www.kusatsu-onsen.org/index.html
and here:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Daisetsuzan_National_Park
I first discovered the pilgrimage while searching for information about a paper workshop I had heard of, run by a Dutchman who is now living in Japan. I found the workshop, and on the same tourist information website, there was an article about the pilgrimage. I think I read everything about the pilgrimage on that first night, and I was hooked.
It is, of course a religious pilgrimage, and while I am not a Buddhist, I do love the rituals involved in it, and I love altars and temples.
While I was in Hawaii, I visited the Valley of the Temples on Oahu. This gorgeous temple is a replica of the Byodo-In temple in Uji. It is situated at the bottom of an incredibly lush green valley, and surrounded by gardens and pools. It is an incredibly peaceful place, and one of my favorite memories from my trip to Hawaii. I cannot imagine an island with so many Buddhist temples--Shikoku must have some incredibly peaceful vibes. I can't wait to find out.
While not really a temple, the Japanese Gardens in Portland were always one of my favorite places in the city. I love the way that Japanese gardens use colour and form to evoke emotion. It's like living art that you can step into.
I intend to make this trip in April and May of 2010. I know that seems like a long way off, but I have lots of planning and training to do. I have taken steps towards learning Japanese, and that will be a journey in itself.
My neighbour, Junko, has agreed to help me with this arduous task, but I haven't even had the courage to say 'hello'to her yet...I'm only a couple of lessons into my course--Oxford 'Take off in Japanese'--and I'm not getting much. I think I will just have to keep plugging way at lessons 1, 2, and 3 until I know them backwards and forwards before I move on. I've got 20 months, anyhow...
At first, I wanted to camp out several times a week, but further reading has convinced me that the extra pack weight of a tent and sleeping bag would ot be worth it. Most henro (pilgrims) who have done the Shikoku no michi in recent years report some pretty grim 'campsites'--rest areas with only benches to sleep on, parks, disued vegetable stands--, and I just don't think I would enjoy the journey that much if I was worrying about where I was going to sleep every night. Camping also requires you to carry food and extra water, and then there is the question of cleanliness--anyone who knows me at all knows that I just don't do dirty. So, during the course of my trip, I will be staying at minshuku (a private home providing lodging for travellers, like the B&Bs we have in Britain), ryokan (traditional (mostly) inns--most are of the tatami-mat and shoji screen variety, but you do get a few more modern ones).
What sort of prep have I done so far?? Well, to be honest, quite a lot, considering how far away my trip is. I have decided to do the pilgrimage by walking the whole way, wearing the full henro kit, and following the full ritual at the temples,(despite not being a Buddhist, I am somewhat of a purist when it comes to these sorts of things!).
I have already made a complete packing list,which was quite a lot of work. I copied david Turkington's equipment list and made a few additions, and deleted a few items I wouldn't use--like a laptop!!--, and then I got down to specifics which meant lots of web shopping and trips to the Tiso Outdoor Experience to pick out pack, boots, rain suit, etc.--nothing's bought yet--one needs money for that!!
I made notes of how much everything weighed, sometimes using my kitchen scale, and then calculated the total weight of my pack. It's come in at just over 11kgs, which is approximately 1/5 of my body weight.According to most experienced hikers, anything from 1/6 to 1/4 your body weight is acceptible, depending on your experience, strenght, and stamina, and the terrain.
I've been pretty harsh, with no luxuries included in that weight, except for maybe the basic clothing--I'm taking 5 each of underwear and socks, and 4 pairs of trousers and t-shirts--althought I am getting extremely lightweight things. This, again, comes down to cleanliness for me. I don't know how often I will be able to do laundry, and I don't want to be stuck having to choose which dirty shirt to put on. Having extra cleans clothes is definitely worth teh extra weight for me. I may feel differently about that after 3 or 4 days of hiking over mountains, but I seriously doubt it.
I also made noted of how much everything costs. I set myself a budget before hand, and I managed to get the final figure in way under. I should be able to manage one major purchase a month, starting with the pack, and that will allow me to be fully kitted out several months before I go.
Here are a few links if you'd like to read up onthe pilgrimage to see what I'm getting myself into:
http://www.shikokuhenrotrail.com/ David Turkington's blog, by far the most complete and informative site on the web about the pilgrimage.
http://www.gaijinhenro.blogspot.com/ the blog of eleanor Lefever, a New Zealander who walked the trail in 2006.
http://www.kushima.com/henro/comments_e/intro.htm--a Japanese site, with a few pages in English
And incidentally, I will also be staying in Japan for a few weeks after I complete the henro trail, to go here:
http://www4.ocn.ne.jp/~kamikoya/images/engf2.pdf
here:
http://www.kusatsu-onsen.org/index.html
and here:
http://wikitravel.org/en/Daisetsuzan_National_Park
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