Entries this day: AM_Ireland Big_lunch_with_Kin_and_Katt Ireland! Lost_credit_card New_Orleans_vibe One_big_entry Shipward hi_janette kin_pente phones to_do_today zzz_compliment

AM Ireland

9:18pm IST Saturday 09 July 2005

We are in Ireland! Just now walking by a ship labeled "FRED OLSEN CRUISE LINES" - I guess some cat named Fred was like, "I'm gonna get me a cruise line!"

Oohh cool; there are loaders here that look like sports cars!

I walked with Kin and Katt into Dublin, and they sang some song in Japanese. They asked me to sing something so I did Eminem's "Rabbit Run," but it seems I have forgotten a couple of the lines. After some practice I was able to get it all back. I guess a couple years without practice makes a difference.

Some of the buildings are only outer facades, with all the interiors shredded out. Most of them are short - like three to four stories.

There seem to be very few street signs.

Big lunch with Kin and Katt

12:32pm IST Saturday 09 July 2005

Kin was like "holy shit!" when she saw the cups here at Eddie Rockets, although she neither said "holy" nor "shit." I totally chowed: chicken sandwich, onion rings, vanilla shake and two glasses of water.

Minoru told me there was a new NIN CD, and I was like, "what? a new nine inch nails?" zooooom

Ireland!

Ireland!

Ireland!

Haven't explored the city of Dublin much, but have found many old buildings falling
to pieces with windows broken but stuff inside, building facades with no buildings
inside, and new modern buildings under construction.  A new statue without even a
completed sidewalk around it already has a large chunk missing from a beveled edge,
and the warrior princess' sword has been lopped off at the hilt.

Dashing through ports and whirlwind activities onboard means I've little idea what
I've written, but I know I've done a few things in the past few days:

Around Norway the ocean is really cold.  The water in the pool onboard comes from
the water below in the ocean, so my quick dip in the pool gave me a tiny idea of
what it must have been like in iceberg laden waters 90+ years ago on (and by on I
mean off) the Titanic.  I leaped out as quickly as possible, shouting "Worst Idea
Ever!!" as I ran to the hot tub.   Brandt was enjoying a soak in the hot tub as
well so we relaxed there a bit.  Later I thought [that pool wasn't so cold] so I
ran to jump in again.  I didn't last too long (maybe a microsecond) before lunging
for the ladder to climb out in distress.  I hit the hot tub again and Brandt said,
"your worst idea ever has now become the second worst idea ever, surpassed by
getting into the pool *again*."

We took this to the logical conclusion: if I jump into the pool enough times, the
first time I jumped in will be like the best idea I've ever had.

So I decided to jump in the pool and stay in as long as I could.  Vigorously moving
arms and legs to stay afloat and warm, I lasted maybe 20 seconds, then ran back to
the hot tub and leaped in.  Amazingly, the water in the hot tub felt *cold* and
then warmed up quickly.  I was amazed by this epidermal confusion, so once I warmed
up, I ran to freeze myself in the pool again.  Maybe only 15 seconds this time, and
then jumped back into the hot tub, carefully monitoring my skin's reaction. 
Unmistakable - the water felt cold, then warm.   Amazing!

We had Irish Night a couple nights ago, on July 7th, the night of the bombings in
London.  A minute of silence for the victims and a meditative prayer for peace
before dancing.   I wasn't really in the mood to dance, so I left the party early. 
Though I gave riverdance a good shake (kick).

I trust all my peeps are well.
    Love Love
     - Rob! 

Lost credit card

2:33pm IST Saturday 09 July 2005

Sarah, who has nice long reddish hair pulled back, at HMV told me the halo 8 is better than halo 19, but I still had to have 19 for completeness' sake.

One slightly bad thing: when I went to pay with my credit card, it wasn't there. I'm about to check my safe now to see if I put it in there and don't remember. I know I've had it on the boat, but I don't remember seeing it recently.

3:33pm IST Saturday 09 July 2005

We just bought fabric for Angie, and her quilting jishukikaku.

New Orleans vibe

4:15pm IST Saturday 09 July 2005

We are in a coffee shop with too-expensive internet available. I drank a steamed milk with vanilla shot, just to see what it would be like. It was great - very vanilla-y and milky. And steamy.

This city reminds me of New Orleans - not that there are jazz musicians everywhere, but a lot of vendors in the street there are trees protruding out of the sidewalks, and stores are various complexities and types buildings are various degrees of open versus closed, and a lot of activity; people walking both directions on both sides and sometimes the middle of the street. Very lively city. At least this area is. But how can it be so lively without street names on the streets??

Ooops; warm milk has decided to charge through my system at full speed.

One big entry

2:19pm MST Tuesday 09 August 2005

Today for Guest Teacher Day, I taught Shawn's classes and he taught my classes.

Today is hunger day; I and several other people on the boat are not eating.

Tonight we gain an hour, so it's an extra hour to be hungry!

Shipward

4:56pm IST Saturday 09 July 2005

Katt and Kin are singing an insipid song featuring names of fast food restaurants.

5:19pm IST Saturday 09 July 2005

We bought chocolate chocolate chocolate and I sent postcards to janette, Amelia, and my dad.

6:30pm IST Saturday 09 July 2005

Have just arrived back at the ship - spent the day walking around Dublin city center with Katt and Kin: shopping and chowing. Bought some fabric for Angie's quilt making workshop, and

The walk from the boat to the city center is a solid hour.

hi janette

Hi janette!!!

Do you remember the rabbit that was hanging in my room when you came
to visit me in Japan?  Wait wait wait - remember when you came to
Japan *TWICE* ????  Oh My God that was so great!!!  Anyway, there was
a rabbit hanging on the wall.  Colleen Crotty had sent it to me in
April 2003 for Easter.

That nameless rabbit came with me on Pb as opposed to being
discarded with a lot of my other stuff when I got rid of my apartment.
He went with me to Hong Kong, Vietnam, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and posed
for various photos.  While on tour in Jordan, I asked the woman next
to me (whose name... get this... is Ai (pronounced "I" / "eye" /
"aye")) to suggest a name for the rabbit.  Without thinking she said,
"Francois."

I was like, "no man; a real name."

She goes, "Hiroyuki."

"Um.. actually Francois is perfect!"

So Francois went to Petra (Jordan), the pyramids in Egypt, Greece,
Italy, Spain, France, Norway, Ireland, New York, Jamaica, Panama
Canal, Costa Rica, and in Acapulco he went scuba diving with me!!!
(I have pictures of him with fish).

After Acapulco, I saw Shunji (the 11 or 12 year old skinny Japanese
kid who likes to run up to me and repeatedly ask "What are you doing?
What are you doing?" and then collapse in hysterics on the floor) and
threw Francois to him.  Shunji, being 12, ran off and apparently
discarded the rabbit somewhere.  A couple days later, there was a
ransom note and pictures of Francois on the classroom computers.  He
had been rabbitnapped!

They demanded I write a poem over 50 words describing my love for the
rabbit, and I just wanted to share that with you.

------------

  Ode to Francois:

My dearest adorable rabbit
I fearest starting a habit
I love everything about you,
and I cannot live without you.

Your eyes so cute
and mouth so mute
Ears flopped at either side
You are my joy and my pride

May the fates not scorn me
and my mates all support thee
with great speed home swiftly
not too late for a spot of tea
as we gaze over the sea
or graze in Topaz Dining.

I won't again let thee
out of my direct sight, see
by giving you to Shunji
I lost my dear buddy

With tears in my eyes
I finish the lines
and hope you'll come back to me.
May it be no surprise
I'll massage the spines
of your captors when they release thee.

------------

A day later there were more demands, which I followed to the letter,
but *not* all as intended.

1) Shave the left side of your head
!) I shaved the left side of my head, and the right side of my head.

2) Wear your shirts backwards till Vancouver
@) I'm wearing a shirt that says, "YOUR SHIRTS BACKWARDS TILL VANCOUVER"

3) Remove that ugly toenail polish
#) It had been on for a few weeks and was getting chipped so I got a
new coat of hot pink.

4) Recite "Ode to Francois" at the next GET Meeting.
$) I did this one as asked, and Kim got it on video.

That was yesterday; there was a big party last night and I think his
captors were too drunk to make more demands; I haven't heard anything
more today.

-----------

In other news, I am planning to go to Palestine/Israel in October and
November to work for an NGO there.  That will be after I attend an
Iraq war protest in Washington in late September.

If you know any YRUUers also going to that protest, I'd love to get
connected.


With Love Love Love Love
   - Rob!

kin pente

7:30pm

I was like, "I'm goin' to bed," and Kin was like, "hey man, what about playing Pente with me?" Oops I forgot. So we played and she won once.

phones

8:43pm IST Saturday 09 July 2005

Big issues getting my credit card cancelled - had to get the phone numbers using the internet (500 yen), then after huge inability to dial out from my cabin (no real instructions), I kept getting cut off after I reached the voice response system of my credit card company. I was really frustrated and went back up to the top desk where beautiful tall Sabrina tried hard to push the guy to let me use the ship phone (so I won't have to pay). Turns out, 800 numbers cannot be dialed with the ship's satellite phone system. I guess the average 1-800-number owner doesn't want to pay for it.

Went outside to find a payphone, but there are none near the ship, according to two cops on bicycles, who did not let me use their bicycles.

Time for bed.

to do today

1:05am IST Saturday 09 July 2005

* eat
* meet Kin
* Check email
* write to Dan
* write to Bryn
* write to Bronwyn
* upload journal entries
* read about London bombings

zzz compliment

12:52am

Katt said two nice things to me this night: she thinks people think I am a better person than I think, and I don't need to seek approval from outside people.