h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey Kra!

I've added you to my "friends" - although I have no IDEA how that works and I'm leaving this hello note as a place-marker to see if we can get a converstaion going without having to polute my space with non-writer subscribers!! (wouldn't want that know would we! Shock-horror!

Interesting home-page you have here! I can SO relate! Usually for me tho its a tin of cat-food and the maid has hidden the can-opener and the poor dears are pleading with me just to run the damn thing open if I must!

Well there we are- now lets push the "send" and see if it works

KPOW

Kosh

A well know problem, the continous search for the tin opener! Well, lucky you you've got a maid to handle both, the tin and the cat. I've got to reply myself to the big gob Josèphine (yes, she's named after Napoleon's wife, shortened to either Jojo or Pien) is constantly giving me. On top of that I'm her doorman; she wants to come in, to go out or cannot make up her mind. When I walk the and she happens to be outside and spots us she accompanies us and doesn't shut up for one moment. Instead of a peaceful walk I end up shouting at her at the top of my lungs to go home, a command the takes very seriously and I end up running after the dog (Lou) in the direction of home. Then I have to go back to pick up the cat. It can be very tiring sometimes.

As for Stealth, well, he hasn't been on his PS since December. Perhaps he's on H2G2 under a different name. I don't know. I do hope however it has got nothing to do with the little tiff we had at American/English words. It was just a stupid and rather cruel joke I made. What can I do?

Now, the big question you didn't answer: Did you read Doris Lessing's 'Children of Violence' books?

Can SO relate to being joined on the walk with Judy (my dog's name - not my fault she was poluted before we found each other - I call her Honey-bear when I'm not expecting her to respond ). In my case though the older cats - Mouse and Ming-Ming laze in the sun and wouldnt THINK of walking anywhere! But Ming-Ming's latest Brood (I keep putting off having her spayed because she's one of only 40 or so Siameese tabby-points in the neighbourhood - but she's only drawn to ruffians and wont be having any of that pure-blood nonsense!) comes high-tailing after Judy and I and now THAT's a sight!
Me - Judy on leash in one hand, trying to gather up three squirrily kitens in the other and/or shoo'ing them back to the gate! Woohooo! One day I'm going to look up and see myself on "funiest home videos" compliments of one of the neighbours!

Stealth was a sweet enough chap - but really, I know so little is known about mental illness etc, but any form of healing that makes one dependant on chemicals just to have a normal day cant be all good. I just eventually got the feeling that he was in a spiral and that some part of him was really served by being so sad.

As to the last question - No, I havn't read Doris Lessing. I've concentrated more on the roots - addiction in all its forms and from there looked into Scientology, Brenda Schaefner and even the AA. I'll ask my IT Chap to search for the E-book if you think its a good read tho.

KPOW

Kosh

Children of Violence are five books. She was born in Southern Rodesia, after the war she went to live in London. All those books, apart from the last one, deal with growing up on the farm, going to the city to work, getting married, divorced, joining the communist party, the townships, apartheid, the war, the social mores, and the intricasies of politics, etc. It's a smashing read. I grew up with her books, as I said before.
She also wrote a book that is I believe called 'All about Cats' and it is solely about the many cats she new on the farm and later her housecats in London.

I'll certainly look out for it K, thanks .

KPOW

Kosh

I just remembered, it called 'In Particular Cats'

Kosh, I got your message but I cannot reply. I get trown out of H2G2 when I push the reply-button.

I don't get it. You're not allowed to drink water when you're fasting?

That's why its called a "dry fast" .
Its just from sunrise to sunset and there are a whole list of exeptions - when you're travelling far, sick pregant etc.

Is pretty easy to get through 12 hours with just no solids - water can fill you up - and what is clear soup? So a REAL fast is just cutting out everything you put in your mouth - from sunrise to sunset.

Its 19 days - one "month" on the Baha'i calendar - and then we party up a storm!

It really does make you aware of how much time you spend thinging about eating and drinking! And how automated it all is. The times I fall off the fast is when I'm not thinking about it and someone passes me a glass of water or something - we really dont think about what we put into our bodies sometimes Over the fast - you really are aware!


Kosh

I wonder what's up with the reply button thing? Maybe we should ask one of the ACES shuffling about - ?

But Kosh, that must be dangerous. Especially in a warm country like South-Africa, there's the chance of getting seriously dehydrated. People must be dropping to their knees craving for some water. Drinking water during a fast also helps to get rid of the toxins in the body.

I never heard of the Bahi'a before until you wrote your article in Peer Review. It reminded me a bit of sufism, the mystic branch of Islam.

I was especially interested in your article about the Hopi Dreaming. These things fascinate me since I've read Leslie Marmon Silko's Almanac of the Death. In her book a Hopi Indian gathers a big following to organize a march to regain the ancestral land of the Indians in South- and North-America.

Amazing you say that - The Faith is closest to Sufism - in fact Baha'u;llah wrote whole books to the Sufi's and a lot of the early Baha'is were Sufis. Its a beautifull path .

The elderly, the sick, pregnant woman or children do not fast - neighter travellers nor women "in their cycles" so the exemptions are extensive. So basically if you're healthy - staying put and of fasting age - then only do you fast - otherwise it might be dangerous yes. To be honest most of the times I've fallen off the wagon (so to speak) is on the water part - drives me batty! But there are serious advantages if you do get through it.

Those Hopi prophecies - or rather the 6-nation prophecies are my BEST! I came across them a few years ago and was stunned at their accuracy. I'm really drawn to Native American spiritualism - also ancient Viking beliefs (that strangely were quite simular). The Viking makes sense as it ties back with where most of my genes come from - but I'm pretty sure I dont have any Native American ancestry .
One of the most fabulous freedoms of the Fiath is that we are "commanded" to investiagte ALL TRUTH - Independantly - as an ongoing journey throughout our lives so I'm always on the lookout for something that resonates!


Kosh

It's years ago I went to one of a Dutch Sufi meeting in a French Hugeneot Church in the city of Utrecht. It was held in an austere sideroom with white washed walls with a wooden floor and furniture.
We just sat there, listening to soft classical music and the sun was shining in from these big windows high in the wall. It was very relaxing. Years later I discovered the real Sufi-music. Wow! I had a cd from a band from Pakistan and it's wild and ecstatic.
On a boat in Istanbul I once saw a Derwisj. The energy this guy had, it it emanated from him in a radius of aroud 20 meters and kept everyone at a distance.
I have to sort out some information about the Hopi prophesies on internet. I have been more interested in Buddhism, the Bon-religion and shamanism.

That visit sounds beautifull, I must keep my eyes open for some sufi music then.
Unfortunately with so many belief systems, so little of the original writtings or teaching of the belief are obtainable. So much is passed down orally and then the core of the belief is shaded by culture and tradition . . . some of these are beautiful too, but it often hard to get to the "soul" of the belief.
Buddism is beautiful in its simplicity - but then it IS 6000 odd years old so the Buddah was not speaking to a mass of university graduates - so doubtless he had to keep the message simple to ensure understanding. In this hurley-burley world, the remanant teachings really stand out amongst the complexity that life has become.

The global drive to rekindle these beliefs speaks - for me - of a need for people to revisit simplicity, peace and tranquility. There certainly feels like there is truth in the saying - knowledge can be a barrier to truth.



Kosh

Buddhism's simplicity?
Damn if anything is so mind-boggeling, complicated and twisted, it's buddhism! Yes, the message of Buddha is simple, give up longing and desire.
But how to escape the wheel! Have you read the Tibetan book of the Dead? Once you're dead how to prevent a re-birth and if you want one, how to chose a favourable one?

I'm not a very religious person. I think the capacity of human beings for self-deception and self-delusion is enormeous. I should know. That's what I like about Sufism, it takes the foolishness of human beings in its stride. And I like the Dalai Lama, the way he laughs makes me joyful.

A lot of what you're talking about arround Buddism is man-evolved and yes, therefore incredibly complicated - but the Buddah's message itself was excessively simple . . . people seem to need loads and loads of complexity in faith to make it "real" somehow. Bizaare!

I agree wholeheartedly, simplicity is key. Just the joy of living and celebration of bliss - that's what its all about - now how to start unravelling all the complexities of our personal laws and beliefs etc . . now that becomes mind-boggling!

Hey, what's with the name-change btw??


Kosh

I do quite a number of name changes. I've been Marquis de Rollebol and Tiberius Gaius in your prolonged absence. Marquis de Rollebol is my favorite, freely inspired on Sartre's La Nausee. De Rollebol doesn't exist, and never has as far as I can gather. The name doesn't find a match on the internet.
How are you doing, Kosh? I seem to have with my last question. I am good at asking awkward questions. Strange, I was about to put myself up for adoption and had I slight hope you would accept me when you answered about your own adoption child who was taken away to live into one of the poorer townships.
I'm thinking of leaving again for France in the next couple of days. I really should get my knowledge of that language together and now is the time for doing so. I don't know when I will be on-line again and be able to chat with you about how to start "unraveling all the complexities of our personal laws and beliefs". Believe me, I do understand what you're talking about.
Meanwhile, in my absence, don't let the bastards grind you down and have fun and enjoy life to the fullest.

Hiya hon

I've been so hopelessly unavailable lately. So very much to get done. Just read this message now so I'm soooooo sorry I must have seemed rude .

Well hope life is all settling down to . . . whatever you'd like it to be and hope to see you back online soon.

Keep passing open windows
Kosh

Hi Kosh, I'M BACK!!!! from France. I'm alive and kicking. How about you girl, are you still hanging around?

I'm a bit late, I agree. I've been away now for four months. Autumn is knocking on our doors here in northern Europe. Still the weather is gorgeous, a lot of sun and temperatures rising up to 24 degrees C.
I hope you're still hanging around in this place and haven't forgotten about me in these last four months. What can say, what can I do to make you remember silly old me? Did you miss me?

Le voyage etait ni mal ni bien. Il y avait beaucoup de bulot et ... plus de chagrin. Maintenant cependant je parle la langue française mais je ne sais pas comme la ecrire encore. Tant pis.

Naturally (I can't remember the spelling of the word' off course' anymore! Is it with double ff or not???) I took a French dictionary with me and whilst travelling I've been reading a lot of books, for instance a biography of Karl Marx by Jacques Attali, 'Un instant d'abandon' by Phillipe Besson about adultery, the loss of a child, prison and homosexual love, and ... and ... oh yes, a book written by the grandson of Simone Signoret about the family secrets of his mum, grandmum, and Yves Montand. That last book is really a laugh.

Last night I arrived home at my dad's house and to my utter amazement he bought a new computer. IT's FAST!

All right girl, that's enough about me for now. How are you doing?

Hey you

Well I've been all over the place in the last few months - very little time in here for a while! Went to London for two weeks and have been zooting arround SA too. Cant even remember when I was last here and there are like 2500 new posts to the one thread I was keeping an eye on!

Todays a Holy Day - and so thought best I get busy with something that ISN"T work otherwise I'll work and one's not supposed to work on a holi-day - so here I am!

Your time in France sounds cool - why did you go again???



Kosh

The language. I wanted to learn to speak it. I could read it with the help of a dictionary but the prononciation of the words, especially the difference in verbs was far beyond me. Ils nettoieraient? Nous allâmes?
I had my tongue twisted and bruised a couple of times.

Once upon the beach of Treport an older lady, a very frisky 'mamie' had given an plastic bag with her spectacles in it into care of a large family. When she came back from her swim, carrying her swimmingboard under her arms, she found out the family had left and had taken the plastic bag with her spectacles 'lunettes' with them.
So she was harping on about it, over and over again, moving to and fro between the different groups of people sitting on the beach, she came back to my towel and I said something like "so no keys or wallet are lost. It's only your 'allumettes' (matches) that are missing.
The moment I said it, I realized the mistake I had made. Blimey, the woman was furious.

LOL! You have no idea how foreign that is from the perspective of "here" (down south) - just go along to a country to learn the language . . . . ummmmmm - whassat?

Europe must have a whole range of advantages like that - go to a country to learn an ancient language etc. Hey, I cant get the propper hang of Zulu and its spoken arround me everyday! Which reminds me, I wanted to get some Zulu language tapes this month and forgot again - good luck with the languages!


Kosh