tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27325383139872333972024-03-18T14:47:31.639-05:00Wrong Way CorriganStories & opinions on politics, travel, sport & whatever else you're looking for, you'll more than likely find it here. Colombia — where I'm currently based — features prominently. Facebook: 'Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog'. Twitter: @wwaycorrigan. Listen to my podcast at https://anchor.fm/brendan-corriganWrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.comBlogger492125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-87705260451782554712024-03-13T09:31:00.000-05:002024-03-13T09:31:14.476-05:00San Juan de Rioseco: Only its river runs (almost!) dry<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/Lzz-VLAoRzg" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>W</i></b></span>hen travelling in Colombia, one is best not to put too much faith in expected journey times, particularly those sourced from the likes of Google Maps and with Bogotá as the origin. <br /><br />'Oh look, that town is only 100 kilometres away and Google Maps says it takes about two hours to get there. Great!' <br /><br />Eh, good luck with that.<br /><p></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gSIBxj56j6Evgwz0Bb7r4LRsSJZiPybiQOIZwqbI7FJ53aIUn4qID4JBUh38g3oNQZbrOMbriR2cnfFLPg8b4oes0BaEKJNZvfETndSXZ0BoXtmnsJ-PySBWg1QpOjwaDfx2shbD_dfihpR8VZVmJjfr39EoxOOcdWfMvZOOvHbm380T1irhmdM6POfM/s1280/San%20Juan%20de%20Rioseco%20YT%20thumb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="San Juan de Rioseco: Only its river runs (almost!) dry" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gSIBxj56j6Evgwz0Bb7r4LRsSJZiPybiQOIZwqbI7FJ53aIUn4qID4JBUh38g3oNQZbrOMbriR2cnfFLPg8b4oes0BaEKJNZvfETndSXZ0BoXtmnsJ-PySBWg1QpOjwaDfx2shbD_dfihpR8VZVmJjfr39EoxOOcdWfMvZOOvHbm380T1irhmdM6POfM/w400-h225/San%20Juan%20de%20Rioseco%20YT%20thumb.jpg" title="San Juan de Rioseco: Only its river runs (almost!) dry" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bullfighting ring is easy to see, but can you spot the main church?</td></tr></tbody></table>About the only way such an arrival time could be realised is if you use private transport i.e. your own vehicle or contract a driver, and leave in the early hours of the morning.<br /><br />Failing that, you face tumultuous traffic whilst traipsing topsy-turvy roads on buses that appear programmed to stop every couple of kilometres or so. These stop-happy buses are usually at their worst on journeys over shorter distances, but even on longer trips the compulsion to occasionally stall presents itself. (On those lengthier trips, it can go from sluggishly slow to fear-inducing fast, as I explained in <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/08/colombias-plebeian-transport-riveting.html" target="_blank"><i>Colombia's plebeian transport: A riveting ride</i></a>.)<br /><br />Having spent the majority of my adult life in Colombia and having travelled here fairly extensively, I should be accustomed to all this. However, one's formative years leave a mark.<br /><br />Thus, when I see that a place is around 100 km from my base, my Irish mind tells me that the trip should take no more than two hours. Accounting for the Andes' bendy declines and inclines, I add a generous hour to that. Yet, even with that, I'm often still left frustrated at how long the journey ends up lasting.<br /><br /><h3>Río Seco's feet fish</h3>So it was for my recent trip to San Juan de Rioseco, about 60 km west of Bogotá as the crow flies — around 100 km on the road — and a daytime journey that Google Maps calculates at 2 hours 45 minutes.<br /><br />Yet it took a painstaking hour and 45 minutes just to get to Facatativá, a town less than 40 km from the capital's main bus station, Terminal Salitre. Add to that the hour it took me to get from my Bogotá accommodation to the bus terminal and the total time on the road was over five hours. A mediocre 20 km per hour. (Leaving San Juan de Rioseco at 10 am on a Sunday proved more efficient. It took <i>just</i> three hours to get to Terminal Salitre.)<br /><br />With all that in mind, one-night escapes from Bogotá are more hassle than they are worth.<br /><br />As it was, I had three nights in San Juan de Rioseco. While I liked the place and its people, such a stint was enough when one has little reason to be there only to check it out. I'm particularly budget-conscious these days, too, so that played a factor in my more limited stay.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'Bullfighting trumps God from this outlook.'</b></i></blockquote>San Juan's closest watercourse, the not-entirely-accurately-named Río Seco, <i>River Dry</i> — some water flows through it, enough for <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/u41wQWa27Yc?si=rdr6F6g4IQTm7N5O" target="_blank"><i>small, feet-nibbling fish to thrive</i></a> — and after which the town is named, is insufficient for a refreshing dip.<br /><br />In the likes of the smaller <a href="https://youtu.be/hTy2ocU09So" target="_blank"><i>San Luis de Gaceno</i></a>, one can waste away a few hours, cost-free, enjoying the nearby river. The lack of such a natural attraction in San Juan de Rioseco only increases the temptation for a few daily cooling-off beers. That's not great when one is trying to <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/09/an-alcoholic-me-no-way.html" target="_blank"><i>reduce one's overall beer consumption</i></a>.<br /><br />There is a swimming pool open to the public but in such warm lands I prefer a natural river or suchlike in which to bathe. Two advantages of the natural option are that it's free and, normally, one can seek out a quiet spot away from any splashing and screaming children. And adults.<br /><br />Mentioning rivers, on a clear day the majestic Magdalena can be seen from certain points in the town. In fact, I was told that in the same direction the snowcapped Nevado del Ruiz also presents itself. Alas, the view was hazy throughout my stay. A faint glimpse of the Magdalena was as good as it got for me.<br /><br /><h3>Coffee highs</h3>There was no such visual impairment of San Juan de Rioseco itself. The <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/bFbQrpc8fKs?si=089HJ1H0WobEZceb" target="_blank"><i>most impressive view</i></a> is from a perch just off the principal road into the town where the bullring grabs the greatest attention, outdoing the church on the main square (see video, below). Bullfighting trumps God from this particular outlook.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bFbQrpc8fKs" width="320" youtube-src-id="bFbQrpc8fKs"></iframe></div>By taking the La Balsa route up to the Cambao-Vianí road, you get a more panoramic vista of the town and countryside at <i>Mirador el alto del ángel</i>, the High Angel Viewpoint, or something like that. There, the angels and God put the bullring in its place.<br /><br />Had I been more adventurous I could have at least walked to Vianí, 16 km east of San Juan on the road back to Bogotá. From the glimpses I got of it whilst passing through, it looked like a respectable enough town.<br /><br />A walk to Cambao is more of a stretch, sitting 36 km to the west on the banks of the Magdalena as it is. These are places to visit in their own right on another occasion. Walks in and around San Juan de Rioseco satisfied my wanderlust this time.<br /><br />That many establishments in the town know how to brew quality coffee makes it easier to hang about. As <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/03/tibana-time.html" target="_blank"><i>I've oft-mentioned</i></a>, not every Colombian pueblo has mastered the art of preparing decent, unsweetened coffee.<br /><br />The somewhat bohemian craft coffee shop, Buáni Café on the main square, which cultivates its own beans, is the standard-bearer. Yet, even some of the plebeian panaderías make acceptable brews. Considering two of them occupy spaces in a building called <i>Casa del Café</i>, House of Coffee, it's only right that they do serve out a cuppa that doesn't seem like a chore to drink.<br /><br /><h3>August Agosto</h3>Now, not that I was in search of one, but it seems that San Juan has no tourist information centre. As it turned out, a chance encounter with affable Agosto within minutes of my arrival resulted in my getting sufficient info to meet my modest needs.<br /><br />After initially and curiously asking me if I wanted to buy a Renault Laguna — I don't think I had the appearance of somebody on the lookout for a car — he pointed me in the direction of one of the more affordable hotels in the town, Hotel Central. (25,000 pesos for a basic room with private bathroom and, just as important these days, a good internet connection. Plus, the owner, Alcira, was very hospitable.)<br /><br />Subsequent serendipitous meetings with Agosto saw him tell me about the La Balsa walk and the best route down to the river. On my second day in the town, he even suggested that I could stay in his spare room. I gave that a miss, though. Hotel Central was more than adequate, fairly quaint and far from extortionate.<br /><br />More than adequate, fairly quaint and far from extortionate: This works as a motto for San Juan de Rioseco itself. It's just best not to do it as a mere day trip from Bogotá.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-56751180043154368042024-03-03T08:29:00.000-05:002024-03-03T08:29:07.076-05:00Boosting dental health<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/8MruneqK_rQ" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></b></i> nuclear war. A devastating earthquake. Severe floods. England winning the football World Cup. A dental appointment. The mere thought of certain events occurring can make many of us shudder. <br /><br /><p></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NeNZz7Y_njEGKwYAnIm49NhEm0UA-A9ONNh7I1tSv0gInl5Jx49a6fxboVH-CTka4nVz2Yj-YxxPVsVk53jWOj4Iw4i68ahi4AzvycoI_g3wS07-Jd0kXe1LtJNUWYBj_d4IfkYXuWYzPQRzmi-CF0d2xfjBOKeoYE-U_g_nv4R9B_MLD343usJ_wUxa/s1280/Add%20a%20heading%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Boosting dental health: Can you handle the tooth?" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-NeNZz7Y_njEGKwYAnIm49NhEm0UA-A9ONNh7I1tSv0gInl5Jx49a6fxboVH-CTka4nVz2Yj-YxxPVsVk53jWOj4Iw4i68ahi4AzvycoI_g3wS07-Jd0kXe1LtJNUWYBj_d4IfkYXuWYzPQRzmi-CF0d2xfjBOKeoYE-U_g_nv4R9B_MLD343usJ_wUxa/w400-h225/Add%20a%20heading%20(1).jpg" title="Boosting dental health: Can you handle the tooth?" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What is the tooth behind good dental health?</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><h3>Handling the tooth</h3>So it was with some trepidation that I faced the last of those traumas listed, self-inflicted as it was, having organised a check-up with my dentist for the first time since May 2022. Is an almost two-year gap a long time to leave between dental visits? In any case, for such matters, I generally operate a policy of, 'If it all seems fine and there's no pain, then it is fine'.<br /><br />I booked this appointment chiefly for aesthetic reasons. Indeed, it's rarely been because of pain that I've sought oral care. The majority of my visits have emanated from issues with the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2015/07/foreign-teething-difficulties.html" target="_blank"><i>false front tooth I've had to live with since I was 14</i></a>. Teenage discos in Ireland can be — or at least they used to be — tetchy, tooth-damaging affairs.<br /><br />What often happens, though, is that when I go to my dentist to just get something tidied up with the false tooth, she finds an exigency or two elsewhere.<br /><br />'Oh Brendan, have you not felt any pain back here?'<br />'Eh, no. Well, I hadn't until you started digging and drilling at it.'<br /><br />Dentist knows best.<br /><br />Thus, it was quite surprising when on this latest visit she asked me if I had been seeing someone else — another dentist, that is, in his/her professional capacity only.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'So used had I become to the need for consecutive visits, it was a bit of an awkward goodbye.'</b></i></blockquote>She seemed taken aback by the lack of pressing needs inside my mouth. I assured her of my fidelity to her. As referred to previously, I don't exactly seek out extra-dental affairs.<br /><br />So having done what I wanted her to do — maintenance on the false tooth-and-a-half — off I went with no return appointment needed.<br /><br />In fact, so used had I become to the need for consecutive visits, it was a bit of an awkward goodbye.<br /><br />'So, when will I see you again?'<br />'You'll know when the time comes.'<br /><br />And that was that.<br /><br />One cynical way to view it is like an under-fire football manager getting the backing of the board of directors. 'We have full confidence in the gaffer to get through this.' Gaffer gets sacked the next day.<br /><br />Something similar could happen with my receipt of a clean bill of dental health. <a href="https://youtu.be/JIGXXSTngG4" target="_blank"><i>'You can't handle the tooth!'</i></a> Quite!<br /><br /><h3>No dental dictator</h3>More positively, I have been thinking about what might be at play if it is indeed the case that my teeth and gums are in better shape these days.<br /><br />One potential factor is <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/01/finding-that-savoury-spot-between.html" target="_blank"><i>intermittent fasting</i></a>. I have been more conscious about snacking, grazing if you will, over the last 18 months or so, to the point where I try to regularly go at least 16 hours without ingesting food. I'm guessing the mouth, as it is believed to be so for other parts of the body, gets some benefit from not being under constant bombardment by having to break down foreign substances.<br /><br />I've also been trying to drink more water and less beer. Without really keeping a strict tab on it, I'm not sure how successful I've been on this front. All the same, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/09/an-alcoholic-me-no-way.html" target="_blank"><i>I think my booze consumption has fallen</i></a> compared to a few years ago.<br /><br />Then there have been my attempts to cut back on starchy carbohydrates and certain, more sugary fruits. OK, some may say the vitamin benefits from the fruits outweigh any potential tooth damage. That may be so, but the vitamins found in many of them can be sourced elsewhere, from various vegetables, for example.<br /><br />Another small change I've introduced of late has been the use of a bit of bicarbonate of soda when brushing with my regular toothpaste. I started doing this after <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/seven-ways-your-home-is-damaging-your-health/" target="_blank"><i>reading about the potential harms of many of the chemicals in standard toothpaste</i></a>. OK, I haven't cut out toothpaste altogether but I use a smaller amount now when brushing. I did, though, experiment for a while with lemon and vinegar as toothpaste alternatives, in addition to the bicarbonate of soda.<br /><br />One thing that I don't do and never really have done is flossing. Yes, I'm not a flosser. To some tooth tyrants, such neglect is a mortal sin. To each their own, I say. I'm not a dental dictator.<br /><br />All I'm trying to figure out here is what were the factors that may have led to my apparent improvement in oral hygiene over the last couple of years or so.<br /><br />And I know full well that I can't be complacent. This could all, um, blow up inside my face at any time.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.</div><div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-50548661124990910672024-02-18T08:58:00.000-05:002024-02-18T08:58:42.499-05:00Merging a life vacation with a vocation<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/nuxTijzLjkg" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">'W</span></b></i>hen men choose not to believe in God, they do not thereafter believe in nothing, they then become capable of believing in anything.'<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFX5sLWxTCicS08UDtTq7Q85glYgokf4Zxo7awlqKDcrT4SqOgY9mqxQTUWDsJN3pamEsFsEDhZmoqKK9eYiUBZ7YsOCG-ytCPqo0o3PV6u-Eris3SjtCDNGOj-rCIvdyivA0y7E9h28F2YEoHPYKpLh-pdAWJy-WRloVooRsySgeGzKz9gu5Sy5qT7gTp/s1280/Merging%20a%20life%20vacation%20...%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Merging a life vacation with a vocation: Overcoming Social Studies Syndrome" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFX5sLWxTCicS08UDtTq7Q85glYgokf4Zxo7awlqKDcrT4SqOgY9mqxQTUWDsJN3pamEsFsEDhZmoqKK9eYiUBZ7YsOCG-ytCPqo0o3PV6u-Eris3SjtCDNGOj-rCIvdyivA0y7E9h28F2YEoHPYKpLh-pdAWJy-WRloVooRsySgeGzKz9gu5Sy5qT7gTp/w400-h225/Merging%20a%20life%20vacation%20...%20(1).jpg" title="Merging a life vacation with a vocation: Overcoming Social Studies Syndrome" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'I can do many things, but I don't want to do that.'</td></tr></tbody></table>It's not exactly the best argument for being a theist, is it? It could be said to promote ignorance, impede inquisitiveness: 'Just believe in God and shut out all the other noise.'<br /><br />Nonetheless, I can see where the English writer, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/G-K-Chesterton" target="_blank"><i>G.K. Chesterton</i></a>, to whom the quote is attributed, was coming from. A belief in a god that promotes personal development, humbleness and virtuousness — without being domineering — isn't the worst creed one could follow. Yet, however sound the theory, the practice of it is often found wanting.<br /><br />And where traditional religions are on the wane, some folk feel the need to fill the void with even more <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/11/calling-out-illiberal-liberals.html" target="_blank"><i>pernicious creeds</i></a> and <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/11/goodbye-nanny-state-hello-overbearing.html" target="_blank"><i>systems of control</i></a>.<br /><br />A sceptic at heart, I eventually ditched the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2024/02/an-act-of-good.html" target="_blank"><i>dogma of the Catholic Church</i></a> imposed on me from birth, while I've yet to cave in to the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/02/the-west-woke-to-its-demise.html" target="_blank"><i>postmodernist militia</i></a> taking over much of the West.<br /><br /><h3>Stem-less</h3>Yet, a version — of sorts — of Chesterton's epigram applies to me.<br /><br />It goes thus: When men don't focus on one specific career, they then thereafter are capable of doing almost anything yet often end up doing very little.<br /><br />Such an affliction appears to be quite pronounced for <i>humanities, arts and social sciences</i> (Hass) graduates, as I am: a <i>Social Studies Syndrome</i>, to give it a label.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'One approach is to find a preferred place/country to work in first and then find the means to live there.'</b></i></blockquote>Courses in social studies generally give one a decent introduction to a broad range of subjects. A Bachelor of Arts degree can open many doors. However, therein lies a potential problem. It doesn't give one a clear career path in the way that studies in <i>science, technology, engineering or mathematics</i> (Stem) tend to do.<br /><br />Those latter disciplines also have a very practical application in everyday life. For example, there's a constant demand for both digital and physical infrastructure to be built and maintained. We're also always looking for ways to improve our health and that of other flora and fauna with whom we share this planet.<br /><br />To be blunt, <i>Stem</i> subjects are fundamental to progress (they can and do, of course, lead to destruction, too). Social studies are nice extras but are far from essential for our existence. What good is a philosopher or psychologist when we're faced with <i>real</i> problems, actual oblivion?<br /><br />For sure, there is more to life than just the physical and there are always moral issues at play in our actions. Yet, without clean water to drink, healthy food to eat and a safe environment in which to live we won't be in a position to give such metaphysical matters much thought.<br /><br /><h3>Place dependent</h3>Nonetheless, some of us are predisposed to concerns of a more metaphysical and moral nature. And in a well-run world — or one at least trying to be such — there is space and a need for such types.<br /><br />The challenge for the social studies student is to find a well-remunerated, fulfilling outlet for his/her talents.<br /><br />Many may find themselves switching jobs frequently but that in itself isn't a negative. Where loyalty to an employer was seen as a positive in the past, this is less so in today's environment of relatively poorly paid, often <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/02/to-marketing-agency-robin.html" target="_blank"><i>soul-destroying gigs</i></a>.<br /><br />Some employment opportunities suited to those coming from a humanities background are in the work-from-anywhere category. This can be a bonus, especially for those inclined to wanderlust.<br /><br />Such a scenario, in theory anyway, allows one to choose a preferred place/country to work in first and then find the means to live there, rather than the reverse. To put it another way, go on a vacation first, then find your vocation, temporary as it may be.<br /><br />I have done that to a certain degree <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/10/seventh-heaven-seven-benefits-of-living.html" target="_blank"><i>with Colombia</i></a>. My problem of late is that I've lost enthusiasm for the main means that I had to make ends meet here — <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/05/little-thirst-to-teach-english-in-these.html" target="_blank"><i>English teaching</i></a>. And remote working is a concept for which I have little love.<br /><br />So there are various things that I <i>could</i> do either here in Colombia or elsewhere to earn a living but I'm not prepared — or in a desperate enough position, yet — to do <i>anything</i>.<br /><br />The challenge now is to find something to believe in; and something that generates an income at that. This blog does accept donations, by the way.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-63705802187198636762024-02-07T06:37:00.000-05:002024-02-07T06:37:21.191-05:00An act of good<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/Pqf7TIdSznE" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b></i>n my early adolescence, I was a regular attendee at mass. Oh, how impressionable the young can be!<br /><br />I bought into it to such an extent that I used to think that I was on a higher plane than those, such as my immediately older brother, who didn't follow the <i>masses</i>, as it were. Or at least I acted as if I was on a higher, untouchable plane.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynfRQ_9QLL30ce5N3aFLtmgM_e6pwvmCtzVaP52qoKBEAMDYbwZcbT9kf2slIqggWy5LoUrgp95hDy9GeShS4sAUl4kvFALDM7HdN7I-fb5TbmuJw3o_5Oe9XaV-ymFJpRihJCdAQsB5GDouBbsDCsPkdq6hfrzExbvXDwGji8PpEvu8e54d9K9Hle7K8/s1280/An%20act%20of%20good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="An act of good: We should do good for goodness' sake, not to buy to credit to do harm elsewhere." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynfRQ_9QLL30ce5N3aFLtmgM_e6pwvmCtzVaP52qoKBEAMDYbwZcbT9kf2slIqggWy5LoUrgp95hDy9GeShS4sAUl4kvFALDM7HdN7I-fb5TbmuJw3o_5Oe9XaV-ymFJpRihJCdAQsB5GDouBbsDCsPkdq6hfrzExbvXDwGji8PpEvu8e54d9K9Hle7K8/w400-h225/An%20act%20of%20good.jpg" title="An act of good: We should do good for goodness' sake, not to buy to credit to do harm elsewhere." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'I go to church, ergo I'm good.'</td></tr></tbody></table>My mere appearance at a church service meant I would not only be better <i>looked after</i> by the Almighty but any sins I committed — and I may have committed a few small ones — would be more likely to be pardoned than those of the non-churchgoers.<br /><br /><h3>Act up</h3>More precisely, my brother and others like him were infidels and were thus set for eternal damnation no matter what good acts they might do. I could cause treachery yet salvation would be my lot as long as I repented.<br /><br />The, um, no-nonsense rules of the Catholic Church put paid to such hopes for perpetual bliss. My mother married a man — my father — who had been previously married, meaning that in the eyes of those making things up at the Holy See all my mother's children — myself included — were (are?!) doomed bastards regardless. Yet even after discovering such a devastating fate, I still played the faithful game for a while longer.<br /><br />It wasn't until the end of my teens that I followed my brother's lead — mostly of my own accord, albeit — and quietly renounced Catholicism and organised religion in general.<br /><br />That early <i>big-C</i> Catholic indoctrination — much of it was at odds with <i>small-c</i> catholic, as in it wasn't too liberal in its outlook — isn't easily wiped from one's memory and, by extension, behaviour.<br /><br />Nonetheless, and allowing for the many contradictions and hypocrisies of Vatican rule, in Christianity there is at least a blueprint to live a morally sound life.<br /><br />Yes, there's merit to the argument that <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2017/12/replacing-religions-false-comforts.html" target="_blank"><i>we don't need religions</i></a> to set our collective moral compass, that in a state of nature we'd be more inclined to be helpful to others rather than harmful. Much has been written and debated about that. There's no need to add to it in this piece.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'Doing a good act is undermined when it's only done to buy credit to be less good elsewhere.'</b></i></blockquote>The point here is, to return to my mass-going days (in thought, that is, not for real), doing what one considers a good act is generally undermined if it's only done to <i>buy credit</i> to be less good elsewhere.<br /><br />Linked to this are the types who talk up their one good deed to deflect attention away from their many shortcomings elsewhere. Fair enough, it can be beneficial to focus on the positives. But if it's done to the extent that one neglects the negatives, progress is often hampered.<br /><br /><h3>Good for nothing</h3>This came into my mind, harshly perhaps, when I saw a <a href="https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p0h3ys8w/the-country-with-earliest-wake-up-time-in-the-world" target="_blank"><i>short video on the BBC's website</i></a> about the country with the earliest wake-up time in the world. Who got that label? Why none other than my adopted home for the last 12 years, Colombia.<br /><br />Across the world, getting up early is generally seen as a good habit. Various sayings extol its virtues: 'Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise', 'You snooze, you lose', 'The early bird catches the worm' and suchlike.<br /><br />Yet, merely getting out of bed early doesn't in itself mean one is better than those who get up later. Colombians aren't exactly the globe's leading lights for efficiency and productivity, are they?<br /><br />As I've discussed in <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2019/12/work-work-work-work-work.html" target="_blank"><i>previous posts</i></a>, there's a difference between <i>being at work</i> and actually <i>doing work</i>. (I do, though, acknowledge the long hours of poorly paid toil that many in Colombia's lower classes are forced into.)<br /><br />In all of these <i>acts of good</i> is the idea of much show but little go. Plenty of style but not much substance.<br /><br />I'm reminded of the song <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_kjctTbMHA" target="_blank"><i>It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it</i></a>. Those lyrics can be dissected in different ways. A negative one is that style is more important than substance. A more positive perspective is that how you go about your activities trumps what your activities are — the idea of taking an enthusiastic approach to the most mundane of tasks. (Acts of pure evil are excluded here.)<br /><br />After all, our actions speak louder than our words. And a corollary: When all is said and done, a lot more is said than done.<br /><br />Words wither. Deeds deliver. With that, <i>this is the word of Wrong Way. Go in peace to love and serve him</i>.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-84736668321836435482024-01-24T10:10:00.000-05:002024-01-24T10:10:40.689-05:00Fly on through the turbulence — there is no better alternative<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><br /><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/4EW1QNJY5_0" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><i><b>'P</b></i></span>lease secure your own oxygen mask first before helping others to secure theirs.'<br /><br />That epigraph is, as some of you will be aware, advice given to passengers by aeroplane cabin crew in the event of an emergency that requires oxygen masks to be worn on board.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7syj5Z4knWjEdOhC1G9f3qVxCrwmcyRmrNDewBSNKp-_uvsi_kXQAhCfnwxzTKuVi7WybNBRZo0gwgBL_xr9WlhDitzHlXyAXtJkpMbAsisaHFvqZJ-nc2Jr0Ul-1SOREI7j3gl8hCmIc7rt5R609wRB20pw7KqvhPtw5dscHYGRYqguto4mW8pGPUdTY/s1280/Fly%20on%20through%20the%20turbulence%20%E2%80%94%20there%20is%20no%20better%20alternative.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fly on through the turbulence — there is no better alternative" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7syj5Z4knWjEdOhC1G9f3qVxCrwmcyRmrNDewBSNKp-_uvsi_kXQAhCfnwxzTKuVi7WybNBRZo0gwgBL_xr9WlhDitzHlXyAXtJkpMbAsisaHFvqZJ-nc2Jr0Ul-1SOREI7j3gl8hCmIc7rt5R609wRB20pw7KqvhPtw5dscHYGRYqguto4mW8pGPUdTY/w400-h225/Fly%20on%20through%20the%20turbulence%20%E2%80%94%20there%20is%20no%20better%20alternative.jpg" title="Fly on through the turbulence — there is no better alternative" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'When you're going through hell, keep going.'</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><h3>Harmful help</h3>Those with a more narcissistic personality may wonder why such a message is needed at all. 'Eh, I always look after number one first.'<br /><br />However, parents travelling with young children or those who are with more vulnerable companions might be tempted to assist these <i>others</i> before attending to themselves. So I've heard it said, anyway. I almost always fly solo (my life motto, in many ways!).<br /><br />Now, for parents, taking care of one's young children is — or at least should be — a priority, one that often means mother and/or father have to frequently forgo some personal wants.<br /><br />Yet, there are times, like in the oxygen-mask scenario, when putting one's offspring first could do more harm than good to both child and parent.<br /><br />A parent, naturally enough, is too emotionally involved and the innate desire to protect a child often overrides what objectively would be considered a more prudent, beneficial-for-all-concerned approach.<br /><br />We're all at risk of such behaviour when it comes to those we hold dear or to whom we feel indebted.<br /><br /><h3><a href="https://youtu.be/p6tlXXOW-yc" target="_blank">Care necessities</a></h3>My return to Ireland and subsequent extended stay have had elements of this at play.<br /><br />With my parents entering their twilight years and with an amount of flexibility on my side in terms of being available to help out where possible and required, I figured I could be at least of some benefit by being physically closer to my family while I try to navigate through my own fog of uncertainty.<br /><br />I am, also, a country boy at heart so mucking around with livestock on the family farm is something that I don't mind doing. What irks me is the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/12/dawn-of-downsizers.html" target="_blank"><i>farm's overall unkemptness</i></a>. A sure-fire way of infuriating me is to ask me to clean up somebody else's mess.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'It's rather difficult for me to secure my own mask first for the fact that I don't even know where my mask is.'</b></i></blockquote>At 80 years of age, the chances of my father suddenly turning to tidiness are between slim and none. Others will be left to confront this, what I view as <i>chaos</i>, when our father departs the land of the living.<br /><br />That aside, I can say with some certainty that my occasional assistance has been appreciated by my father.<br /><br />I'm far less certain that my being around my mother has been a net benefit. This is chiefly due to the demon dementia that is gradually taking hold of her.<br /><br />I've found it difficult not to get annoyed when she buys yet more food that will only end up going to waste (I hate to see <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2016/04/stop-dont-bin-that-food.html" target="_blank"><i>food being binned</i></a>) or when she asks the same questions over and over and over again.<br /><br />Thus, my annoyance has at times ended up annoying her. It has made me think that it might be mutually beneficial if I just left her to her own devices.<br /><br />Of course, the most likely scenario is that her condition will deteriorate to the point where she'll put both herself and others at risk if left to fend for herself.<br /><br />Should she live for another number of years — physically she's in decent enough shape — full-time care in a secure environment is what she will need.<br /><br />Yes, a family member could take up this round-the-clock, predominantly thankless task, allowing her to stay in the family home. It would be, however, a significant undertaking for one person, something I touched on in a piece last year titled, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-care-necessities-dealing-with-old.html" target="_blank"><i>The care necessities: Dealing with old age</i></a>.<br /><br />Such care from a family member is made even more difficult when the patient is merely the body of the person you once knew so well. Their mind and thus their actions become alien. The parasitic dementia is in control.<br /><br /><h3>Don't mask me!</h3>For me right now, all this is framed within my what-and-where-next predicament, in terms of both what to do income-wise and where to live.<br /><br />In this mindset, it's rather difficult for me to secure my own <i>mask</i> first for the fact that I don't even know where my mask is. All I can say is that I'm fairly sure I won't find it in the west of Ireland at this moment in time. Fairly sure that is, not fully sure.<br /><br />So while physical, real <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/06/cleanliness-next-to-godliness-ask.html" target="_blank"><i>untidiness that I have to deal with angers me</i></a>, my <i>chaos</i>, my <i>mess</i> is more of a mental kind.<br /><br />Materially-wise, I mostly fall into the minimalist category so it's relatively easy to keep order compared to those who have lots of belongings. Yet, mentally, things are not that clear.<br /><br />For sure, few if any of us go through life without the occasional emergency, those turbulent times when we hope that the metaphorical oxygen masks emerge to support us. It's just — on my <i>career flight </i>in particular — <a href="https://youtu.be/oEZ1R0pKgqg" target="_blank"><i>travelling through turbulence has become my norm</i></a> over the last few years.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I still feel largely in control of my craft. And, currently, it seems that <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2014/01/born-to-run-or-at-least-wander.html" target="_blank"><i>I'm happier in flight</i></a> rather than grounded indefinitely on terra firma.<br /><br />Sticking to my <i>life flight</i> should put me in a better position to fight both for myself and others. And it's best not to wait for the oxygen masks to be deployed. By then, the situation will most likely be beyond repair.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.</div><div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Lisacul, Co. Roscommon, Ireland53.8592062 -8.636741225.548972363821157 -43.7929912 82.169440036178855 26.5195088tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-91783702321860489672024-01-11T09:58:00.001-05:002024-01-13T12:31:42.758-05:00Without the pain, the pleasures are plain (and enslaving)<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><br /><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/gByoYGZcxgY" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">N</span></b></i>o pain, no gain. The meaning of that proverb needs little explanation, expressed in various guises as it has been throughout the ages.<br /><br />I can't think of any success of note I've had — yes, I've had one or two — that didn't come without some pain in one form or another, save for the odd win in gambling.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioFxueiGmYjMjzkKKb2iQQ0G83QJgIfHvRntGQYtCrWebOUtVSowKtTMdCeciF-DN-t_37i4RYp2up3AjtQzTIToNB7JwMCsSLdCMf6mHBSJZUvtalqz24ULJkPOmPbTDsmfAF_h0qp3scJ9oUaTYkaaticqBHuMueA5Zen_GCJPRUvk1k-lfJ-2Pwj_G/s1280/Without%20the%20pain.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Without the pain, the pleasures are plain (and enslaving): Freedom is pain." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjioFxueiGmYjMjzkKKb2iQQ0G83QJgIfHvRntGQYtCrWebOUtVSowKtTMdCeciF-DN-t_37i4RYp2up3AjtQzTIToNB7JwMCsSLdCMf6mHBSJZUvtalqz24ULJkPOmPbTDsmfAF_h0qp3scJ9oUaTYkaaticqBHuMueA5Zen_GCJPRUvk1k-lfJ-2Pwj_G/w400-h225/Without%20the%20pain.jpg" title="Without the pain, the pleasures are plain (and enslaving): Freedom is pain." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeking out some pain makes many feel more alive. </td></tr></tbody></table>I must also state that the pain part in some of my <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2016/08/ignoring-is-bliss.html" target="_blank"><i>bad romances</i></a> came after I had savoured the initial <i>success</i>. Thus, I question the belief that 'tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.' I would have happily forgone the pleasure to avoid the resultant pain. A more apt expression in such scenarios is, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2017/05/a-prostitute-by-any-other-name.html" target="_blank"><i>'Easy come, easy go.'</i></a><br /><br />Of course, another way to look at my relationship woes is that I wasn't willing to put up with some constant pain for, perhaps, an overall gain in happiness. It depends on how one views such, um, affairs; this blog has analysed them from an array of angles over the years. One place to start is with <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/10/everlasting-love.html" target="_blank"><i>Everlasting love</i></a> and work your way back through the hyperlinks.<br /><br /><h3>Pleb pain</h3>On a broader scale, as any self-help guru <i>keeping it real</i> will tell you, life is suffering. Or, putting it in less depressing words, life is but a sea of melancholy, warmed up only sporadically by the odd drop of delight.<br /><br />However, the modern conveniences and <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/11/goodbye-nanny-state-hello-overbearing.html" target="_blank"><i>state-hung financial safety nets</i></a> to which some people in certain parts of the world can rely on mean that the suffering in merely existing has been diluted to an extent.<br /><br />Great that, isn't it? Who wouldn't want less suffering in the world?<br /><br />The issue here is that as a species, like any other, suffering and pain are meant to be part of living. It's a default setting.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'Outside of activism of abnegation, others find their wholesome pain in feats of physical and mental endurance.'</b></i></blockquote>What some self-styled social democracies are trying to move towards is a citizenry devoid of everyday concerns. No real short-term financial issues, no hunger of note, everything made <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/08/sanitising-to-death-our-future.html" target="_blank"><i>simple and safe</i></a>.<br /><br />'Placate the plebs to the point where they won't notice nor care that they've no real control over their affairs', that's the direction of travel. Impotent but content.<br /><br />Think of us plebs as being well-fed domesticated dogs as opposed to the wiry wild ones roaming the African plains.<br /><br />Yet, all the dog treats in the world won't sate that desire to live on the wild side. It's innate.<br /><br /><h3>In rudimentary health</h3>It's why, although we may be more controlled than ever, some in our comfortable classes who haven't yet become utterly disillusioned or been subdued completely seek out what I term <i>wholesome pain</i> to feel <i>alive</i> again.<br /><br />Insofar as I can put myself into the comfortable-class cohort, my constant, <i>somewhat self-inflicted</i> pain is my attempt to maintain a minimalist lifestyle. I say somewhat self-inflicted because as things currently stand, and particularly in terms of high-income-nation living, without a steady income I have to be more minimalist than profligate anyway.<br /><br />What's more, I can't say it's that painful for me. I don't mind shunning what I view as conveniences that others may think of as essentials to get by.<br /><br />In fact, if we all had to take a more rudimentary approach to life — e.g. walk or cycle to get around, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/07/fattening-up-our-future-health-problems.html" target="_blank"><i>prepare our own meals from scratch</i></a>, no home heating at the touch of a button, that kind of stuff — then few would have the time, means or even desire for a lot of the <i>wilder</i>, extreme pursuits we see today. Anyone up for the next <a href="https://www.marathondessables.com/en" target="_blank"><i>Marathon des Sables</i></a>?<br /><br />These days, though, we don't have to worry about the fundamentals of survival to the same extent as those who came before us.<br /><br />Yes, I sound a bit like <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2019/10/wake-up-to-pinkers-wonderful-world.html" target="_blank"><i>Steven Pinker</i></a> here but in terms of health and wealth — <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/08/less-stress-less-success-in-these-idle.html" target="_blank"><i>happiness is much more debatable</i></a> — the average adult human in this century is in a better position than his counterpart who lived just three or four generations ago.<br /><br /><h3>Cold comforts</h3>Hence the search for some pain to make us feel more deserving of the many low-hanging pleasures; pain to stoke the flames of a fire of life that normally just quietly smoulders away.<br /><br />The more radical climate-crisis activists appear to want a universal return to the aforementioned rudimentary way of living. Pain to all mankind (I'm not sure about the non-binaries). The difference between most of them and me is that I try to do what I say, they preach, cause disruption and in the process anger others whilst doing little good.<br /><br />Outside of this activism of abnegation, others find their wholesome pain in feats of physical and mental endurance, as alluded to earlier. A particularly popular one these days appears to be <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/7lniGESZonA?feature=share" target="_blank"><i>cold-water dipping</i></a> (<a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001t9jt " target="_blank"><i>studies suggest it does have health benefits</i></a>, up to a point in any case.)<br /><br />So while our freedom is steadily disappearing in this surveillance society, we can still, within reason, pick our own pain for some sort of personal gain. Indeed, these days, freedom is pain. Freedom is suffering.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to <i>The Corrigan Cast</i> podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><b><i>here</i></b></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-17297014384540472152023-12-27T09:11:00.003-05:002023-12-27T09:13:43.996-05:00Wrong Way Corrigan's hits and misses of 2023<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b></i>n this independent blogging/vlogging game, the numbers do make a difference. OK, it's highly unlikely I'll ever make a living from it but one does get a small endorphin hit when one publishes what turns out to be a, um <i>hit</i>, views-wise.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcvu-JfFZ6BH8ujqmcGESkO06db1-1VFm5DAuQWVbglOnI6rarefHEPWAVpCn81gem3e9uky9bC0RCe8-aY3iirB212fBWhpZJ7IO2FSbqNOW2QW3UxnrN2EjV6RKBQ25Qi1uBR21PFZldGrY_YMavyN3hRKZKb5YrzS2_tCjBxBmer50ltFGWYhowDhW/s1353/Wrong%20Way%20Corrigan%20--%20The%20Blog.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wrong Way Corrigan's hits and misses of 2023: We are indeed living with unsettled and unsettling questions!" border="0" data-original-height="648" data-original-width="1353" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTcvu-JfFZ6BH8ujqmcGESkO06db1-1VFm5DAuQWVbglOnI6rarefHEPWAVpCn81gem3e9uky9bC0RCe8-aY3iirB212fBWhpZJ7IO2FSbqNOW2QW3UxnrN2EjV6RKBQ25Qi1uBR21PFZldGrY_YMavyN3hRKZKb5YrzS2_tCjBxBmer50ltFGWYhowDhW/w400-h191/Wrong%20Way%20Corrigan%20--%20The%20Blog.JPG" title="Wrong Way Corrigan's hits and misses of 2023: We are indeed living with unsettled and unsettling questions!" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The 2012-published <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2012/02/lord-of-dance.html" target="_blank"><i>Lord of the Dance</i></a> proved popular in 2023. </td></tr></tbody></table>My modest hits would, of course, be considered terrible misses by the bigger players; it's all relative.<br /><br /><h3>Missing the hits!</h3>So what did Wrong Way Corrigan get <i>right</i> in terms of popular posts across the various platforms in 2023? And where was I a good bit off target?<br /><br />Starting where my online content creation began, with Google Blogger, the most-viewed (I was going to write <i>most-read</i> but a view of the story doesn't necessarily mean that it was read!) was <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/02/living-with-unsettled-and-unsettling.html" target="_blank"><i>Living with unsettled and unsettling questions</i></a> <span face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: small;">— </span>664 views as I write, in case you're wondering!<br /><br />Incidentally, the most-viewed story on Google Blogger over the last 12 months wasn't a piece that was published this year. It was 2012's <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2012/02/lord-of-dance.html" target="_blank"><i>Lord of the dance</i></a>. A timeless tale! <br /><blockquote><i><b>'The Google blog is coming close to becoming a teenager. They grow up so fast, don't they?'</b></i></blockquote>The least-viewed, excluding the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/12/hell-yeah-or-no-its-no-so.html" target="_blank"><i>most recent to be published</i></a>, is <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/11/letter-to-editor-irelands-water-waste.html" target="_blank"><i>Letter to the editor: Ireland's waste water</i></a>, with a paltry 39 views.<br /><br />Over at my <i>El Tiempo</i> blog, with a decent 1,458 views, <a href="https://blogs.eltiempo.com/wrong-way-corrigan/2023/05/04/little-thirst-to-teach-english-in-these-thinking-times/" target="_blank"><i>Little thirst to teach English in these thinking times</i></a> leads the way for the year ending.<br /><br />At the other end of the scale is <a href="https://blogs.eltiempo.com/wrong-way-corrigan/2023/01/20/the-care-necessities-dealing-with-old-age/" target="_blank"><i>The care necessities: Dealing with old age</i></a> with a rather pathetic 26.<br /><br />On YouTube, <a href="https://youtu.be/6ag3JeUV-1A?si=N3Fnusn24YGL5w76" target="_blank"><i>A Boyacá fruit route: Tierra Negra-Nuevo Colón-Turmequé</i></a> was the top performer of vlogs published in 2023 (YouTube makes the views public knowledge, so you can click on the hyperlink to find out the number!).<br /><br /><a href="https://youtu.be/oDKkNR4NBoY" target="_blank"><i>Making the bell toll for us while we still can | What's rung is rung!</i></a> didn't quite reach the heights of <i>A Boyacá fruit route</i>!<br /><br />For YouTube Shorts, <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/3Ot5N8NlArg" target="_blank"><i>A Bogotá jam ...</i></a> is tops. <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/PMh3Yy4S3Nc" target="_blank"><i>Up in the clouds with Zetaquirá's Virgin Mary!</i></a> has been more down in the dumps in terms of views!<br /><br />Finally, on the podcast front, <a href="https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/tyIKk9QZRFb" target="_blank"><i>Not so gaga for physical footy: Time to nip it in the rib?</i></a> didn't excite the masses. <br /><br /><a href="https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/NpYfw9e0RFb" target="_blank"><i>Finding that savoury spot between feasting and fasting</i></a> performed a little bit better. Just a little, that is!<br /><br />So there we have it. Perhaps 2024 will see Wrong Way Corrigan become more occupied with other, better-paying projects. The blog is our baby, all the same. In fact, the Google blog is coming close to becoming a teenager. They grow up so fast, don't they?<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Lisacul, Co. Roscommon, Ireland53.8592062 -8.636741225.548972363821157 -43.7929912 82.169440036178855 26.5195088tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-43654671780333385372023-12-21T09:04:00.000-05:002023-12-21T09:04:36.307-05:00Hell yeah or no?! It's a no, so!<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/oEZ1R0pKgqg" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">'I</span></b></i>f it isn't a hell yeah, it's a no.'</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFz5grKQhFQrTYiQSORfx_bXyYkz79Hu0F-fO6BgLO5ULj7vMPznvJ4-JX4IrXqxtpuZF-E9-E8T1_GAj5qUPFil37xV4fey00OkFLXUW1EUnnMTvKp1PSCOA7lSCxU3Qy3MIuJ-cMM81Mr5-wgH_LfYfKfYn2njmW7QS24eEP_ZRAtXoa76NgBmBmtSu/s1280/Hell-yeah%20or%20no!.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Hell yeah or no?! It's a no, so! Rarely if ever have I been totally certain about a decision." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsFz5grKQhFQrTYiQSORfx_bXyYkz79Hu0F-fO6BgLO5ULj7vMPznvJ4-JX4IrXqxtpuZF-E9-E8T1_GAj5qUPFil37xV4fey00OkFLXUW1EUnnMTvKp1PSCOA7lSCxU3Qy3MIuJ-cMM81Mr5-wgH_LfYfKfYn2njmW7QS24eEP_ZRAtXoa76NgBmBmtSu/w400-h225/Hell-yeah%20or%20no!.jpg" title="Hell yeah or no?! It's a no, so! Rarely if ever have I been totally certain about a decision." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'I'll get back to you.'</td></tr></tbody></table>So goes the advice from Derek Sivers, a man who I guess can be described as a self-help guru even if he doesn't appear to use that title himself. The books he's written, including <a href="https://sive.rs/" target="_blank"><i>Hell Yeah or No and How To Live</i></a>, suggest the self-help <i>sombrero</i> fits well.<br /><br /><h3>The certainty of uncertainty</h3>On first viewing, I thought this counsel to be spot on. If one has doubts about engaging in something, it's best to follow one's instincts and decline.<br /><br />On deeper reflection, however, I began to think about the times a decision I made was a definitive <i>hell yeah</i>.<br /><br />Now, I may be guilty of recency bias here, particularly in this <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/05/little-thirst-to-teach-english-in-these.html" target="_blank"><i>highly uncertain period I'm going through</i></a>, but I couldn't think of any hell-yeah decision in my life. Before any choice I eventually opted for there was an amount of thought and much hesitation.<br /><br />Heck, I struggle to decide with peace of mind over what to eat in a restaurant, never mind the mental and, at times, physical chore of choosing one potentially life-altering path over another.<br /><br />OK, my levels of indecisiveness may be higher than average but I wager few people have ever made a decision with total certainty and confidence. Almost all choices come with pros and cons.<br /><blockquote><b><i>'We either make a decision or we do not. And not making one is a decision in itself.'</i></b></blockquote>Perhaps in <i>Hell Yeah or No</i> sagacious Sivers expands on such dilemmas and helps the irresolute reader find the fog-less way. I certainly hope he does. (And no, I haven't read his work. I merely happened upon his advice <a href="https://twitter.com/ChrisWillx/status/1734257269045436817?t=3LxSXUuQ2Dm_dshuiIf_lA&s=19" target="_blank"><i>via a post</i></a> from another man with many answers, Chris Williamson, on the social medium formerly known as Twitter — X, that is.)<br /><br />While I often wish I was more decisive, I do feel, in certain contexts, that there's a positive aspect to my regular uncertainty and hesitancy.<br /><br />Not immediately saying yes to something that is ostensibly great allows me to think about the downsides. Thus, one can make a more balanced decision. That's the theory, anyway.<br /><br />What's more, I do have a tendency to be a faultfinder of sorts. And we do need people to point out errors; it's why, for one, we have editors and proofreaders.<br /><br />This is not to say that I'm an overly negative person. It's just that where some people are able to easily overlook the bad, I usually find this more difficult to do. (Of course, there are obvious exceptions, such as imbibing. I know it would most likely be better for my overall health not to drink any alcohol but <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/09/an-alcoholic-me-no-way.html" target="_blank"><i>I do like the occasional beer</i></a>!)<br /><br />It's not revelatory to state that few if any things in life are solely positive and beneficial.<br /><br />Take the sun, an essential giver of life and a great provider of vitamin D. Yet, soaking in too much of it can hasten one's earthly demise in the form of skin cancer.<br /><br />In any situation — particularly where time allows — it's about weighing up the plusses and minuses to make what is generally described as an informed decision.<br /><br /><h3>¡Viva la resolution!</h3>So while a choice might not be an obvious <i>hell yeah</i>, the positives on one side may be sufficient enough to make it the selection that's, um, less hellish. Or a <i>hell OK</i> if you will, to make it sound slightly chirpier.<br /><br />The idea is to be in as much control over this process as possible. We may be indecisive but time doesn't pause whilst we make up our minds. We either make a decision or we do not. <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/05/making-bell-toll-for-us-while-we-still.html" target="_blank"><i>And not making one is a decision in itself</i></a>.<br /><br />This is all in the context of those who can be deemed fortunate enough to have reasonable options from which to choose, the conundrums posed by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Paradox_of_Choice" target="_blank"><i>paradox of choice</i></a> notwithstanding i.e. where too many choices represent a problem in themselves.<br /><br />These what-to-do moments are dilemmas for many, yet others see them as a luxury they'd gladly have.<br /><br />So rather than endorse <i>hell yeah or no</i>, my more nuanced advice is to try to make a decision as quickly as possible — where possible, that is — and once you've made it, don't dwell too much on the path not taken.<br /><br />With New Year resolution season upon us, think of it as aiming for a little less irresolution. Few things in this life are unalterable, after all.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Lisacul, Co. Roscommon, Ireland53.8592062 -8.636741225.548972363821157 -43.7929912 82.169440036178855 26.5195088tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-7631859397882692122023-12-12T11:58:00.000-05:002023-12-12T11:58:09.985-05:00Dawn of the downsizers<div><a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a></div><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/2YCuwrHcdp0" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><i>'Y</i></b></span>ou don't know how easy you have it. In my day, life was far worse.'<br /><br />This is one of the standard ripostes from older folk when they hear youngsters complaining about how bad their current situation is. While this <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-digital-dystopia.html" target="_blank"><i>Digital Age has its unique challenges</i></a>, things were far <i>tougher</i> in the past, so it goes anyway.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTh_aamwXkLNf3YukMV_FKNftkBPdX2097Q59ADDvWdz_V8IwIHmT-dKh8drZ7O4dcFG_WJZ2zwDFRLCBdirBgTF87l8h4z07D2mRYjv_34UyflSUZSDWMq00vrKgbT5aJuelPR5rNIi1PfISd53vLDqPnUbkoakgjlDUSLfejRjRqQvhyphenhyphengRJdKIYF0Wl/s1280/Dawn%20of%20the%20downsizers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Dawn of the downsizers: Some of us are learning to do away with unnecessary comforts." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbTh_aamwXkLNf3YukMV_FKNftkBPdX2097Q59ADDvWdz_V8IwIHmT-dKh8drZ7O4dcFG_WJZ2zwDFRLCBdirBgTF87l8h4z07D2mRYjv_34UyflSUZSDWMq00vrKgbT5aJuelPR5rNIi1PfISd53vLDqPnUbkoakgjlDUSLfejRjRqQvhyphenhyphengRJdKIYF0Wl/w400-h225/Dawn%20of%20the%20downsizers.jpg" title="Dawn of the downsizers: Some of us are learning to do away with unnecessary comforts." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bigger isn't always better.</td></tr></tbody></table>This, though, depends on how one defines what <i>tough</i> is.<br /><br />For <a href="https://fortune.com/europe/2023/11/13/whoopi-goldberg-millennials-work-ethic-financial-problems-research-shows-wealth-gap/" target="_blank"><i>there are measures</i></a>, open to much interpretation as such things are, that suggest that millennials from some high-income nations are set to be the first generation in modern times to be less well-off than their parents.<br /><br />Personally, comparing my <i>wealth</i> and assets to my father's, this less-well-off interpretation seems about right.<br /><br />Coming up to his 39th birthday, whilst already the father of six children and with two more yet to come, myself included, my Dad was in the process of building his own house on the land of the family farm he inherited.<br /><br />For me <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/07/tight-times-with-no-respite-in-sight.html" target="_blank"><i>right now</i></a>, two months away from turning 39, it's highly unlikely I'd get a mortgage approved to even consider buying a dwelling. (For the record, I haven't even looked into it because I'm not sure where I would like to own property, if I want to at all that is. Also, many Irish in my age cohort who opted more for <i>settling down</i> rather than a life of adventure abroad appear to be on a steadier financial footing.)<br /><br /><h3>Generation game</h3>Of course, comparing generations, particularly those born in the late stages of the Technological Revolution and into our current Digital Age, is fraught with complications due to the rapid rate of change in almost all aspects of life.<br /><br />The household my father was born into in 1943 was rather different from the one I came into just 42 years later.<br /><br />Where in his mid-teens my Dad was England-bound for an early life of toil in construction, my main concerns at the same age were football and the secondary-school leaving certificate. And I could fret about such matters from the comfort of the family home.<br /><blockquote><b><i>'It's understandable that when more prosperous times came along, these older generations were mesmerised by the materialism that presented itself to them.'</i></b></blockquote>In my early twenties, with a university education <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-qualified-uneducated-elite.html" target="_blank"><i>already completed</i></a>, I was able to abandon my budding media career to go <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2012/05/wrong-way-begins.html" target="_blank"><i>travelling around the world</i></a>. Such opportunities were largely unheard of for somebody of my father's background.<br /><br />Now, an argument can be made that the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/11/goodbye-nanny-state-hello-overbearing.html" target="_blank"><i>less mollycoddled youth</i></a> that my father and most of his peers had to go through gave a more realistic picture of life's struggles and was thus more beneficial in the long run.<br /><br />Nonetheless, what few of that generation had was a choice. I, on the other hand, had various options open to me. In most instances, that's a positive (there are times, though, when I think <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/08/less-stress-less-success-in-these-idle.html" target="_blank"><i>it would be better not to have too many options</i></a>).<br /><br /><h3>Material world</h3>So, when those born in the 1940s, 50s, 60s and even 70s say that they had it <i>tougher</i> growing up than those of us who came later, this is hard to argue against from a technology and access-to-resources perspective.<br /><br />Seen in such a light, it's understandable that when more prosperous times came along, these older generations were mesmerised by the materialism that presented itself to them.<br /><br />In Ireland, we saw this to an extreme extent during the Celtic Tiger years, something I touched on in a 2012 blog story titled, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2012/04/on-road-again-naturally.html" target="_blank"><i>On the road again, naturally</i></a>.<br /><br />Some in the country went from what was little more than subsistence living to a life where they couldn't spend money fast enough — borrowed at cheap rates as much of it was.<br /><br />'More, more, more' and 'bigger is better' were the mantras. And many got quite comfortable with their new comforts.<br /><br />When the faecal matter hit the ventilator of Ireland's Celtic Tiger boom, some realised the <i>error</i> of their ways. Well, it was more a case that the financial reality was laid bare.<br /><br />Yet, letting go of the lavishness hasn't been easy. And from my observations, it's the older generations who are more reluctant to do away with rather unnecessary home comforts and associated excessive waste. (Although, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/12/the-hypocrite-world-cup-everyones-winner.html" target="_blank"><i>hypocrites abound</i></a> across the generations when it comes to calls to 'reduce, reuse and recycle'.)<br /><br /><h3>The heat is on</h3>To be clear, I'm not calling for a return to something resembling a caveman existence. What I am saying is that many in the comfortable classes could downsize in a host of areas and not really suffer from it.<br /><br />In fact, doing without certain mod cons might actually improve our quality of life and reduce our carbon footprints.<br /><br />For example — referring to Ireland and similar countries here — rather than crank up the heating in winter time, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p0gt2m1r" target="_blank"><i>there is evidence that suggests</i></a> having a naturally cooler house may have health benefits. So, where possible, stay warm by being active rather than relying on home heating.<br /><br />Do note, it's usually easier and more cost-effective to keep warm in a smaller dwelling, too. Does one really need that five-bedroom dormer?<br /><br />I've let it be known many times before — see my previous story <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2019/02/me-myself-and-i.html" target="_blank"><i>Me, myself and I</i></a>, for one — that some people could do without cars, that they have them more for convenience than necessity.<br /><br />Now, I hasten to add that <a href="https://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/letters-communities-deserve-recognition-for-their-role-in-nurturing-integration/a343922666.html" target="_blank"><i>I have previously acknowledged</i></a> that going without a car is easier to do in cities or areas with reliable and extensive public transport as well as decent infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists. Much of rural Ireland fails badly in this regard.<br /><br />I am well aware, too, that such adjustments require a societal mindset change, together with the provision of the means to make adaptation easier to achieve.<br /><br />Ever-evolving, more efficient technology is helping us to still enjoy certain comforts, to still be as productive, without being an excessive strain on the planet's finite resources and the natural environment.<br /><br />My peers and I can be the generation that downsizes in a way that is <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/03/running-frantically-to-more-troubled.html" target="_blank"><i>beneficial both to ourselves and the world at large</i></a>.<br /><br />This is the dawn of the downsizers.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Lisacul, Co. Roscommon, Ireland53.8592062 -8.636741225.548972363821157 -43.7929912 82.169440036178855 26.5195088tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-74557773262752172762023-11-30T06:01:00.000-05:002023-11-30T06:01:11.336-05:00Letter to the editor: Ireland's water waste<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">E</span></b></i>asy come, easy go. That seems to be the mindset for many in Ireland when it comes to using water. My latest letter to the <i>Irish Examiner</i> explains more. <br /><br />Read it at <a href="https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/yourview/arid-41279887.html"><i>https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/yourview/arid-41279887.html</i></a> or see the screenshot below.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wXZufyMYsgZtxQlfAXrUMRFEc7E_aNdnfu6XJLWAoQTma10pRTpbPM-b9kPlEdwrB7vVMLh5esPcQlFxemo5GeZe-UvhJl145YMqv4epdVCBUqcYGiRgPuOZA_fWxIWr0JhoPh6L8K9WvajUSEZP9pYG6tYuysZF0dV1b8WfeACi3Nd8zRz4l1KuPVyn/s3000/Untitled%20design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Letter to the editor: Ireland's water waste" border="0" data-original-height="2889" data-original-width="3000" height="385" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-wXZufyMYsgZtxQlfAXrUMRFEc7E_aNdnfu6XJLWAoQTma10pRTpbPM-b9kPlEdwrB7vVMLh5esPcQlFxemo5GeZe-UvhJl145YMqv4epdVCBUqcYGiRgPuOZA_fWxIWr0JhoPh6L8K9WvajUSEZP9pYG6tYuysZF0dV1b8WfeACi3Nd8zRz4l1KuPVyn/w400-h385/Untitled%20design.jpg" title="Letter to the editor: Ireland's water waste" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Time to turn off Ireland's free-water tap?</td></tr></tbody></table>__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><div><br /></div></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Lisacul, Co. Roscommon, Ireland53.8592062 -8.636741225.548972363821157 -43.7929912 82.169440036178855 26.5195088tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-22263731713586180202023-11-28T04:08:00.002-05:002023-11-28T04:08:51.025-05:00Letter to the editor: My take on the Dublin riots<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br /></div><div><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">M</span></b></i>y take on the Dublin riots of Thursday 23 November 2023 in a letter to the <i>Irish Examiner</i>. <br /><br />Read the letter at <a href="https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/yourview/arid-41278258.html"><i>https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/yourview/arid-41278258.html</i></a> (second one down). Or see the screenshot of the letter, below.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfySclSoK_YfsNdOyWeB1k2sN5YLcpl_NZIdnsC1rKnKDH4OqAHiR1FSMZsnNGGOaDGEwySpWwNuqifqO00YjERcUm2eoQtqOwWYsAZ2e4JKyhAHQU_XhSo2W_AldSD3S8curl5wQ9YzcmPIBp94DxxQiELrCNjUoRuWofd7sI4fplNOaXSF1mcq1R4e5/s1329/Irish%20Examiner%20Dublin%20riots%20letter%20271123.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Letter to the editor: My take on the Dublin riots" border="0" data-original-height="655" data-original-width="1329" height="198" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgfySclSoK_YfsNdOyWeB1k2sN5YLcpl_NZIdnsC1rKnKDH4OqAHiR1FSMZsnNGGOaDGEwySpWwNuqifqO00YjERcUm2eoQtqOwWYsAZ2e4JKyhAHQU_XhSo2W_AldSD3S8curl5wQ9YzcmPIBp94DxxQiELrCNjUoRuWofd7sI4fplNOaXSF1mcq1R4e5/w400-h198/Irish%20Examiner%20Dublin%20riots%20letter%20271123.JPG" title="Letter to the editor: My take on the Dublin riots" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rent a riot: Any excuse to cause mayhem.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Lisacul, Co. Roscommon, Ireland53.8592062 -8.636741225.548972363821157 -43.7929912 82.169440036178855 26.5195088tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-77070259974268865842023-11-23T12:38:00.001-05:002023-11-23T12:38:31.864-05:00Goodbye Nanny State! Hello Overbearing Mother Society<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/HOkpMgr2DX4" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">'I</span></b> wish to reply to the opinions of Brendan Corrigan (Letters, 9 October) where he gave his rather right-wing views on child benefit being means-tested.<br /><br />I have to say that I found Mr Corrigan's views quite worrying. It is obvious to me that he lacks any insight into the world of bringing up children in this State.'</i></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicF_MGEA5AUWiOe9zBLApY73ZNRjlp1tJf718vUQ8tnWQrJMvb404JxAudoxM-yZ-udTSk3ncFejjhyxbkDMPvO8llGxbOeIoPvQ0DumxbrDkJL0IOs7_Fw7GcLXByjPvNcFnLDOcfTUcwsqMc2nwIgjCKa_lJgl2PTf-Yx5AAyXxkwITwJrQacu74lFjv/s1280/Goodbye%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Goodbye Nanny State! Hello Overbearing Mother Society: The state and its associates are taking greater control of our lives." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicF_MGEA5AUWiOe9zBLApY73ZNRjlp1tJf718vUQ8tnWQrJMvb404JxAudoxM-yZ-udTSk3ncFejjhyxbkDMPvO8llGxbOeIoPvQ0DumxbrDkJL0IOs7_Fw7GcLXByjPvNcFnLDOcfTUcwsqMc2nwIgjCKa_lJgl2PTf-Yx5AAyXxkwITwJrQacu74lFjv/w400-h225/Goodbye%20(1).jpg" title="Goodbye Nanny State! Hello Overbearing Mother Society: The state and its associates are taking greater control of our lives." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">'Please, State. I want some more.'</td></tr></tbody></table><div><h3>Child's play</h3>Thus ran the opening lines of the riposte by a Mr Liam Muldowney to my October 2010 letter in the <i>Irish Independent</i> calling for Ireland's child benefit allowance to be means tested. (My letter is at<br /><a href="https://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/time-to-means-test-child-benefit/26688058.html" target="_blank"><i>https://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/time-to-means-test-child-benefit/26688058.html</i></a>. Mr Muldowney's reply in full can be found at <a href="https://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/families-already-being-put-to-the-test/26689397.html" target="_blank"><i>https://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/families-already-being-put-to-the-test/26689397.html</i></a>)<br /><br />Mr Muldowney was not wholly wrong to state that I 'lack insight into the world of bringing up children' in Ireland. Observing from the sidelines is nothing like actually becoming a caring parent — brief encounters with young nieces and nephews have given me just a taste of the challenges involved.<br /><br />I also agree that some parents in the country have come to rely on Child Benefit to help buy essentials for their offspring.<br /><br />My argument at the time — and this remains so — was that another cohort of parents didn't really need this government assistance. For sure, it's nice to get it, but it's not crucial for the survival of the family.<br /><br />Of course, it's highly unlikely that any Irish government would suggest changing the status quo. Scrapping the benefit for certain parents who are deemed to be high earners but in reality may be rather hard-pressed — <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/07/tight-times-with-no-respite-in-sight.html" target="_blank"><i>relative as that is</i></a> — would surely be a vote loser.</div><div><br />The least politically toxic way to deal with it would be to set up a mechanism where it could be returned to the state's coffers voluntarily. Window dressing to suit all tastes that. (For more on Ireland's Child Benefit, see <a href="https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social-welfare/social-welfare-payments/families-and-children/child-benefit/" target="_blank"><i>https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/social-welfare/social-welfare-payments/families-and-children/child-benefit/</i></a>.)</div><div><br /></div><div><h3>Entitled</h3>Now, I've recalled this 13-year-old letter debate in a bid to preempt any claims of hypocrisy on my part.<br /><br />No, I'm not in receipt of child benefit (Ireland's welfare system may be rather generous but it's not yet a complete free-for-all where childless individuals can claim financial support for kids they don't have or care for — at least I think not, anyway).<br /><br />I'm bringing up my old 'right-wing', raw-capitalism opinions because I am now, to use the old expression, an Irish government artist. Yes, I have been granted jobseeker's allowance here in my birth country while I ponder and plot my next move.<br /><br />In my defence, my application was submitted by as close to happenstance as such a procedure can — I know, I know, I didn't accidentally fill out the forms!<br /><br />What I mean, is that I was at the welfare office to get a Public Services Card, a prerequisite to do pretty much anything in Ireland Inc. these days.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'The natural progression for a nanny state is to become more like an overbearing mother. It wants to control all aspects of its citizens' lives.'</b></i></blockquote>A long-standing friend in my village had suggested I look for jobseeker's allowance and although I shrugged it off at the time, whilst in the welfare office applying for my Public Services Card I merely asked the woman attending me about this unemployment assistance.<br /><br />Without asking me if I actually wanted to apply for it, she gave me the forms I needed for an application — namely the Jobseeker's Allowance/Benefit form itself and a Habitual Residence Condition form. The latter was required because I hadn't resided in Ireland over the last two years (make that <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/11/a-little-blue-in-green-green-grass-of.html" target="_blank"><i>five since I last visited</i></a>).<br /><br />So I filled out these forms with a see-what-happens mindset. Two working days later, I get a letter informing me that my application has been approved.<br /><br />Most people I speak to here in Ireland, on seeing my slight unease at having been granted this assistance, ask the loaded question, 'Sure aren't you <i>entitled</i> to it?'<br /><br />Well, clearly I am, officially. At present, I am unemployed, I continue to seek work, my savings in euro terms are minimal and I don't own property nor do I have any assets of note or significant financial investments.<br /><br />And the way <i>Welfare Ireland</i> operates, one risks being disadvantaged in the future for not applying for a benefit one may be <i>entitled to</i>. Or, better said, disadvantaged for not applying for benefits one most likely would be granted.<br /><br />By <i>disadvantaged</i> here I refer, for one, to the possibility of being asked to account for the times when you had no income yet didn't seek state aid.<br /><br /><h3><a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/10/letter-to-editor-china-in-our-hands.html" target="_blank">China in our hands</a></h3>This is how what some call the <i>Nanny State</i> functions.<br /><br />My unease with it all — alleviated as it is somewhat by the yet-to-be-issued recompense — is that I'm playing along with a system about which I have many misgivings.<br /><br />You see, the natural evolution of a nanny state is in reverse to humanity. Unlike a human grandmother, the nanny state doesn't become mellower and eventually die.<br /><br />No, the natural progression for a nanny state is to become more like an overbearing mother. It wants to control all aspects of its citizens' lives.<br /><br />An authoritarian takeover this is not. In many ways, it's more pernicious than that. It's the gradual <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/03/growing-up-and-taking-responsibility.html" target="_blank"><i>removal of one's independence</i></a> handout after handout, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/08/sanitising-to-death-our-future.html" target="_blank"><i>health and safety legislation after health and safety legislation</i></a>.<br /><br />'We're doing this for your own protection, little ones.' Quite. One may feel safer and better looked after but this comes <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/07/our-freedom-isnt-being-taken-away-we.html" target="_blank"><i>at the price of one's independence</i></a>, individually as well as at family and community level.<br /><br />Ideally, the state should be like a god, but one that can actually physically intervene where necessary. It should work to enhance the conditions for life's essentials and offer some comfort at times but it shouldn't get directly involved in the day-to-day running of one's affairs.<br /><br />In much of the West, what we have now, however, is an <i>Overbearing Mother Society</i>.<br /><br />With that, we're <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/10/letter-to-editor-china-in-our-hands.html" target="_blank"><i>closer to the Chinese model</i></a> than many care to believe.<br /><br /><b>Postscript:</b><br />In finishing this piece, I came across a lengthy article by N.S. Lyons titled <a href="https://theupheaval.substack.com/p/the-china-convergence" target="_blank"><i>The China Convergence</i></a>. In it, he refers to 'techno-administrative governance', my version of the Overbearing Mother Society it could be said. That detailed and insightful, if worrying piece is available at <i><a href="https://theupheaval.substack.com/p/the-china-convergence" target="_blank">https://theupheaval.substack.com/p/the-china-convergence</a></i>.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.</div><i><br /></i></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Lisacul, Co. Roscommon, Ireland53.8592062 -8.636741225.548972363821157 -43.7929912 82.169440036178855 26.5195088tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-36385793073029757032023-11-07T14:05:00.000-05:002023-11-07T14:05:36.360-05:00A little blue in the green, green grass of Ireland<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><br /><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/PxtloOywMJs" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></i></b>s a sun worshiper of sorts, travelling to Ireland as winter sets in may seem a rather curious thing to do.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUh6YEUSqVc9ZYgMhVg8sDGuRxbSxGgwBZqw00zoVgWRkQM5UI0wOYdAFOTqzvw1rATVL1htm5Ov-KDhY2KK9PyH_QPQXGj7pCYsV1v6URi6zmUjAGli_I0CO7Rbuycn0ShkHy4CwnFkepWOrif0dPHO14njlXzToh15p3lY33rCwoL2Zk3BwtZEw6p18/s1280/A%20little%20blue%20in%20the%20green,%20green%20grass%20of%20Ireland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A little blue in the green, green grass of Ireland: Life in Ireland as an adult is is an acquired taste and I haven't acquired it!" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUh6YEUSqVc9ZYgMhVg8sDGuRxbSxGgwBZqw00zoVgWRkQM5UI0wOYdAFOTqzvw1rATVL1htm5Ov-KDhY2KK9PyH_QPQXGj7pCYsV1v6URi6zmUjAGli_I0CO7Rbuycn0ShkHy4CwnFkepWOrif0dPHO14njlXzToh15p3lY33rCwoL2Zk3BwtZEw6p18/w400-h225/A%20little%20blue%20in%20the%20green,%20green%20grass%20of%20Ireland.jpg" title="A little blue in the green, green grass of Ireland: Life in Ireland as an adult is is an acquired taste and I haven't acquired it!" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ireland is nice for a visit but it's not the best place to be when looking for work.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />While summer in my birthplace does not at all mean glorious sunshine, at least the hours of daylight surpass the hours of night. So for a better chance of enjoying some sun heat in Ireland, visiting between April and September is the optimum period. Just always have a rain jacket close to hand.<br /><br /><h3><b>Tired land</b></h3>That being so, cloudless skies and sultry air over Ireland at any time are almost as rare as finding precious-metal-laden cooking containers at the end of a prismatic optical phenomenon from the heavens (locating leprechauns may be an easier task).<br /><br />That the country gets tourists at all — those with little-to-no blood ties to the land that is — is thanks to its topographical treats and friendly folk, so it goes anyway. It's not for the weather and it's certainly not because it's relatively cheap to visit — far from it these days.<br /><br />My backend-of-the-year trip <i>home</i> has been chiefly for family reasons.<br /><br />Had my father's parents been more considerate back in the 1940s and given birth to him sometime during that aforementioned April-September window, his 80th birthday would have fallen during what I consider to be a more agreeable season. Shame on my grandparents for such a lack of forethought. The difficult hand one is dealt in life, eh?<br /><br />That aside, considering it had been five years since my last trip to Ireland, I felt a visit was called for. Also, it's not like I was leaving behind a host of well-paid projects in Colombia. 2023 hasn't exactly been <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/07/tight-times-with-no-respite-in-sight.html" target="_blank"><i>a year of joyous jobs</i></a>.<br /><br />Thus, the chance to celebrate a joyous jamboree or two with family was welcome. It was something to aim for during complicated times.<br /><br />I wasn't, however, filled with huge excitement making the journey back.<br /><br />This had/has nothing to do with family. It's more a case that regardless of where I am I face the same dilemma: <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/03/find-way-or-fade-away.html" target="_blank"><i>What do I do to make ends meet?</i></a><br /><blockquote><i><b>'The laneways of Lisacul and its surrounds that I've trodden many a time don't offer a sense of adventure.'</b></i></blockquote>So while it's been great to see family and some friends again — and a niece and nephew for the first time — that what-do-I-do cloud is one that no west of Ireland gale will blow away.<br /><br />And of all the places I could be whilst trying to source some fulfilling work, rural Ireland in winter, with its long dreary, uninspiring nights, is well down the list. Indeed, selfish as this may sound, being back in the house of my increasingly dependent house only adds to the sense of gloom.<br /><br />Yes, the travails of old age are inevitable for most of us yet it's particularly sad to <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/01/the-care-necessities-dealing-with-old.html" target="_blank"><i>see our loved ones decline</i></a>. (This is balanced out somewhat by seeing nieces and nephews grow and develop into young adults.)<br /><br />It speaks volumes that I was only back in Ireland a few hours before I felt that I'd never left. I guess that's normal.<br /><br /><h3>Where the wind blows</h3>Right now, though, in this time of particular uncertainty — nothing is ever certain, of course — I believe I'd be far more energised stepping into some unknown new adventure, finances permitting.<br /><br />The laneways of Lisacul and its surrounds that <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2013/10/any-which-way-but-lose.html" target="_blank"><i>I've trodden many a time</i></a> don't offer that. Nor does the slobbering around on the unkempt family farm. These have been well tried but not quite trusted to deliver any sort of fulfilment, so to put it.<br /><br />As things stand, the default is to <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/10/seventh-heaven-seven-benefits-of-living.html" target="_blank"><i>take the return flight to Bogotá</i></a>. For sure, <a href="https://youtu.be/hRKOBtmn_x0" target="_blank"><i>I've had my struggles there</i></a>. It's also not an unknown new adventure. Yet, from a purely financial perspective, I could manage my affairs a little better there. My Colombian pesos carry scant weight in high-income Ireland.<br /><br />Colombia can be my, whisper it, wolf's lair, until, perhaps, <i>La Cancillería</i> finally tells me I'm a persona non grata (my current visa is valid for another year yet).<br /><br />It could be argued that a return to Colombia is just a return to an increasingly less satisfying, mediocre comfort zone — to clarify, that is mediocre in terms of what I've been doing there, not the actual country.<br /><br />There's truth to that, although I feel I can be a little freer, more independent in Colombia than in an expensive, public transport-light rural Ireland.<br /><br />I do still have, though, a few more weeks to go in my birth country. And far from fixed to one place as I am, a winter storm could yet blow me in another direction.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Lisacul, Co. Roscommon, Ireland53.8592062 -8.636741225.548972363821157 -43.7929912 82.169440036178855 26.5195088tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-82389972371545711402023-11-05T08:31:00.001-05:002023-11-05T08:31:47.648-05:00Calling out the illiberal "liberals"<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>@wwaycorrigan</b></i></a><br /><br /><div><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span></b></i>haring here my latest letter in the <i>Sunday Independent</i>.<br /><br />It's shocking to think that Declan Lynch gets paid for his column and I don't get remunerated for my musings!<br /><br />Outside of the photo of the letter below, it can also be found by scrolling down on the following link, <a href="https://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/letters-time-for-bishops-to-be-humble-and-ask-for-priests-from-afar/a1461060798.html"><i>https://www.independent.ie/opinion/letters/letters-time-for-bishops-to-be-humble-and-ask-for-priests-from-afar/a1461060798.html</i></a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>For more on <i>illiberal "liberals"</i> and suchlike see <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-liberal-illusion.html"><i>https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-liberal-illusion.html</i></a> and <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/02/living-with-unsettled-and-unsettling.html"><i>https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/02/living-with-unsettled-and-unsettling.html</i></a>. <br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgALKKDIco1_pnRVUiHsUyija9ihxJ-tyrc5vpXh-1TpicR7bIJ_E-RvGJYD6-jNwRTBw2RsYlpr8tyZ0mRFYXKZURjuPDOng4JMtLB7TlTHcSZckLdsoLU9LJhg71vAdEUuTEAUnQtnc5HFIxkGbd5UBnQKJhzGHFIMfDi0IxaAOZJoueRHIeyxcVhVOD/s4160/IMG_20231105_113638260.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Calling out the illiberal "liberals": My Sunday Independent letter in response to Declan Lynch's column about US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson." border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgALKKDIco1_pnRVUiHsUyija9ihxJ-tyrc5vpXh-1TpicR7bIJ_E-RvGJYD6-jNwRTBw2RsYlpr8tyZ0mRFYXKZURjuPDOng4JMtLB7TlTHcSZckLdsoLU9LJhg71vAdEUuTEAUnQtnc5HFIxkGbd5UBnQKJhzGHFIMfDi0IxaAOZJoueRHIeyxcVhVOD/w300-h400/IMG_20231105_113638260.jpg" title="Calling out the illiberal "liberals": My Sunday Independent letter in response to Declan Lynch's column about US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson." width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tackling the Lynch mob.</td></tr></tbody></table><br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Lisacul, Co. Roscommon, Ireland53.8592062 -8.636741225.548972363821157 -43.7929912 82.169440036178855 26.5195088tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-88647640266075348882023-10-17T10:09:00.000-05:002023-10-17T10:09:59.476-05:00Seventh heaven: Seven benefits of living in Colombia<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/yJ66B6sxl_g" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b></i>'ve let it be known many times before how Colombia can be bad for one's health and well-being — or my own, at least.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLdZsylEn0BiHd064VewRjZuwpBqXBxSKzip4de6AatkB_PAGCAJXOdSaKLJZovA5yzXesdiM_YQpzbQLHBXZMn7OdUoDSlsezwZJWfNyLJ4blCMIN9jcD-Ow38IPANcnhzOV3P1atCQD9cNAfTAIX6Tqcid57CFDSSE-A6asz60YaurIlmSIkMSI6TwP/s1280/Seventh%20heaven_Seven%20benefits%20of%20living%20in%20Colombia.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Seventh heaven: Seven benefits of living in Colombia" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaLdZsylEn0BiHd064VewRjZuwpBqXBxSKzip4de6AatkB_PAGCAJXOdSaKLJZovA5yzXesdiM_YQpzbQLHBXZMn7OdUoDSlsezwZJWfNyLJ4blCMIN9jcD-Ow38IPANcnhzOV3P1atCQD9cNAfTAIX6Tqcid57CFDSSE-A6asz60YaurIlmSIkMSI6TwP/w400-h225/Seventh%20heaven_Seven%20benefits%20of%20living%20in%20Colombia.jpg" title="Seventh heaven: Seven benefits of living in Colombia" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The high life: Wrong Way is a fan of Colombia's highlands.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>For one, there are the ubiquitous panaderías with their constant supply of <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-panaderias-pudgy-pauper.html" target="_blank"><i>fresh-but-of-dubious-quality bread</i></a> that can be <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/09/hooked-on-bbc-or-ccp-if-you-will.html" target="_blank"><i>hard to resist</i></a>, especially when it's just out of the oven.<br /><br />Then there's cheap <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/08/bogotas-perpetual-corner-bar-barrio.html" target="_blank"><i>barrio-tienda beer</i></a>. Its affordability often encourages those of a certain disposition to <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/09/an-alcoholic-me-no-way.html" target="_blank"><i>imbibe more than is advisable</i></a>. (In mitigation, it does promote socialising. If one is going to drink, isn't it better to do so in a <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/drink-from-home-boozers.html" target="_blank"><i>public house rather than at home</i></a>? There's surely a mental health benefit to be had.)<br /><br />We've also got apartment complexes and their <i>complexes</i> i.e. their many ridiculous rules. The mentally and physically damaging playing of loud music often goes unpunished yet prepare yourself for the firing squad if you <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/09/colombias-clothes-in-window-bane.html" target="_blank"><i>dare to air clothes</i></a> at the only window you have that the sun reaches. Well, if not quite the firing squad certainly a fine will be forthcoming.<br /><br />And let's not forget the largely <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/10/grupo-vantis-vanity-customer-is-rarely.html" target="_blank"><i>non-existent customer service</i></a>, although this isn't exclusive to Colombia.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'You don't have to go out of your way to eat healthily here.'</b></i></blockquote>I was going to include the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2016/08/ignoring-is-bliss.html" target="_blank"><i>difficult damas, the complicated chicas</i></a>, but thanks to my frigidity these days, such stresses are a thing of the past.<br /><br />However, in recent months the antics of some <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-fiendish-frenemy.html" target="_blank"><i>frenemies</i></a> have taken their place. My ability, nay willingness, to trust people has taken a hit in these lands. I do, though, still tend to take folk at their word until proven otherwise.<br /><br />Now, in light of the previous, one might think that I actively seek out negatives, that I'm a fan of self-flagellation so to put it. Not at all. It's not that I'm a sucker for punishment that I've stayed in Colombia this long. Honestly, it's not.<br /><br />The following, in no particular order, are some of the main reasons why I've been <i>captured</i>, in a good sense, by Colombia. (Yes, I could have used <i>captivated</i> instead of <i>captured</i> but captivated is a bit too quixotic for me!) These seven benefits have played their part in my reluctance to <i>let Colombia go</i>.<br /><br /><h3>Fresh fare sourced locally</h3>When it comes to the bare necessities, Colombia has an abundance of relatively <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/07/tight-times-with-no-respite-in-sight.html" target="_blank"><i>cheap fruit and vegetables</i></a> available all year round, most of which are grown in the country. So you don't have to go out of your way to eat healthily here. And the grub doesn't have to travel too far to get to you either.<br /><br />One significant snag, though, is that we can't be sure about the safety of any pesticides these natural goodies may be dosed in during cultivation. Unless we grow our own from scratch — impracticable for many — we just have to hope that the chemical balance is tipped in our favour health-wise.<br /><br /><h3>Independent living</h3>Now, there's no point in having access to a range of fresh produce if you rarely have the time to cook. For the average working-class, city-dwelling Colombian, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2019/12/work-work-work-work-work.html" target="_blank"><i>this can be a challenge</i></a>.<br /><br />However, some foreigners from higher-income nations who come to settle here are often engaged in work that comes with generous me-time, more so than they would most likely enjoy in their birth country anyway.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqAD7R54cOdo-3gL4PFWruCWaqSUR2mZHMGoznhYIEpBjzjx14gXnYC7gPzRRRLOquGQxEa61tVOYXrvMxYbctMsgAFt62AsEzdnM1-V-RX9KSTfVYuLcQx28olMojH43kZYE-99tekrMYlNTrZSkJv2Hwh_siCki5vLzuCcAGrrC-EPhxb5JdRIKjC6kS/s4160/IMG_20230722_112545868_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Fresh fruit and vegetables in Bogotá, most of which is sourced locally." border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqAD7R54cOdo-3gL4PFWruCWaqSUR2mZHMGoznhYIEpBjzjx14gXnYC7gPzRRRLOquGQxEa61tVOYXrvMxYbctMsgAFt62AsEzdnM1-V-RX9KSTfVYuLcQx28olMojH43kZYE-99tekrMYlNTrZSkJv2Hwh_siCki5vLzuCcAGrrC-EPhxb5JdRIKjC6kS/w400-h300/IMG_20230722_112545868_HDR.jpg" title="Fresh fruit and vegetables in Bogotá, most of which is sourced locally." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh fare: The food looks good. Hopefully it's not riddled with harmful chemicals.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>The likes of native English speakers who teach the language can usually expect to earn a decent hourly rate. So they can do fairly well without having to work the long hours forced upon many locals.<br /><br />It's even better for those who are paid in one of the world's stronger currencies whilst based in Colombia.<br /><br />Alas, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/05/little-thirst-to-teach-english-in-these.html" target="_blank"><i>having grown tired of English teaching</i></a> and not having a foreign-currency income to rely on, I haven't exactly been rolling in it of late.<br /><br />Nonetheless, with my rather minimalist lifestyle — it comes naturally — I have been able to maintain my independent living to a greater or lesser extent, replete with regular, refreshing bouts of travel around Colombia.<br /><br />While the fallow periods can be worrying, I'm happier to ride them out than <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/02/to-marketing-agency-robin.html" target="_blank"><i>return to work as a wage slave</i></a>. One is open to all <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/03/find-way-or-fade-away.html" target="_blank"><i>serious offers</i></a> all the same!<br /><br /><h3>Rentafácil</h3>Those fallow periods just mentioned, of which there have been many of late, have been offset somewhat by, whisper it, a rather generous savings scheme.<br /><br />Banco Caja Social's <i>Rentafácil</i>, literally <i>easy income</i>, has been at inflation-busting interest rates for some time, offering much better returns than the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/07/a-colombian-account-with-interest.html" target="_blank"><i>CDTs I wrote about in 2020</i></a>. My cautious, doubting nature is waiting for the catch but so far, so good, it seems.<br /><br />Shrewder investors will most likely find fault with the Rentafácil or view it as an amateur investment. All I can say is that if the interest it's accruing is all mine to enjoy then I'll be quite content (it is, by the way, an instant-access scheme but I haven't withdrawn any funds yet).<br /><br /><h3>Active at altitude</h3>Whatever about the future of the returns on my Rentafácil, they're unlikely to take me to the high life socially speaking. Colombia's topography, on the other hand, offers plenty of natural highs.</div><div><blockquote><i><b>'In Bogotá, only the very sensitive to cold might want home heating at night.'</b></i></blockquote>And while it's far from certain that <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4113517/" target="_blank"><i>living at lofty altitudes is better for one's overall health</i></a> than life around sea level, I at least <i>think</i> that the high-ish life has been good for me. And if I think it hard enough, I can make it the truth, can't I?!<br /><br />In fact, at times I feel that Bogotá, at 2,600 metres above sea level, isn't high enough. So I'm considering setting up a new <i>base camp</i> in Colombia — if, that is, I can make it financially sustainable and the country continues to be my home.<br /><br />One option, um, <a href="https://youtu.be/4qzFioAX5ss" target="_blank"><i>high on the list is Güicán</i></a>, a town I recently visited and enjoyed, perched about 400 metres closer to the stars than the capital.<br /><br /><h3>Fun in the sun</h3>Speaking of being closer to the stars, Colombia's location in the tropics ensures that the sun's strength provides <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/four-ways-to-bolster-your-vitamin-d-before-the-cold-season/" target="_blank"><i>sufficient vitamin D</i></a> throughout the year.<br /><br />Even during Bogotá's rainiest days the sun usually shines sufficiently for the average person to soak up enough of this immune system booster.<br /><br />This can't be said of my native Ireland and other similar places.<br /><br /><h3>Goldilocks zone</h3>Mentioning Ireland, for large parts of the year a heat source is usually needed to keep people warm inside.<br /><br />In Bogotá, only the very sensitive to cold might want home heating at night. Those aside, if one feels cold, an extra item of clothing and/or some physical movement should warm one up sufficiently. The same goes for most Andean locations at an altitude of roughly 1,500 to 3,000 metres above sea level: a Goldilocks temperature all year round.<br /><br />For places at the lower end of that range, finding ways to cool down is the main issue. Well above 3,000 metres, one can expect to prepare for occasional night frosts. And because many of Colombia's buildings are poorly insulated, it can often be colder inside than outside.<br /><br /><h3>Inside outsider</h3>As for inside and outside, in my <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/06/santandercito-keeping-satiated-dullness.html" target="_blank"><i>beloved working-class barrios</i></a> and pueblos, I usually feel like an <i>inside outsider</i>.<br /><br />That is, with the local people who know me, I'm not just another random foreigner. I'm viewed more as a part of the community. Yet, I can still <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/03/feigning-understanding-who-cares-anyway.html" target="_blank"><i>maintain my distance</i></a> and play the foreigner card (<a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2013/06/the-extranjero-files-that-is-not.html" target="_blank"><i>not the gringo one!</i></a>) when needs be.<br /><br />Now, this is the least one might expect after almost 12 years based in a country. However, settled immigrants don't always become <i>accepted</i>, be they in Colombia — in certain places more so than others — or around the world. This can be due to an immigrant's own behaviour, the locals' attitude or a mixture of both.<br /><br />During my time in Colombia, I feel I've found the right inside/outside balance.<br /><br />Some, though, argue that I've become too <i>cosy</i> with working-class Colombia to the detriment of my career and financial development. There's merit to that.<br /><br />Yet, taking all the above into account, Colombia has been a more positive experience than a negative one. Maybe other places offer all these benefits but have fewer negatives. If so, do let us know about them!<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.</div><div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-10798161232903746842023-10-04T08:24:00.004-05:002023-10-09T15:05:13.036-05:00Free love and sexual fluidity: Queer today, gay tomorrow<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/qWU7A039O30" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">A</span></i></b> guy I was recently working with told me that he is in a polyamorous relationship with a woman.<br /><br />His partner had been in a lesbian romance, but she left that to start this open arrangement with him. Obviously, both of them are comfortable with the idea. It simply couldn't work otherwise.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08rLnmqg873xSTqlGUxW7zq5b_QbV5IgO9SNeCnJutAj8a4dpEKRE00rCV6ZilzARcsBCGthpC5aL3CHJt1AlQP6unuGv-VMWdhFf6RY322JDE6Awr9hynkHORPRk43XyoXiIrYtUnqKXflowXiFiwbafdC6dp3jfOrTvi0ZrhMYHzdMnm0IYS8WnpAAj/s1280/Free%20love%20and%20sexual%20fluidity%20Queer%20today,%20gay%20tomorrow.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Sexuality may be more fluid than some like to think it is." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08rLnmqg873xSTqlGUxW7zq5b_QbV5IgO9SNeCnJutAj8a4dpEKRE00rCV6ZilzARcsBCGthpC5aL3CHJt1AlQP6unuGv-VMWdhFf6RY322JDE6Awr9hynkHORPRk43XyoXiIrYtUnqKXflowXiFiwbafdC6dp3jfOrTvi0ZrhMYHzdMnm0IYS8WnpAAj/w400-h225/Free%20love%20and%20sexual%20fluidity%20Queer%20today,%20gay%20tomorrow.jpg" title="Free love and sexual fluidity: Queer today, gay tomorrow" width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">For some, any hole is a goal.</td></tr></tbody></table><h3><b>Pride (in the name of love)</b></h3>One thing this guy didn't mention — and I wasn't really bothered to ask considering I'm not that prurient — is whether or not he, like his prime partner, enjoys same-sex intimacy. My inkling is that he doesn't.<br /><br />While I've never been in such a relationship — <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2016/07/defenders-of-unfaithful.html" target="_blank"><i>not by consent anyway</i></a> — it did get me thinking about the whole concept and how I'd feel about playing a part in it.<br /><br />I would be more accepting of the idea if my partner were doing her sleeping around with other women. I wouldn't be at all comfortable with the thought of <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2013/11/love-fool.html" target="_blank"><i>her having sex with men</i></a>.<br /><br />I wager — <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1474704919843892" target="_blank"><i>and some academic studies on the subject back this up</i></a> — that most heterosexual men share such sentiments.<br /><br />My male mind had thus led me to hypothesise that most heterosexual women in an open relationship would prefer their man's additional partners to be men. However, anecdotal evidence and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0191886914001299" target="_blank"><i>a number of research papers</i></a> suggest this is not so.<br /><br />A case of, it could be argued, women wanting their male lovers to be manly. Men having gay sex tends to go against this notion.<br /><br />The, um, pride of many men, meanwhile, would take a significant hit if they were to discover their female lover was sleeping with rival males. Yet, a lesbian transgression may in some instances excite the <i>dominant</i> male.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b><a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2016/07/defenders-of-unfaithful.html" target="_blank">Defenders of the unfaithful</a></b></h3>All this does beg the question — particularly in a time when sexual fluidity for <i>all</i> genders appears to be flowing more freely than ever — are we, those of us from a Judeo-Christian tradition in any case, too tied to monogamy?<br /><br />As many strive to live a life as close as possible to 'as nature intended', is having just one partner for the majority of our lives somewhat unnatural?<br /><blockquote><i><b>'How much this anchoring to monogamy is nature and how much is nurture is difficult to know.'</b></i></blockquote>In a <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2012/12/colombia-and-ireland-tale-of-two-old.html" target="_blank"><i>2012 blog story</i></a> that looked at the influence of Catholicism in both Colombia and Ireland, I explained how Vatican policy regarding sexual intercourse has had a longer history of being ignored in Colombia than in my birth country.<br /><br />Back then, I surmised that the seemingly more liberal Colombian approach as regards sex might indeed be more natural but not the best when it comes to raising a family. That is, not the best when just one parent is, quite literally, left holding the baby.<br /><br />Even though Ireland is <a href="https://stellar.ie/real-talk/love-sex/throuples-polyamory-and-open-relationships-irelands-different-ways-of-dating/114126" target="_blank"><i>far less conservative in this area</i></a> than it was when I came into the world in the mid-1980s, monogamy is still generally seen as virtuous, in word at least.<br /><br />Of course, infidelity is often a reason for the breakup of a relationship or marriage. So if polygamy were viewed less grievously, if it were more accepted, infidelity would lose much weight as grounds for separation.<br /><br />For many of us, however, such a change of mindset wouldn't come simply. How much this anchoring to monogamy is nature and how much is nurture is difficult to know. It is, of course, the current standard for most of humanity, with an estimated <a href="https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/countries-where-polygamy-is-legal" target="_blank"><i>two per cent of the global population in polygamous households</i></a>.<br /><br />That being so, those in what is meant to be a monogamous relationship who end up two-timing often do so impulsively. They don't set out to be unfaithful.<br /><br />Thus, the injured partner can be more accepting of and forgive a transgression if the desire to do so exists.<br /><br />For as much as monogamy is seen as desirable, most realise that it has to be worked at all the same. At times it requires willpower. And sometimes, some fail.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Roman rule: Anything goes</b></h3>There is much less wriggle room and understanding when it comes to sexuality.<br /><br />As already referenced, there is usually little to no leniency shown by a female partner to a once-perceived heterosexual man who is found to have been unfaithful homosexually.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'In Ancient Rome, it seems that bisexuality was standard, at least for those with citizen status. An any-hole-is-a-goal approach.'</b></i></blockquote>This is chiefly because most people today still view sexuality as fixed, innate, not fluid. One <i>can't</i> be queer today, bi tomorrow and heterosexual the day after.<br /><br />Yet, a glance at history suggests it hasn't always been thus.<br /><br />In Ancient Rome, for example, it appears sexual fluidity was the norm, as the British historian <a href="https://unherd.com/2023/07/the-depravity-of-the-roman-peace/" target="_blank"><i>Tom Holland pointed out in a recent interview</i></a>:<br /><br /><i>'There’s a description in Suetonius’s imperial biography of Claudius: "He only ever slept with women." And this is seen as an interesting foible in the way that you might say of someone, he only ever slept with blondes. I mean, it’s kind of interesting, but it doesn’t define him sexually. Similarly, he says of Galba, an upright embodiment of ancient republican values: "He only ever slept with males." And again, this is seen as an eccentricity, but it doesn’t absolutely define him.'<br /><br />'What does define a Roman in the opinion of Roman moralists is basically whether you are — and I apologise for the language I’m now going to use — using your penis as a kind of sword, to dominate, penetrate and subdue. And the people who were there to receive your terrifying, thrusting, Roman penis were, of course, women and slaves: anyone who is not a citizen, essentially. So the binary is between Roman citizens, who are all by definition men, and everybody else.'</i><br /><br />So going by this, in Ancient Rome, it seems that bisexuality was standard, at least for those with citizen status. An any-hole-is-a-goal approach.<br /><br />OK, as Holland's insight implies, some Romans were heterosexual and some homosexual, but these are seen as outliers.<br /><br />Like other traits, one's sexuality is most likely on a spectrum, as the Kinsey scale, for one, measures. (For more on that and other scales see <a href="https://www.webmd.com/sex/what-is-sexuality-spectrum"><i>https://www.webmd.com/sex/what-is-sexuality-spectrum</i></a>.)<br /><br />What's more, there is a belief among some scholars that one's position on the spectrum can change over time. That may be so. Or it might be that some people are more of the <i>anything-goes</i> variety when it comes to sexual pleasure.<br /><br />Right now, I can say I'm in a <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/06/set-on-singlehood.html" target="_blank"><i>healthy asexual relationship</i></a>. And I'm certainly <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2019/05/lets-talk-reluctantly-about-sex.html" target="_blank"><i>not in the free-love brigade</i></a>. It would take somebody special to, um, knock me off these pillars.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-65480215803243806382023-09-28T10:47:00.006-05:002023-10-09T15:04:26.016-05:00Yes Güicán! But you just can't touch the snow-capped mountains<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/4qzFioAX5ss" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b></i>here are times when, contrary to the lyrics in the popular 1977 <a href="https://youtu.be/ozl3L9fhKtE?si=2G8SXsQPC370ho1T" target="_blank"><i>Fleetwood Mac song</i></a>, you <i>can't</i> go your own way.<br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVJprvIzrTIEZam2-Vq_tQbtmzqE-LopV4OSJrXSTc6SAUfkY2DdjyQ8gFygYa-rLE0VwHbY7Zzw62yjU0JyI6XSJcV9z9CePcqgs02TtjTvS8mGlGPrhp3a9kxUTca0qF3wkffpdAKO0ta3QM95Pc_vXA6u0lBbr3vZpav76MkxhbZNoBx9SajVM6NBE/s1280/Yes%20G%C3%BCic%C3%A1n!%20But%20you%20just%20can't%20touch%20the%20snow-capped%20mountains.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Yes Güicán! But you just can't touch the snow-capped mountains" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHVJprvIzrTIEZam2-Vq_tQbtmzqE-LopV4OSJrXSTc6SAUfkY2DdjyQ8gFygYa-rLE0VwHbY7Zzw62yjU0JyI6XSJcV9z9CePcqgs02TtjTvS8mGlGPrhp3a9kxUTca0qF3wkffpdAKO0ta3QM95Pc_vXA6u0lBbr3vZpav76MkxhbZNoBx9SajVM6NBE/w400-h225/Yes%20G%C3%BCic%C3%A1n!%20But%20you%20just%20can't%20touch%20the%20snow-capped%20mountains.jpg" title="Ritacuba Blanco, Güicán, Colombia: While visitors are prohibited from touching the Ritacuba glacier and snow, it's still quite a spectacular sight." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snow go! This is as close as one can get to the Ritacuba glacier.</td></tr></tbody></table>Well, you can't if the place you want to go to is inside a national park with various entry requirements, including the prohibition of unguided treks, forcing one to fork out for a certified guide.<br /><br />Normally, I find such conditions a turn-off. 'No thanks, I'll do my own thing.'<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Reaching Ritacuba</b></h3>However, some sites are protected in such a manner for the very fact that they are special and thus need to be shielded from <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/03/tourism-cancer.html" target="_blank"><i>over-tourism</i></a>.<br /><br />And a number of these are places that are on my imaginary priority-visit list, among them being treks up to Colombia's highest peaks.<br /><br />This is what brought me to the chilled-out town of Güicán in the Boyacá department.<br /><br />At an altitude of about 3,000 metres, it serves as a point of departure for the Sierra Nevada de El Cocuy, Güicán and Chita. Generally, the first of these municipalities, El Cocuy, tends to dominate the <i>naming rights</i>, but all of the snow-capped peaks in this mountain range are actually in Güicán.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgOwLnbE4NNVqVW_0ADJG13Ly3itn-i8eWScXuRpEPMUgZX3o3tCJIR94xc754AF402cqMIWK9LRrf5edxHDiXlyJ8J7ehW9wYHK-SpCWgRnS59zZUlc1b-bnnDzieCRz_X2eB_7-9kEsTJ_xARIwGwjtUDWmCTMMsH3GYpKAUn_k2nXX0Lo3gJQ5zQ5J/s4160/IMG_20230922_081943070.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="A lone frailejón: A little further down the mountain, there are thousands of them." border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgOwLnbE4NNVqVW_0ADJG13Ly3itn-i8eWScXuRpEPMUgZX3o3tCJIR94xc754AF402cqMIWK9LRrf5edxHDiXlyJ8J7ehW9wYHK-SpCWgRnS59zZUlc1b-bnnDzieCRz_X2eB_7-9kEsTJ_xARIwGwjtUDWmCTMMsH3GYpKAUn_k2nXX0Lo3gJQ5zQ5J/w300-h400/IMG_20230922_081943070.jpg" title="A lone frailejón near Ritacuba Blanco in the Sierra Nevada de El Cocuy, Güicán and Chita." width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lone frailejón: A little further down the mountain, there are thousands of them.</td></tr></tbody></table>It was one such peak, Ritacuba Blanco at somewhere between 5,300 and 5,410 metres above sea level — I've seen various figures in that range given — that was on my radar.<br /><br />A cursory internet check before leaving Bogotá did at least <i>forewarn</i> me that it wouldn't be a case of simply rocking up to Güicán and from there finding my own way to the snowcaps. Wishful, nay naïve thinking.<br /><br />Even that <i>rocking up</i> to the town proved more taxing than it should have been.<br /><br />Instead of the estimated journey time of nine hours, it took 15. This was due to an on-off mechanical failure with the bus, which eventually resulted in a wait for a replacement vehicle halfway through the trip. When taking <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/08/colombias-plebeian-transport-riveting.html" target="_blank"><i>overland transport in Colombia</i></a>, it's best not to pack punctuality.<br /><div><br /></div><div>As it was a night-time departure, the longer-than-expected journey wasn't a big setback, arriving as we did at Güicán in the early afternoon. (I don't like to get to places I don't know after dusk.)<br /><br />Being an impromptu trip — it's generally how I travel — the first mission on arrival was to find cheap accommodation.<br /><br />That, I successfully did in the shape of <i>Hospedaje Casa Grande</i> — one can't go too wrong with a room for 25,000 pesos per night.<br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5W1TPhzSr0_cEM0Trj7BvRHtluq63IvJIo1KjEa_Wga4REj37qpAIdIvvHOuGMsxjOvu6q0UpK-dlztfnogJbcOiAWJAwG7KE76q391i-yFGIB6O7hw_ZBk46ms0JGlgl1SzWS_hF8tkobGz9ui1k0GFT8mRN_sFzQdrjFdSYe-6LOfPplrk8cf5p7O_1/s4160/IMG_20230922_090759503.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Twenty years ago, the Ritacuba glacier was a good number of metres further down the mountain." border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5W1TPhzSr0_cEM0Trj7BvRHtluq63IvJIo1KjEa_Wga4REj37qpAIdIvvHOuGMsxjOvu6q0UpK-dlztfnogJbcOiAWJAwG7KE76q391i-yFGIB6O7hw_ZBk46ms0JGlgl1SzWS_hF8tkobGz9ui1k0GFT8mRN_sFzQdrjFdSYe-6LOfPplrk8cf5p7O_1/w400-h300/IMG_20230922_090759503.jpg" title="Twenty years ago, the Ritacuba glacier was a good number of metres further down the mountain." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Retreating: The <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/ZHGESHxM0no" target="_blank"><i>glacier is gradually disappearing</i></a>.</td></tr></tbody></table>Its owner, the helpful Wosvaldo, quickly got the necessary planning in motion for my trip to Ritacuba.<br /><br />Wosvaldo also offers his taxi services to and from the control/entrance point, some 17 km from Güicán via unpaved roads and 1,000 metres higher up. So he, like most accommodation providers in the town, has skin in the treks-to-the-Sierra Nevada game.*<br /><blockquote><i><b>'The trek up itself, from 4,000 to 4,800 metres through kilometres of frailejón-filled land, is mild enough.'</b></i></blockquote>First on that planning list was the need to source a guide. Wosvaldo, unsurprisingly, had one to hand: the rather genteel Luis Emilio.**<br /><br />Once Luis Emilio confirmed his ability for the next day, the next step was to pay the entrance fee to the national park. For me, as a foreigner with a Colombian-issued ID, it was 41,500 pesos. For non-resident foreigners, it's about double that, for Colombians it's half that.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97jcpF_Hepa7ZjbinlfTcWID54kfm2Ex1QT0AthT5kjTAlqfWsYsjWJVQ6iErHptumqiAfGEZQKJ6nBxTRfkrvgOXHIQ0r5bvHfLxZXFNg7e4R8WT-IQx_7v6Bw5UpBe3pFF5z7AXBB0rJT90_D8ws7w0MdOGo3sydqnSgnZm92EVCc5-v3I7MKoHYIhG/s4160/IMG_20230922_060032294.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Ruana-clad guide Luis Emilio examines the frailejones on the trek up to Ritacuba Blanco in the Sierra Nevada de El Cocuy, Güicán and Chita." border="0" data-original-height="3120" data-original-width="4160" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj97jcpF_Hepa7ZjbinlfTcWID54kfm2Ex1QT0AthT5kjTAlqfWsYsjWJVQ6iErHptumqiAfGEZQKJ6nBxTRfkrvgOXHIQ0r5bvHfLxZXFNg7e4R8WT-IQx_7v6Bw5UpBe3pFF5z7AXBB0rJT90_D8ws7w0MdOGo3sydqnSgnZm92EVCc5-v3I7MKoHYIhG/w400-h300/IMG_20230922_060032294.jpg" title="Ruana-clad guide Luis Emilio examines the frailejones on the trek up to Ritacuba Blanco in the Sierra Nevada de El Cocuy, Güicán and Chita." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ruana-clad guide Luis Emilio examines the frailejones. </td></tr></tbody></table>This payment is made at an office in the town, next to which is the company providing the compulsory insurance. For two people, the guide and me, that cost 15,200 pesos.<br /><br />The final requirement was to connect to a roughly 30-minute online induction chat provided live by a National Natural Parks of Colombia (<a href="https://www.parquesnacionales.gov.co/" target="_blank"><i>PNN</i></a>) employee. That takes place at 4 pm each evening and covers the three permitted treks inside the Sierra Nevada de El Cocuy, Güicán and Chita National Natural Park.<br /><br />Do note, the entrance fee is valid for three days so if one has the desire — and more limiting in my case, the <i>dinero</i>, the money — the three treks can be done over three days.<br /><br />When going it alone, as in not through an agency, the guide and the insurance are daily expenses. There are various accommodation options closer to the park entrance, so one could save on travel costs to and from Güicán by staying in one of those.<br /><br />Photos show that the other two treks are equally as impressive as Ritacuba but my focus was on getting as close as possible to the highest peak with the most extensive glacier. It is, by the way, prohibited to actually walk on or even touch the glacier and snow.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Snow show</b></h3>The trek up itself, from 4,000 to 4,800 metres through kilometres of frailejón-filled land, is mild enough. Some may have issues with the oxygen-light air but thankfully that wasn't a problem for me.<br /><br />We started our ascent at dawn, just before 6 am, and arrived at the glacier shortly after 8.30 am, with a short snack stop included along the way. As guides go, Luis Emilio and I were pretty much in sync pace-wise.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB83Jj_zaWsOsn71BxS0LYqbMrALhTfs-EeRG2voLU5n81moUk6bbKelxi77t9yIwmw9sWwfZwC8sPW_Oc3WtCXd3mdL5IwPPla3ePQePkm9qaYltbfqwHJCx7H5TWrtqKMtp1Xw6K2togNY3LydZpZnf7UqTqjItOPLK_zoONL9Bnp46fVqtess4W7H8r/s4160/IMG_20230923_090610010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The view from Peñón de los Muertos, Güicán, Boyacá, Colombia." border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhB83Jj_zaWsOsn71BxS0LYqbMrALhTfs-EeRG2voLU5n81moUk6bbKelxi77t9yIwmw9sWwfZwC8sPW_Oc3WtCXd3mdL5IwPPla3ePQePkm9qaYltbfqwHJCx7H5TWrtqKMtp1Xw6K2togNY3LydZpZnf7UqTqjItOPLK_zoONL9Bnp46fVqtess4W7H8r/w300-h400/IMG_20230923_090610010.jpg" title="The view from Peñón de los Muertos, Güicán, Boyacá, Colombia." width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/c6fVjQXicBw" target="_blank"><i>Peñón de los Muertos</i></a>, with Güicán in the right middle-ground. </td></tr></tbody></table>While I may be accused of taking a very easy out here, particularly as a blogger, I feel describing the glacier and the sights all around with words is insufficient. To address this shortcoming, I recorded a few YouTube Shorts videos which you can find at <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/ZHGESHxM0no" target="_blank"><i>https://youtube.com/shorts/ZHGESHxM0no</i></a> and <i><a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/JhaN7B4D4x4" target="_blank">https://youtube.com/shorts/JhaN7B4D4x4</a></i>.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'Güicán is up there as the ruana-wearing capital of Colombia. It's easier to keep track of those not donning this traditional garb than those with it.'</b></i></blockquote>Having soaked in the splendour for half an hour or so, we started our descent to the entrance point just as the clouds began to roll in. Yes, luckily Mother Nature shone on us that morning. No doubt dark skies and precipitation would have dampened the wonderland experience somewhat — although a snow shower would have been nice.<br /><br />My visit was during a tourist-light period, so Luis Emilio and I had the glacier viewing point to ourselves. I'm guessing it's different during high season. The Ritacuba trek, though, is limited to fewer than 80 tourists per day.<br /><br />Güicán itself doesn't give off an obvious tourist vibe, whether one views that as good, bad or indifferent. There's certainly no international flair to it. It maintains its basic Boyacá market-town flavour.<br /><br />It's also certainly up there as the ruana-wearing capital of Colombia. It's easier to keep track of those not donning this traditional garb than those with it.<br /><br />Respected traditions notwithstanding, one might expect Güicán to have at least one establishment that prepared coffee to more <i>cosmopolitan</i> standards i.e. <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/09/hooked-on-bbc-or-ccp-if-you-will.html" target="_blank"><i>not greca-brewed fare</i></a> that at best merely gives a hint as to what good coffee can taste like.<br /><br />Offering quality, machine-brewed fare wouldn't exactly be a portent of pernicious change, would it? Other similar towns have seen the light. Both Luis Emilio and Wosvaldo were receptive to my suggestion in any case; it seemed to spark a business idea in them. I hope they don't forget me when the pesos come pouring in.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Death valley</b></h3>Coming back to natural attractions, outside of the Sierra Nevada treks, there are plenty of walks to other sites that one can wander cost-free and unguided.<br /><br />One of particular interest is <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/c6fVjQXicBw" target="_blank"><i>Peñón de los Muertos</i></a>, Rock of the Dead, seven kilometres to the east of Güicán and a few hundred metres higher.<br /><br />Here, so the story goes, many U'wa indigenous took the <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/d0REhS8HX_I" target="_blank"><i>roughly 400-metre suicidal plunge</i></a> to the River Cóncavo below rather than be taken captive by the Spanish conquistadores. The ultimate <i>flight</i> reaction to a threatening situation.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOy38WAw1pF2NUUq_zbWqDgGyS357wt0NMpoWEDjkRvooK05wO5_YERxoR8oycQaNXka5XvwPvc6seiwlhy2sabB1XdacCunfcyiak1q_1yABPbd-MJsvE1VwovhOOn1SLUTQadSjdFeitJpmCWrB55hdbaA1dcnNFKCTWoIZD_D7Sd0EpAJH-TByHyjye/s4160/IMG_20230923_130617183.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The glacial waters of the River Cóncavo, Güicán, Boyacá, Colombia." border="0" data-original-height="4160" data-original-width="3120" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOy38WAw1pF2NUUq_zbWqDgGyS357wt0NMpoWEDjkRvooK05wO5_YERxoR8oycQaNXka5XvwPvc6seiwlhy2sabB1XdacCunfcyiak1q_1yABPbd-MJsvE1VwovhOOn1SLUTQadSjdFeitJpmCWrB55hdbaA1dcnNFKCTWoIZD_D7Sd0EpAJH-TByHyjye/w300-h400/IMG_20230923_130617183.jpg" title="The glacial waters of the River Cóncavo, Güicán, Boyacá, Colombia." width="300" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fancy a cool dip?! The glacial waters of the River Cóncavo.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Mentioning the River Cóncavo, but not at all in a macabre sense, relaxing by its fast-flowing glacial waters is a nice way to waste away an afternoon, particularly when the sun shines, as it regularly did during my four-day stay.<br /><br />Indeed, with nobody about, it's perfect for a chilly skinny dip, if it can be braved. It works wonders to clear away any cobwebs.<br /><br />So you see, you can go your own way in Güicán and have plenty of innocent enjoyment in the process.<br /><br />Going to see the Sierra Nevada snow show is another matter. It's well worth the extra effort, though.<br /><br /><i>*Wosvaldo, the owner of the cheap and cheerful Hospedaje Casa Grande and offerer of chauffeur services to the national park, can be contacted by WhatsApp on +57 313 8682814.</i><br /><br /><i>**The certified guide Luis Emilio's WhatsApp number is +57 314 2904721. One guide can take up to five people, so going with others is one way to keep costs down, in terms of both paying for the guide and transport to the National Park control point.</i><br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.</div><div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com2Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-23801809124496443942023-09-14T10:03:00.002-05:002023-10-09T15:03:39.425-05:00'An alcoholic?! Me?! No way!'<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/hT6EN_FGtts" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><b><i><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></i></b> barrio acquaintance, one who is not only very fond of marijuana and the <a href="https://insightcrime.org/news/tusi-the-pink-drug-cocktail-that-tricked-latin-america/" target="_blank"><i>hip psychedelic tusi</i></a> but has also been a petty peddler of same, called me an alcoholic the other day.<br /><br />A case of, an outside observer might say, one <i>addict</i> knowing another.<br /><p></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHt4EnFoYjs3qoYSLJDSiwQr3hwkqTP8-rJAEs9uFQjNLQoF53JhOC8XlyHoA59_oYTG61t8G2zft3Razz-pTWbS9qxCsi-WCarQxdXmyDEWYa_x75Bml7gGbX7cJuX2ic5Npk1H34dsv0ZVFJFn9HWEAGk9O54hMBB-2NVX7AojXtXTWRH4owR8xfMUHn/s1280/'An%20alcoholic_!%20Me!%20No%20way!'%20I.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="'An alcoholic?! Me?! No way!'" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHt4EnFoYjs3qoYSLJDSiwQr3hwkqTP8-rJAEs9uFQjNLQoF53JhOC8XlyHoA59_oYTG61t8G2zft3Razz-pTWbS9qxCsi-WCarQxdXmyDEWYa_x75Bml7gGbX7cJuX2ic5Npk1H34dsv0ZVFJFn9HWEAGk9O54hMBB-2NVX7AojXtXTWRH4owR8xfMUHn/w400-h225/'An%20alcoholic_!%20Me!%20No%20way!'%20I.jpg" title="Defining what an alcoholic exactly is isn't straightforward." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One man's alcoholic is another's merely mild drinker, right?</td></tr></tbody></table>However, seeing how this acquaintance, in her early 20s, has barely worked a day in her life — outside of her minor drug dealing — and usually appears more <i>out of it</i> than <i>with it</i>, I initially shrugged off her labelling me an alcoholic.<br /><br />Yet, as an Irishman who likes the occasional beer that often leads to a <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2013/09/our-alcohol-problem.html" target="_blank"><i>questioning of my relationship with alcohol</i></a>, her remark did end up bugging me a little.<br /><br /><i>'Am I an alcoholic?'</i><br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Habit addict</b></h3>To answer that, we must define what an alcoholic is.<br /><br /><a href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/alcoholic%20" target="_blank"><i>One dictionary definition</i></a> describes an alcoholic as 'a person addicted to intoxicating drinks.' Another definition is 'somebody who drinks alcohol to excess habitually.'<br /><br />Those definitions, however, in using words such as 'addicted', 'excess' and 'habitually', are open to much interpretation.<br /><br />Some commentators and scholars on the subject <a href="https://www.firstthings.com/article/2017/02/the-fantasy-of-addiction" target="_blank"><i>dismiss the concept of addiction outright</i></a>. They see it as a mere cover for one's failure to take responsibility.<br /><br />According to this school of thought, <a href="https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/why-the-disease-definition-of-addiction-does-far-more-harm-than-good/" target="_blank"><i>it's not an innate, incurable addiction that's at play</i></a> but rather a very fixable fixation. It's a harmful habit that can be replaced with a more beneficial — or at least less bad — one. What's lacking is willpower, as well as any real desire to change in many instances.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'That four-day booze-free stint coincided with an annoying head cold. Was my body telling me something? A case of a beer a day keeps colds at bay?'</b></i></blockquote>In other words, people know they're doing something that's not good for their overall well-being but they do it anyway. (Of course, few of us live vice-free — even exercise can become a problem <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/08/less-stress-less-success-in-these-idle.html" target="_blank"><i>if one overdoes it regularly</i></a>. Some vices, though, are more damaging than others.)<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Mild imbiber</b></h3>Returning to our definitions of <i>alcoholic</i>, it's easier, at least officially, to find consensus for what <i>excess</i> and <i>habitually</i> mean.<br /><br />In Ireland, a <i><a href=" https://www.drinkaware.ie/standard-drinks-calculator/" target="_blank">standard drink</a></i> is defined as one which contains 10 grams of pure alcohol. The advice is that a man should drink no more than 17 such servings a week, a woman no more than 11.<br /><br />If one drinks alcohol more days in a week than not, few would argue that this is <i>habitual</i>.<br /><br />On that last one, despite publishing a few months ago a hopeful post, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/02/abandoning-beer-standard.html" target="_blank"><i>Abandoning the beer standard</i></a>, I've been quite the habitual drinker of late.<br /><br />The longest run I've had without a beer in 2023 has been four days, and that was on one occasion only. Frustratingly, that four-day booze-free stint coincided with an annoying head cold. Was my body telling me something? A case of a beer a day keeps colds at bay?<br /><br />Plenty of downtime this year and <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/drink-from-home-boozers.html" target="_blank"><i>not wanting to be in my shared accommodation for too long</i></a> at any one time are two big reasons for this regular revelling, tame as it normally is.<br /><br />What's more, as a pastime, sipping on a <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/08/bogotas-perpetual-corner-bar-barrio.html" target="_blank"><i>Barrio Santandercito tienda beer</i></a> is a fairly economical activity <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/07/tight-times-with-no-respite-in-sight.html" target="_blank"><i>compared to some other pursuits</i></a> one could get up to in Bogotá.<br /><br />As alluded to, in terms of <i>excess</i>, my consumption levels each time I drink are nothing like they were in the past.<br /><br />Where previously when I would <i>go at it</i>, as we Irish say, I'd have <i>at least</i> four litres of <i>Poker</i> beer or the equivalent, these days I'm usually looking for the exit door after two or at most three. (Do note, Poker's alcohol by volume [ABV] is four per cent.)<br /><br />So my binge-drinking days do appear to be largely behind me. Compared to other regular drinkers, I think it's fair to put me in the <i>mild</i> category. I'm certainly no Brendan Behan — no sniggering — who described himself as 'a drinker with a writing problem.' Some might say writing is my main problem and I should give that up!<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Constant craving</b></h3>Whatever the case, there is another factor to be considered: <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/09/hooked-on-bbc-or-ccp-if-you-will.html" target="_blank"><i>cravings</i></a>.<br /><br />This ties in with addiction, whether one believes addiction to be a genuine disease or not.<br /><br />I surmise that people who I consider to be alcoholics crave alcohol, it's constantly in their thoughts. When they get up in the morning, if a beer or whatever was put in front of them, they'd have no issue downing it. What usually prevents such types from doing so is a job commitment or suchlike.<br /><br />I, on the other hand, rarely if ever desire an alcoholic drink first thing. For me, imbibing has a time and a place — the time is normally late in the evening, the place is a tienda/public house, certainly not my own dwelling.<br /><br />And as I've already pointed out, I'm more than content to retire to my bed after a couple of litres. Where perhaps in my earlier drinking days I suffered from <i>fomo</i>, fear of missing out, these days I'm more in the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/04/paths-to-cleaner-living.html" target="_blank"><i>jomo, joy of missing out, camp</i></a>.<br /><br />So, yes, I do like beer and I may regularly drink more units of alcohol per week than most health experts recommend.<br /><br />Nonetheless, life in my late 30s doesn't revolve around the next alcohol-fuelled session like it did to some extent in my 20s and early 30s.<br /><br />Of course, how I feel and what I believe is one thing. How others view me is another. Perception is reality in this regard. Yet, it's only the perceptions and opinions of certain people in my life that I should really value. Others are best ignored.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-40594709855178749292023-09-04T10:44:00.001-05:002023-10-09T15:02:57.340-05:00Colombia's credit contradiction<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><br /><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/q614RfofUCo" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">'W</span></b></i>e only give credit to those older than 90 and who bring one of their grandparents as a guarantor.'<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5i-u7GlpFTrFrX2X2PU8kcoTK9VjwbOuzFLY4Aga915Z8cS-xFWnd33ZWK1g7EFaJam27pOw6KnzGHlSsYh2mbfFKi2UsxBxfsXdjMdmlmuaCVRWj92xJ-aSf9PpBDXufj9EfhkO3HGeISW0totymBLkbigpucJ7LvlXs-WHNBs68hOu4MuIy5bb62W2k/s1280/Colombia's%20credit%20contradiction.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Many beer-serving tiendas in Colombia say they don't give credit. In reality, with the payment systems in operation, they often do." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5i-u7GlpFTrFrX2X2PU8kcoTK9VjwbOuzFLY4Aga915Z8cS-xFWnd33ZWK1g7EFaJam27pOw6KnzGHlSsYh2mbfFKi2UsxBxfsXdjMdmlmuaCVRWj92xJ-aSf9PpBDXufj9EfhkO3HGeISW0totymBLkbigpucJ7LvlXs-WHNBs68hOu4MuIy5bb62W2k/w400-h225/Colombia's%20credit%20contradiction.jpg" title="Many beer-serving tiendas in Colombia say they don't give credit. In reality, with the payment systems in operation, they often do." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bottle-cap accounting: Foolproof?</td></tr></tbody></table>That's the English translation of one version of the various we-don't-give-credit signs you'll see displayed in many Colombian <i>tiendas</i>, convenience stores that sell products ranging from beer to brushes and much else besides. (Although some tiendas' chief business line is beverages and sweet and savoury snacks.)<br /><br />What such signs really mean, of course, is that credit is not given whatsoever. (Perhaps, in a few generations, a 90-year-old might expect his/her grandparents to still be alive. Then again, in a few generations, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/02/living-with-unsettled-and-unsettling.html" target="_blank"><i>humanity might be extinct</i></a>.)<br /><br />The reality is, however, that in many beer-serving tiendas, no-credit signs on display or not, the payment model in operation leaves the establishment at risk of being what effectively amounts to a moneylender.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Drink now, pay later</b></h3>This is because the tab system dominates in such environments in Colombia; you pay your bill when you've finished imbibing. Rarely will you be asked for payment upfront, as is generally demanded in pubs in Ireland and the UK.<br /><br />In theory, paying at the end makes more sense than doing so each time you order, particularly when we're talking about the consumption of multiple beverages.<br /><br />This is even more so the case in places where cash is still king (<a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/04/swimming-against-big-tech-tide.html" target="_blank"><i>working-class Colombia is, thankfully, in that category</i></a>). It can be cumbersome having to deal with change for each order.<br /><br />Nonetheless, the tab model can be easily abused, by both the customer and the owner/staff.<br /><br />The former can do this by simply saying, be it true or not, that he/she doesn't have enough money to pay the bill.<br /><br />In a country where the financial situation for many is far from stable, this <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/02/rewarding-reckless.html" target="_blank"><i>I-don't-have-the-cash-right-now defence is commonplace</i></a>. I've seen it cause plenty of beer-fuelled, heated discussions.<br /><br />That much of working-class Colombia falls into the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-fiendish-frenemy.html" target="_blank"><i>low-income bracket</i></a> makes the popular use of the tab system even more of a head-scratcher.<br /><br />That it persists suggests that businesses feel it's the best way to operate. They'll get the money at some stage — as long as the debtor doesn't die with the bill still outstanding. Or it could be one of those <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-just-how-it-is-society.html" target="_blank"><i>just-how-it-is scenarios that I wrote about before</i></a>.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Bottle battles</b></h3>As for tienda owners or staff, they can game the system by adding more products to your tab than were actually ordered.<br /><br />This abuse is, unsurprisingly, far easier to carry out when the product in question is alcohol and the customer is drinking on-site, getting merry in the process.<br /><br />I'm not the only one who has questioned the amount owed at the end of a session. It can lead to a tetchy tienda environment, if not to something more untoward.<br /><br />Linked to all this is the method some tiendas use to keep, um, tabs of the tab.<br /><br />Counting the bottles consumed is one way, something I see less often these days.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'If you happen to have a less-than-attentive tienda keeper, bottle-cap counting could work to your advantage.'</b></i></blockquote>This may seem sound — and it explains why bottles are left on a customer's table until the session has finished — yet a couple of other foreigners and I were the victims of its flaws a few years ago in Bogotá. I wrote about that incident at the time in a blog piece titled, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2014/10/youve-been-had-bogota-style.html" target="_blank"><i>'You've been had, Bogotá style'</i></a>.<br /><br />Summarising that episode, a guy who we'd <i>befriended</i> and who we thought had bought us a few beers actually pulled a fast one on us, or so it seemed.<br /><br />As he left before us, we ended up being charged for all the beers he'd drunk, even those he'd had before joining our company.<br /><br />Of course, he could have been — indeed, probably was — in cahoots with the tienda owner. Or the tienda owner might have seen an opportunity to charge for the same beers twice.<br /><br />As we were in an unfamiliar place, after airing our displeasure we took the financial hit and promptly left, never to return.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Top cap</b></h3>An alternative accounting approach with tiendas is the bottle cap. For each beer opened, the cap is placed on what we'll call the payment counter.<br /><br />This is open to some of the same abuses as outlined with bottle-counting, minus the problem of another customer adding to your bill.<br /><br />One particular flaw it has is with bottle size and associated price differences.<br /><br />For example, to use my tipple of choice, Poker, very often the cap on a litre bottle is decorated the same as the 330 ml presentation.<br /><br />So, if you're in a round consisting of bigger and smaller bottles of the same brew, you could be deemed to have had more <i>bigger ones</i> than smaller ones when the reality was the reverse.<br /><br />Now, if you happen to have a less-than-attentive tienda keeper, bottle-cap counting could work to your advantage. <i>'Oh no, of those five bottle caps, only two belong to litre bottles, the rest were 330 ml.'</i> One can plead ignorance if caught out.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Pen power</b></h3>Slightly more watertight than the aforementioned methods is the radical pen-and-paper approach to tab-keeping.<br /><br />Yes, some tienda workers write down your name — or some title that identifies you, such as <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/09/essential-colombian-expressions-to-help.html" target="_blank"><i>gringo or mono</i></a> — in a copybook and note your orders as they come. Revolutionary.<br /><br />Again, it's not abuse-proof. If you lose track of what you've had, a few additional beers might be added to your tab. (And yes, this isn't exclusive to rudimentary tiendas. It can happen in fancy establishments using a digital system.)<br /><br />Also, particularly in a lively tienda, a crafty fellow carouser could get his beers added to your account. Those behind the counter don't always check if a beer has been invited or not, as long as it goes on some customer's tab.<br /><br />So, like many things in these parts, the no-credit policy is something of a contradiction with these tab systems in operation.<br /><br />Yet, contradiction aside — and again like many things around here — tienda transactions normally pass off without much ado.<br /><br />For sure, there will always be those who try to abuse it. They would do well not to, though.<br /><br />A move to more <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/11/the-digital-dystopia.html" target="_blank"><i>advanced methods in this digital age</i></a> may see them easily locked out of the market altogether. So scorn not the simplicity of the tienda's status quo.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-65143652945222639642023-08-24T10:46:00.002-05:002023-12-12T05:58:22.864-05:00Less stress, less success in these idle times<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/lt6b5zsj9wE" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">S</span></b></i>tress, especially of the mental variety, is seen as something to be avoided for our overall well-being.<br /><br />At chronic levels, it can lead to <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/nutrition/diet/eat-your-way-to-better-brain-health-in-six-weeks/" target="_blank"><i>anxiety, depression or other difficult-to-overcome afflictions</i></a> of the mind.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vgeQc3pB7G7SZCIcVcNImnHX0SbyFEiY_N3ktrPkUtlS0i3mB_GyrlhCMHYXmv67JKB7UDfxrUyBksqx8PeNllqQv7cke6y6XQGr8_GSW6ypTVa_9Pei_Rcfk6ZEP1EmLkWQSWOTN-YwD21f5lN-BbabMXh5UWShDYsqIYg7d-oYvESYn1TBKTHo05Vw/s1280/Less%20stress,%20less%20success%20in%20these%20idle%20times.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Less stress, less success in these idle times" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4vgeQc3pB7G7SZCIcVcNImnHX0SbyFEiY_N3ktrPkUtlS0i3mB_GyrlhCMHYXmv67JKB7UDfxrUyBksqx8PeNllqQv7cke6y6XQGr8_GSW6ypTVa_9Pei_Rcfk6ZEP1EmLkWQSWOTN-YwD21f5lN-BbabMXh5UWShDYsqIYg7d-oYvESYn1TBKTHo05Vw/w400-h225/Less%20stress,%20less%20success%20in%20these%20idle%20times.jpg" title="A little bit of stress, or at least going outside of our comfort zones, pushing ourselves, can be good for us." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having less stress is a good thing in general. This doesn't mean we shouldn't push ourselves, though.</td></tr></tbody></table>One proven way to reduce mental stress is to counter it with a bit of physical stress on the body i.e. exercise.<br /><br />This doesn't need to be of an elite-athlete variety. It can be a case of just being <a href="https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/320839#boosting-endorphins" target="_blank"><i>active enough to get the heartbeat up</i></a> a few notches — a brisk walk, some floor exercises at home, even energetically cleaning the house.<br /><br />Incorporating such physical movements into one's daily routine doesn't appear too complicated, in theory.<br /><br />However, with all the technological advancements over the decades leading to an increase in <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/04/hardening-hands-and-strengthening-mind.html" target="_blank"><i>sedentary yet no less demanding and time-consuming forms of employment</i></a>, some people find it hard to fit in physical activity to get that endorphin, feel-good boost. (OK, some are simply lazy, too.)<br /><br />Indeed, it's a double negative that doesn't produce a positive (mathematics isn't always helpful in real life). The sedentary but demanding employment, stressful in its own right, can leave one with little time and desire for exercise, thereby compounding the stress.<br /><br />I can only assume that trying to raise a young family alongside all this makes the situation even more problematic. On the flip side, it might provide some welcome comfort, focus and strength.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Otherwise engaged</b></h3>Whatever the case, for all of the above, I can't say I'm really having to deal with them right now.<br /><br />As a <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/06/set-on-singlehood.html" target="_blank"><i>single, childless man</i></a>, the raising of a family is not a factor. (Although, one has had complications of late with the odd <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-fiendish-frenemy.html" target="_blank"><i>mentally straining frenemy</i></a>.)<br /><br />As for work, while this year has been particularly troubling in terms of a steady income, the <i>positive</i> is that I don't have the time-consuming, stress-inducing, sedentary employment as a concern. (Do note, with my current skill set, the careers in which I <i>could</i> earn the most are those where one spends a lot of time at a computer.)<br /><br />This lack of paid employment that would see me tied to one place for hours on end means that I have plenty of time to get out and about. OK, I'm not running marathons but I'm usually on my feet moving more than I'm sitting still.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'It's like I'm in early-midlife retirement, minus any pension.'</b></i></blockquote>The generous me-time also allows for what I feel is a cathartic, relaxing mealtime, in that I get to cook my own meal — I generally just need one — almost every day.<br /><br />In one sense, it's like I'm in early-midlife retirement, minus any pension of course. Thus, it must be temporary, unless I come into a lot of money soon.<br /><br />And this is the crucial issue here. The consequences of being economically inactive mean it's not a carefree time. While I'm managing my financial affairs for now, it is, to state the obvious, unsustainable in the mid to long term.<br /><br />It's one of those scenarios where my back isn't completely against the wall yet. It's why I'm still quite picky about the work I'm willing to do.<br /><br />As for returning to full-time employment, I would have to be well-remunerated to give up my independence. For whatever I may gain in financial recompense, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/02/to-marketing-agency-robin.html" target="_blank"><i>previous working-for experiences</i></a> tell me that it comes at a significant stress cost.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Stress test</b></h3>However, not all mental anguish is inherently bad. Stress leading to anxiety or depression is one thing, challenging oneself to expand knowledge or learn a new skill is quite another.<br /><br />It's like physical activity. When we push ourselves hard, it's taxing on both body and mind. We can even overdo it to the point of burnout and injury. Yet, not doing it will most likely result in a myriad of far worse health complications sooner or later.<br /><br />So, with both physical activity and workouts for the mind, it's about finding the balance.<br /><br />Now, I must say that I feel that my mental health is fairly sound.<br /><br />Yes, this fallow paid-employment period leaves me with <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/05/little-thirst-to-teach-english-in-these.html" target="_blank"><i>much thinking time</i></a>. And overthinking can be dangerous for the mind. However, when I'm not distracted by technology or <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/08/bogotas-perpetual-corner-bar-barrio.html" target="_blank"><i>barrio temptations</i></a> — <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/06/santandercito-keeping-satiated-dullness.html" target="_blank"><i>socialising is important</i></a> — it also offers plenty of beneficial reading time.<br /><br />And even with all my free time, I still wish I had more hours in the day to read — I am a slow enough reader — and acquire new knowledge. One can never know enough. And one can never know it all.<br /><br />While all this is, on the whole, keeping stress at bay, it's not like I have no preoccupations. We all do, of course.<br /><br />Also, right now, it's not a case of, to borrow from the title of a school book I once used, less stress, more success; <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2017/10/measuring-success.html" target="_blank"><i>success measured in monetary terms this is</i></a>. It could be said it's more like less stress, less success.<br /><br />Nonetheless, I'm certainly not searching for ways to unnecessarily increase my stress levels.<br /><br />I want to be excited about and stimulated by my next challenge, not stressed out about it. Ever the idealist.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-43081667903046764322023-08-19T09:04:00.002-05:002023-08-19T09:04:37.104-05:00Other media can have Tubridy, but they can't have RTÉ<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">A</span></b></i> bit of a parochial post this — Ireland is parochial. It's a link to my latest letter in the <i>Irish Examiner</i> about a <a href="https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41207533.html" target="_blank"><i>payment scandal at the national broadcaster</i></a>, RTÉ, largely, but not exclusively, revolving around one of its now former top presenters, Ryan Tubridy.<br /><br />The letter was originally published online on 19 August 2023 at <a href="https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/yourview/arid-41208160.html"><i><b>https://www.irishexaminer.com/opinion/yourview/arid-41208160.html</b></i></a>.<br /><br />RTÉ, I am open to offers to work as a radio presenter. And I'll do it for far less than 200,000 euros!<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyOb77381XFYAeb0i3zTwr4oaeqIdZVMEQfheJTHgJu__anQo4DkbQ0S0QMKUWQ8zwyTB3Cl-ULtUH6d3nEJypY2l3V3hTLEwZPbQDZTbgn-45MpXxghmYl3hs7ZWuImwKRJMCQNr6Tt08_cNh7YvBbiUoBYu8maNuJfu-KmoaK3xds2GajUx3MhGpUjJ/s4258/chrome_screenshot_1692443530386.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Wrong Way Corrigan's letter in the Irish Examiner about Ryan Tubridy and the RTÉ payment scandal." border="0" data-original-height="4258" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyOb77381XFYAeb0i3zTwr4oaeqIdZVMEQfheJTHgJu__anQo4DkbQ0S0QMKUWQ8zwyTB3Cl-ULtUH6d3nEJypY2l3V3hTLEwZPbQDZTbgn-45MpXxghmYl3hs7ZWuImwKRJMCQNr6Tt08_cNh7YvBbiUoBYu8maNuJfu-KmoaK3xds2GajUx3MhGpUjJ/w108-h640/chrome_screenshot_1692443530386.png" title="Wrong Way Corrigan's letter in the Irish Examiner about Ryan Tubridy and the RTÉ payment scandal." width="108" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Corrigan calls it.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>__________________________________________________________</div><div>Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.</div><div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-57017749936040720172023-08-15T11:39:00.001-05:002023-10-09T15:07:09.269-05:00Cartagena: A costly Colombian Caribbean city but more relaxed than I'd remembered<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this blog story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/j4wyXuOkGwQ" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b></i>f you're looking for the definitive visitor's guide to Cartagena, this isn't it.<br /><p></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTyXxRyL66_pLE9DwV7oRU-zQve69DTJqWxkRhagO8dKo80kwcINu9CdvWIxb_uW-mxoXImJ4wp_353PlS6UaCIWNO5KNhAU0TI2y532PyXhI6cAIvSXfFYpmJ1-aElPoaZ3nMmov049RFR-Tow7Pj-3I1a_BOjvLMM6BDQcw7i7wRS-UwlEjQ661MbJN/s1280/Cartagena_A%20costly%20Colombian%20Caribbean%20city%20but%20more%20relaxed%20than%20I'd%20remembered.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Cartagena: A costly Colombian Caribbean city but more relaxed than I'd remembered" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkTyXxRyL66_pLE9DwV7oRU-zQve69DTJqWxkRhagO8dKo80kwcINu9CdvWIxb_uW-mxoXImJ4wp_353PlS6UaCIWNO5KNhAU0TI2y532PyXhI6cAIvSXfFYpmJ1-aElPoaZ3nMmov049RFR-Tow7Pj-3I1a_BOjvLMM6BDQcw7i7wRS-UwlEjQ661MbJN/w400-h225/Cartagena_A%20costly%20Colombian%20Caribbean%20city%20but%20more%20relaxed%20than%20I'd%20remembered.jpg" title="Cartagena might be expensive and very touristy but it still has its charms." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cartagena's tourist-heavy nature is a turn-off for some. It has its charms, though.</td></tr></tbody></table>As one of Colombia's most popular tourist spots, much has been written about it. And because this popularity with Colombians and foreigners alike has seen it become one of the most expensive places in the country to visit, I hadn't been in a rush to go back. The last time I'd been there was in 2011, with my first visit in 2009.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Safe shores</b></h3>That 2009 trip, accompanied by a Colombian friend who did most of the planning, saw me take in many of the tourist attractions, including a recommended day trip to one of the picturesque <i>Islas del Rosario</i>, Rosario Islands.<br /><br />The beaches there are — or at least were — more pleasing to the eye than those around the city. This isn't to say the beaches in Cartagena, specifically the Bocagrande sector, are unpleasant. They're fine, no more, no less.<br /><br />What had bugged me the most in Cartagena was the intensity of the beach vendors — they were far worse than the mid-30 degrees Celsius heat.<br /><br />Alongside the selling of refreshments and tattoos of questionable quality, one would be offered a massage a minute. These masseuses were as annoying as mosquitoes buzzing around your ear in the middle of the night.<br /><br />On this latest visit, such vendor force was, thankfully, nowhere near as powerful. Maybe I just got lucky with my timing. Or maybe I was unlucky in 2009 and 2011.<br /><br />The fact that there was much more of a relaxed vibe for the three consecutive mornings/early afternoons I spent on Bocagrande's western beach, does suggest it has become a little more tranquil. It could be said the ambience is like the surrounding waters, rather calm with only the occasional wild-ish wave.<br /><br />Indeed, much to my pleasant surprise, I discovered that it was fine to leave my belongings on the beach while I went for a refreshing dip in the sea.<br /><br />Initially, not only had I asked neighbouring loungers to keep an eye on my stuff but I also gathered it up and left it beside them. <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2014/11/colombia-only-risk-is-becoming-too.html" target="_blank"><i>No dar papaya</i></a> and all that.<br /><br />Yet, I soon noticed that hardly anyone else was being as cautious. Considering how important this sun, sea and sand tourism is to Cartagena, especially in the upmarket Bocagrande, it seems opportunistic thievery has been largely eradicated.<br /><br />However, in Bocagrande one gets robbed in another, officially sanctioned way: the high prices. For example, a beer on the beach costs around 10,000 COP for a 330-ml bottle of the working man's Aguila brew. That's four times more than the standard price.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'I found it rather curious that El Guerrero's TV gave us live pictures of the toilet. What would one be up to on the loo besides relieving oneself?'</b></i></blockquote>As mentioned, though, Bocagrande is upmarket in what is a Caribbean tourist hotspot. So there's nothing too shocking about the higher prices.<br /><br />Those on a tighter budget will most likely opt to stay in Cartagena's historic centre or in the chilled-out Manga neighbourhood.<br /><br />(Regular readers might be surprised to discover that I stayed in Bocagrande, in the four-star <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/n3ROHwUfWes?feature=share" target="_blank"><i>Hotel Cartagena Plaza</i></a>. Don't worry, it's not that I lost my mind and went on a mad spending spree. At a press conference in Bogotá earlier this year, I won a three-night stay there. As fancy hotels go, it was fine. I certainly made the most of the decent spread of food at the buffet breakfasts.)<br /><br />When my three nights were up at the Cartagena Plaza, it was to Manga I went and the quaint San Jacinto hostel. A dorm bed at 40,000 COP per night, light breakfast included, is about the best value one will get in the city.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>The Guerrero of Getsemani</b></h3>My evening socialising throughout my stay was reserved for the historic centre, inside the old walled city, around Plaza de la Trinidad in the Getsemani barrio to be precise. Well, there and a couple of brief visits to the more unkempt <a href="https://youtube.com/shorts/4nBYnJ4PU34?feature=share" target="_blank"><i>Mercado de Bazurto</i></a>, the working class's shopping district.<br /><br />Outside of the centre's liveliness come sunset, there I found a tienda, <i>El Guerrero</i>, that sold litres of my preferred Poker beer for 6,000 COP. That's an acceptable price anywhere in Colombia — except in my <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/08/bogotas-perpetual-corner-bar-barrio.html" target="_blank"><i>local watering holes in my Bogotá barrio</i></a> — never mind Cartagena. (Do note, even though my bed and breakfast was free for my first three nights, I was still in Cartagena <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/07/tight-times-with-no-respite-in-sight.html" target="_blank"><i>on a tight budget</i></a>.)<br /><br />While El Guerrero is popular with revellers — not surprising considering the booze prices — most buy their tipple to drink outside. As is my wont, I positioned myself in a corner at the counter, allowing me to chat with the employees/owners.<br /><br />I did find it rather curious that the TV in the tienda, via the security camera, gave us live pictures of the toilet. What would one be up to on the loo besides relieving oneself? It did, nonetheless, give another, um, solid reason not to be glued to the box.<br /><br />WC watching aside, El Guerrero was certainly an interesting place to observe the comings and goings of the diverse folk traipsing around Cartagena's colonial quarter.<br /><br />Just outside the centre is Castillo de San Felipe de Barajas, a castle constructed by African slaves under Spanish supervision in the 16th century.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'It was nice to view and enter the sea for the first time since 2018.'</b></i></blockquote>I'm fairly sure that I visited this tourist site for free in 2009, although perhaps my memory is failing me on that one. These days, there's what I consider a fairly hefty entrance fee, 30,000 COP. I gave it a miss this time; the long queues waiting to get in were off-putting, too.<br /><br />Now, that I enjoyed my stay in the city may be because I went there with low enough expectations. That and the fact that I generally look forward to <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/bogged-down-in-bogota.html" target="_blank"><i>any escape from Bogotá</i></a> these days.<br /><br />As this story has explained, though, there's more to it than that. And in a more basic sense, it was simply nice to view and enter the sea for the first time since 2018.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Sticky stopover</b></h3>The biggest drawback is getting there from Bogotá, as I detailed in <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/08/colombias-plebeian-transport-riveting.html" target="_blank"><i>Colombia's plebeian transport: A riveting ride</i></a>.<br /><br />As mentioned in that piece, I broke up the marathon return journey with a night-and-day stay in Aguachica in the Cesar department, about halfway between Cartagena and Bogotá.<br /><br />Well inland at a low altitude, temperatures reach the mid-30s in degrees Celsius.<br /><br />With hardly a breeze about and no nearby refreshing waters to cool off in, it's one of those places where you could take a shower every hour to stay feeling fresh. I don't particularly mind that, it's just that the town seems to have little going for it. Again, this generally isn't a drawback for me, I can create my own fun.<br /><br />It must get plenty of visitors all the same, for whatever reason. There are hotels on pretty much every street. It also has an abundance of barbershops and hairdressers.<br /><br />What annoyed me the most during my brief stay there were the motorbike taxis. They won't leave a wanderer in peace.<br /><br />I probably need a second, longer visit to give a more rounded review of the place. Like my Cartagena experiences, my opinion of Aguachica might get better with subsequent stays. Return visits are unlikely, all the same.<br /><br />However, if Hotel Cartagena Plaza wants to gift me more free nights on the Caribbean shores, I could include another stay in Aguachica en route. It certainly does its job as a fairly cheap stopover town.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.<div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-2712080714910200132023-08-08T11:06:00.002-05:002023-10-09T15:08:33.471-05:00Colombia's plebeian transport: A riveting ride<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio/vlog version of this blog story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/jYeLzzyFNHg" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">'W</span></b></i>hy are you going by bus when flights are cheap?'<br /><br />That's how some Bogotá acquaintances reacted when they heard I was taking the land route for my grand return after a 12-year absence to the Caribbean coast city of Cartagena, over 1,000 kilometres away from the capital<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Fare deal</b></h3>Considering the bus journey takes about 26 hours while the flight time is an hour or so, flying certainly has its advantages. Price, though, is not one of them.<br /><p></p></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZr8QMxfBweNL3EiE61C4Q8T9yK8Pc_YnSXEpkmKDrL1fym4FyNnBEzIZqS3MUnHGZs-yiFK4gBTbSZWkPx4QiuPawuGTyPdi3E4q2yKDz_nOHhkytp3s2Dj6vajOmbZpJWLDiNU7rY8BAErS7-0OPMCCm_5_YIW-IZCCucO6E7Tnguxw0Xk22nQWpHcVh/s1280/Colombia's%20plebeian%20transport_A%20riveting%20ride.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Colombia's plebeian transport: A riveting ride" border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZr8QMxfBweNL3EiE61C4Q8T9yK8Pc_YnSXEpkmKDrL1fym4FyNnBEzIZqS3MUnHGZs-yiFK4gBTbSZWkPx4QiuPawuGTyPdi3E4q2yKDz_nOHhkytp3s2Dj6vajOmbZpJWLDiNU7rY8BAErS7-0OPMCCm_5_YIW-IZCCucO6E7Tnguxw0Xk22nQWpHcVh/w400-h225/Colombia's%20plebeian%20transport_A%20riveting%20ride.jpg" title="If you're looking for a little more adventure in your life, take a bus journey in Colombia." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">There's rarely a dull moment when bussing it in Colombia.</td></tr></tbody></table>Domestic airfares were similar, even occasionally cheaper, to bus fares during Colombia's low-cost carrier heydey, from 2016 to 2020, roughly speaking. However, with the rather curious departure of <a href="https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/tH1A4erg1Bb" target="_blank"><i>Viva Air</i></a>, closely followed by Ultra Air, bus travel is once again a lot cheaper; generally less than half the price of flight tickets.*<br /><br />For sure, if it is a time-is-money case at the origin or at the destination — or at both — then the financial savings made by taking the bus would most likely be wiped out in a matter of hours.<br /><br />In a year of <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/07/tight-times-with-no-respite-in-sight.html" target="_blank"><i>scant paid work</i></a>, this hasn't been a concern for me. Indeed, taking a little bit more time to get to and from the destination, and thus being <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/bogged-down-in-bogota.html" target="_blank"><i>out of Bogotá for longer</i></a>, is a minor bonus.<br /><br />Land travel also allows for more flexibility and last-minute decisions. Simply turn up at the bus terminal at the moment you want to travel, pay in cash and go. It's often more hectic during religious/school/state holidays, times <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2015/07/escaping-with-masses.html" target="_blank"><i>I tend to avoid in any case</i></a>.<br /><br />Another advantage is that you can view the scenery and get a flavour of the towns along the way, fleetingly as this is. (Although, some food/toilet breaks are taken in towns rather than at isolated and expensive service stations and restaurants well outside urban centres. Stopping in a town means one has a bit of choice when it comes to snacking.)<br /><blockquote><i><b>'I had a mildly drunk middle-aged man for company for, mercifully, a short period. What he lacked in stature he made up for in fidgetiness.'</b></i></blockquote>As has often happened with me, one bus journey to a certain destination, um, paves the way for the next trip, in a that-place-I've-just-passed-through-looks-interesting sense.<br /><br />On this escape to Cartagena, the town of Aguachica in the Cesar department made it onto my to-visit list. I duly did just that, spending a night and day there to break up the return journey to Bogotá. I plan to write more about hot and sticky Aguachica in a later post.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Road reading</b></h3>Coming back to the <i>benefits</i> of long-haul land travel, it appears that even a mammoth bus trip of 26 hours still <a href="https://news.mongabay.com/2022/04/how-much-does-air-travel-warm-the-planet-new-study-gives-a-figure/" target="_blank"><i>leaves one with a smaller carbon footprint</i></a> than a flight of one hour.<br /><br />Of course, many of those <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/02/living-with-unsettled-and-unsettling.html" target="_blank"><i>shouting the loudest about the impending doom due to climate change</i></a> are too busy saving us all to have time to focus on their own environmentally harmful practices. They are, after all, statistically safer in the air, too. We can't risk further endangering humanity by putting the lives of these heroes at greater risk, can we?<br /><br />Notwithstanding all the above, as somebody who can be quite restless, I don't exactly look forward with great joy to spending hours locked up in a metal box.<br /><br />This is offset by the fact that I am travelling, I am going somewhere — when not stuck in traffic, that is — while the dead time gives ample opportunity for reading and pondering.<br /><br />What one can't really plan for is the aforementioned traffic.<br /><br />In Colombia, alongside standard causes of congestion such as the sheer volume of vehicles and roadworks, there's also the potential road blockages. These can be natural, i.e. landslides, or human-made in the form of disgruntled workers, social groups or rebel fighters. The latter is not as common as it once was but can still cause disturbances in certain regions.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Noisy neighbours</b></h3>Another uncontrollable is fellow passengers. Previously, I had a mother with a couple of young kids seated next to me, kids who at one moment would roam over me, the next bawl out, then they'd spew out; sometimes it was all three at once. Rent-a-dad, eh?<br /><br />On this latest trip, I had a mildly drunk middle-aged man for company for, mercifully, a short period. What he lacked in stature he made up for in fidgetiness. I did contemplate trying to put him to sleep with a knock-out blow. His stop came just in time.<br /><br />The near neighbours aren't always a pain, though.<br /><br />Again, on this most recent journey, it was because of Barranquilla-bound student <i>Pleasant Paola</i> and her talking up of Aguachica, her hometown where she boarded the bus, that led me to visit the place on my return from Cartagena. Her gifting me of a piece of <i>torta de tres quesos</i>, three cheeses cake, from the pastry shop <a href="https://www.facebook.com/latorteriaartesanalfabricaaguachica" target="_blank"><i>La Tortería</i></a> where she works during college holidays left an impression.<br /><br />Now, while it's a lottery as to who sits next to you when travelling solo, it's not a complete free for all. On most long-haul/overnight trips, each passenger is assigned a seat. Yet, there's nearly always some dispute and subsequent musical chairs mid-journey.<br /><br />The seemingly simple solution of insisting people take the seat number stipulated on their ticket doesn't always work. Double bookings appear to be a frequent occurrence. Nonetheless, a lot of the time it's purely because passengers, knowingly or ignorantly, take a different seat.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'Our competitor bus, firmly focused on the duel, unperturbed by pedestrians, managed to squeeze ahead and stop in front of us, blocking our way.'</b></i></blockquote>On-board entertainment had been another contentious issue — anyone for another ire-raising <i>Fast & Furious</i> movie? — but it seems many bus operators are now leaving that, literally, in the hands of the passengers and their smartphones.<br /><br />Newer buses with some companies now also come with seat-back screens with various entertainment options so the individual can choose what to watch, listen to or play. Or silently opt-out. I've experienced these screens with Berlinas and Expreso Brasilia.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Knight driving</b></h3>Now, even if you get the perfect fellow passengers and non-invasive entertainment, the bus drivers will invariably take you on an emotional — and physical — rollercoaster.<br /><br />In keeping with the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/05/colombias-aggressive-driver-mentality.html" target="_blank"><i>Colombian motorist standard</i></a>, the bus drivers' overall aim is to push the boundaries of land travel. Passengers, if thought of at all, are merely pawns.<br /><br />I was <i>privileged</i> to have front-row seats to the duel between my bus, from the Concorde company, and <i>bitter</i> rival Copetran; a modern take on the medieval game of jousting.<br /><br />It took place on the rather narrow road between Barranquilla and Cartagena. One of the notable feats was a daring act of undertaking by our Concorde driver.<br /><br />In fact, I thought it was the clincher. Concorde, true to its name, sped away. You can't, though, keep a good Copetran down.<br /><br />In a busy town en route, our competitor bus, firmly focused on the duel, unperturbed by pedestrians, managed to squeeze ahead and stop in front of us, blocking our way.<br /><br />In a highly controversial move, the rival driver alighted his charge and approached the window of our Concorde conductor. Not only did he fire angry words at our driver but he also dealt him a slap in the jaw, mild as it was. I believe that left it in a tie. Dates for the rematch have yet to be announced.<br /><br />The things one misses out on when flying, eh?<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Train of thought</b></h3>Outside of happenings on the bus and between rival buses, Colombia's road infrastructure is another challenge.<br /><br />For sure, the Andes present their own unique problems, such as the aforementioned landslides.<br /><br />Yet, on the journey from Bogotá to the Caribbean, after entering the Cesar department at the town of San Alberto, the mountains give way to low-lying plains. Here you get the first significant stretch of dual carriageway since Bogotá-Tunja.<br /><br />The frustrating part is that this dual carriageway is intermittent. What makes this frustration worse is that all along the way are unfinished works.<br /><br />They are all part of the <a href="https://www.motor.com.co/industria/Es-una-verguenza-usuarios-de-la-Ruta-del-Sol-20230113-0008.html" target="_blank"><i>Ruta del Sol</i></a>, Route to the Sun project, mired in controversy and corruption as it has been for years. So all along one is given reminders of how much shorter the journey could be if only the works were finished.<br /><br />If it takes me another 12 years to return to Cartagena, the route might be fully ready by then.<br /><br />Or maybe Colombia will come to embrace the joys of modern, efficient train transport. Let's resurrect the railways!<br /><br />*A note on prices: I paid 130,000 COP for a one-way direct trip from Bogotá's northern bus terminal (Calle 192) to Cartagena with Concorde. The return trip was more expensive as I did it in two legs. It was 80,000 COP from Cartagena to Aguachica with Copetran and another 80,000 COP with Brasilia from Aguachica to Bogotá.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-28.337869929789406 -109.228342 37.759847129789406 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-83535331570155749852023-07-26T10:27:00.001-05:002023-10-09T15:09:33.821-05:00Tight times with no respite in sight<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><div><br />[For an audio version of this blog story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/hRKOBtmn_x0" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">T</span></b></i>o a man, woman and non-binary individual, practically all Colombians I talk to echo my sentiments that it's been a difficult year income-wise.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9SZ4L2hXAhrMyU1A2LvOMsrfGjjt8DYcyilMP92q3qEFayzUPpNzY7ubv9JyC-K34iyENY0AquCo9w6-bBh9Z2TxraGWn26a7il-Dd2OUqLQ19QCMWWgG0jMkNm8MHZLvCJ-HZqDH2218QlhAObFxaqzKeuHsn2z6pBb6GdtNp7U6CcInx5gw0R9-KJj/s1280/Tight%20times%20with%20no%20respite%20in%20sight.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Tight times with no respite in sight: But deals on the staples in Bogotá can always be found." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhn9SZ4L2hXAhrMyU1A2LvOMsrfGjjt8DYcyilMP92q3qEFayzUPpNzY7ubv9JyC-K34iyENY0AquCo9w6-bBh9Z2TxraGWn26a7il-Dd2OUqLQ19QCMWWgG0jMkNm8MHZLvCJ-HZqDH2218QlhAObFxaqzKeuHsn2z6pBb6GdtNp7U6CcInx5gw0R9-KJj/w400-h225/Tight%20times%20with%20no%20respite%20in%20sight.jpg" title="Tight times with no respite in sight: But deals on the staples in Bogotá can always be found." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thankfully, there are always a few deals to be found in Bogotá's ubiquitous local fruit and veg shops.</td></tr></tbody></table><div>Of course, many people say that their financial situation is tight even if the reality is different. It's usually best not to give the impression that one has a cash cushion to fall back on, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/02/rewarding-reckless.html" target="_blank"><i>especially in Colombia</i></a>.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Where the stats lie</b></h3>Zooming out to the national level for a moment and looking at the chief indicators, Colombia's economy, in layperson's terms, can be described as 'doing OK but could do better.' (See <a href="https://issuu.com/oecd.publishing/docs/colombia-oecd-economic-outlook-june-2023?fr=sY2U1ZTUwNTY2MTA"><i>https://issuu.com/oecd.publishing/docs/colombia-oecd-economic-outlook-june-2023?fr=sY2U1ZTUwNTY2MTA</i></a>.)</div><div><br />The official unemployment rate, <a href="https://tradingeconomics.com/colombia/unemployment-rate" target="_blank"><i>at just over 10 per cent</i></a>, is comparable to the average figure in the years immediately before the pandemic. Do note, high informal labour levels have to be factored in when discussing the numbers that are truly unemployed in Colombia.<br /><br />Whatever the case, such headline figures only give a very rough idea of how things are for the individual. A country's overall economic performance, be it good, bad or mediocre, doesn't mean the entire population is in the same situation.<br /><br />For sure, high interest and/or inflation rates have a real-life impact. They can alter consumer behaviour in both negative and positive ways.<br /><br />However, it can be argued that these are less crucial factors in low- to middle-income nations such as Colombia. What I mean by this is that <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/06/making-ends-meet-in-colombia.html" target="_blank"><i>times are almost always tight for the typical working-class barrio resident</i></a>, particularly in the cities, with rainy-day funds almost non-existent.<br /><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Recession proof?</b></h3>As a single, childless foreigner with a fairly minimalist lifestyle, I am perhaps not the best sample case to study for an idea of how Colombia's current economic performance is affecting the average working-class person.<br /><br />For one, the high inflation rates that Colombia has been experiencing haven't had a noticeable impact on my cost of living.<br /><blockquote><i><b>'In Bogotá, in my circles in any case, it appears to be a tough time to be an independent worker. Is it ever any other way?'</b></i></blockquote>In the last 18 months, my rent has increased by less than two per cent. What's more, I am actually paying less in rent today than I was in 2020 and 2021. I did, though, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2020/06/the-bogota-nomad.html" target="_blank"><i>change accommodation quite a bit</i></a>. Also, if I felt a little more financially secure <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/drink-from-home-boozers.html" target="_blank"><i>I'd be seeking my own place</i></a> — I just can't justify the additional cost of such a luxury right now.<br /><br />As for expenditure on the staples, while <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-panaderias-pudgy-pauper.html" target="_blank"><i>some things have got notably more expensive</i></a>, my weekly spend hasn't shot up in line with inflation. There's always a deal or three to be got at the local fruit and veg shop. One just needs to be <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/01/finding-that-savoury-spot-between.html" target="_blank"><i>flexible with one's diet</i></a>. </div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Scare necessities</b></h3>It's my earning power, as mentioned in the opening lines, that has waned considerably of late. In this, I may make common cause with my barrio buddies who work independently, mostly in the construction sector. <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/07/exacting-revenge.html" target="_blank"><i>Patience</i></a>, <i>paciencia</i>, has been our word of the year.<br /><br />In Bogotá, in my circles in any case, it appears to be a tough time to be an independent worker. <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/03/the-price-of-independence.html" target="_blank"><i>Is it ever any other way?</i></a> Unlike most of my barrio acquaintances, however, one obstacle for me is that I'm a bit too picky about what I want to work at.<br /><br />My reluctance, nay refusal, to <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/05/little-thirst-to-teach-english-in-these.html" target="_blank"><i>return to English teaching</i></a> is a major reason why the number of pesos refilling my pocket has plummeted. I've spent more than I've earned in each month of 2023 thus far. This looks unlikely to change in the foreseeable, particularly with a trip to my birthplace in the offing.<br /><br />Thankfully, I have some savings that are generating a little bit of interest, partially offsetting my monthly losses. However, such financial management, to state the obvious, is unsustainable unless I decide to live rent-free on the street or suchlike.<br /><br />That yet-to-be-booked journey back to Ireland is an opportunity to reset; it should allow for a thorough reappraisal of my situation.<br /><br />For various reasons, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/bogged-down-in-bogota.html" target="_blank"><i>as I recently explained</i></a>, such a re-evaluation has been difficult to undertake in my current <i>Bogotá beat</i>. It hasn't been infusing me with energy and enthusiasm — although the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2017/06/finding-that-happy-place.html" target="_blank"><i>city itself can't take all the flak for that</i></a>.<br /><br />On the other hand, a return to Ireland scares me somewhat. In my, um, rare angry moments, watching from afar, I see an overpriced, <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/09/the-liberal-illusion.html" target="_blank"><i>illiberal-liberal</i></a>, smug state (I thought the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2022/08/a-hackett-job-on-britain.html" target="_blank"><i>English were meant to be the smug ones?</i></a>). Ireland Inc. is <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2021/08/my-unopened-open-letter-to-ireland.html" target="_blank"><i>unlikely to be perturbed</i></a> by such proclamations all the same.<br /><br />Be that as it may, regardless of where I am in the world I face the <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/03/find-way-or-fade-away.html" target="_blank"><i>same rather disconcerting question</i></a>: What do I do to not only make ends meet but feel somewhat fulfilled as well? (Feel free to leave your answers to that one in the comments section!)<br /><br />Leaving behind what has been life on <i>Mediocre Lane</i> in Colombia might just lead me to <i>Awful Alley</i>. Then again, it could be the way to that lesser-spotted <i>Easy Street</i>. Time to set forth and find out while I still can.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.</div><div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2732538313987233397.post-8138310016513557112023-07-18T11:37:00.002-05:002023-10-09T15:10:08.481-05:00Exacting revenge<a href="https://twitter.com/wwaycorrigan" target="_blank"><i>@wwaycorrigan</i></a><br /><br /><div>[For an audio version of this blog story, click <a href="https://youtu.be/Q98ZcRlB7-o" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.]<br /><br /><i><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">I</span></b></i>n a memorable episode — few were forgettable, in fairness — of the hit 1990s TV sitcom, Father Ted, the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4BlTWHHJGQ&t=8s" target="_blank"><i>no-nonsense, hot-tempered Bishop Brennan gets a kick up the posterior</i></a> from the comedy classic's title character.<br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gqYGL2At8TG6U6yahosijs7zjoWoFZLmh01rvE1OjzJjxRnCIsD_QTlHgYEsCB62uiaSe1Qv0kxTPLhb5a6IEm8qKTcQCr3PKzd6NSpzfMJPPinCIwCV3_ftcFRbb9ARfabDztatc7Oo0LNI9ih61QL4eOcN8nauJSNvweHure76AKzBo4jNIWSye_Sb/s1280/Exacting%20revenge.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Exacting revenge: Constantly thinking of revenge can be fatiguing." border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gqYGL2At8TG6U6yahosijs7zjoWoFZLmh01rvE1OjzJjxRnCIsD_QTlHgYEsCB62uiaSe1Qv0kxTPLhb5a6IEm8qKTcQCr3PKzd6NSpzfMJPPinCIwCV3_ftcFRbb9ARfabDztatc7Oo0LNI9ih61QL4eOcN8nauJSNvweHure76AKzBo4jNIWSye_Sb/w400-h225/Exacting%20revenge.jpg" title="Exacting revenge: Constantly thinking of revenge can be fatiguing." width="400" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Revenge: It's often best put on the long finger.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Dazed and enraged</b></h3>Ted was forced into this almost-suicidal <i>shoe of strength</i> after being exposed as a cheat while managing a football team against his arch-rival priest, Dick Byrne. Kicking Bishop Brennan up the arse was the forfeit.<br /><br />When a near-perfect scenario arises where the deed can be carried out, Ted duly delivers the hit.<br /><br />Considering the fear he instils in his inferiors, Bishop Brennan can't believe what's happened.<br /><br />The next few scenes show <i>His Grace</i> in a stupor as he makes his way to Rome for an audience with the Pope. It's only at the Vatican, facing Pope John Paul II, that Bishop Brennan snaps out of this stupor and realises that he did indeed get kicked up the arse.<br /><br />Cue a rush back to Ireland to confront Father Ted.<br /><br />A slapstick comedy this show may have been, yet I often find myself referring to it for solace, of sorts. That and the fact that many of its silly scenes accurately reflect real life.<br /><br />While I haven't been in a stupor to the extent Bishop Brennan was, I have been regularly distracted by thoughts of an episode that has, or at least had, left me disillusioned. (See both <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/the-fiendish-frenemy.html" target="_blank"><i>The fiendish frenemy</i></a> and <a href="https://wwcorrigan.blogspot.com/2023/06/bogged-down-in-bogota.html" target="_blank"><i>Bogged down in Bogotá</i></a> for more on that.)<br /><blockquote><i><b>'What had made the rage so acute was the belief that outside of, unwisely, taking matters more firmly into my own hands, I felt rather powerless.'</b></i></blockquote>That the borrower in my previously documented money-lending saga has started to re-engage in the repayment process is helping to lessen the disillusionment.<br /><br />I did also, à la Bishop Brennan, have my snap-out-of-it moment, the result of which was a verbal attack — or two — on my loanee friend/frenemy. It appears to have cleared the heavy air that had, understandably enough, existed between us, although at the time it seemed like it had finally put an end to any pretence of friendship.</div><div><br /><h3 style="text-align: left;"><b>Power struggle</b></h3>Nonetheless, this whole loan affair has left a sour taste. It's likely to linger for quite a while. What's more, as alluded to, there is still money to be repaid.<br /><br />Yet, those feelings of rage with an accompanying desire to exact revenge of some sort have dissipated.<br /><br />What had made such feelings so acute was the belief that outside of, unwisely, taking matters <i>more firmly</i> into my own hands, I felt rather powerless. An omnipotent Bishop Brennan dealing with an unruly understudy I was not.<br /><br />Sure, the borrower and I had signed a legally binding document but going the legal route to get this money repaid would most likely result in more pain rather than any pay, particularly in Colombia.<br /><br />The only viable approach I've had throughout, without potentially creating more problems, has been to play the waiting game.<br /><br />A couple of verbal shots fired in frustration aside, this is largely how I've played it. I have been fairly patient and understanding, if I do say so myself.<br /><br />However it finally plays out, enough has happened thus far to ensure this money-lending episode will live long in the memory. It's been a kick in the posterior one has to learn from.<br />__________________________________________________________<br />Listen to The Corrigan Cast podcast <a href="https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/brendan-corrigan" target="_blank"><i><b>here</b></i></a>.<br /><br />Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/wrongwaycorriganblog" target="_blank"><i>Wrong Way Corrigan — The Blog</i></a> & <a href="https://www.facebook.com/iquizbogota" target="_blank"><i>IQuiz "The Bogotá Pub Quiz"</i></a>.</div><div><br /></div>Wrong Way Corriganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10683169906289073239noreply@blogger.com0Bogotá, Bogota, Colombia4.7109885999999994 -74.072092-23.599245236178845 -109.228342 33.021222436178846 -38.915842