hectic
The turn of the millennium of our time corresponds approximately to the end of the 13th cycle or bakun of the Maya calendar, on 21 December 2012. Since then, time seems to be accelerating, and we are stuffing more and more content into every day.
We owe this speedy development to our competition, the semiconductors. These tiny chips have forced their effectivity on us. That’s why we are not only chronically-electronically charged, but under constant pressure to make more of a life that used to be more leisurely. Living in the here and now means arming ourselves with crash helmets and rain jackets and throwing ourselves onto our ecologically certified bikes, to take off in search of a time already lost one hundred and ten years ago. That’s how old Marcel Proust’s monumental work is this year.
What saves us is nature, and I am very optimistic in that respect. We can spend time outdoors again and decompress if we are not constantly on our cell phones or PCs. Let’s leave them at home and do without incessant availability. The word smacks of sacrifices made with religious devotion on the inexorable altar of success. Priorities set; regimes enforced. More time is less, and what for
A good time was had by all on Bicycle Day. We would like to make this memorable event an annual celebration from now on so it may grow and prosper. First, it is a beautiful route and second, there was a little sensation. A few of us were invited to the house where Albert Hofmann lived when he made his famous first intentional LSD trip. He must have felt so miserable that he headed for the next best seating so he could at least die lying down. The couch he threw himself on stood right next to the entrance. At some point we will see the house and the living room and meet the current owners: Swiss television accompanied us, sending two cameramen and a female director. More about their documentary in due course.
Wishing you a wonderful spring!
Yours,
Susanne G. Seiler
P.S. You’ll find us at the gaialounge, Hochstrasse 70 (behind Basel’s SBB station, tram stop Peter Merian), every Thursday afternoon from 14 – 18 h. Welcome!
uptown minneapolis, minnesota
parked outside my apartment is somehow certain,
I have a hard time believing winter is somehow,
all of a sudden, over — the worst one of my life,
the woman at the bank tells me. Though I’d like to be,
it’s impossible to be prepared for everything.
Even the mundane hum of my phone catches me
off guard today. Every voice that says my name
Is a voice I don’t think I could possibly leave
(it’s unfair to not ask for the things you need)
even though I think about it often, even though
leaving is a train headed somewhere I’d probably hate.
Crossing Lyndale to meet a friend for coffee
I have to maneuver around a hearse that pulled too far
into the crosswalk. It’s empty. Perhaps spring is here.
Perhaps it will all be worth it. Even though I knew
even then it was worth it, staying, I mean.
Even now, there is someone, somehow, waiting for me.
Hieu Minh Nguyen