so this post has essentially been born from the title. at this moment i have no idea what i am going to write, but i have been thinking about the title for a few days and i know that it will inspire me.
so what exactly is a hustler. the most common definition seems to be that it is someone who makes money by doing some thing illegal, be that selling drugs, pimping hoes, ripping people off in their store by fixing the scales, scalping tickets, selling bootleg CDs, or something else of that nature. now all of these activities have a highly negative connotation, at least in our (american) culture. it seems that people think that doing something that is agaisnt the law is wrong. this is where i start to diverge from the populace. the fact that some activity is prohibited by the law does not mean anything to me in terms of determining its rightness or wrongness, its moral value, if you will. that is not to say that i think that selling crack and pimping hoes is right, because those activities do score negatively on my goodness scale. i think that more than legality, how it affects people should be more important. for example, selling bootleg CDs. i dont think that it is especially despicalble (and i dont think most people want bootleggers jailed or anything like that.) the truth is that it really doesnt hurt anyone, the recording artist and the record label will make a little less money (the label loosing more than the artest, who gets robbed in a more wrong way [in my opinion i suppose (i dont have any stats on this)] by the record label than by bootleggers) but at the point where bootlegging amounts to any significant quantity the artist is more than conforably wealthy, so the lost money does not traslate into physical suffering, as the loss of the bootlegging might result to the bootlegger and his family. he should get another job you say, one thats legal. well that is a point, but the fact is that good (as in ones that support you and your family, but dont enslave you) jobs are few and far between, and i think that the exitment of the hustle make up for the risks.
a distinction i think i should make is the difference between selling weed and selling crack. it is very important to look at who is getting hurt in these cases. in most cases weed sold in the northeastern united states is grown in canada or locally by voluntary growers who are doing very well for themselves, and while at times it is retailed by organized criminals, i think the vast majority are small time dealers (not to deny the fact that there are some big timers making money on big deals, these guys carry guns and would not be afraid to kill someone.) people who smoke weed are not going to die, their lives are not going to be ruined, they are not going to lose everything. this is not true int he case of crack. cocaine is produced mostly (if not entirely) in south america, by farmers who are often compelled to grow coca. despite the astronomical prices that cocaine gets in the united states, these growers live meager lives, barely better, if at all, than any other peasant farmer in latin america, plus the risk of being at the mercy of drug lords, the DEA and corrupt governments. in america, cocaine and crack are moved almost exclusively by gangs and organized crime, and it is almost always surrounded by violence. the user of crack or even cocaine is taking a SERIOUS risk on their lives, guaranteedly shortening them, if not losing them during consumption. the point is, when you sell crack you're almost directly leading to peoples lives getting ruined, both in the US and abroad, whereas if your selling weed, your usually supporting nonviolent resistance to the man (joke), usually the worse case scenario is a decrease in productivity of the users, and no serious damage, not to mention the medical and psychological benefits (yes i think there are benefits in some cases, not all, or even most, but some). you are essentially doing no more harm than the local liquor store.
essentially the reason that im writing this entry is because i think that husteling is not necessarily wrong and i think that there should be a code of conduct that guides the actions of any respectable hustler. although i think stealing is wrong for example, i think that there is an ethical way to go about it. stealing brings upon negative karma, but some kinds of stealing affect you much more negatively than others. for example i think it is wrong to steal from people that will feel the loss. mugging somone, pickpocketing, and other such personal assualts i find to be despicable because you are directly hurting another human being. another case altogether is that of stealing from a department store for example, or a credit card company. i think that it is much better to steal from someone like that. when you steal from a supermarket no one gets hurt. the employees have no stake in the profits the store turns, in fact i think they are being hustled even worse in a way, because they have to work so many hours to etch out such a meager living. and this is despite the fact that the company is making a killing. they make such a killing in fact that they wont even feel the loss. it is also better to steal from necessity than from cleptomania.
i think an example of morally defensable husteling is ticket scalping for example. in this case no one gets hurt. the ticket sellers still get the money they asked for, and the ticket scalpers take a risk. if the event doesnt sell out the scalpers will have to sell the tickets at a loss, if at all. when they do make money, its not that they are robbing the buyer, in most cases they could have got the ticket at face value if they had been more alert, but since there is a high demand, they should not object to paying a higher price.
i think that part of the husteling code should be to give back some of the money that is made. for example, if you make a killing scalping tickets, then you should take a few and give them to your friends or something, or better yet give them to someone you dont know. i think this goes along with the notion of flow. i was always told that when the river flows it nourishes, but when it stagnates it poisons. if you try to hoard things it will poison you. if you are successful at the time, be generous with people who are not, because there will come a time when the tables will be turned and you will be glad to recieve a helping hand. this is actually a manifestation of the law of karma. thats why i always stand up on the bus, because when the day comes that i am very tired and want to sit down, i have faith that there will be a place for me to sit. perhaps a random analogy, but i was riding the bus today, sooo.
my mother always told me, when you're doing something wrong, do it right. i think that if you are going to participate in illegal activities, they require an even higher level of integrity in order to be successful. the only way for things not to deteriorate for violence is for all parties to be very upfront and honest. this is true in life in general, but especially in the case of the underground.
i think that in the end it comes down to this: pimp the system, not the people. it is better to scalp tickets than sell crack; bootleg cds than mugg people; commit credit card fraud than rob a house.
i also want to say that i think that alot of 'legal' money making schemes seem like a more despicable hustle than some of the illegal ones. shit like enron for example, or the way that the government feeds the peoples money into their favorite corporations. that seems like the most despicable kind of hustle to me. not only do they directly hurt people (the people jyped by unethical spending, and the people paying for the spending) but they hurt them by the millions. i also think its wrong for a CEO to make so much money when someone working in this company might make minimum wage, and i bet that broke cat works alot harder, in terms of hours, sweat, and tears, too. i should also note that husteling isnt free money either. selling bootleg dvds for example is a GRIND. i see all these african imigrants here who work all day for, at best, 150 euros. and they are constantly getting all their merchandise taken by the cops.
life is good here in spain. ive been working at my moms friends house, landscaping odly enough. not all that exiting, which is why i havnt really written about it, and it takes a good amount of time, which is why i havnt written about much else.
peace my friends.
im not sure how this came out. i wrote it over a few days so it might seem a bit disconnected, and maybe i forgot some things i wanted to say. it was an idea. i hope you like it.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Monday, November 13, 2006
Alhambra by Day
so me and dad took the necessary trip to the alhambra on wednesday. i was very happy to finally go since ive been here. its really the most magnificent and special part of granada, in fact its what makes granada special. that towering palace looking down on the city, with the nightime lighting only enhancing its mystery. it is a work of art on the most massive scale. and the beautiful exterior doesnt hold a match to the exquisite mysteries hidden within.
now i dont really know how to go about this whole literary word game. i feel like im standing in the middle of the desert trying to talk about sand. or whatever thats supposed to mean. point is, i dont know how to do justice to something so unspeakably magical as the alhambra. there will be pictures at the end for when the thousand words come frustratingly short.
the extertior. it is the royal city on a hill. there is a wall running all the way around it, which in fact extended throughout the major neighborhoods of granada at the time of Al-Andaluz, as the time period is known, and from where Andalucia derives its name. there are some thirty odd towers that run along this wall, complete with all kinds of doorways, and tunnels, and such. there are several doors into the fortress all of which seemed pretty impenetrable to me when they were meant to be. fact has it that there are hidden tunnels that run all along the albayzin. legend has it that there are tunnels that run from the alhambra to the albayzin. now, my own judgement would lead me to beleive that it is quite likely that there are tunnels in the albayzin. it also seems likely that there are tunnels in the alhambra. now since there is a river that runs between the alhambra and the albayzin i sort of doubt that these crazy arabs would have been able to build such a diesel tunnel. now what i think was the case is that there were secret tunnels running to the edge of the river on either bank but that a stealthy individual would have to exit to cross the water. i guess its not that bad in the end. so basically the outside of this jump off is big and powerful but it is not as imposing as some of the behemoths left over from the christian era.
the inside. three words: palaces, pimping, palaces. the muslum palaces are so subtle from the outside, and when you get inside they are beyond exquisite. everything from the arquitecture to the detailed plasterwork on EVERY SINGLE inch of the palaces speaks of a sense of quality that no longer exists. imagine being the artist responsible for making the carvings that you will see below, and having to replicate it thousands of times, each identical to the original. the thought of it all painted is the stuff out of fantasy and halucination. the interior in its full splendor would be an acid junky's wet dream. every inch is covered in a beautiful geometric design, or in ornate caligraphy which repeats 'wa la galiba illa ala' Allah is the only victorious won. the most spectacular aspect of the alhambra however is the masterful control of the water. on top of a hill, the water was piped in acueducts from the mountain above. from there it flows through hundreds of little canals, fountains, gardens, pools, baths. the water never stops running. nowadays the old antique system has been refurbished with pumpes and gauges, but in the past the entirety of the water works were designed in, they could not be added later, it had to all be fitted into the master plan. and what a stunning master plan it is. there is nothing i can say, and no picture i can show you, that will bring you even close to understanding what i am talking about. in truth i hope to see you all in granada to visit what will hopefully soon be a wonder of the modern world (it seems its being voted on at the moment, i dont really know who votes on this kinds thing, they must have some sort of electoral college of scholars and other such wusses).
the gardens. the gardens are my favorite part of the alhambra. me and dad basically stopped and sat in most of the gardens we passed. this is the best way to see the alhambra, with like 6-8 hours to spare, just sort of waltzing around, chillin out in all the gardens. taking time to smell the roses if you know what i mean. but yea the gardens are fucking insane. it makes the new york botanical garden look like the parking lot at giants stadium. i mean its crazy. dad says that there are things that simply cannot be done in NY because of the winter, but they surely can be done here. huge walls covered in purple morning glories, huge sort of tunnel style hedges, pools lined wiht all kinds or rose bushes emmiting such a seductive aroma. each garden is accented by the gentle sound of running water soothing and lulling you into sitting down in each and every one.
finally the view. it is really the best view of the city, the albayzin, and the surrounding provinces. it sort of makes you feel like that prince(ss) from that time long long ago sitting in one of the gardens, orlooking out a window, or standing atop a mighty tower, and just looking out on the beaurtiful sights.
bla bla bla
love emi
"wa la galiba illa ala"
the alhambra from the albayzin
the albayzin from the alhambra
the view of Granada from the highest tower
the roof of a room. a star coming out of a square.
El Palacio de los Leones. supposedly the water came out of a different lions mouth every hour. twice a day. 12 lions. no machines. damn
the inside of the tallest room. completely covered in plasterwork.
some more caligraphy. i study arabic, and i dont really make out any letters, and certainly ccany read it
the inside of the palace. PIMP
some elaborate plasterwork
The wall of Morning Glories
some more pimp shit
and a little ol garden. not bad eh?
until next time my friends
as a side note. if the anonymous comentator from a while back would like to introduce himself pemiliano@gmail.com is where to find me. if not there is no problem. it was a pleasure.
now i dont really know how to go about this whole literary word game. i feel like im standing in the middle of the desert trying to talk about sand. or whatever thats supposed to mean. point is, i dont know how to do justice to something so unspeakably magical as the alhambra. there will be pictures at the end for when the thousand words come frustratingly short.
the extertior. it is the royal city on a hill. there is a wall running all the way around it, which in fact extended throughout the major neighborhoods of granada at the time of Al-Andaluz, as the time period is known, and from where Andalucia derives its name. there are some thirty odd towers that run along this wall, complete with all kinds of doorways, and tunnels, and such. there are several doors into the fortress all of which seemed pretty impenetrable to me when they were meant to be. fact has it that there are hidden tunnels that run all along the albayzin. legend has it that there are tunnels that run from the alhambra to the albayzin. now, my own judgement would lead me to beleive that it is quite likely that there are tunnels in the albayzin. it also seems likely that there are tunnels in the alhambra. now since there is a river that runs between the alhambra and the albayzin i sort of doubt that these crazy arabs would have been able to build such a diesel tunnel. now what i think was the case is that there were secret tunnels running to the edge of the river on either bank but that a stealthy individual would have to exit to cross the water. i guess its not that bad in the end. so basically the outside of this jump off is big and powerful but it is not as imposing as some of the behemoths left over from the christian era.
the inside. three words: palaces, pimping, palaces. the muslum palaces are so subtle from the outside, and when you get inside they are beyond exquisite. everything from the arquitecture to the detailed plasterwork on EVERY SINGLE inch of the palaces speaks of a sense of quality that no longer exists. imagine being the artist responsible for making the carvings that you will see below, and having to replicate it thousands of times, each identical to the original. the thought of it all painted is the stuff out of fantasy and halucination. the interior in its full splendor would be an acid junky's wet dream. every inch is covered in a beautiful geometric design, or in ornate caligraphy which repeats 'wa la galiba illa ala' Allah is the only victorious won. the most spectacular aspect of the alhambra however is the masterful control of the water. on top of a hill, the water was piped in acueducts from the mountain above. from there it flows through hundreds of little canals, fountains, gardens, pools, baths. the water never stops running. nowadays the old antique system has been refurbished with pumpes and gauges, but in the past the entirety of the water works were designed in, they could not be added later, it had to all be fitted into the master plan. and what a stunning master plan it is. there is nothing i can say, and no picture i can show you, that will bring you even close to understanding what i am talking about. in truth i hope to see you all in granada to visit what will hopefully soon be a wonder of the modern world (it seems its being voted on at the moment, i dont really know who votes on this kinds thing, they must have some sort of electoral college of scholars and other such wusses).
the gardens. the gardens are my favorite part of the alhambra. me and dad basically stopped and sat in most of the gardens we passed. this is the best way to see the alhambra, with like 6-8 hours to spare, just sort of waltzing around, chillin out in all the gardens. taking time to smell the roses if you know what i mean. but yea the gardens are fucking insane. it makes the new york botanical garden look like the parking lot at giants stadium. i mean its crazy. dad says that there are things that simply cannot be done in NY because of the winter, but they surely can be done here. huge walls covered in purple morning glories, huge sort of tunnel style hedges, pools lined wiht all kinds or rose bushes emmiting such a seductive aroma. each garden is accented by the gentle sound of running water soothing and lulling you into sitting down in each and every one.
finally the view. it is really the best view of the city, the albayzin, and the surrounding provinces. it sort of makes you feel like that prince(ss) from that time long long ago sitting in one of the gardens, orlooking out a window, or standing atop a mighty tower, and just looking out on the beaurtiful sights.
bla bla bla
love emi
"wa la galiba illa ala"
the alhambra from the albayzin
the albayzin from the alhambra
the view of Granada from the highest tower
the roof of a room. a star coming out of a square.
El Palacio de los Leones. supposedly the water came out of a different lions mouth every hour. twice a day. 12 lions. no machines. damn
the inside of the tallest room. completely covered in plasterwork.
some more caligraphy. i study arabic, and i dont really make out any letters, and certainly ccany read it
the inside of the palace. PIMP
some elaborate plasterwork
The wall of Morning Glories
some more pimp shit
and a little ol garden. not bad eh?until next time my friends
as a side note. if the anonymous comentator from a while back would like to introduce himself pemiliano@gmail.com is where to find me. if not there is no problem. it was a pleasure.
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
Party and Bullshit
so many things have happened since we last talked. dad came to visit on friday and we've been kicking it since. dad, mom, and i, along with some of moms friends all went out on saturday night, and i must say that it was one of the livliest ones that ive had in a while. the last two weeks or so ive been on that monk status, in the sense that ive been getting out of town on the weekends (to the plantation) and havent gone out. it is the only way to achieve my aim of not smoking or drinking, both of which i find to hamper my reading, soccer playing, and meditation. so anyway, it was nice to go out a little bit with the fam, and we ended up in an afterhours spot where me and dad left at like 530. thats right, my dad was out until 530, although his only excuse is that it was only 1130 NY time. so anyway, it was a great night, it was really nice to see mom and dad hanging out and just kickin it, i cant remember the last time i seen it.
after waking up appropraitely late for the time we got home, me and dad headed out to his friend david deans house. we got there at like 5 only to find that no one was home odly enough, so we headed to the nearest town for some beers and dinner. we ended up catching the real madrid game which was nice and when we finally went to the house it was only to find one hell of a party going on. well this man david dean is something like the czech protector. appartently his house is always full of people from the czech republic that he brings in to do work around his place. so anyway, we walked into the place to find some shit out of a movie. imagine a long rectangular room lit by candles with eastern european (i suppose czech to be precise) music BLASTING. we walked in pretty much sober to find everyone in a state of madness. im not quite sure what drugs were in use, but i later found out that they had been drinking whiskey for breakfast that morning, just to give u the tone. needless to say i was anxious to get the duby snacks rolled up and enter into the communal mayhem. these cats were fucking crazy, it was really out of a movie, i mean, they were just shaking up beers and spraying them on eachother, they were just pouring wine all over the place. one guy, andre, decided to start chucking glasses over his shoulder.
so i woke up the next morning only to discover where i was. this place is ill. it is a small village (and by small i mean small, as in 20 houses). the whole village is off the grid, they have their own water supply which is pumped up from the spring that is born about a km upstream from them using a hydrolic ram pump which appartently uses the weight of the water to pump itself up aabout 100m. it was quite impressive. (now i am speaking about davids house since i dont quite know whats good with the others) the electicity is supplied by an array of solar panels that line many of the houses, which a gas generator for rainey days. they have to bring in their own drinking water from a nearby mountain spring becasue the local one is full of gypsum and not very tasty at all. the negative aspect of all this, is that when david installed all of his solar panels and such it ended up costing him over 35000 euros, not exactly chump change. i am really interested in this living off the grid buisnes because i fear the day may come when this will be the only, or best, way to survive.
davids house itself is really magical and quite beautiful. one of the czechs that has stayed at his house, and mine for that matter, is my sisters friend myra. myra is a terrific painter, i mean really spectacular, his artwork is visible in the suns he painted in my house, but there are some truly exquisite pieces at davids, that i photographed for you.
thhis was painted in a small door in the house, the effect of seeing it for the first time is surreal. The Time Gate
and this is his other piece Queen Kaya III. both of them are spectacular, this one is like 4'x3'. being such a bad painter, i really appreciate a good painting, especially when its done on a large scale. any sort of mural type painting really dumbfounds me. i love it.
this and the following paintings were made by other people, but are still excellent. this is a mandala in the center of the living room. the quality is superb. it must be at least 5'x5'.
and me dad and david dean in front of it.
now this shit is huge, it must be like 15'x12'. it is absurdly beautiful and well made. these paintings are an example of the kind of talent people have who are almost totally unknown. i hope that i too will be able to take people in when i have a place of my own, be able to help them out, and have such beautiful tokens to remember them by.
and finally a picture of me hiking in the hills around davids house with dad.
peace and love
em
after waking up appropraitely late for the time we got home, me and dad headed out to his friend david deans house. we got there at like 5 only to find that no one was home odly enough, so we headed to the nearest town for some beers and dinner. we ended up catching the real madrid game which was nice and when we finally went to the house it was only to find one hell of a party going on. well this man david dean is something like the czech protector. appartently his house is always full of people from the czech republic that he brings in to do work around his place. so anyway, we walked into the place to find some shit out of a movie. imagine a long rectangular room lit by candles with eastern european (i suppose czech to be precise) music BLASTING. we walked in pretty much sober to find everyone in a state of madness. im not quite sure what drugs were in use, but i later found out that they had been drinking whiskey for breakfast that morning, just to give u the tone. needless to say i was anxious to get the duby snacks rolled up and enter into the communal mayhem. these cats were fucking crazy, it was really out of a movie, i mean, they were just shaking up beers and spraying them on eachother, they were just pouring wine all over the place. one guy, andre, decided to start chucking glasses over his shoulder.
so i woke up the next morning only to discover where i was. this place is ill. it is a small village (and by small i mean small, as in 20 houses). the whole village is off the grid, they have their own water supply which is pumped up from the spring that is born about a km upstream from them using a hydrolic ram pump which appartently uses the weight of the water to pump itself up aabout 100m. it was quite impressive. (now i am speaking about davids house since i dont quite know whats good with the others) the electicity is supplied by an array of solar panels that line many of the houses, which a gas generator for rainey days. they have to bring in their own drinking water from a nearby mountain spring becasue the local one is full of gypsum and not very tasty at all. the negative aspect of all this, is that when david installed all of his solar panels and such it ended up costing him over 35000 euros, not exactly chump change. i am really interested in this living off the grid buisnes because i fear the day may come when this will be the only, or best, way to survive.
davids house itself is really magical and quite beautiful. one of the czechs that has stayed at his house, and mine for that matter, is my sisters friend myra. myra is a terrific painter, i mean really spectacular, his artwork is visible in the suns he painted in my house, but there are some truly exquisite pieces at davids, that i photographed for you.
thhis was painted in a small door in the house, the effect of seeing it for the first time is surreal. The Time Gate
and this is his other piece Queen Kaya III. both of them are spectacular, this one is like 4'x3'. being such a bad painter, i really appreciate a good painting, especially when its done on a large scale. any sort of mural type painting really dumbfounds me. i love it.
this and the following paintings were made by other people, but are still excellent. this is a mandala in the center of the living room. the quality is superb. it must be at least 5'x5'.
and me dad and david dean in front of it.
now this shit is huge, it must be like 15'x12'. it is absurdly beautiful and well made. these paintings are an example of the kind of talent people have who are almost totally unknown. i hope that i too will be able to take people in when i have a place of my own, be able to help them out, and have such beautiful tokens to remember them by.
and finally a picture of me hiking in the hills around davids house with dad.peace and love
em
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