Category Archives: Dune

No Really, This Too Shall Pass

(Just dust in the wind, dude) A few months back, I had a powerful feeling of nostalgia. Before our daughter was born my wife and liked to play computer games: Halo, Diablo 2, Age of Empires (my wife always play … Continue reading

Posted in Buddhism, Dune, Religion | Tagged | 9 Comments

Long Gone: The Ancient Egyptians

When I was in high-school, I remember spending a lot of time at home, reading about ancient civilizations. I would listen to my Seattle grunge music1 and read long books from the school library about the Sumerians, the Egyptians, Babylonians, … Continue reading

Posted in Dune, Literature, Philosophy, Religion, Seattle, Zelazny | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Coffee and Tea: My Adventures and Woes

This post is dedicated to reader “Kendall” who inquired about this recently. Coffee has been my life for years. I am sure I have spent thousands of dollars in the last 10 years drinking nice coffee from the many excellent … Continue reading

Posted in Cooking, Dune, Health, Japan, Korea | Tagged , | 6 Comments

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

Wow, I recently found out about this song and video by the provocative Korean group, Brown Eye Girls (mentioned here as well), and I had to share it. The song, Cleansing Cream, is quite an inspired piece of cinematography, but … Continue reading

Posted in Buddhism, Dune, Hosso, Korea, KPop, Music | Tagged | Leave a comment

The Water of Life

The spice extends life. The spice expands consciousness. –Dune, 1984 This is me grinding some excellent coffee by Caffé Vita, a local “micro-roaster” here in Seattle. Many parts of the world are famous for wine varieties, but Seattle? Coffee. We … Continue reading

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Suck it up!

I found this in an old notebook of mine recently. It was something I clipped out of an issue of GQ Magazine probably 9 or 10 years ago, then taped onto the inside of the notebook cover: I think that … Continue reading

Posted in Dune, General, Literature | 2 Comments

The Trouble with Power

This is one of the last poems found in the Hyakunin Isshu anthology. I found it thought-provoking: [93] 世の中は Yo no naka wa つねにもがもな Tsune ni mo ga mo na なぎさこぐ Nagisa kogu あまの小舟の Ama no obune no 綱手かなしも Tsuna … Continue reading

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Harvest Time!

As October draws to a close, it’s harvest time. It’s fitting that the first poem of the Hyakunin Isshu poem anthology talks about this: 秋の田の Aki no ta no かりほの庵の kariho no io no 苫をあらみ toma wo arami わが衣手は waga … Continue reading

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Shogi Master vs. Machine

The game of shogi or Japanese Chess is something I haven’t discussed in a long, long, long, LONG time in this blog.1 For a time before I moved to Ireland, I played Shogi regularly with co-workers and a few Japanese … Continue reading

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Bad Habits

Recently, while looking for a different quotation I found this one from the Dhammapada: 371. Meditate, O monk! Do not be heedless. Let not your mind whirl on sensual pleasures. Heedless, do not swallow a red-hot iron ball, lest you … Continue reading

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