nick’s (n)-line life

::sigh:: what can I say, after a hard day full of (boring) exam revision with Ruthey I came home to pick up my emails, news and web logs. It’s nice to see my blog has found an audience already, somewhat less nice that some of my audience was brought here with the search phrase “free hardcore sex on the net“. From this I can only conclude one thing: there are just too many perverts on the net! :lol: It’s not exactly the reaction I had expected from that China article!

On top of this, as I was digging through my newsgroup subscriptions I was confronted with a post that made me realise something along similar lines. A large number of internet users might be considered rather odd, slightly unusual even. The particular message I’m referring to illustrates this nicely (and I don’t think I can resist having a go at the author). I know it’s a rather long but I couldn’t quite resist poking fun at the misguided righteousness and the sincerity with which it’s carried: [feel free to skip it and continue reading the blog underneath!]

Walking barefoot is special! It’s not just another fashion statement, it’s a lifestyle that comes with a philosophy! Living barefoot 24/7/365 I’m spending lot’s of time travelling, and I’m ALWAYS travelling barefoot. Whenever I meet another barefoot traveller – somewhere on the road – I know: We’ve LOADS in common, no matter from where we are, what we do! First of all, we’re sharing an incredible sensual experience: Feeling the ground beneath our bare soles! We’re getting exposed… Exposed to Mother Earth, the elements… Energy can flow freely. We’re not “separated” like those who are wearing shoes. And: We’ve opted for being “different”, choosing a lifestyle which is very special, ignoring certain “conventions”. That’s why we’re all facing the same reactions. The list is not exhaustive, but there’s no need to go into details! I’m sure you know what I mean: Somehow we’re all a big tribe…We’re from different countries, our way of life, even the way we dress might be different, but there’s ONE thing we all share: Our tough soles! It’s the token of our tribe! After one or two month, our soles adjust to our barefoot lifestyle… Easily… I’m proud of my tough, calloused soles: They’re the trademark of every true barefooter!

Living in India, I have plenty of opportunities to experience what you might call “extrme [sic] barefooting”. Well, even if conditions are tough – I’m keeping ‘em bare! Last October for example, I went for some extensive hiking in the Indian Himalayas. I’m absolutely sure: Many people wouldn’t even think about walking barefoot up there! But for me, there was no question: NO SHOES, not even in my backpack! The trek to the source of the Ganges river was a special experience: 36 km (18 km one way) of mountain trails, two nights in an open tent… Climbing over countless rocks, wading through ice-cold rivulets… Crossing little patches of snow… The temperature dropped to -2 ° C in the night… Extreme conditions indeed, but nothing my bare feet couldn’t cope with! On the way up to the source, 1 km before reaching the mighty glacier from where the Ganges origins, I asked a tourist if I was still on the right way. He replied that I’ll reach the source soon – adding: “If your bare feet are strong enough”! I was spending the night in an open tent together with other hikers. The morning was quite chilly, and while having a cup of chai, a girl from Tel Aviv admired my ability to “stay bare” in the cold! She told me she would love to do the hike barefoot too, and I assured her that after a few weeks of travelling barefoot, she’ll be able to do things like that without ever having to bother about her feet. On my way back I passed a couple in their early 30ies. The husband looked a bit surprised, spotting my tanned bare feet, but his wife gave me a big smile, saying: “Barefoot – that’s great”. Reaching the little town of Gangotri, the sky became more and more cloudy (after three days of almost uninterrupted sunshine), and the next morning it was rainy with temperatures below 10 ° C. Mine where the only pair of bare feet in the whole town (I was surprised to realize that even the sadhus were wearing flip-flops), and I got many comments, both from tourists and Indians: “Where are your shoes?”, “That must be cold”, “You’ll catch a cold” and things like that… More than one shopkeeper desperately tried to sell me a pair of sandals, even following me a few metre out in the rain… I didn’t care, and after 20 to 30 minutes of more or less brisk walking, my well-trained feet managed to adjust to the cold, a healthy reddish skin and warm feeling assuring me that everything was all right! Only three month later, my leathery soles got exposed to the hot streets of South India! Black tarmac can get quite hot in the afternoon sun, but I don’t mind as I don’t really feel the heat. It simply doesn’t feel uncomfortable anymore… If you’re an experienced long-time barefooter, you’ll know what I’m talking about!

There’s a group for everyone interested in travelling barefoot:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/barefoottravelling/
Enjoy!

Where do people come up with this rubbish? “we’re sharing an incredible sensual experience” What, not wearing shoes? I would have thought sharing their athlete’s foot and bodily odours was more acurate! “We’re getting exposed… Exposed to Mother Earth” you should watch that one guys, I seem to recall that exposure is a crime in the UK! And comments like “Somehow we’re all a big tribe…” make me think of other words like “cult”, “sect”, or maybe even “moron-collective”.

Ok, maybe I’m being harsh, but if you want to do incredibly stupid things like trekking in snow covered mountains without shoes, risking serious frostbite then that’s up to you. However, if you decide to parade this stupidity in front of the world as if it were something you should be proud of then that’s fine too but just don’t expect me to pat you on the back and tell you what a good idea it is! More so, this guy seems to be on some kind of recruitment drive ["pillocks incorporated" perhaps?] come on! I know the internet is a place of free opinions (that’s what blogging is all about) but some people do come out with some absolute cr*p! (and yes, I’m quite happy to include myself in this category from time to time! :p )

Let me throw you guys just a few words:

• broken glass
• snakes
• excrement (and other disease carrying products)
• harmful/toxic chemical pollution and spills
• parasitic worms which burrow into your skin

All of these things are on or in the ground. Why take these unnecessary risks? I’m not even convinced you’d be covered on a travel insurance policy (there’s a good argument these things aren’t covered as you are obliged to take reasonable care of yourself [and this might not be considered that reasonable!]).

ah well, that’s just people I guess. So… rant over… :)

As for me, today was a productive day and I covered three full supervisions of work with Ruth and learnt around 40 cases (wow, good going, huh? ;) ). Anyway, from now on I’m going to be rather quiet for the next week or so as I struggle to survive the evil exam season… wish me luck! :)