Washington Nationals vs Cleveland Guardians

Today's MLB game of choice finds the Washington Nationals playing the Cleveland Guardians. It has a scheduled start time of 5:10 PM CDT. As usual, I plan to follow the score and stats uploaded in real time on MLB's Gameday Screen where I'll also find audio links to the radio call of the game.

And the adventure continues.

there is a fountain near to where I am sitting, waiting for my food

Indian food

And there is a wind making the leaves rustle pleasantly, but I’m not paying any attention to this really

And the sky is blue with clouds like the windows xp desktop wallpaper

And the money I earn is slipping through my fingers

And the time, it’s slipping through my fingers

But I caught a whiff of garlic just now, which is cool because most days I smell nothing

Thank God they made me so strong

I like to use old manual typewriters to write letters to friends & family. I currently have a dozen of the things, most of them collected in the second half of the last decade, when, with a little patience, one could still buy them very inexpensively. Post-pandemic, prices have been higher, which is really just as well as it's helped discourage this collection from growing out of control. Despite that, I succumbed anew to the lure of acquisition this week, buying an Olivetti Lettera 32 via ebay (Fig. 22). I collected it from the seller on Friday.

It's a compact unit with some features evidently intended to keep the size & weight down, such as the stubby, folding return lever and the skinny spacebar. The overall design though was well thought-out so that these have no real adverse impact on usability. It has as light a typing action as any typewriter I've used, which is almost disconcerting, so accustomed am I to pressing keys with more force. I'm very pleased with how well it's working so far (Fig. 23).

There's no way I would have coughed up £50 for such a commonplace machine a decade ago, but in 2026 it didn't seem too steep an asking-price, especially given that this one had been so well looked after, with its carrying case intact and complete with original accessories such as its dust-cover, cleaning brushes and instruction card (Fig. 24). I'd hitherto had no luck with Olivetti portables, being disappointed by a Studio 42 that had irreparably seized up and a Lettera 35 that had suffered catastrophic damage in transit.

Among the second-hand jazz albums I picked up in Monmouth on Saturday: on CD, Mongo in Montreux, a thrilling live performance from 1971 by the renowned percussionist & his band (example track ‘Soleil’); The Art of Rhythm, a very agreeably easy-going late '90s CD led by trumpeter/flugelhornist and composer Tom Harrell (e.g. ‘Petals Danse’); and Joyride (on re-issued vinyl) by saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, recorded in 1965 with big-band accompaniments arranged by Oliver Nelson (example track: ‘River’s Invitation’).

The cheese of the week is Blue Wenallt, a relatively new offering made at Brooke’s Dairy in the nearby Wye Valley. It's just about as local a cheese as I can get. It's a softish variety made from the milk of Jersey cows and sold in small (200g) wheels. Its blue veins infiltrate through a creamy, yellow paste. While relatively mellow for a blue, its flavour is nevertheless satisfyingly complex.

photo © Annie

Last week I was in Bologna (hands down my favorite Italian city) for Cloud Native Days Italy 2026, a two-day conference centered around cloud native and everything that revolves around it.

The conference followed a very precise schedule: keynotes, talks, and lightning talks (many of which were sponsored) interspersed with coffee breaks and lunch.

The venue

Once again this year, the conference took place at the Savoia Hotel Regency congress center, and I can't help but appreciate it. The environment is spacious and bright on the inside, and outside you can relax by the pool or surrounded by greenery. The lunch and coffee breaks were also wonderful. We are in Bologna after all, aren't we?

Sponsor and community area

AKA gadget gathering!

Jokes aside, it was an excellent opportunity for networking and getting to know products and initiatives from companies and communities. Without going into detail about all the conversations I had, I just want to mention the folks from https://www.greensoftwareitalia.org because I believe their work is essential at a time like this.

In any case, the t-shirts, socks, bottle openers, keychains, hat, and lego sets were highly appreciated. :p

The talks

This is the list of talks I attended, along with a few comments:

Day 1

• Keynote: The hidden cognitive cost of cloud-native sprawl: making (and surviving) hundreds of choices a day an interesting topic of discussion, which I am not entirely a stranger to (having a behavioral scientist by my side), but which was interesting to analyze in relation to my world. An honorable mention for including links and references for every post/video/book.
• Intro to Calico Observability: a sponsored talk dedicated to Whisker, a network observability tool integrated into Calico (even in the open-source version!).
• API-First IDPs on Kubernetes: Unifying APIs, Workloads & Developer Experience: a talk about OpenChoreo, an IDP platform. The concept of IDP wasn't completely clear to me, but the problem it solves is quite common and relatable. Definitely something I would like to try introducing to my team as well.
• What Image-Based Systems Taught Us About Linux Distributions: Lessons From Kairos and Why We Built Hadron: Hadron is an immutable operating system built from scratch. As a nerd passionate about the topic, I was curious to understand the different approach adopted by the devs compared to, for instance, bootc.
• Osservabilità by Design con OTel Weaver: Weaver was defined by the speaker as “IaC for observability”, a beautiful definition.
• The Truth About GPU Sharing in Multi-Tenant Kubernetes: an introduction to how GPUs are “shared” on k8s.
• Oops-Driven Development: a funny lightning talk about the best practices to adopt in order to prevent the classic “oops” moments experienced by every (System/DevOps/Platform/Site Reliability) Engineer.
• SB💣💣M: Making SBOMs play together: the talk illustrates the research work and the related tool developed to connect different tools that produce SBOMs and the results of their analyses, demonstrating once again the need for some sort of standardization from vendors.
• Booting into Kubernetes with an Immutable OS: another interesting talk about immutable operating systems, analyzing the reasons behind their creation and what kind of use case they aim to solve, especially in a world as standardized as that of k8s.

Day 2

• Keynote: Open Source at CERN: how a research institution like CERN develops and releases open-source software. Personally, I was very happy that OpenStack was mentioned not just as the foundation of their infrastructure but as a flagship product, with a few slides showing the massive usage it sees internally.
• Applying CI/CD Patterns to Bootc Containers: an interesting talk by a colleague about integrating bootc into CI/CD pipelines with some practical examples.
• GitOps at Scale: Why Your Hub-and-Spoke Architecture is a Security Risk: one of the talks I enjoyed the most, featuring a comparison of various architectural approaches with their pros and cons.
• Open Source made in Italy: l'evoluzione cloud-native di ArubaCloud: in this lightning talk I learned how ArubaCloud has “transformed” from a classic hosting provider into something cloud-native friendly, offering SDKs, CLI tools, and a Terraform provider.
• What Should a Cloud-Native OS Look Like? Rethinking the Foundation of Modern Platforms: yet another talk dedicated to immutable OSs, illustrating why their model works in a cloud-native environment, how hyperscalers are behaving, and why it is important to define an open standard.
• Scraping logs on legacy microservices: an adventure in the land of YAML descriptors: logs, legacy microservices, YAML, logging operators –> the recipe for an interesting and ever-timely talk.
• Building, sharing, running and governing AI Agents: an AI-themed lightning talk from Docker. The speaker showed a demo of products related to the topic: Docker Sandboxes, Gordon, AI governance.
• From Cloud Native to Agentic Applications: Workflows & Observability: another talk I highly appreciated because it showed how to monitor the impact and costs of an “agentic” application developed with Dapr Workflow.
• Platform Engineering and AI Agents: Spec-Driven development for IaC: the speaker showed a demo of IaC development using a “spec-driven development” approach, particularly emphasizing potential security issues and how to mitigate them.

Takeaways

The conference talks were generally of excellent quality, and I am very glad that AI-themed talks did not monopolize the entire event, leaving room for topics that are, IMO, more interesting. The organizers did a great job from every perspective, and I was truly happy to have participated. I met colleagues and former colleagues, chatted about interesting topics, ate well, and I even won a CNCF voucher because I left the most feedback on the talks! :D

If I had to nitpick, I would say I'd like to see a lot more care taken to avoid completely AI-generated slides (sigh) and more effort to engage the community through open standards (the fediverse) rather than relying on the usual commercial social networks or messaging systems with questionable security standards. But that's another story.

See you on May 20, 2027, for the next edition!

Reading Taha Hussein's “Adeeb” from 1935, I came across a line describing banter as essential to authors as food, water, air, and smoke. Smoke here meaning tobacco. It might just be the first time I've read something that placed tobacco within the same hierarchy of needs as food and water.

The word “Adeeb” is an interesting one. It comes from the root “adab”, meaning literature, and is used to describe someone whose vocation is literature. But it implies more than the word “writer” (that would be “katib”), which by definition is focused on the doing of writing. It also implies more than “author” (that would be “mo'allif”). It's a far more broad term that evokes a sense of all-encompassing immersion in literature that doesn't quite have an English-language equivalent.

Scooped up a big pile of books from Cairo Book Fair (which was just gloriously insane) some months ago and finally getting around to making my way through them. Partly because I have been away from Arabic-language Egyptian literature for a long time now and realized how much I miss it (and boy is it different from most of what is churned out by the anglophone world), but partly also because PROJECT HOURGLASS will be produced in both English and Arabic and a good greasing of my Arabic-language functions is sorely in order.

#journal #reads #work #tnh

Am Montag Mittag bin ich in Vinnytsia in den Zug nach Przemysl gestiegen. Abends um 9 kam ich an, Grenze lief gut, ich war in ersten Waggon, und so weit vorn in der Schlange zur Kontrolle. Andere Deutschsprechende haben sich den Weg durch die Schlange geboxt, Fremdscham war am start. Die Nacht im Hostel war kurz, um halb 5 hat der Wecker geklingelt, seit um 5.15 Uhr sitze ich im Zug nach Berlin.

Im Hostel in Przemysl war das Zimmer zweigeteilt – mir wurde empfohlen hinten zu schlafen, falls ein ukrainischer Zug verspätet mitten in der Nacht kommt, und dann große Unruhe im Zimmer durch ankommende Gäste ist. Meine Gedanken machen folgendes: Verspätungen gibt es nur bei Angriffen – aber gerade wurde Kyiv so heftig angegriffen, so schnell passiert das doch nicht nochmal. Da ich selbst super früh aufstehen muss entscheide ich mich für vorn, um niemanden zu stören. Die Nacht war ruhig. Am nächsten morgen mache ich die Luftalarm-App aus. Ein Standby-Prozess weniger im Kopf.

Als ich in den Jahren zuvor zurück nach Deutschland gefahren bin, kam es mir unglaublich unfair vor, jetzt einfach wieder in Frieden weiterleben zu dürfen. Festivals zu besuchen, Glücklich zu sein, keine Einschränkungen im Leben wegen der russischen Vollinvasion. Und einen Tag im Zug weiter geht das einfach nicht. Die Leute haben keine Wahl, wenn sie die Ukraine verlassen, verlassen sie auch ihre Familie, Freundis, Heimat. Es ist verdammt unfair, gerade frage ich mich, ob ich allein in diesen kurzen Besuchen schon verroht bin, vielleicht ein bisschen.

Knapp 2000 km, 7 Stunden im ukrainischen Zug, 10 Stunden nach Berlin, und dann 4-5 Stunden nach Köln.

Es hätte noch so viel mehr zu berichten gegeben, aber dieser Blog ist auf jeden Fall ein Anfang. Und es war einige Stunden an Arbeit. Ich freue mich, wenn du den Blog in deinem sozialen Umfeld teilst, und auf die Situation in der Ukraine aufmerksam machst, auf beide Seiten. Dort ist Krieg, aber auch Alltag, es gibt viel zu entdecken, und leckeres Essen zu probieren. Spenden sind weiterhin eine super wichtige Unterstützung, egal ob Sachspenden, finanziell an große und kleine NGOs, oder direkt ans Militär.

Ich freue mich über meine Erfahrungen zu berichten, und Fragen zu beantworten, sowie Kontakte für Kooperationen zu knüpfen. Außerdem unterstütze ich dich gerne dabei, falls auch du eine Reise in die Ukraine starten möchtest, ich möchte herzlich dazu einladen, im Namen von allen, die ich vor Ort getroffen habe. Melde dich gern über folgende Mailadresse ;)

xakunu34.godise51@murena.io

On Monday afternoon I boarded the train to Przemysl in Vinnytsia. I arrived in the evening at 9, the border crossing went smoothly – I was in the first carriage, which meant I was pretty far up in the queue for the check. Some German speakers pushed their way through the line, embarrassing. The night at the hostel was short, the alarm went off at half past four, and I've been sitting on the train to Berlin since 5:15.

At the hostel my room was split in two – I was recommended to sleep at the back, in case a Ukrainian train arrives late in the middle of the night and incoming guests cause a lot of commotion in the room. My thinking went like this: delays only happen during attacks – but Kyiv had just been hit so heavily, something like that doesn't happen again that quickly. Since I had to get up super early myself, I decided to take the front spot so I wouldn't disturb anyone. The night was quiet at least. The next morning I turn off the air raid alert app. One less background process running in my head.

When I travelled back to Germany in previous years, it always felt incredibly unfair to just go back to living in peace. Going to festivals, being happy, no restrictions in life because of Russia's full-scale invasion. And just one day on the train further and that's simply not the case anymore. People don't have a choice – when they leave Ukraine, they also leave their family, friends, home. It's damn unfair. Right now I'm wondering whether I've already become a bit numb from these short visits alone. Maybe a little.

Almost 2,000 km, 7 hours on the Ukrainian train, 10 hours to Berlin, and then another 4–5 hours to Cologne.

There would have been so much more to write about, but this blog is definitely a start. And it took quite a few hours of work. I'd be really happy if you share the blog in your social circles and raise awareness about the situation in Ukraine – both sides of it. There's a war going on, but also everyday life, there's a lot to discover and delicious food to try. Donations remain incredibly important support, whether that's goods, financial contributions to large and small NGOs, or directly to the military.

I'm happy to share my experiences, answer questions, and connect with people for collaborations. I'd also love to help you if you're thinking about taking a trip to Ukraine yourself – I'd like to warmly invite you, on behalf of everyone I met there. Feel free to reach out via the email address below ;)

xakunu34.godise51@murena.io

Nach dem Camp war ich noch ein paar Tage in Vinnytsia, habe Freundis und Bekannte getroffen. Und viel Blog geschrieben.

Ich treffe eine Freundin, die gerade 2 Monate Freiwilligendienst in Rumänien hinter sich hat. Sie erzählt mir von einer Situation vor Ort: Sie war mit anderen unterwegs und müde, es war nach Mitternacht, und plötzlich hatte sie Panik, weil es nach 23 Uhr war. Ab 23 Uhr gilt in Vinnytsia, und grob um die Uhrzeit im ganzen Land, Ausgangssperre. Ihre Freundis haben sie daran erinnert, dass sie in Rumänien ist, sicher, und sie sich keine Sorgen machen muss. Jetzt lacht sie selbst darüber.

Aber ja, Nachtleben gibt es hier keines mehr, und der Abend endet früher. Restaurants und Bars machen meistens schon um 22 Uhr zu. Das gesamte “‘man trifft sich, genießt die Zeit, tanzt” passiert wenn überhaupt früher. Einen Freitag Abend war ich in Berschad mit meinen Gastschwestern unterwegs, dort wo sich die Jugend der Region trifft, ein Restaurant/ Bar “Mandarin”, ziemlich schick. Es war ordentlich was los, wurde ein bisschen getanzt, gegessen und getrunken. Alle waren sehr schick gekleidet, meine Gastschwester hat mir auch was von ihren Klamotten angeboten dafür, ich habe abgelehnt. Der Abend startet um 19 Uhr, sonst lohnt es sich kaum. Irgendwann wurde ein ukrainisches Lied gespielt, zu dem plötzlich der gesamte Laden auf die Tanzfläche gerannt kam, und es wurde im Kreis getanzt, sowie in dessen Mitte. Einige in der Mitte hatten ein Kissen in der Hand – dieses konnte vor eine Person aus dem Kreis auf den Boden gelegt werden, als Aufruf zum Kuss oder Umarmung, und gemeinsamem Tanz in der Mitte. Alle anderen wussten was passiert, waren voll dabei, und ich dann halt auch. Sehr spannend, sowas hab ich noch nicht gesehen. So gut die Stimmung in dem Moment war, nach dem Lied war es wieder ruhiger, und ab halb 11 hat sich der Laden geleert, wir waren um 23 Uhr quasi die letzten, die nach Hause gegangen sind. Der Altersdurchschnitt war so bei 15 / 16 Jahren, diese Generation wird so groß, und kennt nichts anderes. Die davor sind mit Corona bedingten Einschränkungen groß geworden.

Ich genieße die Zeit und die Gespräche über alltägliches, was im Leben so passiert, und was in Zukunft passiert. Ein Bekannter überlegt nach Deutschland zu kommen. Bis im Herbst ist er noch jung genug, danach darf auch er das Land nicht mehr verlassen. Dazu hatte er mir auch schon geschrieben. Ich erzähle ihm von der Situation in Deutschland: ja, früher oder später wird er Arbeit finden. Jedoch heißt es vorher viel Papierterror, warten, deutsch lernen. Auf einem quasi nicht existierenden Wohnungsmarkt eine Wohnung finden. Er sagt selbst dass er Angst vor Einsamkeit hat. Hier hat er seine Freundin, Familie und Arbeit, gerade tendiert er dazu in der Ukraine zu bleiben.

In der Nacht von Samstag auf Sonntag war Luftalarm, lang. In Vinnytsia ist nichts passiert, dafür hat es Kyiv umso schlimmer getroffen. Der Vater eines Freundes wohnt dort, und ist in dieser Nacht das zweite Mal seit Beginn der russischen Vollinvasion in den Luftschutzraum gegangen, weil es so übel gekracht hat. Alle die Familie und Bekannte im Raum Kyiv haben, vergewissern sich, dass es den Bekannten gut geht. Das passiert weder bei jedem Alarm, und auch nicht bei jedem Angriff. Diese Nacht war tatsächlich mit der schlimmste Angriff auf Kyiv. Die Tagesschau berichtete:

https://www.tagesschau.de/video/video-1588750.html

Ich mache letzte Besorgungen, zum Beispiel Lieblingsschokolade von Roshen, und finde mich damit ab, bald nach Hause zu fahren. Ich freue mich auf die Privatsphäre in meinem eigenen Zimmer, nachdem ich mir hier ununterbrochen mit anderen ein Zimmer, oder Hostelzimmer geteilt habe. Und gleichzeitig möchte ich wie immer auch in Vinnytsia bleiben. Es gibt immer noch so viel zu entdecken, ukrainisch verbessern, und die Stadt bietet einfach eine hohe Lebensqualität, wenn mensch die Kriegssituation ausblendet. Gerade habe ich aber auch Glück, da es warm genug ist, dass keine Heizung mehr gebraucht wurde, und es noch nicht so warm ist, dass es eine Klimaanlage bräuchte. Tatsächlich habe ich in der Zeit keinen einzigen Stromausfall erlebt, im Sommer und Winter war das seit der Vollinvasion nie der Fall.

After the Camp I spent some days in Vinnytsia, to meet friends and writing a lot in the blog.

I met a friend who had just completed 2 months of volunteer service in Romania. She told me about a situation there: she was out with others, tired, it was past midnight, and suddenly she panicked because it was after 11 pm. From 11 pm onwards, there's a curfew in Vinnytsia, and roughly at that time across the whole country. Her friends reminded her that she was in Romania, safe, and didn't need to worry. Now she laughs about it herself.

But yeah, there's no nightlife here anymore, and evenings end earlier. Restaurants and bars mostly close at 10 pm. All the “meeting up, enjoying the time, dancing” happens earlier, if at all. One Friday evening I was out in Berschad with my host sisters, where the youth of the region meets — a restaurant/bar called “Mandarin”, pretty fancy. It was quite busy, there was some dancing, eating and drinking. Everyone was dressed up nicely, my host sister even offered me some of her clothes for it, I declined. The evening starts at 7 pm, otherwise it's barely worth it. At some point a Ukrainian song came on, and suddenly the entire place ran onto the dance floor, dancing in a circle and in its centre. Some people in the middle had a cushion — this could be placed on the floor in front of someone from the circle, as an invitation to kiss or hug and dance together in the middle. Everyone else knew what was happening, was totally into it, and then so was I. Really fascinating, I'd never seen anything like it. As good as the atmosphere was in that moment, after the song it quieted down again, and from half past ten the place emptied out — we were practically the last ones to leave around 11 pm. The average age was around 15/16, this generation is growing up like this and knows nothing else. The one before them grew up with Covid restrictions.

In Vinnytsia I enjoy the time and the conversations about everyday life, what's going on, and what happens in the future. An acquaintance is considering coming to Germany. Until autumn he's still young enough, after that he too won't be allowed to leave the country anymore. He had already written to me about this. I tell him about the situation in Germany: yes, sooner or later he'll find work. But first comes a lot of bureaucracy, waiting, learning German. Finding an apartment in an essentially non-existent housing market. He says himself that he's afraid of loneliness. Here he has his girlfriend, family and work — right now he's leaning towards staying in Ukraine.

On the night from Saturday to Sunday there was an air raid alarm, a long one. Nothing happened in Vinnytsia, but Kyiv got hit hard. The father of a friend lives there, and that night he went to the air raid shelter for the second time since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, because the blasts were so severe. Everyone with family and friends in the Kyiv area checks in to make sure they're okay. This doesn't happen with every alarm, or even every attack. That night was actually one of the worst attacks on Kyiv. Tagesschau reported on it:

https://www.tagesschau.de/video/video-1588750.html

I run my last errands — like picking up my favourite Roshen chocolate — and come to terms with heading home soon. I'm looking forward to having privacy in my own room, after sharing a room non-stop with others here, or staying in hostel rooms. And at the same time, as always, I also want to stay in Vinnytsia. There's still so much to discover, Ukrainian to improve, and the city just offers a high quality of life — if you block out the war situation. Right now I'm also lucky that it's warm enough that heating is no longer needed, but not so warm that air conditioning would be required either. In fact, during my whole time there I didn't experience a single power outage — since the full-scale invasion that had never been the case in summer or winter.

Der Beweis, dass leichte, billige Verpackungen möglich sind. Hier, weil sie billiger sind, in Deutschland wäre das die am besten zu recycelnde Verpackung. (Die Markenprodukte sind in der Ukraine genau wie in D verpackt).

grüne, schöne Wege für Fußgänger*innen mitten in der Stadt <3

in der Ukraine ist das Leitungswasser nicht trinkbar, bzw. nicht für den täglichen Gebrauch gesund. Deshalb gibt es oft separate Wasserhähne für Trinkwasser, hier in einem Restaurant zur Selbstbedienung. Können wir uns abschauen, wenn bei uns das Wasser wegen dem Klimawandel weniger wird. An sich clever, Trinkwasserqualität braucht es wirklich nur an einem Wasserhahn im Haus, nicht zum Waschen.

Markt für Handwerkskunst in Vinnytsia

super leckerer kraftovyi Tee

In an increasingly complex world, the pursuit of mental and emotional well-being has led many to seek solace and solutions in modern therapy. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), psychotherapy, and other contemporary approaches offer invaluable tools for understanding the mind, managing emotions, and navigating life's challenges. Yet, for some, a persistent void remains, a sense that something fundamental is missing from their healing journey. This is where the profound wisdom of spiritual practices, often overlooked in conventional settings, can offer a crucial dimension to achieving holistic well-being. Indeed, modern therapy sometimes needs spiritual backing to address the deeper, often unarticulated, needs of the human spirit.

Modern therapeutic models, while highly effective in addressing psychological symptoms, frequently operate within a framework that prioritizes the material and the observable. They excel at dissecting thought patterns, identifying behavioral triggers, and fostering coping mechanisms. However, human experience is not solely confined to the psychological; it is deeply intertwined with spiritual dimensions, questions of purpose, meaning, and connection to something greater than oneself. When these spiritual aspects are neglected, healing can feel incomplete, leaving individuals feeling disconnected from their inner selves and the broader cosmos.

Consider the pervasive issues of anxiety, depression, and relationship struggles. While therapy can equip individuals with strategies to manage these conditions, it may not always delve into the existential or spiritual roots of their distress. For instance, a feeling of aimlessness might be pathologized as depression, when its true origin lies in a spiritual crisis, a yearning for meaning that transcends daily routines. Similarly, chronic relationship conflicts might stem not just from communication breakdowns, but from deeper energetic imbalances or unresolved spiritual wounds that manifest in interpersonal dynamics.

This is precisely where spiritual practices, such as those offered by experienced practitioners like Spiritual David, can bridge the gap. Spiritual traditions, including Voodoo, Vodou, or Vodun, as practiced by Spiritual David, recognize the intricate connection between the spiritual, emotional, and physical realms. They offer a holistic paradigm where healing is not merely the absence of symptoms, but the restoration of balance across all aspects of being. Spiritual David, a world-renowned Voodoo Priest and spell caster, brings a lineage of healing that dates back centuries, offering authentic spiritual solutions that complement and deepen the work of modern therapy. His approach, as detailed on his website, provides a unique perspective on addressing life's challenges through ancient wisdom and powerful rituals.

For example, while modern therapy might help an individual process the grief of a lost love, spiritual practices can offer rituals for soul retrieval, energetic cleansing, or even spells aimed at reuniting lovers, as described on Spiritual David's website. These practices are not about bypassing psychological work but about addressing the spiritual currents that influence emotional states. They acknowledge that sometimes, external forces or energetic blockages contribute to personal suffering, and these require spiritual intervention.

Similarly, protection spells and cleansing rituals, often employed in spiritual traditions, can create an energetic shield against negativity and ward off malevolent influences. In a therapeutic context, this might translate to an individual feeling perpetually drained or vulnerable, symptoms that therapy might attribute to stress or trauma. However, from a spiritual perspective, these could be signs of energetic attacks or spiritual imbalances that require specific rituals to purify the aura and restore peace. Spiritual David's services in curse removal and spiritual cleansing offer a tangible way to address these unseen forces, allowing individuals to reclaim their energetic sovereignty and foster a sense of safety that deepens their therapeutic progress.

Even in matters of prosperity and wealth, where modern therapy might focus on mindset shifts and practical financial planning, spiritual practices introduce the concept of energetic alignment with abundance. Prosperity spells, as offered by Spiritual David, aim to remove financial obstacles and attract opportunities by honoring spirits associated with wealth and luck. This isn't about magical thinking in isolation, but about aligning one's spiritual energy with their material goals, creating a fertile ground for success that can amplify the practical strategies learned in therapy.

The integration of spiritual backing with modern therapy is not about choosing one over the other, but about recognizing their complementary strengths. Therapy provides the framework for cognitive and emotional restructuring, while spiritual practices offer a pathway to deeper meaning, energetic balance, and connection to ancestral wisdom. When combined, they create a powerful synergy that addresses the human being in their entirety, mind, body, and spirit. This holistic approach can lead to more profound, lasting healing, transforming not just symptoms, but the very fabric of one's existence. By embracing the spiritual dimension, individuals can move beyond mere coping to a state of genuine flourishing, finding purpose, protection, and prosperity in a truly integrated way.

Querido diario, wow, por dónde empiezo.

Sí, si eres una de las ocho personas que estaba suscrito a este blog antes de que lo abandonase sin avisar en 2023 la vista no te engaña. Lo he recuperado. Y ha sido por error. Tras un año dándole vueltas a eso de tener una página principal, una especie de índice estilo link tree, luego pensé en añadirle un blog personal, y luego pensé que quizá mejor una plataforma minimalista de blogs que me permitiera ponerle una página de inicio. Y tachán, volví a Write.as, y vi que todavía tenía acceso a mi vieja cuenta. He estado pensando en borrar este blog y empezar uno nuevo, porque también estoy empezando una nueva vida. Pero al final me ha podido un poco la nostalgia (y quizá la pereza), y he vuelto aquí. Y caray, desde la última vez que escribí han pasado muchas cosas. Muchísimas.

En primer lugar, en 2023 escribía que 2024 lo tendría difícil para ser un año mejor. Y lo fue. 2024 y 2025 han sido quizá los dos mejores años de mi vida en muchos aspectos. Fui a más conciertos de lo decentemente posible, hice nuevas y muy, muy buenas amistades, incluso con gente a la que admiraba profundamente. Viajé, vi sitios nuevos, descubrí nueva música hasta el punto que mis gustos son un poco diferentes ahora, y fui muy feliz en Castellón.

Pero no todo dura eternamente. Este año me ha tocado empezar de cero. Tras más de 20 años en la provincia de Castellón, he vuelto al País Vasco, y en Castellón he dejado muchas cosas que me importan, incluyendo algunas de las mejores amistades que he tenido nunca. Duele volver a empezar, pero a veces es necesario. De hecho, confesaré que todavía mucha gente no sabe de esto, sólo los más cercanos, y que esta es la primera vez que lo escribo públicamente. Aunque bueno, tampoco es que vaya a promocionar esta web y este blog, o sea que ahí queda, para quienes sean lo suficientemente curiosos como para mirar mi perfil en redes sociales y ver que he cambiado el link que tenía.

Estos años también he tenido proyectos interesantes. He estado escribiendo sobre música en la web de stairwaytorock.com, una bonita experiencia que me ha hecho conocer más gente maravillosa. Pero aunque este fin de semana iré a un último concierto con pase de prensa, también les he dicho que lo dejo. De la misma manera que he abandonado el proyecto de No me pierdo un bolo, aunque este tiene más posibilidades de revivir.

Es doloroso haber abandonado S2R, pero ha sido un paso importante. Sigo trabajando en Xataka, y esto supone pasarme el día sentado delante del ordenador. Y claro, cuando termino de trabajar mis ganas de seguir sentado para escribir de otras cosas se reducen mucho. Y más ahora, cuando el cuerpo y mi mente me exigen salir y que me dé el aire. No me quiero poner intenso con esto, solo diré que estoy caminando mucho. En cualquier caso, ya no tengo inspiración para ponerme a escribir sobre música o hacer crónicas de conciertos. Aunque la música es mi vida, o sea que puede que de vez en cuando os cuente aquí algún nuevo descubrimiento que he hecho.

Por lo demás, sigo siendo usuario de Apple, el año pasado volví (otra vez) a Spotify, y vivimos en una nueva era a nivel mundial, con la IA dominando la tecnología y los imbéciles fascistas dominando el mundo. Como he mencionado, también sigo trabajando en Xataka, lo cual es un privilegio por ser una web tan importante, y una suerte por tener tan buenas amistades ahí.

En cualquier caso, después de soltar esta chapa inicial decir que aquí sigo, y que mientras me vayan dando ganas iré publicando cosas en este pequeño espacio de Internet. Además, en los próximos días iré haciendo cambios a este blog, dándole un nuevo dominio, poniendo también una página de índice hablando sobre mí, y explorando otras cosillas como esa especie de Instagram o web de fotos que tiene también esta empresa.

Si me quieres leer, en la parte de arriba tienes un apartado llamado Suscríbete con el formulario para poder hacerlo. Te llegarán las actualizaciones por correo electrónico. Y si estás en el Fediverso, creo recordar que podrás seguirme también buscando la cuenta @yubal@write.as.

#Personal

V is leaving around 4 in the morning while I’m asleep. I’ve really enjoyed just being able to hang out with him, this has felt like having a roommate that you get along with. I understand why that’s something that people are really afraid to let go of, because having such proximity to someone that you really click with and a constant source of socialization must be really valuable. I guess in a way I’m kind of grateful now that I did not have that, because it means that I didn’t have to let go of anything and I wouldn’t have that now anyway.

JOURNAL 26 mai 2026

#dojo Ce matin mon pauvre jeune Américain est venu. Il a fait des progrès en japonais c’est incontestable, en politesse aussi. Il voulait vérifier que je voulais toujours bien de lui. Je l'ai encouragé il est sur la bonne voie. Je suis curieuse maintenant de ce que je pourrai faire avec lui malgré les énormes différences culturelles et comportementales. Il a une façon de se mouvoir si différente. Son centre de gravité semble tellement plus haut que nous. On verra. C'est intéressant de toute façon.