That is a very nice picture.

Arnon,
I see you took this undercover story very seriously. Love what you did with your hair!
The towels can not be used as a proof. It’s circumstantial.
Tess,
Don’t give up so quickly. Continue the journey!

@Ilanit, it was an experiment and I learned more than I was willing to learn. Also: I got kind of scared in Germany. It was very desorientating, and I doubted Arnon would've felt like being nice, which- if I had pursued- might have made me go psychotic. I think I'll stick to my comfort zone for a while.

I think it is quite lame not to follow through. Why start and don't finish, unless it's lifethreatening.

+How long are you staying, mr. Arnon?

@ tess

I know exactly how you feel , Tess. I once had the intention of visiting him in New york, a very long time ago, around the period of 'Silent extra's'. But I also felt completely desorientated and psychotic. Now I stick to his readings.

Tess
I understand although I wished you’ve followed through. The lessons we are not willing to learn are probably the most valuable ones. One has to be ready though and overcoming fears is probably so much more difficult when feeling disoriented in Germany.
I’m sure Arnon would have felt like being nice, I’m not sure though if he’s definition of nice matches yours.

Dens,
Don’t be so quick to judge and what’s with the ‘mr. Arnon’ all the time? I’m sorry but it’s just not funny!

Mieke,
How come disorientated?

I'm not very judgemental. It's just that I would find it lame for myself to have given up that far. Believe me, I've given up far too many times, so I know what I'm talking about. I'm not undermining anyone.

What's with the mr. Arnon? What's not with it. I'm not trying to be funny, I'm just not too keen about calling him Arnon, or mr. Grunberg. Mr. Arnon does the trick for me, if you can't stand it, I suggest you stop reading my comments.

Dens

So let me see if I got you right
you call a person weak and ineffectual but you don’t see that as a judgment of this person’s action? Surly as a person who’s as you stated “given up so many times” you should be slightly less un-judgmental then. A question like “why start and don’t finish” cannot be taken seriously!

I understand your point regarding the mister but really think it sounds like a slaved immigrant way of calling his master.
What about Mr. G?
sounds quite cool, don’t you think?

Dens

For you I'll be always Mr. Arnon. Ilanit is going through a difficult period, just so you know. Forgive her. If you can.

Difficult period

oh pleeeeaaaaaaase mister all mighty, tell me more...

I judged an action, not a person. I take it that you see people as the actions they do. Few men have discussed whether one is what he does, or not. I think that behavior and personallity are two different things.

Thanks for backing up, Mr. Arnon.

I just wondered: Do you do that "one made bed" thing?

As it goes it's not clear whether Mieke Dutroit and the maintainer of this blog know eachother in person.

If not I wonder what convincing arguments could be used to encourage this kind of behaviour (e.g. meeting up with a writer (that is, as of yet, still a stranger) with whom one shares absolutely nothing).

I imagine the situation coming down to the following situation:
- Your work touches me, says the admirerer.
Then some formal gesture follows, with at least one person thinking about the downsides of a one sided love affair*.

Ofcourse this speculating. Very much so, but I truly wonder.

* (This obviously doesn't mean everything or enough has been said on one sided love affairs. But that would lead us to another discussion.)

Dens

Can you judge a person by anything else but his actions?
I do indeed see people mainly from what they do or neglect doing. I think it gives you a far more authentic view then how they look, what they have or what they say. By that I will add that I am an observer. I see stuff and do my best not to judge what I see in accordance to my standards, realising they are mine and not better or worse then others.

Pjötr

Please do share your vision on ‘one sided love affairs’. The whole phrase sounds like an inherent contradiction to me, but I love inherent contradictions.

Luckily man judges another on things apart from his actions. Hence the importance of motives and such.

@Tess
What is of my interest, is what navigation system or map did you use to end up in Dorfen in stead of Murnau?
But I admire your energy and initiative, I am mostly inert.

@Jan
It's a long story. First of all: never trust a TomTom over your intuition. With things like TomTom's people stop thinking for themselves.
Second: I was supposed to meet a certain Maria and pick her up. She never showed up.
Third: I was confronted with more than my fair share of male testosterone and felt it was time to go home. I was in no state to go skinny dipping.

@ Tess: what are you talking about woman? I've waited for 36 hours at the gas station in Pfaffenkirchen. Neither you or the other woman showed up. Did you two chicken out? Fax messages? What's wrong with the `good old' mobile phone?

It took me 3 days to get a lift back home. I'm going to take a long bath and a long sleep now. If you wish to make further arrangements, you'd better come up with a better plan.

PS I'm not a REDHEAD. The colour of my hair is ginger, thankyouverymuch.

PPS Arnon I love your books.

@Pjotr

I was curious after the man/boy behind the writer, I also believe a man/woman is more than his/her actions. As a matter of fact at that time I was in a group in witch most of the people were engaged in one way of the other in writing, many of them actually publishing there work, so the fact that he had written a book was to me only a minor detail. Furthermore I strongly have the impression that I'm not the only one showing that behaviour. But I have to admit that if you want abetter insight in Arnon that reading his work is very helpfull, in the end that's propably all that matters.

Dens

I'll be here a few more weeks. That's all I can say at the moment.

llanit

At another time, and another place.

@Maria. I thought you were Johannes or something and had pulled a prank on me.
Apparently Arnon's still there for quite a while, so why don't you give it a nother try? I'm heading for Normandy on Sunday and I have to drop 3 kids off there (none of which are mine).