Cocooning/Carlos Pueblo

Cocooning/Carlos Pueblo

After my returning home from a long wandering trip to Europe, I

Am back to my life of cocooning, first to thank a butterfly lecture

At a community center and a search of Faith Popcorn’s definition

of cocooning. I am at a stage, back to 1975 cocoon, other than her

original three category, socialized cocoon, armored cocoon, and

wandering cocoon. Of course, I do have all of the three kinds of

symptom as she describe back to 1990’s.

I must thank to my habit of reading new non-fiction books in my

early cocooning back to the late 90’s, and I wrote my report of

such reading and tracking down the author. My back to 1975

cocooning can be describe as no television because that I am inpatient

with the commercial; no telephone call because that I may offend

somebody cause of my regret; no driving because that we lost one

vehicle due to a sudden flood and I attempt to save some insurance

premium; no newspaper including internet news release because I

have been exhausted by the outcome of 2016 election.

What I am doing in my daily life are: read old textbook from college

Including calculus, organic chemistry and some more as the days come

By; walk on the neighborhood blocks to greet my dogs friend because

that there are more affectionate than most of my friends if there is any;

writing my memo before the end of my life. I am very fortunate that I

have lived in this great nation and I can maintain this kind of life better

that a Buddhist monk.

Every day I would  search for a meaningful way of my life, such as helping

the other person for example to help my daughter to pick up her repaired

vehicle while she is away at work no matter how significant the matter is.

I don’t intend to confuse you with a point of the great Confucius. He says

that there is nothing more manifest that what is minute; therefore, a

gentleman is watchful over himself when he is alone. I like this ever since

I am cocooning not matter how proud of myself or how humble of myself

and he says that you must be careful when you are alone because no body

is watching you.

獨居生活/莊峻華

獨居生活/莊峻華

我自歐洲旅行回家，一直深居簡出，標榜獨居生活，不看網路新聞，

只溫習舊日教科書，將我之回憶，帶回四十餘年前，那兩年，我剛服

兵役回家，在虎尾教書，家中無電話，無電視，無冰箱，課後就是面

對冗長之小鎮生活。每日，相同一本有機教科書，視若陌生，不如今

日進度，過去面對錦繡年華，現在只能安度晚年，屈指一算，僅存不

過十載耳。

書櫥上留有一本，微積分參考書，作者解釋微分，就是斜度，積分就

是面積，剛好與微分相反，我在大學時代有困難，並未作習題，讀到

理論化學，就開始頭大，約是十五年前，準備到高中教書，重新溫習

一遍普通化學，物理，和物理化學，也是一曝十寒，這次獨居生活，

可算是最後機會矣。

獨居後，生活單純化，連思想亦趨單純，讀到有機教科書一節，說明

一般有機物，可來自石油和石油氣，但是對自然萃取原料，則非普遍

，倒是許多人工合成，所以大學高年級，有有機分析，和有機合成，

約是一百多年前，有人在法國里昂大學教育，發生展一有機烷金屬鹵

化物，可以提煉純烷，我剛從里昂市旅歸，看到教堂，錯過里昂大學，

我猜測製藥和有機合成有關，，藥劑師熱門，卻與賣藥有關，賣藥涉

及國家法令。

獨居不易，我以為生活，已經回歸到四十多年前，只是環境更理想，

昨日開車出門購菜，多事添加輪胎氣，回家後，再查輪胎壓力，結果

氣流不止，無法阻擋，結果左前輪崩塌，開始有閒居壓力，必須要四

處求救，結論是輪胎外管壓力控制器故障，該器要價113美元加稅，

我想自行卸下輪胎，提輪胎到輪胎行修理，昨夜開始下雨，雨下不停，

今晨卸下輪胎兩鎖頭，就無法卸下其餘三鎖，只好請拖車救兵，拖車

者有工具，優於新車配件，五分鐘卸下輪胎，並裝上備胎，於是我開

備胎車到輪胎店修理，輪胎店曰壓力控制器無礙，還我打氣過之輪胎，

我不敢遲疑，連忙提輪胎到平素修車行，請師傅換車胎，結束獨居生活

理想，如果我無法將此小事處理妥善，家人行動不便，無法提供我獨居

生活之，舒適條件。

Visiting Mainz, Germany

Visiting Mainz, Germany/Carlos Pueblo

On my arrival in Frankfurt Am Main, I did walk to the south bank of

the River Main for a quick visit of a flea market, an old resale open

air market, then I took a train toward west along the river to the

other end to visit Mainz where I missed on my last visit to Wiesbaden.

I have to check the map to understand what it means on the internet

Description, Manz is on the west bank of Rhine while Wiesbaden is

north of Rhine below the confluence of Main. Two cities are across the

waterway to each other. I have read so much about Mainz ever since

I visited Wiesbaden and written about the city in April, 2016. I read again

this time when I prepare my work and I realize that there is so little which

I have seen for an afternoon visit.

I have attempted to walk toward Rhine along the side walk of Main and I

reached to Offenback Am Main, means Offenback on River Main. German

tell me that is not possible to walk to the confluence of Main to Rhine and

need to take a river cruise excursion, further I was on the wrong direction.

Offenback is a lovely German city yet it is on the upstream and east while

Rhine direction is on the west. In addition to that mistake, I also mistaken

the old home gardens were the same as Main toward Offenback which I

passed by. These unique scenery are all over Germany can be view from

train ride.

Mainz is an old historical city of more than 2000 years , it is because of the two rivers

and the plain for the agriculture. I followed the street sign toward the river bank. The

Rhine is very busy with river traffic and Mainz is a major hub of the river cruises ports.

German city decorates its city with flower gardens almost everywhere and I am very

Impressed even in the fall still with roses and varies kinds of blooming. I am not sorry

for my short visit on foot as a matter of fact that is good for my health at my age. Mainz

has all kinds of European glory, castles and churches, classical and new architecture.

Frankfurt area is one of the populated region in Germany. I see one train station between

Frankfurt and Mainz nearby Frankfurt Airport is the head quarter of Opel, a German brand

owned by General Motors for decades. Opel is still quite popular while GM ceased marketing

this vehicle in the U.S. for quite some time. I wonder what if the U.S. government let GM went

bankruptcy in 2008 and the consequence of Opel. Mainz is also very famous for the printing

machinery can be called as the headquarter of world printing, of course, I also learn that

nearby Heidelberg has a world famous newspaper printing shop.

邁茵斯行/莊峻華

邁茵斯行/莊峻華

邁茵斯市在法蘭克福西郊，今春旅行黑斯州府，必斯巴登市，車

過邁茵斯兩次，雙城隔萊茵河相對，許多文章介紹此城，況且火

車經過一美麗花園社區，我道是曾多次散步過之，邁茵河畔，奧

芬巴克市，經過一段時間始弄清楚，東西方向不同，因為手持法

蘭克福圖，南北上下顛倒，邁茵河西向，在邁茵斯和必斯巴登注

入萊茵河，奧芬巴克市在邁茵河東向上游，都是德國美麗城市。

我參觀德國城市，非常簡單，就是老街，城堡，河川，花園，和

教堂，像邁茵斯市，在萊茵河畔，兩千年前，就有人居，羅馬時

代之建築設備，仍有保存，走向萊茵河，就經過老街鬧區，城市

佈置一些花園，陪襯著古典新穎建築，別有特色，我是沿著路標

，因為是週六，萊茵河畔，也有舊貨攤市，我在法蘭克福邁茵河

舊貨市，補上一具小望遠鏡，邁茵斯舊市，不若法蘭克福之規模，

畢竟人口稍弱，但萊茵河之豪華江輪，則是雲集河岸，規模大於

邁茵河，畢竟邁茵河是萊茵河之分支。

我在德國城市，甚至許多歐洲城市街道上，看到許多奧培爾車，此

車標誌仍舊不變，奧培爾之總部，就在黑斯州，火車經過，在法蘭

克福和邁茵斯之間，就在法蘭克福機場隔一兩站，奧培爾車，在歐

洲仍然可見，八年前通用汽車危機，若美國讓通用倒閉，不知如何

處理奧培爾？通用早已買下奧培爾。邁茵斯市著名之企業，是印刷

業，印刷工業之起源地，古老中國之印刷發明，在邁茵斯，脫胎換

骨，我還參觀過一著名之印刷廠，在海德堡市，容後敘述。

Visiting Hochst, Frankfurt AM Main, Germany/Carlos Pueblo

Visiting Hochst, Frankfurt AM Main, Germany/Carlos Pueblo

I was out of a coffee shop with Eugenia at Frankfurt old town street,

she liked to visit an art museum and I went on to Willy Brandt station

to catch on a train to the central station. The train which I was on was

toward west of the city, Frankfurt Hochst. Suddenly, I decided to visit

the township which brought back some memory of the early 70’s at my

one year hometown stay at Huwei, Taiwan. I went to a job interview with

a German company called Hoechst Chemical in Taipei for a position as a

sales person for its dye stuff in the leather industry. The interview was very

nice and the firm paid a round trip train tickets. I did not get the job and I

learned it after some 20 years later at Hersey Park near my old house. A

German couple came to Houston to visit their son’s family and mentioned

that he was the head of Hoechst Asia Operation and was familiar with

Kaohsiung. I mentioned that interview of mine, he laughed and indicated

that the plants was not built due to the objection of Dow Chemical in the

U.S. He could identify the young man who interviewed me at that time.

In April this year, I went to Viesbaden for the thermos experience and noticed

that I missed Hochst by 10 miles and decided to make it up on my next trip.

Hochst has been merged into Frankfurt AM Main since 1928 and is famous for

Hoechst Chemical and now is called Sanofi-Aventis still a huge chemical power

house in the industrial park of the city. The city itself is not as dramatic as

Frankfurt yet is well organized city planning. I saw some immigrant population.

Hochst reminds me Pasadena of the Houston east side industrial area except

Pasadena is a huge petroleum refinery while Hochst is a huge chemical factory

while I can still see some chimneys along the River Main.

I continued to finish my second year teaching obligation in Taiwan before I was

eligible to postpone the duty and study abroad one year later. I have never thought

that I would have this opportunity to run into Hochst and Hoechst later in my life.

I have thought of environment pollution in Taiwan for quite some time especially

pollution of waterway in Taiwan. Before the migration of factory to China, Taiwan

had had many severe protests for water and air pollution due to industrial expansion.

I closely observe German rivers in compare with Japanese and I want to know what

the people must pay the cost for the current life style for all the products.

郝斯特行/莊峻華

郝斯特行/莊峻華

我在法蘭克福市，布朗德車站上車，準備回法蘭克福中央車站，

結果法現火車開往法蘭克福-郝斯特，於是我決定郝斯特行，今

年春天，我在法蘭克福市，停留十日，到過州府碧斯巴頓市，發

郝斯特就在附近，沒想到真有機會，看到郝斯特之，廬山真面目。

剛好早上散步緬因河，和尤琴妮雅，談起郝斯特之緣起。我在

1976年冬天，從虎尾搭夜車北上，參加郝斯特公司業務員面試，

當年該公司，準備在台，推銷皮革染料，也準備在台設廠，口試

僅有一次，我未錄取，後來德國麥爾廠，也在台北招考紡織染料

業務員，我也應徵，火車北上應試，也未錄取，十幾年後，我在

休市遇見一位，當年也應徵者，提到誰獲錄取麥爾廠，但不若郝斯

特廠之傳奇。

約是西元2000年前，我已經開始在住家附近，荷西公園散步，一日

我和一對經常碰面之老夫婦認識，他獲知我來自台灣，立刻說到他在

郝斯特廠退休，這是來美探親，長子在休市工作。我提到當年應徵故

事，他也記得此事，我著實無法憶起面試主考姓名，只知這位青年，

高大英俊瀟灑，彬彬有禮，他立刻說出一名字，他是當年郝斯特亞洲

總裁，經常出入高雄，他說起皮革染料計劃，胎死腹中，因為美國反

對，就是美國道化學廠反對，國務院施壓力。

我在阿拉巴馬州讀書，一位無機先生，也曾經在郝斯特上班過，履歷

表明列，郝斯特後來，與法國公司合併，許多研究和生產，仍舊留在

郝斯特，郝斯特在1928年，就併入法蘭克福˙緬因市，人口高達十二

萬，是一工業城市，就像法蘭克福一般，是一工作城市，城市中很明顯

，許多土耳其移民。

Visiting the University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany/ Carlos Pueblo

Visiting the University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany/ Carlos Pueblo

After arriving to Cologne, releasing my luggage at the inn and I turned

right back to the rail road station took a train right back to Bonn to

visit the University of Bonn, an institute brought back a good memory

of my adolescent dream, my elder cousin from my mother’s side went

to have his fellowship at Bonn’s Medical School in the mid-60’s and he

was always as a role model for us in our life, a graduate of Taiwan

University Medical School and a successful gynecologist-obstetrician.

I was very happy to see the famous main building of the University, the

yellow color architecture. It’s all started here in 1819 when King Frederick

William III donated the land and facility to set up the school. The University

Hospital and the school of medicine must be taught here as a German

couple responded to my question, then it was moved to the city center of

the west side, then to Vensuberg of the west of Bonn. The couple told me

that I would have to take a bus to reach there.

My mother always has been very proud of this eldest nephew. She always

had mentioned her relation with him after his mother died of delivery

difficulty for a second child. He had come to visit us in the central part of

Taiwan for summer break from Taipei. His successful schooling has been an

envy of our family. My brother Yancy even attempted to retake the college

entrance examination at the summer of his sophomore year at the engineering

school to get the admission to the famous medical school. Since then, there are

three of our family young generation becoming physicians at the encouragement

of their fathers after the influence of their elder uncle.

Bonn is a lovely city of Germany, used to be the capital of West Germany, thanks

to a distinguished alumnus Konard Adenauer, the premier after the War. It is very

relaxing at the campus especially in front of the yellowing building, it’s told that

the building was heavy damaged during the War and was rebuilt. I was in a hurry

to make the trip and I did tour the old city center and saw the monument of

Beethoven, a famous hometown composer.