graffiti on a cyber wall

On this lovely Tuesday I am thankful for:

Mu
Pu
Wit
God
Love
Spirit
Color 
Music
Peace
Family
Wildlife
Friends
Wu Wei
The void
Sunshine 
Creativity
Kindness
Tolerance
Electricity
Happiness
Philosophy
The internet
Good health
Paved roads 
Compassion
No thingness
Abundant food
Relative Safety
Critical thinking 
Sufficient income
Quantum Physics  
Birds and bird song 
Two running vehicles 
Meaning and purpose
The reality of freedom
The illusion of freedom
Warmness and coolness
Clean hot and cold running water
An excellent house with a large wooded yard

And the list
goes on
and on
and on
and on...

What are you thankful for today?

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It's hard to find time to blog these days.  The river of life is flowing fast and there is so much going on.  Many changes every day. 
People are looking at my house.  Someone will buy it soon.  Then I'll be homeless. Where will I stay?  Yikes!!!
  
There is still too much stuff in the house and shop building.    There is so much to do to make the house more appealing to buyers! Painting! Weeding! Mowing! Hauling things away!   I have hired some help. Can't hire help much though.  It's costly.   YIKES!

I've rented a storage space for my son's stuff and for the few things I'm taking with me in the RV. I'll be moving some things to storage this weekend.  I have things that belong to other people.  I need to get those where they belong. Yikes!!!!!
 
Speaking of RVs, I need to purchase one.  Yikes!!!! 

I've turned in all the necessary paper work to retire.  One month left and I'll be unemployed.   My office at work still needs more cleaning out.  The last semester at work is coming to an end.   Lots of testing and grading and reporting to do.  Yikes!!!!!!
   
More to do:
Get electronic billing and paying set up and working.
Pay off as many things as I can.
Pack
Deal with Einstein
Go to the doctor and figure out my meds
Call the insurance company and figure out my meds and coverage
Have things turned off and canceled
Forward mail to where?
YIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All these Yikes!!!!! require some relief so I'm going to NOLA with Christy and Jesse in May.  I need a break.
 
This is a very busy, exciting, and scary time in my life.  w00t! w00t! It is filled with mixed feelings, beginnings and endings, and goodbyes with no hellos.  Going on adventure and saying goodbye to places and people for what may very well be the last time is a bitter yet sweet experience. 

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Entertainment

I've watched more TV than I usually do.  I found a few shows I could recommend.
Life has a Zen feel to it.
Touch I can't explain, you just have to watch this.  I give it five stars.
Mr. Nobody is an interesting look at time and multiverses.  I don't believe in time but I do believe in multiverses.

Websites

Lonely Blogs is a site where you can promote your blog if you're into that.  From their site: "We made this website in order to support bloggers from all over the world and the blogger community. It works by reading RSS or Atom feeds that users provide and then links to the newest posts on user's blogs."
 
StoreDot works with biological self-assembling, non-toxic, organic-based materials.The website is definitely worth a visit.
   
Goodpeoplebrewing.com is located in Birmingham, Alabama. That is about an hour from where I stay.  BeerAdvocate, a leading voice in the beer community, says the four highest-rated beers in the South are Good People Brewing beers.

Things I Thought

NOLA

We are heading to New Orleans in May and I maybe going again in June or July.  It's hard to tell about the second trip.  My life is in flux. Anyway, I thought I'd post a few New Orleans pictures to get us in the mood.





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One of my favorite books is Be Here Now by Baba Ram Dass.  Yogi Pondurengedas gave me a copy when I visited him in Berkeley a long time ago.  This is one of the gems that will go with me on the road.

Things I thought

The Universe is a masterpiece of love, help, and karma.  It does not strain to do what it does.  We are part of the universe.  Why do we strain?
I choose to live in possibility.
I choose to live in joy.
I choose to live in love.
I choose to live in peace.
I'm not fighting against anything. 
I refuse to focus on what I do not want.

Do you have a complex relationship with your past? I can if I allow myself to over think it.  My  mind is a powerful tool when used correctly. When it is left to run wild it can be a powerful enemy.

Thoughts on Chaos Theory
I can (and should) willingly leave my comfort zone or I can wait for chaos to push me out. Either way, I won't be allowed to stay there.

Quotes

"Declare your superpowers!" ~ Danielle LaPorte
 
Some losers "...seek to evade reality by hiding behind a crusade seeking to reinstate "moral values", "noble ideas", and "social justice"." ~ Dr. W. M. Shelton

Pictures

Melanie's Brand New Key

 


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The Universe sent this:

"Practice. Study. Prepare yourself. Think. Act. Face the beasts. Pay the piper whatever dues you think you have to pay. Do the dance, walk the fire, wait in line. Plant the seeds, hoe the field, go to market." 
Sounds like a good plan to me. "Wax on. Wax off".

Quotes: 

"You can lead a horticulture but you can't make her think." ~ Dorothy Parker
 
"If you cannot find a a good companion to walk with, walk alone like an elephant roaming the jungle.  It is better to be alone than to be with those who will hinder your progress."  ~ Buddha
 
"Follow the light bringers...
Magic is afoot greater than you can imagine." ~ Colette Baron Reid

A thing I thought: 

Pay it forward is a powerful tool for changing the world. I've been paying it forward ever since some people helped me years ago and taught me about pay it forward.  If someone helps you pay it forward and help another.  It's good for your soul. 

Photography: 

If you like photo contests you might enjoy playing on Viewbug:  Collaborate in the World's Best Photo Contests 

One of my favorite photographers is Drew Hopper, an Australian photographer. Check out his site.

Three pictures I took at DeSoto Caverns Family Fun Park.
  

Fun song! 

She has to milk her cow on a Monday
She has to roll her hair on a Tuesday
She has to feed her pig on "Let's be friends day"
She has to ????? on a Thursday
hmmmm?
It won't be long now?



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Update at the bottom.
 
I'm not an authority on this subject.  This is just what I think.  

My friend John from Owl and Terrapin had a yin to hear about Yin. I didn't think that would be a big deal, but it has turned out to be more Yang than I imagined. I've spent a few days doing a little research, consulting with one of my mentors, and getting my thoughts together.

A very little bit of history.

Yin is part of both Confucianism and Taoism. Confucius didn't know about Yin. It became part to that system of thought after his death. Confucius taught moral and ethical behavior.  When Yin/Yang was absorbed by Confucianism, both Yin and Yang were endowed with moral attributes.  Yin and Yang, as part of a ethical dichotomy carry moral judgements.
Taoists see Yin a bit differently.  Yin is part of a wave, an oscillation. It isn't part of the dichotomy of good and evil or black and white.

Yin has been described as feminine, cold, wet, slow, soft, passive, yielding, and diffuse. It has been associated with darkness, water, earth, the moon, and night.
 
In either system Yin has no meaning apart from Yang.  They give rise to each other. They compliment each other.  The difficulty in discussing yin arises from Yin's reliance on Yang for its existence and meaning.  There is no wave it one half is missing.


Yin and Yang try to look as different as possible while being identical.  And reversible. It's the idea of identical differences. Check out Alan Watts for more on this. 
Yin is part of an energy wave.

Before "let there be light" (Genesis 1:3) was there only dark.  No....there was no dichotomy.  There was no dark.  "Let there be light" Yang and Yin.
If there was only Yang, you would create Yin.
There is nothing to do
and everything to do
Now
Tao
The Universe
God
Spirit
The Divine
The word is not the thing
Don't grasp
Expand containing all things

What can you know?  Words are obscured by their proliferation.
The 10,000 things
This from that
That from this
The affirmation is rooted in denial of the other?

They ate from עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע? (Genesis 3:6).  God tried to warn them.  Avoid the dichotomy. They didn't.  And we still eat there.

It's this and that.
Not this or that.

Yin/Yang
Mind/Universe
Wave/Particle
UIDst = 7hd + 4hd

The illusion that one will win over the other is a silly illusion.

UPDATE

Same Differences

"Which meaning brings meaning
when brought to mind?
Which meaning brings meaning
when brought to heart?
Feel meaniong, know purpose.
Know meaning, feel purpose.
Witness the qualities within their differences
and know that the Tao...rests in their sameness."
~ The Tao of Circles by Carl Garant

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People who can see me in non-cyber space know I love shiny rocks.  I pick them up.  I carry them with me. I randomly give them away. I accept them as gifts.
That is what this new fortnightly (sorry couldn't help myself) feature is about, sharing the gems and jewels I find along the way  (quotes, songs, thoughts, notes, websites, photos I take, photos I see).   I hope you like the shiny cyber rocks. I may update Shiny Rocks all during the day as I come across new shiny things.
If you have some shiny rocks you'd like to share leave them in the comments.   Let me know what you think.
May truth, love, and light embrace you and emanate from you.

Photography tips
The Path to Better Photography

One of the ways I try to improve my photography is by looking at other photographer's photos.  You might enjoy the work of these photographers.  
Michael Diblicek
Joel (Julius) Tjintjelaar
Hengki Koentjoro 

I spent a lot of time home the last few days recovering from an unpleasant sour sore throat.  I did a lot of reading and watched some TV.  Here are a few websites I bumped into as a result of the that reading and TV watching.
Bhagavan Das
AHA
Who-HA Da-DA
350
If you're in the UK, you can Rent a Rev.  Sounds like a business I could start.  Maybe I will. 

Have we come to the end of the growth economy? 

A little nonsense that floated by.
ahawhohadadababa
Be may the Pie Jot be with you.




 


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A lot happened between the previous installment  and the trip west.  
 
Interlude:
 
While I was at Samford I was drafted to serve in Vietnam.  Being a hippie and an outspoken, highly visible, anti-war protestor, I wore underwear that said 'give peace a chance' on the butt to my physical.  Remember, I was living in Alabama at the time. It wasn't always safe to be a hippie walking down the street.   At my physical, they decided I was a conscientious objector.   I spent my two years doing civilian duty and continued to protest the war.
During these interlude years,  Jesus Freak me worked at His House, a Christian mission  helping the homeless, drug addicts, and runaways, had a gospel radio show, worked with special needs children, got married, spent 4 months traveling the country in a red VW micro bus, and discovered mushrooms.  The borders of my spiritual world began to expand as I transitioned from my narrow, rule based understanding of 'truth' to a more open understanding.  I was moving from intolerance to tolerance.  I was moving from being judgmental to being loving. 


With everything we owned packed in a Dodge van, no where to stay, no job prospects, and little money, we drove to Golden Gate Seminary  in Marin County, California.   Within the week, we had good paying jobs that came with a ranch style home and I was enrolled is seminary. Cool beans. The Universe provides.

There was a professor at the seminary who was getting a third PhD in biology.  He was easily in his 60s, maybe older.   I was curious and asked him why he was the pursueing this degree.  He said, 'God created everything.  If you want to know about God learn about what He made.  It says a lot about how He thinks.'  Around the same time I started watching Alan Watts on TV.  The intersection of these two events were a pivotal point in my journey.   The professor's 'learn about what God made' and Watts' blend of Taoism and Zen changed my mindset.  I no longer wanted to explain 'truth', I wanted to see it clearly without the filter that is language.  The word is not the thing.   The name of a thing is a label.  How do you know it's labeled correctly?

I have to toss this in the mix, learning to easily read the New Testament Bible in Greek was a real spiritual eye opener too.

Stay tuned for the next installment: The Bus Years

Don't forget we travel in at least four dimensions:  spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical.   I know I left out time.  We invented it.  It's part of the mental dimension.  I know I left out space.  It's mostly empty.   It's part of the physical dimension. 
MU

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• This award exists only on the internet, and is given to bloggers by other bloggers.
• It has German origins – the word “liebster” has several definitions: dearest, sweetest, kindest, nicest, beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, welcome, sweetheart and boyfriend (really?)
• It follows similar principles as a chain letter, in the sense that it should be passed forward to a certain number of people.
• It can be misconstrued, depending upon your personal views, as either something wonderful (who doesn’t like awards?) or as an annoyance (a chain letter that involves work).
• Variations have been made over time to the “rules”.
• Marketing plays a role in accepting this award, as other bloggers are promoted. (This is not a bad thing, however, since people should help others!)

It is said that the Liebster award was created to recognize and/or discover new bloggers and welcome them to the blogosphere. In the digital world of the internet, this seems like a nice gesture, in my opinion!

So here are the rules per Roadkill Spatula:
 
    Each nominee must link back to the person who nominated him or her.
    Answer the 10 questions given to you by the nominator.
    Nominate 10 other bloggers for this award who have less than 200 followers.
    Create 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
    Let the nominees know that they have been nominated by going to their blog and notifying them.

Here are his questions and my answers:

What’s your favorite word?
My favorite word is 'elbow'.  This has been my favorite word for many years.  I like the way it rolls off my tongue.  'Elbow' had some competition for a while and I almost replaced it with 'specificity'.  I didn't. 

What is the coolest thing you’ve ever done?
I've done and continue to do a lot of cool things.  By far the two coolest things I've ever been involved with was the creation and raising of my two awesome children,  Starr and James. 

What accomplishment of yours do you think ought to receive public attention?
I've had several accomplishments receive public attention.  I've been recognized three times as community college instructor of the year.
I was also on the cover of the local Sunday magazine for my work with drug users. 
I think I've had my 15 minutes of fame.  It was more than enough.   Check out my super power.  It's hard to have that super power and receive public attention.  ;-)

Who was your favorite teacher and why?
Ms. Roby in 12th grade English.  I hated her in high school.  She made my life a living hell.    Then when I got in college I loved her.  The woman prepared me for college English.  And thanks to Ms. Roby, I made good grades.  Kudos to Ms. Roby.

If you were a superhero, what would be your power?
Invisibility is my super power.  

Pasta, potato, or rice?
Yes!

What was your favorite childhood book?
I was a big fan of Sherlock Holmes books and read everyone I could get my hands on.  Also, my grandfather had a huge collection of Zane Grey novels.  I read all of those a couple of times.

Where would you rather be than where you are now?
I'm content where I am now.  Seems I'm always where I am and it is also now.  I might as well be content with the situation.   I am here now. 

What famous person would you most like to have lunch with?
I think lunch with Yoko Ono would be an adventure. 

What’s that over there?
A size 6-9 months right foot, blue sneaker.



Here are ten questions for my nominees.

1.  What is your secret talent?

2.  The last book you read was?

3.  Where would you like to be in 30 years?

4.  In one sentence or less, how would you describe yourself?

5.  If you had 3 wishes what would they be?

6.  Which fairytale is your favorite and why?

7.  What is more plausible, the existence of Bigfoot or the explanation of U.F.O.s as being intelligent alien visitors to our planet?

8.  When was the last time you  danced to music when no one was watching?     

9.  Who was your childhood hero?

10. What topic should I blog about next?

At last, here are my nominees for the Liebster Award:

Dogfacedatheist 
Ellipsis 
Digitalgranny
An American in Norway
Cherokeewriter 
The Blended Path 
Ocean Starr  
Ampbreia's Space 
Dressed in Hydrangeas and Ash 
Lovelylollipop
Doesitevenmatter3

  
oops, I think that's eleven. 



If you prefer not to continue this by tagging others, feel free to honorarily accept your nomination. 

Have a super Sunday!


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