anamnesis

If you haven't been keeping up, this is a really good explanation of the options on the table and the forces at work. On a side note, I used this guys book, " The Back of the Napkin. Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures " as one of my essential manuals at work, but it's also good for exploring all sorts of ideas, projects and plans. Particularly for those who think visually, or want to. (Click on the "Full" to see the, er, full effect ;-) Healthcare Napkins All View more documents from Dan Roam .

Thanks for the cards and calls on my birthday(!) With the money Marbella sent, which I keep trying to no avail to get her NOT to, I purchased a book that she and gerbeans have been adamant I should read. I sat down and read it today, and I'm glad I did. It struck a lot of chords. I've never been particularly impressed with religions or their institutions. Even the "scriptures" of such seems to have captured more about man's interpretation of "law" rather than "spirit" and The Shack brings this out very nicely in a captivating and heart-wrenching tale. It may shake up those with more rigid views, in particularly the Sunday morning Christian crowd; but I think this shaking up, or rather "waking up" strikes closer to the essence of a personal relation with the divine than any group ritual or institutional form. It reminds me a little of Christopher Moore's book _Lamb_, which was a story of the life of Jesus told by his best friend, a

Every year I've been tempted by this, I think the time is ripe. I've joined the NanoWriMo "contest" starting November 1. The goal is to write a 175 page novel by the end of the month. A quote from their FAQ: "Art for art's sake does wonderful things to you. It makes you laugh. It makes you cry. It makes you want to take naps and go places wearing funny pants. Doing something just for the hell of it is a wonderful antidote to all the chores and "must-dos" of daily life. Writing a novel in a month is both exhilarating and stupid, and we would all do well to invite a little more spontaneous stupidity into our lives." I'll put the word-count widget up on the sidebar here in November to keep the pressure on :-) To understand the spirit of this thing, and for a pretty good read in itself, check out No Plot, No Problem .

There is a point, when you are learning a new language, where you have moments experiencing what it would be like to speak it fluently. You may find yourself following a few consecutive sentences without translation, riding the rhythm of meaning in this new discourse, before it falls apart and you find yourself clueless again. Even before this, however, you have to listen in a way you're not used to hearing. It may sound like the words are similar to words you know, or sounds you know, but it becomes an obstacle to learning if you can't let go of those ready classifications and just hear it as it is. Start from scratch. Weeks have now passed since my retreat. I have continued the practice. This little essay attempts to capture some of my thoughts and experiences, from the aftermath, as well as some deep discussions recently with friends and some recent postings from Ayla and Tao I enjoyed and how they intersect with my world at the moment. Let's start with Zorba the Greek.

Some of Bright-eye's photos posted on Google's Web Albums . Pretty seamless process using Picassa . Going on some errands today to pick up some warm fuzzy shoes for winter. Visiting friends with teepee tomorrow for solstice music making and talking like a pirate. Yarrr!

For you creative types out there... 15 Places to Make Money Creating Your Own Products Online Or, if you're not feeling that industrious at the moment... People of Walmart I'm not sure how (or if) they get around the photo release clauses for taking people's pictures, but if you bring your cell phone with a camera on your next walmart expedition you could net youself a $100 gift-card ;-)

Rock On Mew!

So I promised to write-up something on this trip and here it is. First off, for those of you thinking a "meditation retreat" is an idyllic mental holiday where one can float in the bliss of a mind uncluttered with day to day concerns, I should disabuse you of the notion. Not the uncluttered part, rather the idyllic one. It was hard, hard work. The schedule had us meditating about 11+ hours a day. The first three days dealt with harnessing the "flickering" mind through a practice which sharpened mental awareness to the here and now without being pulled away by past, future, thoughts or feelings. The main key to this was the same approach taken in taming any wild animal... persistence and patience. The mind runs away a thousand times, each time you eventually notice it has left the premises, you bring it back. Without getting frustrated or annoyed, the bringing it back is an essential piece, not a failure. Like doing reps with weights to build muscle. First it may h