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Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
Thanks @federica ! It IS nice...and much needed. Applying for new jobs, was one of the first pro active steps I took in trying to move on with life and start fresh...letting go of the past. .
I came across this photo in a local weekender magazine and it reminded me of my first trip to the island where I now reside, which was back in 1977 when I was on a working holiday from Oz...I remember the old ferry "The Kestrel" that was in use back then...It seemed to take forever getting there, and boy was the journey over rough..plus it made a number of stops around the island...
1
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
I really thought I was looking at a 19th century Mississippi Belle, then!
Question: When insomnia strikes, why is it never when I have a day off?
Question: When insomnia strikes, why is it never when I have a day off?
Do you normally feel more relaxed on your days off ?
No.
Technically speaking, I don't actually have 'days off'. When I work, I work 4-hour shifts, middle-day stuff - usually 2pm to 6pm, so any domestic chores I need to do, have to be done in that morning window. Days off usually involve shopping, laundry, housework and keeping tabs on my 87-year-old mum, and patiently being at her beck and call, because she's worth it. But hard work into the bargain....
By 'days off', I really mean those days when I don't have to commit to being in my working environment, and doing everything food retail requires, (shelf-filling, product-watching, tidying) as well as dealing with customers...
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Ok, so for me, this is terrifically annoying and just goes to show the bias within online search mechanisms:
.. I'm looking for information on YouTube on how to (for example) cultivate, grow, propagate a particular plant IN THE UK and I repeatedly, unfailingly, get "Hi, welcome to idiotonfilm farm, California!" or "G'day peeps, it's Derwayne DerDoofus here in Canberra..." And they keep banging on about what a perfect climate they have for growing whatever it is you're desperate to have in a cold, wet, rainy, dull freezing country.... Shitonastick...!!
This may be of help for those who suffer from acute insomnia
I guess the most natural way of calming the mind is through meditation, however one's motivation should be to look forward to the meditative experience, and not seeing it as a task used solely to help one get to sleep, if one has this in mind, it will more likely create more anxiety, even more worry for the mind to mull over...
The idea is to make a habit/routine of meditation practice -meditate for the sake of meditation ( it's best to find and stick to a particular meditation technique and not to keep chopping and changing)
Having a restful and not a restless night , will become the bi-product of the calming meditation experience....nothing special...
However if one suffers from chronic insomnia, this no doubt will need professional help ... It would seem that your insomnia is more along the lines of chronic @federica ....
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Love Actually, Hugh Grant as British PM fallen in love with the highly unsuitable and completely improbable Martine McCutcheon.
True Life does imitate art, it seems...
Me and the Mrs went to the theatre last night to watch the King and I, some musical romantic set in the east, not really my thing but she enjoyed it.
Has anyone seen it?
The way the Buddha was portrayed was erm... interesting. He was seen as a Devine being, to be worshipped and who could grant miracles. For the lesser informed audience it would give a completely wrong impression!
In other news my football team won the league today in impressive style so all is good in the world!
4
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
"The King and I" was originally a film starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brinner. It was set during a time when Thailand was still Siam and had been ruled by the same family of rulers since the 1700's... It's a fabulous film examining the results of the meeting of different cultures.
The Buddha is still regarded that way in some cultures, and there's a lot of superstitious magical belief tied in with Buddhism which we view dismissively, but they still find important. So the view of the Buddha portrayed, is 100% accurate and correct. For that culture.
The most essential method which includes all other methods is to behold the Mind...The Mind is the root from which all things grow...If one can understand the Mind...Everything else is included... ~BodhiDharma~
The Emergency Services Agency said firefighters were called to the campus early Friday afternoon "following reports of a strong smell of gas".
An update an hour later simply said they had "located the source of the smell" and >allowed people back in the building after conducting atmospheric testing.
I remember on a trip back to the UK with two of my children we stopped over in Malaysia (where my ex brother & sister in-law were living at the time) anyhow I took them on a bus tour, and at one place there was a stall that sold durian fruit, I remember how they screwed up the faces when I asked if they wanted to try some, the smell really put them off...I had eaten durian before when travelling around Asian and found once one gets past the smell the taste is delicious...
Back in the late eighties/early nineties there use to be an Asian food shop in Auckland where they sold packs of durian ice yogurt lollies on a stick...Yum
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Cleaning out old cupboards today... lots of old notebooks, old ideas... old computer books which I’m never planning to read again. So I’m letting go of things.
We had strong wind rain and a cold blast over the weekend, the wind must have blown the nest away...Pretty soon the surviving foundresses of the colony will find a safe spot to hibernate over winter....and begin to establish new nests again in Spring time...
The impermanent nature of all things... Such is life...
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
It was sad to see them go...after all the hard work they put in to making the nest...
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Yes, but I guess that's from our perspective. Maybe they just think "Oh well, we'll start again next year". It's what they're programmed and conditioned to do, so maybe the opinion of hardship is on our take, not theirs... ?
0
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
@federica said:
Yes, but I guess that's from our perspective. Maybe they just think "Oh well, we'll start again next year". It's what they're programmed and conditioned to do, so maybe the opinion of hardship is on our take, not theirs... ?
Fortunately I speak wasp.
Wasps are primarily like most simple organisms (humans, insects, worms, lobsters) drawn towards their best interests and repelled by what is harmful to them. They are sentient.
A wasp or bee sting can kill those allergic to their venom. However if you are kind to wasps, sugar water or old jam pots with water will keep them hovering around. That is real sugar, none of that human stevia stuff ... they will, like spiders who protect us from flies, protect us if the need arises.
Be kind. Do your best as @federica our beloved moderator and protector mentions.
When it comes to the paper wasps (they are the ones who build the single layer exposed nest without the protective covering-ie, the species in the photo -Paper wasp is the common name given to this species)...If people have a vege patch and have found paper wasp nests close by, I advise then not to have the nest destroyed as the wasps will be feeding on the insects that eat the vegetables that they are growing AKA biological control...
My neighbours have a big vege patch, and no doubt my resident Tasmanian paper wasp colony would do their food shopping there and also at the vineyard at the back...
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
Mother Nature's evolution made them all
There I was strolling along the beach minding my own business ( well I was collecting some shells, plus some starfish that were washed up caught my eye )
...when all of a sudden I heard a splash, at first I only saw a part of the wing sticking out of the water and thought it was a small shark, then it flapped...It was a manta ray feeding close to the shore...
Expect the unexpected ...Life is full of surprises
Yesterday on a long walk saw a koi carp swimming in the river. Quite common, they escape from a garden center, are released or escaped pets etc. The river was quite muddy so no pics. Saw some swifts, hawks, loads of fish (managed to restrain myself).
If you make friends with your(many)selves, you will never be alone....
2
Fosdickin its eye are mirrored far off mountainsAlaska, USAVeteran
You're making me homesick, dammit. Here, if I want to commune with insects, I have to settle for mosquitos. I had my first mosquito bite of the season a couple of days ago, but it's not the same. I'd like the little fellows better if they were a good deal bigger, and there were fewer of them. They're good bird food though - there's that in their favor.
1
Fosdickin its eye are mirrored far off mountainsAlaska, USAVeteran
But I am forgetting the dragonflies, we have those - though they will not emerge for a couple of months yet. Some time ago, I was watching one of them as it was hunting, and saw it seize a paper wasp in its jaws. It then gently alit on my shirt, and the wasp stung me right above the navel. A memorable event, I remember it fondly.
I was raised to believe that to openly showing any confidence in my knowledge in specific areas is to be malignantly prideful and egotistical. Given that I often experience imposter syndrome, I am finally making myself state that I actually know my sh*t. I know a lot when it comes to certain subject areas. (Hell, I have a Sociology degree, and I continue to study it independently and view most things through that lens-even Buddhism.) Being sheepish and humble to the point of self-degradation is so tiring, and I am doing my best to undo that while being comfortable with being open about areas I am not familiar with.
So, yay, goodish news.
4
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
Very good news @Rowan1980. I think the adage about not hiding one's light under a bushel is a good one.
I wouldn't know one end of a carbine engine from the other, but damn, I knit good! And I cook amazing!
Mind you, if I believe I'm further up the chain than say, a goldfish - have you seen that sucker swim - ?!
We all have different skills and gifts and if we're good at shit, we should own that, just as much as finding it easy to say "Ya know, I haven't a clue how to do that."
I know a lot when it comes to certain subject area
Indeed.
You do. Everyones knowledge and experience is unique and therefore The Path involves broad strokes but also subtle requirements.
For example an advanced teaching, practiced prematurely or the wrong way may be detrimental. So rather than advanced we talk about appropriate or skilful. Personally I return again and again to simple, sitting, mantras and good company. Bad attitude I can find in any mirror ...
@federica said:
Very good news @Rowan1980. I think the adage about not hiding one's light under a bushel is a good one.
I wouldn't know one end of a carbine engine from the other, but damn, I knit good! And I cook amazing!
Mind you, if I believe I'm further up the chain than say, a goldfish - have you seen that sucker swim - ?!
We all have different skills and gifts and if we're good at shit, we should own that, just as much as finding it easy to say "Ya know, I haven't a clue how to do that."
Interestingly enough, if I don’t know something, I ask my wife. She’s a genius with subjects like engineering and mechanical work. (The latter means she can fix our car herself 98% of the time.)
I joke that if Jeopardy were a team game show, we’d be unstoppable.
In my tireless efforts to save the world I have been eating more African chocolate from Oxfam. Ginger and orange - medicine and one of your five a day (fruit and veg).
Oxfam have gifts you can provide benevolently on behalf of someone else who shares the merit.
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
(It might be a naive question, but how do they feed, shelter and care for a goat if they can't even feed, shelter and care for themselves? It's just one more being to be responsible for, isn't it? )
Comments
Thanks @federica ! It IS nice...and much needed. Applying for new jobs, was one of the first pro active steps I took in trying to move on with life and start fresh...letting go of the past. .
....A Change is as Good as a Holiday ...When you work for the government
Congrats @Vastmind - always nice to celebrate good news! ???
I came across this photo in a local weekender magazine and it reminded me of my first trip to the island where I now reside, which was back in 1977 when I was on a working holiday from Oz...I remember the old ferry "The Kestrel" that was in use back then...It seemed to take forever getting there, and boy was the journey over rough..plus it made a number of stops around the island...
I really thought I was looking at a 19th century Mississippi Belle, then!
Question: When insomnia strikes, why is it never when I have a day off?
Do you normally feel more relaxed on your days off ?
No.
Technically speaking, I don't actually have 'days off'. When I work, I work 4-hour shifts, middle-day stuff - usually 2pm to 6pm, so any domestic chores I need to do, have to be done in that morning window. Days off usually involve shopping, laundry, housework and keeping tabs on my 87-year-old mum, and patiently being at her beck and call, because she's worth it. But hard work into the bargain....
By 'days off', I really mean those days when I don't have to commit to being in my working environment, and doing everything food retail requires, (shelf-filling, product-watching, tidying) as well as dealing with customers...
woke up
Cloudy day
But the Sun is shining
Ok, so for me, this is terrifically annoying and just goes to show the bias within online search mechanisms:
.. I'm looking for information on YouTube on how to (for example) cultivate, grow, propagate a particular plant IN THE UK and I repeatedly, unfailingly, get "Hi, welcome to idiotonfilm farm, California!" or "G'day peeps, it's Derwayne DerDoofus here in Canberra..." And they keep banging on about what a perfect climate they have for growing whatever it is you're desperate to have in a cold, wet, rainy, dull freezing country.... Shitonastick...!!
This may be of help for those who suffer from acute insomnia
I guess the most natural way of calming the mind is through meditation, however one's motivation should be to look forward to the meditative experience, and not seeing it as a task used solely to help one get to sleep, if one has this in mind, it will more likely create more anxiety, even more worry for the mind to mull over...
The idea is to make a habit/routine of meditation practice -meditate for the sake of meditation ( it's best to find and stick to a particular meditation technique and not to keep chopping and changing)
Having a restful and not a restless night , will become the bi-product of the calming meditation experience....nothing special...
However if one suffers from chronic insomnia, this no doubt will need professional help ... It would seem that your insomnia is more along the lines of chronic @federica ....
Congrats to Harry and Meghan on the birth of a baby boy!
Beautiful
Simple
The Sun always shines
A star.
Extra note to self: Do not laugh at moderators
Tee hee!
Language
I am probably related ?
Just as I have common ancestry with Ye Olde Buddha Family ...?
http://newbuddhist.com/discussion/26196/i-am-related-to-the-buddha#latest
I refrain from comment, given that we are supposed to be going through the process of cultivating Kindness, Compassion and Wisdom...
Archie Harrison Mountbatten Windsor....Hmm nice one......The name will grow on him...
I wish them all well.......as I wish all sentient beings well
No Comment. Is comment enough.
@federica
https://twitter.com/i/status/1125485594975580162
Love Actually, Hugh Grant as British PM fallen in love with the highly unsuitable and completely improbable Martine McCutcheon.
True Life does imitate art, it seems...
Clean up in aisle 5... ?????
Me and the Mrs went to the theatre last night to watch the King and I, some musical romantic set in the east, not really my thing but she enjoyed it.
Has anyone seen it?
The way the Buddha was portrayed was erm... interesting. He was seen as a Devine being, to be worshipped and who could grant miracles. For the lesser informed audience it would give a completely wrong impression!
In other news my football team won the league today in impressive style so all is good in the world!
"The King and I" was originally a film starring Deborah Kerr and Yul Brinner. It was set during a time when Thailand was still Siam and had been ruled by the same family of rulers since the 1700's... It's a fabulous film examining the results of the meeting of different cultures.
The Buddha is still regarded that way in some cultures, and there's a lot of superstitious magical belief tied in with Buddhism which we view dismissively, but they still find important. So the view of the Buddha portrayed, is 100% accurate and correct. For that culture.
One of my favourite songs from the King & I
"Getting to know you"...
News Snippet ...
Durian...Hmm what's that funny smell
I remember on a trip back to the UK with two of my children we stopped over in Malaysia (where my ex brother & sister in-law were living at the time) anyhow I took them on a bus tour, and at one place there was a stall that sold durian fruit, I remember how they screwed up the faces when I asked if they wanted to try some, the smell really put them off...I had eaten durian before when travelling around Asian and found once one gets past the smell the taste is delicious...
Back in the late eighties/early nineties there use to be an Asian food shop in Auckland where they sold packs of durian ice yogurt lollies on a stick...Yum
GOT and the naga riders ...
https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/buddhism-and-game-of-thrones/
What fun, mayhem and Jon Snow knows Nothing ...
Cleaning out old cupboards today... lots of old notebooks, old ideas... old computer books which I’m never planning to read again. So I’m letting go of things.
Remember this from way back...
Well it would seem that it's done its dash..
We had strong wind rain and a cold blast over the weekend, the wind must have blown the nest away...Pretty soon the surviving foundresses of the colony will find a safe spot to hibernate over winter....and begin to establish new nests again in Spring time...
The impermanent nature of all things... Such is life...
Wow...
It was sad to see them go...after all the hard work they put in to making the nest...
Yes, but I guess that's from our perspective. Maybe they just think "Oh well, we'll start again next year". It's what they're programmed and conditioned to do, so maybe the opinion of hardship is on our take, not theirs... ?
oh absolutely, unreservedly, unequivocally, totally, wholeheartedly YES.
Every little bit helps
Fortunately I speak wasp.
Wasps are primarily like most simple organisms (humans, insects, worms, lobsters) drawn towards their best interests and repelled by what is harmful to them. They are sentient.
A wasp or bee sting can kill those allergic to their venom. However if you are kind to wasps, sugar water or old jam pots with water will keep them hovering around. That is real sugar, none of that human stevia stuff ... they will, like spiders who protect us from flies, protect us if the need arises.
Be kind. Do your best as @federica our beloved moderator and protector mentions.
Here be dragons ... and wasps ...
When it comes to the paper wasps (they are the ones who build the single layer exposed nest without the protective covering-ie, the species in the photo -Paper wasp is the common name given to this species)...If people have a vege patch and have found paper wasp nests close by, I advise then not to have the nest destroyed as the wasps will be feeding on the insects that eat the vegetables that they are growing AKA biological control...
My neighbours have a big vege patch, and no doubt my resident Tasmanian paper wasp colony would do their food shopping there and also at the vineyard at the back...
All things bright and beautiful,
all creatures great and small,
all things wise and wonderful,
Mother Nature's evolution made them all
SOMEONE has staked his claim on the new zubaton.
Thanks @Rowan1980 - I love cats! Awesome creatures
There I was strolling along the beach minding my own business ( well I was collecting some shells, plus some starfish that were washed up caught my eye )
...when all of a sudden I heard a splash, at first I only saw a part of the wing sticking out of the water and thought it was a small shark, then it flapped...It was a manta ray feeding close to the shore...
Expect the unexpected ...Life is full of surprises
Wonderful.
Rays are flattened sharks.
Yesterday on a long walk saw a koi carp swimming in the river. Quite common, they escape from a garden center, are released or escaped pets etc. The river was quite muddy so no pics. Saw some swifts, hawks, loads of fish (managed to restrain myself).
WooHoo A friend popped in to say Kia Ora....
If you make friends with your(many)selves, you will never be alone....
You're making me homesick, dammit. Here, if I want to commune with insects, I have to settle for mosquitos. I had my first mosquito bite of the season a couple of days ago, but it's not the same. I'd like the little fellows better if they were a good deal bigger, and there were fewer of them. They're good bird food though - there's that in their favor.
But I am forgetting the dragonflies, we have those - though they will not emerge for a couple of months yet. Some time ago, I was watching one of them as it was hunting, and saw it seize a paper wasp in its jaws. It then gently alit on my shirt, and the wasp stung me right above the navel. A memorable event, I remember it fondly.
Wow the cheeky bug ger
My first attempt with an Apple Pencil... thought I would follow in @lobster’s footsteps
It is fun @kerome.
One of the things I found is confidence to draw as if I could.
I was raised to believe that to openly showing any confidence in my knowledge in specific areas is to be malignantly prideful and egotistical. Given that I often experience imposter syndrome, I am finally making myself state that I actually know my sh*t. I know a lot when it comes to certain subject areas. (Hell, I have a Sociology degree, and I continue to study it independently and view most things through that lens-even Buddhism.) Being sheepish and humble to the point of self-degradation is so tiring, and I am doing my best to undo that while being comfortable with being open about areas I am not familiar with.
So, yay, goodish news.
Very good news @Rowan1980. I think the adage about not hiding one's light under a bushel is a good one.
I wouldn't know one end of a carbine engine from the other, but damn, I knit good! And I cook amazing!
Mind you, if I believe I'm further up the chain than say, a goldfish - have you seen that sucker swim - ?!
We all have different skills and gifts and if we're good at shit, we should own that, just as much as finding it easy to say "Ya know, I haven't a clue how to do that."
Indeed.
You do. Everyones knowledge and experience is unique and therefore The Path involves broad strokes but also subtle requirements.
For example an advanced teaching, practiced prematurely or the wrong way may be detrimental. So rather than advanced we talk about appropriate or skilful. Personally I return again and again to simple, sitting, mantras and good company. Bad attitude I can find in any mirror ...
Interestingly enough, if I don’t know something, I ask my wife. She’s a genius with subjects like engineering and mechanical work. (The latter means she can fix our car herself 98% of the time.)
I joke that if Jeopardy were a team game show, we’d be unstoppable.
In my tireless efforts to save the world I have been eating more African chocolate from Oxfam. Ginger and orange - medicine and one of your five a day (fruit and veg).
Oxfam have gifts you can provide benevolently on behalf of someone else who shares the merit.
Here is some shit gift ... that I may not be giving. Too useful and selfless for my family ...
https://www.oxfamgifts.com/gifts/manure/
My children have on occasions oxfam gifted my Xmas present.. A goat, here chickens there....Great idea,,,
Good kids @Shoshin
https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/oxfam-unwrapped/occasion-gifts/special-birthday-goat-ou1014ml
(It might be a naive question, but how do they feed, shelter and care for a goat if they can't even feed, shelter and care for themselves? It's just one more being to be responsible for, isn't it? )