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  • bookwormbookworm U.S.A. Veteran

    Oh cool i honestly did not know that at all, they sure picked a cool name to call a microscopic creature.

  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited August 2014

    I'm doing a shout out to @genkaku ! .. :) ...

    I read on his blog he was in the hospital.

    Instead of a boring ass 'get well' card...I know you'ld much rather hear a dirty joke...lololol

    A husband comes home to find his wife with her suitcases packed in the living room. "Where the hell do you think you're going?" he says. "I'm going to Las Vegas. You can earn $400 for a blow job there, and I figured that I might as well earn money for what I do to you free."
    The husband thinks for a moment, goes upstairs, and comes back down, with his suitcase packed as well. "Where do you think you going?" the wife asks. "I'm coming with you...I want to see how you survive on $800 a year!!!"

    ... :lol: ....

    A man and a woman started to have sex in the middle of a dark forest. After about 15 minutes of it, the man finally gets up and says, "Damn, I wish I had a flashlight!". The woman says, "Me too, you've been eating grass for the past ten minutes!"

    howJeffreySarahTDairyLama
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Am doing this in a big way.

    Read the article, and also the comments left by viewers... you'll find these to the right of the article. They're accessible by clicking on the little apostrophe-shaped 'speech-boxes' with numbers in them (The numbers denote the quantity of comments left).

    It means total abstention from hitting any 'like' option, on anything in your feed, without exception. Regardless.

    Nirvana
  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran

    At the risk of sounding like a fossilic troglodite, I am not in Facebook, so I have no idea how the virtual world works there...
    But whenever I like something anywhere, I don't see why I should not "like" it with a button...

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    have you read the article? it does, obviously, refer exclusively to Facebook 'likes' but it also tells you what happens to your 'vote' when you do....

    "fossilic troglodyte"...! :lol: .

  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran
    edited August 2014

    Look, Fede! ( @federica )
    Not that I want to sound shallow and change your subject, but for about five days now, I'm an itching mess of a fossilic troglodyte, actually, to concentrate well on anything else.
    Either it's from basking in the sun with some citric component in the body oil I use.
    Or my perfume reacting when I am exposed to the sun?
    Or just the sun (I used to get badly burnt as a child, I'm too pale)
    Or some crystal jewellery I received which contains bronze (does bronze trigger allergic reactions?)
    Or my new Dove hair balm? I usually use only organic cosmetics, but ran out of balm and they did not have anything organic at the local grocery. Have to wait till payday for my monthly purchase at the Organic store.
    Whatever the reason, I'm itching, to the point that I could dig trenches in my body from so much grating. Especially in the shins, the forearms and the breastplate. The parts that are mostly exposed to the sun when I go for my walkings, that's what makes the sun my number one suspect...

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited August 2014

    Have you considered skin mites/scabies? Hotels can be notorious for such things.... the bedding gets washed, but the mattresses can harbour such unseen little things....

  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran

    Well, physically I don't look like the photos. No bump, no rash... just red from so much scratching.
    And hubby and son are not having any problem. Just me...
    Go know!

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited August 2014

    it doesn't affect everyone, (did your son sleep in your bed?) and it doesn't always manifest in the way the photos show, because there are many different species of skin mites. Additionally, it seems that female blood is more flavoursome....Favoured locations are in classic 'warm' spots. Inner thighs, near the armpits, under the arms, under breasts and on the abdomen. It's worth considering if only for elimination....

  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran

    @federica said:
    It means total abstention from hitting any 'like' option, on anything in your feed, without exception. Regardless.

    I cancelled my Facebook account ages ago so I don't have this problem. So you could say I "unliked" Facebook. ;)

    Bunks
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    I'm rapidly moving in that direction, but on the 'plus' side, I only have 28 friends, and most of those are relatives....

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran
    edited August 2014

    My work colleagues just signed up to an eating challenge at a German Beer Hall here in Melbourne.

    If you can eat a 1.5kg (3.3 lb) pork schnitzel (plus a plate of chips) and drink a litre of beer in 45 mins you get it all free.

    Now that's suffering.......

    Jeffrey
  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    Here's a photo of itimage

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    Forgive me, but I find things like this almost obscene....

  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran

    Sorry to bump my way through the schnitzel and Facebook.
    I'm still scratching badly.
    Just wanted to announce that I'll be absent from Monday to Wednesday.
    I'm attending HH the Dalai Lama's Avalokiteshvara Initiation in Hamburg next Tuesday.
    I'll be travelling by night train on Monday, and arriving Wednesday morning with another night train.
    Have not travelled alone by train since my early twenties, so looking forward to the adventure....!

    lobsterVastmindBunks
  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran

    Amazing walk by the sea yesterday, the sea was all strange hues of green. An angry sky with black and blue, and a rainbow linking them. Sublime!

    Jeffrey
  • Looking at the schnitzel reminded me of a steakhouse in Texas which offers 5lbs of prime bovine if you can eat it all.

  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran
    edited August 2014

    So I've got all these badges here, can I cash them in like you do with Tescos clubcard points? :p

    Vastmind
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited August 2014

    I traded mine in for a plant last year...They gave me a window just for signing up. Who has a window without a plant on the sill?

    I guess you have to ask for a catalog., hahaha

    Now that you mention it...I never got my 'meet in person' badge!
    Hello?? The group may have gone our separate ways...but we did have a whole thread on our meetings and retreats...hahaha. Oh well...red tape, I suppose.

    For the record... I do exist. .. :D ...

  • DairyLamaDairyLama Veteran Veteran

    @Vastmind said:
    ... I do exist. .. :D ...

    Ah, but in what sense? :p

    Vastmind
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran

    @SpinyNorman said:
    Ah, but in what sense? :p

    The kind that don't spend.

    DairyLama
  • The monarch caterpillars in my gardengave pupated (sp?) I can't wait to see them hatch! Also my dog got his stinky cheese face (he's a pug) on my nose ring so all I can smell is pug wrinkle cheese.

  • CittaCitta Veteran

    Just popped in to say farewell folks.
    I will not be posting anymore.
    I have unexpectedly had a pretty major and positive upheaval in my view of the world, which has left me with a lot to process.

    I wish you all well. And ask you to forgive any harsh or insensitive remarks I may have made.

  • @Citta said:
    I wish you all well. And ask you to forgive any harsh or insensitive remarks I may have made.

    :bawl: .

    Fare thee well.

    Can't you stay and provide some insight to those who thrive on harsh insensitivity? Either way good luck with the processing, I would have enjoyed the new forgivable @Citta . . .

    howJeffrey
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran
    edited August 2014

    Today was a super day! .. :) ...

    I had tickets for the U of M football game tonight
    The kids were super excited, to say the least!!

    The score was 63/0 ... we kicked them....fireworks at all the TD's. Amazing to see that.
    It was a production, Let me tell you.....

    We went early and tailgated with a couple of couples!

    Ate, had some cheers, and of course, danced to band music and other live stuff
    It was about 80...overcast...nice.

    It slow rained the minute the game started and we sat there
    and cheered in our rain ponchos..... sippin' Icee's..

    We had a BALL today!!!! ......

    Felt like a sweepstakes winner!! .. :) ...

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    sometimes, you're the windscreen, and sometimes, you're the fly....

  • zenffzenff Veteran
    edited August 2014

    @Citta said:
    I have unexpectedly had a pretty major and positive upheaval in my view of the world, which has left me with a lot to process.

    That’s awesome! We are all happy for you…(and curious for more details of course...)

    Take care and be well.

  • zenffzenff Veteran

    @federica said:
    sometimes, you're the windscreen, and sometimes, you're the fly....

    I hope that’s a general observation and you’re not feeling like the fly right now.

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    I've been a fly for 10 years now. No change on the horizon. But hey, I'm just sharing and believe me, I'm not looking or hinting for sympathy. It is what it is. We cannot compare our lives with that of others. Just when "you" feel you've hit rock-bottom, you actually realise you're free-falling, but that others have had it just as bad - maybe even worse, without the parachute. At least, I have my hand on the release cord... :) .

  • @Citta. I wondered where you had gone. Now I wonder where you are going.

  • howhow Veteran Veteran

    That's quite the cliffhanger of a cryptic farewell even for a Citta?
    Wishing u an ever widening heart and mind.
    Gassho
    Howard

  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran

    I don't like your leaving us, @Citta.
    Said it privately to you a dozen times, say it publicly in the open now.
    I wish you well whatever you decide, though.

    Bunks
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    ... :lol: .

  • DaftChrisDaftChris Spiritually conflicted. Not of this world. Veteran

    Hello everyone, DaftChris here. Despite my absence, I'm dead yet.

    So, as things have it, I feel a pull back towards Buddhism...again. However, I still have a reverence for the Devas and a love for India & the Hindu community.

    If only there was a Tibetan, Shingon, or Tendai Sangha nearby. Then I could have the best of both worlds.

  • BunksBunks Australia Veteran

    @Bunks said:
    Here's a photo of itimage

    Just in case anyone was on the edge of their seats with excitement, my colleague failed to complete the 1.5kg schnitzel and beer challenge. Apparently he ate about 80% of it then asked for a bucket which he proceeded to vomit in!

    Nice.....

  • @Vastmind said:
    Today was a super day! .. :) ...

    I had tickets for the U of M football game tonight
    The kids were super excited, to say the least!!

    The score was 63/0 ... we kicked them....fireworks at all the TD's. Amazing to see that.
    It was a production, Let me tell you.....

    We went early and tailgated with a couple of couples!

    Ate, had some cheers, and of course, danced to band music and other live stuff
    It was about 80...overcast...nice.

    It slow rained the minute the game started and we sat there
    and cheered in our rain ponchos..... sippin' Icee's..

    We had a BALL today!!!! ......

    Felt like a sweepstakes winner!! .. :) ...

    What U of M? I am a fan of U of Michigan. I LOVE college football

  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran
    edited September 2014

    @Bunks said:
    Just in case anyone was on the edge of their seats with excitement, my colleague failed to complete the 1.5kg schnitzel and beer challenge. Apparently he ate about 80% of it then asked for a bucket which he proceeded to vomit in!

    Sorry, @Bunks, but your colleague is a pansy.
    Hubby and I eat about 1.5 k meat (not schnitzel, but filet) in one sitting without even winking every time we travel to Argentina.
    No beer, though, no schnitzel trappings, plain meat...

    Bunks
  • Hello everyone, DaftChris here. Despite my absence, I'm dead yet.

    Sometimes despite this rather apt message if you were a sufi mystic, our resident word checker @federica‌ is right to insist on the importance of not missing not . . .

    Welcome back. :wave: .

    SarahT
  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    I actually left the supposed error on purpose, to see whether @DaftChris‌ would pick up on it... :D .

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator
    edited September 2014

    I've been using an Ayurvedic tongue-scraper for a month now, and I can honestly say it's made an amazing difference!

  • BuddhadragonBuddhadragon Ehipassiko & Carpe Diem Samsara Veteran

    Years ago, the tongue-scraper was a bit of a fad.
    I tried it, but it made me both laugh and gag, so I gave it up.

  • federicafederica Seeker of the clear blue sky... Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubt Moderator

    quite a task, doing both at one and the same time....!

    I overcame the gag reflex by breathing through the nose. The problem is, also anticipating the gag reflex - I find that if I worry about it happening, it happens. If I just plunge in and do it, it's not as frequent....

    Buddhadragon
  • VastmindVastmind Memphis, TN Veteran

    @Jeffrey‌ ... University of Memphis. Go tigers!!!!

    That was the first college game I've been to. Do you go on the regular?

  • @Vastmind I went when I was in school because the tickets were not expensive as a student. But the tickets start at 35 dollars for playing a push over team and up to 225 for a big game.

    And those are just the starting price for nose bleed seats!

  • ToraldrisToraldris   -`-,-{@     Zen Nud... Buddhist     @}-,-`-   East Coast, USA Veteran

    Sam Harris is coming out with a new book on spiritually and meditation and stuff called "Waking Up", and he's released the audiobook version (read by him) of Chapter One for free online:

    I'd rather read it myself, being almost 1hr 30mins long, but at least he has a good voice and inflection!

    lobster
  • ToraldrisToraldris   -`-,-{@     Zen Nud... Buddhist     @}-,-`-   East Coast, USA Veteran

    ^^^ Finished listening to that chapter, and really enjoyed it. Will definitely be purchasing that book.

  • Sam Harris is coming out with a new book

    Outstanding. Worth the listen.

    Spirituality for want of a suitable word, devoid of superstitious dogma, dharma and pixie dust.

    Wonderful to hear such clarity rather than the inherent hindrances of irrational devotees and cultees.

    Spirituality can be as simple and as transformative as Sam Harris explains.

    Many thanks :) :clap: .

    Toraldris
  • From a facebook page I 'liked'.. (you can like it too so it is public) 'Jackson Peterson'

    Sam Harris's new book just came out this week; "Waking Up! A Guide to Spirituality without Religion". It is filled with many stories of his teacher/student relationships with several Dzogchen masters, especially Dilgo Khentse and Tulku Urgyen. Here is an interesting snippet where he shares how one recognizes "rigpa" directly:

    "Once again, selflessness(rigpa) is not a “deep” feature of consciousness. It is right on the surface. And yet people can meditate for years without recognizing it. After I was introduced to the practice of Dzogchen, I realized that much of my time spent meditating had been a way of actively overlooking the very insight I was seeking. How can something be right on the surface of experience and yet be difficult to see? I have already drawn an analogy to the optic blind spot. But other analogies may give a clearer sense of the subtle shift in attention that is required to see what is right before one’s eyes. We’ve all had the experience of looking through a window and suddenly noticing our own reflection in the glass. At that moment we have a choice: to use the window as a window and see the world beyond, or to use it as a mirror. It is extraordinarily easy to shift back and forth between these two views but impossible to truly focus on both simultaneously. This shift offers a very good analogy both for what it is like to recognize the illusoriness of the self for the first time and for why it can take so long to do it. Imagine that you want to show another person how a window can also function like a mirror. As it happens, your friend has never seen this effect and is quite skeptical of your claims . You direct her attention to the largest window in your house, and although the conditions are perfect for seeing her reflection, she immediately becomes captivated by the world outside . What a beautiful view! Who are your neighbors ? Is that a redwood or a Douglas fir?

    You begin to speak about there being two views and about the fact that your friend’s reflection stands before her even now, but she notices only that the neighbor’s dog has slipped out the front door and is now dashing down the sidewalk. In every moment, it is clear to you that your friend is staring directly through the image of her face without seeing it. Of course, you could easily direct her attention to the surface of the window by touching the glass with your hand. This would be akin to the “pointing-out instruction” of Dzogchen. However , here the analogy begins to break down. It is very difficult to imagine someone’s not being able to see her reflection in a window even after years of looking—but that is what happens when a person begins most forms of spiritual practice. Most techniques of meditation are, in essence, elaborate ways for looking through the window in the hope that if one only sees the world in greater detail, an image of one’s true face will eventually appear. Imagine a teaching like this: If you just focus on the trees swaying outside the window without distraction, you will see your true face. Undoubtedly , such an instruction would be an obstacle to seeing what could otherwise be seen directly. Almost everything that has been said or written about spiritual practice, even most of the teachings one finds in Buddhism, directs a person’s gaze to the world beyond the glass, thereby confusing matters from the very beginning."

    Harris, Sam (2014-09-09). Waking Up: A Guide to Spirituality Without Religion (Kindle Locations 2003-2008). Simon & Schuster. Kindle Edition.

    Buddhadragon
  • ToraldrisToraldris   -`-,-{@     Zen Nud... Buddhist     @}-,-`-   East Coast, USA Veteran
    edited September 2014

    I got the Audible audiobook of Waking Up, and it was good overall. He talked a lot about debunking the neuroscientist who claims to have proven Heaven is for real, and a lot about psychedelics at the end of the book, but the first 3 or 4 chapters (out of 6) were mostly about self-transcendence (he talked-up Dzogchen a lot).

    Hamsaka
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