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Just for fun: the random, useless announcements thread!
Yes, from what I gather our presence on their home turf aka in the ocean, often attracts the shark's attention...In a sense when we enter their territory, we are baiting the shark's curiosity...not that they will attack, they may just want to check us out...
I've only seen one shark in the wild, that was many years ago in Fiji...However over the years I'm sure sharks have seen me ...
The way it works is that you first send 1 to 5 postcards to random addresses from their users that you are given all over the world. Then these people register that they've received your postcard upon which your address is given out to the same number of other random people from their database to send you a postcard. You send postcards to a first batch, but receive postcards from another batch. When receiving a postcard, people write to you online, so you can initiate trans-cultural relationships too.
I've sent postcards to several European countries, the US and India. I've received postcards from Switzerland and two from Japan, which I found an interesting coincidence (?) considering my Buddhist views and interests.
A pretty good idea I'd say, try it out if you like.
I love receiving postcards ... A nice way to interact with people around the world @marcitko ....Sounds a bit like to the old pen pals....
When I travel I always send postcards to my family (not that I travel a lot nowadays) and when my children travel (they travel quite a bit) they will often send me postcards...I've got a postcard album with all the postcards from the countries which they have visited over the years...
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
This video is a bit long (it seems to be an audiobook) but it is a nice collection of Nisargadatta sayings…
Well we are in for a hot dry Summer according to the weather forecast people's crystal ball...and if this and the last week's weather/temperatures are anything to go by, their crystal ball is right...
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Well we are in for a hot dry Summer according to the weather forecast people's crystal ball...and if this and the last week's weather/temperatures are anything to go by, their crystal ball is right...
I always wonder how they can tell, given how inaccurate forecasts are beyond ten days or so.
10 Days??? The local weather systems around here are so variable that the only weather forecast you can trust is the one you are presently looking at through your own window.
5
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Here it’s not so bad… my iPhone tells me when it’s going to rain, or be warm and sunny, and it’s pretty reliable for today and there’s a long range forecast for two weeks which tells you which days will be rainy.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
I came across this on YouTube, thought it might be worth sharing… a series called Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, dealing with modern approaches to different substances like psychedelics, and some very unique people, like the artist and explorer Timothy Wyllie. I was touched.
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
Help! I have a mouse in my bedroom… I was just settling down to sleep when I heard some rustling noises from some papers on my desk, and I heard a small stack of empty medicine boxes fall over, and then I looked at the corner of my bed and there was the varmint, a small brown field mouse!
Now I don’t know what to do, shall I try and catch him, sleep with him in the room or go and sleep downstairs? Dilemma.
@Jeroen said:
Help! I have a mouse in my bedroom… I was just settling down to sleep when I heard some rustling noises from some papers on my desk, and I heard a small stack of empty medicine boxes fall over, and then I looked at the corner of my bed and there was the varmint, a small brown field mouse!
Now I don’t know what to do, shall I try and catch him, sleep with him in the room or go and sleep downstairs? Dilemma.
Bring out the nukes and nuke it, it's the only way
On a more serious note ...the mouse is most probably looking for food and or a suitable dry warm place to call home ...
You could try catching it, sometimes it a good idea to use a piece of cloth to throw over it then pick it up in the cloth and put it outside, when it is covered by the cloth it will stop it panicking and is easier to grab ,
You should get yourself one of those humane live cage traps and leave in your room for a while incase others are in the vicinity ...
Oh and in some cases sealing off possible entry point helps to keep them out...The common house mouse can squeeze through holes and under any gap that you can poke a ballpoint pen through...Don't be fooled by the size of its furry body...It's like Houdini how it can get through tiny spaces
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
I’ve created an escape route by hanging a large towel from the ground out of the window, and have now switched the light off and am waiting for the mouse to move. It should realise that this spacious white-painted cave has an occupant and that it’s not big enough for the both of us. I am planning to chase it out the window.
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited November 2023
It’s either gone out the window or it is keeping very quiet, I haven’t heard anything from it moving around, disturbing papers or things. I slept in the bedroom so think I would have heard if it had stayed. Think it is gone.
2
Fosdickin its eye are mirrored far off mountainsAlaska, USAVeteran
My condolences. But I can send you some of mine if you like - I have more than enough to spare. I think they may be breeding in the sofa - my wife has accidentally sat upon and crushed several little ones in the past 3 months or so. No idea what they're eating - we've been at great pains to keep all food out of their reach.
Second skinny dip of the season, the first was in September before I travelled overseas...
The ocean is warm and the sand hot, soles of feet burning hot...
Serenaded by bird song going up and also accosted by angry wasps buzzing around me.. I think queen wasps are going to have a bumper crop of colonies this season...no doubt a few nests already established close to the track...
I think any mental health professional should have a mini introduction to the Brahmaviharas.
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 think any mental health professional needs their minds examined...!
3
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
In my experience, most mental health professionals picked the job for the sake of having a secure desk job, not for any passion about being part of the caring process. There are exceptions, I have encountered a few people who were good at this, but many are just treading water. An introduction to the Brahmaviharas would not be a bad start.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited November 2023
The Dutch election results are in; Geert Wilders Party for Freedom which is pretty much a far-right demagogue’s party has become by far the biggest party, although they do not have a majority, and will have to negotiate to form a government. The government coalition of VVD, D66 and CDA all lost major amounts of votes, and that was already a right-of-center coalition. So a big swing further to the right, and probably Geert Wilders as prime minister.
Aotearoa also has a new government, a right wing one consisting of three parties the National party (the biggest) the ACT party and NZ First party.. the leaders of ACT and NZ First don't like each other so there's been a bit of tension between them, the new government hasn't been sworn in yet, due to the squabbling, meanwhile Labour and its coalition partner the Greens are staying on as the caretaker government...until the three parties can reach an agreement ...The shape of things to come...
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
It’s kind of a dilemma. If you set up a government based on social care and tolerance, so many people end up wanting to come that you have an immigration problem, and the locals end up voting far right to preserve economic status and their way of life. Geert Wilders’ ideas are very anti-Islam and in favour of limiting immigration, so very much in that trend.
But he doesn’t have a majority, he controls 37 seats out of the 150 seat parliament, so he needs two of the other major parties of about 20 seats to agree to a coalition. It will probably be a lengthy governmental formation process, last time it took 271 days during which the old government stayed in control of the country.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
In Spring hundreds of flowers In Summer refreshing breeze In Autumn the moon In Winter the snow Free your mind from idle thoughts and for you everyday is a good day ~Wu Men~
I guess it would depend on what area one specialised in...
From what I gather, :"humanitarian relief and peacekeeping activities" don't go against a Buddhist lay person's precepts ...helping military personnel, who have become traumatised by what they have seen during their deployment on peacekeeping missions to war zones or humanitarian relief in natural disasters....
Unfortunately, some missions or operations would not fall under this category. There are users who have suffered mental injuries due to active combat in various wars: Iraq, Afghanistan...and really God knows... you find out each surprise after. Also, I would be belonging to the health unit. I think the issue now, after reading a bit further, is that perhaps we need to also learn how to use firearms. I see here the real problem.
Random question: is it against Buddhist precepts to become part of the military but to work as the force's psychologist?
An alcoholic can work in a bar, a gambler in a Casino , a vegan in an abattoir, an advocate for harmlessness in the military.
All are capable of doing good in such circumstances but if you find the keeping of the precepts in daily life to be a challenge today, imagine how much harder it might be within a field of endeavor that pays no attention to such precepts.
A few months back I stopped running along a path which passes a house going down to the beach where two little ankle biters would come running out and try to have a go at my ankles, I had to stop jolking, turn around and walk backward fending them off until I reach the track down to the beach ... and now they have also started to come to the other end of the path where there's another track down to the beach and are doing the same thing....
So a while back I bought a cheap device which emits ultrasonic sound waves....its was meant to stop a dog which is hell bent of attacking you in its tracks ...When the device arrived (I bought it online) I thought it was just another cheap gimmick (you get what you pay for thing)...However to my surprise it actually works...
Yesterday I was coming up to the other track away from the house which leads down to the beach, when the ankle biters made a dash for me, I took out the device and pointed in their direction pressed the button and moved towards them and they turned tail and headed back to the house, if I stopped pressing the button they would turn and continue the attack...
I'm impressed that this cheap device works as described...
For a moment, I imagined some exotic creature (dinosaur like) called an ankle biter...
2
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
I was in Amsterdam yesterday to do a bit of Christmas shopping, and was pleasantly surprised. It was relatively clean, a lot of the town houses along the canals had had stuff done to them, it was sunny and there were nice Christmas lights.
My debris pick up runs within walking distance from my house have ended because others seem to have taken up the same task to the degree that I am finding nothing left to pick up.
Random question: I know someone who used to be a mechanic, he LOVES fixing motors, engines...you name it. His hobby used to be to buy dirty and old cars, 30+ years, and fix 'em back up. Sadly, he has early signs of Alzheimers disease. So.... to work with his procedimental memory and keep the brain as stimulated as possible, I was thinking maybe there are some materials to work on? Like constructions games or simple robotics / engineering.
If anyone know, or would like to hit me up via PM. Feel welcome. I don't mind paying shipping costs if the materials are in US/Canada/NZ/Laos shop. Like the Bob Dylan song says: my loss will be his gain
2
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
The mouse or one of its identical cousins has now been spotted downstairs… near the kitchen… we have acquired a mouse-friendly mouse trap and have baited it with some peanut butter, here is hoping we will catch the miscreant mouse soon.
You'll need to make the insides of your residence less mouse friendly than being outside or in your neighbor's homes. This means first eliminating their free access to any food and water inside your house and secondly finding how they are getting into your house and blocking all of those access points off.
....Otherwise this issue will continue.
1
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
We don’t leave any food or water out, and haven’t had any trouble for the past three years until this one beasty showed up. It’s a fairly modern, well maintained concrete-built house, and we’ve only seen him twice, once upstairs and once downstairs. So going to see if we can catch him.
All it takes is one pregnant mouse to change the whole picture.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
The thing is the ground floor is pretty secure… there aren’t any gaps in the concrete walls, which is why we haven’t had any trouble with mice before. But my mother occasionally leaves the window open on the first floor by the sloping roof over the garage, and I think the mouse got in there, so I’m hoping it’s just a single mouse which accidentally got inside.
You might be fine.
No screens on the window?
Soffit openings, wall penetrations for gas piping & meters, electrical mains, external hose faucets, fresh air vents for heating or Hvac, pet doors, dryer outlets, chimneys, roof vents, attic & sewer vents are the usual points of mouse entry to look for if this problem doesn't resolve itself.
Fosdickin its eye are mirrored far off mountainsAlaska, USAVeteran
Heh, but don't count on it. Nonetheless, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade - mice are very interesting animals, and I have never encountered any scientific 'field' studies of their habits - possibly you could write up a monograph on the subject and get it published.
Comments
shark bait!
Yes, from what I gather our presence on their home turf aka in the ocean, often attracts the shark's attention...In a sense when we enter their territory, we are baiting the shark's curiosity...not that they will attack, they may just want to check us out...
I've only seen one shark in the wild, that was many years ago in Fiji...However over the years I'm sure sharks have seen me ...
I've sent and received my first postcards via https://www.postcrossing.com/
The way it works is that you first send 1 to 5 postcards to random addresses from their users that you are given all over the world. Then these people register that they've received your postcard upon which your address is given out to the same number of other random people from their database to send you a postcard. You send postcards to a first batch, but receive postcards from another batch. When receiving a postcard, people write to you online, so you can initiate trans-cultural relationships too.
I've sent postcards to several European countries, the US and India. I've received postcards from Switzerland and two from Japan, which I found an interesting coincidence (?) considering my Buddhist views and interests.
A pretty good idea I'd say, try it out if you like.
I love receiving postcards ... A nice way to interact with people around the world @marcitko ....Sounds a bit like to the old pen pals....
When I travel I always send postcards to my family (not that I travel a lot nowadays) and when my children travel (they travel quite a bit) they will often send me postcards...I've got a postcard album with all the postcards from the countries which they have visited over the years...
This video is a bit long (it seems to be an audiobook) but it is a nice collection of Nisargadatta sayings…
Well we are in for a hot dry Summer according to the weather forecast people's crystal ball...and if this and the last week's weather/temperatures are anything to go by, their crystal ball is right...
I always wonder how they can tell, given how inaccurate forecasts are beyond ten days or so.
10 Days??? The local weather systems around here are so variable that the only weather forecast you can trust is the one you are presently looking at through your own window.
Here it’s not so bad… my iPhone tells me when it’s going to rain, or be warm and sunny, and it’s pretty reliable for today and there’s a long range forecast for two weeks which tells you which days will be rainy.
I came across this on YouTube, thought it might be worth sharing… a series called Hamilton’s Pharmacopeia, dealing with modern approaches to different substances like psychedelics, and some very unique people, like the artist and explorer Timothy Wyllie. I was touched.
Help! I have a mouse in my bedroom… I was just settling down to sleep when I heard some rustling noises from some papers on my desk, and I heard a small stack of empty medicine boxes fall over, and then I looked at the corner of my bed and there was the varmint, a small brown field mouse!
Now I don’t know what to do, shall I try and catch him, sleep with him in the room or go and sleep downstairs? Dilemma.
Bring out the nukes and nuke it, it's the only way
On a more serious note ...the mouse is most probably looking for food and or a suitable dry warm place to call home ...
You could try catching it, sometimes it a good idea to use a piece of cloth to throw over it then pick it up in the cloth and put it outside, when it is covered by the cloth it will stop it panicking and is easier to grab ,
You should get yourself one of those humane live cage traps and leave in your room for a while incase others are in the vicinity ...
Oh and in some cases sealing off possible entry point helps to keep them out...The common house mouse can squeeze through holes and under any gap that you can poke a ballpoint pen through...Don't be fooled by the size of its furry body...It's like Houdini how it can get through tiny spaces
I’ve created an escape route by hanging a large towel from the ground out of the window, and have now switched the light off and am waiting for the mouse to move. It should realise that this spacious white-painted cave has an occupant and that it’s not big enough for the both of us. I am planning to chase it out the window.
How's the mouse doing @Jeroen ?
It’s either gone out the window or it is keeping very quiet, I haven’t heard anything from it moving around, disturbing papers or things. I slept in the bedroom so think I would have heard if it had stayed. Think it is gone.
My condolences. But I can send you some of mine if you like - I have more than enough to spare. I think they may be breeding in the sofa - my wife has accidentally sat upon and crushed several little ones in the past 3 months or so. No idea what they're eating - we've been at great pains to keep all food out of their reach.
Their survival instinct is strong, i can imagine also living in Alaska... it is either shelter or death.
Here mice live outside and are eaten by the garzas. Nice autumn morning here, foggy and 17 degrees.
Peace to all!
Also, something random, it is my mother's dream to go to Alaska because of TV show called "Doctor en Alaska" from 80s/90s. Haha.
A timple!
Second skinny dip of the season, the first was in September before I travelled overseas...
The ocean is warm and the sand hot, soles of feet burning hot...
Serenaded by bird song going up and also accosted by angry wasps buzzing around me.. I think queen wasps are going to have a bumper crop of colonies this season...no doubt a few nests already established close to the track...
I think any mental health professional should have a mini introduction to the Brahmaviharas.
I think any mental health professional needs their minds examined...!
In my experience, most mental health professionals picked the job for the sake of having a secure desk job, not for any passion about being part of the caring process. There are exceptions, I have encountered a few people who were good at this, but many are just treading water. An introduction to the Brahmaviharas would not be a bad start.
The Dutch election results are in; Geert Wilders Party for Freedom which is pretty much a far-right demagogue’s party has become by far the biggest party, although they do not have a majority, and will have to negotiate to form a government. The government coalition of VVD, D66 and CDA all lost major amounts of votes, and that was already a right-of-center coalition. So a big swing further to the right, and probably Geert Wilders as prime minister.
Aotearoa also has a new government, a right wing one consisting of three parties the National party (the biggest) the ACT party and NZ First party.. the leaders of ACT and NZ First don't like each other so there's been a bit of tension between them, the new government hasn't been sworn in yet, due to the squabbling, meanwhile Labour and its coalition partner the Greens are staying on as the caretaker government...until the three parties can reach an agreement ...The shape of things to come...
It’s kind of a dilemma. If you set up a government based on social care and tolerance, so many people end up wanting to come that you have an immigration problem, and the locals end up voting far right to preserve economic status and their way of life. Geert Wilders’ ideas are very anti-Islam and in favour of limiting immigration, so very much in that trend.
But he doesn’t have a majority, he controls 37 seats out of the 150 seat parliament, so he needs two of the other major parties of about 20 seats to agree to a coalition. It will probably be a lengthy governmental formation process, last time it took 271 days during which the old government stayed in control of the country.
Good evening and good morning, @shoshin1
Good evening from down under @Jeroen (it's morning here)...
Buff buddhists
Last day of Spring today, Summer tomorrow...
In Spring hundreds of flowers
In Summer refreshing breeze
In Autumn the moon
In Winter the snow
Free your mind from idle thoughts
and for you everyday is a good day
~Wu Men~
Thank you for the poem. I'm waiting for the sun to come out
Early start
Random question: is it against buddhist precepts to become part of the military but to work as the force's psychologist?
I guess it would depend on what area one specialised in...
From what I gather, :"humanitarian relief and peacekeeping activities" don't go against a Buddhist lay person's precepts ...helping military personnel, who have become traumatised by what they have seen during their deployment on peacekeeping missions to war zones or humanitarian relief in natural disasters....
Unfortunately, some missions or operations would not fall under this category. There are users who have suffered mental injuries due to active combat in various wars: Iraq, Afghanistan...and really God knows... you find out each surprise after. Also, I would be belonging to the health unit. I think the issue now, after reading a bit further, is that perhaps we need to also learn how to use firearms. I see here the real problem.
Random question: is it against Buddhist precepts to become part of the military but to work as the force's psychologist?
An alcoholic can work in a bar, a gambler in a Casino , a vegan in an abattoir, an advocate for harmlessness in the military.
All are capable of doing good in such circumstances but if you find the keeping of the precepts in daily life to be a challenge today, imagine how much harder it might be within a field of endeavor that pays no attention to such precepts.
Last week at my internship. Finally!
A few months back I stopped running along a path which passes a house going down to the beach where two little ankle biters would come running out and try to have a go at my ankles, I had to stop jolking, turn around and walk backward fending them off until I reach the track down to the beach ... and now they have also started to come to the other end of the path where there's another track down to the beach and are doing the same thing....
So a while back I bought a cheap device which emits ultrasonic sound waves....its was meant to stop a dog which is hell bent of attacking you in its tracks ...When the device arrived (I bought it online) I thought it was just another cheap gimmick (you get what you pay for thing)...However to my surprise it actually works...
Yesterday I was coming up to the other track away from the house which leads down to the beach, when the ankle biters made a dash for me, I took out the device and pointed in their direction pressed the button and moved towards them and they turned tail and headed back to the house, if I stopped pressing the button they would turn and continue the attack...
I'm impressed that this cheap device works as described...
For a moment, I imagined some exotic creature (dinosaur like) called an ankle biter...
I was in Amsterdam yesterday to do a bit of Christmas shopping, and was pleasantly surprised. It was relatively clean, a lot of the town houses along the canals had had stuff done to them, it was sunny and there were nice Christmas lights.
My debris pick up runs within walking distance from my house have ended because others seem to have taken up the same task to the degree that I am finding nothing left to pick up.
Ploggers of the world...unite!
Random question: I know someone who used to be a mechanic, he LOVES fixing motors, engines...you name it. His hobby used to be to buy dirty and old cars, 30+ years, and fix 'em back up. Sadly, he has early signs of Alzheimers disease. So.... to work with his procedimental memory and keep the brain as stimulated as possible, I was thinking maybe there are some materials to work on? Like constructions games or simple robotics / engineering.
If anyone know, or would like to hit me up via PM. Feel welcome. I don't mind paying shipping costs if the materials are in US/Canada/NZ/Laos shop. Like the Bob Dylan song says: my loss will be his gain
The mouse or one of its identical cousins has now been spotted downstairs… near the kitchen… we have acquired a mouse-friendly mouse trap and have baited it with some peanut butter, here is hoping we will catch the miscreant mouse soon.
You'll need to make the insides of your residence less mouse friendly than being outside or in your neighbor's homes. This means first eliminating their free access to any food and water inside your house and secondly finding how they are getting into your house and blocking all of those access points off.
....Otherwise this issue will continue.
We don’t leave any food or water out, and haven’t had any trouble for the past three years until this one beasty showed up. It’s a fairly modern, well maintained concrete-built house, and we’ve only seen him twice, once upstairs and once downstairs. So going to see if we can catch him.
But thanks for the tip @how…
All it takes is one pregnant mouse to change the whole picture.
The thing is the ground floor is pretty secure… there aren’t any gaps in the concrete walls, which is why we haven’t had any trouble with mice before. But my mother occasionally leaves the window open on the first floor by the sloping roof over the garage, and I think the mouse got in there, so I’m hoping it’s just a single mouse which accidentally got inside.
You might be fine.
No screens on the window?
Soffit openings, wall penetrations for gas piping & meters, electrical mains, external hose faucets, fresh air vents for heating or Hvac, pet doors, dryer outlets, chimneys, roof vents, attic & sewer vents are the usual points of mouse entry to look for if this problem doesn't resolve itself.
"This too shall pass" @Jeroen
Heh, but don't count on it. Nonetheless, if life gives you lemons, make lemonade - mice are very interesting animals, and I have never encountered any scientific 'field' studies of their habits - possibly you could write up a monograph on the subject and get it published.