The guardian at this meeting was Pema Pera and the comments are his.
That evening, when I walked into the tea house, Maxine was already there, and Solo would follow me soon. It turned out that he had not seen my latest hair style, although interestingly enough he had read about it in this blog :-)
Pema Pera: Hi Maxine!
Maxine Walden: hi, Pema
Solobill Laville: Holy smokes! Hi Pema!
Pema Pera: Hi Sol!
Maxine Walden: I can be here for about 15 min tonight so thought I would come
Solobill Laville: I’ve heard about the hair
Pema Pera: oh sure, Maxine, of course!!
Pema Pera: haha
Solobill Laville: Looks great!
Pema Pera: thank you!
Solobill Laville: Hello Maxine
Solobill Laville: yw
Pema Pera: Isn’t that funny, how we hear about each other through the blogs?
Maxine Walden: oh, yes, really great. Hi, Solo
Pema Pera: really like a small village
Pema Pera: word of mouth
Pema Pera: this is the neighborhood cafe
Solobill Laville: Absolutely
Solobill Laville: How is the sushi?
Pema Pera: I was surprised to see Sky as not-a-fox
Pema Pera: earlier
Pema Pera: sushi is fine but only one of very many types of Japanese food
Maxine Walden: we hear about each other through word of mouth..yes, it was interesting to see her differently
Pema Pera: yes, thank you both for sending me chat logs
Maxine Walden: nice to hear the birds too
Solobill Laville: yw
Maxine Walden: oh, yw, as we say in SL
Pema Pera: and for holding the fort here in my absence!
Solobill Laville: It was fun, and a pleasure
Maxine Walden: happy to, not the same when you are not here, but we do our best
Solobill Laville: yes
Pema Pera: different is good
Maxine Walden: and as you said you get a chance to see the conversation from a different view
Pema Pera: I very much enjoyed reading the four blogs of the last two days
Pema Pera: when I was in a workshop and couldn’t come often
Pema Pera: yes!
Dakini joined us. Above her head was floating a translucent message, quite different from the usual text balloons: “(((FREE HUGS)))” in a color that was somewhere in between red, pinkish, and lavender. She had been experimenting with giving the guardian/greeter of our PaB activities a recognizable label, I would remember a bit later.
Pema Pera: Hi Dakini!
Dakini Rhode: hey!
Maxine Walden: hi, Dakini
Dakini Rhode: hi Maxine :-)
Pema Pera: what is the (((FREE HUGS))) ?
Dakini Rhode: hi again Bill
Pema Pera: sounds nice . . . .
Solobill Laville: hi again
Pema Pera: did you go to a party?
Dakini Rhode: haha something i’m experimenting with
Pema Pera: ah!
Pema Pera: of course
Pema Pera: I remember
Pema Pera: guardians right?
Pema Pera: do guardians give free hugs?
Dakini Rhode: i don’t know!
Solobill Laville: a nametag?
Dakini Rhode: that would be nice….
Pema Pera: the color goes well with Maxine’s sweater
Dakini Rhode: it does!
Maxine Walden: color of ?
Pema Pera: the letters floating above Dakini
Pema Pera: (((FREE HUGS)))
Maxine Walden: oh, my chat log obscures her…will switch my view
Dakini Rhode: i can do handshakes too
Dakini Rhode: expanding my repertoire
Maxine Walden: oh yes, I can see now, and who is dropping into our midst
It was Trevor.
Dakini Rhode: in RL i’m kind of a huggy person
Pema Pera: I like the hugs!
Maxine Walden: nice, I like huggy people
Trevor Berensohn: Erm where am I
Pema Pera: I was surprised about hugs when I came to the US at first
Pema Pera: Hi Trevor!
Dakini Rhode: hi Trevor!
Maxine Walden: oh, a dropin, hello, Trevor
Maxine Walden: surprised Pema?
Pema Pera: In Holland kisses are normal but hugs more intimate
Pema Pera: in America the other way around
Pema Pera: took me a while to adjust
Dakini Rhode: interesting
Maxine Walden: oh, hugs more intimate, isn’t that interesting the difference
Pema Pera: hugging is full body
Pema Pera: hence considered more intimate
Trevor Berensohn: Makes sense
Dakini Rhode: kissing on cheeks?
Pema Pera: colleagues kiss each other
Pema Pera: no on the mouth too
Trevor Berensohn: Is it ok if I just wink today?
Solobill Laville: hello again trevor
Pema Pera: to the great surprise of Americans
Dakini Rhode: haha
Pema Pera: haha
Pema Pera: sure
Dakini Rhode: i do handshakes too
Pema Pera: hahaha
Trevor Berensohn: Hi Solo
Pema Pera: multipurpose guardian
Maxine Walden: Solo, went poof?
Trevor Berensohn: An hello everyone else! Thanks for hte TP to the PB Pema
Maxine Walden: oh, flashing in different patterns.
Pema Pera: the poof was Trevor entering in style
Trevor came in a cloud of green flashes and other special effects. He sat down next to Maxine, and it would take a while before she realized where all these sights were coming from, first ascribing them to Solo in front of her. I picked up on what Trevor had just said.
Trevor Berensohn: Haha
Pema Pera: TP to PB haha
Pema Pera: TPPB
Pema Pera: TPTPB
Pema Pera: way to go
Maxine Walden: I see, lots of things happen here in SL
Trevor Berensohn: At least u didn’t say the Poof was Trevor
Pema Pera: How’s your new villa Trev?
Pema Pera: And how’s your neighbor?
Trevor Berensohn: It’s on a new island now
Trevor Berensohn: Oops I hope I’m not interrupting ongoing…
Pema Pera: oh no
Pema Pera: different from what I saw?
Trevor Berensohn: I’m selling the old land to the amusemsent park
Trevor Berensohn: now we’re both happy -)
Trevor Berensohn: Similar building
Trevor Berensohn: It’s evolving
Trevor Berensohn: Good meditation place for moi
Trevor Berensohn: and others
Dakini Rhode: i loved how the tibetan things looked so right there in the villa
Trevor Berensohn: Yes I like to let things b what they are… together
Maxine Walden: Solo is putting on a show for us
Trevor Berensohn: Oh cool
Maxine Walden: or so it seemed
Dakini Rhode: the lights?
Solobill Laville: I don’t mean too…
Dakini Rhode: is the sun setting perhaps?
Trevor Berensohn: I see red haze
Dakini Rhode: i see green
Trevor Berensohn: Haha
Solobill Laville: I do feel kinda funny
Solobill Laville: just kidding
Maxine Walden: I have to leave in a few minutes, just to mention
Max and Trev hadn’t met yet.
Trevor Berensohn: Oh I haven’t met u b4 Maxine
Maxine Walden: no, I think this is the first time, pleasure to meet you
Dakini Rhode: o that’s your sparkels Trevor
Trevor Berensohn: Glad ur here. This is my, what, third?
Trevor Berensohn: OoOps
Pema Pera: be4 is 3rd yes
Dakini Rhode: haha
Pema Pera: be4 4 is 3rd
Maxine Walden: third visit ?
Trevor Berensohn: Dakini, all my spark;es to you =)
Dakini Rhode: haha
Trevor Berensohn: Yes but I’ve bugged Dakini and Pema with lots of chatter in between
Pema Pera: Trevor is preparing for our forest
Pema Pera: he will fit right in
Maxine Walden: oh?
Pema Pera: especially at nightfall
I was refering to the way Trevor looked like a forest dwelling spirit.
Trevor Berensohn: It will b great
Maxine Walden: are you a ight person, Trevor?
Pema Pera: if you switch your camera, Maxine to look back at yourself you will see Trevor emitting green lights
Maxine Walden: night person
Trevor Berensohn: Yes tend to b. More awake and creative at nite
Pema Pera: ight yes lights in night
Dakini Rhode: Maxine you have to see trevor
Maxine Walden: I can see the green lights and the dark cloudy appearance,
Trevor Berensohn: I actually toned them down for this mtg ;-)
Pema Pera: he is wild!
Pema Pera: haha
Dakini Rhode: wonderful!
Pema Pera: Did you see him now, Max?
Dakini Rhode: another avatar i covet :-)
Maxine Walden: yes, very mysterious, yes I see him now…
Trevor Berensohn: Erm is there a topic with these? Or random…
Pema Pera: thy neighbor’s av, Dakini?
Pema Pera: you are the topic now Trev
Solobill Laville: he he
Dakini Rhode: lol me bad
Trevor Berensohn: Haha reminds me of a vow I recently took
Dakini Rhode: i mean my bad
Trevor Berensohn: O dear
Pema Pera: baaaaad dakini
Dakini Rhode: i need to get my slang straightened out
Pema Pera: a vow Trev?
Dakini Rhode: that seems somehow sheepish Pema
Maxine Walden: I am slang-challenged as well
Trevor Berensohn: Didn’t know we were that close, D =)
Pema Pera: haha, yes, Dakini, hmmmm
Maxine Walden: gotta go, guys, see you later
Pema Pera: which vow?
Trevor Berensohn: kk good to meet u
Pema Pera: bye Max!
It seemed Dakini was getting second thoughts.
Dakini Rhode: wait i better check the chat log
Maxine Walden: bye
Solobill Laville: Bye Maxine
Pema Pera: haha, Dakini, sure!
Pema Pera: bet you’ll forget ;-)
Trevor Berensohn: Ha now I get her cushion
Pema Pera: was that your vow, to get your neighbor’s cushion?
Solobill Laville: lol
Dakini Rhode: o good now i turn green
Dakini Rhode: green with envy?
Trevor Berensohn: No that would b a commitment lol
Trevor Berensohn: o ouch
Solobill Laville: The avatar is always greener on the other side
Pema Pera: hahaha
Trevor Berensohn: D u make me glow!
Dakini Rhode: hahaha
Pema Pera: hence the coveting
Trevor Berensohn: I can turn them off
Dakini Rhode: here i thought i’d have trouble staying awake for this
Pema Pera: no you’re turning us on
Dakini Rhode: lol
Solobill Laville: lol
Trevor Berensohn: HA
Pema Pera: Something tells me Trev is not going to tell us his vow
Pema Pera: (>_<)
Dakini Rhode: o my what is in the tea tonite
Dakini Rhode: or this morning as it may be
I thought perhaps the time had come to shift gears, following Dakini’s hint.
Pema Pera: Trev, to get a bit more serious
Pema Pera: have you had any change to play with the 9-sec practice?
Trevor Berensohn: O sorry got a text from my worker
Trevor Berensohn: Oops I forgoted
Pema Pera thinks how nice to have workers
Trevor Berensohn: Every nine seconds
Trevor Berensohn: Yeah I love mine
Dakini Rhode: every 15 minutes
Trevor Berensohn: Yeah that too Dakini
Dakini Rhode: you know, most of the day i’m saying oops i forgoted
Dakini Rhode: i need to get a timer
Trevor Berensohn: Haha
Pema Pera: or just drink green tea every 15 minutes as a new habit . . . .
Trevor Berensohn: Ok plz remind me the practice and I will write it downthis time
Trevor Berensohn: mmm
Trevor Berensohn: O then I’ll just practice everytime I think of chocolate
Dakini Rhode: that could be a lot of practice
Pema Pera: http://playasbeing.wordpress.com/ has all the info on the first two pages
Pema Pera: every 15 minutes, roughly, stop and drop what you are doing
Pema Pera: for 9 seconds
Pema Pera: that is all!
Trevor Berensohn: kk
Pema Pera: Too simple to refuse and too short to have an excuse not to do it ;>)
Dakini Rhode: unless that would be hazardous
Solo refered to the other blogs as well.
Solobill Laville: I was reading Storm’s blog
Solobill Laville: his analogy was quite telling
Trevor Berensohn: Ah
Solobill Laville: The windscreen
Solobill Laville: did anyone read it?
Pema Pera: wasn’t that Dakinis?
Solobill Laville: I think both
Pema Pera: yes
Dakini Rhode: yes both
Trevor Berensohn: No I haven’t. I don’t know his blog yet
Pema Pera: a nice dialogue between the two
Pema Pera: Solo, would you like to start a blog too?
Solobill Laville: The 15 minutes was the wipers
Pema Pera: Doesn’t have to be frequent
Pema Pera: once a week is fine!
Solobill Laville: Long sitting was the scrubbing
Pema Pera: yes, beautiful
Pema Pera: I loved reading it
Trevor Berensohn: Oh I like that
Solobill Laville: The blogs offer a lot of insight Trevor
Pema Pera: Trevor, those blogs can be found under “Links” on http://playasbeing.wordpress.com/
Trevor Berensohn: O good all in one place much easier
Dakini Rhode: what i like is we write from our experience
Pema Pera: my long blogs are the beer keg, Storm’s and Dakini’s are the wodka
Dakini Rhode: things in our lives….
Pema Pera: yes
Dakini Rhode: i don’t know about that…
Dakini Rhode: mine is very ordinary
Trevor Berensohn: Reminds me of yet another vow lol
Again something told me we would never hear that vow either . . . .
Dakini Rhode: unloading the dishwasher
Dakini Rhode: driving
Pema Pera: that’s it exactly, like haikus, Dakini!
Dakini Rhode: things i see
Trevor Berensohn: Hey are u all Buddhists then?
Pema Pera: no
Solobill Laville: As the dust settles things all being to refocus themselves
Pema Pera: but sympathetic
Solobill Laville: Yes I am
Trevor Berensohn: I’m not very aware of the differences getween the differnet schools, but it all seems sympathetic =)
Trevor Berensohn: Or compatible
Pema Pera: If I did not know about Taoism, Sufism, HInduism, yes then I might view myself as Bhuddist, but I feel equally attracted to all of them, in first approximation so to speak
Pema Pera: they all seem to talk about what they see, which is reality
Pema Pera: I just call it Being
Pema Pera: simple word
Pema Pera: hence our Playing as Being
Trevor Berensohn: Ah I like
Solobill Laville: Trevor, I spent many years studying the different schools, etc.
Solobill Laville: I can be a bit too much “type A” I think
Solobill Laville: but in the end, the fundamentals are the same
Trevor Berensohn: Haha like one of my teachers
Solobill Laville: yes.
Solobill Laville: brb
Trevor Berensohn: kk
Dakini Rhode: i went thru a period of immersion
Dakini Rhode: then more recently i dropped it all
Dakini Rhode: i did shabhala training, menla training, was practicing with 4 sanghas, took courses, weekend workshops.
Trevor Berensohn: Wowness
Dakini Rhode: yes immersion
Trevor Berensohn: I’m doing good to meditate daily
Solo returned from a RL concern.
Solobill Laville: back. we have mice.
Trevor Berensohn: and study one course from Diamond Mtn
Dakini Rhode: in RL?
Solobill Laville: yep
Dakini Rhode: did you see one?
Solobill Laville: sorry, go ahead
Solobill Laville: no, but little black presents everywhere
Dakini Rhode: yuk
Solobill Laville: indeed
Trevor Berensohn: O I lived where there were mice a year ago
Solobill Laville: sorrry to get us off track
Dakini Rhode: i have a few extra cats…
Trevor Berensohn: No it was the mice, not u =)
Solobill Laville: lol! ship one to me!
Dakini Rhode: :-)
Trevor Berensohn: I’m still trying to reason out the track
Trevor Berensohn: and enjoying every blunder!
Dakini Rhode: i think your approach is more balanced Trevor
Solobill Laville: me too
Dakini Rhode: when my life got busy i couldn’t maintaim my former pace
Solobill Laville: often you can swing too far to one side, off balance, and need to correct, and simplify
Trevor Berensohn: I think I’ll call my blog Remedial Student on the Greater Path. Dunno how balanced, but thank u
Dakini Rhode: i like it!
Solobill Laville: i like it
Dakini Rhode: jinx
Pema Pera: yip
We were getting a bit less serious again :-).
Solobill Laville: RSOTGP!
Dakini Rhode: :-)
Trevor Berensohn: HA
Solobill Laville: You have to have an acronym you know
Dakini Rhode: lol
Trevor Berensohn: That’ll work!
Pema Pera: sounds like risotto
Pema Pera: getting hungry now
Trevor Berensohn: oh yummmm.
Solobill Laville: mmmm…
Dakini Rhode: mmmm i want some too
Dakini Rhode: maybe tomorrow i make risotto
Pema Pera: I’m afraid I have to get going now . . . taking the train from Tokyo to Kyoto
Pema Pera: but don’t let me break up the party
Solobill Laville: Glad to see you (and your hair) Pema
Trevor Berensohn: kk good to see u(ravatar) Pema
Pema Pera: haha
Dakini Rhode: you two!
Pema Pera: thnx TB
Dakini Rhode: haha
Trevor Berensohn: love the red hair!
Solobill Laville: bye
Pema Pera: thanks!
Pema Pera: copper to be precise ;>)
Trevor Berensohn: same difference lol
Pema Pera: Solo and/or Dakini, can you send me a log of the further chat?
Pema Pera: haha
Trevor Berensohn: it’s all cute
Solobill Laville: sure
Solobill Laville: peace
Pema Pera: thanks, and see you all soon again!
Dakini Rhode: Namaste
Pema Pera: namaste!
Minutes later, Solo would send me the rest of the chat log. It turned out that everyone left pretty soon after I had stepped out.
Solobill Laville: I think I’ll try flying up through the roof!
Trevor Berensohn: haha
Solobill Laville: wrong spot
Trevor Berensohn: Dakini I’m glad I met u guys
Dakini Rhode: watch your head
Trevor Berensohn: hahaha
Dakini Rhode: me too Trevor
Dakini Rhode: you fit right in here
Dakini Rhode: i only made part of the roof phantom
Trevor Berensohn: The part u arrive in
Solobill Laville: lol, where?
Trevor Berensohn: I think over me
Dakini Rhode: i’m not sure if you can fly up
Solobill Laville: ahh
Solobill Laville: nope just did
Dakini Rhode: i just kept you from getting stuck on the way down
Trevor Berensohn: coz I landed on Maxine
Dakini Rhode: ah just did
Dakini Rhode: haha
Dakini Rhode: people were getting stuck in the roof
Dakini Rhode: you can walk thru the doors now
Trevor Berensohn: Well dears I’ll be off to rebuild the new place
Dakini Rhode: ok Trevor
Trevor Berensohn: and see u all soon I hope
Solobill Laville: bye trevor
Dakini Rhode: Namaste
Trevor Berensohn: & have fun! =)
Dakini Rhode: u 2 :-)
Dakini Rhode: i think i’m for bed
Solobill Laville: Yep, good night
Dakini Rhode: take care Bill :-)
Solobill Laville: Bye
Dakini Rhode: let me know where to send that cat
Dakini Rhode: haha
Solobill Laville: hehe
Solobill Laville: thx
