That afternoon, Stim was the guardian. The comments are mine (Pema's)
Stim and Adams meet, and Storm soon joins them.
Adams Rubble: Hi Stim
Stim Morane: Hi Adams!
Adams Rubble: I am not sure it is necessary yet, but would it be OK if I emailed you with a long question that might involve reading some of my blog?
Adams Rubble: Hi Storm
Stim Morane: Oh, sure. Please do.
Stim Morane: Hi Storm!
Adams Rubble: Thank you very much
Storm Nordwind: Hi Adams. Hi Stim!
Stim Morane: I’m a bit distracted here today. My father is in an intensive care unit back in the mid-West, and I need to look up some stuff while we’re chatting here.
Adams Rubble: Storm, glad to see you well after your tire mishap :)
Storm Nordwind: Thank you!
Adams Rubble: Oh, I am very sorry to hear that Stim
Storm Nordwind: yes me too
Stim Morane: I’m back. Sorry, my mother needed me to check on some things. Anyway, I’m back.
Storm Nordwind: Would you like one of us to take over?
Stim Morane: No, I’m here. May just be a bit slow (-er than usual).
Storm Nordwind nods
Storm Nordwind: ok
Adams Rubble: yes, you must do whatever you need to do, of course
Stim Morane: So, shall we “just sit”, or would something be good to explore via chat?
Storm Nordwind: Sitting can be good. Sometimes I instigate something. More often I wait for others to do so! :)
Stim Morane: Yes. Either way …
Stim Morane: What is this strange object that “stops all animations” across the table from me?
Storm Nordwind: It is a magic device!
Stim Morane: Can you demonstrate?
Storm Nordwind: If someone gets stuck in a walk that won’t stop (for example) then it will kill it
Storm Nordwind: I would have to be stuck first
Stim Morane: I see. That implies you could still access the object from that state …
Adams Rubble: :)
Storm Nordwind: True. On the other hand, it merely duplicates what you can reach anyway via the Tools menu
Stim asks about differences between different sessions.
Stim Morane: Both of you have probably attended a variety of PaB time slots. Do you see quite different things happening in them?
Storm Nordwind: Yes I do
Adams Rubble: Oh yes, unbelievably different
Storm Nordwind: Depends on the mix
Stim Morane: Perhaps it would be difficult to describe now, but I would be interested sometime.
Adams Rubble: But I have noticed much less play since Pema introduced the You see, Being sees experiement
Stim Morane: what replaces it?
Storm Nordwind: hmm… yes
Adams Rubble: some very intense discussion, Stim
Adams Rubble: and some of the sessions have been going very long
Storm Nordwind: I agree
Stim Morane: Yes, I gathered that, since he’s here in Berkeley with me.
Stim Morane: I’ve heard about 4-hour sessions …
Adams Rubble: Yes
Storm Nordwind: wow!
Adams Rubble: On those long sessions, people come and go
Storm Nordwind: The fast food chat
Storm Nordwind: Like a diner
Adams Rubble: It might start out with two people very intense and end with two different people very intense
Storm Nordwind nods
Stim Morane: yes.
Stim Morane: Well, I’ll have to read up on all this.
Adams Rubble: Pema gave me “tough love” at the long one on Saturday
Storm Nordwind: Do you think this a ‘good’ trend? Or ‘bad’? Or beyond either Adams?
Adams Rubble: Storm, I don;t see anything wrong with the intensity or the length
Adams Rubble: My discussion with Pema continued this morning
Storm Nordwind: me neither. but do you feel some lament the lack of play?
Adams Rubble: Since it recently got maybe a little too intense for me, it might have been helpful
Storm Nordwind nods
Adams Rubble: but maybe it would have interfered with what is happening with me
Adams Rubble: Stim, I am sorry I am being a little cryptic
Stim Morane: You can shift things a bit, presumably … introducing play shouldn’t be too difficult.
Storm Nordwind: Do you think some people have been put off? I wondered after I read Piet’s Samson post (and my own blog may affect that too Iguess)
Adams Rubble: Yes, you are right, I could have introduced it
Adams Rubble: but I might not be in the right state of mind :)
Stim Morane: I’m usually afraid of seeming cryptic myself. You, certainly, are clear.
Adams Rubble: Storm, I had some resentment and suspicion, which I think I have dealt with
Stim Morane: Well I don’t want to raise an overly complex or dicey topic …
And then Stim tries to focus on the big picture.
Stim Morane: I was just wondering how the big picture looked. I haven’t had much time lately to attend other sessions.
Adams Rubble: It seems to me that people have had some extraordinary experiences with this experiemnt
Adams Rubble: I certainly did and so did Storm
Storm Nordwind nods
Adams Rubble: I may have leapfrogged over some things I was stuck on
Stim Morane: God
Stim Morane: *Good
Adams Rubble: but it is not complete as we speak
Stim Morane: sure
Adams Rubble: I don;t know what is going to happen next :)
Stim Morane: “it” never is
Adams Rubble: :)
Stim Morane: So you’re Ok, anyway?
Storm Nordwind: If you knew, you might lose the thrill of adventure (?) :)
Adams Rubble: Yes, if I am not, I will write you a rather long email :)
Stim Morane: uh oh.
Storm Nordwind chuckles
Adams Rubble: but I think I resolved it
Storm Nordwind: When Adams writes you a long email, the trick, Stim, is to give her answer she didn’t expect! :)
Storm Nordwind ducks
Adams Rubble: hehe
Adams Rubble: yes, you did Storm
Stim Morane: Well this all sounds very intriguing.
Adams Rubble: Hello Rajah
Stim Morane: Hi Rajah! And friend.
Adams Rubble: It is all in my blog
Rajah Yalin: hi Stim, Adams, Storm
Stim Morane: I see.
Storm Nordwind: Hi Rajah!
enter Rajah (and a friend?).
Stim Morane: we are talking about blogs, email, ducking, and leapfrogging
Adams Rubble: Stim, Pema suggested I talk to you if I needed to hear some of what he was saying in a different way
Stim Morane: Regarding what?
Adams Rubble: My resentment and suspicion was directed at Pema
Adams Rubble: We had a long talk this morning
Adams Rubble: and I thought more about it
Adams Rubble: I think I have managed to put them aside
Stim Morane: OK.
Stim Morane: Did you try practicing “tough love” back?
Storm Nordwind remembers reading the blog entry
Adams Rubble: I was a bit feisty
Stim Morane: Good
Adams Rubble: Thank you Stim :)
Stim Morane: In my own groups, I love it when someone does that.
Stim Morane: The only thing I don’t like is when everyone just sits there passively.
Stim Morane: Not that real meditation sitting is passive …
Stim Morane: you know what I mean
Storm Nordwind: Perhaps that’s their way of telling you something too Stim :)
Stim Morane: Yes, that could be. But usually what it says is they’re tired.
Adams Rubble: :)
Storm Nordwind chuckles
Stim Morane: It’s the lay person’s dilemma.
Stim Morane: End of day, shredded by work, no energy left for discussing “spiritual” stuff.
Storm Nordwind nods
Adams Rubble: yes
Stim Morane: I see this so much, it’s a major issue for me. But I’m not suggesting it’s an issue here.
Adams Rubble: I can see a difference in the way I might have acted in RL
Stim Morane: Yes?
Adams Rubble: Unfortunately, having started this, I must go
Adams Rubble: Yes, I might have been more timid
Stim Morane: Oh, OK, Another time.
Storm Nordwind: The 30 minute fade
Stim Morane: I’ll read up and we can continue.
Storm Nordwind: See you soon Adams
Storm Nordwind: I’ll keep reading! :)
Adams Rubble: I was just thinking…
Adams Rubble: My character is helping me get around things that might have held me back in RL
Storm Nordwind nods
Stim Morane: Interesting.
Indeed!!!
Adams Rubble: so maybe I am a bit different in that regard
Stim Morane: I congratulate you.
Storm Nordwind: I think that’s quite common though usually not in such important areas
Adams Rubble: But I better go. Thank you both. Stim my thoughts will be with you
Adams Rubble: bye :)
Stim Morane: Bye! And thanks.
Storm Nordwind: bye!
Stim Morane: I was surprised to see you here at this time, Storm.
Stim Morane: Have you had a work schedule change?
Storm Nordwind: Not really. I just made an effort for several days
Stim Morane: I see. Well, shall we discuss Indian food?
Storm Nordwind laughs
Storm Nordwind: Well I had Indian food this evening!
Stim Morane: I’m shocked
Storm Nordwind: Hmmm… :)
Stim Morane: it seems hard to avoid for very long …
Storm Nordwind: For me yes.
Stim Morane: Me too.
Storm Nordwind: Even at the festival over the weekend there was curry on offer
Stim Morane: Home-made?
Storm Nordwind: Made on the spot in several kitchens
Stim Morane: Great
Storm Nordwind: I guess they’re still doing it as the festival continues for 2 weeks
Stim Morane: Even better.
Stim Morane: Is that a common thing there?
Storm Nordwind: But that is a three and half hour drive away
Stim Morane: Oh.
Storm Nordwind: Indian food is very common in the UK and very popular
Storm Nordwind: In truth it is mostly Bengali
Stim Morane: In any given place, one will usually find a regional cuisine emphasized that way.
Storm Nordwind: Yes. And in Berkeley?
Stim Morane: Northen Indian
Storm Nordwind: So not the vegetarian bias then
Stim Morane: Only recently.
Stim turns from culinary to PaB experiences.
Stim Morane: Anyway, have you been experiencing some of the things Adams mentioned?
Storm Nordwind: Hmmm… Do you mean the constructive or the less so?
Stim Morane: Well, since I’m not very clued in, I’m not even sure …
Storm Nordwind: Ah… OK. It’s only a point of view anyway
Stim Morane: My own few time spots have been rather simple-seeming by comparison to these dark and intriguing allusions.
Storm Nordwind: I haven’t felt any anger or resentment. But that really is not me at all anyway
Stim Morane: Yes, I expected that.
Stim Morane: OK. Other topics?
Storm Nordwind: I’ve thrown myself into the new suggested practice. And it works for me. But that’s all blogged
Stim Morane: Yes. I did read that.
Stim Morane: There’s so much material, I can’t quite keep up with all of it.
Storm Nordwind: I know. I have to admit I gave up trying to do so back in April!
Stim Morane: Well, it will be interesting to see what happens next.
Storm Nordwind: Hmm… I am not expecting anything personally, though I did get something new that I blogged on today
Stim Morane: Oh. OK, that will be my “over tea” reading then.
Storm Nordwind: haha! Let me manage your expectations here - i.e. downgrade them! :)
Stim Morane: alright, if you say so.
Storm Nordwind shrugs
Stim Morane: I’m going to get back to some medical searches, but look forward to seeing you at one of your own PaB spots coming up.
Storm Nordwind: Both Piet and my fiancee Michele keep telling me to stop seliing myself short. (They don’t use those terms)
Stim Morane: Huh … this is a surprise
Stim Morane: Is it the British modesty thing?
Storm Nordwind: I guess. Understatement and self-deprecation
Stim Morane: Yes, well that’s all quite fine in my book.
Storm Nordwind: I’m very consciously a showman, so I try to deliberately compensate
Stim Morane: Perhaps you need more avatars
Storm Nordwind: 5 is enough :)
Stim Morane: I’m still trying to do anything interesting with this present one.
Stim Morane: No luck so far.
Stim Morane: I mean, my present one.
Storm Nordwind: You can’t out-humble me Mr. Morane!
Stim Morane: no I am laughing
Storm Nordwind smiles
Stim Morane: anyway, I should go. THanks for coming by.
Storm Nordwind: My pleasure. Catch you again soon
Stim Morane: Good