2010.04.28 07:00 - Heightened Senses

The Guardian for this meeting was Eliza Madrigal. The comments are by Eliza Madrigal, who was joined first by Pema, then Eden & Yakuzza, then Storm, and Bleu. It was wonderful to return to hosting a session, and to hear a bit more about Storm's retreat experience high in the mountains of Colorado!

Eliza Madrigal: Hi Pema :)))
Pema Pera: Hi Eliza!
Pema Pera: Fancy to meet you here in SL again :)
Eliza Madrigal smiles
Eliza Madrigal: Have you adjusted back to the time change yet?
--BELL--
Pema Pera: oh sure, my day-to-day variations in my bedtime are more than 3 hours, typically
Pema Pera: so it's hardly noticeable for me
Eliza Madrigal: :) I think that I'm adjusting... hard to tell with this cold. Its nice to be back at my session though, must say!
Pema Pera: hi Eden!
Eden Haiku: (((Eliza)))
Pema Pera: and hi Yaku!
Yakuzza Lethecus: morning everyone :)
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Eden and Ya :))
Eden Haiku: Good morning Pema, Yaku ;)
Eliza Madrigal: Nice to see you both
Eliza Madrigal: And Storm, too!
Eliza Madrigal waves
Pema Pera: Hi Storm!
Yakuzza Lethecus: hi storm
Storm Nordwind: Good morning :)
Eden Haiku: Good morning Storm.
Eliza Madrigal: How wonderful to be 'back' :)
Pema Pera: yes, I'm still impressed that you spent a week away from computers, ELiza!
Eliza Madrigal: yes me too. hah
Eliza Madrigal: thanks :)
Eliza Madrigal: I have so many chat logs to read... so much happening
Storm Nordwind missed Eliza's frequent updates on twitter
Eden Haiku: How was the going cold turkey?
Eliza Madrigal: Hm, you know it was mostly just fine Eden. I think toward the end of the week I was ready to sign on again though...
Eliza Madrigal: So maybe 3-4 days offline might have been sufficient
Eden Haiku: me too Twittersphere is colder without you Eliza :)
Eliza Madrigal: Awwww
Eliza Madrigal: ((( )))

 

Eliza Madrigal: Storm have you talked much about your retreat since you've returned?
Storm Nordwind: Not a lot, no :)
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eden Haiku: We would like to hear MUCH more Storm ;)
Eliza Madrigal is curious but patient
Pema Pera cups a hand to his ear
Eliza Madrigal: heehhe
Storm Nordwind: Ah well... I'm not sure it's of great interest to the wider world ;)
Eliza Madrigal looks around
Storm Nordwind chuckles
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eden Haiku: looks into the world wide web and it says: YES!
Yakuzza Lethecus listens

 

Storm Nordwind: How could I summarize? ... let me see...
Eden Haiku: Did you already forget?
Eliza Madrigal: Haha, Eden
Storm Nordwind: Oh no, I could never forget! :)
Eden Haiku: His memory you know, poor Storm ;)
Pema Pera: :-)
Yakuzza Lethecus: but you dropped the memory right ?
Storm Nordwind: And your name is... ? ;)
Eden Haiku: ha ha
Eliza Madrigal: Snicklefritz
Pema Pera: hahaha
Storm Nordwind: It's a relatively short drive from here - just 4 hours...
Storm Nordwind: but long enough to ensure I realized it's a little too far for a PaB retreat venue
Eliza Madrigal: aw
Storm Nordwind: Quite a long long way from a major airport
Eliza Madrigal: I see, well that makes sense

Storm Nordwind: On the other hand it was worth it for me from many aspects
Storm Nordwind: The location is stunning
Storm Nordwind: You're eight and a half thousand feet up on the slopes of a mountain range
Storm Nordwind: And the locals are interesting too, seen and (by most) unseen! ;)
Eden Haiku: In the Rocky Mountains Storm?
Eliza Madrigal: hmm
Storm Nordwind: The Sangre de Cristo mountains are part of the Rockies, yes
Storm Nordwind: And there are many 14,000ft mountains rising right behind Crestone
Eliza Madrigal: Locals as in people who live up in the mountains 'on their own', as it were?
Eliza Madrigal: Oh My Goodness... sounds amazing, Storm.
Storm Nordwind: The landscape is quite harsh, very masculine in energy, and the locals are like that too - like rough diamonds
Storm Nordwind: But there are many locals in the form of ... hmmm... let's just call them land spirits, who make themselves known, even to the least sensitive!
Eden Haiku: oh?
Storm Nordwind: The place I went was called Yeshe Khorlo. It's a Nyingma retreat center.
Storm Nordwind: The lineage is Bhutanese and comes directly from Longchenpa
Storm Nordwind: And the teachings, on the meditation section of Longchenpa's Trilogy on Comfort and Ease were probably life-changing...
Storm Nordwind: partly of course because of the lineage master, Gangteng Tulku Rinpoche, who was teaching them
Eliza Madrigal: Yes, reading your tweets it was obvious how inspired you were by him

--BELL--

Storm Nordwind: So... yes... the whole thing was stunning
Storm Nordwind: The outcome of the retreat is... I have a LOT of work to do! Meditation and other practices. :))
Eliza Madrigal: Good Morning Bleu :)
Bleu Oleander: hi everyone!
Yakuzza Lethecus: bleu :)
Pema Pera: hi Bleu!
Storm Nordwind: Hi Bleu!
Eden Haiku: Good morning Bleu :)
Eliza Madrigal: Ohhh, so you came away with a life pattern change?
Storm Nordwind: It was very interesting to see how many other local monks and nuns from other traditions (mostly Kagyu) also came along to Rinpoche's teachings and empowerments
Eden Haiku: Ease and Comfort in a lt of work and practices?
Storm Nordwind: Yes, Eliza... plenty of work that can only result in change of life pattern... Thank you for putting it like that - I can learn from that phrasing!
Eliza Madrigal: :))
Pema Pera: Hi Zen!
Eliza Madrigal: Hi Zen :)
Bleu Oleander: hi Zen
Eden Haiku: Hello Zen!
Zen Arado: Hi all
Storm Nordwind: Good afternoon Zen :)
Eliza Madrigal: I've imagined many times what it must be like to be high up in the mountains, dwelling with those who have dwelled with longchenpa
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Storm Nordwind: Perhaps you did, once, Eliza ;)
Eliza Madrigal smiles

Re-Entry effects...

Storm Nordwind: One thing I had was major re-entry effects, coming back to Denver
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, wow I can imagine
Storm Nordwind: Most notable when I returned briefly to pick up my wife to join me for the last 5 days
Eliza Madrigal: I thought that might make it easier actually, Storm... that she joined you for a little while
Storm Nordwind: Being totally immersed in it up to that point made me see city 'reality' in a very different way indeed
Storm Nordwind: Yes Eliza, it did make the final transition back a lot easier
Eliza Madrigal: 'City Reality'... interesting phrase
Storm Nordwind: But that first trip back, I could literally see *through* all the physical phenomena of the city, and the strange scurryings of all those that believed them to be real
Pema Pera: so you had a "reverse urban retreat" Storm!
Storm Nordwind: hehe!
Eliza Madrigal: !!
Pema Pera: like a reverse culture shock
Eden Haiku: laughs

Storm Nordwind: Yes. A real wake-up call actually. Like a chameleon, I can merge with the background of wherever I am, and lose perspective in doing so.
Pema Pera: yes, easy to do; humans are social animals after all
Storm Nordwind: merging with the background is fine, of course, but I needn't accept other people illusions in the process!

Writing...

Eliza Madrigal: I hope that you've done lots of writing, Storm
Storm Nordwind: ah... you've seen most of it on twitter Eliza!
Eliza Madrigal: that heightened sensitivity is a great gift
Eliza Madrigal: Oh, wow...
Eden Haiku: 140 characters words of wisdom at a time!
Zen Arado: it worries that I am out of tune with old friends from being on SL
Storm Nordwind deprecates the descriptor 'wisdom' as applied to his tweets!
Eden Haiku: You should publish your haikus from the retreat on the wiki Storm, they are so wonderful![Later edit by Storm: I've put them here.]

 

Eliza Madrigal: We talked a little in SF, about how haiku seems a real display of how substantive communication in few words can be... when thoughtful
Storm Nordwind: Good idea Eden. Thank you :)
Eliza Madrigal nods enthusiastically
Pema Pera as a non-twitterer, looks forward to see Storm's haikus too!
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Pema Pera: what did you mean, Zen, out of tune?
Eliza Madrigal: Zen, do you mean that you've stopped seeing rl friends due to Sl?
Eden Haiku: Howcome you aren't on Twitter Pema?
Zen Arado: haiku can be seen as a practice too
Storm Nordwind: I'll do it this morning... though I have little faith in twitter's database for giving me an exhaustive list of them
Zen Arado: my friends think I am mad spending so much time in here
Pema Pera: too much connectivity already, Eden . . . .
Eliza Madrigal: Oh, that's okay....
Eden Haiku: Well, I recovered all my haikus I think...
Pema Pera: and what do you think, Zen?
Eliza Madrigal: I have friends who think I'm mad, and visa versa, but we're still friends... hah
Eden Haiku: Ah yes, I understand Pema. ;)

--BELL--

Storm Nordwind: Maybe they like you BECAUSE you're mad Eliza
Zen Arado: there was a guy on Tricycle who recommended writing haiku as a practice
Storm Nordwind: Oh... and one other outcome from the retreat... I was inspired to rebuild my guardian plot on my return (which you're all welcome to visit :)
Eliza Madrigal grins widely @ Storm
Eliza Madrigal: Oh! I look forward to that
Zen Arado: there is a kind of fear of unknown things with people...do you think?
Eden Haiku: Oh yes, your new temple is so marvelous Storm! And I love the prayer wheels!
Eliza Madrigal: Unknown like SL, Zen?
Zen Arado: yes
Eliza Madrigal nods
Eliza Madrigal: unfamiliarity
Pema Pera looking forward to visiting Storm's new abode
Zen Arado: maybe SL people are just more adventurous types?
Zen Arado: or more curious about things?
Eliza Madrigal: yes, I'd say curious...
Eliza Madrigal: at least enough to try it out
Eden Haiku: And willing to play ;-)
Eliza Madrigal: and then if fortunate enough to come across friends... adventure follows! hah
Storm Nordwind: Willing to go out and find their wisdom, instead of being spoon-fed through the 'normal' media
Zen Arado: yes

Branch a branch...

Eden Haiku: Sl is the best game I came across after branch-a-branch in primary school!
Yakuzza Lethecus: lol
Eliza Madrigal: branch a branch?
Zen Arado: hey I had a movie actor visit me yesterday!
Eden Haiku: An outside game with plans written in chalk, you hide in the neighbourhood, you have teams, you have pass codes?
Eliza Madrigal: Hm, I missed that game, Eden
Eden Haiku: Oh Zen, who was he?
Eliza Madrigal: Maybe we can play it at a retreat
Eliza Madrigal: hah
Pema Pera: but it seems that you need a kind of "accident" to fall into virtual worlds -- in my case it was the fact that I happened to be invited to give a talk; I don't think I would have made the plunge of the initial investment otherwise -- there is quite a high barrier, and untill you scale it, you don't know what's on the other side . . . . catch 22
Zen Arado: Michael O'Keeefe
Eden Haiku: I would be delighted to organize a branch a branch with PaB freinds, yes! ;-)
Bleu Oleander: in our case Pema, it was meeting you
Yakuzza Lethecus: one thing is that ppl consider SL as a game
Eliza Madrigal smiles
Pema Pera enjoyes his new status as `accident' :-)
Eliza Madrigal: hahaha
Bleu Oleander: ha!
Eden Haiku: For me it was the rain of last summer...
Eden Haiku: And a new MacBook.
Pema Pera: hopefully not together in the same place
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Eden Haiku: I remembered a newspaper atricle about Second Life of about 3 years ago.
Eden Haiku: Googled it. And jumped right in...
Zen Arado: I heard someone talk about it on the radio
Eliza Madrigal likes that about Eden

Storm Nordwind wonders whether the new v2 SL viewer is meant to reduce the initial barrier of which Pema speaks
Pema Pera: that's the plan, it seems, yes
Zen Arado: I am using it todat and finding it difficult
Zen Arado: where's the mini map?
Pema Pera: by faaaar the best would be web browser access, without having to download a viewer
Eden Haiku: Went dancing for a few months. and felt bored when I finally stumbled upon BUrning Life festival, then arrived here ;-)
Bleu Oleander: is that coming Pema?
Pema Pera: I've seen prototypes in Japan
Pema Pera: for OpenSim at least, very similar to SL
Storm Nordwind: Google managed it, by incorporating Google Earth into a browser. Why not Linden Lab?
Pema Pera: lag
Pema Pera: afraid that extra lag gives SL a bad name
Eden Haiku: In World
Pema Pera: too protective an attitude I think
Eliza Madrigal nods to Zen... you know that's why I'm signed on with the old browser... just can't find things yet
Pema Pera: I'm definitely staying with the old browser, or going to Emerald
Bleu Oleander: me too
Eliza Madrigal: Nice that you had an interesting visit too, Zen
Eliza Madrigal: is one able to stay with the old browser?
Zen Arado: Emerald doen't work for video I find
Pema Pera: which does mean that I can't help newbies anymore . . .
Eden Haiku: I'm getting used to the new Viewer.Firts one does not work so well anymore...
Pema Pera: yes, one is, for now at least, ELiza
Eliza Madrigal: Ah, okay... felt like the clock was ticking on that
Pema Pera: too many old heavy users, I think, to ditch the old browser
Pema Pera: but it does create a schism, two dialects
Pema Pera: speciation

--BELL--

Eliza Madrigal: Btw Storm, exiting SF (twice-hah), I had a kind of 'experience' too. I really tuned into the *life* of the city... saw a kind of contentment on the faces of so many walking around with friends in the gorgeous weather. There was a 'relationship' there I felt... people and their place...
Bleu Oleander: once you download the new viewer can you switch back and forth? is there an advantage to the new viewer?
Eden Haiku: OH Eliza, what a nic experience of san Francisco. Spirit of the place?
Eliza Madrigal: I thought to mention it because there is this sensitivity that seems notable
Eliza Madrigal: yes
Storm Nordwind: Yes that 'outsider' view - visiting almost as a tourist in one's own home - can be a refreshing experience Eliza :)
Eden Haiku: Cities have souls too ;-)
Eliza Madrigal: Hmmmm
Storm Nordwind: So do feet, Eden ;)
Pema Pera: yes, and in SF the "soul of the city" may be heightened by the existence of so many microclimates
Zen Arado: always think of SF as a laid back place
Eliza Madrigal: yes, you know I really understood how people fall in love with life there... and so many dogs
Eden Haiku: Yes, Bleu it is possible to use both viewers, alternating between the two.
Pema Pera: you turn a corrner and there is a different temperature, wind, fog, sunshine
Eliza Madrigal nods
Bleu Oleander: ty Eden :)
Eliza Madrigal: I've never put on and taken off a jacket so many times
Pema Pera: but, Blue, each time you alternate, you are quite likely to lose *all* your settings -- including chat log copying
Eliza Madrigal: hah
Pema Pera: beware!
Bleu Oleander: oh no!
Pema Pera: and so many music bands too !
Storm Nordwind: With Denver, it is the turning of the clock rather than the corner that brings the changes. One day last week: fog, rain, snow, tornadoes and bright blue sky!
Zen Arado: I found I had a different shirt on !
Pema Pera: we met a different band each day it seemed
Storm Nordwind: *Denver
Eliza Madrigal: True!
Eliza Madrigal: hahah Storm... Well always excitement for you
Eden Haiku: Yes, I remember looking outside from an hotel window in San Francisco, trying to figure out what to wear And someone was wearing a fur coat, someone else a t-shirt, you had to take your chances!
Eliza Madrigal: Exactly, Eden!
Eliza Madrigal: hahah
Pema Pera: weather is a state of mind in SF . . . .
Storm Nordwind: Someone up there must have heard me when I said "I like high contrast weather!"
Eliza Madrigal: That was another thing about the city... such expressive clothing
Eliza Madrigal: people 'play' there
Eliza Madrigal: maybe the weather changes serve to keep everyone on their toes...
Eliza Madrigal: awake
Eden Haiku: Ah yes, like urban semiotics can be read in the way people dress. I found that in Amsterdam too. MOntreal is like that too.
Pema Pera: like flowers in a field
Eliza Madrigal: gesturing... waving...
Eden Haiku: Many actors there,.. more expressive :-)

Eden Haiku: Did you find your actor friend more expresssive than most Zen?
Zen Arado: not sure Eden - he is a poet too
Zen Arado: has a new book out
Eliza Madrigal: yes I do wonder about your visit Zen. How did he visit you here? just wandered by?
Zen Arado: he is a zen priest as well
Eliza Madrigal: hm, interesting
Zen Arado: he helped to start the zen center here
Eden Haiku: A local Leonard Cohen?
Zen Arado: works for peace and reconciliation
Zen Arado: he is American
Zen Arado: ever heard of him?
Zen Arado: is in lots of TV series too
Eden Haiku: What is his name again?
Zen Arado: Michael O'Keefe
Eliza Madrigal: I googled him just now... wouldn't know his name but yes he seems to have had a nice career
Eliza Madrigal thinks it must be nice to be an actor 'not quite' famous... but regularly working :)
Zen Arado: he comes into SL too
Zen Arado: not so much now though
Zen Arado: anyway ...that's my name dropping stint over :)
Eden Haiku: Yes Eliza, I see what you mean. A comfortable celebrity ;-)
Eliza Madrigal: haha

 

Pema Pera suggests that we all go visit Storm's new place after the next pause
Eliza Madrigal: Oh, sure
Bleu Oleander: yes, great idea
Eliza Madrigal: Great idea Pema
Zen Arado: sure
Eden Haiku: Yes, let us do that Pema!
Storm Nordwind: Perhaps, Zen, you can supply the information that can removed the [citation needed] on his Wikipedia article relating to his Zen activities
Bleu Oleander: (loves field trips)
--BELL--
Yakuzza Lethecus: bye everyone
Eliza Madrigal: Lead on!
Zen Arado: http://www.michaelokeefe.com/
Storm Nordwind: OK
Eden Haiku: Bye Yaku!
Zen Arado: ok
Eliza Madrigal: Ya.... aren't you walking with us? Oh, okay
Pema Pera: bye Yaku
Eliza Madrigal: bye Ya
Eliza Madrigal: :)