2011.05.26 01:00 - I Can't Tell You Why

The Guardian for this meeting was Zen Arado. The comments are by Zen Arado. Present were Alk Kelberry, oO0Oo Resident and myself

Coping with building work :

oO0Oo Resident: :) Zen
Zen Arado: Morning Sam :)
Zen Arado: How are you?
oO0Oo Resident: relaxed.. ty Zen..
Zen Arado: hmmm...I've hardly woken up yet :)
oO0Oo Resident nods.. take your time
Zen Arado: builders are hammering outside
Zen Arado: wish they were finished
oO0Oo Resident: what is the estimated time to complete the job Zen?
Zen Arado: well....maybe a couple more weeks
Zen Arado: but it is an apartment block so I don't have much individual say in the matter
Zen Arado: there have been problems with water ingress from the start
Zen Arado: thisblock is very exposed to wind because it faces the sea
Zen Arado: I am beside a marina
oO0Oo Resident: what is the nature of the work being done? Will it be beneficial when done? If done properly?
Zen Arado: they are putting in new cavity drain trays or something
oO0Oo Resident: lol.. sounds like dentistry
Zen Arado: remedial work repairing thngs that were left out in the first place
oO0Oo Resident: perhaps feels like they are pulling teeth when you are trying to sleep?!
Zen Arado: it's difficult to do my morning meditation with all the noise
Zen Arado: but I sit and just notice that
Zen Arado: good practice I guess
oO0Oo Resident: mmm, I did think of the Lojong slogan.. about practicing when distracted
Zen Arado: ah yes
Zen Arado: good one
oO0Oo Resident: Nevertheless, an inconvenience
Zen Arado: must look that up
Zen Arado: yeh but staying with what is....so important
oO0Oo Resident nods.. turtles all the way through and through
oO0Oo Resident: not pulling head into shell ;)
Zen Arado: yeh and not having resentment
Zen Arado: when things don't go the way I want
oO0Oo Resident: or having it and noticing ;) lol
Zen Arado: yeh awareness so important
Zen Arado: such a gap between knowing these things and actually practicing them ...sigh
oO0Oo Resident: Here's a slogan and commentary by Pema Chodron If You can Practice Even When Distracted, You are Well Trained http://www.lojongmindtraining.com/Co...r=3&proverb=20
Zen Arado: it's quite a short commentary for her...
Zen Arado: ty by the way
oO0Oo Resident: do you drink coffee or tea in the mornings Zen?
oO0Oo Resident: yw :)
Zen Arado: I have a cup of Rooibos tea usually
Zen Arado: I only have one cup of coffee per day

N.Ireland plug :)

oO0Oo Resident imagines Zen with cup of tea near giant's causeway
Zen Arado: that's about 60 miles away though :)
Zen Arado: I live in a small town called Carrickfergus
Zen Arado: if you have done the tourist attractions the buses usually call in to see the castle we have
Zen Arado: it is a Norman castle
Zen Arado: built in 1180
oO0Oo Resident: O.O cool (that's old)
Zen Arado: Americans like old castles
Zen Arado: (big generalization)
Zen Arado: sorry
oO0Oo Resident: np... remember giants causeway when I was 9 years old.. made a big impression for me, along with other amazing spots in Ireland.
oO0Oo Resident: good memories
Zen Arado: I was there last October
Zen Arado: before that...maybe 30 years
Zen Arado: I had a friend over from Vancouver
Zen Arado: I knew him when we both lived in Sydney Australia in the 60's
Zen Arado: he thought the north Antrim coast was...pretty
Zen Arado: there is a coast road that hugs the coastline
Zen Arado: limestone cliffs with basalt on top
Zen Arado: and you can see Scotland on a clear day

Alf arrives and rezzes his friend Woly's picture for company:

Alfred Kelberry: hi :)
Zen Arado: Hi Alf :)
Alfred Kelberry: sam with hair :)
Alfred Kelberry: neat
Alfred Kelberry: um, let's bring woly to join us...
Zen Arado: sure
Alfred Kelberry: :)
Zen Arado: now you feel more at home Alf :)
Alfred Kelberry: indeed :)
Zen Arado: your pin up girl :)
oO0Oo Resident: :) boxy
Alfred Kelberry: she was a cloud yesterday and no one could see her. so she made a picture and i made a poster :)
Zen Arado: ah I see
oO0Oo Resident: it's monumental and idylic!
Alfred Kelberry: :)
Zen Arado: she has such great fashion sense
Alfred Kelberry: *nods*
Zen Arado: and great outfits
Alfred Kelberry: sexy too :)
Zen Arado: did you see her Flickr page ?
Alfred Kelberry: um... not sure i have
oO0Oo Resident: intelligent, creative, funny, wise... ::sighs::
Zen Arado: well ask her and she will show you
Alfred Kelberry: *wonders if woly can feel us talking about her* :)
Alfred Kelberry: will do
Zen Arado: we have good qualities too Sam
oO0Oo Resident imagines Wol poised on the giant's causway.. in a leather suit.. gazing out to sea

Negative emotions again :

Zen Arado: I was reading a book called 'Buddhas Brain'
Zen Arado: yes :)
oO0Oo Resident: do tell Zen!
Alfred Kelberry: :)
Alfred Kelberry: reveal us the brain of buddha!
Zen Arado: one of the things the author said was how we latch on to negative things
oO0Oo Resident confesses a love of negative ions
Alfred Kelberry: or they latch on us :)
Zen Arado: so if we receive 5 compliments in a day we neglect those and remember the one insult
Zen Arado: it's an evolutionary trait apparently
Alfred Kelberry: ah, true
oO0Oo Resident: a need to orient to potential threat Zen?
Zen Arado: the happy go lucky types just shrugged and said we'll be ok when the sabre toothed tigers appeared
Alfred Kelberry: yes, like "a lion or wind" story
Zen Arado: but they got eaten
Zen Arado: whereas the worriers survived and passed on their genes
oO0Oo Resident spares a thought for the 'happy go lucky ones'..
Zen Arado: negative things are more important to notice for survival
Zen Arado: but we don't have those dangers any more
oO0Oo Resident wonders if worriers taste less appealing to sabre toothe tigers
Zen Arado: so we need to reprogram ourselves
Alfred Kelberry: i think "a tiger and wind" is more explanatory in terms of our perception
Zen Arado: :)
oO0Oo Resident: ? boxy
Zen Arado: go ahead boxy
Alfred Kelberry: there you're being presented with a choice: is this a tiger or just wind rattling the grass?
oO0Oo Resident notices observerm... hi
Alfred Kelberry: our ancestors tended to the former
Zen Arado: so you jump anyway?
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: Hi Observerm :)
Zen Arado: because they survived
Zen Arado: same thing
Zen Arado: the author suggests we dwell on good things that happen to us
Zen Arado: like how nice it is sitting here chatting to you two
oO0Oo Resident: :) .. ::dwells::
Zen Arado: in this beautiful place
Zen Arado: sharing things
oO0Oo Resident nods
oO0Oo Resident: so much to appreciate
Zen Arado: I am learning to slow down
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: always feel so driven
Zen Arado: want to achieve things

Electric guitar and musical expression:

Zen Arado: I bought an electric guitar Alf
Zen Arado: just for fun
Alfred Kelberry: oh! cool :)
Alfred Kelberry: sadly, you missed the music session
oO0Oo Resident: :)
Alfred Kelberry: hopefully next week we can hear it :)
oO0Oo Resident: happily the music never dies
Zen Arado: yeh I forgot and arranges somethng else
Zen Arado: I need a calendar
Zen Arado: timetable
Alfred Kelberry: *likes to think that all guitars are being bought just for fun* :)
Zen Arado: yeh true
Zen Arado: you mean I'm not going to make the big time ?
Zen Arado: :)
oO0Oo Resident: never do anything that is not play
Alfred Kelberry: zen, here's your negative clinging :)
Zen Arado: I know :)
Alfred Kelberry: hehe
Alfred Kelberry: it's hard not to...
Zen Arado: it's so much fun trying different effects even
Zen Arado: did you get to the meeting Alf?
Alfred Kelberry: so, what's your first song? :)
Alfred Kelberry: yes, but i was late
Zen Arado: I think they walked over
Alfred Kelberry: sun played sitar :)
Zen Arado: nice
Alfred Kelberry: at bleu's place
Zen Arado: ok
oO0Oo Resident: can you attach an echo or reverb effect to your woof boxy?
Zen Arado: near mine
Zen Arado: he he
Zen Arado: flanger
Alfred Kelberry: sam, i'd have to apply one and then upload here
Alfred Kelberry: wuff!
oO0Oo Resident: hehe
Zen Arado: wuff....wuff.....wufff..........
Alfred Kelberry: woly's here with us :)
Zen Arado: I was practicing 'I can't tell you why'
Zen Arado: nice song
Alfred Kelberry: oh, good song
Zen Arado: but sad
oO0Oo Resident: who's it by Zen?
Alfred Kelberry: eagles
Zen Arado: the Eagles
oO0Oo Resident: ah.. ty
Zen Arado: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x17...why-live_music
oO0Oo Resident: http://www.xguitar.com/guitar-tabs/e...ll_you_why.txt
oO0Oo Resident: listening
Zen Arado: ty Sam
Zen Arado: that's the chord version I am trying
Zen Arado: though I got it somewhere else
oO0Oo Resident: I recognise this song.. it is nice to see this video..
Zen Arado: it's one of those songs that grew on me
Zen Arado: it's funny how hard it is to mkae ourselves sing in public
Zen Arado: many of us have reasonable singing voices I think
Zen Arado: why are we so shy about that?
oO0Oo Resident: PaB commitments group?
Zen Arado: same as people being reluctant to use voice in SL maybe
oO0Oo Resident hums.. "give Ireland back to the Irish..." ;)
Zen Arado: hmmmm...a rebel song :)
Alfred Kelberry: zen, fear of failure, i think
Alfred Kelberry: it's big in our society
oO0Oo Resident: shy... perhaps our need for expression is sometimes eclipsed by our need for approval? or acceptence?
Zen Arado: yeh
Zen Arado: and singing is just natural expression
Zen Arado: we aren't so shy about talking
Alfred Kelberry: *imagines the world without this fear*
oO0Oo Resident: strident spring colours..
Zen Arado: :)
oO0Oo Resident: :)
Zen Arado: the media sets up standards maybe
oO0Oo Resident: our inner educator went to a harsh school
Zen Arado: you have to be really good or not sing at all
Zen Arado: yes
Alfred Kelberry: or you have to be fearless and free :)
oO0Oo Resident: fretless
Alfred Kelberry: *wonders what woly thinks*
oO0Oo Resident: Woly smiles
Zen Arado: before the days of radio and TV I think people were freeer that way
Alfred Kelberry: she doesn't say much :)
Zen Arado: Woly wonders
Alfred Kelberry: :)
Zen Arado: ponders
Alfred Kelberry: zen, probably
Zen Arado: reflects
Zen Arado: it's a reflective pose
oO0Oo Resident imagines rural pubs on rainy nights.. burning peat in fireplaces.. and local folks singing together
Zen Arado: head slightly cocked
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: happy music sharing
Zen Arado: happy amateurs
oO0Oo Resident: ballykissangel.. 42 (40? 49?) shades of green?
Zen Arado: no professional aspirations
Zen Arado: just giving each other pleasure
oO0Oo Resident: amatuer means? love of?
Zen Arado: yep
Zen Arado: amo..amas..amat..
Zen Arado: Latin
oO0Oo Resident: :)
Zen Arado: 40 shades of green
oO0Oo Resident: aye .. ty

Zen Arado: the US president visited Ireland this week
Zen Arado: Barack O'Bama
Zen Arado: funny how all the US presidents have Irish ancestry
Zen Arado: :)
oO0Oo Resident: ;)
Zen Arado: I find it so difficult to sit quietly
Zen Arado: such a need to fill the silence
oO0Oo Resident: looking into reality with appreciation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0lIdr5TsaU
Alfred Kelberry: wuff!
Alfred Kelberry: ok, folks. i gotta go.
Alfred Kelberry: i'm going to take woly with me, if you don't mind :)
Zen Arado: ok boxy
oO0Oo Resident: bye wuff :)
Zen Arado: ty for coming :)
oO0Oo Resident: awww
oO0Oo Resident: boxy+woly=<3
Alfred Kelberry: thank you for the company :)
Zen Arado: nice song Sam TY
Zen Arado: bye Woly too :)
oO0Oo Resident: bye woly :)
Zen Arado: lovely lyrics
oO0Oo Resident: I appreciate the call to song in that movie.. 'Once'
Zen Arado: I didn't see that
Zen Arado: but beautiful song
oO0Oo Resident: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6xIF92OUos
Zen Arado: looks like a nice love story
oO0Oo Resident: the leads are not actors, but musicians.. so took a leap to be in this movie
oO0Oo Resident: low budget
oO0Oo Resident: heart
Zen Arado: and it worked?
Zen Arado: yes
oO0Oo Resident: mmm yes! i think it did :)
Zen Arado: msu look out for the video
oO0Oo Resident: I'm sure you won't have to look far ;)
oO0Oo Resident: songs lie in us.. like spring waits..
oO0Oo Resident: play songs us into being
oO0Oo Resident: we be strummed by breath
Zen Arado: strumming our heartstrings
oO0Oo Resident: what tulip thought ever.. not good enough?
oO0Oo Resident: just sang
oO0Oo Resident: into the sky
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: or tiny bird
oO0Oo Resident: when the bubble of this life bursts off the foam upon the wave
oO0Oo Resident: let it carry some song
oO0Oo Resident: to the happy go lucky
oO0Oo Resident: those who can hear
Zen Arado: uncontrolled spontaneity
Zen Arado: from depths of being
Zen Arado: not from the worrying anxious fretting mind
Zen Arado: but it tells me I have to go now :(
Zen Arado: lovely talking to you Sam :)
Zen Arado: you too
Zen Arado: see you soon :)
Zen Arado: bye