The Guardian for this meeting was Zen Arado. The comments are by Zen Arado.

We started at Kira because of a region restart:

Eliza (eliza.madrigal): Hi Zen
Zen (zen.arado): Hi Eliza :)
Zen (zen.arado): didn't see you come in
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): hasn't been too long
Zen (zen.arado): Japanese crowd were here
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): oh?
Zen (zen.arado): they just left
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): anything interesting? presentation of some sort?
Zen (zen.arado): their place must have been down as well
Zen (zen.arado): I've no idea it was all in Japanese
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): that makes sense
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): :)
Zen (zen.arado): it's their Japanese evening they have every week I think
Zen (zen.arado): I tried translating it one time with Google translator but it didn't work very well
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): it doesn't.... Japanese is so different and as great as Google can be, it just isn't able to make the leap
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): I'd like a Japanese implant :)
Zen (zen.arado): that philosopher woman Yo I think her name is comes up with interesting topics that I would like to hear about
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): /me nods
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): have you played with our topic this week?
Zen (zen.arado): life is too short to learn a lot of languages
Zen (zen.arado): I've forgotten what it is
Zen (zen.arado): :-)
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): :)

Imagination topic:

Eliza (eliza.madrigal): play of imagination.... like Rosatta described in her talking to fairies Artists Way exploration
Zen (zen.arado): Ah yes I found Julia Cameron's website yesterday
Zen (zen.arado): you don't really need to read her book if you watch those little videos
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): /me nods... it is many years since the book came out and many have made it their own by now
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): I did try to do exactly what Rosatta did though, sans fairies
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): I'd tried it years ago and found it not to fluid - this time much easier, maybe due to SL
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): *too
Zen (zen.arado): http://juliacameronlive.com/basic-to...morning-pages/
Zen (zen.arado): maybe you need the fairies :-)
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): haha
Zen (zen.arado): I think I tried it around 2007 and kept it going for three or four months
Zen (zen.arado): but I started freewriting again last September because they recommended it in this course I'm doing
Zen (zen.arado): it's much the same thing and they recommend doing pages first thing in the morning
Zen (zen.arado): that can be difficult when you have a care worker coming in
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): imagine so
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): but...
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): I've heard some recreate the morning if routine is disrupted right away
Zen (zen.arado): I can write so fast using voice typing if I don't bother correcting
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): :)
Zen (zen.arado): :)
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): I find writing first thing quite hard too, because I am thinking of waking my son getting him to school etc
Zen (zen.arado): yes I can imagine it is difficult with children
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): but when I come back I sort of "begin" officially
Zen (zen.arado): I think the Pavilion is back in again shall we go there?
Eliza (eliza.madrigal): OK :)

Back to Pavilion:)

Eliza Madrigal: there was another book around the same time - similar to Cameron's... called "Dancing in the Dragon's Den"
Eliza Madrigal: it was a bit more Jungian
Zen Arado: yes there are seem to be two aspects to it
Zen Arado: psychotherapy and creativity
Eliza Madrigal nods... playing more and more fearlessly
Zen Arado: I started off writing longhand in September
Zen Arado: but last month I went back to voice typing
Zen Arado: my writing is so slow and then I can't find anything again
Eliza Madrigal: when you look at what you've written, which is better?
Eliza Madrigal: do you reveal just as much to yourself in voice?
Zen Arado: I'm not sure you need to find things again though
Zen Arado: I think I'm beginning to as long as I don't stop to correct words
Eliza Madrigal: ah
Zen Arado: just use it as a stream of consciousness
Zen Arado: but I can type 1500 words in about 20 minutes
Eliza Madrigal: I want to use that technology but am daunted by the time it will take to learn it
Zen Arado: it's hard to keep going as fast as that
Zen Arado: hard to think of things to say
Zen Arado: it does take a little time to get used to it
Eliza Madrigal: do you feel you are plumbing the depths of your memory?
Zen Arado: a disadvantage for you is that people would hear what you were saying
Zen Arado: Cameron says just to write down anything
Eliza Madrigal: :) well the kids know I'm a bit odd... chanting etc , lool
Zen Arado: even just moans and gripes
Zen Arado: I keep wanting to have a subject is my problem
Eliza Madrigal: how so?
Zen Arado: Hi Sunji
Zen Arado: :)
Eliza Madrigal: Sunji! :)

Eliza Madrigal: we're talking about talking out loud, being a bit odd and tapping creativity
Zen Arado: I did so much free writing for my MA dissertation but I always started with a question
Zen Arado: so it was focused free writing
szavanna Resident: hehe great
Zen Arado: and I'm still in that habit I guess
Eliza Madrigal: look beautiful today Sun ^.^
Zen Arado: but it's better if you just write everything and anything
Eliza Madrigal: I see Zen... want for things to be orderly
Zen Arado: that's what you need to do to be creative
Zen Arado: and then the fairies appear :-)
Zen Arado: hopefully
szavanna Resident: oh I found a website called cowbird
Eliza Madrigal: :))
szavanna Resident: you know it?
Zen Arado: nope
Zen Arado: I still haven't cracked how to write fiction
Zen Arado: I'm not inventive that way, may be I never will be
Zen Arado: although I can think up poems
Zen Arado: but they are about something
Eliza Madrigal: have you thought about reality as fiction?
Zen Arado: I have written three memoirs for my last three assignments
Zen Arado: maybe I can make them more imaginative
Zen Arado: perhaps write about Second Life more
Zen Arado: what do you mean reality as fiction?
Eliza Madrigal: :) we could try dash type stuff here, or VAI
Zen Arado: in this course we had to submit free writing in the forum for the tutor
szavanna Resident: like the reality shows on TV?
Zen Arado: and none of us were doing it right
szavanna Resident: but in writing?
Zen Arado: it's just absolutely everything and anything as I was saying
Zen Arado: it's quite hard to do
szavanna Resident: http://cowbird.com/
szavanna Resident: check this one :)
Eliza Madrigal: start with what seems real to you and add into it
Eliza Madrigal clicks
szavanna Resident: :)
Zen Arado: interesting Sunji
szavanna Resident: :) yes
Zen Arado: you just keep writing without any punctuation even and then one thing reminda you of something else
Zen Arado: I'll try to find what my tutor said in the comments she made at the first forum if I can

Zen Arado: yes will definitely have to try it in SL
Eliza Madrigal: my biggest problem is that I'm an endless pattern recognizer...
Eliza Madrigal: everything I notice opens up more tentacles and my writing becomes sprawling
Zen Arado: you must remember that we have had years of education that has taught us how to be structured and critical and it isn't easy to bypass that
Zen Arado: no that is what you want Eliza
Zen Arado: and then when you have tons of text you go back and structure it
Zen Arado: if you decide to structure and edit too soon you lose the creativity, that is the problem
Eliza Madrigal: ohhh but soooo much material
Eliza Madrigal: gets overwhelming... and, I'm always gathering still ^^
szavanna Resident: these days - thanks to the net - we wrte so much
Eliza Madrigal: because I write to stay sane n stuff, haha
Zen Arado: Jack Kerouac just wrote and wrote and wrote and didn't stop
szavanna Resident: :)
Eliza Madrigal: true Sun
szavanna Resident: lots material is saved online
szavanna Resident: that happens spontaneously
Zen Arado: I'm finding I can write forever just about jobs I did in Sydney 50 years ago
szavanna Resident: oh nice
szavanna Resident: :)
Zen Arado: I must have a good memory
Eliza Madrigal: that's great
szavanna Resident: yes excellent brain health
Eliza Madrigal: did you think you didn't before?
Zen Arado: but who would be interested in that?
szavanna Resident: °͜°
Eliza Madrigal: many would, Zen
Eliza Madrigal: for me it always depends how it is written.... can read someone talking about paint drying if it is written well
Eliza Madrigal: and well might mean any number of things
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Zen Arado: I'm not so sure Eliza
Zen Arado: I seem to like to read novels that are set in America
Eliza Madrigal: a bit like the boring conference :P
Zen Arado: because America is interesting
Eliza Madrigal: not to Americans :P
szavanna Resident: hehe Liz boring conference
Zen Arado: my tutor is really into Irish writing and I don't like James Joyce
Zen Arado: I don't like that time period either
szavanna Resident: boring conference reminds me of my granddad - the mathematician
szavanna Resident: he was a member of a million committees
szavanna Resident: and during boring meetings they were solving anagrams under the table
Zen Arado: I love reading Jack reacher novels where he just drifts around places in America and gets into romances and fights and into adventures
szavanna Resident: and they called themselves "the rabbits"
Zen Arado: :) Sunji
szavanna Resident: sorry back to topic ;p
Zen Arado: that is the topic Sunji
Eliza Madrigal: :):) Sun - that's my favorite state of mind
szavanna Resident: ;p
szavanna Resident: hmm I rarely read
szavanna Resident: but love to listen to stories
Zen Arado: you know to be able to write poetry you have to read lots of poetry my tutor said
szavanna Resident: Zenji tells
Zen Arado: I suppose the same applies to fiction or memoir writing
szavanna Resident: yes I think so
Zen Arado: I read Jenny diski stories lately
Zen Arado: about travelling around America by train
Eliza Madrigal: I think everything has been done by now and so it is nice when something fresh pops up out of 'nowhere'
Zen Arado: find them fascinating
Zen Arado: people are most interested in writing about other people
Zen Arado: about characters and what they do
Eliza Madrigal: one of my favorite books is being made into a BBC miniseries :))
Zen Arado: so you have to have plenty of interesting characters whether it is memoirs or fiction
szavanna Resident: :)
Zen Arado: what's that Eliza?
Eliza Madrigal: Jonathan Strange and Mr Norell
Zen Arado: Who wrote that?
szavanna Resident: Liz you look so "official" hmm ( btw)
Eliza Madrigal: it is about two magicians...one who wants to preserve old ways and one who wants to explore new... both of whom are among the few who know that magic hasn't disappeared from the world
Eliza Madrigal: Susanna Clarke
Zen Arado: She looks like an efficient secretary today :-)
Eliza Madrigal: :)
szavanna Resident: yes ;D
Eliza Madrigal: this is more 'me' but with some added years
Eliza Madrigal: I was always in outfits like this when first in SL, giggles
szavanna Resident: hehe :)
Eliza Madrigal: boring Liz

Zen Arado: I read the Hobbit one time and didn't find anything interesting in it at all
Eliza Madrigal: wow Zen
szavanna Resident: ;D
Eliza Madrigal: now we are really ready for the conference
Eliza Madrigal: what will our presentations be?
szavanna Resident: yes
szavanna Resident: need glasses
szavanna Resident: hmm
Zen Arado: I need to put a suit on
szavanna Resident: yes
szavanna Resident: ah!
Zen Arado: and get my hair cut
Eliza Madrigal: :) yes you look like a hippy writer Zen
szavanna Resident: yay
szavanna Resident: lolol
szavanna Resident: oh nice glasses
Eliza Madrigal: my presentation will be about post-it notes
Eliza Madrigal: they come in many colors...
szavanna Resident: ah most intriguing
szavanna Resident: ;p
 

Zen Arado: I was just reading about a woman who spent years doing spiritual practices and eventually didn't have any identity
Zen Arado: but her children kept calling her mom
szavanna Resident: oo
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Zen Arado: and she didn't want to be a mom identity
szavanna Resident: hmm
szavanna Resident: so what happened
Zen Arado: but the teacher told her she had actually developed a non-identity identity
Zen Arado: :-)
Eliza Madrigal: yes!
szavanna Resident: ah °͜°
Eliza Madrigal: I really get this... it isn't about not wanting to be mom... but about "just" being mom
Zen Arado: I thought that was funny
Eliza Madrigal: as though no room for other expressions...
szavanna Resident: I will always be a mom
Zen Arado: yes it's not being attached to the identities just wearing them like clothes
Eliza Madrigal: labels can be empowering as well as disempowering
Zen Arado: but not hanging on to them
Eliza Madrigal: mhm, knowing when to slip them off ?
szavanna Resident: yes I think thats a good skill to have
Zen Arado: and not believing the ones that other people put on to you
Eliza Madrigal: harder than it sounds sometimes
Zen Arado: my care workers see me as an old man in a wheelchair not as Zen the blues DJ :-)
Eliza Madrigal: I'm still carrying around some old identities I think
szavanna Resident: it should be taught at university
Eliza Madrigal smiles
szavanna Resident: or sunday school
szavanna Resident: ;p
szavanna Resident: label studies
Eliza Madrigal: they just don't know Zen :) they don't have access to your other dimensions
szavanna Resident: yes
Zen Arado: it's pointless telling them either
Eliza Madrigal nods.... I've given up doing that, or trying to
Zen Arado: they just think he's flipped again
szavanna Resident: flipped?
Zen Arado: explain that one Eliza
Eliza Madrigal: it is silly - plus, I think SL isn't necessarily healthy for everyone... can really upend the way one thinks about things
Zen Arado: flipped into insanity?
Eliza Madrigal: so I wouldn't recommend enlightenment either....
Eliza Madrigal: that kind of sensibility
Eliza Madrigal: make sense?
Zen Arado: No some people need strong foundations to hold onto
szavanna Resident: hmm
szavanna Resident: yes
Zen Arado: I always remember the old Christian hymn
Zen Arado: 'Will your anchor hold in the storms of life?'
Zen Arado: and that's how some people think of religions
Zen Arado: something to give them certainty and hope
Eliza Madrigal: my life opens up in the ways and means it does, and have to, at some level trust that others' does too - though I wouldn't hide SL either :)
Eliza Madrigal: ahh, true
Eliza Madrigal: life is a big storm and god protects us from it
szavanna Resident: hmm
Eliza Madrigal: what if we're a big storm? lol
szavanna Resident: :)

Zen Arado: so many hymns express that sentiment of lead us heavenly Father lead us
szavanna Resident: its interesting how ...
Zen Arado: that website you gave us probably prints every story you send them
Eliza Madrigal: which can be very comforting
Eliza Madrigal listens
szavanna Resident: if one keeps exploring all their lives
szavanna Resident: they become "weird" in the others eyes
Zen Arado: listens
szavanna Resident: hmm the more you explore
szavanna Resident: the more weird you might look to others
szavanna Resident: for example I am in Africa
szavanna Resident: and in a christian place
szavanna Resident: I can't relate to it at all
szavanna Resident: the other religion here is rugby
szavanna Resident: lol
Eliza Madrigal giggles
szavanna Resident: but that doesn't work for me either
Zen Arado: :-)
szavanna Resident: so I end up being quiet
szavanna Resident: and people think - may be I can't talk lol
szavanna Resident: when I had my opencafe
szavanna Resident: I talked a lot - but I don't think it ever was too interesting for the people
Eliza Madrigal: it gave you some context for connection
szavanna Resident: I met interesting people
szavanna Resident: and had some real fun times
szavanna Resident: but not easy to connect with other cultures deeply
Eliza Madrigal: I like where we began... with the idea of talking to ourselves....
Eliza Madrigal: did that as a child a lot
szavanna Resident: :))
szavanna Resident: yes I remember I used to compose music
szavanna Resident: as I walked to school
Zen Arado: were due to find it difficult to write memoir about yourselves?
szavanna Resident: lol
szavanna Resident: talking and singing
Eliza Madrigal: very natural
szavanna Resident: jumping around
Zen Arado: would you two
Zen Arado: not were due to
Eliza Madrigal: I have about 70 pages of one Zen
Eliza Madrigal: but with huge gaps
Eliza Madrigal: :)
szavanna Resident: 70 pages of?
Eliza Madrigal: memoir
szavanna Resident: kk
Zen Arado: I was amazed that so many in this writing course absolutely cannot write about themselves
Eliza Madrigal: it isn't really about oneself, as it turns out
Zen Arado: I thought that was by far the easiest thing to do
szavanna Resident: I am so not good with words
szavanna Resident: hmm
Eliza Madrigal: yes you are :P
Zen Arado: rather than having to dream up fiction stories
szavanna Resident: no I am not!
szavanna Resident: is this the 5 min argument session?
Eliza Madrigal: when we remember things we remember them in distorted ways, exaggerating one thing and minimizing another
Zen Arado: oh yes you are Sunji
Eliza Madrigal: no it isn't, that's next door
szavanna Resident: ;D
Zen Arado: :)
Zen Arado: oh yes it is actually like fiction
szavanna Resident bangs Liz on the head ;p
Zen Arado: that amazed me
Eliza Madrigal yelps
szavanna Resident: ;D
Zen Arado: we have actually created little stories already about our past
Eliza Madrigal ideas come pouring out
Eliza Madrigal: exactly Zen
szavanna Resident: I keep blogging
Zen Arado: it's like our minds organise the past into a little stories without us having to do anything
Eliza Madrigal: have we ever truly directly known ANYONE?
szavanna Resident: but it is usually videos
szavanna Resident: I have been blogging for hmm
Zen Arado: and it is only our own narrow interpretation of events and happenings
szavanna Resident: many many years
szavanna Resident: I love to talk "in websites"
Eliza Madrigal: someone seeing your blogs would have a good impression of you SUn, but al ot would be missing still
szavanna Resident: yes of course
szavanna Resident: blogging for me is more like ..self therapy
Eliza Madrigal: someone reading pab wiki would have a strong impression of many of us
szavanna Resident: or discovery
Eliza Madrigal nods
Eliza Madrigal: appreciative exploration too
szavanna Resident: blogging might be a good tool to get used to words
Zen Arado: I find it difficult to remember why I did some things back in the past
Eliza Madrigal: maybe you didn't know then either :))
Zen Arado: I left Brisbane and went back to Sydne y
Zen Arado: but I don't remember why
Eliza Madrigal: hm
szavanna Resident: scratches head
szavanna Resident: girls?
Eliza Madrigal: :)
szavanna Resident: ;p
Zen Arado: well it's always girls isn't it :-)
szavanna Resident: opera?
Zen Arado: so they say
szavanna Resident: yes usually
szavanna Resident: guys - in my case
szavanna Resident: hmm
Eliza Madrigal: :) opera and girls... the source of all confusions
Zen Arado: it certainly wasn't opera
szavanna Resident: yes hmm
szavanna Resident: ah ok then girls
Eliza Madrigal: can trace back a lot of things to guys as well :)
szavanna Resident: this was easy ;D
Zen Arado: I just didn't like Brisbane
szavanna Resident: ah hmm and Syndey was better?
Zen Arado: I had become attached to Sydney I guess
szavanna Resident: what was wrong with Brisbane
Zen Arado: I don't know it was just like a big country town
szavanna Resident: is life very different in Oz ?
Zen Arado: I got fined for under age drinking
Zen Arado: and I was 19
Eliza Madrigal: ooh you have a record...
Zen Arado: because you had to be 21 in Queensland
szavanna Resident: underage drinking ;p
Zen Arado: and it was 18 in New South Wales
Zen Arado: weird
Eliza Madrigal: that will add to the memoir for sure
szavanna Resident: yes when I was in the US they kept checking my papers
Zen Arado: I'll have to delete this from my wiki
szavanna Resident: that felt weird
Eliza Madrigal: :)
Zen Arado: my criminal record
Eliza Madrigal: hehehe
szavanna Resident: ;p
szavanna Resident: lol Zenji the criminal
Eliza Madrigal: we already know about your chinese tattoos
szavanna Resident: ;D
szavanna Resident: chinese tattoos????
Eliza Madrigal: >oops<
szavanna Resident faints
Eliza Madrigal: hehehe
szavanna Resident: its all out now
Zen Arado: it's all stacking up against me
szavanna Resident: ;D
Zen Arado: I better leave town
szavanna Resident: yes
szavanna Resident: hehe
Eliza Madrigal: quite the image
szavanna Resident: hmm don't leave town
szavanna Resident: because we have a show to do
Eliza Madrigal: hippy oil man with chinese tattoos and a criminal record
Zen Arado: luckily there aren't any towns in SL
szavanna Resident: °͜° oh Zenji you know desert blues?
szavanna Resident: lol Liz
Zen Arado: nope

szavanna Resident: let me show you before we go
Zen Arado: kk
szavanna Resident: TInariwen and Santana : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KCkSX6Kl3ig
Zen Arado: kk thanks
szavanna Resident: I am totally addicted
szavanna Resident: :)
Zen Arado: I know Santana of course
Eliza Madrigal: that's why you're in rehab....
szavanna Resident: ah!
szavanna Resident: now I remember
Eliza Madrigal: addicted to the blues
Eliza Madrigal: :)
szavanna Resident: all coming back to me
szavanna Resident: ;D
szavanna Resident: just this last video!
Eliza Madrigal: just one more...
szavanna Resident: I will never listen to the blues again
szavanna Resident: I promise
Eliza Madrigal: "just one more level mom"
szavanna Resident: :)
Zen Arado: yes that's nice
Eliza Madrigal: kk... will listen to this as I get myself back to work.. sounding great
Zen Arado: they seem to be dressed in berkhas
Zen Arado: I better post the log and make my dinner
szavanna Resident: if you check the Tinariwen videos
szavanna Resident: you can see amazing pictures of the sahara
szavanna Resident: °͜°
Eliza Madrigal: ty Sun
Zen Arado: kk will check ty
Zen Arado: :)
szavanna Resident: that was fun Mr Ewing
Zen Arado: thanksfor coming
szavanna Resident: hugs to you both ❤
Zen Arado: hugs
Zen Arado: byee
Zen Arado: yes
Zen Arado: s
Zen Arado: bfn