the flow

i have played with and advocated the use of K’s for fun and entertainment. Klout created this currency to “measure” influence. I have met many interesting people by using Klout, and as an early proponent of the K currency I convinced others to spend it, and spread it. When the curve changed and the scores dropped last year many protested and quit in disgust. I was never thinking that it really measured anything but word use, and therefore had little meaning. I was surprised at how much anxiety was spent on the loss of score points. Recently Klout has presented another new algorithym in which most people gained points. This was not met with the same outcry as the general lowering last year.

I honestly use it as a source of amusement. I admire the people with bizzarre trifectas of influence, like lobster, hurricanes, and Mt. Dew. I advocate for the full spending of all the K’s you get because it really is a kind of funny money. As time passes this K business has become serious to some, who change the Klout profile to tell exactly which K’s they desire. When I was informed by Klout several times over several months that they thought I was influential in mango I finally responded by taking them up on it. I axed summer camp and announced my intention to dominate the topic of mango.

When people generously lavished the mango K’s, they were not posted on the mango page, and I was kept invisible. With less than a week of my mango assent Klout felt the need to pull the K influence entirely on the topic. Today there is a statement claiming that nobody has received K in this topic recently. I am also being denied the ability to give K. I am shown a box that says sorry you cannot give K to this user at this time. I am so highly amused by this that I am in stitches. Game ON, Klout!!! To paraphrase Nikita Krushchev, we will bury you with mango K.

There are two striking differences between my own history and that of most Americans I know. I have never taken perscription drugs ( well, antibiotics twice in the last 40 years) and have never paid interest. This distinguishes me from most of my countrymen. I think of perscription drugs and paying interest as completely unnecessary evils. I have no relationship with either. I know this self rightous stance will do me no good in a social context, but I believe it has and will guarantee my happy survival.

Both times I needed antibiotics I was in Mexico, so I could just go buy them at the pharmacy. About 40 years ago I became sudenly ill in Acapulco, which is not a place to be ill. I went to the pharmacy ordered antibiotics and codeine so I could get on a bus and go to Michoacan. About 12 years ago I was in Tecate, BC, teaching at a spa when I got sick.. The weekend nurses diagnosed me, then I bought the drug. When the official Nurse Barabara returned she chewed me out and made me read the PDR about the pill I was taking. She thought I should have crossed the border, waited in an MD’s office, paid extra for the drugs, then crossed the border again…….how silly..when the nice lady in the white coat was about a mile down the road, and I was not feeling well.

I have never dabbled in borrowing money. I owed my parents $120 for about 6 months when I was 21. It was somehow agony for me to have this loan, which happened because I had become ill on a road trip. The parents loaned me the money to fly home. After repaying them I never considered borrowing money again. I have managed for the next 40 years to avoid it entirely. There are probably religious sects that avoid both drugs and paying interest, but my own avoidance has been visceral. I have no example of an idol I could be emulating or a teacher who has suggested these practices. In my early life I did not have any truck with lenders or doctors. It became a strong habit. I am very interested in earning and compounding interest. I am even more interested in staying healthy. One never knows what the future will bring, but I firmly desire to spend the rest of my days free of both pharmacies and lending of any kind.

Many people think of yoga as a practice, or a class happening at a studio or gym. The popularity of all kinds of yoga in the US has grown exponentially in the last few years. Since in many cases, the coverting yogis came from the fitness industry, both students and teachers, the emphasis has sometimes been on completative performance yoga. The practice of asana does develop wonderful physical traits. I think asana has a favorable influence on the lives of the participants. To think of the mastery of physical postures as the basis, however, is misleading. Yoga begins with precepts that are lived, and (pun intended) breathed.

The Yamas and Niyamas are guides to a way of life. They describe restrictions to conduct and results to expect when each is practiced. Yoga is not a religion but the guidelines for conduct closely align with Buddhist teaching. The benefits and insights build cumulatively as the practice is constructed from the foundation. The foundation is not your tree pose, but your ability to make choices in daily life that turn you into the yogi. I have a room devoted to yoga, and a closet full of props. It is my pride and joy in terms of real estate. My favorite art is concentrated there, the crystal bowls, the Tibetan bowls, my gift post card art from the Dalai Lama, the works. This lovely room, my asana, and my breathing will not a make me a yogini. It is a practice.

i had the deep pleasure of sharing meals with the monks at Deer Park Monastery near Escondido CA. We ate a delicious meal in silence preceeded by a ceremonial bell ringing. The large very artful ceramic bell next to the dining room was dedicated to sharing food, but other bells are arranged around the campus to be rung to remind everyone to be mindful. They practice silent dining 6 days a week, and once a week they talk at the table. The food was outstanding, some Vietnamese style, all vegetarian, prepared by the happy monks. Everyone had duties assigned for clean up after the meals, which ran very smoothly. I arrived on silent dining day, and talked to everyone the next day, which was designated for chat. I have a vague memory of the talking day….. the backgrounds of the monks, some American, some Vietnamese, all fabulous cooks who brought and introduced their dishes like chefs in a fine dining room. The silent meal, however, is etched into my memory as one of the most flavorful and artful meals of my life. The full presence of the cute little chef monks meditating like crazy fire at the table was unforgettable.

They were fully meditating, and had been since the moment they began to think about the food on the table on the power in mindful consumption. The property had been used be the state of California as a practice place for SWAT teams, so the buildings were riddled with bullet holes. It had originally been built as a boys camp, and now served the needs of the monastery. The monks began work at the entrance by planting a rose garden, hanging some bells, ringing them, and meditating. When I visited about 10 years ago they were not officially open for guests, but welcomed me anyhow. I had a bullet holed little room, great meals, bells rung, and a dharma talk personally done for me. I am sure by now the place has completely been cleansed the energy left behind by the “kill house” for SWAT teams phase. The path they follow is simple. In fact, it is so simple it is profound. Be present and aware of everything you consume. You change the world each day by the level of mindfulness you apply to your consumer life. With care and attention it is possible to turn your purchasing power into a transformative force that benefits all the sentient beings. If that seems a bit far fetched, maybe start with one completely mindful meal eaten in silent meditation, maybe once a week. You can always work up to a full time dharma practice.

Type O is the most common blood type, followed by A, B and AB. About 45 percent of whites, 51 percent of blacks, 57 percent of Hispanics and 40 percent of Asians have blood type O, according to the American Red Cross. I have type O. The discovery of the blood types was a big scientific breakthrough in 1901. Now I am involved in a DNA study being done at Ancestry.com that compares members’ results to link us by common ancestors. One of my matches shares more than 4000 known common ancestors with me. What a bizzarre new way to meet people!! Here is the post industrial family reunion.

I have enjoyed meeting and staying in touch with some family members I found through the Ancestry messaging and sharing system. One in particular is a family historian who gifted me with a valuable treasury of information and pictures from our common family, the Sweets. The new frontier seems to be learning about the DNA matching group, which is something I certainly never aspired to do, but now that I have a list of them, and can view their trees it seems natural. At this early stage in the study I am estimated to be 96% from the British Isles, genetically speaking. This level of incredible waspiness is accompanied by the fact that 77% of my recorded family members were born in the US..or the colonies in many cases. I now have a new relationship with American history because I know where my ancestors were and what they were doing.

Somehow this is the opposite of speed dating. I am presented with individuals to whom I am related, and wonder how I relate to them…and how they relate to me. I do wonder if we physically resemble each other. I wonder how many of our “inherited” traits have been passed along for centuries. How much of our fate is “in the blood”?

I had the pleasure of spending a leisurely Monday afternoon at the Se spa in San Diego last week. I had enjoyed my party stay at the Palomar Hotel, checked out, and taken a long walk. Monday is slow in the entertainment zone, so having a brew pub all to myself at 2 pm happy hour was easy. A small crowd of business people and tourists watched Olympic competition on the big screens and drank beer. I was content with a flight of tiny beers to sample some of the variety made in house. I enjoyed a Ceasar salad, a classic dish I like to compare when I travel. Super speedy service and althletic entertainment of the highest quality made this my kind of vacation lunch. Breezing back to the spa with a baby beer buzz and a satisfied mind I arrived in time for my services. My initial impression was very favorable. I enjoyed my green tea rice body polish treatment done by a true professional, Alison O’Brien. I do not often take what are known as body treatments because too often this means slather on/slather off some goop, and leave you mostly on your own, covered with the goop. My skin was very happy with the upgrade in refined nourished surface. I was massaged with a scrub. I showered in the private shower, then was massaged generously with a coconut based cream that left me feeling restored on several levels. I was ready for a exciting, new and different spa service. It was then time for me to try Shirodhara, a very special treatment I had wanted to experience for a long time. I was brought to my next treatment room which included the vessel set up to drip oil on my forehead. Just seeing the set up was soothing me instantly. The reality was even better than I could have imagined. I have my new favorite thing ever. This neck, head and scalp treatment has officially ousted Thai aqua massage as my tip top preferred spa experience. For now, I need to make up for lost time and find out where this is done, The best Shirodhara on earth contest can go up there with the best pad Thai, the best nopales, and the best hot spring. This is a subject that needs to be studied extensively. I believe I have started in the hands of one of the best, Patricia Henry. She is skilled as a Shindoharist and has full presence. Her dedication to the client’s wellness is easy to perceive. I believe I had a full on startling, life changing revelation during my visit to that lovely private suite, where again I had my own shower. Since I have no basis for comparison I am expecting no less each time oil is drizzled on my forehead in the future. A leisurely Monday afternoon can yield much more than one ever suspects. Now, gentle reader, I can highly recommend the Se Spa to those looking for top notch therapists in a deluxe environment. There is no steam, jacuzzi, sauna activity to create a noisy cluttered background. The Se exists to serve a discriminating clientele who crave privacy and high quality services and products. I can also highly recommend the classic Shirodhara treatment to anyone who feels good about neck, shoulder, scalp massage. I am on a mission to discover where on earth this service is done, and what each offers. I will be sure you report my results. I am open to recommendations if the gentle readers have them.