Posts by Eric

6

Productive sleep?

by seattleniceguy in

jw
friends

the last few months for me have been quite a journey.

after i first left the organization in september, i found that my drive to work, to play, even to eat, was shot.

i was faced with a prospect i had never considered - living out my life in this system of things - and i had no idea what i wanted to do.

Some years ago, I experimented with "lucid dreaming". I then combined this with altered sleep patterns, ie: instead of sleeping for 8 hours solid out of 24, sleep for just 1 out of every 3, or 2 out of every 6, whatever your schedule allows. It was a very interesting experiment.

I just did a Google search on lucid dreaming, and there are quite a few sites devoted to the subject, some verging toward the "mystical", some more toward the technical side of the issue.

I still use the techniques I learned years ago, when I want to get more out of sleep than just being well-rested.

Eric

431

Things Learned Along the Way

by blondie in

jw
friends

i have collected sayings, homilies, whatever along the way that crystallize something bigger i learned.

i will post a few every day.

if you have one, please share it.. if you lie down with dogs, you'll get up with fleas.. to belittle is to be little.. somewhere, i got the idea if i just took care of others, i would be taken care of.. blondie

Eric

"All this worldly wisdom was once the unamiable heresy of some wise man." Henry David Thoreau

28

5th estate doing update story on the vicki boer case

by needs_lots in

merry x-mas!

i just got a call from the 5th estate, and they are running an update story very soon.

they will be coming back to my house and interviewing me with the updates on my trial.

Eric

Excellent, Vicki!

I have so many people "off-board" who will be wanting to see this. Thanks for the alert.

Eric

9

HOCKEY! World Juniors, anyone watching?

by Eric in

jw
friends

love this tournament!.

frustrating calls/non-calls by euro-referees who would barely qualify for work in the ohl/qmjhl, and a tie-breaking format that has no place of a sheet of ice, but what great hockey.. the usa is smoking the ruskies as i type this, but i'm watching canada vs czechs.

is this being broadcast anywhere but canada?.

Eric

Love this tournament!

Frustrating calls/non-calls by euro-referees who would barely qualify for work in the OHL/QMJHL, and a tie-breaking format that has no place of a sheet of ice, but what great hockey.

The USA is smoking the Ruskies as I type this, but I'm watching Canada vs Czechs.

Is this being broadcast anywhere but Canada?

Eric

16

The Piano Has Been Drinking--Tom Waits

by blondie in

tom waits is underrated.

i the piano has been drinking.

the piano has been drinking.

Eric

Blondie,

An acquired taste to be sure.

"I Don't Wanna Grow Up", by Tom Waits

When I'm lyin' in my bed at night

I don't wanna grow up

Nothin' ever seems to turn out right

I don't wanna grow up

How do you move in a world of fog

That's always changing things

Makes me wish that I could be a dog

When I see the price that you pay

I don't wanna grow up

I don't ever wanna be that way

I don't wanna grow up

Seems like folks turn into things

That they'd never want

The only thing to live for

Is today

I'm gonna put a hole in my TV set

I don't wanna grow up

Open up the medicine chest

And I don't wanna grow up

I don't wnna have to shout it out

I don't want my hair to fall out

I don't wanna be filled with doubt

I don't wanna be a good boy scout

I don't wanna have to learn to count

I don't wanna have the biggest amount

I don't wanna grow up

Well when I see my parents fight

I don't wanna grow up

They all go out and drinking all night

And I don't wanna grow up

I'd rather stay here in my room

Nothin' out there but sad and gloom

I don't wanna live in a big old Tomb

On Grand Street

When I see the 5 o'clock news

I don't wanna grow up

Comb their hair and shine their shoes

I don't wanna grow up

Stay around in my old hometown

I don't wanna put no money down

I don't wanna get me a big old loan

Work them fingers to the bone

I don't wanna float a broom

Fall in and get married then boom

How the hell did I get here so soon

I don't wanna grow up

How The Ramones version of this song got airplay and Tom Waits' didn't, I'll never know. Even Waits' video for this song was priceless and funny at the same time. If you ever saw it, you'll know what I mean.

Under-rated...Oh, yeah...

Eric

7

Ski Trip

by Elsewhere in

jw
friends

a group of us here at work want to take a long-weekend ski trip.

we are looking in the area of new mexico, colorado and ohio areas.. can anyone point me in the right direction for finding a good package-deal for about five people?

it would be great if we can get rooms, airfare, equipment and the other needed items in one package..

Eric

Elsewhere,

I could recommend http://www.theweathernetwork.com, it's a Canadian weather service, but place your cursor on "Features" to get the drop-down and then on "Ativities" to get another drop-down and select "Ski Report" and then you can click onto snow reports from ski resorts around the globe.

Or I could recommend http://www.onthesnow.com for ski resort info.

But none of that would matter to me as I would sooner ski on slightly frozen mud in Colorado than powder in Ohio! If you're gonna ski, ski the Rockies!

Eric

27

What did you GIVE for Christmas?

by Tatiana in

jw
friends

i'll tell what i got on the other thread later, but i'd like to know what you all gave this year.

i gave my oldest son a set of chinese exercise balls in a beautiful silk box.

he needs to relax!!.

Eric

Alias,

Merry Christmas, friend.

Eric

19

lonely christmas

by maybesbabies in

ack!

i can't stand it anymore!

i've been broken up with my boyfriend for two weeks now, and this is my first x-mas alone in 3 years.

Eric

Re-reading Mouthy's post, wiping away a tear.

Maybesbabies,

I had a break-up where I would have given anything to not think about her for fifteen solid minutes. It took time, nothing more than time and something close to deep feeling for someone else for that to fade.

For a while I consigned any remaining feelings I had for her to be considered only at sunrise. This way I made time to respect her at a moment when I also needed to plan my day for other things and new things she didn't know of or need to know. Sounds stupid, I know.

But it made space to start forgetting.

And room for someone else to start to occupy my thoughts every fifteen minutes.

I still select moments of choice sunrises to think of her, her hair across my shoulder, the spray of freckles across her cheeks, but it doesn't hurt anymore. More like appreciation for what we had, how good it was. Was.

Yes, your wound is fresh right now, but it will heal. Trust me.

Eric

25

Is It All About YOU???

by minimus in

jw
friends

do you think that you live your life mostly giving to others-----or, is it all about you?

Eric

Min,

I Give and Give and Give until the people around me are forced to reckon with the fact that they are simply incapable of approaching my level of generosity with time, sympathy and personal wealth.

I see no point in raising some peoples spirits without driving others into the dirt. This is called Karma, and finding balance.

Eric

48

Summer convention "warnings"

by got my forty homey? in

anyone remember those kingdom ministry parts we had to attend a month before the summer convention about not saving seats and not eating during the program.

even our behaivor in the hotel pool was admonished!

and don't walk around the halls during the program, hold that boo-boo till intermission holmes!

Eric

Some of the food vendors in the convention facilities being used are now demanding that they be allowed to open their food stands and serve the delegates attending our conventions. If this were permitted, many worldly people would be mixing in company with us during the day.

Yeah, right. I know that when I go to closed industry seminars and trade shows, the general public is just clamoring to get at those $6 hot dogs and $5 pizza slices. Get real! It would be interesting, though, to see a District Convention with the draft beer concession open for business, wouldn't it?

But that is not what caught my eye about that paragraph. I know I've been out a long, long time, but this "closed session" attitude is 180 degees from what it used to be. JWs used to blitz the host city with the door-to-door during the convention with an open invitation to attend.

For blocks around the convention site, JWs would stand wearing sandwich boards emblazoned with the logo of that years convention theme, passing out handbills with that days itinerary printed on it. Having "worldly people mixing in company with us" was considered the best possible witnessing of Jehovah's spiritual paradise that those poor wretches could ever hope to receive.

So what happened? Too many wolves and foxes cavorting in the coop? Too many mid-session walkouts trying to shake a blank stare of disbelief off of their faces?

Sorry to take this thread off track a bit, but can anyone comment on the official, published rationalization for fearing the presence of worldly persons at the spiritual banquet, and more interestingly, the actual reason?

Eric