What about a Bums retreat?

[zerostao]

1 hour ago, Taomeow said:

 

Do tell.  I know a few exotic drinks too, but not this one.  Camel Saliva is a favorite. 

Thanks for causing me to remember my first encounter with a camel over in eastern Turkey  I can laugh now. At the time, not such a pleasant experience. 

[Taomeow]

9 hours ago, zerostao said:

Thanks for causing me to remember my first encounter with a camel over in eastern Turkey  I can laugh now. At the time, not such a pleasant experience. 

 

Ah, sorry about that.  Good thing the camel didn't bite you though, I'm told it's even worse.  I rode a camel once, but he behaved, and I enjoyed the ride very much.  Made me think of the camel's nickname, "the ship of the desert" -- it does feel as though you are being rocked on the waves, but with no danger of getting seasick.   

 

The cocktail Camel Saliva is whipped with 1 part vodka, 1 part champagne, 1 part heavy cream.   

Edited August 1, 2020 by Taomeow

[doc benway]

11 hours ago, Taomeow said:

 

Do tell.  I know a few exotic drinks too, but not this one.  Camel Saliva is a favorite. 

 

I occasionally enjoy an Irish Car Bomb

[Taomeow]

1 minute ago, steve said:

 

I occasionally enjoy an Irish Car Bomb

 

I had to look up the recipe and it's positively scary.  Where I come from it is one of the sacred beliefs that you mix beer with hard liquor only if your goal is to self-administer a lobotomy.   

[doc benway]

Just now, Taomeow said:

 

I had to look up the recipe and it's positively scary.  Where I come from it is one of the sacred beliefs that you mix beer with hard liquor only if your goal is to self-administer a lobotomy.   

 

Maybe it's a British Isles thing...

It's absolutely delicious.

The one risk is you can chip a front tooth, important to cover your front teeth with your lips when throwing it back.

(not that you're likely to need that piece of advice!)

[Taomeow]

Here's an excerpt from my message in a private exchange on the subject (of TDB retreat, not mind-bending beverages):

 

I don't know how much power of organizing stuff I have -- brainstorming, yes, definitely ready for that.  Off the top of my head, I would perhaps want to see something similar to the last gathering of like-minded individuals (around a different thing altogether) I was part of some ten months ago.  A fairly large group -- perhaps about 60 adults and a sprinkling of children -- rented camping grounds in the pine forest in Cuyamaca Mountains area.  Some shared cabins available there (which were inexpensive, very basic), others pitched tents, and we spent three days there according to a program that involved planned performances, spontaneous performances, interacting and intermingling, sharing meals (most food was prepared in advance at home and potlucked, some was cooked on premises on an outdoor wood-burning stove -- including a huge cauldron of killer Uzbek pilaf which two volunteers invested hours into turning into a masterpiece), not abstaining from alcohol either, hiking in the woods, having lots of fun around the fire pit at night, stuff like that.  I loved that place, but it might be easier to gather people somewhere on level ground -- the ride into the mountains was a bit of a challenge, at least for me -- and then finding the exact spot, ditto (no phone reception no GPS yada yada, and me and my party arrived the night before and ran out of daylight before we knew where we were, stuff like that).  In any event, I do believe this conversation might lead to some nice outcome if we ever get out of the freakin' plague...

[doc benway]

Speaking of brainstorming...

 

It occurs to me that a DB zoom retreat or meeting would be an interesting opportunity. One of the things that seems to lead to conflict is anonymity. Putting names to faces, hearing voices, seeing people, settings, gestures, expressions,... would potentially be a step towards bringing us closer and making a more meaningful connection. 

 

Getting everyone together physically will take a substantial amount of time and commitment. Recent times have shown me there is real value in real time online communication. I wonder if that would serve us well here? It might be difficult for some. Letting go of our anonymity, our masques, our fantasies of each other would have its challenges. Would the benefits be worth the candle?

 

There is a big part of me that misses many of the folks that were banned after the political wars. I also miss those banned by the Trunk hammer. Not saying Sean or Trunk were wrong but I feel like if we had a chance to connect beyond black letters on a white background, things would be different and perhaps we wouldn’t need to fight so much and exclude each other.

 

Just something else for everyone to chew on...

[liminal_luke]

Am I the only one who finds the idea of a Dao Bums retreat -- or even the Zoom meeting Steve suggests -- intimidating?  Don´t get me wrong: I´m all for forging these kinds of connections, even if the idea challenges me.  I´m very comfortable sharing myself through the written word.  At times, I´ve shared stories in my personal practice journal that are very personal, some might say too personal -- my partner´s suicide attempts, musings about sexuality.  And yet allowing people to see and interact with me in real time feels like a whole different world of self-disclosure I´m not sure I´m ready for.

 

It´s weird.  I interact with people all the time in my daily life.  I have friends.  People who know me as a flesh-and-blood person seem to like me just fine for the most part.  But the Dao Bums is a tough crowd.  So many people here are superstars -- intellectually, athletically, spiritually -- or so it often seems to me.  Can you imagine a Dao Bums talent show?  There´d be stunning demonstations of martial arts prowess, a bit of mind-reading, maybe even some levitation.  My luck everyone would have glowing skin too.

 

For a spiritual forum, this place doesn´t always feel the most supportive.  People can be really hard on each other.  At the same time, I love it here.  We´ve got some wonderful folks.  It´s silly for me to shrink back from making deeper connections but...

 

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by liminal_luke

[Limahong]

1 hour ago, liminal_luke said:

I´m very comfortable sharing myself through the written word. 

 

Hi liminal_luke,

 

Thank you for being you ~ through the written word.

Sometimes I think I can perceive you ~ in between the written words.

 

1 hour ago, liminal_luke said:

So many people here are superstars -- intellectually, athletically, spiritually -- or so it often seems to me. 

 

 

Keep safe and well.

 

- Anand

 

 

Edited August 2, 2020 by Limahong
Enhancement

[liminal_luke]

22 hours ago, Limahong said:

 

Sometimes I think I can perceive you ~ in between the written words.

 

 

I believe you can.

[Limahong]

1 minute ago, liminal_luke said:

I believe you can.

 

... but only after a while.

 

 

[mrpasserby]

IMO: The great equalizer is meeting some friend physically within the 3rd gate,  in what is considered and presented, by the earths collective mind to be the normal realm of the physical world. That said, it sounds like fun.

[doc benway]

3 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

Am I the only one who finds the idea of a Dao Bums retreat -- or even the Zoom meeting Steve suggests -- intimidating? 

 

No

 

3 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

Don´t get me wrong: I´m all for forging these kinds of connections, even if the idea challenges me.  I´m very comfortable sharing myself through the written word.  At times, I´ve shared stories in my personal practice journal that are very personal, some might say too personal -- my partner´s suicide attempts, musings about sexuality.  And yet allowing people to see and interact with me in real time feels like a whole different world of self-disclosure I´m not sure I´m ready for.

 

I get it. The anonymity is very comforting.

 

3 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

It´s weird.  I interact with people all the time in my daily life.  I have friends.  People who know me as a flesh-and-blood person seem to like me just fine for the most part.  But the Dao Bums is a tough crowd. 

 

Very true,

 -sometimes loving, sometimes cruel...

 

3 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

So many people here are superstars -- intellectually, athletically, spiritually -- or so it often seems to me. 

 

Sometimes real, sometimes imaginary 

 

3 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

Can you imagine a Dao Bums talent show?  There´d be stunning demonstations of martial arts prowess, a bit of mind-reading, maybe even some levitation.  My luck everyone would have glowing skin too.

 

🤣🤣🤣

🙌🏼

 

3 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

For a spiritual forum, this place doesn´t always feel the most supportive.  People can be really hard on each other.  At the same time, I love it here.  We´ve got some wonderful folks.  It´s silly for me to shrink back from making deeper connections but...

 

I get it, I was cringing a bit when I made the suggestion. But I really feel like the ones who agree to it would be very supportive. I suspect it’s one of those things we don’t want to do but are glad we did.

[liminal_luke]

22 hours ago, steve said:

 

I get it, I was cringing a bit when I made the suggestion. But I really feel like the ones who agree to it would be very supportive. I suspect it’s one of those things we don’t want to do but are glad we did.

 

Agreed.  If it gets organized I´ll probably do it in spite of everything.  

[zerostao]

stepping out of one's comfort zone usually creates a new comfort zone. 

 

[silent thunder]

I'd be honored to be in the presence of, and be judged by each of you.

[Limahong]

22 minutes ago, silent thunder said:

I'd be honored to be in the presence of, and be judged by each of you.

 

Guilty ~ fake thunder! 

[dwai]

7 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

For a spiritual forum, this place doesn´t always feel the most supportive.  People can be really hard on each other.  At the same time, I love it here.  We´ve got some wonderful folks.  It´s silly for me to shrink back from making deeper connections but..

 it’s a copy of samsara, with its ups and downs, good and craziness  

But I think the in-person idea of @steve is absolutely wonderful. It’ll be great to really meet each other face to face, warts and all. Let’s do it!! 
 

[Nungali]

7 hours ago, silent thunder said:

I'd be honored to be in the presence of, and be judged by each of you.

 

 

 

 

That sounds fun .    Can I organise that bit ? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[manitou]

18 hours ago, liminal_luke said:

 

Agreed.  If it gets organized I´ll probably do it in spite of everything.  

 

 

I don't think you and I live that far apart.  You could start with just one little Bum and work up from there  

 

 

[manitou]

9 hours ago, Nungali said:

 

 

 

 

That sounds fun .    Can I organise that bit ? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It wouldn't take so long for the verdict on Silent Thunder.  We wouldn't have to do all the gyrations for 'knot'.

[natural]

1 hour ago, manitou said:

 

 

I don't think you and I live that far apart.  You could start with just one little Bum and work up from there  

 

 

 

My apologies in advance.

Am I wrong or is this a rather risque' invitation?

Lol.

Whether it is or knot (pun intended).

Go for it!

 

[Limahong]

10 hours ago, Nungali said:

That sounds fun. Can I organise that bit ? 

 

Monty Python - Court Charades

 

 

 

 

[Limahong]

58 minutes ago, natural said:

Whether it is or knot (pun intended).

Go for it!

 

Hi natural,

 

Why knot?

 

It is natural ~ to be or knot to be...   ?

 

I do or I do knot?

 

Sought it out.

 

- Anand

 

 

 

Edited August 3, 2020 by Limahong
Enhancement

[Nungali]

4 hours ago, manitou said:

 

 

It wouldn't take so long for the verdict on Silent Thunder.  We wouldn't have to do all the gyrations for 'knot'.

 

What ?  Are you saying  he IS  gillcup ?