realexplodingcat | (no subject)

Seems like forever since I last posted here. This class I'm taking is keeping me busy. Not so busy that I don't have time to do anything, but busy enough that when I have down time I don't really want to do activities that yield some kind of output, like writing or composing music. I've been doing more restorative activities like reading, taking walks, meditation, and exercise.

I am going less crazy over the class, but that experience is pushing me to find an inner peace to hold on to when all else is going nuts. I have always been intrigued by Buddhism and I'm considering seeking some formal experience with it. I think part of me misses a little bit of the ritual of being Catholic (which is the way I was raised) and the spiritual glue that binds one's disparate activities together. But the Catholic establishment no longer appeals to me. So, I'll check out the Buddha. Maybe I can find out why this guy who eschews materialism and lives without earthly desires is always portrayed as being fat.

Sort of related to the inner-peace thing: the other day I went to bed early, and woke up an hour earlier than usual. I usually just roll out of bed at 9am and right into the office. But I decided to try getting up early, to start the day with some personal time. It was a very nice way to set the tone for the day. I'd love to continue doing that, if I can manage to get to bed consistently earlier.

Yesterday, I thought it might be a good idea to take back the power in my relationship with my boss. I fixed a bug in our software in a way that only I could do. That's power! I control the bug fixing! So, I thought, next time my boss prompts me for a fix, I'll say, "I don't think you want it bad enough! I'm not going to check-in this bug fix unless you beg for it!"

And I blasted a squirrel off our bird feeder with the hose. Yes, indeed. I still can't bring myself to shoot them out of the trees, but I think I'm within my rights to defend my bird feeder.

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Buddhism is neat. Don't be overly disappointed when you notice the same kind of hypocritical crap within the Buddhist community that you find in Western religious groups. It's not an easy fit to Western culture/ structures; a lot of people end up picking and choosing things from different sects. I personally think that most people should wait until they have progressed to a deeper level of understanding before they start deciding which teachings/beliefs are more or less relevent (not an accusation, just addressing a pet peeve I acquired in the Eastern religion department.)

Ritual is altogether too much neglected (or at least unacknowledged) in our society. I blame the Puritans, and the penchent in the modern age for being overly reductionistic (the whole black box "it's all in your head" business).

As for the squirrels, if you set up a sheet of glass/ plexiglass between the feeder and the tree, you can watch them jump right into it.

Yes, I suspect all communities have some measure of hypocritical crap. It wouldn't be a community of human beings without that :)

I like what I know about Buddhism, but it's only a hodge-podge of ideas gathered throughout my life. I think I want to take some focused time to learn about it. I don't know that I'm necessarily wanting to join a community, but what I do want is to learn about a long-standing tradition (because I like old traditions) and take that home with me to give some structure to a personal ritual.

I think my ritual should include tormenting squirrels.

I see you are back online more regularly? You are settled again in NoVa? Sorry we missed each other during the move. Moving is never easy. And I was just starting to go crazy with this class I'm taking at UVA. I'm slightly less crazy now. I'm actually keeping up with LJ and other internet things, which I wasn't doing too well with for awhile.