Hey all,

All new photos can be found at flickr.  It's easy to do batch uploads now and seems like most of my friends are over there, so..I won't be uploading as many pics to zaadz anymore.  Sorry for any inconvenience.

If you're on flickr and want to be friends, please send me a friend request so we can share.

Gwen's Photos at Flickr

The students in Patrick's Buddhist Studies course suggested he put the podcasts we created together up on iTunes.  So he did, and now we're "new and notable" somehow.  Go figure.  That's the latest on the Buddhist front.  Oh, that, and this kick-ass article about Big Mind that Brad Warner wrote.
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We created the house at Maxwell & 7th to be a Practice House.  There are lots of ways we can interpret that, so I thought it might be helpful to clarify some of the things that we're doing to elevate this from a group house to a practice house.

We meet weekly, on Sunday evenings, to talk about what's happening in the house.  What's going on for the three of us, things that we would like to address with all members of the house mindful and present.  We set the budget (for which we've set up a separate bank account and keep receipts).  We talk about our schedules for the week coming up.  It's like a weekly review (if you're practicing GTD).

At least one person, and usually two people, practice daily in the house, in the mornings, every day of the week.  Then, on Tuesday and Thursday, all three of us sit together from 7:30-8am.  We could use a bell to sound the beginning, middle and end, so if you have one you're not using, feel free to pass it on to the house.  You're welcome to join us.

When we eat together, which is most evenings, we talk about our day, practicing mindful listening and sharing about our day.  Sometimes, like last night, we talk late into the night and usually it's about something related to practice, to living a mindful life.

We have the Zen Peacemaker Vows up on the fridge and they remind us about why we're practicing. 

This is what I'm up to these days.  It may not sound like a lot of work, but if you've ever lived in a group situation, you may know that simply living with others is work enough.  Living in a practice-themed house is really just elevating the mundane, which is something the three of us are practiced at and enjoy doing.  Yay for practice!

Everyone that joined us last night at the Maxwell House Housewarming Party:  Thank you!

The Highlights, in brief---

Jason Lange surprised us all by bringing his recording equipment and recording time-lapse video of the whole thing.  See vid at bottom of post.

Jeff Lohrius, Devon Bryant & Paul S. displayed & sold art work.

Ballard, me, John, Robert & Paul S. performed for about two hours.  People sang along with Ballard on the ukelele. 

An unexpected gift from Corey & Angie:  a meditation bell.  Thank you, guys.  We've already used it.

Megan, Eric & Brianna, the kids that live upstairs, kept the fire stoked and made delicious salsa & mussells that the whole crowd enjoyed.  The party flowed upstairs and downstairs all night.

At 12am sharp the cops came.  They politely asked us to wrap things up.  It's the first party I've had the pleasure of hosting that the cops have had to break up.  Who says you have to grow up?  Bump that.

The house is warm and I have my friends to thank.  You rock my world.

Check the photo set at flickr.


Time-lapsed vid of party:

Hey all- For those of you following my progress as a journalist and interviewer of influential Change Agents, here's my second one with Sensei Fleet Maull, fully empowered Zen priest and damn good storyteller.  I got a lot of feedback on the first one and people seemed moved by his story, so I encourage you to listen to this one when you have the time. This is the first part at Buddhist Geeks, (of a two-part interview).   Read the first interview.  Listen to the second, most recent interview with Fleet.

Because Zen is Stupid was crashing people using IE, I decided it'd be best to take those entries down and you can now access them at GCast or on iTunes if you want.  Thanks for listening.   If none of those things work, please check out my zaadz profile, where you can find the latest from Buddhist Geeks & Zen is Stupid.  See, I'm tryin' to make it easy for ya.

The next episode, on Shopping & Mindfulness, will be out soon if you're keeping up w/the project.  Then, episode ten:  Death!

I swear, I have like 1,000 things to tell you. 

I'm just too occupied doing them to stop and tell you about them. 

But, anyway, a quick summary.  I've decided on what my second business will be, with the help of my incredibly supportive and caring friends.  I'm inspired and devoting most of my waking (and some of my sleeping) hours to the vision.

So, if I say something about how I have to go home and work on my business plan rather than going out some night, I'm really not joking.  This one is a home run.

Oh, and the discussion at Buddhist Geeks about Buddhadharma 2.0 is out of control.  As is the Plunge Experience thread. 

Zen is Stupid is now number 18 in the top 20 at iTunes for Buddhist podcasts.  Whatever that means.

Yesterday I wrapped up the logo I've been working on for Peacemaker Institute.  That's been a fun collaborative project.  Unveiling in the next week or so.

And yes, that vegan mint chocolate muffin you're looking at tasted every bit as good as you think it did.

But damn, if I won't read all the books that tell me it will.

I spent the better part of my day yesterday working on that post.  And it left me feeling pretty melancholy.  Because I know, in my heart of hearts, that although we see people starting companies, working their way up corporate ladders and "keeping it all together" as models for society, I just don't buy into it anymore.

I like GTD (Getting Things Done, by David Allen) and think that there are some things that I can take out his system.  But seriously, and this is what I argued when I was going to weekly meetings about GTD, you can get so wrapped up in the system, the HOW of it, that you lose sight of the WHY.

And the why, for me, gets harder all the time.  I never used to be this way.  I wanted the best, to be the best, to excel at everything I did.  I made the best grades, I read only the finest literature (as a lit major I sniffed at anything I considered less than excellent prose or poetry), and in my early days here at Zaadz I really did want to "change the world."

The more I reflect on it, the more I wonder what running around and being productive, getting things done, is all about.  Actually, one lesson that I've learned is running around is the antithesis of getting things done, and it's really about doing the things you have to do in an orderly, streamlined way.  So, that's something positive I've gotten out of all this reading and implementation of "systems."

But I can't fight back that nagging feeling that being productive is pointless. 

Just like I can't fight back the feeling that "changing the world" is not what I'm here for. 

What I'm really here to do is accept the world, see it for what it is, see through it and see the connections between things (while knowing that it will indeed change).  I want to change X implies that there's something you'd like to see better.  Which means you're resisting what "is."

Now, that last part I'm still working on when it comes to myself.  I don't read the self-improvement books as much as I used to.   But I'm coming to an understanding about myself.  Me and myself are having conversations that go something like this:

Gwen, Part A:  I want to chill out, to let go of control, to let Control go on vacation.
Gwen, Part B:  Control is an illusion.  You're fine the way you are.
Gwen, Part A:  Yes, but if I am fine, why do I feel so bad?  I always make people mad!  I think                             being in control is going to make me feel better.  It never works!
Gwen, Part B:  Love What Is.  You're doing great.  You rock.  Just observe whatever comes                                 up.
Gwen, Part A:  Okay, I'll give it a try....But only because I like you.

Going to my first Toastmaster meeting today.  I'll get to practice having conversations with real people!  Won't that be nice. 

I think I'll probably still favor having conversations with myself.