This post is dedicated to Ray and Hannelore Heizer - who seem to identify with our challenges.
The weather forecast wasn't good but Ken decided we should go to Mexico anyway and we are so grateful that we went. It rained before we got to New Progreso and again after we left - but while we were there, it was pleasant and we had the whole place to ourselves. First we stopped at the duty-free shop where we purchased a new kind of Tequila to treat Chuck's palate. Then we parked our car and headed for the coffee/donut shop. The streets are filled with vendors of food, leather goods, baseball caps, DVDs, tons of jewelry, baskets, etc. Then there are the mobile vendors - mostly women and school children - trying to sell their wares. My favorite, however, was the white-coated professional greeting passersby.... "senor - a root canal today?" I have never seen such a heavy concentration of dentist offices in my life. Many Americans cross the border to receive dental care at a fraction of the cost - even though most of the dentists were trained in the states. Ken and Vera have visited this town often enough that they know some of the shop keepers. They also participate every Christmas in a special volunteer gift program at the local school. Hoards of children come from many, many miles away for the only Christmas gifts they will receive. What an admirable contribution to this poor community!
We had a wonderful lunch with $3 Margaritas and live music - then headed over to a reputable pharmacy. I purchased an antibiotic which my doctor has prescribed in the past for cheap, cheap..... but then they took it out of the bottle it was in and put it into an Omeprazole bottle. ???? That did give me pause. Once back to the RV, I immediately used a magic marker to put the correct name on.... but had forgotten what the dosage was ....hmmm. All in all, it was a great visit. Ken and Vera were heading home to Wisconsin in a couple of days and we hope to catch up with them when we're back in August.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the end of our day. When we got back to the RV, it seemed to be tilting a bit. Whereas we had been level before, it looked like we'd have to put the jacks down to straighten it out. I have to explain here that there had been an unpredented amount of rain in this area. We never expected, however, what happened next. The back left jack went down and down and down - into at least 18 inches of soggy mud. We determined that we better put down the premium wooden boards with handle (that Chuck and Karl made before we left) and after several attempts to lift the balky, muddy jack, I was able to slide two boards (criss-cross) in. Back down with the jacks - which snapped the two boards like teeny matchsticks...crack, crack, crack...all the while I'm screaming at Chuck, who can't hear a word over the engine. Now not only are we in the mud, the matchstick halves are solidly stuck and are pointed upward towards the bottom of our rig. Will they rip something out of the bottom if we move? We went to the office to enlist their help. The woman peers over her glasses and states that there wasn't a hole there before we arrived. What...we poured water under the RV to create a hole that we can't get out of? She calls the handymen. They don't have any winches but have a few helpful hand tools and after a bit of a struggle, they pull out the offending boards. Nonetheless, when we go to move the RV, it too is now stuck in the mud. We're dirty, the floor is muddy...arrgghh. We give up the struggle and have a drink. Time to call the professionals - which we did in the morning. It didn't take much to get us going but we'd had it. We had already paid through the next day but decided that it was way past time to move on. I finally understand the attraction of cement pads.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
April 13, 2010
I attended Paul Smith's Intermediate Controlled Remote Viewing class in Austin. Unlike the first class I took, there were 6 people - including a physician, nurse practitioner, physics teacher, myself and two guys from France. One of the guys was someone who earned his living as a psychic and the other one was the owner of a company that teaches paranormal processes and offers advice to businesses of various types. The latter had his cameraman there to film the beginning of the class - so we were off to an interesting start!
The intermediate class covers Stage IV. Paul said that we would find it empowering and we did. In addition to using words describing what we could pick up with our senses, we were now able to add how any people at the target site might feel, tangible objects and intangible concepts. We could now comment on impressions such as political, religious, and historical that had been popping into our heads. You're also encouraged to "air model" (using your hands in the air) to try and determine the target's shape.
Next they took us through movement exercises which are designed to let you "view"the target from any angle. Your monitor gives you an instruction such as "Prepare to move. At a distance of 200 feet above the target, something should be perceiveable." We did one session where we were "moved" to three different places...as if one wasn't enough!
I had a couple of good sessions, the rest so-so. Paul says that I get a good signal but that I'm in a huge battle with my left brain, which is trying to name what I'm describing. An example of this was a sketch of a triangular form on top of a couple of parallel lines - which immediately brought the Parthenon to mind. Similarly, our senses take in information on an unconscious level and the left brain tries to name it. The strict format of Paul's CRV approach is aimed at opening up the aperture beween the unconscious and conscious and allowing you to describe the elements of the target as opposed to naming it.
My favorite and best target reminded me of my trip to Nepal. Once into stage IV, I wrote down the words door, decorated and foreign. Paul told me to go on through the door but naughty me - I'd already snuck in. Darker complected people here seemed centered, pleasant and studious. I sensed that there was a distinct class structure. I felt compelled to get up and illustrate how they walked in an unhurried, quiet way. I heard a faint tinkling and said that there was a scent like heated oils. The colors of gold and crimson, velvety textures and objects like gold chalices produced a pronounced feel of opulence. The structure itself was perched, had a panoramic view and there was a higher purpose associated with it. The target was the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. This experience made the effort of taking the class worthwhile.
I learned that the shorter Associative Remote Viewing Class was going to be offered one day after we finished the Intermediate course. This class hadn't been offered for a year and a half so it seemed to make sense to stay and take it as well. Associative Remote Viewing is used to predict select future events such as the outcome of sports events and performance in the stock market. The problem with this process is that you need a lot of people to participate and even then the results didn't seem to be that much greater than chance. Each of us did place a $2 bet on the Texas lottery and were tasked with trying to pick a certain number in a certain position. My partner and I were the only ones who got our number and position correct but I certainly wouldn't risk any serious money using this procedure.
Chuck and I spent our last afternoon in Austin at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. There were a lot of interesting plants and art work but the huge crowd and my aching back made the experience a lot less enjoyable than it should have been. But no matter - as we drove south from Austin we were treated to the most amazing display of wildflowers I have ever seen along a roadside. Blue bonnets were joined by other wildflowers in colors of tangerine, pale pink, brassy gold, yellow and magenta. We were there at just the right time and the wildflowers were phenomenal. Never expected to see that in Texas. I kept wishing that it was a sunny day and that PJ was onboard with her camera.
We're now in Mission, Texas - winter home to my sister Joannie's dearest friend, Vera and her husband, Ken. More on that part of our trip later.
Vicki and Chuck
The intermediate class covers Stage IV. Paul said that we would find it empowering and we did. In addition to using words describing what we could pick up with our senses, we were now able to add how any people at the target site might feel, tangible objects and intangible concepts. We could now comment on impressions such as political, religious, and historical that had been popping into our heads. You're also encouraged to "air model" (using your hands in the air) to try and determine the target's shape.
Next they took us through movement exercises which are designed to let you "view"the target from any angle. Your monitor gives you an instruction such as "Prepare to move. At a distance of 200 feet above the target, something should be perceiveable." We did one session where we were "moved" to three different places...as if one wasn't enough!
I had a couple of good sessions, the rest so-so. Paul says that I get a good signal but that I'm in a huge battle with my left brain, which is trying to name what I'm describing. An example of this was a sketch of a triangular form on top of a couple of parallel lines - which immediately brought the Parthenon to mind. Similarly, our senses take in information on an unconscious level and the left brain tries to name it. The strict format of Paul's CRV approach is aimed at opening up the aperture beween the unconscious and conscious and allowing you to describe the elements of the target as opposed to naming it.
My favorite and best target reminded me of my trip to Nepal. Once into stage IV, I wrote down the words door, decorated and foreign. Paul told me to go on through the door but naughty me - I'd already snuck in. Darker complected people here seemed centered, pleasant and studious. I sensed that there was a distinct class structure. I felt compelled to get up and illustrate how they walked in an unhurried, quiet way. I heard a faint tinkling and said that there was a scent like heated oils. The colors of gold and crimson, velvety textures and objects like gold chalices produced a pronounced feel of opulence. The structure itself was perched, had a panoramic view and there was a higher purpose associated with it. The target was the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet. This experience made the effort of taking the class worthwhile.
I learned that the shorter Associative Remote Viewing Class was going to be offered one day after we finished the Intermediate course. This class hadn't been offered for a year and a half so it seemed to make sense to stay and take it as well. Associative Remote Viewing is used to predict select future events such as the outcome of sports events and performance in the stock market. The problem with this process is that you need a lot of people to participate and even then the results didn't seem to be that much greater than chance. Each of us did place a $2 bet on the Texas lottery and were tasked with trying to pick a certain number in a certain position. My partner and I were the only ones who got our number and position correct but I certainly wouldn't risk any serious money using this procedure.
Chuck and I spent our last afternoon in Austin at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. There were a lot of interesting plants and art work but the huge crowd and my aching back made the experience a lot less enjoyable than it should have been. But no matter - as we drove south from Austin we were treated to the most amazing display of wildflowers I have ever seen along a roadside. Blue bonnets were joined by other wildflowers in colors of tangerine, pale pink, brassy gold, yellow and magenta. We were there at just the right time and the wildflowers were phenomenal. Never expected to see that in Texas. I kept wishing that it was a sunny day and that PJ was onboard with her camera.
We're now in Mission, Texas - winter home to my sister Joannie's dearest friend, Vera and her husband, Ken. More on that part of our trip later.
Vicki and Chuck
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