So my doctor's appointment was a total bust. I went there and discovered that through some error he had been double booked. The other person was a lot younger than me and had come from farther so I gave him the appointment and rescheduled for tomorrow. I think they'll have to take me off this mood stabilizer. I've been really cranky and have been fast-cycling through moods on it.
Anyway, I was reading The Trouble With Being Born today (at the doctor's office while I waited for my non-appointment). There was a passage that I thought some people reading this might appreciate:
When Mara, the Tempter, tries to supplant the Buddha, the latter says, among other things: "By what right do you claim to rule over men and the universe? Have you suffered for knowledge?"
This is the crucial, perhaps the sole question we should ask ourselves when we scrutinize anything, especially a thinker. There is never too great a distinction made between those who have paid for the tiniest step toward knowledge and those, incomparably more numerous, who have received a convenient, indifferent knowledge, a knowledge without ordeals.
If Cioran is right, I suppose I must be doing OK because I've had a couple of “ordeals” and whatever knowledge I have seems to have been aquired painfully (not that I'm complaining).
I went out for lunch and to drop off a promised CD of early seventies and late sixties Turkish psychedelic rock music, and I guess someone was having fun on the railroad tracks watching toilets get smashed. I just had my phone with me so the photo isn't the greatest…
Happy Lizardman Day!
How will I celebrate The Lizardman's special day? By going to see my psychiatrist!
Me, Marty, The Lizardman, and Patrick
PS.
Click here for the video of that photo.
Those of you who also sponsored Phil's AIDS ride may want to write a similar letter. Even though he's been in the training rides on his unicycle, they were aware of him, and he was even pictured on his sponsorship page holding the unicycle, they've made a last-minute rule banning unicyclists from the rally.
If they'd said it from day one, fine, but the impression I get is that the road biking guys just don't want unicyclists in it, so pressures got him kicked at the last minute… In any case, it was done in a really underhanded way with a lot of stuff behind closed doors and different people being told different stories (myself included) until the last moment. Anyway, my letter:
To: "Scott Cheslock" <scheslock@pwatoronto.org>
From: Shannon <glider@zentastic.com
Subject: Rally Refund Please
I am writing to request a full refund for the amount ($250) I donated on behalf of Philip Barbosa riding his unicycle in the Toronto to Montreal rally. I feel what happened is unfair to him and unfair to those who donated money, because they wanted to help not just a good cause, but to do it through a unique individual on a unique cycle. I feel very uneasy with the way the rules were changed and the last minute to kick him out since I know how hard he's been training and has been looking forward to this.
It makes me very uncomfortable seeing a charitable organization treat people this way, and at this point would feel more secure donating my money to an alternative group and would appreciate the full refund you offered. Thank you in advance for dealing with this promptly and confirming when it has been done,
Shannon Larratt
647-***-****
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Shannon Larratt - https://zentastic.me/
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." --Benjamin Franklin
I just really think it sucks and is really uncool (to say nothing of the now-wasted positive PR that having a couple unicyclists in the rally could have helped them generate).
Opening the rear gate of my truck I didn't wait long enough to reach in so the gate wasn't up and my head got a bit smashed up. Well, I'm not too worried about it — I'm kind of used to head wounds by now. Oh, and I think this is the first time I've seen my tattoo from above (that I remember)…
