Chiaroscuro woodcut of the Virgin and Child by Bartolommeo Coriolano, created between 1630 and 1655. Digitally restored.

I was going to discuss the concept of the transcendental experience in the context of Jesus Christ from the standpoint of an amateur.  Jesus might take us 'From the Dark Side of the Street to the Bright Side of the Road'; that is where I think Jesus might be promising to take us.

Alan Watts speaks about the fiction of closing off all senses, no light, no sound, no feeling. Some feel that this is how Nirvana or some such state may be found.

Watts says that this state would make us a log. Hahah  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvq4CWuGSD4&NR=1

(This link will get you referred to four hours or more of this man's lectures)

Alan Watts quotes Carl Jung as noting that: Life itself is a disease with a poor prognosis; it lingers on for years and invariably ends in death.

This series has been based really upon the ideas of Watts who died over thirty five years ago. MBH, if you recall, referred me to Watts in a comment to one of Jason's finest blogs.

What has Watts to do with the so called Christmas Spirit?

Sometimes I think the Christmas Spirit can be boiled down to a line written by Quinn months ago:

Cannot we all just take five minutes to wish the other fellow well?

I freely quote Quinn when he is out of town. I can get in no trouble when he is out of touch.  I actually wrote a blog discussing that line once.

I have so many friends here. I have done thank you blogs and the only problem is that those blogs invariably underline me and my situation. They were selfish in a way but to no mention some things that have happened to me here would be to remain silent.

First, everyone that knows me, realizes that I cannot be silent.

Second, I secretly do like to speak of myself.

Third, I need to thank some people for all they have done for me.

I noted that a number of people here aided me in my hour of need. I had just gotten the hang of blogging and my used computer that my son had given me was kaput.  So under the leadership of Barefooted (Missy) and Stillidealistic (Stilli) and with the open advertising of Face in the Crowd, I received an updated computer with all the software necessary, a new keyboard and mouse and a new screen.

Boy has this been fun. Seashell is the one who donated the 'unit' with all of the software and sent along the keyboard and mouse. Seashell spent hours setting up all the software for me as if I had gone to Best Buy and purchased a thousand dollars worth of software. The Peoplechoose sent me the screen. Monies were raised in my behalf to help offset the costs to TPC and Seashell including rather expensive postage.

But if I leave it at that I would omit LisB and Bwak, my two best friends here really who lobbied for me; and TheraP who does not show up too often but remains close to our hearts. So many, many friends.

There are many ways to lend someone in trouble a bit of support. My friend LisB has had an awful time since she was 'let go' by her employer and has been praying and researching and interviewing for positions for some months now.

Bwak saw a freeze on her income by her employer but you know how she handled this? She expressed her appreciation that no one was 'let go'; that the freeze on salary made possible the fact that others did not lose their jobs. Bwak supports her teen age girl. She also supports several unwanted cats and a dog with the sense...well with the same lack of sense I demonstrate from time to time.

My friend PCA has fought death almost the entire year. Cancer and other structural problems attendant thereto affecting his back and basically every bone in his body has threatened to send him on, as they say. He has fought for  funding for treatment, he has fought the powers that be for the first surgery. Now, eighty days after arriving at the hospital, he was released today. AND DURING THIS ENTIRE TIME HIS FAMILY CAME TOGETHER. His family gave of their time, of their influence and for that PCA once again felt of value.

We shall hear from him again in a week or so. PCA is moving into new digs of his own and this process simply has taken him off line for a little while. He will be on chemo for a long time to come. But my god what he has gone through.

And I get so damned frustrated with my nothing life, and these friends of mine show me how to cope; that my problems are not as looming as the problems of others.

I feel free to discuss these friends and some of their issues, because they have opened up on Café prior to this post and discussed the real fight for truth, justice and the American Way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IXP8Fj1fw0

Something just came up. A friend of mine at Café is in a lot of trouble.

Syncronicity fell, broke her wrist and all of a sudden due to medical costs, and loss of work, and other things, needs a temporary loan of two thousand dollars.

Syncronicity helped me with my computer.

Syncronicity pushed everyone at Café to come up with a couple grand to send two of our members to DC a few months ago.  I will never forget that she wanted us all to contribute with a blog supporting this plan and I entitled mine: Steal This Book. The sense of it was that you would get my book if you donated to the cause. As if I would not send you it upon request anyway.

Sync did not know of Abbie Hoffman. She immediately emailed me to inform me that the title seemed wholly inappropriate. haahahaha.

Sync is a can-do lady.

I have received permission to attempt to advertise her plight to others at Café and to see what we can come up with to help her in her hour of need.

We have set up a fund at:

https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7028737

Oh and if you wish to inquire or some such I am at:

[email protected]

As always.

This has nothing to do with me folks. Nobody will let me handle money anymore. I cannot understand why not? Hahahahah

Because of this situation, I am afraid you must endure one more chapter in my Christmas Blogs sometime late tomorrow I would guess.

I say MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR.

http://www.refugeesunleashed.net/post-954282.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQ7iyRJrFg8&feature=related

In the meantime I would simply provide you with this plea from the keyboard of my friend Sync:

I hope that you are doing well and are having wonderful holidays or soon will be. I am writing to you to ask for some help.

I have been struggling for the past few months to move from working in insurance(which I actually have ended up in debt from i.e. chargebacks from people losing jobs etc.) back to working in accounting which I was doing previously(and will be doing now as a platform for my serious commitment to singing/writing/performing). I had in fact just lined up three new regular clients and was to begin working fo them this week.

As things unfolded I fell on some ice last Saturday night when I was going out dancing and broke my wrist on my right hand and I found out yesterday that I will not be able to work for 4 to 6 weeks. My finances were already depleted and I was absolutely counting on the $1200 I was to earn this week as well as earnings going forward. My splints and my current cast have been set from my hand to part way up my upper arm. While this indicates a serious break, I am fortunately not going to require surgery and I have an excellent bone doc working with me on this.

And as further unfolding would have it, I had also planned to move on the 27th and that must go forward. I am moving to a place in North Boulder.

As my family had already assisted me as much as they could prior to this event, I have decided to reach out to friends for some assistance.

If you are able to loan me $25, $50, or $100 for 60 days, that would be incredibly helpful. I need a minimum of $1200-$1500 to get through this period until I am able to work again. I hope by asking many friends for help to borrow the needed amount.

If you are available to help with the move on the 27th, that would also be much appreciated.

I am filing a lawsuit regarding this situation but of course the outcome and timing are completely unpredictable.

I am hoping to 'get by with a little help with my friends during this time:)

Anyone desiring to spend some time with an incredible puppy could also help by taking my Buddha out for some exercise as he's not getting as much as he's used to right now.