Zen and the art of driving

[Pablo]

I've read many, many posts on this board, and posted a few times myself, and I have come to the conclusion that some of us, my self included, could make good us of this information:

http://www.wikihow.com/Practice-Zen-Driving

[RMurphy]

^^ This isn't like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, is it? Interesting read (the book). Not sure I understood it all. It really has almost nothing to do with motorcycle maintenance.

Enjoyed the link to the article, Pablo.

[kgf3076]

Originally Posted by RMurphy

^^ This isn't like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, is it? Interesting read (the book). Not sure I understood it all. It really has almost nothing to do with motorcycle maintenance.

Enjoyed the link to the article, Pablo.

It's about the art of motorcycle maintenance, not performing the maintenance, per se. The application of zen to the art...I felt the same way you did until I spent way too much time thinking about what I was reading...the illumination was quick (and forehead slapping simple).

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by kgf3076

It's about the art of motorcycle maintenance, not performing the maintenance, per se.

I was being glib. I realize it's about mindset and being more in tune with what is around you, for instance the device itself and the mindset of the process, not the actual process itself. Being one with the machine, so to speak. It's sounds very hokey, but that is actually the best description you can have for it. And of course there is a whole lot else going on in the storyline and I seem to recall it's all about being mindful and truly aware no matter what is in front of you at the moment.

Been years since I read the book. I ought to dust it off and see if I have a different reaction to it now with a few more years under my belt. I can see it on my bookshelf from where I sit right now.

[TheSoundMan21]

lol whats funny is I already do just about every single one of those... I just dont concentrate on my breathing.... but they are right.

[kgf3076]

Originally Posted by RMurphy

I was being glib. I realize it's about mindset and being more in tune with what is around you, for instance the device itself and the mindset of the process, not the actual process itself. Being one with the machine, so to speak. It's sounds very hokey, but that is actually the best description you can have for it. And of course there is a whole lot else going on in the storyline and I seem to recall it's all about being mindful and truly aware no matter what is in front of you at the moment.

Been years since I read the book. I ought to dust it off and see if I have a different reaction to it now with a few more years under my belt. I can see it on my bookshelf from where I sit right now.

I do that as well...about every 2 or so years, down it comes and I re-read it. As I get older, more parts of the book mean different things. (I guess we should get back on topic a bit). There are parts of the book that relate to the things in the article that Pablo posted about. BTW, welcome back Pablo, it's been a while.

[yashooa]

AINT no Zen in the land of ADHD!

OMG They found me!

[TheSoundMan21]

[Dr. Jimbo]

GET OFF THE DAMN CELL PHONE AND GTFO OF MY WAY!!

There, I feel better now. Ommmm

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by kgf3076

BTW, welcome back Pablo, it's been a while.

Hey KGF, THANKS! Part of the reason for my absence is that I've been very busy drivin' my new wheels.....Rag top, all terrain tires in off set configuration like the "S", convertible from front to rear wheel drive and steering, lightweight aluminum chassis........here she is:
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[Java Junky]

Ay-y-y-y!
Zen diss!

Damned funny-lookin' walker pab.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by Java Junky

Ay-y-y-y!
Zen diss!

Damned funny-lookin' walker pab.

JJ, you and I are NO LONGER friends!

[RMurphy]

Personally, I've always been a big fan of Deteriorata.


"Deteriorata" - National Lampoon


You are a fluke of the universe. You have no right to be here.
Deteriorata. Deteriorata.

Go placidly amid the noise and waste,
And remember what comfort there may be in owning a piece thereof.
Avoid quiet and passive persons, unless you are in need of sleep.
Rotate your tires.
Speak glowingly of those greater than yourself,
And heed well their advice, even though they be turkeys.
Know what to kiss, and when.
Consider that two wrongs never make a right, but that three do.
Wherever possible, put people on hold.
Be comforted that in the face of all aridity and disillusionment,
and despite the changing fortunes of time,
There is always a big future in computer maintenance.

Remember The Pueblo.
Strive at all times to bend, fold, spindle, and mutilate.
Know yourself. If you need help, call the FBI.
Exercise caution in your daily affairs,
Especially with those persons closest to you -
That lemon on your left, for instance.
Be assured that a walk through the ocean of most souls
Would scarcely get your feet wet.
Fall not in love therefore. It will stick to your face.
Gracefully surrender the things of youth: birds, clean air, tuna, Taiwan.
And let not the sands of time get in your lunch.
Hire people with hooks.
For a good time, call 606-4311. Ask for Ken.
Take heart in the bedeepening gloom
That your dog is finally getting enough cheese.
And reflect that whatever fortune may be your lot,
It could only be worse in Milwaukee.


You are a fluke of the universe.
You have no right to be here.
And whether you can hear it or not,
The universe is laughing behind your back.

Therefore, make peace with your god,
Whatever you perceive him to be - hairy thunderer, or cosmic muffin.
With all its hopes, dreams, promises, and urban renewal,
The world continues to deteriorate.
Give up!

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by RMurphy

Personally, I've always been a big fan of Deteriorata. "Deteriorata" - National Lampoon

Pretty funny but I still prefer this version. Just call me old fashioned.

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and the haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.

As far as possible, without surrender,
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others,
even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggresive persons; they are vexations to the spirit.

If you compare yourself with others, you may become bitter or vain,
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievments as well as your plans.
Keep interest in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs,
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals,
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment,
it is perennial as the grass...Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore, be at peace with God, whatever you conceive him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.

Max Ehrmann copyright 1927.

[yashooa]

Originally Posted by TheSoundMan21

BUTTA-FLY!!!!

wOW This Chick mus be "Zenned"

[RealJoKeR]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jimbo

GET OFF THE DAMN CELL PHONE AND GTFO OF MY WAY!!

There, I feel better now. Ommmm

I THINK I'LL TRY THIS METHOD INSTEAD!!!......THC HELPS TOO......ISNT THAT WHAT THE SECRET COMPARTMENT IS FOR???

[jagg]

Being one with the machine, so to speak.

yup Rmurph........that about nails it.

jagg

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by RealJoKeR

I THINK I'LL TRY THIS METHOD INSTEAD!!!......THC HELPS TOO......ISNT THAT WHAT THE SECRET COMPARTMENT IS FOR???

RJ, Hopefully when ya get older ya may get wiser.

[kgf3076]

Originally Posted by Pablo

Hey KGF, THANKS! Part of the reason for my absence is that I've been very busy drivin' my new wheels.....Rag top, all terrain tires in off set configuration like the "S", convertible from front to rear wheel drive and steering, lightweight aluminum chassis........here she is:

Would the passenger in that new ragtop be a male or female? (and congratulations to the person who really did all the work..Mrs. Pablo )

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by Pablo

RJ, Hopefully when ya get older ya may get wiser.

Nah. He's much more entertaining this way. In real life, he's actually mostly normal, although he does have a strange and unnatural interest in owning a right hand drive S2000. And he wears shirts with lots of cuss words on them.

So Pablo, I'm going to own my ignorance here and ask: what was that device in the picture next to your S? I mean, I've stared at it awhile and I just can't figure it out. What is it and what is its purpose?

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by kgf3076

Would the passenger in that new ragtop be a male or female? (and congratulations to the person who really did all the work..Mrs. Pablo )

The passenger is a lad named Andrew and it was my daughter not Mrs Pab that did all the work....LOL, LOL.........Mrs Pab & I are WAY too old for that baby business.......

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by Pablo

The passenger is a lad named Andrew and it was my daughter not Mrs Pab that did all the work....LOL, LOL.........Mrs Pab & I are WAY too old for that baby business.......

Well that explains a lot. But... if that's a stroller, where the heck does the baby go in it? Something is clearly missing there.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by RMurphy

Nah. He's much more entertaining this way. In real life, he's actually mostly normal, although he does have a strange and unnatural interest in owning a right hand drive S2000. And he wears shirts with lots of cuss words on them.

So Pablo, I'm going to own my ignorance here and ask: what was that device in the picture next to your S? I mean, I've stared at it awhile and I just can't figure it out. What is it and what is its purpose?

Murf, it's a Bubaboo Frog..no help?...........it's a very high tech baby stroller.....got more bells and whistles than my "S".....LOL cost almost as much also.

BTW Thanks for the inside dope (no pun intended.....LOL) on RJ. I'm glad to hear that he is more sedate in the real world. I'd like to see him make it to old age....

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by RMurphy

Well that explains a lot. But... if that's a stroller, where the heck does the baby go in it? Something is clearly missing there.

RIGHT AGAIN! The "bucket" that the kid sits in is missing. It removable and does double duty as a car seat.

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by Pablo

RIGHT AGAIN! The "bucket" that the kid sits in is missing. It removable and does double duty as a car seat.

Ah! So this is their first kid, isn't it? Because second time 'rounders get the really cheap umbrella strollers that cost $35 to replace after the kid burps, drools, and does what all kids do all over these things.

I say this not from personal experience. It's just what the ballast tells me. He's got more background in this area than I do.

[kgf3076]

Originally Posted by Pablo

The passenger is a lad named Andrew and it was my daughter not Mrs Pab that did all the work....LOL, LOL.........Mrs Pab & I are WAY too old for that baby business.......

So, I'm just going to have to move the congrats down a generation...congrats to the Mrs. Pab off-spring...

[Java Junky]

Oh, cut'da crap pab.
'Only reason'a stroller chassis'z sittin' out't PabLabz'izz'att'itt'z bein' fitted wit'n RC set-up, 250cc power-source'n'a kidd-bucket'z inside gettin'fitted widd'a rollbar'n'a flame-job.

('Topp'a'da mornin' to'yuh kg! Be'itt mornin' where'yuh be?)

[kgf3076]

Originally Posted by Java Junky

('Topp'a'da mornin' to'yuh kg! Be'itt mornin' where'yuh be?)

Mornin' JJ. Workin' from home and waiting for the 25 feet of snow they keep threatening us with.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by RMurphy

Ah! So this is their first kid, isn't it? .

Battin 1000 Murf. first kid for them and first grand kid for me and Mrs P.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by Java Junky

Oh, cut'da crap pab.
'Only reason'a stroller chassis'z sittin' out't PabLabz'izz'att'itt'z bein' fitted wit'n RC set-up, 250cc power-source'n'a kidd-bucket'z inside gettin'fitted widd'a rollbar'n'a flame-job.

DAMN, JJ, you are just full of good ideas!

[Dr. Jimbo]

RJ, that's what it's for alright.

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by Dr. Jimbo

RJ, that's what it's for alright.

It's comments like this, but more to the point, thinking like this, ( if you can call this thinking) that can this board such an unpleasant place to be. I don't hang with druggies in real life, I refuse to hang with them in cyberspace as well.

By all........be well, try not to kill anyone while you are DUI.

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by Pablo

It's comments like this, but more to the point, thinking like this, ( if you can call this thinking) that can this board such an unpleasant place to be. I don't hang with druggies in real life, I refuse to hang with them in cyberspace as well.

By all........be well, try not to kill anyone while you are DUI.

Ok. Well, it's been nice knowing you and it's a shame to see you go. But before you leave, know that I think it's entirely possible (in fact probable) that Dr. Jimbo was being facetious. Know that it's entirely possible that so was RJ.

And know that some of us had to look up what "THC" is in order to understand what the joke was and why it would have garnered such a strong reaction.

Perhaps this is a good time to consider putting to use a little of what the OP in this thread prescribed?

[Pablo]

Originally Posted by RMurphy

I think it's entirely possible (in fact probable) that Dr. Jimbo was being facetious. Know that it's entirely possible that so was RJ.

Well, Murph, you may be corrrect, and I sure hope that you are. I have written posts with sarcastic and as you say "facetious" remarks (WOW what a word! Where did ya pull that one from! I had ot look it up!) that were misinterpreted. I usually follow such remarks with a or a LOL, or a .....but they were misunderstood any way.

Originally Posted by RMurphy

And know that some of us had to look up what "THC" is in order to understand what the joke was and why it would have garnered such a strong reaction.

Yeah I guess so, but having the benefit of spending 34 years working for the NYC Dept of Ed. I was not one of them.

Originally Posted by RMurphy

Perhaps this is a good time to consider putting to use a little of what the OP in this thread prescribed?

A point well taken my friend. Thanks.

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by Pablo

...as you say "facetious" remarks (WOW what a word! Where did ya pull that one from! I had ot look it up!)

Someone bought me a dictionary for Christmas. Nah... I did a little time at the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. I also spent a few years working in newspapers as a stringer (that's someone who is a regular contractor for a newspaper who gets paid by the story). After awhile, my main area of coverage was motorsports.

Originally Posted by Pablo

I usually follow such remarks with a or a LOL, or a .....but they were misunderstood any way.

That is an unfortunate shortcoming of written communications. Sarcasm is frequently mistaken even when we think the intent is obvious.

Something I try to do (and do not always succeed in) is assume the writer intended his/her comment in the best possible way. I try to consider he/she meant it nicely, positively, or in some helpful way until it is proven to me otherwise.

I also have the benefit of having met RJ (Brian) and he is completely a goofball and a joker. Totally irreverent and a non-conformist. But he's a nice person and I think of him as a friend -- a new one that I don't know particularly well, but still enough to say I like him. So I'm quick to defend him because I think of him as such.

Originally Posted by Pablo

Yeah I guess so, but having the benefit of spending 34 years working for the NYC Dept of Ed. I was not one of them.

Ah. I can see where that could make someone jaded. I understand that. While I like to use the expression, "I've been around the block a time or two," regarding myself and often call myself a cold-hearted, self-centered b*tch, in truth I think I have had a somewhat sheltered and pollyanna-like life and somewhere inside of me beats the heart of an optimist -- it's just afraid to come out too often for fear of being laughed at.

Originally Posted by Pablo

A point well taken my friend. Thanks.

That's the best anyone can hope for in this world: to be understood, accepted, and loved.

And having a very cool car is nice too.

[Java Junky]

Quick Doc! Show'em yer swimsuit.
'Att'll convince'em'a yer very sober seriousness.
Oh! Waid'a minnit!
Here:

(Picture pending)

[Dr. Jimbo]

Yes, I was being a sarcastic. Sometimes I do follow up with a smiley but it's kind of a PITA on my iPhone. My secret compartment holds extra sunglasses and maps I never use. Oh yeah, and some green buds (j/k). Yeah, that was sarcasm too. Sorry Pabs, in an effort to be funny, I sometimes offend people. No offense is meant. Guys like yash, RJ and me have an inherent wiseass streak. I'll be more mindful of things that may be misconstrued in the future. But even like what I said earlier, I was gonna say my owners manual but put the green comment in instead. My wiseassness found that funnier. At least I followed that up with a j/k. I don't use lol. It takes a lot for me to literally lol. Family Guy makes me lol.

Ommmmmmmmmm

[Pablo]

Doc, I'd like to thank you. It was very kind of you to offer me an explanation. I'm sorry that I over reacted and was not able to "read" you correctly. I do enjoy humor and even sarcastic humor which, as I mentioned I indulge in myself from time to time. As for the secret compartment, I use it for my iPod and my Glock 36 with an extra mag of Federal Hydra-Shocks so's I can listen to flight of the Valkyries while I take shots at drivers on cell phones........JOKE! ..JUST kidding!

Now if we could only get the Joker to release his shit key....OOPS, TYPO I mean his SHIFT key I'd be all warm fuzzy, happy and Zennnin again......LOL

[Java Junky]

Dunno Doc.
'Don't think anybody'z hadd'a apologize more time'z'n me.
'Be'n innerestin' competition, don'cha think?

(Whutt'z PITA?)
Grumpy

[RMurphy]

Originally Posted by Pablo

... I'd be all warm fuzzy, happy and Zennnin again......LOL

I can understand wanting to be warm, happy, and Zennin, but *fuzzy*??

java: PITA = Pain In The Arse