Slow Starter

Greetings from the Onward, Soldiers 'Monsters' Tour 2012.

     'Alas, now as the intermediate state of living arises before me,
      renouncing laziness, for which there is no time in this life,
      I must enter the undistracted path of study, reflection and
    meditation.
      Taking perceptual experience and [the nature of] mind as the
    path,
      I must cultivate actualization of the three buddha-bodies.
      Now, having obtained a precious human body, this one time,
      I do not have the luxury of remaining on a distracted path.'  - The Tibetan Book of The Dead

Not to start on a somber note, but as a way of explaining my tour blog's slow start

    I needed to work through some grief.  The day tour started I learned of the untimely death of an old friend. We had a falling out some years back and were estranged. I would look for him online occasionally (Facebook) and a few months ago friended his wife so I could see where he was and what he was up to. There I stumbled across a group of photos that made me remember and miss his creative spirit. The photos were of a telescope in different situations (as if it had a mind of its own). Telescope looking into Refrigerator! Telescope looking into Toilet! Telescope being looked through the wrong way! His creativity was always hand in hand with  humor, and always mocked the anthropic principle. The Telescope montage was proof of this and made me giggle out loud. Was Telescope looking into Refrigerator, or Refrigerator looking through Telescope? To me it pointed out the nature of reality and the human capacity for alarming myopia. He always did that to me. I wish I could tell him how much I appreciate him and his genius. I miss him. He taught me many things.
 I woke up this morning in another old friends house in New Mexico, in a room full of books and felt I needed to write it out so I could get started on the tour blog. I will attempt to use what Chris taught me about humor and the creative mind to fill you all in on the exciting and mundane goings on on the Onward, Soldiers 'Monsters' Tour 2012. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoy writing it.

Lincoln
New Mexico
Feb. 22, 12'