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a tank shipping tale

I bought the Oasis that was advertised a few weeks ago here. Our first angle on shipping was to separately crate the tank, the spa pack and the 8 50 lb. bags of salt and then use Fedex. But using Fedex for delivery from Chicago to Columbus was 850.00 with a 55% new customer discount…. and that price was without the additional 400 pounds for salt. So, the ideal thing would be to have a mover who has a truck and has a more flexible way of charging. I first posted an ad a uship.com – this would’ve let one person handle the whole pack/crate, load, drive and unload job. The bids on shipping Maria’s tank from coast to coast were excellent compared to the Fedex rate – http://moving.uship.com/shipment/Floatation-Tank/505105010/ Of course, the problem is you are dealing with people you dont know. But usually the rating system will tell you how good a shipper is… which brings us to the choice I opted on. I decided to simply use https://movinghelp.emove.com/ I had to rent a 17 foot u-haul. This cost 329.00 The labor broke down into: * Gas – 280 * Tolls 6.00 * Rental car to return home: 80.00 * load help in chicago – 235.00 * driving from Chicago, IL to Columbus, OH – 410.00 * unload help in Columbus, OH. – 120. It only took 2 people to unload in Columbus, even though they recommended 4. So the labor total was 834.00 The movers I used (Good Day Movers, Harvey, IL) had 1200 5-star ratings. They have 5 years of rock solid history. I was a bit upset at the terms of delivery. I had to send money via Western Union or Moneygram to a person (not a business) for all estimated labor expenses in advance. I was upset at this and after discussing what I was doing with Moneygram they asked: why cant you handle a business transaction by paying a business? Eventually moneygram refused to send the money electronically (because the description of what I was doing sounded like fraud to them), so I had to go in-person to send it, knowing full well the risks involved. I wanted to use Paypal so that the money could be taken back if I had issues. But it would’ve taken 3-5 days to clear and they had already loaded the truck. So I crossed my fingers and took the plunge and it worked out. So basically emove.com is just a website which allows you to pick an independant shipping/packing company. So each time you use it, you will encounter different terms and different levels of professionalism. Total shipping cost – 1160.00. I think that is a pretty good price. What do you guys think? The big damage was the drive. And again, the way to reduce that cost is to find a mover who has his own truck because Uhaul will murder you with their per-mile charges… not only that, but you are also paying the moving crew per mile as well.

UPDATE

The total shipping cost was:

  • 834 labor costs (couldve been more if I had paid for 2 plane tix instead of them driving back)
  • 211 – unload in Columbus
  • 400 driving
  • 100 tip

so the total was 1500 bux for moving.

dissolution

Frank Rodriguez’ slogan for his Aguasal Floatation tank center was: “stress dissolves in epsom salts” — just think about that… you ever been bored in a tank? Guess, what:

IT WILL DISSOLVE

But dont take my word for it. Cut out the bullshit 1 hour zazen sessions. Increase to 4 hour float sessions. Sleep in your tank. Kick ass. Rock and roll.

a band of saran wrap unstretched

Totally wild. When I finally quit counting breaths in the tank and decided to let the tank goto work on me, at one point it felt like my entire back was a sheet of Saran Wrap and the tank was gently pulling it apart!

float tank is a portal to hyperspace

I have been doing a meditatoin intensive all weekend – http://www.ohfloat.com/?p=94

and finally quit doing zen in the float tank. in a float tank, your mind naturally moves to the non-clinging state. why sit there and cling to the breath and body? So I finally dropped that.

Did some reading in Center of the cycle and then Programing the Human Biocomputer.

I started a float session.

I appeared in a basketball gym. I was showing the person there how I could do pirouttes and fly to the gym ceiling. He didn’t care.

I decided to come down and travel this time without a body. So I put my body on the ground and then left it… next thing I knew. I opened the door to my float tank and I was in someone’s backyard. I was afraid I would be seen nude there so I left.

I arrived in a place where my tractor was in the way. I watched a person bulldoze it out of the way. I followed him along the dirt road (this road is similar to a road I saw when I was a little kid – I suppose we have some way of re-stimulating and re-assembling memories from former points in time for some reason or the other).

then I saw my pickup truck and two other trucks up front. Then I came hurtling back to this dimension. I was flipping over and over… kind of like those chickens you see on rotisserie racks….. HAHAHAHAHAHAH. I was choking on water and spitting it up in the next moment.

Then I finally got back to this reality… whoa!

many tanks to Kane of floatmatrix.com for his 2 yields 3 philosophy.

a successful and unsuccesful metaprogram for zazen

I had an idea that breath watching meditation is supposed to be to the exclusion of all other thoughts and everything else was to be blocked out. I had been fighting like a dog using this metaprogram for 1.5 days.

Today, after reading a bit of Lilly (with excellent translation by Beverly Potter), I used a metaprogram very similar to what Chogyam Trungpa once said… when meditating, 30% is on breath. 30% is making friends with yourself, etc.

So my metaprogram was:

  • 10-20% of attention on counting
  • 10-20% on catching thoughts but not chasing them
  • the rest on coordinating those two processes

This was highly successful. I was not as absorbed as I wanted to be. But I did not get off course either.

my head likes to lean to the left

I can imagine no other system of holistic bodywork which allows the body to be as it is. All others start by putting you upright (horrible for muscles) or laying down (a little better) with the body as it is when perfect. Only floatation says “body show me wherre you are now and let me do the rest”. Feldenkrais comes close when they say we are naturally asymmetric. But even so, they start out with you lying straight. Now my own mind was telling me to be straight for most of the time in the tank… which is why a sleeping session in the tank is so valuable.

breath counting is a means to an end

I feel like I have been selling floatation short all day. I have been in the tank, counting the breaths and getting more and more vigilant about it.

I should’ve read the very last line of the Zen Mountain zazen instructions – the natural state of mind is free of clinging…

So just laying there I am free of clinging…

Of course, the issue of objective achievement comes into play… unless I get down to a very few breaths per minute, I have not achieved the relaxation that zazen can offer an advanced practitioner.

two difficulties, one solution

Difficulty 1: an aggravation

I have to attend a pointless meeting every month. I dread it. I can hear the manager now, saying: “So how’s it going?”  — it seems like a small thing,  but the way that she says it and the fact that there is no point to the meeting infuriates me. So, what I realize is there is a chain: (1) the thought of her saying that (2) my evaluation of her saying that (3) the negative emotions (4) the physical clenching on the body. Now, how does one apply the Raw Mechanics of Zazen to this painful thought/memory? Well, I say, we go for the root. Let’s look at the thought of her saying that. Then acknowledge it. Then let it go. Then deliberately and consciously go back to counting. So, let’s give ol’ Zazen a run for it’s money.

Difficulty 2: doing this by myself

I have an urge to partake of the services of Swami Ganga-Puri Kaliuttamananda-Giri. I saw her on Youtube giving Shaktipat and was impressed. She definitely cuts to the chase and has results. But I am sick of relying on others. thoroughly sick of it.

Raw mechanics of zazen

  1. sit down
  2. tongue up
  3. center attention at hara
  4. count the breaths. inhale, 1, exhale, 2, etc.
  5. if a thought comes up:
    1. look at it
    2. acknowledge it
    3. deliberately and consciously return to the breath

Should you manage step #4 without effort or interfering thought:

#2 becomes count cycle of inhale and exhale instead of separately

Should you manage this step #4 without effort or interfering thought:

just follow the breath

Should you manage this step #4 without effort or interfering thought:

Go on to koan study or shikantaza

How is that for a chart of abilities and awareness, Scientology?

Weekend Meditation Tank Intensive

Herein is the suggested daily schedule for a weekend meditation intensive mixed with floatation tank work.

Zazen instructions are here

6am floatation
floatation
8am breakfast, reading
zazen
10am floatation
floatation
noon lunch, reading
1pm zazen
2pm floatation
floatation
4pm dinner, reading
5pm zazen
6pm floatation
floatation
8pm snack, reading
9pm zazen
10pm floatation
floatation