It's been a good week in reality although I was super sick. I took two sick days while I had the kids at the resort up in the mountains... I took two other vacation days and then had a holiday on Friday... so essentially I took the entire week off from work. I didn't necessarily have less stress 'cause I really shouldn't be taking an entire week off from work but, at the same time, it is what it is and was what it was and that's okay... I'm okay with it. I had a really lousy Thursday -- too emtional, too strung out... but I got up at 4am on Friday and drove a few hours to this small town by a river (or some body of water -- I am confused by canal, bog, lake, etc -- a body of water). So small that the town was 3 blocks long. Everyone knew everyone. Interesting place to be. We watched a small hometown 4th of July parade, a soapbox derby... then hung out and looked at various things... and then, at night, stood in the middle of a baseball field and watched as fireworks were set off by the various kids and families all around us... and I do mean all around us... It was really very very cool. When the darkness hit totally, the town's Elk Club produced a "formal" fireworks show. The fireworks went higher and were bigger. We had perfect seats (I mean, realistically, how can you not in a town that big). The show lasted like an hour... seriously.

The town is so small, that this morning at a Farmer's Market (their first, it was 5 stalls big), I wanted to buy a present for my mom but the ATM had run out of money!

Back to reality and work tomorrow (or maybe I can suck another day out of this off thing). I got this cool book loaned to me this weekend... It is all about the proof behind the Ramayana and the Mahabharta being "true" and the research into Vimanas. The book is title "Vimana Aircraft of Ancient India and Atlantis" and is a study into the Vymaanika-Shaastra (or "Science of Aeronautics) translated by G.R. Joyser who was the Founder and Director of the Institute of Sanksrit Research in Mysore. A Vimana is an aircraft (think Rama's chariot) and translates each of the shastras ... These are definitive and scientific prescriptions for building an aircraft.

"The peeta or seat should be 2 feet wide and 2 feet tall, and circular, and made of bael tree wood."

It goes into what plants, combinations, chemical interactions are required to make propulsion:

"5 parts of rambhasatva (plantain stem?), 8 of manjoosha (madder root?), 5 parts of kaanta, 8 parts of kravayyda.... "

and goes as far to discussion, in scientific quantitites, what food the pilot should eat and what clothing should be on their body.

It is very interesting and outlandish. What was really surprising was the documentation surrounding Mt. Shasta and that these principals and it is believed "secret knowledge" is kept and has some power within Mt. Shasta (as well as some places in India and Tibet). The book even mentions the similarity of the Sanskirt work "shastra" and the native Indian word for the mountain "Shasta." Apparently in the world of people studying these scientific ancient Sanskrit works "Mount Shasta is said to be (or have been) a location ... for the secrets" of these studies.

I am hoping to have some time to share it with my teacher too.

The Best Friend and I on his birthday trip to Seattle: