texttour

Profilactic

defalt — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:42:44 GMT

the name is unbearably cutesy, but the service is pretty good. What it does is personal mashups of your "lifestream". A lifestream is the collection of all your social network site posts - from a LOT of social networks. Normally this would be not so big a deal, but... I have a bunch I belong to, like Tribe, and a personal blog, and a futuring blog.... Profilactic lets me put an rss feed of everything in the sidebar of my wordpress blog at www.gregb.com. It's cool and useful :) http://www.profilactic.com/

Small Things

defalt — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 18:17:48 GMT

the little things build up sand pushed to dune one grain at a time along the beach which wind prevails depends on location ripples of earth yield direction after the fact be careful climbing granular shifts unsteady footing whispered windsong siren calls stop rest before starting little things build up misunderstandings careless words a moment is enough camels bear straw dogs. clarity is not enough lacking will to see bones among the sand polished ivory says no water here check at the next mirage

fight or flight or.....

defalt — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:55:33 GMT

For a while now I've been kind of chewing over the "reptile brain" functions, with the sense that "fight" and "flight" aren't polar opposites in a single scale. It seems that "freeze" and "fuck" are also triggered at that level, by the same kinds of stimulus. Today this diagram emerged. I'm not utterly sold on it yet, but it's a first cut.

Curiousity....

defalt — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 23:04:36 GMT

So Saturday night, I was told "I hear you've been hitting on X, and she's afraid of you". Which would be reasonable if both a. I knew who X was; and b. I'd been hitting on anyone For some reason this bothers me, perhaps more than it should. We'll see.

viewpoints

defalt — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 21:51:22 GMT

Optomist: the glass is half full Pessimist: the glass is half empty Empiricist: the 8 oz glass contains 4 ozs of water Altruist: There's water if you're thirsty Realist: the glass is full, containing 50% water and 50% air by volume. Most of us: I'd rather have lemonade or iced tea

Uncomfortable Empathy

defalt — Sat, 14 Jun 2008 16:28:19 GMT

What Kind of Empath Are You? - You scored as a Judge You are a Judge Empath, one who is a "truthsayer". You can tell truth from lies, good from evil. You do not tolerate wrong doing. You are a defender of the good and the innocent. You are kind and merciful but do not play foolish games. (from "The Book of Storms" by Jad Alexander ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is one of those silly quizzes that feels uncomfortably true. I came across it, and Jad Alexander's work, about a month ago. I don't agree with everything he says, but overall it's a very good schema for describing empathy. And um, yeah, I'm avoiding discussing it... ok. So. This set of characteristics has been good in some ways. It explains how I can look at budgets for organizations I'm not involved in, point at a line item, and say "something seems wrong here". In one case, what was wrong was a million-dollar fraud being perpetrated on the Portland Public School system. It had been going on for years. In another case, it uncovered a phony credit card fraud involving a very large bank. No idea on how big that one was - the bank was rather reticent when it came to details. Unfortunately, it's come with a cost. If you're a judge empath, you're *compelled* at times to make a judgment . It won't always be right. We're humans, after all, and we project outwards as well. "Judge not lest you be judged" is impossible - it becomes "Judge right, because you will be judged by the same standards". At times, you will feel compelled to "blow the whistle", regardless of personal costs - like your job(s). It makes you seem arrogant (well, more arrogant, anyway *wry grin*) - "who are you to judge me?". It leads to painful , obsessive self-examination. If you're me, at least, it gives you a deep understanding of "Satan"' as meaning accuser or prosecutor. False accusations are a major transmission of evil. And "evil" is not a concept I like , much preferring the adage "don't blame on malice what you can blame on stupidity, and don't blame on stupidity what you can blame on an upset stomach". The world is not black and white, it's in color, and "good vs evil" is just too one-dimensional. The heaviest cost, though, has been in relationships. Several people, including two ex-wives, would willingly testify that being involved with me can feel like an Inquisition at times. Because empathy works largely on a non-conscious level, what I've tended to "read" are usually things my partner is actively in denial about. And because they are in denial, it feels like a false accusation. Sometimes it is - if I'm projecting. More often, time shows that it's true to a large degree. And sometimes it's uncovered flat-out conscious lies that I've desperately wanted to believe were true. In any event, empathy by definition means that speaking what you believe to be true in circumstances like these often causes pain. And if the judging person is an empath, he or she will feel not only their own pain, but the other person's as well. Hopefully, recognizing that this is part of me will lead to better choices in partners. God willing... and the creeks don't rise. ------------------- Addendum: I scored almost as highly as a "Healer", "Artist", and "Shaman". It might seem at this point that "Healer" and "Judge" are almost mutually exclusive. And yet..... it is not the job of a judge to convict, but to determine the truth. To tell someone that it is NOT their fault if they are falsely accused. To vindicate the innocent.

Notes - Telophilia

defalt — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:50:20 GMT

1. "Telophilia however is one step beyond that being an empathetic, synergistic relationship of all levels, including soul. These soul-relationships may not include sex but because they amplify kundalini they can be more energetically and intensely intimate and transformative than sexual relationships... In certain relationships, the level of profound close goodness is so great that any thing that gets in the way of that that is not pure, clear connection will feel incredibly bad to the degree that I will have to amend it or feel almost sick. My partner in this will feel it too. Our inclination is to exit the relationship, or withdraw, or become clingy, but none of those actions work except to cause further pain. The ONLY way out is THROUGH. ... it is spiritually imperative that what has arisen that causes pain is dealt with. Each of us has to take extreme responsibility for our own feelings, and be brutally honest, completely open and non-defensive and able to listen in a space created purposely for the healing."... It's possible to heal to some degree even if the other person takes no responsibility for their actions or feelings, and wouldn't recognize brutal self-honesty or honesty with the other if it flogged them. It seems to be a partial healing, and in this case exiting the relationship seems to be necessary. Remaining in a relationship where one is compelled to grow and the other chooses to deny is self-destructive - because there is no way through without true communication or interaction. Instead, the "active" partner will feel increasingly isolated, confused, and misunderstood. Instead of playing in the energy field of mutuality, it becomes yet another exercise in self-absorption. The harder the active partner tries to make sense of the relationship, the deeper they enmesh themselves in their own mind and emotions. At this point, the mismatch in willingness and experience causes the pain. Since we cannot force someone to face us - let alone his or her Self - the only way to actually remove the pain is to let the relationship go. The danger here is that the active partner will fall into cynicism, or like Diogenes wander the world looking for "one honest man". All that is required, actually, is to recognize that the passive partner has been a catalyst,and by their own choice has refused to engage in the process. If the future of humanity - and by extension, the future of individual humans - is dependent on communication, a relationship of this type is an evolutionary dead end. And while we may mourn the passing of the dodo, it's still extinct. This leads to other questions - is love a casualty in this? What is the active ex-partner to do? (There are no questions about what the passive ex-partner is to do - because typically they will continue to do nothing real. The odds are they aren't reading this anyway.) Love is not a casualty. The capacity for love has increased, albeit in a lopsided way. Balancing that is what the active ex-partner will probably engage in. There will be a tendency to deny, reframe, or forget the experience. While it would be preferable to simply accept the disappointment, this can be difficult when the potential was so clear to the active partner. 2 . Following is an outline of the stages of soul relationship but to a certain extent all stages happen at once to varying degrees as well. 1. MEETING Recognition, initiation, surges of energy in the head and solar plexus, enlivening of the genitals. Enlarging of ones field in relation to the other, heightening of alertness and energy level. Irresistible magnetic pull, constancy of attention and soul urge to be in each others presence. Greg's NOTE: This is a prime opportunity for denial to rear it's head. While one may pass through fear at this point, refusing to face the reality kills the potential. 2. QUICKENING Spiritual acceleration, extreme heart opening, purging, purifying, nausea, awe, hope. Clearing, tidying up loose ends, nest building, talking to oneself, physical exercise to absorb tension. Alternating periods of hyperactivity (sympathetic) with heart expanding lethargy (parasympathetic). Greg's NOTE: Dance. Dance. Dance. Get unconscious. Repeat. Too much repetition will kill the process. 3. RUBBERBANDING Alternating surrender with periods of sensual indulgence as the ego tries to use and/or suppress the charge. Boundary testing, uncertainty, exploration and resolution of differences. Blowing off the cocoon through compression and expansion. Greg's NOTE: to compress, descend into the watery depths and increase the emotional pressure. To expand, ascend into the rarefied atmosphere. Watch out for rapture of the deep and oxygen deprivation. The uncertainty is difficult - but certainty here is often an illusion. One can be certain, however, that denial from stage 1 will manifest here and stunt the growth. It's not a cause for uncertainty - it's time to let go. 4. TOLERANCE Bodymind gains faith, becomes stronger quieter and more peaceful. Learns to protect and allow the intense opening energy cycles of soul-merger. Rewiring to handle the amplified energy and kinesthetic senses. Greg's NOTE: a particularly challenging stage. Trust your bodymind - it will handle the rewiring, you don't need to direct it. 5. SURRENDER Attraction to spiritual intimacy as soul increasingly incarnates with the opening of the bodymind. There is a letting go of morbid thoughts and behaviors as trust develops. Eros progressively triumphs over Thanatos. Greg's NOTE: this is a key stage, and delicate. It will loop back to stages 2 or 3 unless both people are engaged. Continued loopback is a sign that either one or both of the partners are avoiding the process. 6. TRANSPARENCY Proactive- YES AND Green-lighting Spirit. With conscious joint metamorphic alchemy there is a movement from deprivation states to co-Being. Sympathetic resonance causes the falling away of resistance and strengthens the ability to enjoy love. Greg's NOTE: the key word in the step 6 description is conscious. Without consciousness, the process devolves into a standard dysfunctional mismatch. 7. SUBSTANTIATION Maintenance of a mature equilibrium of holding the We Space, while still sustaining full individuation. Potent, creative, cooperative partnership, mature monogamy-(RAM) Greg's NOTE: while this is the Vision, I can't speak to the Reality

Redemption

defalt — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 15:52:46 GMT

He says you need to pay for this passage. He says the debt was already paid twice. She says the boat will sink anyway, but remember to keep those copper coins in your pocket. When I looked back You had already gone nothing left but mounds of bone dust He said no pay no play, but she couldn't believe she'd missed the boat. 6/8/2008

off the market

defalt — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 17:47:48 GMT

Do not buy in to love It's not a transaction Do not speculate in love It's not a commodity Do not trade your soul for love It's not that kind of exchange Do not expect a controlling interest It's not that kind of merger Do not exchange love It's not that kind of currency Do not corner love It's not that kind of monopoly Markets deal in fear Scarcity by definition And you can't pay grass To grow in the spring. 6/6/2008

symbology

defalt — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 17:23:36 GMT

breathe in darkness rely on your eyes for nothing, now feel your way merge meaning with sensation a touch - a word a caress - a phrase entwined in sentences connection and desire sigils traced, fingered figures erased after the deathdance was done. you say this isn't my scene you say it's not what I want feeling the whole hand embarrassed and confused the voice whispers in your head "now you've been marked" still feeling the warmth after the bruise fades you return 6/4/2008

getting here

defalt — Sat, 31 May 2008 17:29:43 GMT

to get to this place find a crossroads any crossroads will do go at midnight choose blindly start walking when you find a river cross it muddy banks clear cold turbulent center keep your feet or be swept away take a cup with you when you find the desert cross it dust devils hot dry sand dunes shifting keep your mouth covered lest you choke take a pinch with you if the forest is burning, walk into the fire. ash and soot trees in flame cover your skin or be consumed take a burning branch just in case plunge the branch into the cup inhale the steam scatter the sand draw runes in it with the branch when you can tell me where you are here 5/31/2008

rererererererere

defalt — Thu, 29 May 2008 20:25:55 GMT

with respect to last night you clearly didn't get the memo.... um, yeah... Aretha spelled it out in capital letters but I missed the song must not be on your personal playlist I could respect your beliefs and say: Henceforth, you are nothing Henceforth, you don't matter Henceforth, you are forgotten Henceforth, you are confused Henceforth, you are an empty shell But that would be lying I could respect the image and say You're a cat in a doorway who refuses to go in or out But that would be lying I could say Don't let the door hit your ass on your way out but it's too late for that after you've bared your bottom Isn't it so listen up, or not Respect is wiping your feet on the doormat before you open the door learn which is which how to tell door from doormat before you knock again 5/29/2008

Negation

defalt — Wed, 28 May 2008 19:05:05 GMT

"She makes the sign of the teaspoon, he makes the sign of the wave" --- Paul Simon -------------------------------------- not: a very good dancer a blank projection screen Merlin locked in hawthorne Nimue locked in fear Pandora's box the Wheel of Fortune your fantasy your fallen angel your knight in shining armor your damsel in distress your head on a platter your pride and joy your little bit on the side your shame and disgrace your dirty little secret your worst nightmare your sweetest dream your master your slave asleep ------------------- 5/28/2008

Duet

defalt — Wed, 28 May 2008 16:37:47 GMT

"but that was in another country. and besides, the wench was dead." - marlowe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- She is not in the habit    He hunts because he must of bowing her head    The hunger deepening each In shadows revealed    Time he feeds the unconscious Her face is concealed    Beast he calls his soul Ebony tresses falling night She rarely allows it    Restless and agitated Fine hairs on ivory    Cloaked in silk and velvet Trembling neck, each    He paces the ancient crypt Breath, wind, stirring    Searching, starved, to feed. Like ripening fruit She never admits to    Silently howling his need Muscle bands tightened    He prowls the empty streets Her throat constricting    Pacing himself impossible Hidden pulse throbs    He scents his prey Deep in the hollow She couldn't imagine    Endless the fevered hunting Kneeling thighs spreading    Continued adrenaline thrill wetness hot swelling    Forever again he finds her petals unfolding until    Need and is fulfilled She is taken --------------------------------------------- 1/26/2007

Doors

defalt — Mon, 26 May 2008 21:15:25 GMT

"Most copper does not change to gold For any philosopher's stone." --- Rumi, Outdoors and the Passion of the Grass ------------------------------------------- "No means no", she says slyly flashing a glimpse of thigh "I don't know means no", she says looking coyly over her shoulder If you can't come to me naked Stripped of pride, stripped of shame Unadorned beauty.... Stay home. If yes is not in your lexicon and the Shield of Confusion defends you from the world... Stay home If no is your response to breath, to joy, to pain and sorrow Stay home Stay out of my nest Cuckoo, lay your eggs elsewhere It's time for mine to hatch. ----------------------------------------------- I'm learning to spot the little hooks attached to the fishing lines when the hook is set I thrash around she blames me for swamping her boat Next time she's trolling She's gonna lose her line. The hooks are dull and shiny too easy to spot, the line easy to chew through it won't even rock the boat 5/26/2008

Tone

defalt — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:34:43 GMT

To be read by two people to each other: first - in an ironic, cynical, "knowing" voice by each second - in a sincere, grateful, "innocent" voice by each third - in a factual, detached, "objective" voice by each fourth - silently to themselves -------------------------------------------------------------- Thank you: For teaching me the difference between night and day - Crown For teaching me projection - Wisdom For teaching me resistance - Understanding For teaching me how deep sleep can be just what you need - Compassion For letting me look in the broken mirror - Power For dancing your choreography - Beauty For helping me unravel the threads - Eternity For giving me no choice - Glory For making it all about sex - Foundation For making it all about me - Kingdom 5/22/2008

At Stake

defalt — Wed, 21 May 2008 16:44:08 GMT

you walked into the funhouse mirror and it cracked said that you could nevermore and then you broke your back I'm just a songbird hunter heard your cawing scream mistook it for my music but reality's my thing ravens on my shoulders visions in my eyes Jehanne is burning in the fire your pain is no surprise oh let me be a martyr let me be unique just because it lets me feel like such a freak the fire burns to ashes Jehanne blinks in confusion manages to tell herself that it was all illusion d'Arc is just a rainbow the ark is just a boat the maze is just a paper chase the song is just one note ravens on my shoulders visions in my eyes Jehanne is burning in the fire your pain is no surprise you want it to be pure I'm here all drenched in mud with your eyes wide shut it smells like holy blood ravens on my shoulders visions in my eyes Jehanne is burning at the stake your pain is no surprise 5/17/2008

Withdrawing

defalt — Wed, 21 May 2008 00:23:24 GMT

sullen, dulling the pain remains blunt blades pressing no sharp quick bite and sweet release Agitated, coffee cigarette pacing the walk watching the moon hunger growing Bleeding together - pain agitation dull welts each touch - hand on cheek, on neck fingers smolder and sullen welts rise no glittering bite our scarified souls the map of our heavens and hells it's all we are sometimes ------------------------------------------------ It's been a rough week, folks. I'm either having a complete breakdown or a complete breakthrough. Today, I feel like I cut off my left arm without anesthetic. Metaphorically speaking.

Thunder

defalt — Tue, 20 May 2008 15:42:11 GMT

From the dead of Hiroshima to the children of Darfur We live our lives in photographs developed in the wars The war between the roses The war twixt land and sea The war of freedom or control The war of you and me. so we fight for love and glory and lose ourselves in strife our tools become our weapons the scalpel just a knife and when love comes to heal us we fight with tooth and claw Can't swallow possibility it just sticks in our craw we turn it back to combat we scream that it's not right disarming is surrender and still we fear the night and still the story goes on and still the childen die and still we set the world on fire with terror from the sky we can rewrite the story we can change the tune I say this knowing you are deaf beneath the waxing moon but maybe if you hear it as though the voice of dreams you'll hear a different story and forget the schemes of victory and battle of guile and dispair and feel the shock of truth as thunder in the air

Family Roots

defalt — Sun, 18 May 2008 19:25:01 GMT

Gramma she was paralyzed Grampa was a thief Daddy was a paperboy news hawked on the street Zayde kept a little shop Bubbe suffered long Ima lived her life in fear that everything was wrong somewhere they caught a vision in the middle of the war Ima she just loved to dance Daddy knew the score But Daddy dreamed of flying Exploring outer space And Ima got electroshock to keep her in her place Raising kids and family Playing out the hand divorced the day their daughter died which neither could withstand Me? I've wept heartbroken At twisted lives and fate Like bonsai in a window tray Wired in this shape today the air is sweeter a little tang of sea the leaves and wind are whispering of futures that can be There was no happy ending a tragedy, for true but now that story's over, and I lift my eyes to you.. 5/18/2008

three gates

defalt — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:17:00 GMT

Lightning left last night God comes forth in that sign - Arousing fear, trembling, but Intent again on expressing Some distracted independence, Belly laugh stifled Sacral shaking stopped In the future, you have a rule. Darkness falls, stumbling hard Across the sea of stars Sucking bad juju arrows Star-crossed eggs lurk in corners Your shadow didn't get the yolk. Hard boiled sulphur noir Served salty and stale Past the expiration date. Two stars, three gates Yoked together we pretend Navigate, peeling meaning back, an onion Ring, coffee ring, collar Ringing your neck, binding Dreams and hidden lines In alchemy we merge. It's time to open the present. ---- July 2001

be careful what you ask for

defalt — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:18:19 GMT

Let us speak now in the common tongue Let us rise to the occasion What now is left of them, the words we understand in the same way, at the same time? Have we lost them to the airwaves, the pseudowinds of radio and television, wireless staccato signals paul simon says instant information a loose affiliation.... The words we speak are swords, slicing through the air, an ominous hissing whistling past your ear Yet again, our words are swords, controlled and held in the discipline of kata beauty of form, shining in the sunlight before they draw blood. I watch my rage rise red mist a fine covering droplets of blood weep from my eyes. you called it out you woke it up I put it back to sleep. This time it wakes on it's own I let it. It calls itself God's rage, looking for someone to punish, Discarding the sword, Picking up the whip. "I'll cut you, man" Facedown at Fillmore East Up Against the Wall, Motherfuckers Paradise Now and 1968 Ben pulls a knife on Graham. He rips open his shirt, screams DO IT, MOTHERFUCKER we pull Ben away the knife still in his hand "I'll cut you, man" Words from the mouth a 14 year old boy has me trapped in the box office with his buddies, knives shaking with their own terror. They take the money and run missing the stash under the tickets. 1969 There's no business Like show business "I'll cut you, man" 3am Sugar Hotel "I'll kill you" and Billy, calmly saying "no you won't" The police come and the poor crazy goes away after they take him down on top of me, still holding the knife. "I'll cut you, man" words from my mouth, inner child tough crow girl with a switchblade. She will, too if you fuck with her too much when the rage is fully here there are no words, just the cold fire, the precise angle the lash falling, cutting skin forgetting reason forgetting everything focused on giving you my pain "I'll cut you, man." He probably didn't say that when he found her at the campsite sleeping. Just cut her up and left her there to rot along with her friend. May, 1975 His lawyer said it was justified, after all they were lesbians. the rage flows up and out the tongue a lash, a flogger a dead horse. when it passes I'll bury my dead.

how I see it today

defalt — Wed, 14 May 2008 21:54:26 GMT

1. We, as humans are vehicles of meaning in the Universe. All of us. We may not be the only vehicles, but we are such. There is no meaning capable of creation without a sentient consciousness. This is the Crown. 2. There is no active meaning capable of expression without a sentient consciousness. This is Wisdom 3. There is no passive meaning capable of reception without a sentient consciousness. This is Understanding 4. Song is a potent vehicle of meaning - rhythm, emotion, intensity, key, lyrics, melody, harmony, counterpoint, and all the rest. It incorporates the primary conscious vehicle - story - with the emotional realm and the senses. This is Compassion. 5. Dance is an expression of that meaning, absorbing into the body and projecting into the world.It both expresses the energy into the physical world, and limits it's expression to that which the physical dancer can express. This is Power. 6. By tapping into the deep forces of the emotions, mind, and spirit, the Dancer can transcend ego self. Dancing opens and connects the heart. This is the third gate. This is Beauty 7. As the Dancer performs the "Song and Dance Routine" , She veils herself in forms with multiple meanings. Yet the conscious ego retains a link to the Dancer. This is the Path of Attachment and Anticipation. This is Eternity 8 Seen through veils of attachment and desire, the Dancer becomes the alluring mystery leading us into both the world of illusion and the world of reality. He tempts us and lures us through the door, playing his pipes. This is the Path of Desire and Longing. This is Glory. 9. Presented with the Dancer, the ego must confront the threefold riddle - part the veil, follow the piper, or move into the Dance. It is only when the choice has been confronted, and made, that realization occurs. This is the second gate. This is the Foundation. 10. Like background music, the song and dance are just out of consciousness. Like subliminal advertising, we allow ourselves to be drawn to the veils or the piper without being fully aware. It is only when circumstances - fate, synchronicity, randomness - whatever - makes us aware of the Dance that we can even perceive that we have a choice. This is called waking up, and is the first gate. This is the Kingdom.

15 Characteristics of Eccentric People

defalt — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 00:26:15 GMT

15 characteristics of eccentric people - from the book "Eccentrics" by David Weeks (and shamelessly stolen from a 4 year old blog post at bookofjoe) •Nonconforming- check •Creative - check •Strongly motivated by curiosity - check •Idealistic: wants to make the world a better place and the people in it happier - check •Happily obsessed with one or more hobbyhorses (usually five or six) - CHECKCHECKCHECK •Aware from early childhood that he is different - check •Intelligent -check •Opinionated and outspoken, convinced that he is right and that the rest of the world is out of step - check •Noncompetitive, not in need of reassurance or reinforcement from society - not the case here •Unusual in his eating habits and living arrangements - check •Not particularly interested in the opinions or company of other people, except in order to persuade them to his - the correct - point of view - 50/50. •Possessed of a mischievous sense of humor - check •Single - check (although married 3 times..) •Usually the eldest or an only child - check •Bad speller - that's what spell checkers are for ______________________ FunFact: women number less than 5% of the eccentric population. --------------------------------------- So roughly a 13 on that scale. I suspect that of my female Tribe friends, most of them fall into that 5% :) G

what's in the bag?

defalt — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 03:10:50 GMT

So I go down to my neighborhood coffeeshop about 5:30 tonight, and some of the crew is hanging around. One of the guys takes me aside and says " I just found this backpack on the stoop. I opened it to see if it belonged to someone, so I could return it. This was in it. What should I do?" And he shows me $10,000 in Australian currency, in cash. That works out to about $9200 US. And an unused plane ticket and boarding pass for a flight yesterday from SF to Philly. And return tickets from Philly to SF to Sydney. And no local phone number, or contact info. So we called the Australian Consulate and left a message. Seemed like the right thing to do, to me. Since the connecting flight to Philly was very shortly after the plane from Sydney landed, I'm wondering how the pack wound up on Bush Street a day later. There's a story here somewhere. So, what wouuld you have done?