guppie01

or... I am sure NOTHING will happen with the Twister game and baby oil Jen just bought... Okay, each day you people frighten me more and more.... g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

This is a cool idea http://www.equilibrium-bydesign.com/site/556267/product/WD-B09 although a lil pricey for a box. Put like a love letter / poem inside the box - or promises for each other. g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

Check the road conditions.... it typically is closed through the winter. Oh, and if you decide to take the coastal drive to Moneterey let me know - would love to take you to lunch or dinner in Ventura!!!! Congrats on the new car!!!!! xoxo g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

HA, I totally know what you mean.... when I had my wisdom teeth removed (all 4 on a Friday afternoon), I got 2 infections, my face was sooo swollen the skin was shiney and I had a Christmas dinner to attend on Monday night. My date saw me on Saturday morning and the look in his face - SHEER HORROR. By Monday the swelling had gone down, I still looked like a moon face, I said fuck it I want to have a good time - so I went and had a blast. You'll be fine girl!!!! g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

I wanna go! YEAH, what he said!!!! g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

awwwww, I get to see the sexy dutchman too!!!!! g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

Is that superman???? g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

By the time it is all said and done... I am quite certain Gia may have learned far more than she ever expected... or wanted to know! That is part of my plan I'm afraid of that.... g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

She is saving all her loving for me Stop, you evil stalker king.... g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

Can I choose both? g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

I did a quick google search on Devprayag to see what it looks like - OMG, amazing..... g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

I can vouch for the handsome thing, but the latter of the two.... sorry g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

Have I told you lately how wonderful you are??? Well, YOU ARE!!!!! xoxo g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

Yeah, right there with ya! g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

From Bob: Hi everyone. Yesterday, November 29th, six months after Shannon's accident, I spread her ashes in the Ganges river in an incedible, emotional ceremony in the unbelievably beautiful village of Dev Prayag. But, before we get to that, let's go back to where we left off. The day after my last message, I had a great eperience with Mukesh, the Indian man who is helping me make my drum. Mukesh is about 50-60 years old (its hard to tell) and has spent his whole life in Rishikesh. He has been referred to as a shaman, although that title gets thrown around so much that I'm not sure what it truly means. This guy is definitely holy, and he is an incredibly warm and generous man who took a liking to me. I had not told him the story about Shannon yet, so he had no idea of my motivation in making the drum. Anyway, he invited me to go with him into the jungle to visit this little village where they make blankets and other wool items. Everything there is made by hand and it's incredible the amount of effort and detail they put into each item they make. I really wanted to buy a few blankets to bring home, so I excitedly accepted his offer. We hopped on his motorcycle and made our way into the jungle. On our way out there, we were diverted from the trail onto a dry riverbed because some of the locals were building a trench to keep the elephants from going into Rishikesh. Apparently, there had been an elephant or two that had been cruising into the city to eat in the middle of the night. This can be extremely dangerous because elephants are known to trample through area where people live in small, make-shift tents. When I say trample,I don't mean they go running through or anything like that. They just sometimes carelessly step on people who are sleeping as they make there way into town. So, we made our way around the diversion and headed about 20 minutes into the jungle. It was quite exhilerating to be on the back of a motorcycle cruising through the jungle on these small trails. We get to the village and Mukesh intoduces me to some of the locals. They were all so warm and welcoming and they sat us down for some chai. The village, which is really no more than an encampment of about six large tents, surrounded by a "wall" made from branches to keep the elephants out. There are about sixty people who live there, though about 90% of them leave the village every morning to do a wide varietyof jobs in the area (selling milk from thier buffalos, hauling things into town with thier mules, etc.). I ended up buying a number of items from them at unbelievably low prices (like a hand-woven blanket for $5, a nice, heavy sweater for $4). I wish I could buy more, but I can only carry so much home and shipping things from India can be hit-or-miss, and it may never make it there. Mukesh told the village leader that he was going to donate a teepee to them so they can have it in the center of thier little village as a gathering place. They were blown away and Mukesh came back the next day and setup the teepee. The next day, I started to get pretty sick. It wasn't really a big deal that day, and I figured it would pass quickly if I just rested for a while. I was lying in bed that day, reading, with the door to my balcony open. All of a sudden I look up, and there is a big monkey in my room! I was kind of startled and wasn't sure what to do. The monkey walked over to a little table in my room where I had setup a little altar to Shannon. At first, he reached onto the table and was going right for Shannon's ashes! I yelled at him to JAO! (go!) and he just looked at me, unafraid, and then reached for an apple on the far side of the table, bypassing the ashes. I stood up from my bed and grabbed the only thing near me that I could threaten him with, the chair. I pounded the chair on the ground and he hightailed it out of the room, with my apple! I grabbed my camera and got a couple shots of him eating my apple on thewall outside. It was freakin' hilarious. The next day, my illness seriously kicked in. My body ached everywhere, especially in my chest area. During the night, my fever shot up to around 102 degrees, I was having extreme hot and cold chills, my head was pounding and I was just dripping with sweat. It was unbelievable how sick I felt! This was my third major sickness in the seven weeks I had been there and each was progressively worse. During the four months after Shannon's death, I had lost 20 pounds. Now, after seven weeks in India, I had probably lost another fifteen pounds. I could feel my body breaking down and deteriorating and I started to get a little bit scared. For four days, my temperature fluctuated between 101-102 degrees and my head was just pounding unrelentlessly. For the most part, I just layed in my bed, curled up in a ball covered with blankets. I couldn't eat anything and I wasn't allowed to have any juice due to the fever. We were thinking it might be time to go tothe hospital, but I just didn't have the strength. My friends walked me down the road to an Aryvedic doctor and he gave me some medicine, but it didn't seem to help at all. After five days of no change, I was lying in bed at night and I just lost it. I decided that regardless if I recovered soon, it was time for me to try and make it back to America. No one was sure what I had, but the discussion ran from severe food poisoning to Dengue fever to Malaria. I needed to get to the hospital to get tests, but I didn't have the strength. I knew at that point that my body had deteriorated to the point that, if I made it through this, I may not be able to survive another sickness. I know that may sound dramatic, but when you are vomiting, have diahrea, 102 degree temperature and a headache that feels like some one is beating me with a shovel and have lost 35 pounds in less than six months, well, its time to do something. So I layed in bed that night and just cried. Criedf and prayed. I prayed to Shannon, to God, to Maharashi, to Jesus, to about five Hindu dieties and I probably through in a few to Allah and any other god I could think of. I wanted to make sure that whoever was on duty that night would hear my call. I just prayed for the strength to get well enough to spread Shannon's ashes and get back to Dehli so I could try and get a flight back home so I could get to my doctor. It must have been quite the sight; this 42-year old, 6'3" westerner, lying in bed in a ball and just weeping. I finally fell asleep for a couple of hours, and when I woke up at 4am I checked my temperature again; 100.9. It was the first reading I had under 101 in four days. I fell asleep for another hour and when I woke again, my fever was 99.5. By morning, my fever had broke. I still wasn't out of the woods yet, and all my other symptoms remained. And, I hadn't eaten anything for five days. If it was Malaria, then the fever sometimes goes away for a week or two before returning to full strength. And, they can't test for Malaria unless you are experiencing the fever at the time. Its like a catch-22. When I have a fever, I'm to sick to make it to the hospital and when I am well enough to make it to the hospital I can't get tested for Malaria. The next morning I told Bryan and my other friends that I planned on going back home before Christmas. They understood my decision and, as disappointed as they were that I wouldn't travel to Southern India with them, agreed it was probably for the best. I hated to leave India under those terms, but my instincts had led me on so much of this wonderful journey that I had to listen to them this time as well. I asked my friend Bryan to go to Mukesh's for me to tell him what was going on and to tell him how I wanted the drum finished. I have asked Bryan to tell the story of what happened when he went to Mukesh's. The following section is the email from Bryan describing that day, in his own words, so, take it away Bryan....................... Hari Om, So, when we last left off, our hero Bob whose hindi name is also, you guessed it, Bob, was in Rishikesh, India's ancient city of seer's and sages and also the place where the Beatles hung out and wrote Sexy Sadie and Dear Prudence, which in my opinion was every bit as good as anything the Rishi's or sages ever wrote(lol). Anyhow, Bob was in Rishikesh with me, Bryan,whose Hindi name is Maruti Dass (note from Bob: Maruti Das is Bryan's Indian name and not to be confused with the other Maruti I had described in previous emails). Now, Bob had been feeling quite ill for the last 5 or 6 days, and had decide that 2 months in India was enough. I know Bob has had a great time in India and has seen, learned and experienced many, many things, but its hard to keep a "Spiritual" flow when you have a temperature of 102 degrees. I couldn't blame him for wanting to hit the high road (30,000ft) home, even though i wish we could travel together a bit longer.You see, I really love Bob a lot. He is my brother and my friend. So, as i said, Bob was sick in bed, but had been, prior to his illness, working on a drum at the workshop of my friend, Mukesh. With a little guidence from Mukesh, and a lot of determination, energy and chiseling on his part, Bob had actually taken the drum a long way down the road to is actual completion. .So, he booked a flight and asked me if i could go out to Mukesh's place and tell him how the drum should be finished. Bob drew up an Ohm symbol encircircled by the words"Forever Shannon". He asked me to show it to Mukesh and ask if he could finish the drum by the following Monday. "Of course" said I, and was off in a flash for that beauiful auto rickshaw ride to downtown Rishikesh. I've known Mukesh now for about 3 years and i've never made anything at his shop. I just like the guy. He's like a shamman or something; a stange cross between a native american indian, an aborigonal and a saduh (indian holy man). I like to just go hang out with him, cause he's such a pure character. A lot of people like to do this. People come from all over the world to hang out with this man and make beautiful instruments. His workshop is one of India's real holy place's. People come together here.Something really special happenss in this place.There's this sort of loving vibration coming up out of the dirt floor we all sit on. Its hard to explain exactly. Truth. That what's there. People find some truth there and peace, thru the creative process.Through thier own Self. After my short auto ride i made it to the shop and saw my good friend Mukesh. As always i was glad to see him and he me. We sat and talked for a while and i began to tell him about Bob's condition, which he told me i could remedy with some Tulsi tea. Tulsi is indian basil and it cures almost anything, according to most Indians. He told me that i should wash my hands and feet in the Ganga and pick some fresh Tulsi and pray to Tulsi Ma, the spirit which lives inside the herb. So, ok, I'm cool with that. I can do that. Then i start to tell him about the logo Bob made up, but he's not really following and i realize he does'nt know about Shannon's story. Bob hadn't had a chance to sit with him and tell him what all that went down. I tell Mukesh the story of my friend i talked about last year, who, along with his girlfriend, wanted to come to India and get married. HE remembers me telling him and i tell him this is the guy and then tell him about Shannon and what happened. I tell him that we are thinking of going to this place called Devprayag, where the Ganga actually starts, and releasing her ashes.The really strange thing about all this is that Mukesh does'nt seem to concerned with Bob's 102 temp, but when i tell him we're trying to figure out when to go and put Shannon's ashes in the Ganga, he acually starts acting concerned. Like i said before, Mukesh has this kind of shammanic presence about him, but in the time i've known him, i've never really seen it full power. So, as i'm sitting there with him talking, he starts to close his eyes, and its like he's looking at something inside; Like he's watching some kind of movie that only he can see. I've never seen him like this before and it's a little weird. He starts telling me not to worry about Bob. Bob will be fine. When Bob plays the drum, he will fly! Bob already flies. No, not that kind of flying smart ass! Flying from within; heart flying; soul flying! He's talking to me like Bob is gonna win the spiritual lottery. It was like, "Why are you concerned with with Bob's near death illness", which Mukesh seemed to think had the significance of a fart in a whirlwind, "when he's about to be handed the spiritual equivilant of a billion dollar lotto check. "He tells me that Shannons ashes should have been put in the Ganga right when we got here. That she's waiting to go and that she can't leave completely until this is done. He tells me that keeping her ashes is no good for Bob at all. It will bring bad juju and he's serious. Go tomorrow, whether Bob is sick or not, and make the Puja(Prayer ceremony) for Shannon and all will be well. Better then well; perfect. I'm pretty stunned by all this because its a side of my friend i have'nt seen before. I tell Mukesh thanks and that it is getting late and i have to "Get Back"(another Beatles song, but not one written in Rishikesh). We exchanged hugs and said our goodbyes and i was off to check on Bob and give hime the news. There is one more thing i left out. Up to this point, Bob was kind of unsure about where to scatter Shannons ashes, or if he even wanted to scatter them in India. He had brought them here to do just that but he said his feeling was'nt quite right. It was'nt sitting right in his heart. He told me that he might end up taking them home and making a skydive and releasing them in freefall (note from Bob; I still have some ashes at home that I plan on doing just that with). When i was with Mukesh, i told him we were going to Devprayag to release the ashes, but i never mentioned that Bob migh take them home. Mukesh looks at me and, out of nowhere, he says "Tell Bob not to take the ashes back". Weird! OK, so this is all happening to Bryan while I am still lying in bed, sick. You know how it is when you are sick, tired and irratable, and someone is trying to cheer you up or tell you something that they are excited about? Well, Bryan is telling me this story and I'm looking at him and all I'm hearing is "blah, blah, blah" (not really, but you know what I'm talking about). I just want him to go away and leave me in my misery. Then he tells me, what we need to do is get up early, go to get Siddhi Ma's blessing (she just arrived in Rishikesh a couple of days ago) and then we will take a cab to Dev Prayag and go spread Shannon's ashes. I probably looked at him like he was asking me to go clean toilets that day or something, because I was not amused. Did he not see how sick I was? He is insane if he thinks I am well enough to do any of that. I was still working on gaining the strength to eat for the first time in five days, but I told him I would sleep on it and see how I felt in the morning. From the very first moment I arrived in India, I made a commitment to myself that I would not spread her ashes until I was feeling the love and energy flowing through me. It just had to feel right or I wasn't going to do it. Once again I was going to rely on my instincts. That was what this was all about for me, and even though I woke up feeling a little better, I decided that it just wasn't the day because I just didn't feel it. I told Bryan that I probably had the strength to go visit Ma, but I just couldn't see myself taking the hour and a half ride up the river into the mountains. So, we decided to go get some breakfast and leasurely make our way to the temple. Our friend Amanda, who is a wonderful, beautiful British woman with dread locks down to her hips, was going to accompany us on the trip. She is one of the warmest, most comforting people I have ever met and she has been living in India for about 16 years. She had really tried to help me when I was sick and actually cooked me the first thing I was really able to eat. She made this dish called kicheree (not sure if the spelling is right), which is rice and dahl mixed with some spices and vegetables. It was quite tasty, but heavy and I was only able to get about five bites in before it was just too much. Anyway, the three of us had breakfast and we just started talking. I'm not really sure what the focus of our conversation was, but during it I felt myself gaining strength and I became the most animated I had been in a week or so. We talked so long that we missed our opportunity to go to the temple. They both looked at me and said I was glowing; that I looked better than either of them had ever seen me. I felt the love flowing so strongly through me that I told them "I'm ready!" It was time to spread Shannon's ashes. They were both surprised at my declaration, but they knew it was time as well; they could see it in my face. We hopped in a cab and started our drive into the mountains, along the Ganges. It was a winding road that sometimes included some pretty precarious dropoffs. They don't really do guard rails in India, and there were times that we were so close to the edge that all I could see was the 200' dropoff to the river below. I was feeling so good then that it never really bothered me; I just let go. And, it was just so beautiful! We followed this amazingly beautiful river up into the mountains and at one point we came over a peak and we got an incredible view of the Himalayas! What a pleasant surprise that was. With about a half hour to go on our ride, I decided to put my headphones on and listen to some of the music that reminded me of Shannon. I also took out Shannon's ashes and held it close to my heart. It was time to start saying goodbye. I though about her and tears started flowing. I felt so connected to her at that point. It was if it was exactly the way it should be! I had no idea what would happen when we got to Dev Prayag, but I had a suspicion that everything might happen very fast and I just wanted to spend this time thinking about her. I just love her so much! I felt she was happy and also very proud that I had made this incredible journey for her. I don't know how to describe how I was feeling, but Mukesh's desciption was probably apt; I WAS FLYING! Before we arrived, I reached up to Bryan, who was in the front seat and handed him her ashes. Bryan and Shannon hadn't known each other for long, but they became very close while Bryan was staying with us. He closed his eyes and broke into tears and I could just feel the energy flowing through him. I'll tell you, once you were holding them, it was hard to give it up. He reluctantly handed it back to me as we made our way into town. To me, Dev Prayag was one of the most beautiful places on the planet. I just coul;dn't believe what I was seeing. This place is very holy and very significant because its where two rivers (I can't remember the two names, but I will mention it again in my next email) meet to form the Ganges. If you look at the letter "Y", that is the basic shape of the place. Except imagine that all the borders of the Y are mountains, jutting up about 1000' from the river. I have some spectacular pictures of this place that I will eventually post that will show a better description, but if you can imagine the point where the two rivers meet in the "Y", in between the two rivers where they touch and become one, that was where we were headed. We climbed down through the city (its quite steep, since the town is built on the mountain) and crossed a bridge to the center. We then made our way down to the river, to the point I described above. The rivers where just raving, with a color that was an amazing blue/green and crystal clear. I was just blown away. There was NO doubt that this was the place. At the point where these two huge rivers become the Ganges, there is a ghat (steps to the river that had been built so that people can bath somewhat safely. A better description escapes me momentarily) and the waters are raging with so much force that you have to hold onto poles to keep from getting swept away. If you want to dip your whole body in the river, you must hold onto a chain or else you would be gone for good. The river here is so deep and I have heard that they have measured it at over a mile down in some places. Also at this point, there is a small cave inhabited by a sadu named Ganesh Baba. Talk about prime real estate! This guy must have a serious connection with God to be able to live here. Anyway, the baba invites us into his cave and we tell him why we are there. There was A Brahman priest right there at the ghat and he agreed to do Shannon's ceremony. Since sunset was approaching we had to get started, so I walked down to the river with Shannon's ashes. He took one of the pictures of Shannon that I had brough with me and set it next to a large silver platter. We sat across from each other and I handed him her ashes. He poured the ashes into the platter, lit some insense and placed it next to the ashes on the platter and began the ceremony. I'm not really sure how describe what happened next, but I was subjected to an onslaught of hindu blessings which I was supposed to recite with him. I was so emotional and I did the best I could to follow his lead. It was all so unfamiliar, and yet beautiful and perfect. It went on for about ten minutes (there was a lot more going on, but you will have to see the video tape to fully undertand the ceremony) and then it was time to release her. I stood up and carried the platter to the river. I said my final goodbyes and released her, platter and all, into the Holy Ganges. WOW!!! We watched the river take the platter away from us and as it got about 100' out, it got caught in a whirl pool and was sucked into the depthes of the river, never to be seen again. Amanda said she got this whole part on video, but then my battery died just then and I haven't been able to see it because there is no way to charge my battery here. I had told myself that I wasn't going to bath in the Ganges until after Shannon was in there, so I took this opportunity to takes my first dip in the Ganges. I stripped down to my underwear and climbed into the icy cold water of the ghat. I made my way to the chain, stepped imto the deeper water and submersed myself into the river. It was cold enough that I think my heart stopped for a moment, but you are supposed to do it three times to receive the river's blessing. I submerged myself two more times and made my way to the shore and out of the water. I felt so clean, so invigorated and so free. Even as I describe this I still can't believe it happened. Its like out of a movie or something. We went back to the cave where Ganesh had made a fire and made us some chai. By this point, there were about ten people who had gathered around the cave to share in this moment. We were obviously the only Westerners there and we just sat and talked for a while around the fire. At one point I looked over at Ganesh and said "you know baba, I have come half way around the world to be with you at this moment". He just gave me a big warm smile that, to me, said "I know". I am sure that there is even more to this that I am forgetting, but its getting late and this place is about to close. I'll try to give more details as they come to me in the coming days. I just want to say thank you to all of you that have come with me on this journey and supported me along the way. I love you all so much and you emails of encouragement have really helped me keep it all together during the tough parts of this trip. I know that I don't know all of you, but Maharashi once said "Those that are dear to those who are dear to me, are dear to me as well". Its not over yet, but as I sit here with tears running down my cheeks, I just want you all to know that I have given every ounce of myself to complete this mission and I am happy and fulfiled. Shannon will be with me forever, and I hope you keep her close as well. Lots and lots and lots of Love! Bob "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

OMG, that is scary. You have every right to ask for vibes! Mucho prayers too!!! Keep us posted please. g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

Not after that comment I wont. Gonna have to lay a little smack down on the mouthy midget is what I think is on the menu right now. A lil ass to face action???? g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

You're such a pussy, you'll be buying me beers next Friday!!!! g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

I'll show you beer next Friday BUB!!!! g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

I like it!!!! g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

HEY, don't knock it.... you may never get it!!!! g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

LOL That sounds like a good certificate of merit I'd like to hang on my office wall!!! g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

Well, my boss is VERY pleased with my performance and plans to give me more responsibility..... bwahahahahahahaha g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

Total review hours.... 3.5 AAAACK! This not only included 2006 review it included strategic plans for 2007, and long term strategy. Now I have about an hour of typing.... g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?

hmmmm, wasn't able to find a 35-37 year old 6' man listed in Richland, WA - looks good for you Dave! g "Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?" Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU OMG, is she okay?