How It Feels??? Synchronistic That's How! (Part 2)

WARNING:
This novel contains explicit language 

One of the first real synchros in the book that I came across was on page 97 where the Neil Cronk character says,

"If I could have it over again ... I would do it differently", I said and left it there. 
It was true I would have it over and when I had it over I'd stay home and read The Celestine Prophecies instead of going out at all."

Now considering I only met Brendan and bought his book because I originally came to see James Redfield and get my copy of  
The Twelfth Insight signed 
“The Twelfth Insight”?

(but James couldn't make it, because of the Spider bite days before the Byron Bay Writers Festival, and I had already paid up, so couldn't pull out of the trip) I found more than a little ironic on the synchronistic level.

Then on page 100 Brendan mentions Carlos Castaneda's book 
 Journey to Ixtlan, which I had been contemplating on buying for a while, but just needed a confirming shove from the heavens, which I'll take this to be.
So, there's another book for the book pile thanks to How It Feels.

And on page 123 Brendan mentions the book Birthday Letters.
(This collection of eighty-eight (88 ... parallel infinity?) poems is widely considered to be Hughes' most explicit response to the suicide of his estranged wife)
 A book I had never heard of before, by Ted Hughes (husband of Sylvia Plath).
But I had read and liked The Bell Jar and the movie Sylvia, based on Plath and Hughes marriage, and Plath's suicide.
So there is another book for my pile.
On page 164 this passage caught my eye;
"OK, this is why", she said.
"The death of the goldfish in this room symbolizes empathy.
As we discussed empathy is maturity; when you realize that you are not the only living thing on this planet - you are not the only one who feels pain - then you have grown into a proper adult person"." 

One of my favourite paintings by Brisbane
artist Tracey Keller ... and my blog mascot.

Brendan also mentions Pachelbel's Canon, my wife's favourite tune.
On page 181 this passage;
"The entire cast (minus the dwarfs and the unicyclists, who were in the foyer greeting the masses and performing) sat before me on the cold cement floor of room 2: adolescence.", brought back memories of the time I took my sons to see Nancy Cartwright

(voice of Bart Simpson) at QPAC

(Queensland Performing Arts Centre) in Brisbane.
We were standing outside in the foyer waiting for the doors to open to the theatre and my youngest son spotted a small tabletop under the normal tabletop of the table in front of us and asked me what was that smaller tabletop used for.
I had no idea, but a thought popped into to my head to tell them that the smaller table was used for when a dwarf was in the theatre and wanted to use the table, because a dwarf couldn't reach the higher tabletop.
I thought that was an answer that would satisfy my sons, and give me a bit of a laugh as well, so that's what I told them .. .trying not to snicker.
But the really weird thing was that about less than five minutes later ... I swear on everybody's grave who is dear to me ... a dwarf came along and put his beer on the top of the table (the highest one ... just to prove me wrong in front of the kids), the very table I was referring to (and there must have been about 20 identical tables in that foyer) I looked at my kids with a pleading look as if to say, please don't say anything, or laugh, in case the little fella hears us.
But I could not believe my eyes, because five minutes before there was hardly anyone in the foyer, and certainly no dwarf.
In fact, I had not seen a dwarf for at least about ten years.

The odds where way bigger than the odds of a major lotto win of seeing this happen before our eyes, and if I ever needed a situation to prove the impossible can happen, that was it.

Brendan was in a recent movie called I Love You Too starring next to a little guy by the name of Peter Dinklage.
My apologies in advance if it was you Pete, but it was still the weirdest thing I have ever seen in my life. 
Steve Bisley was also in that movie, and I also met him at the BBWF and wrote about that here;
Bob Dylan and Byron Bay 
On page 203 he mentions  
"... David Lynch-f#@%ed-up show. Do you know what I mean?".
The cinema I mention in Part 1 of this post ... The Regal cinema, in Brisbane reminds me of a David Lynch set right out of one of his movies, including the staff who serve you pop corn and tear your tickets at the door.
I kept saying to my brother this place is something right out of a David Lynch movie ... but I don't think he knew who David Lynch was, anyway. 
 On page 229 he writes. 
"... wholeheartedly obsessed and plainly influenced by the pop/jazz sensation Serge Gainsbourg...", and on page 230, "... Ivana, who was clearly Glenn's very own Jane Birkin ...".
He even mentions Bob Dylan as well.
I wrote about the Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin synch from the Paul Kelly book How to Make Gravy that I had read, in this post here;
"... And There's So Much Water So Close to Home" Paul Kelly 
Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin being parents of actress/singer Charlotte Gainsbourg, the actress from the movie The Tree. 
The Tree (Trailer for Movie)
On page 260 are the words, "Her lips feel open with epic invitation, and I could swear a million hummingbirds flew out of them in curved formation ...".
The last time I heard or saw anything to do with a hummingbird was when I read a book called Synchronicity and the Other-side, which contained a story I contributed to the authors about the synchronicities surrounding my father-in-law's death.

On page 264, this really struck me, and people that know me personally will know why.

"Wassup, bro? Stu said, reclining on the lounge chair wedged between the door and the short IKEA bookshelf.
"Just dreaming", I would say"is this correct?"

"You are dreaming", he would reply, condescending."
When will you start living?". 

You may not see a joke here, but trust me,
it is funny from where I sit;-)

Brendan writes about Serge Gainsbourg again on page 299.
He even mentions Tai Chi.
I had just bought a DVD Tai Chi workout from 'The Barefoot Doctor', and was planning on doing regular Tai Chi sessions to stay fit.
He also mentions IKEA again on page 307, and on page 309 writes about a Brisbane rock band named Powderfinger, whose lead signer Bernard Fanning came into my place of work to buy a bookshelf with his then girlfriend.
And my mate asked him if he could autograph one of the store's catalogues with a marker, so he could give it to his son.
As he thought his son would know who this guy was ... because he didn't ... and he told Bernard that right to his face.

The band Powderfinger with
Bernard Fanning
in the center

The synchros didn't stop with the contents of the book either. 
When I got home after the writer's festival, I looked up Brendan's details on the net and found out he was with Rose Byrne for seven years and had two children with her before they split up.

Rose was the lead female character in the movie Insidious, which I did a post on here;

The Insidious Sallie House 
Rose was also in the movie Two Hands with Heath Ledger. 

and the Alex Proyas movie Knowing.

It's funny that Byrne coat of arms has three hands and a knight, which is funny in that Rose played opposite Heath Ledger in  
Two Hands and Ledger's most famous role was in The Dark Knight and he was also in A Knight's Tale.

 

When I Googled How It Feels into Google images I also came across this image;

Which is a synch involving me, not that I'm a heavy drinker ... but let's just say that for those who know me, this image is quite relevant to me. 
Brewchugger is a singer, or a band ... I'm not quite sure which, but they have a lot of good music.
One song of which is a song titled  Two Hands.

and another titled Remind Me How It Feels To Feel Good.

Which could almost be the soundtrack title to the book How It Feels. 
Lyrics:
It's twenty miles to the next show and i look a'fright.
I haven't the faintest clue where i spent the night.
I get so tired of ridin' in the back of this old bus...
a headache, a bottle of wine that no one wants to discuss

Yeah, it's been so long since i've seen my neighborhood.
I'd erase what's wrong if i only could.
Just do me a favor, oh, if you would...
remind me how it feels to feel good.

This morning's sun it found me in a state of duress.
I remember playin' all those songs and havin' fun all night (i guess)...
There're pin holes in my shirt and there's whiskey on my breath.
I guess that explains the hurt...I can fill in all of the rest.

Tonight I'll take the stage and strap on my ol' guitar;
it's how I make my wage and it makes me feel like a star.
But when the crowd goes home and the bottle's passed to me
I'll still wake up alone with my eyes too blurry to see.

Heath Ledger with Charlotte Gainsbourg
at the 64th Venice Film Festival in 2007

 It's a very small world indeed!!!
How It Feels??? Synchronistic That's How! (Part 1)