curious time code on podcasts

I had an odd experience in the final days of February of this year. It started during the drive home from Lauglin Nevada, after spending a week at a UFO Conference. This was not a peaceful time for me, I was struggling and conflicted and trying to make sense of my memories. The dilemma of what to do next in my life was oppressive and real. During that week of being locked in a creepy casino, I confided in a lot of folks at the event and the consistent feedback I got was that I should talk more openly about my experiences.

I was dealing with these confusing emotions as I was driving my Subaru North out of Salt Lake City. As I approached the Idaho border and I was listening to my iPod, and the thing was set on shuffle, and instead of a song, THE PARACAST comes on. It was the two hour episode with Dr. Leo Sprinkle. Great, I was stuck in the car and could spend the time really listening. I had heard it before, and I though it was really interesting, so I made an effort to pay attention.

Leo is a sweet articulate guy, with a take on this subject that seems to mirror mine in a lot of ways. And, he even looks like me!

At one point in the discussion, Leo brings up my name, and lemme tell you - I was paying close attention at that point. He and the host, David Biedny, talk about my dilemma. Leo sums up my emotional state in a few brief sentences. And then David shares his insights, and he takes a few moments to articulate his feelings about my credibility.

During this drive I was trying to sort out a lot of emotional stuff in my head. It had become clear that I was going to need to start sharing my experiences with people. I had a plan to invite a couple of friends over and to let them in on all this stuff, I trust these two folks, and I wanted to gage their reaction. I though I could even play them this little excerpt from the PARACAST where my credibility gets praised.

So I pause the thing and make an effort to note the time on the iPod display where my name gets mentioned. Now, trying to do this and drive on a busy interstate isn’t easy, but I can see the time marker reads 1:23:45.

Okay, that’s a little odd. Anyway, it’s a very easy number to remember, and I plan on reviewing it at home, when I’m not driving 80 miles per hour. For the remaining few hours of the drive, this weird detail sort of bugs me.

When I get home, I immediately turn on my computer and make a frantic effort to find that episode where Leo mentions my case.

I’ve transcribed it below, and I’ve noted EXACTLY where the 1:23:45 fits into Leo’s comments.

* Paracast Jan. 18th 2009 *

David (host):
In my personal experiences, there are aspects of high strangeness that that have happened to me, in my experiences, that make me skeptical of my own experiences. Truly. And this has become a dilemma for me in my middle age. This has become a problem.

Leo (guest):
Same thing that Mike Clelland tells about himself, that he feels in a dilemma because on the one hand he knows he's had his experiences, (1:23:45) but on the other hand he cant reconcile that with what's going on around him and so it puts him in an awkward situation philosophically.

David:
Absolutely.

The synchronistic time fits right where Leo contemplates the two conflicting set of issues I’m dealing with. The relevant quote is: “...on the one hand he knows he’s had his experiences, (1:23:45) but on the other hand he can’t reconcile that...”

The curious time is exactly in between the the two contradictory sides of my present quandary. Weird.

Okay - I’m at the desk, looking at my transcript, and feeling like I’ve discovered a little clue in this bizarre issue.

I realize I was interviewed for an hour on another episode of THE PARACAST, and it’s in my iTunes library, so I scroll down to that, and I find the same time count of 1:23:45.

Here’s the excerpt below.

* Paracast Nov. 16th 2008 *

Mike C:
“I remember waking up and there was a bright light filling the room, and my first thought was that it was the light in the driveway was on. So I sat up in bed, and I have a small illustration of this posted, I sat up in bed and I looked out the window and I remember seeing (1:23:45) quite clearly, five, spindly, gray aliens with the big bald heads and the big black eyes standing outside my window.”

This event of seeing these images out my window has been another really heavy handed quandary for me. I really have a hard time believing in the truth of this memory. I shared this story with a fellow named Paul Davids during my time in Laughlin, and he was understandably fascinated. But I felt like I was leading him on, like I was lying by saying I saw this. It bothered me, the memory is SO weird, that it’s impossible to trust. During this entire process I have tried to be as honest as possible about how I present these memories, and this one in particular is so unbelievable that I’m awash in doubt.

And again, the curious moment of the time count shows up at a very relevant point. I said: “I remember seeing (1:23:45) quite clearly...”

How much weight should I give these elusive little synchronicities?

Yes, I recognize how flighty all this seems. There was a frantic sort of compulsion as I looked into all of this, and there doesn’t seem to be any real point here. I worry that I’m turning into a paranoid weirdo seeing mystical patterns in all these numbers.

The only thing I can think of is what Leo says about synchronicities, that it’s a message to stay on the path.

It feels like a little whispering voice telling me to pay attention.

______________________________________________________

Text added June 29th 2010:

Another bit of synchro-groovyness HERE! That stretch of interstate north of Salt Lake City (and my iPod) seems to have more to tell me!

______________________________________________________