Tarots of the Day Friday

The World: Completion. Perfection. Recognition. Honors. Ultimate change. The end result of all efforts. Success. Assurance. Synthesis. Fulfillment. Triumph in undertakings. The rewards that come from hard work. The path of liberation. Eternal life. Admiration of others. Inheritance. This is a very favorable card, especially if surrounded by other favorable cards.

The Devil: Being seduced by the material world and physical pleasures. Lust for and obsession with money and power. Living in fear, domination and bondage. Being caged by an overabundance of luxury. Discretion should be used in personal and business matters.

mythology

detritus

opinion

Bad Santa indeed

Aaarrggh!!! I'd written a post and tried to post a link to a website that counted down the days until Christmas and was gunned down by a flash animation and loud musical rendition of electronic Jingle Bells. Ovewhelmed my browser. Won't share the link as I have no desire to share the agony...

Wanted to mention that it's International Buy Nothing Day and to add the caveat that local businesses and jewelry sellers in the mall, for example don't count as evil corporate entities, so by all means, buy from such merchants as they:)

And learned there's a textbook on blogging. WTF? How self indulgent is that? But I wouldn't mind it for Christmas. Or else this.

Other then that, all you've missed was a pastry recipe and tales of maternal guilt, which I shall expound on at a later date.

Peace out. Or whatever. Hope you had a happy holiday.

Corbid

Words I didn't know, Part II

Exigent

(adjective)

[EK�sah�jahnt]

1. requiring immediate aid or action; urgent; pressing: "I understand that you've driven with faulty brakes for several weeks now without incident, but you don't want to wait for the problem to become any more exigent."

2. requiring significant effort or expense; demanding

adverb form: exigently

Origin:

Approximately 1670; a back formation of English, 'exigency'; from Middle English, 'exigence'; borrowed from Middle French, 'exigence'; from Late Latin, 'exigentia'; from Latin, 'exigentem' (nominative 'exigens'), from 'exigere': to demand.

Wide Eyed Enthusiasm

Saw the constellation of Orion through a belt of lavendar clouds in a clear sky last night. Remembered being a child fascinated with the stars. Want to find a way to get that sense of wonder and awe back into my life.

Tarot Card of the Day

Angel of Music: "Like as an angel glitt'ring in the sky, / In times of innocence and holy joy: / The joyful shepherd stops his grateful song. / To hear the music of an angel's tongue". A surge of passionate emotion. A call for compassion in the situation. A need to rise above a mundane or materialistic milieu. Possibility of being granted a favor or indulgence. An unexpected emotional influence. Emerging impulse to personal transformation. Development of appropriate aesthetic sensibility. Intuitive awareness of public needs or the mass media. In the creative process: An inrush of excitement or appearance of a new factor offers alternative possibilities for your work.

Thetis, Mother of Achilles

Thetis

by James Hunter

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Thetis was one of the Nereids. Zeus desired her, but she rejected his advances. The goddess Themis then revealed that Thetis was fated to bear a son who was mightier than his father; fearing for his dominion, Zeus gave Thetis as bride to a mortal, Peleus, and all the gods attended the wedding.

Thetis bore one son, Achilles, whom she tried unsuccessfully to make immortal. In one version of the story, she anointed the infant's body with ambrosia and then placed it upon a fire in order to burn away the mortal parts; when she was interrupted by the child's horrified father, she deserted their household in a rage. In a later version, she dipped the child in the river Styx holding him by the heel; all the parts that the river touched became invulnerable, but the heel remained dry. Achilles was later killed in the Trojan war.

Related information

Pronunciation

{thee'-tis}

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Celtic Tree Cards of the day...

The Past:

Hawthorn

Patience required

The situation has been frustrating, and you may have reacted somewhat hastily. Examine the past and see if you rushed matters, or too-quickly chose between undesirable alternatives. Time has changed things, and perhaps opened up new options which could benefit you.

Hawthorn is the Ogham's sixth tree, and the first of the second division. Its sharp thorns and beautiful flowers and leaves illustrate its symbolism- duality and potential danger therein. While it is often easy to see extremes, wisdom usually lies in a balance between them.

The Present:

Hazel

Wisdom

Gather information about the situation as the salmon gathers hazelnuts. Wisdom will come from learning as much as you can, and using intuition and logic to understand this knowledge. This insight will lead you to a creative and wise solution.

Many Celtic legends involve the hazel tree, and hazelnuts which give wisdom- especially to the salmon that live in the pool under the tree and eat the nuts. Hazel symbolizes deep wisdom and insight, used to inspire creativity and resolve conflict. The hazel is the ninth tree of the Ogham.

The Future:

Fir

Objectivity

You will be in a good position to view the situation with some objectivity, and to gain some knowledge that will help to resolve it. Take advantage of this opportunity, remembering that some distance can help you for a time, but is most useful when blended with your personal knowledge and involvement.

The fir is the sixteenth Ogham tree and the first of the fourth grouping, ususally considered to be the vowels. (Some scholars consider this tree to be the elm.) The fir is the tallest native tree, and it grows on hills and mountains, which add to its height. This is why the fir symbolizes objectivity and perspective, a distance that aids one in seeing clearly.

detritus

Velvet Underground Lyrics of the day...

I am tired, I am weary. I could sleep for a thousand years...

Maggie wants to show you all...

...that she can type her name all by herself, so here goes:

maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggggiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

we'll keep working on that :)

I laughed aloud...

...as I watched my friends get eaten and dismembered by Great Cthulu. Played Munchkin last night at game night, and it was pretty damn fun. Who says geeks don't have a sense of humour? Also discussed the pitfalls of retail real estate negotiations. Myself, I have no knowledge. I'm just here for moral support and to distill every statement into a short and clever catchphrase. Diviniations provided upon request.

William Blake Tarot Card of the Day

Ten of Painting (Delight): Your work or ideal takes on a life of it own. Financial prosperity. Achievement or promotion on the job. Inheriting something of tangible or permanent value. Family gatherings and traditions. Finding your roots. Active involvement in community and societal spheres. In the creative process: The success of completion of your project is cause for celebration and an opportunity to honor all the gods and spirits that participated in your benefit.

Cardinal Sins of the Retail Economy

Went to the Barnes and Noble instead of the local indy bookseller again. Because the aisles are wider and they sell coffee in the store instead of three stores away. I'm going to politically incorrect consumer hell, I know. To compound things, I was going to take the girls to a nice little diner for lunch and gave up and went for fast food instead. I truly think most evil corporate empires in the world are fueled by the flat out laziness of the general populace in this country. We don't have time to look for what we want, we want to be told what we want and then have it handed over to us in exchange for a reasonable amount of money. Even if it comes into our greedy little palms by way of sweatshop labor or fraudulent marketing or murdered orphan bunnies or something. We don't want to know how it happens, we just want it and we want it now. I say as I sip my Starbucks/Barnes & Noble Christmas blend cafe au lait. Shame on you if all you can think about after reading that sentence is how good the coffee sounds:)

Peace,Love, and Armchair Revolution,

Corbid Ravenous, Pathetic Marketing Vicitm

21st century girl

Realized we have not yet achieved an elctronic universe yet when it comes to money, at least in some choice locations. Drove all the way downtown then realized I had no change for the friggin parking meters. contemplated finding an ATM machine, then spending some cash somewhere, then said fuck it, I have a sleeping baby in the car and left. Maybe next time...

Friday Five

Email me your answers, c'mon don't be shy:)


List five things you'd like to accomplish by the end of the year.

List five people you've lost contact with that you'd like to hear from again.

List five things you'd like to learn how to do.

List five things you'd do if you won the lottery (no limit).

List five things you do that help you relax.


My Responses:


1)Teach my older daughter to read,go back to school,Achieve control over my domestic environment, cheer the hell up, volunteer for a political candidate, write something publishable. 2)Lee Mayhew, Andy Morrill, Kelly Monahan, Christine at Intuit, Edwin Moody. 3)Read & write music, Drive stick shift, master HTML and the fundamentals of basic web design, Learn another language or three, learn to be sweeter and more humble. 4)Build happy bedroom retreats for my children, a car for their father,granite countertops for my kitchen, finance the commercial and artistic dream ventures of my friends, finance creative social rebellions...5)Laughing out loud,learning new and useless facts,escapism through reading,baking bread (now that it's finally cold enough outside,)listening to webradio and/or my library of assorted mp3 files.

Unsolicited ramblingness

TV news sucks exponentially. Have decided to start getting the paper again to keep from getting stupid. Also I plan to get and out and see some movies, windowshop the mall and all that other prole weekend crap for a change. That's assuming I wake up before noon tomorrow,though.


Other opinions of no relevance:

1)The West Wing has begun to totally suck.

2)Afraid to go to Casa video as I fear I owe them some money or something.

3)Have discovered the joys of Winamp.

4)Claussen pickles were on sale and I'm in Heaven.

5)Hershey's kisses and a steak sandwich for lunch, because they were there.

6)Lay on the floor and let the baby use me as furniture this morning and she got all blissed out.

7)I get all blissed out myself if people bring me candy.

8)Loving the universal remote.

9)Contemplating a different shade again for my rehenna.

10)Should be using this time to learn more HTML or to preview the Pima course catalog...more later.

The Basquiat Soundtrack

rather rocks, yes it does.

Cell phones...

...are a tool of the devil. Or at the very least, more trouble than they're worth. Gave up trying to revive mine and accomplished about a dozen other things which is so out of character for me and I mean that in a good way. It was as if the little cartoon clouds above my head had parted for a moment, allowing vision and clarity or at least the energy to get up out of my chair and clean the damned refrigerators for a change. It was like an archeological dig, that was. How old does jam have to get before it actually grows mold, I ask you? Quite old indeed. Bought the universal remote I'd been needing since it was ridiculous to have two televisions and still not be able to watch certain channels without aid of the single VCR. Now listening to a used CD I bought about three weeks ago and forgot about: The soundtrack for "Basquiat." Tom Waits is singing "Waltzing Matilda," and though that sounds ridiculous, truly it's fucking gorgeous.

Shakespearean reference of the day: Cordelia...



Youngest daughter of King Lear and most doubted by him, but turns out in the end to have been the most loving and loyal.



In the first scene of the first act of King Lear Cordelia, Lear's youngest daughter, is banished from his sight forever. As per his decree, she does not return to the stage until the end of the drama. Yet Cordelia's actions and attitude reverberate throughout the play, revealing Lear's motivations and conveying Shakespeare's message to the audience. Specifically, her character is used to illustrate the importance of being self-assured. Contrasted with Cordelia's confident perseverance, it becomes clear that Lear's self-doubt is responsible for his inability to rule and his eventual downfall.

Tarot cards of the day

4 of Cups:

Stop dwelling on old memories. A relationship is tested. You are experiencing illogical dissatisfaction with a relationship or job; step back and look at the problem before taking any action.



2 of Swords:

There is tension and indecision in relationships or friendships. You are having difficulty gaining a sense of balance because you have no definite plans as to the direction you want to go. You are faced with having to balance two important things in life without being able to make a firm decision.









Online Dream Dictionary

myth of the day

detritus

A word I didn't know...will wonders never cease...

And a rather fitting one at that. If any of you knew it already, I shall have to disown you. Just kidding. Well,sort of kidding. Here it is:


Recherche:

(adjective) [rahsher'SHAY]


1. rare or exotic, and usually only known to connoisseurs: "I've never had the patience to dig very deep into the music scene, so I rely on Justin to keep me abreast of recherche acts." 2. exquisite; choice. 3. marked by excessive or exaggerated refinement; forced. 4. pretentious.


And on a less refined note...


Courtesy of Lizzie, I have learned that today is World Toilet Day, I shite you not. Oh, that was bad...

Comfort zone

Contemplating becoming a happy little zoloft drop. Eating chocolate ice cream and frozen pizza simultaneously while listening to goth internet radio and watching the baby roll around on the floor. Resolving to banish certain thoughts from my head. I will emerge from this cocoon the stronger for it. Anyone who gets in my way can just friggin' eat me, how's that?

Good for one's troubled soul...or whatever

Do something for the good of mankind today, without even leaving your chair.

Victor oer the oppressive hordes...

Killed all the pop up ads at last! Parasitic bastards! Good noncommercial site for info on this type of menace:http://www.doxdesk.com/parasite/. More shortly. But I have rejoined the land of the living anyway. Not quite the Eeyore I've been lately.

Maggie wanted to post something

So here's what she says: Teletubbies are cool. And they have a cool computer game. Get off the computer now,Mom, I want to play!

Myth of the Day #2: Hannibal of Carthage

Hannibal

(HAN-uh-buhl) A general from the ancient city of Carthage. During the second of the Punic Wars between Carthage and Rome, Hannibal took an army of more than 100,000, supported by elephants, from Spain into Italy in an effort to conquer Rome. The army had to cross the Alps, and this troop movement is still regarded as one of the greatest in history. Hannibal won several victories on this campaign but was not able to take Rome.



Hannibal's march into Italy is legendary. The Roman Senate felt secure from land invasion and took too few precautions. Their confidence is understandable. There was Hannibal in Spain. He had to fight his way through a Roman army, cross the Pyrenees (themselves a difficult range of mountains), then fight his way across southern France, for this area was under Roman control, then cross the formidable Alps.



The scope of the accomplishment is sometimes overlooked in survey textbooks. Crossing the Alps was remarkable, but Hannibal did much more than that.



When word came that Hannibal had escaped from Spain, Rome was concerned but not panicked. The Senate sent a second army to hold the bridges at the Rhone River. This river is deep and swift in its lower courses. The Romans were sure they could prevent Hannibal from crossing, then defeat him in their own good time in southern Gaul.



Again Hannibal fooled them. He slipped northward, avoiding Roman sentries, and crossed the river on pontoons and by swimming. The crossing was treacherous; not only was the river in spring flood, but if he were discovered by the Romans during the crossing, his army would have been destroyed on the spot. Most remarkable about the crossing was the elephants. The river was too deep for the elephants to wade, and no pontoon bridge would hold them. So he had bladders filled with air -- elephant water wings -- and floated the beasts across, not without loss.



Once across, Hannibal marched quickly south again and caught the Roman army entirely by surprise. He won a resounding victory, and now nothing stood between him and Italy. Except the Alps.



The crossing of the Alps was a heroic effort. Many classical authors told the story; the account by Livy is as good as any. The mountains themselves were dangerous, of course, but they were made even more dangerous by the fact that local tribes cheerfully fought anyone who entered their mountains, so Hannibal had to fight his way over the mountains. He arrived in Italy with only 26,000 men and about two dozen elephants. So, while it is true that Hannibal brought his elephants across the Alps, he did so only at great loss. Most died either at the Rhone or in the Alps.

Ogham Reading of the Day

Fearn Alder:

You are now in, or about to enter, a time of healing. Different methods may all have their advantages; do not restrict yourself to one too hastily. Seek out the healing you need, and accept it when it comes to you unbidden.

The alder is the fifteenth of the Ogham trees. Both its flowers and its berries are used to make wines, and these wines are considered to have healing properties, as does elder bark. The elder itself heals quickly, and rapidly regrows any parts that are damaged.



Tinne Holly:

You are called upon to act, either to create balance or to preserve it. it is time to act with strength and vigor, but only in the service of justice. And in so doing, you will prevail.

The eighth tree of the Ogham is usually considered holly, although historically cypress is also associated with it. Holly is masculine, symbolizing both fatherhood and the ability and willingness to fight for justice and redress wrongs, renewing balance.



myth of the day

detritus

Shakespeare Play of the Day:Othello(The Moor of Venice)

Plot Summary of Othello

In the opening scene, Iago complains that Othello, his Commander, has passed him over to promote handsome Cassio to be his Lieutenant. He vows to get revenge. Iago first asks his friend Roderigo to tell Desdemona's father Brabantio that his daughter has left to marry Othello, a marriage Brabantio opposes because Othello is a Moor (an African). Brabantio confronts Othello, and they take their argument to the Duke, who has summmoned Othello to ask him to sail to Cyprus to stop a Turkish invasion. Convinced by Othello and Desdemona that they love each other deeply despite their differences, the Duke gives Desdemona permission to travel with Othello. By the time they reach Cyprus the foreign threat is gone.



Iago has Roderigo get Cassio drunk and draw him into a street fight. Iago has his revenge on Cassio when Othello strips Cassio of his rank for misbehavior. Then Iago decides to make Othello believe his wife is unfaithful. He encourages Cassio to ask Desdemona to plead with Othello to be reinstated. Iago suggests to Othello that Desdemona is Cassio's lover. Trusting Iago and mad with jealousy, Othello promotes Iago and asks Iago to help him kill Cassio and Desdemona.



Iago plants Desdemona's handkerchief in Cassio's room. Cassio gives it to his mistress, Bianca. Othello believes Bianca's possession of the handkerchief is proof that Desdemona and Cassio are lovers. He verbally abuses his wife in front of others, who are shocked at the change in the noble and powerful man.



Iago has manipulated Roderigo into trying to kill Cassio. The attempt goes wrong, and Cassio wounds Roderigo; Iago stabs Cassio in the leg. Othello hears Cassio cry out and thinks Iago has killed him. He returns home, ready to kill Desdemona. Meanwhile, Iago "finds" the wounded Cassio and accuses Bianca of causing Cassio's injury. Iago quietly kills Roderigo and sends Emilia (Iago's wife) to Desdemona with news of what has happened.



Othello reaches the sleeping Desdemona first. Othello kisses her, wakes her, and accuses her again. Over her protests that she loves him and is innocent, he smothers her. Emilia enters and Desdemona revives for a moment, declaring herself guiltless but saying, as she dies, that Othello is innocent of her death. Iago and others enter, and Emilia defends Desdemona's innocence, recognizing that Iago is behind the tragedy. Othello sees the truth and tries to kill Iago. Iago kills Emilia and flees; Othello condemns himself and commits suicide. Iago is seized and taken away.

"Deep breath..." That's what I tell everyone I see that's having a bad day. Well, that and, "Go have a smoke." It's usually only my friendly coworkers as I rarely interact with anyone other than them live and in person, except my hubby. Come to think of it, I also tend to say the same two things to him fairly often. Kind of makes me wonder: am I helping or am I the cause? A point to ponder...


Happiness, Love, and Joy to all!

(My new Mantra)

Going slowly insane...

At least telemarketing keeps people in jobs...

I'm being spammed by pop up ads. I'm on a search and destroy mission to find the elusive adware program that has somehow installed itself on my hard drive. I've already deleted/uninstalled about four of them. What the hell?


Funny bit from one of them. It was for a matchmaking service and promised "free matches for a year." How confidence inspiring is that? That if you were single and using their matchmaking service the odds are apparently in favor of your still being unattatched after a year of using the service?


As to the rest of it...well, one of the things about adware is that it supposedly targets ads to your individual tastes, which is a total and utter crock. I don't want to connect to online casinos. I don't need help refining my websearching techniques. I think we've already established that I'm not in need of penis enlargement. Now if they had some Zoloft ads, you'd know they were targeting me,since Zoloft ads seem to follow me everywhere. About the closest thing to an ad I'd be remotely interested in is the ad for the pop up ad blocker. And damned if I'm going to pay to keep from being harrassed by pop up ads. That's just plain extortion, is what it is. Iwill find the damned thing and kill it once and for all, so help me god! Or whatever.

Tarot deck eclectica

Vertigo Tarot (featuring Neil Gaiman's Death)

Milo Manara Tarot (gorgeous but risque)

Art Noveau Tarot(beautiful)

Hello Kitty Tarot(oh,the indignities suffered by Kitty...)

The Rock & Roll Tarot (features David Bowie on The Lovers card)





myth of the day

detritus

Rather lovely tarot cards of the day...

From the William Blake tarot deck (which is what I want for Christmas):



Ace of Poetry (Inspiration): "I come in Self-annihilation & the grandeur of Inspiration / To cast of Rational Demonstration by Faith in the Saviour / To cast off the rotten rags of Memory by Inspiration / To cast aside from Poetry all that is not Inspiration". The kiss of divine inspiration. Receiving an impetus to creative action. Getting in touch with higher consciousness or Spirit. Experiencing a personal vision of truth, beauty, ecstasy. Discovering sexuality as a metaphor for imaginative experience. Sense of being guided by a higher force. The "Yes!" card. A soulful new beginning. In the creative process: Being in contact with the purest and highest part of your being provides the impetus for fresh expressions in both art and life.



Woman of Poetry: "To go forth to the Great Harvest & Vintage of the Nations". Radiating confidence, pride, and self-assurance. Being unafraid to promote yourself or reach for what you really want. Being generous and open-hearted, but also dramatic and assertive. Wanting to inspire others. Creative self-fulfillment. Gathering a rich harvest from the situation. Expressing intuitive knowledge and leadership. Mastery of expression. In the creative process: With complete confidence in your expressive abilities, you serve as a guiding light to inspire growth and confidence in others.



myth of the day

detritus

Coyote

Myth of the Day:

Coyote

by Tamara Kazakova

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The Coyote mythlore is one of the most popular among the Native American. Coyote is a ubiquitous being and can be categorized in many types. In creation myths, Coyote appears as the Creator himself; but he may at the same time be the messenger, the culture hero, the trickster, the fool. He has also the ability of the transformer: in some stories he is a handsome young man; in others he is an animal; yet others present him as just a power, a sacred one.

According to Crow (and other Plains) tradition, Old Man Coyote impersonates the Creator, "Old Man Coyote took up a handful of mud and out of it made people" 1. His creative power is also spread onto words, "Old Man Coyote named buffalo, deer, elk, antelopes, and bear. And all these came into being" 2. In such myths Coyote-Creator is never mentioned as an animal, more, he can meet his animal counterpart, the coyote: they address each other as "elder brother" and "younger brother", and walk and talk together 3. According to A. Hultkranz, the impersonation of Coyote as Creator is a result of a taboo, a mythic substitute to the religious notion of the Great Spirit whose name was too dangerous and/or sacred to use apart from a special ceremony 4.



In Chelan myths, Coyote belongs to the animal people but he is at the same time "a power just like the Creator, the head of all the creatures" 5. Yet his being 'just like the Creator' does not really mean being 'the Creator': it is not seldom that Coyote-Just-Like-Creator is subject to the Creator, Great Chief Above, who can punish him, send him away, take powers away from him, etc. In the Pacific Northwest tradition, Coyote is mostly mentioned as a messenger, or minor power, "Coyote was sent to the camp of the chief of the Cold Wind tribe to deliver a challenge; Coyote traveled around to tell all the people in both tribes about the contest." sup>6 As such, Coyote "was cruelly treated, and his work was never done." 7.



As the culture hero, Coyote appears in various mythic traditions. His major heroic attributes are transformation, traveling, high deeds, power. He is engaged in changing the ways of rivers, standing of mountains, creating new landscapes and getting sacred things for people. Of mention is the tradition of Coyote fighting against monsters. According to Wasco tradition, Coyote was the hero to fight and kill Thunderbird, the killer of people, but he could do that not because of his personal power, but due to the help of the Spirit Chief; Coyote was trying his best, he was fighting hard, and he had to have fasted ten days before the fight, so advised by Spirit Chief 8. In many Wasco myths, Coyote rivals the Raven (Crow) about the same ordeal: in some stories, Multnomah Falls came to be by Coyote's efforts; in others, it is done by Raven.



More often than not Coyote is a trickster, but he is always different. In some stories, he is a noble trickster, "Coyote takes water from the Frog people... because it is not right that one people have all the water." 9. In others, he is mean, "Coyote determined to bring harm to Duck. He took Duck's wife and children, whom he treated badly." 10.

The myth of the day is...

Coyote,the trickster.

Selfish bastards

People want to live in the desert. So they destroy the desert so that they can go live in it. And then drive its inhabitants into the city, where they're ill equipped to survive. Really rather terrible. But I suppose they have a nice view, or whatever.

Catkillers.

There's a coyote in my neighborhood

Saw her up close and in person. And not in the most flattering of circumstances, we'll just leave it at that.

Thought I'd share my joy...

Hee, hee, hee!!! I was finally able to do it! I beat the stupid invitation! As you can see, I'm still brain fried from work. There are 2 sets of newbies on the call floor this week. One just out of OJT and one just starting OJT. I am one busy girl. My newbies have told me repeatedly these past two weeks that the final week of training is completely useless and that I, and my fellow IHD reps, taught them more in the first two days we had them. It's sad that that makes me feel so good. Oh, well... Happiness to all!

Discord

Left in daylight,courted in dreams

the elusive touch remains

just below the surface of waking

tangibly unreal

A ghost of Christmas Never

but true all the same

You can feel it on your tongue

and taste it in your spine

It smells like laughter

The realest thing that never was

No one can take

that paradox from you



And though we laugh about Lot's wife

there are other kinds of salt

There are oceans and there are tears

The salt-sweet acrid taste of her bloodied,broken heart

as she becomes the sacrifice

Drink deeply of her goddess cup

And you will wane

But you will live again,my friend

Though after the first death there is no other



Eyes fringed with secrets

Soft lips holding back whispers

There are things known

not yet in any book

She has magick enough

To turn worlds

There is

more danger in her childlike brow

than in the kindled flames

of a thousand suns

And she will burn brightly yet

rem sleep rebound

Strange,vivid dreams again. I awoke with words in my head and strange music...

My favorite expository movie quote (paraphrased)

From Bram Stoker's "Dracula":

"Van Helsing knows more about obscure diseases than anyone else on the planet."

Now there's a book about it.

In case you were wondering what I wanted for Christmas...

Tracklisting For "Cowpunk Noir" Mix, forthcoming...

1) Drew Got Shot -Scud Mountain Boys
2) Black Eyed Man -Cowboy Junkies
3) 7 Months,39 Days - Hank Williams III
4) Designs On You -The Old 97s
5) Walkin' The Streets In The Rain -Pagan Holiday
6) Simple Song - Lyle Lovett
7) Waitin' Round To Die -Townes Van Zandt
8) Snake Mountain Blues -Townes Van Zandt
9) Friend Of The Devil - Lyle Lovett
10) Some Rainy Day You're Down -Pagan Holiday
11) Alone So Far -The Old 97s
12) Cocaine Blues - Hank Williams III
13) Murder Tonight In The Trailer Park-Cowboy Junkies
14) Cigarette Sandwich -Scud Mountain Boys
15) Pop Country Really Sucks - Hank Williams III
16) Am I Too Late? -The Old 97s
17) If I Had A Boat - Lyle Lovett

Stargazing

Celebrities no one seems to like but me:

Emma Thompson, Is a bit of a goddess I've always thought.

Kyra Sedgwick gets double points in the "Six Degrees" game.

And Aidan Quinn ... well, I've just always had a thing for Aidan Quinn.

A template for your evil thoughts...

Church Sign Generator

Buying some sunshine

It was raining and I took the girls out to get milkshakes today. I used to work at a Baskin Robbins and milkshake sales always skyrocketed on rainy days for some reason. The owner used to say people were trying to buy "a little bit of sunshine." Rather sweet and wise, I guess, although anything else she ever had to say to me was along the lines of "Why can't you make the waffle cones right?" Or "You can't put so much whipped cream on the Sundaes...we're not made of money here." This was back when I was in college,of course. God I need to get back to school.


"I suppose I should collect my books and get on back to school

or find my daddy's cue and make a living out of playing pool...you try to keep me amused,but I feel I'm being used..."

Adventures in HTML

I've gone out and bought a book called "Creating web sites for Dummies" therefore confirming my idiocy to the world. But it comes with a basic HTML primer, which is really what I wanted, along with 8 other primers and a shiteload of free trial software of various web design programs, etc. Don't know whether it's worth learning all this tripe, but I've been picking up little bits of html knowledge as I mess with my blog templates (rather like the french one learns from candy packages) and have become curious as to what it all means. Rather like taking the training wheels off a bicycle, I suppose. Except I never learned to ride a bicycle, so perhaps that's a bad example...

Ugly website, great interview...

Old interview with the now defunct band "Scud Mountain Boys," which later spawned the Pernice Brothers.

William Blake Tarot

Man of Painting: Getting on top of practical aspects of the situation. Taking a pragmatic outlook at what needs to be done. Using calm and caution in a highly charged situation. Taking a conservative yet colorful and personal approach. Total concentration on the task at hand. Bathing in the light of life. Not holding back from direct experience. In the creative process: Test and refine your ideas or product to see if it works as planned; be practical yet innovative.



Nine of Music (Happiness): Learning to "Be Here Now." Ability to evoke what you want or need. Emotional fulfillment. Sensual or sexual gratification. Overflowing awareness of life's bounty. Spontaneous love and happiness. Self-indulgences. Wishes fulfilled. Appetites satisfied. In the creative process: You are at your creative best, blessed with a vision of life that is extravagant and blissful.



myth of the day

detritus

You shall Know Our Velocity

Full review forthcoming. Initial impressions? Compelling, Couplandesque. Found the middle part to be distracting and overly contrived but it certainly made for an interesting perspective on the rest the narrative. Sometimes feels like a crackerjack response to a really strange creative writing assignment. Still, overall I liked it. Another watershed moment in the history of Gen X literature. Reflects that sarcastic-but-sensitive, overly analytic inner voice so typical of young geniuses of my demographic. That aimless yet hopeful search for meaning in the universe. Kind of the viewpoint of "the glass is half-empty, but eventually we might find a pitcher from which to refill it."

The origins of Saille Willow

In case you were wondering

http://www.whitedragon.org.uk/articles/willow.htm

The Twilight of the Gods

Myth of the Day:Ragnarok

Pronunciation

{rag'-nuh-rahk}

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ragnarok ("Doom of the Gods"), also called Gotterdammerung, means the end of the cosmos in Norse mythology. It will be preceded by Fimbulvetr, the winter of winters. Three such winters will follow each other with no summers in between. Conflicts and feuds will break out, even between families, and all morality will disappear. This is the beginning of the end.

The wolf Skoll will finally devour the sun, and his brother Hati will eat the moon, plunging the earth [into] darkness. The stars will vanish from the sky. The cock Fjalar will crow to the giants and the golden cock Gullinkambi will crow to the gods. A third cock will raise the dead.



The earth will shudder with earthquakes, and every bond and fetter will burst, freeing the terrible wolf Fenrir. The sea will rear up because Jormungand, the Midgard Serpent, is twisting and writhing in fury as he makes his way toward the land. With every breath, Jormungand will stain the soil and the sky with his poison. The waves caused by the serpent's emerging will set free the ship Naglfar, and with the giant Hymir as their commander, the giants will sail towards the battlefield. From the realm of the dead a second ship will set sail, and this ship carries the inhabitants of hell, with Loki as their helmsman. The fire giants, led by the giant Surt, will leave Muspell in the south to join against the gods. Surt, carrying a sword that blazes like the sun itself, will scorch the earth.



Meanwhile, Heimdall will sound his horn, calling the sons of Odin and the heroes to the battlefield. From all the corners of the world, gods, giants, dwarves, demons and elves will ride towards the huge plain of Vigrid ("battle shaker") where the last battle will be fought. Odin will engage Fenrir in battle, and Thor will attack Jormungand. Thor will victorious, but the serpent's poison will gradually kill the god of thunder. Surt will seek out the swordless Freyr, who will quickly succumb to the giant. The one-handed Tyr will fight the monstrous hound Garm and they will kill each other. Loki and Heimdall, age-old enemies, will meet for a final time, and neither will survive their encounter. The fight between Odin and Fenrir will rage for a long time, but finally Fenrir will seize Odin and swallow him. Odin's son Vidar will at once leap towards the wolf and kill him with his bare hands, ripping the wolf's jaws apart.



Then Surt will fling fire in every direction. The nine worlds will burn, and friends and foes alike will perish. The earth will sink into the sea.



After the destruction, a new and idyllic world will arise from the sea and will be filled with abundant supplies. Some of the gods will survive, others will be reborn. Wickedness and misery will no longer exist and gods and men will live happily together. The descendants of Lif and Lifthrasir will inhabit this earth.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Ragnarok." Encyclopedia Mythica.

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/r/ragnarok.html

[Accessed November 11th, 2003.]

Slavic Runes of the Day

The question being, what to keep mentally focused on:



Jablko(the apple tree):

Knowledge,health and the fruits of one's labor.



Kretalinia(meander):

Harmony,motion,water,waves,immortality,eternity.







myth of the day

detritus

remnants...

If remnants are not enough, I shall give you tokens

the moon and sun in effigy

an orchard of an alphabet

vampire kisses

scent of sandalwood

a taste of peppermint and salt tears

Imrpovised recipe of the Day...

Variation on Shrimp Diablo:

Hungry and sick and in need of protein and spiciness, I have become quite resourceful. Put some linguini on to boil. In another saucepan, sauteed about 3 oz of cooked frozen shrimp in a little bit of olive oil and greek seasoning (could substitute garlic) along with a packet of red crushed peppers (garden variety pizza delivery packet)and some bell pepper strips. One could also add olives or mushrooms if one were so inclined. To this, I added about two cups of plain marina sauce and then simmered the whole thing for about 10 minutes until everything was warm. Served over 8oz or so of linguini, it has a nice bite to it, makes roughly three to four generous servings. Me, I'm doling it out to myself for lunches over the next couple of days. Remember, kids, you can always get a bag of medium tail off shrimp at Trader Joe's for $4.99 to keep in your freezer for your stir-frying enjoyment. And one could also do this with leftover cooked fish or chicken or pork cut into nice little strips. Or clams,for that matter...

Blodeuwedd of Flowers and Owls...

Blodeuwedd is a flower maiden of Welsh myth, created for Llew Llaw Gyffes by Gwydion and Math from flowers and nine elements, because he was forbidden to take a human wife.



She fell in love with a hunter called Goronwy (Gronw), and set about creating a plan to kill Llew by trickery. She coaxed Llew into revealing the manner in which he could be killed; he explained that he could not be killed by day or night, indoors or out of doors, neither riding nor walking, or by any weapon that had been lawfully made. Pressed further he explained that there was a way around this. He could be killed by twilight, with one foot in a cauldron of water positioned by a riverbank, and one upon a billy goat, a form of Celtic triple death. She persuaded him to get into this strange position and her lover Goronwy, who has been hiding in some bushes leaped out and threw a spear made on an unlawful day at him. Llew was sorely wounded and changed into an eagle. He is later restored to human form by magical means, and Blodeuwedd is turned into a night owl for her sins, to wander the world of darkness shunned by other creatures in the daylight.



Some researchers believe Blodeuwedd to be the maiden aspect of the triple goddess.



Courtesy Pantheon of British Mythology at Mysterious Britain.

Faery tarot cards of the Day

Queen Oonagh

When Queen Oonagh appears in the cards, she indicates the development of practical skills, finding solutions to practical problems, help, good advice, and friendship.



Bogeyman

When the grotesque bogeyman appears in your cards, he indicates unfounded fears and groundless anxiety. You have lost your sense of proportion and are worrying over nothing. Perhaps you are more than a little oversensitive at this time.



myth of the day

detritus

The birds and the bees and the luna moths...

A friend describes Barbara Kingsolver's Prodigal Summer as "Biology Porn." I find this both amusing and apt and can't come up up with much better in the way of a capsule review.


in other news, updates abound at Perlustrations as well as the myths and portents of the day, as always.

McGriddle Sandwiches

Why?Because I had a coupon. Was it any good? I really haven't decided yet. It wasn't neccessarily bad, but I suspect I may become ill in the immediate future. Basically, this was egg,bacon, and cheeze (intentionally spelled with a "z") between two small,thick,fake syrupy pancakes. It was just weird is really what it was. Neither good nor bad, but simply weird. And I would suggest not having orange juice alongside it, as that could not possibly have helped things...alas, I am a tad queasy from wetness and grease.

"Upwards"

Somebody at work from another shift had the game "Upwards," a Scrabble derivant, which begged to be tried out. My initial verdict? A bit too simple for my tastes. It's like switching from the New York Times crossword puzzle to the one in People magazine. But it was kind of fun. Maybe I'm just set in my ways, is all.

Happy Birthday Neil

Neil Gaimanhas just turned 42, it seems.

I am, it appears, a giant napkin

A casual lunch outing with the girls ended up looking like a terrible, tragic knife fight as I returned covered in ketchup and chocolate ice cream stains from head to toe. The baby has discovered the concept of dipping foods into other foods at the same time as she's discovered sharing. Thus, I was required to sample such wondrous concotions as carrot sticks dipped in ketchup and "sugar packet with ranch dressing." Mmm...you just don't know what you're missing there. But the important thing is that we managed to get out of the house and have a passably good time for about the first time in a week. Slowly,slowly I am beginning to regain my sanity...

Oghams of the day, rife with symbolism (bury your heart beneath the willow tree...eat of the poisoned apple and gain wisdom...)

Willow

Intuition



Your intuition will help you understand the situation and what is best to do. Give yourself the time and opportunity you need to allow your subconscious to communicate its knowledge to you.



Willow, the Ogham's fourth tree, is closely connected to water, the unconscious, the moon, and thus the feminine. It is symbolic of intuition, the ability to make connections and gain understanding without knowing exactly how or why one knows.





Apple

Beauty and eternity



Beauty, vigor and, perhaps, love are in your future. Anticipate the good, and enjoy it when it arrives. Be careful not to scatter your energies, however; while many options may all be good, sometimes one still must choose between them.



Avalon- the Isle of Apples- is a place of healing in Arthurian legend. The apple symbolizes beauty, eternal youth and vitality, and love. It can also indicate a necessary choice among good options. Apple is the tenth of the Ogham trees.









myth of the day

detritus

Bast or Bastet (the Cat Goddess)

Myth of the Day:

Bastet

by Stephanie Cass

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The Egyptian cat-headed goddess, Bastet was strictly a solar deity until the arrival of Greek influence on Egyptian society, when she became a lunar goddess due to the Greeks associating her with their Artemis. Dating from the 2nd Dynasty (roughly 2890-2686 BCE), Bastet was originally portrayed as either a wild desert cat or as a lioness, and only became associated with the domesticated feline around 1000 BCE. She was commonly paired with Sakhmet, the lion-headed goddess of Memphis, Wadjet, and Hathor. Bastet was the "Daughter of Ra", a designation that placed her in the same ranks as such goddesses as Maat and Tefnut. Additionally, Bastet was one of the "Eyes of Ra", the title of an "avenger" god who is sent out specifically to lay waste to the enemies of Egypt and her gods.





The cult of Bastet was centered in Bubastis (located in the delta region, near modern- day Zagazig) from at least the 4th Dynasty. In the Late Period Bubastis was the capital of Egypt for a dynasty, and a few kings took her name into their royal titles. Bubastis was made famous by the traveler Herodotus in the 4th century BCE, when he described in his annals one of the festivals that takes place in honor of Bastet. Excavations in the ruins of Tell-Basta (the former Bubastis) have yielded many discoveries, including a graveyard with mummified holy cats.



Because the Greeks equated Bastet with Diana and Artemis and Horus with Apollo, Bastet became adopted into the Osiris-Isis myth as their daughter (this association, however, was never made previous to the arrival of Hellenistic influence on Egypt). She is stated to be the mother of the lion-headed god Mihos (who was also worshipped in Bubastis, along with Thoth). She is depicted most commonly as a woman with the head of a domesticated or wild cat or lion, or as a cat itself.



"Bastet." Encyclopedia Mythica.

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/b/bastet.html

[Accessed November 08th, 2003.]

Theme of the day, I guess...

I think depression is contagious, like yawning. I catch it so easily from others. I wish they would catch happiness from me instead.

I'm apparently too presumptious part II

Came to the epiphany that it's useless to be jealous of friends and acquaintances who have turned chance oppurtunities into worthwhile careers. Perhaps it's not that I haven't "been given the right chances." Perhaps I've just failed to recognize and take advantage of them. There's a certain talent in just that ability itself. Time to wake up and harvest the roses. My niche is out there, I simply have yet to find it.

Happy Little Zoloft drops...

Zoloft ads have infiltrated basically every entertainment media I frequent. The final straw was when I saw one today during "Guiding Light." Yes, I watch "Guiding Light," so sue me. It was the commercial for the Social Anxiety little Zoloft drop. There's also the Depression Zoloft drop and the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Zoloft drop. They're such darling little disembodied heads. You really root for them to take their medicine so they can be all happy and cute like the other disembodied heads. I suppose I'm being marketed to. Apparently I'm not the only one.This cannot be a good sign...


Which little Zoloft drop are you?

The Goddess Ishtar

ISHTAR is the name of the chief goddess of Babylonia and Assyria. She appears under various names, among which are Nan, Innanna, Nina and Anunit. Ishtar is celebrated and invoked as the great mother, as the mistress of lands, as clothed in splendour and power, one might almost say as the personification of life itself.



She has two aspects as goddess of life. She brings forth, she fertilizes the fields, she clothes nature in joy and gladness, but she also withdraws her favours and when she does so the fields wither, and men and animals cease to reproduce. In place of life, barrenness and death ensue. She is thus also a grim goddess, at once cruel and destructive. We can, therefore, understand that she was also invoked as a goddess of war and battles and of the chase. In myths symbolizing the change of seasons she is portrayed in this double character, as the life-giving and the life-depriving power.



The most noteworthy of these myths describes her as passing through seven gates into the nether world. At each gate some of her clothing and her ornaments are removed until at the last gate she is entirely naked (thus the relevance of her representation as a stripper in the "Sandman:Brief Lives" collection.) While she remains in the nether world as a prisoner (whether voluntary or involuntary it is hard to say) all fertility ceases on earth, but the time comes when she again returns to earth, and as she passes each gate the watchman restores to her what she had left there until she is again clad in her full splendour, to the joy of mankind and of all nature.



Closely allied with this myth and personifying another view of the change of seasons is the story of Ishtars love for Tammuz, symbolizing the spring time. As midsummer approaches her husband is slain and, according to one version, it is for the purpose of saving Tammuz from the clutches of the goddess of the nether world that she enters upon her journey to that region.



In all the great centres Ishtar had her temples, bearing such names as E-anna, heavenly house, in Erech; E-makh, great house, in Babylon; E-mash-mash, house of offerings, in Nineveh. Of the details of her cult we as yet know little, but there is no evidence that there were obscene rites connected with it, though there may have been certain mysteries introduced at certain centres which might easily impress the uninitiated as having obscene aspects. She was served by priestesses as well as by priests, and it )vould appear that the votaries of Ishtar were in all cases virgins who, as long as they remained in the service of Ishtar, were not permitted to marry.



In the astral-theological system, Ishtar becomes the planet Venus, and the double aspect of the goddess is made to correspond to the strikingly different phases of Venus in the summer and wintel seasons. On nionuments and seal-cylinders she appears frequently with how and arrow, though also simply clad in long robes with a crown on her head and an eight-rayed star as her symbol. Statuette, have been found in large ntimbers representing her as naked with her arms folded across her breast or holding a child. Together with Sin, the moon-god, and Shamash, the sun-god, she is the third figure in a triad personifying the three great forces of nature, moon sun and earth, as the life-force.



ISHTAR

in the 1911 Encyclopdia

Today's Runecasting

from Matrix Oracles :



Nyd / needThey say that necessity is the mother of invention. With NYD you must have patience in order to learn where creative effort is going to bear fruit. Expect delays and limitations when this rune appears; take care of your health as well. For a time the feeling will be that success is eluding you, but the rune�??s nature is not failure. Rather endurance is required to get you through.



Ethel / inheritanceThe rune of inheritance, ETHEL indicates benefit to you through gifts and help from family, especially older relatives. In fact death and inheritance are associated, but this rune does not necessarily bring them both. There is a tendency to be stubborn and single-minded where ETHEL is found, so it can indicate areas where you need to cultivate a more flexible attitude.



....I can't believe my fortune is a rune called "Ethel" :)





myth of the day

detritus

Selkie (6/03)

The selkie girl

has wide brown eyes

and soft fine hair

She seldom speaks

but her eyes hold oceans

She basks on sulit rocks

sheds her skin

to try on another

and is caught

Spends years of halfhearted bliss

Before coming to claim it again

Slips it on and it fits so well

Makes her way back seaward

but longs for the kiss

of sunlight on bare shoulders

one more time

and lays it down

only for a moment

She turns and it is gone again

She is caught again

She's of half a mind

to dive in anyway

Magical pelts

being somewhat overrated

Waning (written 6/27/03)

My sovereign strength

has left me yet again

And so I stand

Lost and yearning

Pleading my case

to an empty courtroom

Offering alibis

which fall on deaf ears

I am not beautiful

I am just reflected light

And in the absence of illumination

the token at my throat glints dully

like the blade of a knife

And obscured by shadows,

my glamour discarded,

I come before you in wretchedness and rags

words

words are all she's got

all those big words

tumbling about in

a tiny girl's head

the oldest child you'll ever know

she ages backwards

should've seen her years ago

when she was ancient

and not so self important

and had such a promising future

instead she has pretty girls

with pretty eyes

rebellious angels

with wild hearts

and trusting, questing minds

they tug on her sleeve

and sometimes she notices

sometimes she lifts

her head out of the clouds

just long enough

to see their smiles

and smiles back bittersweetly

knowing they'll grow to hate her someday

when she inevitably lets them down

\

Shell

The shell of me

was salvaged from near ruin

pieced together

strung with wires

and bolted upright



The soul of me

is still in pieces

rotting within

Bits of it fleeing

on occasion



The heart of me

is treacherous and uncertain

and should never be trusted

Siren

She never means to lure them to their doom

enticing young sailors

to their shipwrecked and watery graves

She simply sings

out of loneliness

As she cannot swim

and has no boat

to carry her away



She calls out with a voice pure and lovely

a song haunting and ancient

and full of promise

She calls his name

and bids him hence

another beautiful boy

who has ventured too near

these shores

another beautiful boy

who will soon be

bloodied and broken

upon these jagged rocks



Soon she will kiss away

his life's last breath

and wonder how it can be

that still

she is so lonely

on this empty island

Sick...

Imprisoned at home with two sick children in Disney channel purgatory for the second day running. Clawing at the walls longing to escape. Desperately in need of adult conversation,but no one's reachable today...


Oh well, at least they're cute sick children. I shall cuddle with them and in the meantime take comfort in this Young Ones sketch.


More Young Ones links:

The People's Poet

Quotes

It's just like the Fourth of July

Apparently Guy Fawkes Day is the cause of much fireworks idiocy in Britain,Australia and other former denizens of the British Empire. And we thought we had the market cornered on fireworks idiocy here in the U.S.

http://onenews.nzoom.com/onenews_detail/0,1227,233588-1-7,00.html

Celtic New Year Mix

1)Dire Straits "Brothers In Arms" - First of all, I just love that including this track allows me to have a cd that opens with the sound of thunder (someday I'll have to put "Riders On the Storm" on a mix for that very reason...). Also, I know this is technically not a Celtic band, but Mark Knopfler has put out some gorgeous pseudotraditional instrumentals, so close enough. Lyrically, very much captures the zeitgeist of the struggle for the soul of Celtic identity in the face of historical oppression,blahblahblah whatever. I just love the song, how's that?

2)Silly Wizard "Queen Of Argyll" - If you don't love this song after hearing it, there's just something wrong with you that can't be fixed and that's all I'm going to say on the matter. Other than that Irishmen have nothing on the Scots when it comes to sweet talk.

3)Christy Moore "Mystic Lipstick" - I love the imagery of this song. Dark and heartbreakingly mysterious lyrics. I think the woman in the song is supposed to be Ireland,actually, I shite you not, Ireland as a dark and moody woman. Deep,sexy brogue the man has in spite of his girlish name. Bonus points as far as authenticism here, because he was in Planxty, one of the seminal early Celtic rock bands.

4)Luka Bloom "Bridge of Sorrow" - Ah, Luka Bloom aka Barry Moore, younger brother of Christy. Off his clevery titled "The Acoustic Motorbike." I love this song. Almost spoken word but with such depth and beauty to the vocals and such intoxicating rythym. Lyrically, it's quite the anthem for brooding outcast genius types not that I've ever known or been anyone like that...

5)The Pogues "Broad Majestic Shannon" - My favorite Pogues song of all time. Don't know why. I Love the opening lyrics:"The last time I saw you was down at the Greek's there was whiskey on Sunday and tears on her cheeks, you sang me a song that was pure as the breeze and the aroma of old Glenlivet..." in other words 'you sang me a song with whiskey on your breath,' but it's put so elequently as to be endearing.

6)Loreena McKennit "Annachie Gordon" - Memories of youthful folly...my one public musical spotlight of a moment was roaming the street fair with the infamous Odin Helgeson, busking. I was singing harmony with him to this song, he was obsessed with this song for some reason. I still don't know if people were giving us money because my voice was nice or I was lovely that day or to get me to shut up, but more coins were proffered when I was singing accompaniment. More beer for Odin,anyway. A sweet,sad song in its own right. A testament to the stubbornness of Celtic women thwarted in love. Shakespearean swains may need swords or poison, but lovers in Irish ballads just outright die of broken hearts.

7)Ashley MacIsaac "Hi,how are Ya?" - Insane Canadian Scottish fiddle genius from Cape Breton Island,Nova Scotia. And what does he wear under his kilt? Absolutely nothing. I have it on good authority. Wild and gorgeous spirited music, makes me want to shake my head around and stomp my feet some, like it's Celtic traditional punk or something.

8)Christy Moore "Ride On" - Oh,the voice,oh the imagery...but is he talking to the girl or the horse,cause that could be pretty disgusting,actually....

9)The Pogues "The Auld Triangle" - Quintessential sad Irish imprisonment song, best sung drunk. Well, thank god for the Pogues' Shane MacGowan, then, he's always drunk.

10)Luka Bloom "An Irishman In New York" - All about falling in love with a passing stranger on a New York sidewalk. Then discovering it was all a dream.

11)The Waterboys "The Whole Of the Moon" - A song about dreamers and the people that have to live with them. My favorite line "I saw a rain dirty valley, but you saw Brigadoon."

12)Cowboy Junkies"The Water Is Wide"- An American folk version of the Irish ballad "Carrickfergus" which is much,much sadder but equally beautiful. This version asks for a boat "that carries two, and both shall ride, my love and I." In "Carrickfergus" the boat is "to carry me over to my love and die." Perhaps a difference in national character?

13)Sinead O'Conner w/ the Chieftains "The Foggy Dew" - All the most hauntingly beautiful Irish traditional songs are about war. Go figure. Dying for the love of that beautiful lady Eire, I suppose.

14)The Rankins w/ the Chieftains "An Innis Aigh" - Other than that Innis is Gaelic for Island,I think, I have no idea what the hell any of this means. but it's gorgeous nonetheless.

15)Battlefield Band "Snow On the Hills" - No,I'm not going to tell my Battlefield band story again. Lovely little slow reel here, with flutes and guitar and harp and fiddle and piano and everything it should have, except maybe some bagpipes, where are the pipes,eh? We have a piper down,I repeat there's a piper down...

And that, my friends, is my lovely little mix. No need to thank me for my genius as a would be deejay,lalala...

RE:Track list and commentary for my newest mix CD

Ok,how self important am I that I distribute a mix CD to friends and then feel important enough to do a commentary? Self important enough to have this many seperate blogs,I guess...

Lost in La Mancha

Interesting little documentary about the making of a film that,alas, was not to be. Moment worth waiting for: the look of unbelievable despair on director Terry Gilliam's face as he's told "I'm sorry but we just can't make this movie. Not the movie you want to make." So sad.

Unfairness...

Some people spew venom at everyone they meet

and litter the earth with their psychic carrion

and still they win the Karmic lottery.

Ogham Trees of the Day

Tinne Holly:

Tinne indicates that challenges and testing ordeals are on the way. You are to be as the Holly is: steadfast in adversity, remaining green and vital during the hardships and bitter cold of winter. You need to face life's challenges with the energy of a warrior. Even in adversity, your strength will increase. There is a directed balance and a capacity to unify two sides of a question or problem. There is the need to regain balance of some sort. Often retribution plays a key role in this Ogham, as the old law states "an eye for an eye." To maintain this balance, an act must be returned for another act. Good begets good and evil begets evil. With a sense of justice, you can overcome all harmful influences.



Ngetal Reed:

Ngetal is a sign of harmony between this realm and those beyond it. You must bring harmony into your life for this will bring a unity of purpose and will. Inner direction and outer manifestation will seem to flow together in a harmonious fashion. You may need to challenge the elements within your environment in order to bring this harmony into your life. To accomplish this, elements may need to be harmonized, broken down, and reintegrated. Although things may seem to be threatening and even destructive, they must be dealt with. If you have the courage, contact with these powers of fluctuation and alteration can be a source of strength and illumination. A few surprises could pop up out of unexpected areas. Therefore, there needs to be a high level of ability to adapt and modify things to your will and purpose.



exponential detritus of the day

Guy Fawkes Day

Guy Fawkes Day, or Bonfire Night combines the legend of a notorious attempt to overthrow the British Monarchy with the ancient tradition of the Samhain bonfires and the slaying in effigy of the Summer King at the end of the Wheel Of The Year.



Myth of the Day:Historical Origins of Bonfire Night



In 1605, Guy Fawkes (also known as Guido - yes, really) and a group of conspirators attempted to blow up the Houses of Parliament.





After Queen Elizabeth I died in 1603, English Catholics who had had a rough time under her reign had hoped that her successor, James I, would be more tolerant of their religion. Alas, he was not, and this angered a number of young men who decided that violent action was the answer.



One young man in particular, Robert Catesby suggested to some close friends that the thing to do was to blow up the Houses of Parliament. In doing so, they would kill the King, maybe even the Prince of Wales, and the Members of Parliament who were making life difficult for the Catholics. Today these conspirators would be known as extremists, or terrorists.





To carry out their plan, the conspirators got hold of 36 barrels of gunpowder - and stored it in a cellar, just under the House of Lords.



But as the group worked on the plot, it became clear that some innocent people would be hurt or killed in the attack. Some of the plotters started having second thoughts. One of the group members even sent an anonymous letter warning his friend, Lord Monteagle, to stay away from the Parliament on November 5th. Was the letter real?



The warning letter reached the King, and the King's forces made plans to stop the conspirators.



Guy Fawkes, who was in the cellar of the parliament with the 36 barrels of gunpowder when the authorities stormed it in the early hours of November 5th, was caught, tortured and executed.



It's unclear if the conspirators would ever have been able to pull off their plan to blow up the Parliament even if they had not been betrayed - some people think the gunpowder they were planning to use was so old as to be useless. Since Guy Fawkes and his colleagues got caught before trying to ignite the powder, we'll never know for certain.



http://www.bonefire.org/guy/





http://www.bbc.co.uk/southampton/features/fireworks/guy_fawkes.shtml

Guy Fawkes Day

Remember Remember the fifth of Novemeber

The gunpowder treason and plot

I see no reason why gunpowder treason

should ever be forgot.

Guy Fawkes Guy, 'twas his intent

to blow up king and parliament.

Three score barrels were laid below

to prove old England's overthrow.

By God's mercy he was catched

with a dark lantern and lighted match.

Holler boys Holler boys let the bells ring

Holler boys Holler boys God save the King



-traditional

see the myth of the day for more...

"Peachy keen"

My resolution for immediate future is to be more like Death in the Sandman comics. Joyful and accepting in the face of of the complications and gravity of life. A gothpunk,ankh wearing little ray of sunshine.

In case the email wasn't enough, I shall now publicly embarrass her...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY,TINA!!!

My Quizzical Nature

Rested,calmed and quiet, with happy children placated by milkshakes...my reward is I get to play around with Quizilla...Results below:


What Disney Princess are you?
brought to you by Quizilla



You are Snow White!




brought to you by Quizilla


Say Anything...



What movie Do you Belong in?(many different outcomes!)
brought to you by Quizilla

Something that doesn't suck...

Try putting cubes of cooked potato in with the ground beef when you make tacos. Better yet,use ground lamb and potatoes and add cinnamon. Trust me on this.

Bluebeard

Myth of the Day:King Bluebeard



Next to a great forest there lived an old man who had three sons and two daughters. Once they were sitting together thinking of nothing when a splendid carriage suddenly drove up and stopped in front of their house. A dignified gentleman climbed from the carriage, entered the house, and engaged the father and his daughters in conversation. Because he especially liked the youngest one, he asked the father if he would not give her to him to be his wife.



This seemed to the father to be a good marriage, and he had long desired to see his daughters taken care of while he was still alive. However, the daughter could not bring herself to say yes, for the strange knight had an entirely blue beard, which caused her to shudder with fear whenever she looked at him.



She went to her brothers, who were valiant knights, and asked them for advice. The brothers thought that she should accept Bluebeard, and they gave her a little whistle, saying, "If you are ever threatened, just blow this whistle, and we will come to your aid!"



Thus she let herself be talked into becoming the strange man's wife, but she did arrange for her sister to accompany her when King Bluebeard took her to his castle.



When the young wife arrived there, there was great joy throughout the entire castle, and King Bluebeard was very happy as well. This continued for about four weeks, and then he said that he was going on a journey. He turned all the keys of the castle over to his wife, saying, "You may go anywhere in the castle, unlock everything, and look at anything you want to, except for one door, to which this little golden key belongs. If you value your life, you are not allowed to open it!"



"Oh no!" she said, adding that she surely would not open that door. But after the king had been away for a while, she could find no rest for constantly thinking about what there might be in the forbidden chamber. She was just about to unlock it when her sister approached her and held her back. However, on the morning of the fourth day, she could no longer resist the temptation, and taking the key she secretly crept to the room, stuck the key into the lock, and opened the door.



Horrified, she saw that the entire room was filled with corpses, all of them women. She wanted to slam the door shut immediately, but the key fell out and into the blood. She quickly picked it up, but it was stained with blood. And however much she rubbed and cleaned it, the stains would not go away. With fear and trembling she went to her sister.



When King Bluebeard finally returned from his journey, he immediately asked for the golden key. Seeing the bloodstains on it, he said, "Wife, why did you not heed my warning? Your hour has now struck! Prepare yourself to die, for you have been in the forbidden room!"



Crying, she went to her sister, who lived upstairs in the castle. While she was bemoaning her fate to her, the sister thought of the whistle that she had received from her brothers, and said, "Give me the whistle! I shall send a signal to our brothers. Perhaps they will be able to help!" And she blew the whistle three times, issuing a bright sound that rang through the woods.



An hour later they heard Bluebeard rustling up the stairs to get his wife and slaughter her. "Oh God, oh God!" she cried out. "Aren't my brothers coming?" She rushed to the door and locked it, then fearfully stood there holding it shut as well.



Bluebeard pounded on the door, crying out that she should open it, and when she did not do so, he tried to break it down.



"Oh sister, oh sister, aren't my brothers coming?" she said to her sister, who was standing at the window looking out into the distance.



She replied, "I don't see anyone yet."



Meanwhile, Bluebeard was breaking the door apart more and more, and the opening was almost large enough for him to get through, when three knights suddenly appeared before the castle. The sister cried from the window as loudly as she could, "Help! Help!" and waved to her brothers.



They stormed up the stairs to where they had heard their sister's cry for help. There they saw King Bluebeard, sword in hand, standing before the broken door, and they heard their sister screaming inside the room. Immediately sensing what he was up to, they quickly ran their daggers into his breast and killed him.



When the brothers learned what the godless king was going to do to their sister, and that he had already killed so many women, they destroyed his castle, so that there was not one stone remaining on another one. They took with them all his treasures, and lived happily with their sisters in their father's house.

Oracles of the Day (Greek)

[ Mon Nov 03, 02:54:36 PM | corbid ravenous | edit ]

Temple of Hecate,Oracles of the day...



Apollo's Light:

Truth and its revelation, clear choices and foreknowledge. Good advice. Matters concerning music, the arts and healing are well favored. Destiny and fortune.



Hemes Light:

Transformation and rebirth, occult power and mastery, mastery of a life situation, union with an opposite resulting in a greater whole. Alliance. A truth revealed. A surprise event.



myth of the day

detritus

I was serious...

About the depression part. I've been wearing the same pair of mangy cutoffs for three days now.I have gotto snap out of this. Ok. Douglas Adams quotes,then.

The Great Depression

Life continues to suck. Sandman quotes are in order.

Sarah's First Sentence:

"I love donuts." Swear to god.

Today's Ogham Reading...

Willow

Intuition



Allow your intuition to help your understanding. There are things you don't know that contribute to the situation; it is important to pay attention to the knowledge in you subconscious, as well as yuour conscious, mind.



Willow, the Ogham's fourth tree, is closely connected to water, the unconscious, the moon, and thus the feminine. It is symbolic of intuition, the ability to make connections and gain understanding without knowing exactly how or why one knows.



Ash

Linkages



The situation is a part of a wider whole, and your life is a part of a larger pattern. Remember that your actions are a part of a larger pattern, and affect all the others within it- make your decisions with this in mind.



Ash is a tree of great traditional magical significance. Yggdrasil, the World Tree, is an ash, and the ash is the fifth Ogham tree. Ash symbolizes the connection- and movement- between very different places and aspects of reality.









myth of the day

detritus

Brigid/Brigantia...

Brigid

by Lisa Spindler

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Name Cognates: Breo Saighead, Brid, Brighid [Eriu], Brigindo, Brigandu [Gaul], Brigan, Brigantia, Brigantis [Briton], Bride [Alba].

Breo Saighead, or the "Fiery Arrow or Power," is a Celtic three-fold goddess, the daughter of The Dagda, and the wife of Bres. Known by many names, Brighid's three aspects are (1) Fire of Inspiration as patroness of poetry, (2) Fire of the Hearth, as patroness of healing and fertility, and (3) Fire of the Forge, as patroness of smithcraft and martial arts. She is mother to the craftsmen. Sons of Tuireann: Creidhne, Luchtaine and Giobhniu.







Excalibur, King Arthur's sword, was forged by the Lady of the Lake, a figure sometimes associated with Brighid because of her fire and forgery aspect. Like the Arthurian Avalon, or "Isle of Apples," Brigid possessed an apple orchard in the Otherworld to which bees traveled to obtain it's magickal nectar.



Brigid, which means "one who exaults herself," is Goddess of the Sacred Flame of Kildare (derived from "Cill Dara," which means "church of the oak") and often is considered to be the White Maiden aspect of the Triple Goddess. She was Christianized as the "foster-mother" of Jesus Christ, and called St. Brigit, the daughter of the Druid Dougal the Brown. She sometimes also is associated with the Romano-Celtic goddess Aquae-Sulis in Bathe.



Brighid's festival is Imbolc, celebrated on or around February 1 when she ushers Spring to the land after The Cailleach's Winter reign. This mid-Winter feast commences as the ewes begin to lactate and is the start of the new agricultural cycle. During this time Brigid personifies a bride, virgin or maiden aspect and is the protectoress of women in childbirth. Imbolc also is known as Oimelc, Brigid, Candlemas, or even in America as Groundhog Day.



As the foundation for the American Groundhog Day, Brigid's snake comes out of its mound in which it hibernates and its behavior is said to determine the length of the remaining Winter.



Gailleach, or White Lady, drank from the ancient Well of Youth at dawn. In that instant, she was transformed into her Maiden aspect, the young goddess called Brigid. Wells were considered to be sacred because they arose from oimbelc (literally "in the belly"), or womb of Mother Earth.



Because of her Fire of Inspiration and her connection to the apple and oak trees, Brighid often is considered the patroness of the Druids.



"Brigid." Encyclopedia Mythica.

http://www.pantheon.org/articles/b/brigid.html

[Accessed November 02nd, 2003.]















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Life sucks.

Here's some Duckman quotes to ease the pain.