Wednesday, May 12, 2004

According to Blogger...

This is post #319 of this blog. If not always charming or relevant, I can at least now claim to be prolific, eh? This week being no different. I've recently posted to every aspect of the realm, so by all means please follow the links below to my other blogs my dearies...

melt

The things you never asked for are the things you can't seem to shake

When you were a cold and dead thing

You'd have died again for a taste of prescience

And now you are almost always real

And it hurts just to breathe

It hurts just to laugh sometimes

You know that every small joy

Comes at a price

That flowers are just a thing made for dying

And sweetness grows acrid after a time

And you long to be so cold again

To close your eyes and wish it all away

It used to be that easy

Once upon a time



(detritus)(poetica)(myth)(opinion)(divination)

Tarot Cards of the Day

The Hierophant:Also known as the Pope, the Hierophant representative of the need to follow tradition, ceremony or a path of ideas and beliefs, even if they are outdated. This card can represent any structured group with rules and assigned roles. It could be interpreted as a need for group/mentored learning or the need to conform or change the rules. The Hierophant also represents an interest in spiritual matters, or a spiritual mentor



The Lovers:

The Lovers represent that the seeker is at a crossroads where a moral decision must be made. You must know yourself because making the right decision could mean going against what others tell you. The Lovers can symbolize a deep love or a powerful drawing together of two entities, be it people, ideas, events, etc.



(detritus)(dream)(poetica)(myth)(opinion)(divination)

Genius Invention of the Week...

Defrost a box of cheap hash brown patties in the fridge!
C'mon, I dare ya!
Makes for insanely easy breakfast burritos and potato pancakes and it's way cheaper than those "Simply Potato" things and much easier than precooking them yourself and potatos are like the food of all perfection as it is...

(detritus)(dream)(poetica)(myth)(opinion)(divination)

Orpheus entreating the Lord of the Underworld...

He sings to Hades and Persephone and all assembled there, entreating them to release his beloved from the realm of Death as follows:



As he sang these tender strains, the very ghosts shed tears. Tantalus, in spite of his thirst, stopped for a moment his efforts for water, Ixion's wheel stood still, the vulture ceased to tear the giant's liver, the daughters of Danaus rested from their task of drawing water in a sieve, and Sisyphus sat on his rock to listen. Then for the first time, it is said, the cheeks of the Furies were wet with tears. Proserpine could not resist, and Pluto himself gave way. Eurydice was called. She came from among the new-arrived ghosts, limping with her wounded foot. Orpheus was permitted to take her away with him on one condition, that he should not turn around to look at her till they should have reached the upper air. Under this condition they proceeded on their way, he leading, she following, through passages dark and steep, in total silence, till they had nearly reached the outlet into the cheerful upper world, when Orpheus, in a moment of forgetfulness, to assure himself that she was still following, cast a glance behind him, when instantly she was borne away. Stretching out their arms to embrace each other, they grasped only the air! Dying now a second time, she yet cannot reproach her husband, for how can she blame his impatience to behold her? "Farewell," she said, "a last farewell,"- and was hurried away, so fast that the sound hardly reached his ears.



[Orpheus in Hades: OVID, Metamorphoses, Book X, 1-106]



(detritus)(dream)(poetica)(myth)(opinion)(divination)

Vagueries of Nightmare

Dreamt I was trying so,so hard to get it right, that it was my last chance at something, but I don't know what...if I screwed up I'd have to go back to the scene if the crime...the backseat of the car, the impact, trying to get up, maybe this time it wouldn't work and I'd sever my spine or fall over dead on the spot...I could almost feel the pain again...not even childbirth hurts that much...there I was being punished again and I don't know what for...sometimes I think my whole life's been a test, and I keep failing, and you only get so many chances...one of these days I'm afraid going to wake up dead...



detritus)(poetica)(myth)(opinion)(divination)

Distant Image...




My Coloring Book Of Days...

My days are now organized by food events. Mondays is two for one hoagie

day. Tuesday is ninety nine cent leg and thigh chicken day. Wednesday is

discount bagel day. Thursday is Semolina bread day. Friday through Sunday

are the weekend and don't count. Both my eating habits and my whereabouts at

any given time are somewhat subject to the above formula.


Today was both discount bagel day and 10:15 storytime at the library, so

Sarah and I were out and about at an early hour. Dropped Maggie off at

school, swung by the only gas station where I can safely pay cash without

having to remove the baby form her carseat, and headed for the bagel

purveyor of choice. Bought a dozen bagels and some lemonade from a manager

who resembled a disgruntled Ricky Ricardo. He insisted that since it was a

discount dozen, it could only be 12 and not a "baker's dozen." That if I

wanted 13 bagels I'd have to pay full price. Then he tried to charge me $1.

99 for a 12 oz lemonade. When I pointed out that the sign said it was $1.39,

he sighed and rolled his eyes and said "Well it's really $1.99, but if you'

re gonna complain I guess we can give it for $1.39 this time. But only

because of the sign." As though I knew all the secret prices for things and

was actively trying to rip him off


We sat outside, adjacent to the designated old-man-dining-alone-table (the

table went through three of them successively before we were done, which

means we eat even more slowly than old men) and split a blueberry bagel and

our drink. Sarah finished every bite with the exclamation "Mmm! Dat's GOOD!"

in her sweet little baby voice. She smiled and preened and charmed her her

elderly admirers, then threw bagel chunks to nearby birds. Eventually we

finished and I packed her into the car with a bribe of paper and crayon. And

so we set off for the public library.


Storytime began with coloring time and Sarah did a very lovely job of

sharing crayons with all around her. Or rather distributing crayons

according to her whims. Eventually she had the whole tray in her possession

and put herself in charge of doling them out as she saw fit. Mommy's little

tyrant. When actual storytime began, she looked around the room and got a

little bit freaked out and hid under a table. Eventually I lured her out

with more crayons and paper. She finally warmed up to the idea when they had

"rainbow time" where they shook little paper plates with streamers attached

and the middles cut out. She didn't want to leave after that, and hummed the

"rainbow song" all the way home.


So that was our fun for today. Now we are home and offline still after

something like 18 hours. God knows when I will eventually get to post this.

Tomorrow will be bread day and probably running around the used bookstore

handing out toys to other children day. Clever mommy has learned to set up

camp in the children's area with a pile of magazines. On a good day we're

there for a while and I get half the stack read before we leave, thus saving

me the need to ever purchase them. If I'm ambitious and wee goosie can

behave herself we may even venture a trip to the movies on Friday before

school lets out. She is so much fun in the mornings these days. Nighttime

being another story. Night time is tantrum city. But perfection eludes us

all, right?


Farewell from mommyland!

Corbid



Tuesday, May 11, 2004

A Public Service Announcement on your behalf...

For those of you infrequent Blogger users out there (you know who you are) try signing in just for fun. There've been some major updates for the better that you may have some fun playing with...


And again, thanks to all who offered me birthday wishes or otherwise feted me on the occasion. And the tulips are STILL alive (corrupted Tori Amos lyric "...but she couldn't keep tulips alive...") Lizzie keeps overestimating me and giving me living things to care for in spite of the fact that I only seem to be good at growing humans :) If you haven't heard the story of the two platties and the neon tetra, well you probably don't want to. It's most gruesome and reflects me in a rather poor light. But I'm determined to try and keep these tulips alive for a decent interval. We shall just have to wait and see...

Saturday, May 08, 2004

Rider Waite Cards of the day

Knight of Pentacles: The essence of earth behaving as fire, such as molten magma: One slow to action, but decisive and unrelenting once set in motion.



The Star: New hopes and splendid revelations of the future. Insight, inspiration, courage and enlightenment of the spiritual self. Body and mind and converging towards the light at the end of a dark time.



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Review of having been thirty...

...um, it was rather interesting. (detritus)(dream)(poetica)(myth)(opinion)(divination)

William Blake Tarot Celtic Cross Spread: birthday edition

The Celtic Cross spread is one of the most popular Tarot spreads, providing varied insight into many aspects of a complex situation and your role in it. The William Blake Tarot explores the mystical vision and artistry of the renowned English painter and poet. Through rich interpretations focused on creative undertakings, it has long been the deck of choice for artists, writers, musicians, and thinkers.



The card not shown but at the center of the cross, represents the atmosphere surrounding the central issue. 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.



The card visible at the center of the cross represents the obstacle that stands in your way - it may even be something that sounds good but is not actually to your benefit. Woman of Science: Seeking out pertinent data. Methodical approach to a problem. Looking within yourself for answers. Upholding truth. Counseling others. Forming opinions based on observation and deduction. Weighing abstract ideas. Avoiding personal involvement. Demonstrating principles. Self-discipline. Be cautious of becoming opinionated or over-professional. In the creative process: Now is the time to research and gather information, get an overview, and make long-range plans and strategies.



The card at the top of the cross represents your goal, or the best you can achieve without a dramatic change of priorities. Whirlwind, when reversed: Winds of change make old visions obsolete. An act of god or stroke of bad luck. Inner turmoil cleverly disguised but unrestrained. Getting the run-around. Reaching a turning point. A good time to honor your gods.

The card at the bottom of the cross represents the foundation on which the situation is based. Stars, when reversed: Loss of hope. Feeling disconnected from cosmic or universal energies. Failure to realize the highest potential of your situation. Being out of touch with your own creative powers. Lack of self-esteem. Your abilities going unrecognized. Being restrained from doing your own thing.



The card at the left of the cross represents a passing influence or something to be released. Angel of Painting, when reversed: Visionary reverie. Plans and agendas lost in wild flights of imagination. Action taken without contemplation. Making use of inappropriate tools. Diving into the situation without vision or foresight, particularly its physical or material aspects. In the creative process: Look for or contemplate a solid idea, a practical point of view that can instigate a whole new direction in your work or project.

The card at the right of the cross represents an approaching influence or something to be embraced. Mystery, when reversed: An enigma that resists inner wisdom. Unexplained or mysterious energies at work. Issues of sexuality. Feeling yourself at the mercy of the divine trickster. Dark omens and portents. Attraction to or advice from a wise man.

The card at the base of the staff represents your role or attitude. Forgiveness, when reversed: Unwillingness to learn from mistakes. Magnifying errors out of proportion. Refusal to hear the inner voice. Lack of forgiveness and compassion.

The card second from the bottom of the staff represents your environment and the people you are interacting with. Lightning: An unexpected shock, upheaval, or stunning event. A burst of insight, or spiritual breakthrough. A close call. Release or liberation of energy.



The card second from the top of the staff represents your hopes, fears, or an unexpected element that will come into play. Experience: Wanting to be in control of your instincts, emotions, or elemental forces. Taking the reins in the situation. Goal-oriented drive to succeed. Journeys or involvement with motion and mobility. Meeting challenges head on.

The card at the top of the staff represents the ultimate outcome should you continue on this course. Six of Music (Pleasure): "...we cannot experience pleasure but by means of others...". Being the center of attention. Receiving support from teamwork or group action. Satisfaction deriving from family, friends, colleagues. Participation in a social or community endeavor. Reunion. Keen awareness of the dance of life. Forging links and bonds with others. Experiencing a sense of belonging. Nostalgia and happy memories. In the creative process: Make use of collective or group energies, bringing them together for maximum benefit and mutual enjoyment





(detritus)(dream)(poetica)(myth)(opinion)(divination)

It's my birthday and I'll quote Bowie if I want to...

"Time is waiting in the wings, it speaks of senseless things ...we should be old by now..."


Lalala, I don't feel any older than I did yesterday. Give it time. My darling eldest girl toasted me with a desktop background of "birthday bear" and a gif of a chocolate cake with one candle. Cause that's how she says "I love you." My sister got me a gift certificate for a "chocolate manicure." Where they give you chocolates and all the treatments are chocolate scented. Thus combining my love of candy with a fix for my tragic lack of fingernail grooming. I'm getting a "surprise" present shortly. So far, no Thackery Lambshead, though.

Can't have everything, right? And now I've lived past thirty, so I can't be a tragic poet/novelist ala Sylvia Plath or Virginia Wolf. Sigh. Alas, one by one, all our teenage dreams go unrealized...


Corbid the Elder

Friday, May 07, 2004

Rambling and begging for birthday wishes...

Tommorrow's my birthday. And I'm turning 31. And I don't care about age where it relates to anyone else, but still I feel old. Then again, when I turned twenty I cried, because I'd missed my chance to be a child prodigy. I'm just an odd bird, I guess. Anyway, cheer me up and send me some damned birthday wishes if you're up to it. I know it's shameless, but I'll take what I can get right now. In exchange for which I shall treat you all to a deluxed sized post. And if you're feeling generous, you could always get me this...


***************************



This is me grating on your conscience...



***************************

Kurt Vonnegut is alive and well and wanting to comment on the criminality of the war in Iraq.


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Quote of the Week:


Bookslut columnist Adrienne Martini describing the increasing commonality of works of "speculative fiction" ie. works that fail to fit neatly into one genre or the other, but rather to ethe line between "literature" and the realms of horror,fantasy, science fiction,etc.


Says Ms Martini: "The books are remarkable, much in the same way Todd Haynes’s Velvet Goldmine is, but without the glam rock and Ewan McGregor’s penis."


"Velvet Goldmine" also being the film that finally prompted my husband to beg me not to "bring home any more gay heroin movies, please."


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Apparently, Friday Five has bitten the dust once and for all. Archives and all.

Damn.


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My baby was born to dance:


She has does the twist and tosses her head like a little punkette and has disco moves, etc,etc.

It all depends on the music. Also, she loves seventies folk rock for some reason: Don Maclean, The Eagles, even the friggn Ozark Mountain Daredevils as well as female vocalists of the Tori and Thea Gilmore variety, and Celtic Music in general (The Pogueier the better). Right now, though, we're listening to Modern Rock Classics on AccuRadio.com and she's kind of swaying and peacedancing down the hallway to the Soup Dragons. That's my girl. Now the song has changed and it's (gasp) Echo and The Bunnymen's "The Killing Moon." If there were a baby equivalent of a lighter held aloft at a rock concert, she would be waving one right now. This one may well be getting guitar lessons someday (when sh'es a rock star someday, her tech savant big sister can design her website.) My girls rock, it is an unmitigated fact.


***************************


Took the baby to breakfast today and engaged in a bit of people watching (translation:benevolent eavesdropping.)

Amongs me was a table of long out of touch relatives regathering after a funeral, relating how the event had brought a long lost sibling back into the fold and celebrating the pragmatism of the departed family matriarch as well as anecdotes about her attorney husband's penchant for long, drawn out, heated debates about politics and religion, as well as the splendor of their old, big house, full of passageways where grandchildren could hide indefinitely. Then the conversation abruptly changed to how Dick Clark seemed rather rude when a friend met him in person. At which point I sequed to the conversation at the next table, a mother and her three daughters and baby grandchild gathered to greet one of the sisters who was visiting from out of down. The out of town daughter was complaining about how her mother in law had micromanaged her visit within an inch of its life, and apologizing that she wouldn't see more of her sisters while here. Then my attention was drawn to a hostess whispering to a waiter "I can't wait on that table, I know that girl from high school..."


Much more entertaining than morning television, and in the meantime, my little girl devoured a blueberry muffin,colored a wee masterpiece on her children's menu, and flirted with a nearby toddler of indeterminate gender who had a striped shirt and a miniature afro and one of the ten most gorgeous smiles I've ever seen on an infant.


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I'm a geek beyond reckoning:

I still love the song "Pretty In Pink" by the Psychedelic Furs.


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Went to Cost Plus today and was shocked at the prices, but then realized my mental price list for the place was set in stone somewhere circa 1996, and I am shocked whenver I come in. Relatively speaking, most of their stuff is still an amazingly good deal. Bought instant espresso and sandalwood soap, and some weird little Hello Kitty biscuit sticks that you dip in strawberry frosting for the girls. They taste like sweet pretzels. Restrained myself from the beer aisle and the candy aisle and the spices aisle. I should get an award or something.


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Time to actually play with my wee girl before I have to pick up her sister from school and now that the Wiggles are over. Likely this post will grow longer as the day progresses...


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Peace,

Corbid the no longer Precocious


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Thursday, May 06, 2004

And now, without further ado...

It's ...

The Literary Simpsons.

Also, the fabulous Ms. Lizzie Stardust has returned to the blogging community...

Wednesday, May 05, 2004

Donald in the tiger's den...

So the girls and I are at the zoo. And we're standing in front of an exhibit. Behind the glass are two large, beautiful asian tigers lounging on the grass in front of a spectacular simulated waterfall.The baby gets very excited and starts pointing animatedly.

"Look,look!" she shouts.

"Yes, that's a tiger, sweetie. Can you say tiger?"

"Look, a duck!"

And there was indeed a bird by the pond. Not an actual duck, more ravenish than duckish, but close enough for her.

This continued throughout our visit. Any birdlike creature anywhere near a pond was a "duck" and the exotic animals to whom the ponds belonged were considered mere windowdressing in an ongoing parade of ducklike creatures. When we finally got to the actual duck area, it was rather anticlimactic for her, to tell the truth.

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

And the prize of the week for most appropriate use of the word "phantasmagorical"in an online news article goes to...

...this Guardian story aboutThe Ghost Train.

Help, I'm dyeing...

It's been a rit dye and henna kind of day. I cheaped out and tried to put too many clothes in at once, so they were just grey. So then I had to sacrifice my brown dye in an attempt to rectify the problem. Which resulted in a very cool shade of purple with grey undertones. SO I'm keeping about half the clothes that turned out that way, then going back for more black dye for the rest. Once my hair's finished marinating, that is. That, thank goddess, I finally have down to somewhat of a science. Decided to spend my birthday money rejuvenating things I have instead of buying new shite. I may be getting older, but my stuff will have a new lease on life, at least.


Yes, it's going to be my birthday. Saturday. The 8th. The 9th being Mother's Day (that way this becomes a public service announcement instead of a shameless plea to be wished "Happy Birthday."

Monday, May 03, 2004

Tongue Twister

Wiley Wiggins has a Website. And so does

Will Wheaton...

More mything links

Pagan and geek humour at last combined: the anti-spam Wiccan ritual page.

(detritus)(dream)(poetica)(myth)(opinion)(divination)

Runes of the Day: "maintaining the status quo"

Thurisaz (reversed)

(Also called Thorn; Letter: TH; Old Norse name: Thurs)



Thurisaz is a very ancient name for Thor, so it's not surprising that it is a most powerful rune. Thurisaz can be used and interpreted as a protection rune. Plants grow thorns to protect themselves, so the logic is clear. Drawing a ring of Thurisaz runes around something is an excellent protection spell. However, Thurisaz has a dark side. After all, thorns protect by pricking and drawing blood. One should step carefully with this rune and treat it respectfully. It can backfire just as easily as it can work for you. In a reading, Thurisaz upright stands as a warning to the querent, especially if the querent is acting as though his run of good luck is neverending. Thurisaz often suggests that the querent is being wrongheaded about the issue at hand, and advises the querent to maintain status quo until the period indicated by the runecast is over. Thurisaz reversed means much the same thing as it does upright, except that the querent may be much more difficult to counsel, much more stubborn and unwilling to heed Thurisaz's warning.



(Nauthiz)

(Also called Nied; Letter: N; Old Norse name: Naudr)



Another somewhat negative rune, the meaning of Nauthiz is apparent in its other spelling, Nied-pronounced "need." When Nauthiz appears in a reading, it almost always indicates something that the querent needs. What that something is will often be spelled out in the surrounding runes. Most important, though, is that until the querent does something about this need, she will be restricted or constrained from moving forward. Sometimes Nauthiz will appear as a warning of upcoming trouble, delay, ill health, or shortage of some kind, and because of this, Nauthiz can be interpreted to mean "maintain the status quo." As a result rune, Nauthiz indicates that the querent will get what she wanted, but what she wanted may not have been what she needed, and the situation may continue. Nauthiz is associated with Skuld, the Norn of the future.



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This is too cool!

A flash animation based site devoted to world Creation Myths.



(detritus)(dream)(poetica)(myth)(opinion)(divination)

An actual review of an actual book.

Just stumbled across a website for The Alphabet vs The Goddess, which is a book that I read recently on the topic of Matriarchy vs. Patriarchy, and whether the shift from Goddess centered fertility cults to male Warrior God based religions had to do with the shift from pictorial and iconic forms of "writing" and expression to the use of a phonetic alphabet. Which is kind of an odd possibility, considering women tend to be more verbal and are generally found to be more capable of mastering the subtleites of literacy, whereas men respond more easily to visual stimuli and videographic type images. But what do I know, I'm no brain surgeon. And the author of this book is. Literally. A brain surgeon. Dr. Leonard Shlain. He in fact developed his theory partly based on his knowledge of the differences in function between the two hemispheres of the brain.

In any case, this is a very interesting book, rife with interesting minutiae in the realms of cultural history and sociology, et al. One learns such things as that while our nearest primate cousins are still somewhat polygamous, human societies became prone to pair off as a sort of "sex for meat" exchange. The point is made that the current trend toward greater status and independence for women has coincided with the refinement of the photographic image. This is a varied and interesting little tour through several centuries of progress in the arts and humanities. But ultimately I feel he fails to adequately prove his point. I failed to encounter any evidence that was non anecdotal in format. I realize this was hardly an academic treatise or anything, but still, aren't doctors supposed to be scientists? I expect scientists to support their proposals with factual evidence and not interesting coincidences. But it was an entertaining read nonetheless.

For something in a similar vein, but better researched, I'd suggest Mother Nature : A History of Mothers, Infants, and Natural Selection, by anthropologist Sarah Blaffer Hrdy, which explores the biological motivations of human parenting and sexual behaviors in the contexts of both history and evolution. Hrdy being one of those rare individuals who has mastered their field of expertise (in this case anthropology) and is able to write about it as if she were a writer first and foremost. Much in the tradition of Carl Sagan.

Another little gem, not so meticulously researched, and with a a bit of an unapologetic femisit bias, but well argued and most enlightening is The Myths Of Motherhood by Shari L. Thurer. It examines attitudes throughout the centuries in regards to what makes "a good mother." I read it while pregnant, as a counterpoint to the guilt inducing condescension of many of my pregnancy manuals, many of which instantly doomed your offspring if you failed do such things as eat only whole wheat baked goods and read to your unborn fetus.

So, what we've established here so far is that:

a) I'm a bit of a feminist (shocking!)
and
b) I like books that use the excuse of a "serious premise" to explore interesting historical trivia.

Still, I'm sort of proud of myself just for publishing an actual critique on my opinion site, which is supposedly what it's here for.
This was beginning to turn into the "what I had for breakfast blog," which is just sort of a sad commentary on the state of my life as a whole.



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School Dreams

Had one of those dreams where I'm in school again, but a couple of weeks into the semester and there are classes I've forgotten to take,etc.

Only add to this a temporary amnesia factor, as if someone else has taken over my life and when I get back to it, I don't the way it's been handled, but am forced to deal with cleaning up the mess they've left for me.



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Saturday, May 01, 2004

Observation

Depressed people tend to gravitate to other depressed people, and somehow they expect the other depressed people to make them feel better. The sick thing is that about half the time it actually seems to work. Which makes it all the more depressing the fifty percent of the time that it doesn't work.


Why does it work at all? My theory is twofold: a) for some reason depressives are more responsive to and aware of humour, particularly the sarcastic kind, and b) intelligent people are more likely to be depressed and being intelligent, they are also easily distracted by intellectual matters.


Or whatever. Antidepressants work better, but they never introduce you to new bands or authors or anything...

Tarot Cards of the Day

From the Haindl deck:



Nine of Stones (Material Gain): Fortune. Money, security, health, comfort. Avoid complacency, greed, or conceit.



Seven of Wands (Courage): Courage and daring - possibly, the courage to retreat. Using one's power for transformation.




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Breakfast of champions

Made grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast. Semolina sourdough bread with cheddar cheese and real butter. Then grated a baked potato into the still-hot frying pan and made hash browns, salted and heavily peppered. Sprinkled the potatos with a bit of hot sauce and ate it with a coke and a dill pickle.

(detritus)(dream)(poetica)(myth)(opinion)(divination)

Friday, April 30, 2004

And then, of course...

...there's the OTHER kind of May Day observance...

Diego's Breaksfast Burrito

The most paper thin or tortillas, lightly fried and wrapped with precision around a filling of of nicely browned scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, fried potatoes, and cheddar cheese. With a side of hot sauce, and free coffee if you want it. For less than $3.00. And of course, there are variations on the theme. You can get a steak and egg burrito for $3.99 plus tax. Their carne asada is most lovely. They're open 24 hours a day. With a drive through. I do so highly recommend it.

Tis the eve of May...

It is Beltane Eve, and the wheel of the year spins onward...says the pagan atheist chick.

Mountainous

Dreamt I was in the passenger seat of a car being driven by my Dad, with my grandfather sleeping in the backseat. We were driving up a very steep mountain on some sort of cross country trip, and no one could talk because it would distract the driver and we might all plummet to our doom. It was maybe in Tennessee or North Carolina. Somewhere Appalachian and foresty. Apparently we'd just been through a rather barren New Mexico. Due to the strange, amorphous geography of dreams...



View my blogs, live and in person, below:



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Thursday, April 29, 2004

Repast of yore

Yearning for memories of childhood comfort, specifically staying at my grandparent's house as a child, I made kielbasa,pierogi with butter and sour cream, and kosher dill pickles for dinner. And I ate like a heifer, and I am not ashamed.

Runes of the day

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Othila is the homeland. Land was the purest form of immovable wealth in Norse civilization, distinct from the movable wealth represented by Fehu. This rune speaks of stability and safety stemming from inheritance, both material and genetic. With respect to the question asked, consider the background of the people and families involved...



Hagalaz is the rune of hail. Hail is a destructive and elemental force, so one can expect this rune to represent the disruption of one's life. In the harsh northern winter there is a halt to activity, and so delay or hindrance is frequently associated with this rune. The opposite of chaos is yet more chaos, as illustrated by the fact that this rune cannot be reversed.



mythology

detritus

opinion

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We were always...

...two coins of the same side,

but which was day and which night?

who is mourning, who was right?

I never wanted to be Guenevere,

but the part of Morgan Le Fay

had already been cast and understudied

by the time I rolled around

too much sweetness just leads to decay

too much dreaming

drags us into the

current and tide

to crash upon the rocks

victims of our own siren song

there was never anyone else

it was only ever an echo...





The Most Famous of all Rhine Maidens

Myth of the Day:

Lorelei



The Lorelei is a rock in the Rhine near St. Goar which is associated with several legendary tales. The tale appears in many forms, but is best known through a poem by Heinrich Heine that begins "Ich weiss nicht was soll es bedeuten" (which means in English, "I don't know what to make of it"). In the commonest form of the story, the Lorelei rock is a maiden who threw herself into the Rhine in despair over a faithless lover, and became a siren whose voice lured fishermen to destruction. A 13th-century legend entitled Der Marner says that the Nibelungen treasure was hidden beneath the rock. The tale may be connnected with the myth of Holda, queen of the elves. The queen supposedly sits combing her locks on the Hullenstein, and the man who sees her loses sight of reason, while he who listens is condemned to wander with her for ever. The legend, which Clement Brentano claimed as his own invention when he wrote his poem ?Zu Bacharach am Rheine" in his novel of Godwi (1802), bears all the marks of popular mythology. In the 19th century it formed material for a great number of songs, dramatic sketches, and operas, which are enumerated by Dr Hermann Seeliger in his Loreleysage in Dichtung und Musik (Leipzig-Reudnitz, 1898). The favourite poem with composers was Heine's, set to music by some twenty-five musicians, the settings by Friedrich Silcher (from an old folk-song) and by Liszt being the most famous.





The baby and I went to get our weekly semolina bread fix at Beyond Bread (thus thwarting their competitors:Bread,Bath and Beyond) and noticed someone unloading work supplies for a nearby storefront redecoration project of some sort. The supplies were stored in milk crates labeled "Mesmer Dairy." All day I've been haunted by the image of a field of hypnotized cows....


Friday Five's down for the month, but I feel like getting interactive. Not that anyone's reading lately, but still. No one can resist THE POWER OF QUIZILLA...here's a couple from which to choose:


Siren

You are a Siren. More adventurous than all with a
voice like no other you sit on warm rocks and
sing to the moon and sea. Yet sometimes
shipwrecks find you and raving men want you.
You are a bottle of talent and power. What the
unknown is you seek to find, and a lover. You
have the moon and stars as freinds. There are a
very few of you, what a rare find. Will you
rate my quiz, I think your voice in just
beautiful?



What kind of mermaid are you? (Gorgeous Pics)
brought to you by Quizilla



taffy
You're taffy! You're a clever and kind person,
but you tend to hold grudges. You are not big
on dishing out forgiveness.



Which kind of candy are you?
brought to you by Quizilla



If you only knew the power of the dark side.
Postatem obscuri lateris nescitis.

"You do not know the power of the Dark
Side." There are two possibilities: you
are a Star Wars geek, or you are unreasoningly
scary.



Which Weird Latin Phrase Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla


My site is undergoing a major design overhaul

So here's an overview of the changes I've made.


Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Nobody Loves A Trumpet Player...

That was the excuse a friend of mine in high school used when anyone pointed out the fact that he didn't have a girlfriend.

Or, rather, when he assumed it was being pointed out, because no one I knew was so cruel as to actually say anything of the sort.


Ninety percent of it was just in the reading.


Tuesday, April 27, 2004

Scrying

Head held skyward

She intones the sacred rhyme

Silver glinting at her throat

Dagger in hand

The daughter of time

Gazes wellwise

Alert for future echoes

Ripples gifted

From mother to loyal acolyte

Still and quiet

And forgetting her own name

She drinks deeply and

Accepts the burden

Imbibes the water

Which has turned to tears

Swallows them

To make them whole again



(June 2003)

Saturday, April 24, 2004

The Arizona Daily Star

The Arizona Daily Star apparently has a smartass for a headline writer. The latest infraction was this little gem: "Vatican Cracks Down On Sinners." The online version just states "Vatican sharply curbs liturgical role of lay people during Mass."

Screw Saturday morning cartoons, call forth the Old Ones instead...

I don't have to be up today, and so, of course, I cannot sleep. Though I suppose I can always ensure that the rest of you don't sleep for quite some time either. Here's some Cthulhu links...


The misadventures of "Hello Cthulhu"

Scooby Doo Cthulhu

Cthulhu Sex Magazine: Blood, Sex and Tentacles

The Callgirl of Cthulhu

Is Osama Bin Laden a Cthulhu cultist?

Emeril vs Cthulhu

Jesus vs Cthulhu

Hymns to Cthulhu

Campus Crusade for Cthulhu


And last, but not least:

the Cthulhu Jack Chick parody and the controversy that it engendered.


Apparently, Jack Chick Publications threatened legal action. Silly me, I thought that parody was protected under U.S. copyright law...

Marseille Tarot Cards of the day

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Reyne d'Epee (Queen of Swords): The essence of air behaving as water, such as a refreshing mist: A person gifted with both keen logic and natural intuition, giving them uncanny powers of perception and insight. One who easily sees past deception and confusion to the heart of a matter, and understands both sides of any argument. The embodiment of calm, forthrightness, and wit, in the face of even the most trying circumstances.



Four of Swords (Truce): A time of tranquility and intellectual repose in the midst of a great struggle. A temporary retreat from stress to regather inner strength, reaffirm convictions, reorganize thoughts, and formulate a new plan. The need for vigilance in a moment of calm. May suggest a withdrawal from the material world to find spiritual guidance.

mythology

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Thursday, April 22, 2004

Adventures in frames, part one...

Check it out, all six blogs in one page! It's like the opening credits for the Brady Bunch!

It's not quite summer and not quite spring...

If you're bored and restless and in need of distraction, I've got new stuff up in my other incarnations. Or if you're weary of the self indulgent verbosity that is Corbid, check out some photoblogs and the ever informative Neil Gaiman (his journal is like "The Daily Show" for webgeeks).


Soon, this too shall pass...

Sophie Crumb @ sucide girls link

Sophie Crumb is way cooler than her dad, in my humble opinion...

Dreamt of...

...ice cream cones and escalators. What does it all mean?

Wednesday, April 21, 2004

Renaissance Tarot

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Six of Swords (Science): A daring expedition. An excursion or trip. Courageous act. Show of bravery.



The Empress: Feminine fertility and power. Civilization. Domestic tradition. Family and childrearing. The active, fecund aspect of the anima. The mother and the queen, on earth and in heaven.

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Thing I cooked last Tuesday that was really good

Heated some butter in a dutch oven, threw in about 1/4 lb of frozen shrimp and a dash of Cavendar's Greek Seasoning, added a handful of chopped bell peppers and sauteed everything for about 5 minutes or so, mixed in 1 cup of uncooked rice, cooked for about a minute more, then added 1 cup orange juice, turned the stovetop down to low, and covered the pan. Let it all simmer for 30 minutes. It was very lovely and fragrant and didn't taste at all sweet or anything, like you'd be afraid it might.

Chris who?

Was, embarrassingly enough, watching "Gilmore Girls" on Tuesday night as the remote control was lost. This actor who was in a lot of Whit Stillman movies had a guest role and I couldn't remember his last name. I kept saying, it's Chris...it's Chris...but I couldn't remember his last name. So I went to sleep. And I had one of those weird high school dreams, where people you know from all phases of your life keep popping up and you never actually attend any classes or anything. Anyway, there he was in the hallway and I turned to a friend and said, "Hey, look it's Chris Eigeman!" Because that's who it was. The brain does work in mysterious ways...



Incidentally, there used to be a checkout guy at Trader Joe's who looked just like Chris Eigeman, and I used to get pissed off because he never carded me.

Tuesday, April 20, 2004

Erichthonius

A very strange myth indeed...Erichthonius

Temple

When I visited the text gallery, I swear I could smell the pages of old books...

The shrine to the goddess Athena.

Sunday, April 18, 2004

Fractal Firebird Tarot

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0 THE FOOL

Choice: Adventure, potential, divine foolishness





XX. JUDGEMENT

Chorus of ourselves singing our sins to the black sun. We are aware of our transgressions and seek inner absolution. To stand and face the dawn of our new convictions in feathered cloaks and hats of resolution. We are transformed. Joy threads our voices as the one lone star of our rebirth shines forth. We are jubilation, we are cleansed, we will go forth and wrestle windmills and prevail. To stand committed, to leave a footprint in the sands of our mortality. It is the deep call of the soul for the stars and for the light.



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All hail the powers of Souper Salad...

1)It's cheap, so very cheap - all you can eat for $5.49, plus the cost of your beverage.
2)Babies eat free, children 5 to 12 are $.99, and they have child friendly things like fake goldfish crackers and raisins and animal cookies,.
3)The awe inspiring variety of it all: Salad, vegetables , meat, cheese, fruit, pasta salad, potato salad, three different soups a day, baked potato bar, taco bar, nachos, gingerbread, blueberry muffins, strawberry shortcake and soft serve ice cream , I swear to god.
4)They don't complain about the mess when you're done.
5)Did I mention it was all you can eat?

Top it off with a trip to the park and you have an outing fit for a couple of wee princesses...

What's wrong with me that I thought this was funny?

Installing Linux on a Dead Badger

Random Blog Excercises, Part the First

The Book Game, courtesy of Diaphanus@Webdiva

Grab the nearest book. Open the book to page 23. Find the fifth sentence.

Post the text of the sentence in your journal along with these instructions



Pg. 23, line 5 from "The Sandman: The Kindly Ones" graphic novel, which was literally the nearest book to be grabbed from my computer desk:

"Read me the fortune, will you, Poppet? I want to finish this first. I DO love to hear fortunes."


How fortuitous that what is basically a form of divination would yield a quote regarding divination.


Then again, it did come from my book collection, which is rife with things of that nature, so it's maybe not so very eerie or unlikely at all if you really think about it.


Things I've learned from Neil Gaiman's blog#863...

You can send a fax from an email address. It's a tad complex, but if you're smart enough to be reading this blog, you're smart enough to figure it out, right? She says most humbly:)

Saturday, April 17, 2004

Ogham Reading of the day

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Ceirt Apple

Beauty and eternity


There are beauty, vigor and, perhaps, love in your life, even though it might be difficult to see them now. Try to focus on the positive, even when it's hard- and still more during the good times! Be careful not to scatter your energies, however; while many options may all be good, sometimes one still must choose between them.



Eadhadh Aspen

Courage and endurance


This is a time of challenge for you. You have the courage and tools you need to get through this time, and to prevail- even if you feel, at times, that you can't. Persevere, and you will succeed- so be sure the goal is worth the winning.











mythology

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Thursday, April 15, 2004

From the Voodoo Tarot of New Orleans ...

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Ti Bon Ange (Temperance): Calm and restraint. Self-control, patience and tact in handling situations. The act of applying balanced spiritual and psychic forces to physical life.



Rada Hounsis (Page of Swords): The essence of air behaving as earth, such as a steady wind: The approach of an unexpected challenge, to be met with clear thought and just action. A person filled with an eager appetite for all matters of mind and logic. The gathering of information through unfaltering vigilance, careful examination, and subtle spycraft. The use of reason or eloquent speech to penetrate the veil of confusion and cut to the heart of the matter.



It's all really inkblots, you know. Make of it what you will...



mythology

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Embarrassing confessions part the first...

When I was eight going on nine, I wanted to be a Muse when I grew up...

Strange Recurring Dream

I have this weird recurring dream about San Diego. Not the real San Diego, but some squished, trucated version that only shows up in my subconscious, San Diego of my dream, like Van Morrison's "Coney Island of The Mind." In my version, the Hotel Del Coronado still has a bridge that goes to it, but it isn't on an island, it is the island, and it's surrounded by a swimming pool like moat full of various Sea World creatures that I (or sometimes my daughter) inevitably interact with (this time it was seals and polar bears, sometimes it's whales...) On the other side of the bridge is basically Downtown Tucson in the transit center area, except with an ocean where the railroad tracks would be and lots of high rise apartments. For some reason, I always get lost in this part of my dream geography. The final component is this weird old dowtown full of shops and cafes and strange little grottos. I always want to spend more itme here and get called away. Sometimes there's an interactive Sea World type place in the dream, with lots of escalators and staircases and water slides. One time all my living internal organs were on display there in an aquarium full of small sharks, abbreviated guts included. I actually saw what they must look like. So I think maybe the Sea Creatures aspect is somehow linked to the state of my bodily health. Maybe the transit center place is my brain and the downtown is my heart and soul. Maybe I'm stretching just a bit. Still, it's just plain weird. Sometimes there is also an airport and soem kind of ominous flight involved, occasionally ending in either a crash or space travel, just depending. Yes I'm an odd bird. Thus is why I keep a dream journal. Duh.

Wednesday, April 14, 2004

Rememberance of marinara sauce past...

Was just reminded at my work today of the Red Devil restaurant in Tempe. I'd totally forgotten it existed. We used to go there with an old boss of my dad and his wife and eat incredible varieties of pasta. I vaguely recall being introduced to Shrimp Diablo at this establishment, but I could wrong. Mostly I remember Cass (the ex-boss's wife) making us clothespin dolls and dressing them up in napkins, and that the walls were wood and there were strikingly red curtains. Some of this blends in with related memories of Old Venice restaurant in San Diego. Yes, my mother had a weakness for small out of the way Italian restaurants whence vacationing, if you'd not yet caught on. Can't think of anymore.


In the meantime, check out my review of Jersey Girl...


Jersey Girl

First off, this is not a Kevin Smith movie.
Yes it was written and directed by Kevin Smith, but it it is not a Kevin Smith movie. There are no scatalogical references, no perverse in jokes, even the pseudo intellectual humour is kept to a minimum. If there were more than a couple in jokes, I failed to notice them. It was unambitious and sweet as pie. Clever in bits, but equally maudlin and overwrought in places. There are parts where the mood music was seriously over the top. There were obvious tear jerker moments. But over all I liked it. It was clearly a labor of love. Still, if you're looking for references to Walt Flanagan's dog or the sex organs of superheroes, may I suggest a visit to your local video emporium...

Iced tea at Coffee Xchange

So I was walking out of the movies yesterday, in need of reviving but not wanting to break my emergency $5 bill. This left me with about $1.50 for caffeine procurement. Lo and behold, I find myself in front of a Coffee Xchange stand that offers a medium iced tea for $1.35. Think to myself that it probably won't be great, but certainly is an adequate option. Discover, to my amazed joy possibly the most full service iced tea experience on the planet.

First, you are given a choice of two tea bags from about nine different varieties. The tea is then brewed to your preferred strength and poured directly into a metal shaker of ice. From there the tea is poured back into an ice filled plastic cup, perfectly chilled and beautifully fragrant. The whole process took maybe 5 minutes at most. I very highly recommend it, and left my remaining change in the tip jar as a sign of my undying gratitude.

Monday, April 12, 2004

Small world...

Eddi Reader apparently worked as arranger on the solo album of wunderkind Scottish fiddler John McCusker, whom I once met after a show when he was 18 and on his first tour with the Battlefield Band. We talked about our both having Claddagh rings (his mother was Irish) and joked around and he gave me his address and phone number in Scotland on a bar napkin. I kept it on my bulletin board in my room for years, but in the end I chickened out and never wrote. He kissed my hand in the rain and said goodbye and I was innocently star struck.

William Blake Tarot Cards of the day

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Innocence: Something fresh and new on the horizon. A tangible risk needs to be faced. Trusting your instincts. A sense of adventure at hand. Confronting unknown factors. Dealing with folly or foolishness. Expect the unexpected.



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.





mythology

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British chicks of Irish Descent who rock, part II...

Thea Gilmore

Scottish chicks who rock part one...

Eddi Reader

Sunday, April 11, 2004

Ogham of the day, and is a snipe a real animal?

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The Present:

Birch

A new beginning



You are in the midst of, or about to enter, a new start in the situation. While it is blessed with good luck, do be careful not to be rash or hasty! Expect change as a result, and prepare for it. The first of the Ogham trees, and traditionally the first to have Ogham carved upon it, birch symbolizes beginnings. As both a protector and a gateway to the Otherworld, it also indicates good fortune. There is some risk of hastiness and rashness as well; while good luck can compensate, foresight is also of benefit.

Color: White

Animal: Cow

Bird: Pheasant



The Present:

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.

Color: Clear Green

Animal: Snake

Bird: Snipe



mythology

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Two years plus...

...in that place and now it's over. And so a new chapter begins. Or something like that. A heavy sigh of relief. A wave of disjointed nostalgia. A brief identity crisis. Then the wheel turns yet again...or whatever...


Proof that people have been idiots for centuries...

Myth of the Day:The Vegetable Lamb



The tale of the Vegetable Lamb of Tartary comes from the Middle Ages, a traveler's tale from the far east. It's full name was 'Planta Tartarica Barometz' - 'barometz' is the Tartar word for 'lamb'. The fruit of the Vegetable Lamb was cotton, but travelers from Europe knew nothing about cotton in those times. They reasoned that the material was wool - a fabric they did know. The figured that since wool came from sheep, and that the plant was some kind of animal/plant. They thought that the puffs of cotton were tiny sheep attached to the plant by their navel. It is said that the plant bent to let the sheep graze on the grass beneath it, and that when all the grass was gone, the sheep dropped from the plant and ran off, the tree dying.



The myth of the Vegetable Lamb dates back to the 11th century in the Middle and Far East. It is a species of fern. The 'body' of the Vegetable Lamb is the root of the plant.

Dreamt of...

...a watery apocalypse in which mer people took over, some old school punk teenagers and a hotel lobby.

Tarot Cards of the Day

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Ten of Pentacles (Wealth): Completion of material prosperity and riches. Freedom from financial anxiety, the security of home, and the enjoyment of family. The passing of inheritance along to children, or the gaining of inheritance from parents.



Seven of Wands (Valor): Standing courageously for your beliefs in the face of adversity. Fear of failure overcome by the will to succeed. Great obstacles met with heroism and determination. Inner strength brought to bear at a critical moment.



mythology

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Saturday, April 10, 2004

Happy Easter...

...if that's what you're into...

Review of the new Burger King Shrimp Salads...

They have hot shrimp in a bag! And cold salad! With cheese and croutons and cucumbers and stuff! Cherry tomatoes! Baby greens! It's genius, I tell you! You can eat the shrimp separately! Or you can put it in the salad! The shrimp is in garlic sauce! It's so good! There's chicken ones too in case you're Lizzie! Hooray for shrimp salads! And chicken salads! And exclamation points!

Wednesday, April 07, 2004

Morning Diatribe

5:30 am on A Thursday morning and I'm up on purpose. It's a thing that defies reason. Interesting typo: I just typed "deifies" reason instead. That's a whole new subject in itself, atheism as the deification of reason? Whatever. But for now I am awake and alone. My babies are sleeping. No one's written me in days, so it's not as though there's any email replying to be caught up on. The news is all evil and depressing. Listening to Air America radio online, which is on the one hand refreshingly liberal, but on the other hand just reitierates how screwed up and hopeless the world is right now. Sigh...

Core Dilemma

And in the end there is no one else,

sweet sixteen

alone in my hospital bed

having impact dreams

watching shadows on the ceiling

and deciding

to never ever be real again.

It was eaisier than I thought.

Review On Working Days instead of nights...

It's in many ways as if I'd just come out of a coma, or been stranded on a desert island for two years. I've missed, for example, pretty much the entire phenomenon of reality television...
Myth of the Day:

The Ancient Snake Goddess of Crete

Minoan Snake Goddess
by Dr Alena Trckova-Flamee, Ph.D.

The Snake Goddess was one of the Minoan divinities associated closely with the snake cult. She is called also Household Goddess due to her attribute of the snake, which is connected with welfare of the Minoan house. But the snake is also symbol of the underworld deity, so the Snake Goddess is related to chthonic aspects too.

The first, who identified this Minoan Goddess and who described her domestic and chthonic role and her cult, was A. Evans. He tried to find parallels in the Egyptian religion and linked the Snake Goddess with an Egyptian Goddess of the Nile Delta, Wazet (Wadjyt). From his point of view the attribute of goddess - snake - was a form of underworld spirit, which had a domestic and a friendly significance. M.P. Nilsson hold a snake as personification of the Snake Goddess and he believed, that her chthonic form is one of the aspects of the Great Mother.

But at the present time there are discussions about the functions of the Snake Goddess. In Crete does not exist a real archaeological evidence for her household role and there is almost no support for the chthonic aspects too. A small offering vessel of the Pre-Palace period in the shape of a female figure with a snake coiled around her body from Koumasa, came to light between some grave goods. But the other ritual figurines of the Snake Goddess were found in the Temple Repositories of the Knossos palace and public sanctuaries in Gurnia, Khania and Gortyn, where she was worshipped. Unknown provenience is the Snake Goddess made from ivory and gold (in the Boston museum) and a small bronze goddess with coil of snakes (in the Berlin museum).

Two famous faience Snake Goddesses from Knossos belong to the New-Palace period (about 1600 BCE). Besides the ritual function, they are among the best examples of the Minoan art with its dominant features - naturalism and grace. They are presented as the ladies of the palace court, dressed in the typical Minoan clothes with a long skirt (flounced, or with an apron) and a tight open bodice. The snakes crawl around the body of one the goddesses and appear in each hand of the other. These statuettes are interpreted sometimes as the goddess and her votary, the mother goddess and her daughter, or the human attendants of goddess, as well as the women personified the goddess.

Totally different ritual objects of the Snake Goddesses came from sanctuaries of the Post-Palace period (1400-1100 BCE). They are made from cheaper material - terracotta - in the position with raised hands, extremely stylized in accordance with the manners of this period. Their symbol - a snake - is often mixed with the other sacred signs: horns of consecration or birds.

Figures of the Snake Goddess and some other cult objects - so called snake tubes and vessels with wholes, decorated by a model of snake - illustrate the worshipping of a Snake Goddess and her cult in Crete during some periods. It seems that this cult came to existence from very early Minoan age, derived from the Egyptian belief system, but there was the strong Near-Eastern influence too. In the Egyptian mythology the snake was a personification of the goddess Kebechet, symbolized the purification by water in the funeral cult, so the snake became a protector of the pharaohs in their death. In the Sumerian and the Old-Babylonian literary tradition the snake was a wise creature and an expert for miraculous herbs of the eternal youth and immortality. A similar idea is contained in the Cretan myth about Glaukos, where the snake knows the herb of rebirth and resurrection.

It is possible, that the worshipping of the Minoan Snake Goddess was in some context to the rebirth, resurrection or renewal of the life. This cult was flourishing mainly in Knossos of the New-palace period and in the Post-Palace public sanctuaries. It is sure, that mainly Knossos' idols, made from faience with a high artistic level, had an important function in the Minoan religion. We have to take into consideration, that the material of the New-Palace Snake Goddesses - faience - symbolized in old Egypt the renewal of life, therefore it was used in the funeral cult and in sanctuaries.

The Post-Palace Snake Goddesses, worshipped in the small public sanctuaries, kept probably a more popular role. These ritual objects were influenced by the Mycenaean culture. Their attribute of the snake had a strong signification in the belief system of all Aegean region at this time. The terracotta models of painted snakes were found in the Cult Center of Mycenae and the motif of snakes appear between the decoration of vessels for funeral cult from the Late Mycenaean cemeteries in the mainland and in the islands Rhodos, Kos and Cyprus.

The symbol and spirit of the Minoan Snake Goddess took in the Greek mythology many different features. The snake had a protective and beneficial role on the shield of Athena, it represented the chthonic power connected with the Goddess of Earth, it was the attribute of Asklepios, probably due to its knowledge about the herb of rebirth, resurrection and eternal youth and generally it was the symbol of superhuman power of the god. But the snake could have a totally negative role too as an originator of the death and an avenger in company with the mythical creatures.


Article created on 19 February 2000; last modified on 22 December 2002.
� 1995-2004 Encyclopedia Mythica. All rights reserved.

Russian Tarot Reading

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Nine of Coins (Gain): Accomplishment. Discernment. Discretion. Foresight. Prudence. Material well-being. Love of nature.



Knight of Clubs: A journey. Advancement into the unknown. Alteration. Fight. Absence. Change of residence.



mythology

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Aaaaarrrggghhh!!!

Don't you just hate it when you lose all traces of your dream between awakening and going to write it down? I swear I had soemthing cool and then I just drew a complete and total blank. Shite.

Sunday, April 04, 2004

Too much Information

Now that Lizzie's kind of gotten with the program, I secretly wish that Tina would update her blog on occasion as well. But maybe that's just my sense of nostalgia speaking. I just want to be fifteen again, passing notebooks full of pseudo intellectual detritus and cathartic poetry back and forth with my two fellow misfit talented genius girls. I want to go back to a world I can understand, where I'm pretty but fat, and everyone thinks my writing is "so disciplined" and I have a "nice voice" but not as nice as the other two have, and I act well, but am too unattractive to be cast in anything but the "mother" role, and if I gain any male attention at all, I can be confident that it is because of my intellect and my wit, because I am just a smart, chubby girl with dimples and baggy t-shirts and great taste in music and tarot decks my parents keep finding and throwing away for their supposed demonicness, and an obsession with English Romantic poets, and a hopeless crush on my journalism teacher which flatters the man to no end. I was miserable a good deal of the time back then, but it was at least a misery i could understand, and at least I knew who I was back then. I still mistrust people who befriend me too easily. I still suspect they're using me or setting me up for a fall or something. I still think I'm being made fun when I'm told that I'm thin or pretty or have a nice body. Deep down inside, I'm just really a little fat girl who everyone indulges but no one takes seriously. Deep at the core of me I still feel like a joke. I think really all of us are still fifteen on some level.


Now where the hell did all of that just come from? I am suddenly something of a catharsis junkie.


Peace,love and jellybeans, or whatever it was that Lizzie used to say, I forget the exact wording, but whatever...


Corbid


"Panicking by yourself is the same as laughing in an empty room." - Chuck Palahniuk, Invisible Monsters

I recall laughing in an empty room once.

I was sixteen and in the hospital, laying in my private room in the pediatrics ward, praying aloud when I realized, "Ha!" I realized I was talking to the ceiling. And it struck me as ridiculous. And I laughed and laughed and laughed. And that was the moment I gave up believing in god. Because it suddenly struck me as ridiculous to believe in this invisible faith reliant being that bestowed good and horribleness in such an apparently arbitrary fashion. A being for which the answer to every paradox was simply "you have to take it on faith." And everyone would tell me that I was so lucky to be alive, that I had been spared "by the grace of god." Or they'd tell me how they'd prayed for me, like they should get some sort of credit for that. Like "thank you for so obviously saving my life by praying for me. If you hadn't prayed for me. god would've just let me die, but since he holds you in such high regard, he spared me just as a favor to you..." And it always baffled me that god was supposedly responsible for survivals and remarkable near misses and miraculous recoveries, but never gets any credit for the accidents or tragedies themselves. Either he's just a sick,sick bastard or else he sure goes awol alot. Does bad shit happen because god was on his coffee break or something? Or better yet, does it fall in the category of "trials" and "crosses to bear?" Like humanity is a big science experiment, a big glass antfarm with god there reflecting sunlight through magnifying glasses at us to see if we'll burst into flames or not. What kind of sick, demented bastard would invent a deity of that sort? I for one prefer to take stock in theories of random chaos. Random Chaos is a lot more forgiving. All hail the Church of Laughing Out Loud In Empty Rooms. And yes, I realize you're supposed to spell the word "god" with a capital G.


In a twisted state of mind,

Corbid


Friday, April 02, 2004

Hmmm....

My child is a computer genius. But I don't understand why she put up a "Sisyphus rolling a rock up a hill" animation as my desktop background. Is she saying something about me?

Thursday, April 01, 2004

strangeness indeed...

Dreamt that Kurt Cobain was alive and well and had a blog and was currently reading American Gods by Neil Gaiman and listening to Townes Van Zandt on the sly, and that he knew me well enough to write me raw, painful, cathartic emails.
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Hagalaz is the rune of hail. Hail is a destructive and elemental force, so one can expect this rune to represent the disruption of one's life. In the harsh northern winter there is a halt to activity, and so delay or hindrance is frequently associated with this rune. The opposite of chaos is yet more chaos, as illustrated by the fact that this rune cannot be reversed.



Ehwaz is representative of the eight-legged horse ridden by the god Odin. As such, this is the rune of controlled movement and travel, including the pursuit of an objective or station in life. Since some older sources show Odin not as a man riding a horse but as a centaur-like being, this rune can also represent the union of man and nature, or the fusion of two entities in perfect harmony. As this rune is reversed, this could bode poorly for travel or for the vehicle involved. In the more spiritual sense, this rune could represent difficulties in self-improvement or other attempts at advancement. Finally, it may represent a splitting of two or the inability of two to act as one.







mythology

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Three views of the goddess Iris...

Iris, goddess of private eyes, watches. Always watches.

Once she was mercurial, a rainbow, mother of love, the bridge between the crude worlds and words of earthly things and the elevated world of spirituality. Now she's a lone heroine, and goddess of lone heroines and heroes. Now she's a bridge between the desire to know the truth, and the truth we don't want to know. Now she watches, unblinking....Iris was the winged goddess of the rainbow and the messenger of the Olympian gods. She was depicted as a young woman with golden wings and a herald's rod and/or a pitcher in her hand...

In Greek mythology, Iris was the daughter of Thaumas and the Ocean nymph Electra (according to Hesiod), the personification of the rainbow and messenger of the gods. As the rainbow unites Earth and heaven, Iris is the messenger of the gods to men; in this capacity she is mentioned frequently in the Iliad, but never in the Odyssey, where Hermes takes her place. Iris is represented as a youthful virgin, with wings of gold, who hurries with the swiftness of the wind from one end of the world to the other, into the depths of the sea and the underworld. She is especially the messenger of Zeus and Hera, and is associated with Hermes, whose caduceus or staff she often holds. By command of Zeus she carries in an ewer water from the Styx, with which she puts to sleep all who perjure themselves. Her attributes are the caduceus and a vase.

I cooked...

I actually had a chance to cook real food for dinner that wasn't from a jar or a package for the first time in probably weeks (unless you count omelets, I am famous for my omelets...) tonight. Seared a london broil in butter in a pan on the stovetop, then sauteed some stir fry vegetables, then braised the whole thing in Killian's Irish Red, which I can't stand to drink but very much enjoy as a food seasoning, which is lucky as it was the only thing remptely alcoholic left in the fridge and the whole thing would not have worked quite as well if I'd used something like, say, soy sauce or apple cider vinegar. Made baked potatoes stuffed with cheese for the side. The whole thing was very Applebees special of the month, but not bad for an improvisation. Certainly a step up from totino's party pizzas, anyway.


In other news, the new job situation is becoming more and more of a reality. It's very strange to think that I'll be leaving my job of two years for good soon. Working overnights is not just a job, it's kind of a lifestyle choice. It's going to be a very strange transition indeed. Yeah, the place was a bit of a pit, but it was my pit at least. In a sick way I think I'm sort of going to miss it a little. Plus the people there I'd worked with for a million years. It's like graduating high school or something. But time marches on and there is good to come from all of this. Still, I'm just a little sad to leave. Not the job, just the familiarity of it all. And working days instead of nights. I don't even know what that's like anymore. It's all so surreal to me. Whatever, that all seems so stupid. It's just a job, anyway. One service job is the same as the next, right? Until I get back to school, work is not a method of fulfillment, it's just a means to an end. Dear god, do I need to get back to school. I keep saying it, but I never do it. Oh well, maybe next time, right?


Corbid

Wednesday, March 31, 2004

Celtic Virgin Birth?

Myth of the Day:

Dechtere




The mother of Cuchulainn. There are a number of versions of his birth, of which two follow: one, Dechtere accidentally swallowed a mayfly while drinking a cup of wine, became pregnant from this event, and bore Cuchulainn; two, She was impregnated by the god Lugh with his own soul, and vomited him into life as Cuchulainn, thereby remaining a virgin.



temple of hecate oracle divination of the day

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Kores' Light

The untouched, the virginal, youth, purity and innocence, an innocent person, a fertile base from which growth can arize. Virtue and Honor. Hope. Preparation for new horizons.



Ares' Light

An unavoidable conflict, revolution, or struggle. Action. Defiance. Conquest. Triumph. Attainment despite perils.





mythology

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I have returned

From my long slumber, or at least intermittently. Thank you to Lizzie for a lovely party and her unfailing patience with and support of me. Undergoing major life changes, ie. jobs and schedules and so forth and have been very stresses out and wiped out and generally out of synch. I most definitely welcomed the respite, although perhaps I enjoyed it a bit too much...la,la,la...back to being a responsible grown up then. But I got to sing Bowie songs into a microphone while somebody played guitar and other people watched. How cool is that?


Corbid

Thursday, March 25, 2004

oh dear goddess, not that card again...rider waite reading

The Lovers: A caring and trusting relationship. Beauty and inner harmony. A decision calling for emotional control and faithfulness to spiritual values.



Strength: Raw power. Health and physical fortitude. A surge of tremendous force. Recovery from sickness. Victory after apprehension and fear. The ability to face and overcome opposition brings the inner qualities of strength and forbearance. Delays and setbacks will be overcome.

where was I???

Apparently I was invisible for a time...fixed it...more soon...tired...slightly addled...must...sleep...


corbid

(otherwise known as Saille Willow)
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mythology

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Myth of the Day:

Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Hypatia

Myth of the Day:

Hypatia was a mathematician, astronomer, and Platonic philosopher. According to the Byzantine encyclopedia The Suda, her father Theon was the last head of the Museum at Alexandria.



Hypatia's prominence was accentuated by the fact that she was both female and pagan in an increasingly Christian environment. Shortly before her death, Cyril was made the Christian bishop of Alexandria, and a conflict arose between Cyril and the prefect Orestes. Orestes was disliked by some Christians and was a friend of Hypatia, and rumors started that Hypatia was to blame for the conflict. In the spring of 415 C.E., the situation reached a tragic conclusion when a band of Christian monks seized Hypatia on the street, beat her, and dragged her body to a church where they mutilated her flesh with sharp tiles and burned her remains.
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Knowledge: An important, possibly moral choice to be made. Be discriminating with advice from others. Deep insight into a relationship or one's own involvement in a relationship. A need to integrate all levels of consciousness within oneself. An opportunity for intimacy and open communications.



Four of Music (Musing): "And I wrote my happy songs / Every child may joy to hear". Being at peace with yourself. Taking the time to reminisce and let your mind wander. Relief from emotional stress. Combining business with pleasure. Focus on playful communication. Mulling things over. Relaxed and slow pace. In the creative process: Relax into playfulness, whimsically experiment with improvisation or reminiscence about past experiences. Such meditations alleviate stress and refresh the imagination. Make space for the gifts of spirit to move through you.



mythology

detritus

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So,so very,very tired...

Alas, but I am weary...working a 70 hour week, or something in that neighborhood. I scarcely know what day it is...oh, well, at least there's Saturday to look forward to.