Month: June 2008

  • Writers Choice Featured Questions Week 11

    five questions for this week
    (unfeatured questions stolen from the featured question chatboard, dated from September of 2007)

    If you had to choose one, would you rather have talent, or the fortitude to be persistent in whatever you do.
    Prometheus

    Does fear of rejection keep you from what you really want?
    i_am_defined_XD

    Everybody has a relationship story, whether it
    be how you found your true love or just the crush you had in second
    grade. What’s yours?
    yellojellopudding

    When you listen to music, which is more important? Lyrics or Melody?
    ivochan1109

    What are some things you’d like to do before you die?
    TakingxOverxMe


    Answer any one or all of these questions in the coming
    week. I try to mix the whimsical with the serious here, so hopefully
    there is at least one question here for everyone.
    June 30th


    Aestas, the ancient Roman corn-goddess of Summer is honored each year on this sacred day. Corn bread is traditionally served at Pagan gatherings in her honor.



    This day is sacred to various goddesses: Ceres, Changing Woman, Chicomecoatl, the Corn Mothers, Demeter, Gaia, Ge, Hestia, Iatiku, Oraea, Pachamama, Spider Woman, and Tonantzin.


  • LOL-things and allergies

    So you’d have to be living under a rock if you haven’t heard of the lolcats but now there are loldogs as well. Just figured I’d give you a heads up. Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out lolthulhu, even as infrequently as it updates.

    This is the time of year when it becomes difficult for me to post as much. This is mainly due to my allergies which make me sleepy and my eyes itch. My allergies are the main reason I’ve never been inclined to get contact lenses. Between being tired from my allergies and from the Benadryl, my itchy eyes, and my frequent headaches, sitting in front of the computer to make my usual uber-long posts is a little difficult because I can’t really focus well enough to drive home any points I might want to make. This may be good news for some… since no one likes a long-winded bore. lol But just figured I’d warn you guys that my posts would be a little less than what you’re used to for the next few months (usually July through September).



    Tattoo

    My webnovel so far…



    Chapter 1.1 in which Glory is not mindful of the store
    Chapter 1.2 in which Glory is made to do something she would really rather not
    Chapter 1.3 in which Glory thinks she might be sick
    Chapter 1.4 in which Aaron makes a mistake
    Chapter 1.5 in which Glory is made to see the error of her ways
    Chapter 1.6 in which the circle remains unbroken

    Chapter 2.1 in which Aaron makes another mistake
    Chapter 2.2 in which Glory reflects on her path
    Chapter 2.3 in which we learn Aaron is not really a nice boy
    June 29th


    The Bawming of the Thorn is celebrated in Appleton, England. An ancient hawthorn tree is bedecked with flowers, flags, and ribbons by all the adults of the town before the children are permitted to dance beneath its branches.



    This day honored Petosiris of Hermopolis (300 BC), an Egyptian astrologer and high priest of Thoth. After his death and canonization, his tomb became the site of pilgrimages.



    This is the best day to harvest herbs in the East Anglian tradition.



    This is a sacred day to Papa Legba, a powerful loa in the Voodoo religion. Originally a Dahomean sun god, Papa Legba is worshiped as the spirit-master of pathways and cross roads, and is the most important deity of the Vodoun pantheon.


  • WCFQ 10e: Reading

    What is one book or movie that has impacted your life?
    bewartz


    Well, I’ve read so many books that I doubt I could narrow it down to one whose content influenced me more than any other. As for which one has most impacted my life however, I’d have to say it was JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit because that is the book my mother read to me when I was learning to read. It’s probably the book that caused me to love reading so much. She would read about one chapter a week, and by the end of first grade, she’d hardly read anything to me at all, so I took the book and read it over Summer vacation.

    And the rest, as they say, is history.

    I’ve loved reading ever since. I collect books. I have so many that I’ve run out of room for bookcases. I’ve taken to stacking them, one on top of the other, against the wall. Hey, if I can’t have real floor to ceiling shelves, I’ll improvise. heh I’ve told my family that when I die, they should find the smallest public library they can, and give them all my books.
    June 28th


    Every year on this day, the birth of Hemera (the ancient Greek goddess of day) is celebrated. Festivals in her honor begin at sunrise and last until the setting of the sun.



    On this date in the year 1916, Reformed Alexandrian Witch and author Stewart Farrar was born in Highams Park, Essex, England.



    Ra Goes forth to propitiate Nun on the 15th day of Mesore.


  • The Olympics

    I have never been much impressed with the Olympics. On the one hand, it is wonderful that nations can gather peacefully and “play games” together… but not really. They play against one another; they play to win, to beat their fellow nations in games based on the (often enhanced) ability of their athletes.
    Continue reading →

  • wcfq 10c: Giving

    What is the ultimate thing you would do for someone and why?
    Brainy1

  • wcfq 10b/d : Why I write

    Why do you blog?
    sabe324




    Exactly how do you let out your anger/frustration?

    Sticksandstones31



    There’s really no big mystery as to why I blog. I blog because it’s a good way for me to get my thoughts out there to share with others. I’m not the most forthcoming person in RealLife unless I actually know you, but in the somewhat anonymous world of the blogosphere, I can say what I feel without much fear of (physical) retaliation. Not that I am inclined to provoke others needlessly, but some of my subject matter and some of my beliefs are bound to provoke the intolerant and/or ignorant. That’s just the facts of life. I’ve had a lot of experience with intolerance, enough to make me wary of more of the same.
    Continue reading →

  • WCFQ 10a: The Purpose… to learn, to teach

    What is the purpose of your existence?
    pinoyAKUSAN


    Everyone must find a reason to exist… without it, life is rather boring. The only true purpose in life is to experience,
    but each person must choose which experiences to take to heart. Some
    people allow things to occur in their lives, while other people go out
    and do things in the hope that certain things will occur. Some people choose fulfillment by doing things for their own gain, while others choose fulfillment by serving others.

    Continue reading →

  • Writers Choice Featured Questions Week 10

    five questions for this week
    (unfeatured questions stolen from the featured question chatboard, dated from September of 2007)

    What is the purpose of your existence?
    pinoyAKUSAN

    Why do you blog?
    sabe324

    What is the ultimate thing you would do for someone and why?
    Brainy1

    Exactly how do you let out your anger/frustration?
    Sticksandstones31

    What is one book or movie that has impacted your life?
    bewartz


    Answer any one or all of these questions in the coming
    week. I try to mix the whimsical with the serious here, so hopefully
    there is at least one question here for everyone.
    June 23rd


    St. John’s Eve was a traditional time for meditation while waiting for sunrise. Whatever their origin, the Midsummer fires were held from Ireland to Russia, and from Norway and Sweden to Spain and Greece. According to a medieval writer, the three great features of the Midsummer celebration were the bonfires, the procession with torches round the fields, and the custom of rolling a wheel (representing the sun). In Portugal, the spirits of the dead roam free on Saint John’s Eve.



    At one time, two hills near Lough Gur were the focus of sacred rites in honor of the Fairy Goddesses, Aine and Fennel (or Finnen). One, about three miles southwest of the lake, is called Knock Aine or Ane. Aine is an ancient Irish goddess and member of the Sidhe, whose name is derived from An, meaning bright. Every St. John’s Night, the peasantry would gather to watch the moon. In this way, Aine seems to have been a moon goddess like Diana. With torches of straw or hay tied on poles, they would march from the hill and then run through cultivated fields and among the cattle. This was to expel all evil spirits from the land so that there would be good harvests.



    Ishtar and Tammuz were honored today, as were Astarte, Aphrodite, Venus and Adonis.


  • I only ACT half my age

    So kind of a mixed day for me today. On the way to the grocery store, my mother almost killed us taking a corner too fast. It had just rained and apparently the intersection was slick from oil/transmission fluid mixing with the water. First we spun around one way, and then the other. Luckily nothing was coming in the other lane, and we didn’t hit anything. Scared the crap out of the both of us though! Then a cop pulled us over about a block later, not to give us a ticket, but just to tell my mom to be careful with intersections after it hasn’t rained in a while because of the leaky buildup.

    Then he asked if I was old enough to drive! lol Wow, that’s the lowest age I’ve ever been mistaken for. I mean, I’m 34! It’s pretty good if a cop thinks I’m less than half my age. Let’s hear it for good genes! heh I hope when I’m 68, people mistake me for 33. Considering the women in my family live quite long (into their 90s), there’s a good chance I could live to be 100 with the advances in modern medicine (or even without them). Hopefully I wear those 100 years well. According to my palm (I’m a passably good palmist), I could live up 125 (maybe if I’m really good and take care of myself).

    Oh, another good thing! Yesterday I finally received my “economic stimulus” check. Whoo! Finally! Though I don’t know how much of the economy it will stimulate since I’m going to put it in my savings account. Or… thinking of it now, I could open a CD with it instead. I wonder what the interest rate is right now… Or maybe a savings bond and a CD.

    I think it’s funny though. On the check, it has a series of numbers and letters. The last bit of the code are the letters ANDOVERSTIMULUS. Funny, I don’t feel a bit over stimulated. How about you? lol



    Tattoo

    My webnovel so far…



    Chapter 1.1 in which Glory is not mindful of the store
    Chapter 1.2 in which Glory is made to do something she would really rather not
    Chapter 1.3 in which Glory thinks she might be sick
    Chapter 1.4 in which Aaron makes a mistake
    Chapter 1.5 in which Glory is made to see the error of her ways
    Chapter 1.6 in which the circle remains unbroken

    Chapter 2.1 in which Aaron makes another mistake
    Chapter 2.2 in which Glory reflects on her path
    June 22nd


    The final witchcraft law in England was repealed in 1951.



    The 8th day of Mesore is the Summer Solstice in Egyptian traditions and a Ceremony to Wadjet.



  • Centipedes… Stay out of my head!

    I had a horribly creepy dream last night. Well, if not for the giant centipedes, it wouldn’t have been too bad, but darn it, I hate centipedes. They’re the only bug that I have issues with. I’ve been known to pick up other bugs, including spiders, with my bare hands… but centipedes? ::shudder:: Too many legs. Waaaaaaaaaaay too many legs. It’s an irrational fear… I am bigoted against centipedes. Hopefully in the infinite reaches of space, there are no such sentient creatures because I’m afraid I would have to encourage humanity to commit xenocide on such unholy monstrosities.

    I was an orphan and my guardian was a tomb robber. We traveled throughout space, looking for dead races to exploit. We entered a pyramid on a dead world that seemed oddly familiar to me. It seemed familiar to my guardian too and he didn’t stick around to explore and grab alien tech like he usually did. Something happened to me in the pyramid, but I wasn’t conscious of what. My guardian seemed scared though and that made me scared.

    Shortly after we left the planet, I began having visions of being much younger and in an escape pod where giant centipedes crawled all over me and nibbled on my flesh. Something in their venom preserved my life and flesh, even as they fed on me. So I could be kept alive indefinitely in the escape pod until I was found. I was supposed to be asleep, but there was some kind of malfunction in the pod which caused me to be aware of the centipedes.

    I told my guardian about my dream/vision and became completely freaked out. Shortly thereafter, we were overtaken by several war ships. They had some connection to the deserted planet and my memories. The military were part of an elite guard and insisted we accompany them to meet with their queen.

    When we arrived, we were led into a dining room where only a dozen or so people were eating. None of them looked very happy to be there, and all of them seemed very afraid of the queen. Her skin seemed tight on her bones and she was very thin. And I knew… I just knew that she was covered with centipedes. She was preserving her life unnaturally through the centipedes and had been doing so for so long that she was more centipede than human. There were gases and drugs that were supposed to keep the centipedes in check, as when a person was in an escape pod for instance, but because she was not in such a controlled environment, they had pretty much taken over her body and mind.

    It seemed that I was the long lost heir to the throne. My mother had been the queen’s daughter, but when her mother started using the centipedes without the proper safeguards, she became afraid and tried to escape. She was killed, but I was lost in space. Apparently the world with the pyramid was where the centipedes came from originally and some vestigial memory from the enzymes I was exposed to in the pod made the pyramid seem familiar. I’m not sure why the Queen’s shops found us after visiting that world, unless they had some way or reason to monitor that world.

    My dream pretty much ended with some of the nobles trying to smuggle me back off the world with my grave-robbing guardian. I don’t know if they were successful.



    I took an empathy test that breaks down what kind of empath a person supposedly is. I didn’t really like the questions. Some of them weren’t very clear and overall it seemed a bit simplistic, but here are the results.


    What Kind of Empath Are You?
    You scored as a Healer
    You
    are a Healer Empath. You take in the energy of others and transmute it.
    You trigger transformation in others and free trapped energy. You are
    capable of great healing abilities. You walk between the worlds and
    bring waves of healing energy with your presence.


    Healer

    		100%

    Traveler

    		95%

    Judge

    		95%

    Shaman

    		80%

    Artist

    		80%

    Universal

    		80%

    Fallen Angel

    		75%

    Precog

    		55%




    June 21st


    Oraea is the Goddess of Summer honored in Greece at the Solstice.



    Pope Paul III issued the Licet Ab Initio, making the Inquisition the central authority on heretics in Rome in 1542.