Thursday, June 30, 2005

DING DING...Crystal Wins!!!

1) I believe that Unicorns are quite real and not merely the legends of myth.
True. I love them, they are gorgeous and I believe all 'mythical' animals are based on actual creature, of this earth or not, I don't know?

2) I originally started out going to school to become a graphic artist.
True. Until my student advisor talked me out of it, ah well, it all worked out just fine.

3) I have a butterfly on my butt.
True. Everyone knows that, ha ha ha. Well not everyone, but all my girls

4) I once started growing dreadlocks.
True. But they got cut off. *sniff*

5) I absolutely adore those sweet little creatures known as bats.
False! I love animals and bats are kind of cute, but they freak me out. Irrational fear.

6) I've got a large rather ominous mole in my lower left back area.
True. I am the Mole Queen or Queen Mole, however you want to look at it:)

7) I believe in past lives and souls and think that I am a old soul.
True. Definately.

8) I fantasize about a skinny white boy from the UK named Thom Yorke.
True. Front man for Radiohead, I had a 'moment' with him you know????

9) My first car was an '84 VW Rabbit.
False! My first car was actaully a '79 Mazda GLC Hatchback running on 3 cyclinders thank you very much!

10) I love the ocean and all things related.
True. Of course, I am a squishy fishy water bear-er kind of momma!

11) I am open minded but strong in personal opinion and passions.
True. I always wonder if one can label themselves as 'open minded' though, can you really declare yourself as something like that? I dunno, not really up to me I don't think, too many variables. We ALL think we are open minded, right?

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

8 Truths and 2 Lies About You

8 Truths and 2 Lies About You (let your readers guess which are the lies)

1) I believe that Unicorns are quite real and not merely the legends of myth.
2) I originally started out going to school to become a graphic artist.
3) I have a butterfly on my butt.
4) I once started growing dreadlocks.
5) I absolutely adore those sweet little creatures known as bats.
6) I've got a large rather ominous mole in my lower left back area.
7) I believe in past lives and souls and think that I am a old soul.
8) I fantasize about a skinny white boy from the UK named Thom Yorke.
9) My first car was an '84 VW Rabbit.
10) I love the ocean and all things related.
11) I am open minded but strong in personal opinion and passions.
Bathrooms are strange places. I never really thought about it until recently, I mean we go in there to do some pretty private stuff and a lot of the time there are other people in there with us. I guess we've just kind of learned to accept it, we live with billions of other people, we do not have the luxary of using The Little Girls room all alone any more, ever...at all. Period. Hrm?

Max used to follow me into the bathroom almost on cue when he was very small, he seemed curious about what I was doing in there and as most of you know...I have a pretty open door policy in my house...most doors stay open, most of the time. This became uncomfortable as he got older obviously, we both needed more privacy and it just occurrs naturally between boys and their Mom's. Plus, I've learned that budding young men don't really want to know about things like periods and shaving the legs and other umentionable areas. But it's not a big deal to me at all, if I really have to 'go' I'm gonna go and if he's with me in that situation, than so be it.

Same with C, I have no qualms about tinkling if he's shaving or something. Though, again...I've learned that most men don't really want to know about things like periods and shaving the legs and other umentionable areas ;-) *ggigle* I LOVE to mess with them, LOVE it! Silly boys, get grossed out pretty easily really. *ha*

I've used the bathroom a billion times with Crystal, Peck, Rhi and Kristen and Sandy and Kim and all my girls, even in some pretty nasty places. Once I had to stand in front of Kristen with a blanket on the side of the road. She wasn't holding it any more and we were on a long ass road trip in the middle of the night. Woops. Or the Ladies Room at The Deadbeat, yum...that's one of my favorites. Or The Church! HA HA, yuck...you have to be marginally intoxicated to go in there in the first place, if given a choice, I'd rather pee outside than in bathroom at the Deadbeat, but mostly we just go in there to socialize, check make up/hair and admire each others outfits or gossip. Sometimes it's a safety thing too...creepy guy alert, maybe your partying it up in a part of town that's known for being a little dingy...no biggy, common sense. It's true men, there's a reason why we go to the bathroom together, not to hard to figure out, ya know? :)

So, what's my point? Well, I mean really, when it boils down to it...I'm just not a very shy person over all. About some things yes, but not so much for the most part.

So, what's my next point? Well, if you are in a public restroom....say with someone you work with, and you don't know them very well at all and they are TALKING to you, through the stall...while your trying to pee and think about how to adequately and completely test the piece of code you just wrote so you can move onto the next task...it just seems a strange moment to have casual conversation to me.

If Crystal shouts 'Hey Sarah, I need some TP over here' or even something more personal...sure, I'll talk to her happily. If Max is calling for me through the house, I'll answer him...no big deal at all. If C needs to shave and there's only one bathroom, you do what you have to do, not a worry.

But this whole bathroom ettiquette at my work is really foreign to me. Where's the respect for personal space? Random Women A is going to holler at me through the bathroom stall or at me while she's on the toliet while I am trying to exit the restroom? I don't know you, what makes you think you can talk to me THROUGH the stall while I'm in disposed even if I didn't approach you with conversation? This is my private moment, why am I now responisble for upholding the standard social graces in the bathroom that are better suited for the lunch room or water cooler? Isn't it bad enough that I have to share this toliet with 20 other women?

Running around half naked (or completely in some cases) in front of very close friends and family seems very natural to me, using the bathroom with my girls...nah, whatever...next....BUT this thing at work is just totally off kilter to me. I think it boils down to this whole issue of respect and personal space/business. I've also noticed myself becoming increasingly irritable if someone is invading my physical space, say in the grocery store or something along those lines....

Maybes the living/working/breathing/driving/existing in close proximaty to thousands of people is getting to me? Maybe the cube walls and I are having issues? Maybe social standards have changed and I wasn't notified. Maybe I need a plant and a fish in my cube?

Maybe I'm just being too sensative? Maybe there's something wrong with me???? Nah, I'm pretty sure that no matter how ya slice it....yelling at a stranger through the bathroom stall door isn't really appropriate!

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Calling all cube dwellers....

If you, like me, are a cube dweller...it is imperative that you take a moment to review this site:

http://www.cubefigures.com/home.html

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Celibrate Solstice

Ancient Celts : Druids, the priestly/professional/diplomatic corps in Celtic countries, celebrated Alban Heruin ("Light of the Shore"). It was midway between the spring Equinox (Alban Eiler; "Light of the Earth") and the fall Equinox (Alban Elfed; "Light of the Water"). "This midsummer festival celebrates the apex of Light, sometimes symbolized in the crowning of the Oak King, God of the waxing year. At his crowning, the Oak King falls to his darker aspect, the Holly King, God of the waning year..." 13 The days following Alban Heruin form the waning part of the year because the days become shorter.

Anient China: Their summer solstice ceremony celebrated the earth, the feminine, and the yin forces. It complemented the winter solstice which celebrated the heavens, masculinity and yang forces.

Ancient Gaul: The Midsummer celebration was called Feast of Epona, named after a mare goddess who personified fertility, sovereignty and agriculture. She was portrayed as a woman riding a mare.

Ancient Germanic, Slav and Celtic tribes in Europe: Ancient Pagans celebrated Midsummer with bonfires. ''It was the night of fire festivals and of love magic, of love oracles and divination. It had to do with lovers and predictions, when pairs of lovers would jump through the luck-bringing flames...'' It was believed that the crops would grow as high as the couples were able to jump. Through the fire's power, ''...maidens would find out about their future husband, and spirits and demons were banished.'' Another function of bonfires was to generate sympathetic magic: giving a boost to the sun's energy so that it would remain potent throughout the rest of the growing season and guarantee a plentiful harvest.
Ancient Rome: The festival of Vestalia lasted from JUN-7 to JUN-15. It was held in honor of the Roman Goddess of the hearth, Vesta. Married women were able to enter the shrine of Vesta during the festival. At other times of the year, only the vestal virgins were permitted inside.

Ancient Sweden: A Midsummer tree was set up and decorated in each town. The villagers danced around it. Women and girls would customarily bathe in the local river. This was a magical ritual, intended to bring rain for the crops

Christian countries: After the conversion of Europe to Christianity, the feast day of St. John the Baptist was set as JUN-24. It "is one of the oldest feasts, if not the oldest feast, introduced into both the Greek and Latin liturgies to honour a saint." 16 Curiously, the feast is held on the alleged date of his birth. Other Christian saints' days are observed on the anniversary of their death. The Catholic Encyclopedia explains that St. John was "filled with the Holy Ghost even from his mother's womb...[thus his] birth...should be signalized as a day of triumph." 16 His feast day is offset a few days after the summer solstice, just as Christmas is fixed a few days after the winter solstice. 1 "Just as John was the forerunner to Jesus, midsummer forecasts the eventual arrival of" the winter solstice circa DEC-21.

Neopaganism: This is a group of religions which are attempted re-constructions of ancient Pagan religions. Of these, Wicca is the most common; it is loosely based partly on ancient Celtic beliefs and practices. Wiccans recognize eight seasonal days of celebration. Four are minor sabbats and occur at the two solstices and the two equinoxes. The other are major sabbats which happen approximately halfway between an equinox and solstice. The summer solstice sabbat is often called Midsummer or Litha. Wiccans may celebrate the sabbat on the evening before, at sunrise on the morning of the solstice, or at the exact time of the astronomical event. "Midsummer is the time when the sun reaches the peak of its power, the earth is green and holds the promise of a bountiful harvest. The Mother Goddess is viewed as heavily pregnant, and the God is at the apex of his manhood and is honored in his guise as the supreme sun."

Prehistoric Europe: Many remains of ancient stone structures can be found throughout Europe. Some date back many millennia BCE. Many appear to have religious/astronomical purposes; others are burial tombs. These structures were built before writing was developed. One can only speculate on the significance of the summer solstice to the builders. Perhaps the most famous of these structures is Stonehenge, a megalith monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire. It was built in three stages, between circa 3000 and 1500 BCE. "The circular bank and ditch, double circle of 'bluestones' (spotted dolerite), and circle of sarsen stones (some with white lintels), are concentric, and the main axis is aligned on the midsummer sunrise--an orientation that was probably for ritual rather than scientific purposes.4 Four "station stones" within the monument form a rectangle whose shorter side also points in the direction of the midsummer sunrise.

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Fear is a great motivator but Love is the best reason to act.
Ellen Conlee, June 20th, 2005


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Celebrate Gaia, drink from the waters and breath conscious breathe. Acknowledge your surroundings and focus your affections for one moment to the Great Mother, for she gives so much to us without a question.

Let this day mark the change in seasons and the encourage us to reflect on the changes within ourselves.

Blessed Be Brothers & Sisters ;-)
peace & love
slc

Monday, June 20, 2005

Weekend Wonders.....

a) If someone is cooking dinner in a large, bubbling pot and asks if you'd like a taste, blow on it a little before moving forward as to avoid a scalded tongue and throat.

b) More than 2 males in one room, by default, becomes a 'Pack.' This is dangerous if you are the only female, a little tired and marginally ill feeling. Be prepared for relentless ribbing, but otherwise enjoyable.

c) Again, by default, males seem to have a difficult time with the concept of putting things back in there respective 'place.' This is known as leaving a 'trail'...around the entire, freaking house. In conjunction, there also seems to be some confusion about what keeping the house 'tidy, neat or clean' really means. This is possibley due to the lack of attention span, propegated by hundreds of hours playing video games?

d) No matter how wonderful some one is, your best friend, your spouse, your child or perhaps a co-worker; some times you just cannot take even one more smart ass comment or the butt of their jokes and you have to let them know this gently, becuase it doesn't matter how rotten or irritating their 'jokes' might be if you let them have it after weeks of aggrivation, your going to get a blank stare accompanied with a 'Jeez, don't take it so personal.' huh? wha? ok, moving on.

e) Witnessing a first time mother with her child is an experience totally and completely filled with warmth and love, I am overcome thinking of it.

f) C really does respect and consider my choice to limit meat in my diet, yay C, you are so good!

g) It is very easy to get dehydrated in Colorado, it's like a sauna in our house right now. Maybe I will loose some weight?

h) Some days it's harder to get up and go to work than others, sometimes the idea of having to work forever seems overwhelming. I really could've slept all day. I think I'm getting a cold or something? Sometimes I feel like whining.

i) My son is really growing quickly, it often catches me off guard and am wondering how long it will be until he towers over me. Shortly I'm thinking. Oh yeah and I have to get the 'Paintball Party' plans started for his 13th Bday. He's pretty excited, I hope he doesn't come home again with 10,000 bruises covering his body from the paintballs, this upsets me greatly.

j) I really love my life right now, it's pretty amazing stuff. Thanks to Max for being a great little dude and to C for just being himself and being a wonderful part of our lives;-)

k) I painted my toes yesterday with Carin's nail polish, it made me happy to use it. Maybe I should more, I never want to use it cuz I don't want to 'waste' it, she's probably laughing at me about that.

l) People who are not family or close friends or even compatible roomates were not meant to live with only 3" walls seperating your existance, our neighbors officially hate us now. I'm really glad we are trying to move, they bug me. Kudos to C for handling them with grace and style, I wanted to cuss at them again.

m) Back to work, woo hoo.

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Mer-creatures



You scored as Mermaid. Mermaid: Mermaids are also known as Sirens. These creatures were beautiful women who tricked sailors into becoming completely entranced by their haunting voices and found death soon after. Not all stories of Mermaids are about gentle loving sea people. They are mystical, magical, and extremely dangerous. They have a way about them that brings anyone they are around to seem enchanted. They are very mysterious creatures and to meet one... Would mean certain Death. Let the song of the Sea fill your soul, for you are a Mermaid.


What Mythological Creature are you?

Friday, June 03, 2005

I wrote this for you in quiet sleep last night

I wrote this for you in quiet sleep last night
Wrote about how we met once before, in dreams of light

You had piercing blue eyes and skin the palest shade possible
Darling little giggles gurgling out of your mouth in gooey bubbles
Bestest baby bear ever and treasured moments we shared
You reach for me and rest your head over my heart

I wrote this for you in quiet sleep last night
Wrote about how we met once before, in dreams of light

A dark haired man with striking features, present and close to my side
Tranquil but animated, warm with expressions of how all would be fine
Someone of substance, and a will all your own, you were lucid and intense
You gave me a kiss and sat with me on the steps in comfortable silence

I wrote this for you in quiet sleep last night
Wrote about how we met once before, in dreams of light

I'm not sure exactly what you are, but you are almost always there
Pulsing and fluttering, colorless and formless, alien to others, familiar to me
Maybe some celestial angel fish, perhaps a tangible shape of my spirit or consciousness
It does not matter, you are everlasting and always welcome here