Jupiter's Girl

A solution to end famine

2010-01-17T17:35:00.001-06:00

Attention farmers around the world: No need to worry about insects, drought, and other issues of farming.

Ormus is a mon-atomic element that adds nutrients to the soil which creates resistance to potential problems such as pests and disease of the plants.

The documentation from that link goes a long way into proving that there are solutions to the problems of food shortages. The evidence is compelling. Check it out.

Ormus is the End-all, Be-all; Alchemy is not about living forever. It is about living life more fully - taking care of others and empowering them to take care of themselves.

Please feel free to copy and forward this message to anyone who would be instrumental in making this information available on a grand scale, or to those people who can apply Ormus to their practices and get us all some bumper crops of healthy vegetation.

Baby with a Snake

2009-10-19T10:54:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oh0v_DHFrw
I found this disturbing video yesterday on youtube. Comments have been disabled, but I want to read some. You can leave them here. It may take me a while to publish them because I read them first, but I am curious to see what others have to say about it.

Offsetting famine

2009-10-15T11:43:00.002-05:00

I belong to this e-mail forum of thoughtful people because of some of my out-of-the-box thinking and activities in alchemy. It's never been about getting the philosopher's stone so that I can outlive my loved ones. My main interest in Ormus has been to alleviate my food and water shortage fears for this planet.

Ormus - an acronym for orbitally rearranged mono-atomic elements (aka ORMEs) is easy to make and has infinite benefits pertaining to feeding a civilization that is too dumbed down to realize how it is harming itself with funky farming practices and idiots in power.

I went to an Ormus conference in September in the foothills of the Appalachians in Northern Georgia. It was a gorgeous setting. These people are serious alchemists. I witnessed the process - plus, saw and sampled products. It was a very enlightening experience - to put it mildly.

I am thinking of ways to get some p.r. for Ormus; maybe contact some local farmers.

Barry Carter's vegetation is not the only documentation on how Ormus creates bigger yields of better tasting and more nutritious, disease and pest-resistant plants and trees. It is very awe-inspiriing that this man has taken the message of what the philosopher's stone is good for - and run with it.

Check out these links and see if you don't agree.http://www.subtleenergies.com/ormus/tw/moregreen.htm

Just say "No Way"

2009-10-01T11:36:00.003-05:00

Check out this latest Urgent message that has been making the rounds. I've gotten it three times from different sources, stated differently, yet with the same information.

Below is a comprehensive and informative link to what is wrong with the H1N1 Vaccine. Even if I didn't read this, I am very suspicious of that, and any other, vaccine. At least one state is trying to make vaccination mandatory. I also heard in the news where they are forcing health care workers to be injected. The logic they are touting is how is it going to look for them to promote it - while they (the health care workers) think something might be wrong with it?

http://www.psychosynergy.com/33001.html

Do you know the difference between the Swine Flu and the Bird Flu?

For the Bird Flu, you need some tweetment. And for the Swine Flu, you just need a little oinkment.

Counter terrorism with humor. Power (versus force) comes from being sure that the Creator is in charge of your health and happiness. Surrender to the divine within you and no thing, person, or circumstance can alter your path to fulfillment.

Love and light. Joy and peace. Music and Art.
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Call it a Louisiana Stimulus package

2009-09-12T09:50:00.007-05:00

Hey, Governor Jindal.

First off, let me apologize for my ignorance. I choose not to follow politics for many reasons, but mainly because that information goes on into infinity about all the who's who of the field, and how they think or behave in regards to infinite particulars. I trust in organizations like "League of Women Voters", as well as other watchdogs, rules and rulers, who like to keep up with that and which keeps everything in check. At least, for the most part, things are orderly on the surface and that's important.

I am limited in that I can only pay attention to what I need to for my day-to-day life and the living of it as a healthy, happy, and fulfilled Being - applying that to enabling others to do the same. Politics only barely penetrates my sphere of existence at all. It is way too vast a subject for me, so I ignore it.

Now, that's out of the way...

Work has been slow in the food and beverage, hotel and tourism, industry this month. It slowed down last month, and then is semi-comatose now - September. It is this way every year. Everybody knows that September crawls by, finances get tight-tight, and hopefully, some of us prepared for it - you know? - by having old fashioned savings accounts.

When there is a good cash flow, most of us let it flow in, and then let it keep flowing right back out, as we play catch-up from drier periods. There's always a need for the affluence as children grow and need to be re-outfitted, home or auto maintenance costs money, and all things practical and impractical that crop up and I thank the Universe for providing money for.

Some of us are not so good at saving. Well(clears throat), ... I am not.

I may be wrong in thinking You Guys got money, but correct my perception if you can. What's going on with the money from those traffic cameras???? I know the cameras must be an expense to put up and operate, but I am sure there is plenty of excess money leftover. In fact, I heard a rumor that nobody knows what to do with the excess moola that comes from people making sloppy car mistakes that hurt nobody in any way. (incl, a $110 from me sent months ago for one such mistake. :( )

So, I got an idea...

I am proposing that the LA treasury department consider using that money to write a stimulus check to the good people of this state who are devoted to the jobs that encompass this important f&b industry which provides a good chunk of the state's revenues. Don't you think it makes sense to issue a check to everyone in the service industry of hotels, restaurants, and tourism, in general, that depend on tips, or people dependent on hourly wages whose hours are cut? We don't hold onto our money. Get it? It flows in and flows right back out.

Symbiosis.

I LOVE that idea.

I've got more where that comes from.

Should I?

2009-07-30T10:47:00.000-05:00

Good Day,
I have a business of US$26.5million for you to handle with me from my
bank.Please contact me for details, via private
email:peterleetc25@yahoo.com.hk
Peter Lee..

I want to go back asap

2009-07-28T22:25:00.005-05:00

Julia and Shelby. Two peas in a pod.

Aaron got a sunburn on day 1.

My niece said she didn't need a napkin after we bought the ice cream and I wanted to go back for one before she began to eat it.

I love Florida and spending time with my peeps. They are the coolest people I know. I indulged Polina one morning for a couple of hours. She and I went from the pool to the hottub, and then to the lazy river and rope climbing and then back to the pool, over and over until her big sister fetched her back to their resort room. I was like a kid negotiating with my 17 year old niece, "does she have to go? She just had ice cream. We're having fun." I went back to my room then - begging my husband to come play with me. He could only take very little of that kind of fun. I practically lived in my swim suit for 7 days. I told my sisters that when I get rich, I will have a big house on the beach so they can come visit me anytime. We'll have to get together often. (cue "If I Were a Rich Man")

Fort Walton Beach 2009

2009-07-26T09:42:00.003-05:00

6 of my 7 siblings joined up at the beach for a week. We stayed at Waterscapes Resort which had a lazy river, two big pools, a few hot tubs, and a couple of kiddie play areas. My oldest brother is not a beach person. The sisters and one brother who did come all had their little people. One sister now has two grandchildren also. Only one of the nephews didn't join us because of work. He was missed too. We all missed him.

The beaches of Florida are heaven on Earth. On the day of the eclipse I did 5 astrological counseling sessions at Wildflower Studios. It was very fulfilling for me to mix business with pleasure. That store reminded me of Synchroncity (my old store that went the way of Hurricane Katrina). The owners, Mike and Penny, have such nice energy about them.

The hat is going. It's done it's job. I don't know whose sunglasses those are. They are gone too. And the sunburn is tannish now. I never do really tan, but the whiteness is lessened a lot, and more freckles show up afterwards.

I could have used just one more day. Sigh.

Michael's 50th

2009-06-17T12:03:00.004-05:00

We visited Greenwood Plantation yesterday which had such lovely oak trees. We paid $3 each to tour the grounds, but in almost 100 degree heat with humidity out the yin-yang - our tour was very brief. Oh my lord, it's hot in Louisiana. Remind me not to take long drives out into the country until fall.

Here's a rare photo of Michael posing for my camera. Otherwise, I caught his profile, the back of his head, and glares at me when I asked to get a picture of him.

Yesterday was Michael's birthday. It's that BIG one - the one where he now qualifies for membership in AARP. He balked at that until I told him what benefits he can get with it; namely, discounts. It's on a backburner.

My 50th is in 8 months. I used to have a goal of walking the Appalachian Trail for a week as a way of demarcating reaching this level in life. I don't think that goal is going to be met. I've made a new one. My high school classmates are tentatively planning a cruise together in honor of our collective half-centennial.

I thought I'd be settled in a lucrative and satisfying job by now. I guess I am a late bloomer. My bud is just starting to stir. I've been watering and fertlizing and sitting in the sun. I am reaching for the Moon now. Opening....

Grills and such

2009-06-15T16:49:00.004-05:00

A co-worker, Colleen, brought these grills back from New York.

I grabbed this white frog when I reached for my walking stick. He was clammy. Or, froggy - as it were.

The Myrtles

2009-05-05T08:53:00.004-05:00

For our 19th wedding anniversary, Michael and I wanted to do something different. We had an adventure involving a scenic drive, a haunted house, and a lovely trip down memory's ancient lanes.

St. Francisville is the 2nd oldest town in Louisiana and is preserved as much as possible, and replicated where it wasn't possible to preserve. Hurricane Gustav did a number on the town and on the 8 antebellum homes that are scattered in the area and open for tours.

We toured what is proclaimed to be the most haunted house in America. I dreamt about the mirror that we saw, with a purported woman's facial imprint in it, the night before I stepped into the Myrtles house. A picture of the mirror is the only picture one can take inside the house. I did not want a picture of it. The idea alone spooked me.

While listening to the legends of the murders that took place inside the house and on the grounds, Michael and I both experienced fuzzy, warm sensations. Michael is not at all what one might say woo-woo, so for him to notice the change in our fields of energy was very affirming to me.

I think the grounds there attract people who carry the ghost-magnet in their fields, so that they notice disembodied entities readily. My friend was telling me how a ghost pushed her and her husband on the swing. I purposely avoided any contact with entities except to say a prayer that they find the welcoming light of where souls go to rest.

I was hoping my mate and I could talk about what might happen in the next 19 years over a leisurely lunch, but we stuffed ourselves at breakfast so that we weren't hungry for pretty much the rest of the day. And Michael doesn't know the meaning of the word "leisure". We hurried to get there, hurried to have our (brief) tour of the house, hurried through our free tour of the grounds, hurried through the gift shop, and then hurried to get home, though there was absolutely no hurry now that our kids can fend for themselves. The man is a Gemini - fast is their m.o. We missed many points of interest in and around the township because we bought chocolates at the Myrtles.

After 19 years of marriage, we are settled in some ways, but in some ways not. Changes come naturally, but some I would like to force, like having more leisurely respites away from our mundane existence.

As for leisure time, I carve out my own. I am almost finished reading a book I started this morning. I read through 3 Jonathan Lethem novels in a weeks' time and returned the books to my boss. I got this one by him from the library, "As She Climbed Across the Table". Here is an author whose novels I will look for. My favorite had to be "Motherless Brooklyn", though I have enjoyed them all.

I have vowed to go back to St. Francisville and spend at least one night there at an un-haunted bed and breakfast, and tour the town at my leisure. It would be nice to step back in time and arrest it with my lover. I can always daydream about leisure time away from home even if I don't get it.

Book Review

2009-04-17T15:36:00.002-05:00

I read a lot.

Thumbs down to a book I just took back to the library after patiently waiting months for it. It's on the Bestseller's list - "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." It was a bad book, with gratuitous sexual violence, and a drawn out story which I couldn't finish.

The author of "...Tattoo", Stieg Larsson, dropped off this manuscript along with two others in 2004 and then dropped dead before they were published. I have to wonder about such a mind that was preoccupied with such dark, sadistic material. No, on second thought I won't.

On a more up-note, I read Neil Gaiman's Newberry award winning book, "Graveyard", and loved it. I love everything this author writes.

And while I am at random recommendations: two movies I recently watched and laughed at and loved were "Soul Men" and "Yes Man". They aren't movies for young people due to sexual content, but they are funny. Funny always does the trick at bringing me into the Now. Now is always better than then.

My new car

2009-04-14T19:33:00.003-05:00

Deja vu. I used that title already - when I got my new Kia Spectra back in July 2006. That car was a collision magnet.

The last accident happened just last Wednesday when I got rear-ended on the interstate on my way home from work. The first dent was just 5 months after I had the Spectra. I came out from my job at a supermarket and there it was. Then, there were several smashes and crashes in between the first and the last when it was finally put to rest by my insurance agency - "totalled".

I learned new words like "gap insurance" and what it is to be "upside down". My insurance would only pay me what my car was worth on the market, taking into consideration the mileage and former dents.

Suzuki financing took care of $3400 owed on the Kia and the rest of the money matters and now I have a new car. It is a Forenza. I like the way it rides. I like the smell, and I love how it will eventually have cruise control. I told the salesman that cruise control was more important to me than doors.

I don't like that I didn't go over every inch of it and there's a cigarette burn in the back seat. I am sure they are laughing all the way to the bank on that sale. Plus, it's an '08, which I am sure the dealership is relieved to get off their lot.

I can't let any of that dampen my happy mood at my good fortune of getting a new car. I tried to get one months ago - after my speeding ticket - when I searched for a car with cruise control on it. (People with A.D.D. need cruise control.) At that time, the sales man I was haggling with wished he could help me out of my upside down-ness, but his hands were tied. I didn't really like that HHR anyway.

So, I am still a little bummed out at having to eat $3400 because of my no-fault accident. I fussed at everyone in claims that I could have about the unfairness of not having a car anymore, yet still owing on it. I spoke with two lawyers who would have liked me to discuss my hurt back and knee, but I wouldn't play that card.

But happy days - I love new car smell, and no dents in the front, and cruise control. And there should be no more speeding tickets for me. That 24 mile bridge is too difficult to maintain a proper speed on.

I love cut flowers

2009-04-04T12:35:00.004-05:00

My Libra Moon is what I attribute to my loving to entertain at home. I got up early last Tuesday and made pralines for my visiting cousin and her family from Minnesota. I then went to the grocery and seafood market for items to go into the dinner. I made a big pot of seafood pasta, made a salad and a spinach dip, had garlic bread, and baked a chocolate cake. My sister, Angela, brought jambalaya. My Mom contributed $$, and my sister, Katie brought boiled shrimp and crawfish, and also a stuffed artichoke. As always, there was so much leftover - we lived off the pasta for days.

I forgot to take out the red beans I had thawing. I had no room on the stove to make rice for it. I knew before-hand that Carol didn't eat seafood. I meant for her to have choices. She is low-maintenance and wants no fussing about her picky diet.

My brother, David, and sister, Christina - and some of their people - came to the gathering to connect with cousin Carol, her husband and teenage daughter. I got to visit with them briefly before my siblings and Mother arrived. They were so open to their Louisiana adventure. Nicole and Dan were trying everything put before them. They were off to Lafayette, a different world within Louisiana's borders, for a few days after they left my house that night.

Two days ago, I got the loveliest bouquet delivered to my home for my efforts. They are so beautiful. I am humbled by Carol's generosity. They were such gracious guests. It was truly my pleasure to have them. I guess the least I could do is get recipes to Carol that she left a note for by my pc. Coming right up, Carol...

Happy Mardi Gras, Dawlin'.

2009-02-25T10:17:00.001-06:00

The weather was gorgeous, and so am I.

This is Gabi, a Snug Harbor manager.

Cruella and one of her pups.

??? Just having some fun.

I worked Mardi Gras day. Frenchman St. was crowded, but it's a different crowd than what is a few blocks down in the French Quarter.

Next year, I may get out of Dodge for the holidays. That would be a first.

There goes my baby

2009-02-01T11:49:00.004-06:00

Aaron got his driver's license last week. Today is the first time he is taking my car out on the road - alone. He's driving to his girlfriend's house - saving us the hour and ten minute drive round trip, twice, for his weekly visit.

I am so relieved to not have to cart him out to the country, and harbor dreams of sending him for groceries, or to pick up and drop his sister places she needs to go, and other excursions that I can't avoid but try to.

I would cry about this milestone since it is more steps into independence from his Ma-ma, but it is all in order. Happy trails, my son.

Head shots

2009-01-16T13:58:00.003-06:00

I paid my friend a shrimp po boy to take my picture. I've used not having a decent headshot as an excuse for what's been holding me back from pursuing an acting career. Now what? I am so unmotivated at this moment in time to do anything with it, but I am sure I will. The last time I had an agent, I didn't send in the exclusivity agreement because I didn't like any picture they had on file for me.

Note to prospective casting directors: Hire me. Don't you need a nosy neighbor, a silly teacher/principle figure, an obtrusive mom, bank teller who takes the gun away from a bungling crook, etc? I promise not to stir it up on the set. I am disciplined and focussed, learn lines fast, and ready when you are.

Awareness lightens the load

2009-01-06T08:29:00.004-06:00

I listened to a wise, loving friend explain a magnetic pole reversal and how it will affect mankind. I took the belief and ran with it that we are all going to be wiped out on Dec 12 2012 at 11:11 am. I spread that news around like butter for about a week. I was beginning to feel despondent and that nothing I do - or don't do - will matter, so I surrendered to the vision of certain death.

Oh it wasn't going to come without earthquakes, tsunamis, nuclear explosions, hurricanes and anything else way detrimental. But not to worry, as electro-magnetic beings, we are not going to witness the worst of earth cataclysms because our Being-ness will be stripped when magnetic poles reverse.

So, I did what I do to make myself feel better - I networked. First, I googled 2012 and magnetic pole reversals and came upon site after site that all had something to sell about the event. Then, I spoke with many others to see if there is a consensus - and "no" there isn't one.

Some people tell me of entering into another dimension (the 4th) where people of goodwill use telepathy and have cooperative spirits which will bring about a new era of life.

There are all kinds of theories about what will be, but until what will be IS, I cannot worry anymore about it. There are many mundane chores that need tending to, and my job still has to be worked at, and all other manner of things that tell me Life hasn't stopped yet, so keep going.

I think many want the world to end. Negative people bum me out. They spread their bad news so authoritatively.

It's like I always say - the Mind can find whatever it wants to. If you want the world to end, there's much proof that says it is going to. If you want the world to continue - only in a better way - there's much proof to say that is happening also. What you put out in thoughts, actions, words... it comes back to you. Think light and love.

Reference: Magnetic Pole Reversal

Peace and happy 2009.

Must have been a cold day in Hell

2008-12-12T08:29:00.004-06:00

It snowed yesterday here in Mandeville. People can count on one hand since 1960 how many times that has happened. It was snowing like what we imagine it does up north. It just kept coming down until noon. That's about when the electricity came back on. The news reported that it was a record by snowing so early in the winter season. It was a phenomena to us here in South Louisiana.

My kids don't even have winter coats. I ordered one yesterday for Julia. I felt like a bad Mom for sending her to school in that light jacket. Michael picked her up for a snow/play day at 10am. He was in a long line of parents who braved driving in that. Aaron didn't call us, he claimed to have texted Michael. He said there were maximum of 7 students (out of potential 35) in his classes all day.

I would not drive in that, though I sat on the sofa and worried about Michael and Julia in the car. I called to see that they were driving okay through it, and then I asked him to pick up a few things at the store while they were out. :)

This morning, Michael's driver door was frozen and he had to climb in on the passenger side.

After Hurricane Katrina - we wanted to relocate to a safer place, still near relatives or friends. The only places with those conditions were up north, Michigan and Minnesota - which we wouldn't consider because of the frigid, snowy weather.

Once in a while, snow would be allright. There's still snow on the ground out there, but my deck is an ice skating rink. Looking forward to sunnier times. It's supposed to be in the 50's today, and warming even further for the weekend. Yay.

It's on.

2008-12-01T10:46:00.005-06:00

Took in the Aquarium and toured the French Quarter the day before Thanksgiving with Julia and Shelby, Aaron and Ischelle. Wore them out. I had to finally just leave them at Jackson Square while I walked about a mile to get my car and pick them up. How is it that a 48 year old woman can walk circles around teenagers? They need to get out more.

25 more days till Christmas. This time of year always makes me wish to fast forward until after it's over. I watched "Click" on Thanksgiving night. It was very good. I like Adam Sandler movies. He makes me laugh. And cry. That was a good story about not hurrying through the bad parts of life to get to the good. I will try to remember that as I search for the perfect gifts for people and the money to purchase them with.

I like the lights. No, take that back. I LOVE the lights.

Grace King High, class of '78

2008-11-23T08:13:00.004-06:00

These are some of the girls I hung out with in the mid to late 70's. What a hoot that was. We all continued to party down at the karaoke bar on Bourbon. Unlike the olden days, though, I knew my limit and went home early. It wasn't that I wanted to - a friend was drunk and needed to be driven home. I couldn't make my way back to the scene, otherwise, I might have exceeded the limit too. I no longer like feeling like crap.

This was the girl who copied my poetry interpretation that I did in our Drama class in 12th grade, and used it in some regional speech competition and won. She's now a newscaster. I forever think that I just didn't know my talent back then, and that was proof that I had it. She won a contest by being like ME.

There were 125 attendees at our reunion. Our graduating class was 950 girls. We've decided to meet up every 5 years now - you know? - deaths are occurring more frequently now so we have to stay connected. There were 200 of us at our 20 year reunion. Hurricane Katrina put a dent in our numbers.

It was a so much fun to be with so many women my age and to hear their stories of what's been happening - or what has happened since last we met. We are a much more accepting and loving crowd of women now, of course, compared to how we were as teenage girls. That school is co-ed now. Maybe it wasn't such a bad thing to be educated at a school where it's all girls; such a concentration of budding feminine energy offered it's greatest lessons on top of the academics.

I took drivers ed, gymnastics, theater and speech, as well as the blah blah blah. I can't say I was a good student except for those subjects, or teachers, who could hold my interest. In my memory, tempered by the years, there were way more good classes and teachers than not.

Bye, Sammy

2008-11-07T13:23:00.002-06:00

Julia's Beta Fish named Sammy died during the night. We knew he was on his way out. I went to change out some of his water this morning, and discovered his little red body, upside down, in his bowl.

My dog, Chip, ate him when I was pouring off the water from the bowl into the grass in my backyard. Otherwise, I'd have added him to my list of pets buried in and around my property. Julia will not be happy about this.

Already gone to their graves in and around my yard are...
Cats: Thomas, Lulu, Meowth, Sally, Jesse
A Turtle: James
Two Dogs: Bailey, Daisy
Hermit Crabs: 4 or 5 of them, each named something.
A Hamster: Oreo
A Hedgehog: Alex (after a somber burial and memorial service under our oak tree, we came home the next day to find Chip with dead Alex in his mouth, running around the yard, tossing the body around, playing. He is an idiot, but we love him. One day he'll be on this list.)

I may have missed one or two.

RIP, Sammy. I think it still counts as a burial. Chip will eventually give your body back to the earth around here.

Halloween 'o8

2008-11-05T06:49:00.007-06:00

That wig only lasted a couple of hours. Snug Harbor was busy. Jeff and I made Monsoons out the wazoo. Monsoons are a huge rum punch. The exact ingredients are a secret. That they pack a punch is not. The Bingo Experience was a hoot of a show, what I caught of it anyway. I heard laughing and outrageous comments from afar as I made cocktails and Monsoons out the wazoo. And, their music was unique and fun to work to.

I bartended when I was a college student back in the late 70's to mid-80's. I never thought I'd be doing that again, this many years later. People from all over the world visit Snug Harbor, a great place to hear good music. I've met some unforgettable people. Musicians too. They come from all over. Last Saturday, we had a jazz ensemble from the Netherlands. They played very well, interesting and different, yet familiar songs.

A lot of tourists want to hear a story. I hear some of the same questions repeatedly: How long have you worked here? (almost a year now) Are you from here? (Yes, New Orleans is my birth town; grew up in Kenner.) What happened here during hurricane Katrina? I am a story-teller, but even I sometimes get tired of the same story and it comes out sounding hackneyed and trite. I try to think of something new to tell them that keeps them interested and happy to be on vacation - away from their own stories and making new ones that will be spread back where they come from. For a fee, you can take a tour of the devastated areas. We roll our eyes at those tours. One regular of mine said he was late getting to work - teaching at UNO - because he was stuck behind a busload of people taking pictures.

One lady told me she took the tour that day, but what she wanted to know is how we all felt during and after it. I could tell she wanted an emotionally-charged story. I just wasn't there, though. My favorite acting is comedic. I tend to look for how we can stay bouyant emotionally and would rather tell you a joke if only I could think of one. I post a joke a day over at jokemail.blogspot.com, but my memory is such that I can hardly remember any. Real life is more humorous anyway, when I have presence of mind.

I get watched like a tv sometimes by customers visiting New Orleans for the first time. Ordinary things can look so magical and exotic when you are seeing things for the first time. They want to know everything I am making, and sometimes quiz me if I know how to make something they are looking for. I hardly ever make drinks that used to be around in the olden days; banana banshees, grasshoppers, golden cadillacs, pink ladies or squirrels, and other animal named drinks.

I sell more Sazaracs each time I get an order for one because I appear to be doing alchemy as I pour a bit of this and a bit of that, some of this, line the glass with an aromatic liqueur, squeeze and twist the orange - Voila!! - "your Sazarac, Madame." I hear from witnesses, "Ooohhh, I want one, or make mine 4 Sazaracs instead of wine and beers." It's fine by me to hear those things. That'll be $7 each. Usually, I get a good tip from the process. Some bartenders don't like to make them.

The drink I hate to make most is mojitos. Mint just doesn't keep, and that drink doesn't even taste good to me. Maybe a shot of peppermint schnapp's and rum would be the same or better. I muddle and grumble to myself when I make them.

I also get asked for Vodka and Red Bull a lot on weekends, when the young locals come out to play on Frenchman St. We don't carry energy drinks. I tell them I heard it's bad for them to drink that combo anyway. How about a healthy dose of Vodka with something else then? I hear irony in my question.

Julia said she's embarrassed by my profession. I tell her it's a righteous living and I like my job. I don't like that it's an hour commute. I just want to take a nice little doh-doh about halfway across the bridge. It's so dark and lulling. Thankfully, there are police in every one of the turn-arounds to keep me upright and alert. I've gotten too many tickets to count.

The last ticket I got was for careless operation when I smashed into the side of the bridge after riding over a metal grate drawbridge. A wind gusted and blew my Kia around like paper, and the police apologetically ticketed me. I went to court and they threw it out. I had papers telling of the weather conditions that day. I am glad to not have that hanging over my head anymore. It was an injustice to ticket me for that anyway.

Differences

2008-10-23T10:18:00.007-05:00

The Crescent City Connection, Mississippi River, and Michael.

We took a spin in the city last Friday. We were 20 minutes late for the IMAX movie about dolphins and whales. It was very sweetly informative, narrated by Darryl Hannah, about how every living thing in the ocean is being killed off - one species at a time. A downer of a film. I am so sorry for the creatures of the deep who are compromised by my needs - for being part of the collective that is obliterating them.

Then we walked along the river down to the flea market. I bought two $5 necklaces from a guy on the riverwalk who had jewelry spread out on a blanket.

Then we had a fast walk through the flea market - no money or needs for anything in particular.

I told Michael "no" to a muffeletta. That's what we always get. I wanted something different. We stopped at Pat O'Briens and had a couple of drinks. We've done that before. It was cool talking to the bartender; commiserating about the business of enabling tourists to have a good time - while getting blottoed. We were there about 30 minutes, then off and walking swiftly through the French Quarter back to the car in a parking garage of Canal Place, which has a food court. Michael said he wasn't hungry. I got the best Kung Pao shrimp there and didn't have to twist his arm much to eat half of it.

That was the end of the date I was promised. Waaa. Waaa.

I threatened to go out with my friend in the city that night, or the following Sunday during the day - a blues festival in the city beckoned me. For all that sulking, I sat still in my chair outside. I built a fire and stared into the woods and recalled Rumi's words about being careful of what my mind desires. I got up after a good feeling sorry for myself time, as I tried to decide what would make me happy, and I baked a peach pie, smothered pork chops for the family, and got on with the laundry.

The Best Son Award goes to....

2008-10-16T07:11:00.004-05:00

Aaron Michael

Either I got him smiling and not looking at me, or looking at me and not smiling. This will have to do.

16 years ago, I became a mother. He and I cried a lot during the first few weeks of his life as we adjusted to our relationship. He was born by an unexpected c-section and weighed in at 9 lbs, 8 oz. His birth multiplied the love factor of my existence into infinity.

He has a girlfriend. He met her three summers ago and they were just friends for a year before taking it to another level. I tell him it's not natural to find your "one love" at so young. He is not even interested in other girls. Oh well, she's cool; an artist, Aquarian, and loves him - like his Mom. And he still has other friends; the guys, and his theater friends.

He will not be able to get his license for another few months; he has to have a permit for 6 months first. At school yesterday, he got asked a bunch of times if he got his license and/or a car for his birthday. (We live in Mandeville which has more than a few gated communities within the city limits. No, Aaron did not get a car.)

I was in the kitchen a lot yesterday. I stuffed artichokes and steamed them. I baked a red velvet cake from scratch, and I peeled and deveined three pounds of shrimp for po-boys. In the course of the day, I dirtied almost every pot, bowl, and utensil I have. All the while, I was nostalgic about our 16 year journey.

He is the best boy a mother could ask for - he makes me laugh when I am too serious, does well in school, is well-adjusted and low maintenance, making few demands on me.

Theater of the absurd

2008-10-10T09:36:00.005-05:00

I am a-political and ignorant. My husband was "I told you so-ing" galore the night of the last debate between Obama and McCain. He and I are on different wave-lengths, politically, but similar in thinking that the other is deluded.

Too many Neptunian aspects in this whole election - squares or oppositions, natally and by transit, to the charts of the players' I've analyzed. Maya all around.

I have a very good, mystical-minded friend - whom I kind of agree with - that behind both candidates there is One power. So, it almost doesn't matter who becomes president. It only matters to that force for us to experience separation, more war, polarities of all kinds. IT feeds off our fear. Cooperative spirit, unity and harmonization would starve IT.

This election keeps reminding me of the time when I had a choice to vote for either a demagogue (David Duke) or a man who was later convicted of felonies and imprisoned (Edwin Edwards) for Governor of Louisiana.

That was a bit of a political nightmare, the choice between a white supremacist and a man everybody knew was corrupt, but being Jupiterian, I laughed about it. It was absurd.

Meanwhile, the mystery that life is continues in the beauty and tranquility that is Lacombe's Wildlife Refuge. We rise above our differences and take it in.

Reflection

2008-10-06T09:29:00.002-05:00

WHO MAKES THESE CHANGES?

Who makes these changes?
I shoot an arrow right.
It lands left.
I ride after a deer and find myself
chased by a hog.
I plot to get what I want
and end up in prison.
I dig pits to trap others
and fall in.

I should be suspicious
of what I want.

Rumi - 1207-1273

You may say I'm a dreamer...

2008-09-24T08:50:00.004-05:00

...but I'm not the only One.

I attended "The Blast" last weekend - an Astrology conference in Sedona, AZ.

I made friends, met up with my friend, Diane, and shared a room and car rental with her, and met face-to-face with two people I interviewed on air during my 6 month stint on internet radio; Anne Beversdorf and Steven Forrest.

I saw Anne's name when I was signing into Rob Hand's workshop on dealing with difficult aspects, and looked around for the person I thought she might be. She is a great astrologer. It's been at least a year since I've spoken to her. She has finally published that book of remedies that she was working on. I bought the e-copy and then lost it in a pc crash. She's promised me another copy.

I took Steven's workshop on Evolutionary Astrology. I can only understate how much I enjoyed that. I have a few of his books, and now Jodie's too - "The Ascendant". Evolutionary astrology is a humanistic approach to chart interpretation - using the nodes to help relieve the burdenistic qualities inherent in each chart.

It was very fulfilling to be amongst my kind - walking the walk and talking the talk. I am too often alone in my head - bartending, taking care of hearth and home, and plugging away at my craft. It's been a little lonely lately since Hurricane Katrina came crashing down on Synchronicity and sent me scrambling for ways to make a living. I don't network like I used to when I had a retail store devoted to raising consciousness.

I have this skill of analyzing a chart and verbalizing the strengths and beauty an individual possesses. It is very, very validating to do that in the company of others who do that also. We shared information, and played, and paid close attention to the wiser ones.

It was a lovely and fullfilling time. Sedona is a beautiful place. The artwork that was everywhere made it all the more utopian.

Nature offered up it's greatest works of art in those red hills. My pictures could not capture their majesty. Still..., here.

She is

2008-09-17T10:30:00.005-05:00

My beloved daughter...

Last year, it was a parakeet.

Now, where was I?

Ah, yes, beloved outdoors...

Nietzsche

2008-09-16T06:55:00.003-05:00

I take back what I said about Nietzsche, hackneyed and uninspiring.

I still don't like all that he wrote. What a harsh and unhappy "free spirit" he seemed to be. Ach!!

Where I wonder if there is an Absolute truth; he seems to know it, and others' have made his wrtiings into bible studies.

He is vastly misogynistic. In this passage: "Will free spirits live with women? In general, I believe that, as the true-thinking, truth-speaking men of the present, they must, like the prophetic birds of ancient times, prefer to fly alone."

There are some pieces that I could relate to, but if he has such a large error in his logic in one place, then it stands to reason that I am better off not reading the rest.

Getting a life.

2008-09-12T15:01:00.003-05:00

I am stuck at home today. This is the 2nd day in a row that I have had to miss at work due to inclement weather.

Even though Hurricane Ike is going to hit land in Galveston any minute now, he is swinging his arm at my hometown on his way in. We are experiencing gusts of wind and bands of rain that make driving conditions hazardous. We all know how my little car acts in the wind. I am still dealing with the fallout of Tropical Depression Fay, Hurricane Gustav, and now I will have days of work missed (and therefore loss of pay) from Hurricane Ike.

Business is normally dripping slow in September, but hurricanes are definitely business killers.

I just KNOW that something can be done to slow these things down, diminish them, or stop them altogether. I'd even bet we could steer them if we try. My co-workers and I were discussing ideas for doing so. Now, we are not scientists; nor, do we have any means of testing our theories, but is anybody working on solutions to weather problems? I just want to know.

Yin Yang of politics

2008-09-10T11:09:00.003-05:00

In this corner we have republicans. Fighting for their team is a man and a woman polarity.

And in the democratic corner, polarity black and white have on gloves, going the rounds.

Sitting ringside is everyone who ever had a gripe against any of the players representations; blacks, whites, men, women, democrats, or republicans.

It will be an interesting election - bringing out what separates and divides for healing and integration.

My husband and I are on opposite ends of beliefs, yet we come together where we need to. We lean on each other to co-exist, co-parent, and co-operate in mundane matters like putting a meal together for the family, or getting the yard in order.

Unity has been achieved in this household, despite us being on different wave-lengths most of the time. I have jokingly reacted to his Republicanism telling him, "oh, you'd just love it if I wore a burqa!!" I am fiercely independent, and the threat of anyone telling me how things ought to be, like in the olden days, I immediately go on the defense. Humor deflects most serious issues between the husband and myself. It would apply to most situations that are delicate and sensitive, especially politics and beliefs about political figures.

Maybe we all can agree to disagree and still do what's best without liberties being threatened. That would truly be (r)evolutionary.

Words...

2008-09-09T07:59:00.005-05:00

I finished reading "The Thirteenth Tale" in two days. It took that long because I had other things to do between page turning.

I was still in the mood for reading, so I devoured "Jonathan Livingston Seagull" in about an hour. I didn't remember that it was so swift a read. It had been at least 20 years since I first ate it.

Then, someone lent me some books to take with me to Arizona when I go. I've asked several people for suggestions and I hit the jackpot when our hostess at work brought in a bounty for me to choose from.

I first cracked open some Nietzsche and read some passages. The words I read didn't inspire me. I think I've read them before, or variations of the same things many times. It will probably not get picked up again.

Then, I picked up "The Essential Rumi", translations by Coleman Barks with Hohn Moyne. I started in the middle, became intrigued and am now reading it like a storybook.

Rumi's words contain much that comforts and inspires. Just today, I came across this passage and thought of sharing it here.

The Least Figure
I tried to think of some way
to let my face become yours.

"Could I whisper in your ear
a dream I've had? You're the only one
I've told this to."

You tilt your head, laughing,
as if, "I know the trick you're hatching,
but go ahead."

I am an image you stitch with gold thread
on a tapestry, the least figure,
a playful addition.

But nothing you work on is dull.
I am part of the beauty.

(*I don't know if the following lines were meant to be part of it, but it came next with no title, a little leaf in between and then the chapter ended.)

I reach for a piece of wood. It turns into a lute.
I do some meanness. It turns out helpful.
I say one must not travel during the holy month.
Then I start out and wonderful things happen.

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-06T14:15:00.005-05:00

Where's that big blow dryer I asked you scientists, flight engineers, and meteorologists to create? I cannot evacuate again. I just can't. These storms shut down our city, our income, and all businesses that support us and make their living off of us.

New Orleans, and other cities affected by hurricanes, depends on tourism and nightlife to generate revenue. So many of us here earn our right living by tips. We don't get paid when we don't work. It is a sad truth that some of us are stuck in that position. This has got to be the hotel/restaurant and tourism capitol of the south. Our position in the economic flow is tenuous.

Last night, Snug Harbor opened the door for business. Only the bar was serving drinks, and we had music - good music - Larry Siebirth and company.

Snug's electricity wsa restored Thursday night. They had to get in there yesterday and clean out freezers and fridges and try to order more food and supplies before serving up their fare. Cash registers had to be put on-line again. There was a bunch of prepping to do just to open the door for limited business. We didn't serve any food, though many came looking. There are plenty of people in the city with no power still. Tonight, we are supposed to be in semi-full swing, depending on who could deliver the goods. I hear it is tough-going for distributors too.

Today, I had to go to several gas stations before finding any to fill my tank. I am nervously awaiting news that Hurricane Ike is going to beat a path this way and am going into survival mode again.

Hurricane dissipation

2008-09-04T17:56:00.004-05:00

If I understood meteorologists correctly, Hurricane Gustav became a Category 2 hurricane, instead of the Cat 4 or 5 it was supposed to be, because of hot air on top of it eating away at it. The hot air lessened the intensity.

My wheels have been turning as my attention is drawn inward. The city shut down for a week, and so did I, practically. There was nothing I could do but meditate on the trouble with hurricanes. Can't we get a huge blow-dryer and blast hurricanes with hot air from on top of it? That can't be too hard to do; given our technological advances.

I went a-googlin' and found the following link about a study that was deemed not important, though the findings were promising. The people who decided to stop research on these projects ultimately decided that they were tampering with Mother Nature. That was their thinking in the 60's.
http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/stormfury.htm

I am not a scientist - though I know that if IT can be imagined, IT can be done.

back from Georgia

2008-09-03T14:08:00.006-05:00

My bench before the storm...

We were still forbidden to come back to the city yesterday, yet, I could not resist driving 9 hours to get home again. I had my niece, daughter and son with me as we rode alongside many, many utility trucks heading in the same direction. We came through heavy rain as we approached Mandeville. We had a placard saying we were Tier 2, which meant we were part of the city's infra-structure, in case anyone stopped us and tried to make us turn around. That and fines were what was in store for us we were told along the way.

My sister and her family in Atlanta were so gracious and generous. It was the perfect comfort spot for me and another sister and her family of five as we anxiously waited for words from our communities. I kept in touch with Michael the whole time, waking him from naps on a couple of occasions. He said it was nothing like what was forecasted. I am glad for that, though mad about having to evacuate.

We are safe. The only damage was a tree hitting the bench in my back yard. Downed power lines litter the road I live on. Michael said he was without electricity for about 8 hours. He had a generator to keep him comfortable, and food safe from spoiling in the fridge and freezer.

After Gustav passed...

I want to move. Arizona, New Mexico, or West Texas appeal to me. I think I printed the same thing soon after Hurricane Katrina. The uprooted trees on my property serve as metaphorical reminders that my roots aren't in the ground here anymore. I am ready to be transplanted. How to get the family on the same page, plus find housing and a job that pays me well enough to leave are my challenges now.

Oh no. Here we go.

2008-08-30T10:08:00.004-05:00

Last night, at work in the Fauborg Marigny section of New Orleans, shots were flying - of the vodka variety, not bullets. (I didn't do any - that wouldn't help me.) We are all nervous, yet it's a little exciting to be in such a tentative state. Newscasters, forecasters, metereologists all mention the "cone of uncertainty" when explaining the range of potential landfalls of Hurricane Gustav. Now, it is expected to be a Category 4 by landfall and it is looking more and more ominous for us. I am tired of hearing about the cone of uncertainty. I am so hoping it becomes certain, and not for us, soon.

Gas is already dried up in my area. We just emptied our 5 gallon container into the generator and want to refill it, plus fill my tank. I have less than 3/4's now and have to use up a quarter to pick up my teens from their friends. Oy vey. I worry and then take a deep breath and surrender.

Sigh.

Michael says, "blow it out, Dear."

That's what I do.

Eyes glued to the tube

2008-08-27T10:12:00.006-05:00

These are my kids on top of the debris in Synchronicity. I took this picture and then yelled for them to get off that stuff and come back where it was safe. They found my cash jar, sitting atop a pile of debris, the lid was off, but $150 cash was unmolested and safe. That was synchronous as I needed the cash. Machines didn't work around here; it was cash and carry only.

This hole was knocked into the wall of Synchronicity, the retail store I bought one month prior to the hurricane. It was funny because I was complaining to the city about the dilapidated building on the side of Synchronicity. I also called and left messages on the owner's phone. He didn't care about that funky pink house, but he was attached to it and wouldn't do anything with it. I told him I'd sell it for him. Hurricane Katrina took any choice away from him. Oh well.

Hurricane Gustav is expected to be a category 3 - which is a bad mamma jamma- and most projections show Louisiana as one of it's targets. Actually, all of the gulf coast is in the danger zone.

Recollections of gas supplies drying up for miles around are activating panic buttons. I am going to fill up my tank and some containers after I post this.

Yesterday, my sisters grabbed the last 4 rooms at a hotel that accepts pets in West Monroe. Our weatherman, Bob Breck, shook his head at people making reservations to get out of town last night. Said it was premature. Today, he might sing a different song. My daughter wants to go with the sisters and my Mom, and is welcome to. The lady she baby-sits for is also willing to take Julia. I want to stay with Michael and so does Aaron. We have two dogs, two cats, two parakeets, and a beta fish named Sammy.

I was just kidding yesterday when I said, "Gustav, bring it on." Heh. Heh. Isn't that funny?

I also joked the day before my accident on the Causeway Bridge the other day that I could have an accident and go off the side of the bridge. I was sarcastically chiding Michael of not caring about my front tires being bald. I wanted to take his car. He doesn't want it getting scratched up when I park it on the street. I have had my car smashed into on two different occasions while I was at work, minding my own business. It was a possibility, and much more probable to me than going off the side of the bridge. I just wanted him to feel guilty about it if it were to happen - not that I thought it would. It almost did.

Meanwhile, I have the tv turned on - and forecasters keep saying that it is unpredictable at this point, but all of us need a plan; from Texas to Florida. It will be a tension-building time until the impact. And then we'll deal with it better than Hurricane Katrina, right?

At least this time, we are hurricane-wise and know our dangers and deficiencies. Most of us have some plans in place. I am probably hunkering down again. I know what we are up against. Gotta go get that gas now for our generator. Peace and love, Janine.

Tropical Depression Fay

2008-08-26T10:45:00.006-05:00

I take the longest bridge in the U.S. to work. The Causeway Bridge is 24 miles long and provides a way into New Orleans from Mandeville where I live, over Lake Pontchartrain.

I started to go to work two nights ago, as this tropical depression made it's way over the city. When I went on the overpass with the grate that opens and closes, before crossover #3, there was a gust of wind. My little Kia didn't stand a chance against it. I lost traction, the car blew and slid every which way, smashed into the side of the bridge (where I rec'd a vision of going over the side in my car) and slamming on the brakes, spun around facing traffic coming at me when I finally stopped moving. I couldn't believe it, but my car was maneuverable. I got it facing the right direction, and then turned into the crossover. Two police cars beat me there.

I told the officer what happened and then sat in my car, which was throbbing and rocking in the breezeway of the crossover, while he wrote up an accident report for my insurance purposes.

He then asked permission to get in my car; it was windy and rainy outside. He gave me the information about obtaining the traffic report, and then gave me the ticket he wrote for careless driving. He was apologetic, but felt that it was necessary because thousands of cars have passed over that grate and not done what I did. The insult to injury came later about that ticket on top of the trauma of the accident. At the time, I was counting my blessings. It could have been much worse.

I didn't go to work that night. TDF was going to be hovering well into the next day. I would have to come back that way. When I called home to tell my husband about the accident, he fussed at me about my low-tread tires and how he told me so about the weather. I guess I do feel guilty of carelessness after his "told-you-so."

I got new tires yesterday.

Hurricanes, tropical storms, and now, tropical depressions... what will layway my plans next? Gustav? Bring it on.

Diversion

2008-08-21T12:29:00.000-05:00

Caterpillar hell

2008-08-14T13:00:00.006-05:00

I have had a lifelong magnetic association with caterpillars. I have been stung by and bitten by them intermittently throughout my 48 years. If someone asks me if I am phobic about anything, it would have to be caterpillars.

I was stung by this tiny, piece of fur today. I didn't see him and was minding my own business on the bench in my backyard. The sting is on my lower butt cheek and I am sitting with a leg up at my pc as I write this.

This latest bobo just adds to my collection of stories of encounters I have had with these creatures. I think I have had a phenomenal amount of them compared to anyone else. They've happened in the most unlikely places, at unlikely times of the year.

One spring, the actual caterpillar season that we forgot about, we decided to take a walk along Bayou Coquille. There are some incredible nature trails in Louisiana. This particular trail is a favorite of mine. We stopped at the picnic area to use the restroom before embarking on the trail. The ground was swarming with caterpillars and they were dropping from the sky like a light drizzle of rain. We still needed to use the restroom, and I thought we'd be safe once inside. I held Julia's hand, and Aaron was following me, as we walked swiftly towards the restroom. I was doing chopping motions over my head with my free arm to prevent them from landing on me. We got to the bathroom and saw that the entrance was teeming with them, so we made our way back to the car poste-haste. I was screaming and doing the crazy hand-chopping motion all the way. I quickly opened the door and shoved Julia in the back seat, climbing in after her, with Aaron frantically crawling in behind me. It was every man/child for himself there. I told Michael, the driver in the front seat, to step on it. As we got going, we discovered two caterpillar hitchhikers on us, released them, and then high-tailed it out of the nature reserve. We saw pedestrians on the road and shuddered and felt sorry for them. Didn't they know those were man-eating caterpillars?

One time, I was sitting in the middle of a concrete plaza, reading a book, when someone walked up behind me and said, "don't move, there's a caterpillar on your back." She proceeded to try to scrape it off with her key, as I did the screaming heebie jeebie dance. It held on like a trapeze-artist-caterpillar. That was not even caterpillar season.

I have many other incredulous stories about incidents I've had with caterpillars. People have told me they don't bite when I tell them I've been bitten by one. I know for a fact that they do, because I've done wardances while they were clutching my knee, elbow, or other body part with their teeth, as the rest of their body swung in the breeze. Don't tell me they don't bite!

Glitches in communication

2008-08-12T10:50:00.006-05:00

I have been having a bad time with communications companies for the past few weeks.

The latest surreal event happened just this a.m. with Charter Communications. After much back and forth for two weeks, and then in a chat on-line with a live person to re-schedule a cable hookup, I was told they wouldn't talk to me because I am NOT the account holder. I couldn't switch it to my name, and couldn't get them to scratch the order and start anew.

First off, I placed the order for a bundle package, arranged the scheduled hookups, and was going to be paying the service techs when they showed up on Aug 4th and 14th to hook up cable and then phone. I stressed to the sales rep that a tech would need a bucket truck to hook up that cable. We had problems getting cable post-Katrina and had Charter prior to K., so we knew what we were up against. The service tech, of course, showed up without a bucket truck. He told me someone would call me to re-schedule the installation. No one ever did.

I spoke to a supervisor at the cable company about the idiocy of this rule. I am Mrs. Michael and as such, I represent my family. Michael and I are ONE. I could have gotten any male around to speak into the phone, giving me permission to make changes to our accounts. The Charter supervisor knew it is bogus to not let me make changes, or in this case, just reschedule an appt to have their product installed. He apologized and said it was the FCC rules that had them take precautions. He still couldn't do anything about it.

I chatted on-line as Michael because I got nowhere fast as Janine previously, and then called to cancel the account telling them my name - Michael. The operator asked me a couple of times what my name and last 4 digits of my s.s. are. I thought she was thinking of how I don't sound like a Michael, but she said that wasn't the s.s. that matched. So, I said my own s.s. digits, and that was it.

I had the same problem over a week ago with Verizon when I called to change my plan. That sales rep wouldn't even put me on hold to get a supervisor to speak to me because I am not the account holder.

My vehement argument that I do all of the expediting, arranging, and bill-paying of all phone services fell on deaf ears. the case of changing my service plan with Verizon, I called right back and said my name is Michael. The operator asked how he could assist me and then he did so.

That got my fire up for the day. Michael should not be given the priveleges he has as account-holder. He never handles such things. This whole fiasco had me feeling like the second-class citizen of yore.

The people

2008-08-06T08:11:00.006-05:00

I had three nephews and two nieces from three different siblings spend the night last night. It's a last hurrah before school starts this Friday for most of them. We had pizza, brownies, and popcorn last night and then watched "Toy Story" which has got to be the most clever film for kids (that adults like too) ever made.

Everyone was in bed before 10 - rehearsing for school days I told them. And now we are up and at 'em. The first up were the two best friend cousins - Jackson and Joe - playing their hand-held gadgets, and next up is Polina. Polina, and others in my family, have ADHD. So what? We've learned to live with our symptoms. Some are medicated. Me, I self-medicate. I don't have it as bad as some do.

It won't be long before I get some of the other nephews who are too little to join our slumber party. Plus, there are some nephews and nieces that are too big, or who live out of state.

I have 7 siblings. Between us, we have about 20 grandchildren. They are close, these kids. Maybe next time Aunt Katie might want to host the party.

Change the words, change the outcome

2008-08-01T13:00:00.002-05:00

Beautiful.
http://en.zappinternet.com/video/nilSqaMboM/HISTORIA-DE-UN-LETRERO

Stinky Sue

2008-07-30T09:42:00.004-05:00

When she was a baby, I used the nickname "Stinky Sue" on her once - a character name was what I was thinking, not that she was malodorous - and it stuck, at least for me it did.

I accidentally call her that in public sometimes. Oh well, not really accidentally. I must like to see her glower at me. I seem to pull her chain as often as she yanks mine.

From my recollection of my own teen-hood, early adulthood, and still to this day - it has been the same symbiosis with my Mother, mutual chain-yanking.

Love the mother/daughter dynamic. It is most productive in shaping character. I try to express to Julia that even though she needles me at times, she also brings the best out in me. (And vice versa is my intention.)

Vonage is no bargain

2008-07-25T13:57:00.003-05:00

I made the mistake of checking out an internet phone service that promised me more than they could deliver.

It is a New Jersey address that I am shipping the modem back to - which I have to pay for. And until they get that modem back, which was never ever connected, I am being charged a fee of $40, besides the money they took out for hookup and S&H - another $41. Postage was $7.20 - out of my pocket.

To start with, I was erroneously charged twice for connecting, with one of those fees being $15 more than the other. The charge to my checking account was immediate; the refund takes up to 5 days to get back to where it came from. That could have been a major financial crisis for me if I hadn't seen that charge and thinking I had money in my account, wrote checks against it.

I have had one absurd communication issue after another with this internet phone service and have vowed to warn others to stay away from them. Every call was long and the co-understanding was strained.

The operators were always apologetic that I had any problems, and after my first attempt at cancelling the plan before I even hooked up anything, I was offered a better deal if I didn't cancel. I accepted the better deal and continued to have one communication problem on top of another, and no phone service; it was all so absurd.

It was the most frustrating week trying to get a phone in my home and my cell minutes are just about used up for the month, most of them spent trying to straighten out Vonage's mistakes.

So, I am still waiting for a refund of $41, a refund of $40, and just forget about getting reimbursed for the $7.20 for S&H I was told. All that, and I never used the service.

I am cutting my losses now.

Mushroom love

2008-07-06T13:44:00.005-05:00

I have maintained a distaste for eating mushrooms, as a rule. I eat a mostly vegetarian diet, peppered with seafood upon occasions. One would think I should like mushrooms, which are in a lot of dishes. I pick them out, or eat around, or order something that doesn't have them in it.

I LOVE seeing mushrooms in the wild, though. Their colors and shapes inspire me. They have always seemed to have a Presence about them.

Someone sent me this link to a presentation, "Six Ways Mushrooms Can Save the World", and I was intrigued the first time I watched it, and then amazed as the information sank in about the nature of mycelium and all of the potentials inferred because of that. I have sat on this information for weeks and wondered who I can share it with. You, of course. Check it out. It should make an impact, and then feel free to pass IT on.

New entry

2008-06-11T12:43:00.003-05:00

I've been a busy girl lately. Julia and I are tag-team baby-sitting a beautiful, sweet infant girl named Ruby. We only get her three days per week for the summer. Today, we went to a thrift store and bought a deluxe umbrella stroller for $10, so we can take walks now. We went looking there for a shopping cart, or other outdoor push toy.

bugs in a tree...

I've baked three blackberry pies, and used the berries in pancakes a couple of times. I eat plenty on my walks in the morning. And still, millions will die on the vine. I froze enough for another pie. I liked the pies, and the people I work with liked it (one guy offered to buy one), but nobody else in this household likes them any other way than just fresh-picked. Too bad about that. I used to make jam, but again, only my Dad liked that. There's a lot of seeds in blackberry anything.

Hey, Jude - grow strong and healthy.

2008-05-23T11:15:00.006-05:00

Jude Andrew, as he was named, arrived two months premature on May 12th. He was delivered breathing on his own and has continued to thrive and grow. I think it is remarkable that he is doing so well and looks so perfect, though tiny. He was 4.2 lbs, 17 inches long at birth.

I already love him. I met Jude a few days ago and held him until I finally remembered Julia waiting for me in the lobby. You have to be at least 16 to enter NICU.

He may be going home in a week - as soon as he develops the ability to suck - which is usually around the 34th week of development, which is today.

Prayers for his continued progress are welcome and appreciated.

2008-05-09T09:42:00.003-05:00

This pole is where we parked for the performers we saw for Jazz Fest. There was a little piece of shade and we had an umbrella to shade us too, plus we could sit on that little piece of concrete ledge. Our spot was smelly and the ground was on an incline and uneven. My leg muscles have been sore ever since from keeping a standing balance for hours. Maybe they'll tighten up and look 20-something again. (Really, idk)

The Neville Brothers were going to close out the fest for the first time in 3 years after Carlos Santana finished. It has been the tradition for all these years that they were the finale. After the mamma-jamma hurricane - some of the brothers fled the city, by force or for other reasons. Aaron's wife, may she now rest in peace, was sick and couldn't breath our spore-filled air. They didn't close the fest for the past two years, so this was an exciting coup to have them perform here again in this way.

We couldn't stay for it. We had children to pick up from respective homes; this being a school night. It was disappointing, but I was satiated with so many other good things this weekend that it was just gluttonous for me to want more.

The next night, only a few nights ago, was Monday - which is always Charmaine Neville at Snug Harbor. She is an entertainer's entertainer. Her shows are always packed with energy and please the crowds. I had a premonition that came true - her dad, Charles, and her Uncle Cyril joined her on stage. I was ecstatic. It was so much more intimate and fun to see/hear them in that cozy setting. It was one heck of a set, and even though I was working it, I felt so blessed.

The Universe is constantly answering my prayers. It is a priceless feeling of security to acknowledge that all of my needs are always taken care of.

Jazz Fest '08

2008-05-05T09:24:00.003-05:00

Gorgeous day at the Jazz Fest yesterday. (oh, btw, Happy Cinco de Mayo.) It was my 18th wedding anniversary and I was gifted with 2 tickets to Jazz Fest by a co-worker. Working at Snug Harbor, I just knew there had to be a couple of tickets just floating around - meant to come to me. The kids were at friends' for the day, and the mate and I slathered sunscreen all over us, got the umbrella (for shade), and headed out the door.

The grounds were a little sloppy, in spots, and well-trod and smelly in others. We parked at the Acura stage and saw/heard The Salvador Santana band (Carlos's son), Ivan Neville's "Dumpstafunk", and then the awesome and consistent Carlos Santana. We left before the Neville's traditional closing of the jazz fest. We had kids to pick up, shrimp poboys from R&O's calling us to eat them, and hours of driving ahead of us before getting to call it a day. Maybe next year...

No, that might not happen either. The JF was so crowded this year. I really don't like that. We usually manage to go on a weekday when the crowd is so easy to negotiate through. I went on Friday with my bf, Cathy. I ate Shrimp Maquechoux and fry bread for the first time. It was delicious. Fry bread is like a giant beignet I decided.

I didn't get to visit all the vendors booths. There are always such colorfool and cool things on display. Utribe was there again. I aspire to have a piece in my new house on the water, the one that will have a game room with a pool table, dart board, foosball, big tv and one just for the WII and stuff. Yeah, that'll be cool when that dream comes true. Utribe inspires me.

I am a cracked pot, and so are you.

2008-04-13T08:58:00.003-05:00

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck. One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full.

For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home
only one and a half pots of water.

Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments.

But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to
leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled, "Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?"

"That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them."

"For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

SO, to all of my crackpot friends, have a great day and remember to smell the flowers on your side of the path!

Snug Harbor

2008-04-02T11:24:00.007-05:00

Working too hard can give you a heart attack-ack-ack-ack-ack.
Billy Joel

I love my job. It took me months to decide that. I don't especially love cocktail-waitressing, bartending is my preference, but this job at Snug Harbor gets me out of the house, I hear all kinds of good music, and am in one of the more interesting, long-running establishments in the city.

Charmaine Neville is always a treat. She brings down the house with rhythm and blues every Monday. Her shows are packed with New Orleans color, style, and entertainment. She is also a very vocal and active proponent of the downtrodden. She hosts a fish fry at her home on Friday evenings to benefit the homeless. And she always walks the talk, feeding people on the street on the way to her gigs - sometimes ordering it from S.H.

Irvin Mayfield is a great jazz musician. He often has his students, and alumni from NOCCA, a prestigious school for music, drama, and arts, join him on stage. He is always a crowd-pleaser.

And who can top Ellis Marsalis on a Friday evening for contemporary jazz? I love the crowds of music lovers that he attracts. They are always happy with the Master at the piano. His shows are solid and his style is laid-back. His sons, Delfeayo and Jason, have their own shows sometimes, and Jason fills in for Ellis's drummer sometimes. They are both great musicians and attract an eager audience of jazz lovers.

Last weekend, we had a Cuban Jazz ensemble - Juan Carlos - that brought down the house. They were so much fun to work to. I just love good music. I let it lift me.

Aside from the musicians, and regulars that stop by, the people I work with are as colorful as they come. The hospitality industry is filled with sensitive, creative souls. To be service-oriented is a calling just like any other.

The man at the root of it all was the owner, George, who died last summer, 7/7/07. He had no wife or children; just a niece who lives abroad. The operations are being run by a man who was George's best friend. Everybody who works there, and everybody who is a regular (and there are plenty of them) knew and loved George. Several have told me he was like a Dad to them. He would roll up his sleeves and work along-side anybody in the house when needed. Sometimes I feel his presence there. His legacy of humane treatment of sensitive artists, needy friends, and just anybody and everybody is a legacy I am happy to step into.

What's your movie?

2008-03-11T13:17:00.005-05:00

What Classic Movie Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I saw this movie (and maybe not all of it), years after it came out. The subject matter put me off. I have read many books that dealt with the Holocaust from many points of view and they all struck a horrified chord within me. I cannot comprehend how something that grand-scale-inhumane could have happened. I would like to think I'd behave with decency, courage and compassion like Mr. Schindler did. I hope I never have to find out.

Last night, after getting off of work, I dropped $6 in a beggar's cup. He is a one-legged man that I give a few bucks to whenever I see him. He always thanks me. I never stop to talk to him, always rushing to work, or to get back home. I have a one hour commute, and I build in no time for visiting. Another man that knows him saw me do that and told me the one-legged man's story, or part of it anyway. He said the man gets a gov't check and that he's taken care of. His sister beats him and takes his money. Now what do I do? Does the money I give him help him or hurt him? I could use my $6 - I am working hard to take care of my financial obligations. I know my intentions are good. I consider it tithing in a way. What goes around, comes around. He can't be making that much off the government. Now, if he was Governor, or something...

What Leader are you like?

2008-03-11T13:14:00.001-05:00

What Famous Leader Are You?
personality tests by similarminds.com

I can't believe I am most like JFK. When I first came upon this test, it was on another's blog where he was identified with Abe Lincoln. I thought I'd be Abe too. Go figure.

This test was fun because it allowed you to pick the number of questions you were willing to answer to get the conclusion. I chose 18 questions. I wonder if I'd have picked more answers, would the answer be different. Hmmmm.

Solar Return '08

2008-02-18T08:59:00.003-06:00

This is what I did for my birthday yesterday; I made beignets for breakfast. Polina, the tow-headed child, dusted them with powdered sugar.

I had 8 little people, ages 6-15, spend the night with me. They are children of 3 siblings, and a friend of Julia's stayed over too. It was an impromptu slumber party, spurred on by one of my sister's emergency surgery (she's recovering nicely). Julia and Shelby baked chocolate chip cookies and they were all gone before morning. That is probably why one of them had trouble getting to sleep and was disrupting others. They all started up in the living room, except Polina - who went to sleep in a bedroom, hours before the rest. At some point, Julia made her way to her own bed.

During that time, I took Aaron and his girlfriend to a movie - "Jumpers", he said it was very good - driving out to the country where his girlfriend lives to and fro. And then the next morning, well after breakfast and right before fixing lunch for the peeps, I had more taxi-ing to do for the rest of the day.

It was not a restful day. I couldn't have planned to have so much love surrounding me during my solar return. It just happened, and I accepted and appreciated it for what it was. I did grumble to myself once in a while that I should be sitting with a nice cup of tea and my newest books, but each of the children that were here were so anxious to please me, and were so happily doing what they wanted to do and being where they wanted to be, that I couldn't begrudge them that.

My nephew, Joe, asked me if I was having a good birthday so far, and I had to tell him "yes indeed, " and I meant it.

I am still recovering...

2008-02-07T10:08:00.001-06:00

I'll never be the same. I worked last night and went out after. I cannot hang with the young and disaffected. I am way too sensible. Driving home after margaritas, across the longest bridge in the world is uncool. Never again. I think costuming for Mardi Gras was a way to mask a big drinking problem for some people. (pun intended) I should have spent the night at my friend's house, but didn't want to wake the house (husband) up to tell them. I hate feeling like crap. Did I say never again yet? Never again. Blecchh and retch.

Never mind

2008-02-06T15:33:00.000-06:00

If you read the previous post, you'd understand. I found these pictures in an unlikely and new place. Rejoicing. Still trying to figure out how to view the videos I thought I made. Oh well, something is better than nothing. I decided the internatlization of the day matters to me more than a photo impression. It's just a lot of fun in my screen save slide show - while I am in the kitchen at the table, or cooking supper, or background for visiting with a friend over a cup of tea.

Mercury retrograde moment

2008-02-06T09:23:00.001-06:00

I usually chalk stuff up to Mercury retrograde instances and resign myself to do over, restate, re-this or that, no big deal. In this case, I am bummed out. Not even the joke I posted to jokemail today could raise my spirits beyond a small forgetfulness, and then bummer mood again.

My trusty camera, of which I am very attached, broke a few days before Mardi Gras. I borrowed my reluctant daughter's for the days event into the French Quarter yesterday. It's the first time in years that my husband and I have been kid-free and able to venture in for the big day.

My teenage children were parked with family and friends in comfortable, safe Metairie. There was still a crowd there, just not the same.

Anyway, I was dressed up in one of Grandma Mimi's ball gowns from back in the day. It had pink peacock feathers all around the top of it. It would have been gorgeous if not for the big rust-colored stain on the back of it. I quickly changed into plan B outfit, jeans and a top that Julia picked out, after seeing and video-taping with Julia's camera, the longest train of people, all very colorfully, creatively, uniquely outfitted in costumes and masks and headgear of all fashions. They were each and every one of them impeccable in originality and design. It was so awesome of a display. I was stymied. There were drummers and trombones amongst them, so the march and dance down the street was the most spectacular, spontaneous entertainment I have ever seen.

You'll just have to picture it for yourself.

Now.

I have no pictures or videos. I took another one that was equally, or more, entertaining because by then I got the hang of Julia's camera. Or at least, how to take pictures and videos.

It ran out of memory after a couple of dozen shots. I couldn't figure out, or maybe wasn't able to, delete some of her old prints. That was my first bummer. I couldn't take any more pictures of all of the amazing, interesting, clever costumes and make-up.

I wasn't interested in getting shots of women showing and fondling each others breasts. I accidentally ran into a blog with lots of those pics a little while ago. There were plenty of people taking pictures, and shooting film. In real life, not all of them will make "Girls Gone Wild" videos. People of all shapes, sizes, and ages show their tits.

None of that matters. I uploaded the pictures and video clips that I was able to get. Then a screen asked me if I wanted to delete pics from the camera after I saw that they were uploaded. I told it "okay." And now the prints are all gone. I don't know what happened. I tried searching, I looked for them, and then hope against hope I searched the camera, just in case they really didn't get deleted.

In the scheme of things, if I allow that it is a Mercury retrograde moment, and that yesterday was a void-of-course-Moon, I will also have to allow the idea that it will be a do-over next year. I know what to expect. The void-of-course Moon meant that I couldn't plan or count on anything - so putting out my desires to the Universe - I had to remain flexible of how it worked out. And it all did so remarkably in each way.

I ate well, shrimp poboys for lunch and beignets and cafe au lait before we left for the day. I had a couple of largish margaritas, heard great music, danced and played, and celebrated the rhythms and colors of life. Thank goddess for diversity. It was an expansive experience - Mardi Gras '08. The memory will just have to remain internalized.

Gum freaks anonymous

2008-01-30T06:37:00.000-06:00

I have an oral fixation. One can always find gum, mints, or some other kind of candy (Smarties, for one) in my purse.

I started off my career as a gumball freak when I was way little. I don't remember my first piece, but I do recall doing some desperate things to get gum; scraping it off sidewalks and streets (abc - already been chewed) and picking chunks out of it before making it my own, or walking to the grocery store at 2 years old because I found a penny for the machine, or constantly getting caught chewing gum in school.

One of my worst habits was saving my chewed gum in the butter compartment of the refrigerator - where I'd park it to break for meals. My sister, Sue, complained bitterly about that disgusting habit. The blob would harden in the fridge, and then come to new life when plucked out of there and popped into my warm, moist mouth. There could be many blobs in there at a time.

I just loved the stuff. Still do.

I like to try new kinds of gums when they come out, ever encouraging inventors to develop new flavors and chewing textures.

My current favorite is a gum called "5". I haven't tried the cinnamon flavored yet, but the peppermint and spearmint flavors are delicious and have a long-lasting chew.

"5" edged out the contender for my favorite, which is Orbit's White - spearmint or peppermint. Orbit also makes two others that are respectable; Bubblemint and Melon Breeze. All of these Orbits purport to remove stains and whiten teeth, but I haven't noticed a difference.

I am still crazy about Bazooka, Fruit Stripes, and any Colossal gumball from a quarter machine. I chew them in the privacy of my own home so as not to disturb anybody but my husband with my chomping, smacking, and bubble-blowing habits. He asks me, "do you have to make all that noise?"

I had 4 teens in my car the other night, on the way to a parade (Mardi Gras season again). I asked if anybody wanted any gum - they all did - and pulled out three different kinds for them to choose from.

I figure that I will always have gum in my purse. It is better for me than the cigs I used to carry on me as well.

I no longer swallow gum when I am finished - that used to be a bad habit when I was a younger lass. My final reformation came from watching the show "Unwrapped" on the Food Channel when they visited "Double Bubble's" headquarters and the information that rubber is used in the making of gum. All those years of swallowing... I am probably quite bouncy on the inside.

On my desktop right now...

2008-01-14T11:25:00.000-06:00

I took this picture last week in Lacombe. There is a one mile peninsula, with a rocky road, that juts out into Lake Pontchartrain, which ends at a cul de sac. There was this pelican and some other birds staked out on the posts in the water.

When one wants to get away from all noise, this spot is there. Fishermen and crabbers pick a spot along the road and cast their nets and lines.

A perfect day

2008-01-07T21:50:00.000-06:00

The weather was excellent for hiking today. Kids were in school. Michael and I had the day off together. After a walk in the Lacombe Wildlife Refuge, where we only saw one snake, we came home for lunch. I made a grilled cheddar and swiss sandwich on sourdough bread with tomato, and I fried some french fries. Mmmmmm.

We are both off again tomorrow. When Julia gets on the bus at 7:50 a.m., I'll have the day to myself. Michael will be doing his things and I will do mine. I always enjoy my down-time.

Lest you think I've gone quiet...

2008-01-06T08:36:00.000-06:00

My dog, Chip, is ever hopeful for some lovin'.

Besides working at Snug Harbor a few nights a week - spontaneously, as opposed to scheduled - and doing more frequent astrological consults, I am producing a monthly astrological forecast, and also astrology articles on this blog.

Time for a walk in the woods. I walk to the left of this huge puddle. Chip wades right through it.

Happy New Year - 2008

2008-01-01T16:54:00.000-06:00

I found this web-site last night before midnight. If you click on the music and then view the art work, piece-by-piece, you will be thoroughly inspired and feel the love.

Peace and many blessings to all in this upcoming year.

Awaken Visions by Daniel B. Holeman

My favorite x-mas video

2007-12-24T07:28:00.000-06:00

I never get tired of hearing these two men sing this song.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_zMhSjDqvRs

Love and peace to you this season, and evermore.

My new job...

2007-12-21T12:15:00.000-06:00

http://www.snugjazz.com/
I trained as a cocktail waitress at New Orleans premier music nightclub last Sunday night. There were 14 customers total for the shows that night which was ideal for learning how to use the computer and feeling out the environment.

Last night was my first official solo night on the job. Spencer Bohren played, and many jazz legendary personalities sat in on his sets. What a generous, fun-loving musicican Mr. Bohren is. Both shows sold out and it was standing room only. A lot of the people in the audience were relatives and friends, and it was a lovely jumble of good fellowship.

Spencer's music is great(what an understatement). His grown-up daughter joined him on stage during the first set. She is a wonderful chanteuse. I liked the songs she sang.

I had the upstairs lounge to take care of by myself. Because it has been a while since working in a bar - there was pressure and chaos. I learned by my mistakes, got stiffed on an $80 tab, and realized that I haven't had many jobs where I was afforded a leisurely training period. Almost all of my two hundred jobs - I have been just thrown in and learned to swim.

I am going to like working at Snug Harbor. The food is very good, and employees eat free. You can't beat that; good music, good money, AND good food. It's my Merry Christmas job.

I'm just sayin'...

2007-12-15T16:24:00.000-06:00

Because I want to connect with others, I have sought out groups to network in. I find affinity with like-minded souls who are thoughtful and wise, and who speak with kindness to and about others.

There are too many ways that words can be misconstrued, or used to damage that connectivity. If you want to distance yourself from soneone, criticize them or complain about them to others so that it can get back to them.

I am going to figure out how to withdraw from Facebook, MySpace, and maybe even TIBU because of feeling less connected that way, not more. I mostly just embarrass myself with my lack of understanding how to use those networking tools. I find they are more time-consuming to operate in than the time I have left on Earth.

I am also in OKCupid at the urging of a friend. Even though I put that I am married and not searching for lovers, that site still sends me beefcake pictures of men who want to be my friend. I don't even understand those percentages - Enemy, friend, romantic partner - or somesuch.

I have at other times joined Astrology or Philosophy forums that have turned into one-upmanship on intellectual points made with such negative words - evoking low self esteem.

I found a new web-site that I love today. It is www.wellnow.com It sung my song. I don't watch the news. I rarely read the paper. And when others get stuck on sad stories, I change the subject or inject light into it. There are enough things in this world to make us mad, sad, frustrated, and to act hateful towards others. Just say "no" to that crap. Ooooh, am I being negative? I don't know. I am not perfect, just don't keep pointing it out or I'll never be.

Androgyny

2007-12-12T07:21:00.000-06:00

Eight years ago, I was asked to audition for a British Farce that was being produced at a local community theater. I used to do a good British accent. I read for the girl parts, but was asked if I would cut my hair and mind dressing like a man to play the male lead. Being Aquarian, that was right up my alley. It was my favorite part ever, playing Philip Markham in "Move Over Mrs. Markham."

Michael hated my looking like this.

I am a girlie girl. I like jewelry, makeup, perfume, wearing dresses and skirts. Man, oh man, though, it was a lot of fun entering a masculine persona, or the other way around. From the feedback of some of the theater's boardmembers, and by the packed house everynight, it was very fulfilling to be The Man. THAT was acting. (or, I am a cross-dresser)

My Dad wouldn't or couldn't come to the play, but my Mom did. She did not like anything at all about it. She disliked that I was cast in this role, and probably was most appalled by my fake-kissing a woman on-stage. We have a history of my shocking and appalling her. I know we c/wouldn't have our relationship any other way. It doesn't take away from my Being in my flow. My approval comes from within. She and I mutually respect one another and can disagree about things now. I have grown up in my esteem of what I am, this actor identity. I love to Play.

Meet Granny D.

2007-12-11T12:43:00.000-06:00

http://www.grannyd.com/speeches/wartburg-college.htm
Some of you may know her. This lady is amazing. If only I could live up to her example...

It's (Self)worth a try.

An untimely truth

2007-12-10T14:23:00.000-06:00

http://www.storyofstuff.com/

What a wise woman Annie Leonard is. I like her style.

This is a very interesting and informative 15 minute video.

I sent it to my kids.

Watch it and spread it around like butter. Let's break the pattern and create a new one that is more life-giving.

Broaden your horizons, mentally and spiritually, while the Sun is in Sagittarius.

Jupiter and Pluto are conjunct in Sagittarius too. It is transformative(Pluto) and expansive(Jupiter) for belief systems. It can be brutal, yet liberating, to change any beliefs if you are strongly holding onto them. At the top of our collective education, as so much energy is focused in Jupiter's lenses right now, is to embrace, learn from, and live cooperatively with others. We aren't all alike, and that's a good thing.

This "Story of Stuff" by Annie Leonard is an easy to follow concept that will open your mind to all kinds of changes. We don't need more stuff.

Shalom

Time stands still for no one

2007-12-09T16:09:00.000-06:00

Or no thing either.

This picture is of Synchronicity, behind the blue tractor. It's been re-built and is for sale. I used to lease the building.

The brick steps in the lower, right hand of the picture led into a two story building which was a yoga studio on the ground floor and an apartment on the top floor.

Behind the yoga studio was a dilapidated, two story, pink house that was rumored to be haunted. It wasn't just rumors; there was definitely more there than met the eye.

Both bldgs. were no match for hurricane winds and water surges from the lakefront behind me in this picture. They crumbled under the pressure and then rammed a big hole in the side of Synchronicity and piled up in there, pushing tables and merchandise around like nothing. Half of my stuff washed down the street.

Before the hurricane, I tucked all my merchandise into waterproof containers, and then piled them high on top of tables. I regret that I didn't take more out of there when I had the chance to.

I am NOT sorry for how things turned out, though. I have been crazy unsettled lately, but I don't care. I am happy to not be tethered to one spot. I just bought Synchronicity to avoid getting a job that require I be anything other than what I am.

Dedicated to Kim in Scotland

2007-12-01T17:06:00.000-06:00

That was a 5.5 or 6 landing. You missed it.

Tally ho, Kim. Next time, it'll be a round-off.

Hello in There

2007-11-30T04:40:00.000-06:00

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you John Prine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSufO2FlpAQ

In the past year or so, I've been very aware of the aging process. I am 47 and still in great health, standing tall, all organs and limbs are functioning properly. I am going to keep it that way if I can help it.

Sure, I am a little slower than I used to be. I can't do as many cartwheels as I used to, and don't care to. I have other attributes that are becoming more prominent; like patience, my sense of humor is more easily triggered, I don't sweat the small stuff, and more and more of the time in my day is filled with small stuff.

My thought processes go a mile a minute when I see an elderly person all hunched over, pushing a shopping cart, their back in the shape of a C. How'd they get like that? Gradually?

In the past year, as I was stocking grocery shelves, I worked during the day when mostly elder folk did their grocery shopping. I saw couples doing that deed together, and I saw widows and widowers doing it alone. Some of them were in pretty bad shape; C's and D's, gimp legs, protrusions from their necks and heads. They could tell I was sympathetic and asked for my help reaching or finding items. I never minded. I know I will be old one day too.

At one of the stores I maintained, I would run into a man in a motorized cart that I came to know as Anthony. He lost his wife 15 years ago on New Years Day and still misses her terribly. From the first time I encountered him, he pegged me as a listener and followed me around aisles for about 10 minutes. I learned a lot of his personal history in those few minutes.

I only went to that store a few more times before becoming the rep at a different store. Each time, he'd stop and talk to me and tell me stories about his wife. He recited poetry to me that he wrote for her. I knew it was important to listen to him. I felt compassion for him - wheelchair bound - lost both legs a few years ago, and living alone. He goes to the grocery every day to get out the house, and he cooks for himself.

At first, I thought I was doing him a favor by listening to him, but now I realize that I have been inspired and uplifted by his story. What a blessing it was to have encountered him - instead of his slowing me down at putting away the products.

To the young person that's still inside of you, and the old person waiting to develop, hello in there.

Cousins

2007-11-26T06:52:00.000-06:00

This is Luke(14 mos.) and Jacob(7), sons of twins Angela and Christina, my sisters. You may have seen a few day old Luke in earlier pictures. Now, he's a bruiser of a sweet potato.

Christina announced at thanksgiving the other day that she is expecting a baby next summer. It will be my Mom's 19th grandchild from her 8 children.

My whole family loves babies, children, and people of all ages, really. We pass the little people around and love up on 'em. They, in turn, love each other. My two children like nothing better than holidays where they can see and play with their cousins.

Jacob is going to be a big brother. They are hoping for a girl this time. The ratio in cousin gender is 12 boys to 6 girls so far. My intuition tells me this is a boy too. We don't care - as long as it's healthy is right on. The love is unconditional in this family. I know because I've tested it often enough.

Writers forums

2007-11-24T06:06:00.000-06:00

I found a new forum - thisisby.us - for writers. I never would have titled myself "writer" - sticking to my two favorite identities (not going to say them again here), but the twist this time that gets me to admit to myself that I am a writer is that they pay. Oh, it's not much, but people don't have to leave a comment, they can just vote on your stuff, and vice versa. You can even vote on one another's comments. I didn't know my comments were being compiled too, but there they are listed for all to see what I wrote and to whom.

I've been reading a lot more poetry than I usually do. I like poetry, even though I don't always get what the words strung together mean, nor why they are put into formats where it might just be a word on a line, or two words. Commas and periods are decoration, I think.

To all the writers who stop by here - check out thisisby.us. Share your talent. Get feedback. Inspire others. That's your job.

ब्लोंदे जोक्स दोन't बोठेर me

2007-11-17T11:35:00.000-06:00

When did I turn on Sanskrit?

The title is supposed to read "Blonde jokes don't bother me." They just don't. Sure I can inadvertently turn on a Sanskrit translator, but I'd never make this mistake: joke of the day

"The secret method of inviting good fortune..."

2007-11-13T06:27:00.000-06:00

The marvelous medicine for all sickness, from the Reiki Masters:

Just for today:
Do not be angry
Do not be worried
Be grateful
Work hard (on improving yourself)
Be kind to others.

differences of opinion

2007-11-05T06:14:00.000-06:00

A long time ago, when I was a young adult, I had anxiety attacks that would cause me to hyperventilate. One time, I got so dizzy that I threw up on myself while driving. I had on a purple shirt that was a lot like a shag rug. I threw it away after I got home.

Doctors would only prescribe anti-nausea meds and my attempts at meditation would produce images of idyllic woods, streams, fields of flowers, and after a few moments in each of these scenes, a man with a bloody ax and a psychotic look would appear also. So much for relaxing.

I sought a hypnotist with help for that. It did help. The second session I had with the hypnotist had me go into a past life where the offensive feelings originated. My anxiety attacks cleared up.

For a brief time, I got involved with the group that the hypnotist (Carl) was leading. I learned meditation techniques from them, and participated in the trance channeling sessions one of the women channeled for. My awareness of metaphysical things opened big time.

Meanwhile, I worked with some women friends who feared what I was doing was from the devil. They were praying for me behind my back. To prove to one of them that I was still on their team, I went to her church service, which was being televised. The Reverend there would ZAP the Holy Spirit into people and they'd fall back with the powerful entry of that energy. It made for good daytime tv in our semi-fundamentalist town.

Well, I would show them who's holy. I went up there and stood before the man, like lines of others did before me. Two men were standing on either side to catch me when I got zapped. The preacher started ranting (speaking in tongues, they call it), and thumping my forehead hard with his palm and yelling for Satan to get out. I was sincerely willing any angelic, god-like force to enter my body or life. The two men were pulling on my elbows ("fall like a good girl"). Somebody else was on the side of them, waiting with a black drape to cover me when I went down (got to still act like a lady). The preacher shouted, thumped and spoke in tongue some more, shouted and pounded again. The cameras were rolling, he finally moved on, declaring triumph over Satan. I was suppressing a laugh that made me look like I was smiling beatifically. These days, I think maybe that was IT. I think God must be one funny mass of energy. My friend was crying tears of joy and said I inspired her to speak in tongue once again. I couldn't wait to get out of there.

I vowed to myself never to prove anything about what I believe anymore. As it is, part of me still wants to fight with other's about their silly beliefs and logically point out their ignorance, but if I subscribe to the rule of thumb to do unto other's as I would have them do unto me, I have to just keep my opinions to myself.

Me, last night

2007-11-01T06:21:00.000-05:00

Though I feared the worst, that blue paint came out of my hair.

I am free. My job has ended. The mate and I have been taking long walks in the woods most days, scaring and being scared by moccasins sunning themselves in the middle of the road.

Besides my own woods, we have gone to the wildlife refuges in our area and taken in the gorgeous weather and scenery. I'll worry about how we are going to live after this weekend. For now, I am just free-falling.

Yesterday, I had a client for astrological counseling. It was a good session. I always experience Grace when accessing information by divining. Helping others feel good about themselves puts me in my flow.

What about radio ad sales?

2007-10-17T18:15:00.001-05:00

That's the latest lead on a job that I have - though the informer told me it's a hard hustle trying to find merchants who can pay the exorbitant prices for advertising on the radio. I am not looking forward to hustling, but I've got reality checks all over the place that remind me I need an income to live.

My company is folding up their business here in the south. Michael and I are both soon to be hitting the pavement looking for work. Settlement has been hard to find for us. The competitor is probably going to offer us positions, but we hear they are harder to work for, and pay less. It is labor intensive work - but to go down in pay for it - I can't/won't do it. The mate will, though. They should be calling him soon.

Michael just bought a new car last week. His truck had been killing on him while he was driving. Plus, he had to open the hood and manually start it almost every time. I never liked it because the floor board had a hump which elevated my left leg. It was time to replace it. We thought our company signed a contract and would be still here for a year, but the big bosses said, "never mind." I really don't blame them. It's just a funky situation.

Once again, I shall have to be Jupiter's girl and keep the faith that it is all in divine order. The one thing about this job is that it kept me fit. I am strong and healthy. I will count my blessings.

Peace.

Winners and Losers

2007-10-10T07:06:00.000-05:00

Julia's volleyball team, which I am assistant coach of, has lost every game - 10 in all. They have won 6 or 7 matches (there's 3 per game - winning two wins the game), and came close more times than I can count - where it was down to getting a second point ahead to win and the games went into overtime as the two teams battled to get that edge. They were all very close. Our girls played their hearts out and did well.

I felt a little sorry for the one girl on our team who was the top player in the whole league. She was the first one I picked in the drafts. She so confidently played and did the most difficult maneuvers and made them look like it was easy for her. She was also very encouraging and generous with team mates. I love her attitude.

I am not going to coach again. I don't know how to tell players how to fix what they are doing wrong. I was asked to be the assistant by Julia's friend's Mom who needed a backup when the office called the day before drafts and asked if she'd coach. Neither one of us had experience.

We were up against some very experienced coaches - one of whom yells. I think he is a good coach because he teaches the girls how to play. Julia thinks he has anger management issues and she wants me to tell him not to pick her next drafts. I've asked him to. I understand why he yells at the girls. I want to yell too. Instead, I tell them to "shake it off" when they make a mistake.

I know it isn't supposed to be about winning, but how you play, but still... I wonder why we never won a game.

Changes in and around

2007-10-04T06:49:00.000-05:00

I felt like having a new template for this blog. It forewarned me that I'd lose stuff in the process. I'll have to put in some sidebar comments when I get the chance. And now, for the links...

I have a hard enough time with coding. I can't believe that I ever entertained thoughts of becoming a computer programmer. I have a certificate from an 18 month program at a vo-tech training school sending me in that direction. I did flow charts, and wrote code in BASIC, RPGII, and Cobol.

With vo-tech diploma in hand, I got a job in the N.O. CBD - operating a WANG mainframe. The CPU, and reel-to-reel tape drives had a big room of their own. I was responsible for giving people logons and simple putting out the small fire programming tasks. It's all I could handle of programming. My boss expected more, and had to settle for less.

Other details of my operations job (a one person operation), printing and distributing copious amounts of reports, keeping track of data as it cycled through three different offsite storage facilities (in case of disaster striking any area, backups were spread out), and retrieving data for lading it back onto the system for programmers and end-users of the large insurance corporation I worked for.

It was a little reminiscent of "Office"; cubicle city. Depending on your job title and importance in the hierarchy, the height of your cubicle and the view you had was a reward - window views were the most sought after.

I did backups daily, and took care of the mainframe which was always acting up. I had to very frequently have the technicians out, or work on it myself in tandem with remote WANG fixers in another state.

If that wasn't enough technical responsibility for an actress/astrologer type, I was also in charge of maintaining and fixing peripherals; 3 different types of printers. I was capable.

I am far away from that field, and in the land of groceries now. Oy.

I have had some very different jobs, but I still marvel that I ever was in the computer industry. That is so NOT me. At least, it's not the me I am now. I am Jupiter's Girl. Forget details. Let the Virgo/Geminis handle the details and be perfect about it. What's the bigger picture?

It was a new day yesterday...

2007-09-23T09:47:00.000-05:00

But it's an old day now. (Jethro Tull)

Started it all off with a walk in the woods. Then it was two volleyball games back-to-back. I am co-coaching a 13-15 year old girls' team. We are in last place of 5 teams, but we sure didn't make it easy for anybody to beat us yesterday. We won a match out of the six we played. One time, we'd have won the game if it weren't for a player ducking out of the way of the ball and letting it hit her on the back - instead of hitting it back. I have to show good sportsmanship - signed a paper saying I would, but I swanee, it's disappointing that we have lost every game (6 of them now). Our team has greatly improved since the first game, but I so want to win. I feel bad for the girl I picked in the drafts that happened to be the top player in the league. It's obvious that she knows what she's doing, and confidently executes great plays on the court. I was hoping the kids would copy her. They still can. There are a handful of more games. I am thinking of doing some magick or something.

The birthday girl.

Our final stop was a cigar bar near C.W.'s house that had a great jazz ensemble. I couldn't breathe in there, but the music was good.

On the homefront...

2007-09-19T13:41:00.000-05:00

Not time for much else these days, but I still fit in my walk this morning. My woods are so glorious around this time of year. I have been able to make long, hard days of the first two days of the week in order to have the middle one to myself. I've got beef stew on the stove, clothes in the dryer, some hung and others folded on the bed, dishes have been done, and I've even had a nap. Now, time for my precious afternoon tea. I miss this tea ritual when I am working.

This past Saturday was my baby's birthday. That's her new parakeet named Buddy. Buddy may have to go back. He hasn't made a peep since coming into the house. I've been playing Beethoven for him today, hoping he decides it's okay to live here. We celebrated the happy day with 7 of her closest friends who came early Saturday and stayed until the next day. They didn't want to go home, but I forced them to. It was time.

Today, is my best friend's birthday. May she have many more. This isn't a great picture of her; she looked very pretty the night I took this back in July. We are going out this weekend to celebrate her 49th.

I just love those Virgo girls. Julia was almost a Libran, but true to her Virgo nature, she accomodated me.

Saturn opposite Sun = No fun

2007-08-21T05:34:00.000-05:00

The father of all restrictions is exerting structure, discipline, and hard work (I mean HARD work) upon me. I have so many limitations to having fun at this time, that my normally bouyant spirit is struggling to find light. I must have sighed about a hundred times at work yesterday. And at home.

The mate and I almost split up a few weeks ago. I found new digs, showed my house to a potential buyer, and got the boxes. On the day I was to get a key to my new place, and transfer papers from the kids' schools, I resigned myself to reconciling with Him.

We came that close once before. I was looking forward to my freedom from oppression, but it appears we are not finished loving each other as husband and wife. My single, best friend's life appeals to me big time. She answers to no one and does pretty much whatever she wants to do, when she wants to do it. That's what I was ordering.

Biding my time... which Saturn is the ruler of. My hard work is paying off, after all. Another of Saturn's lessons is that what you put out, returns to you. My efforts are being rewarded. If I could only remember that when the tedium kicks in and the many obstacles are thrown in my path, I'll be doing allright.

What's it's name?

2007-08-18T07:37:00.000-05:00

Dean. Hurricane Dean. Okay, just wanted to know the name of what might potentially cause us death and destruction.

One of my 5 sisters has booked a reservation in Monroe, 4 hours from here. Rooms are already going. I am sure the rest will be following suit.

After the hurricane, three of my sisters and their families, and pets, stayed with my sister in Atlanta. My mother was picked up from my brother's house in devastated Bush, La, 4 days later and joined the commune in Georgia. My sister had so many friends and co-workers dump resources to help alleviate the burden of that many people in one house. From what I hear, they were all harmonious for the three weeks they were there. It has to be because my surly butt wasn't there too. I was happy to be here in sweatsville with my people.

My thoughts today are of filling cars with gas, buying heat and serve foods and many other items a family needs for when there's no electricity - though we have a generator now. (We need to put gas in the drum for the generator.) We also have a window unit now and two chainsaws.

Should we stay again? Or, do we pack up the two dogs and cats, the two children and go? I'd rather stay. Despite mandatory evacuation for Hurricane Katrina, and my extended families pleas for us to be reasonable, and other frantic friends who thought we were crazy - we stayed put. By staying, we got to experience an 80 foot cypress tree hitting the roof, watched the tornadic activity in our woods, and was here when it was all over - to put a tarp over the roof hole to prevent further damage caused by rain. It was such a mess here. One had to be here to understand what we witnessed. It was an incredible experience.

Being campers from way back, we had supplies that came in handy. We made coffee on the camping stove each morning. My husband could have killed for a cold, soft drink. That was one of his biggest deprivations. Never mind that we couldn't communicate with the outside world, or that we were without any way of cooling off. Give the man a root beer.

We thought we'd leave if we were under threat again. Now, I'd have to have a compelling warning. Otherwise, my survivalist tendencies are kicking in.

Found a new site I like

2007-08-04T22:13:00.000-05:00

www.eventtemples.com

Check out the download section. Warning, it's 50-something pages long. I got hooked into it. Here's my stab at valor. with a little bit of humility thrown in for good measure.

R.I.P., Oreo, 2005 -2007

2007-07-20T06:20:00.000-05:00

The memorial and burial will be later in the day. She was a very fun and cute pet and will be missed. Julia was a good pet owner; meticulous in keeping her cage clean, and providing the best nutrition (Ms. Virgo, Jr.). Oreo was an escape artist. Her favorite hiding place was in the underbelly of our sofa.

Carrot cake as a birthday present

2007-07-19T05:54:00.000-05:00

My nephew, Jackson, wanted a carrot cake for his 9th birthday, so I baked him one. My sweet tooth husband was put out that he wasn't getting any, so I baked him one yesterday. I am through with carrot cakes for a while. We had one last month, and one the month before that too. I do have other cakes in my repertoire.

I am rehearsing a characterization of Florence Nightingale for a performance at the Unitarian church in Lacombe on the 29th. What a trailblazer she was. A Taurus, of course, with that dogged determination of hers. I like playing a strong woman.

In other news, salesmen are jumping ship (we still don't know when/if the sale of the stores will go through) so I have been promoted to one of those positions. I don't say "yay" or "boo" to that.

I am doing some figure-crunching, thinking of opening another retail store in the Riverwalk - on the fringe of the French Quarter. Waiting for a call from the leasing agent.

This guy was just sitting there yesterday. Mosquitoes were on his back. One flew right by his mouth. I think it kissed him. I was willing it to eat the mosquito.

Can't wait

2007-07-17T06:06:00.000-05:00

I am going to fire up the grid in a few minutes.

Since you may have missed it, I recommend reading "Living On Love" It is an excellent read, and has great exercises that resonate to the same principles espoused in the article about firing up the grid.

Peace,
Janine

The woods this morn - July 8 2007

2007-07-08T17:09:00.000-05:00

If you get poison ivy, you can take some plantago leaves, shown above, and scrunch 'em up until they produce juice and then apply the juice to it. It is the best stuff for hives.

Do you see him?

2007-07-06T09:27:00.000-05:00

It could be a "her".

Another Dog Story

2007-07-01T16:41:00.000-05:00

Once, I was out for a walk in my woods. My dog, Chip, was way ahead of me on the path when a BIG German Shephard appeared out of nowhere. I had never seen the dog before and didn't know where it came from. I was afraid, and realized how vulnerable I was. I told it, "I come in peace." I felt calm after that. If it meant harm, it would just have to go ahead and do it then. I wasn't standing still for it.

Chip got wind of the dog, or came back to be nearer to me, and immediately got his hackles raised. There was a terrible snarling, growling, and teeth-baring fight that ensued. Chip wouldn'd listen to any of my commands that would end the fight. I don't even think he could hear me with his dog-nature at the helm of his behavior.

That other dog was much bigger than Chip and almost seemed confident and not trying very hard to squelch the upstart which was my dwarfed black lab.

My instincts took over and I just high-tailed it home yelling for him to c'mon. The other dog never followed us. Chip's nature was still in control, but it is programmed to defend and protect me from harm, thus, he ran after me.

I had to withdraw my attention from the fight. Yelling at Chip, getting upset about a potential outcome of a win/lose event, and feeling desperately helpless was feeding the fracas.

Good dog, Chip. He's a lover, not a fighter. Me too.

I consider that a metaphor for all issues. My mind is programmed to find a right and wrong when perceiving a conflict. There are some things I'd fight about, but mostly, I think it is the little self, or the ego (mind), that likes to do battle, and the mind will always find what it is looking for.

Peace.

Pralines

2007-06-18T04:51:00.000-05:00

For the mate's birthday night, I had the best shrimp po boy in the world. R&O's had the genius to open a restaurant on my side of the lake. Michael and I are fanatical about their shrimp po-boys and have travelled the hour to get them every now and again. Now that they are closer to home, we don't need to go so far, though at $12 per - it will still be a big treat when we do indulge.

Then we went to our other favorite spot, MiMamacita's, for 2 margaritas each. We even did a shot of Petrone. I always advise against shots, but this was a special night, and a little tequila doesn't hurt anyone. We never donned a lampshade hat, nor swung from chandeliers. It was just a quiet, private party between a caveman and his cavewoman.

Woke up feeling happy and healthy on Father's Day. Made these pralines. I'd give Aunt Sally's in the French Quarter a run for her money.

Happy birthday to Saturn's main man...

2007-06-16T07:40:00.000-05:00

He is not your typical Gemini. Oh sure, he runs hot and cold in a flash. And yes, he is very quick on his feet. But that's about it. He is not very chatty - like his Dad was whose birthday would have been yesterday, and his Mercury - ruler of Gemini - was conjunct his Sun. Talk about never shutting up... sheesh - loved him, though.

We have all kinds of flowing aspects in our synastry, and a heck of a composite chart. He is very lucky I understand his challenging aspects, otherwise, his Mercury opposite Saturn would send me packing.

Mercury is the planet of communication and how a person thinks and what they think about. Saturn can constrict, oppress, and ultimately depress a person. Only because they are opposite in his chart, that means he will sometimes project that onto others - the blame game.

One of my reference books says that Virgo on the 7th house cusp, which I have, can attract a critical partner. Or be one. That it is/does.

Michael has Aquarius on the 7th house cusp, and look he who chose to marry - an Aquarian that he can love/hate. And he tells me he hates me sometimes. Those are times when I get him to stretch beyond his limitations. Then, he loves me after the expansion.

Today, I wish to help him celebrate his life in whatever way he wishes. And may he have many more.

Fire the Grid up

2007-06-12T07:23:00.000-05:00

http://firethegrid.com/eng/home-fr-eng.htm

This is something people of good will all over can do to help the situation we find ourselves in.

In 2002, the Rainbow Children of Hawaii sent an invitation for all who care to join our minds together and bombard GW, Saddam, Rumsfeld, and all other players in the Middle East conflict with light and love. It was a set time for a 15 minute meditation during which we were asked to tune in collectively and envision these leaders as children.

I was working with a woman in a garden installing a fountain at the time. The garden was designed using Feng Shui principles so it was most conducive to a meditation. We broke for the 15 minutes of silence and visualized the world leaders - as children that us fearful adults could love.

It was absolutely the most powerful meditation I have ever experienced and it rendered the usually chatty woman and myself speechless for the rest of our time that day.

I read the message from the above link, and pencilled in the date and time on my calendar. Even if you are a disbeliever, how can it hurt for you to intend not only to do no harm, but intend to do good as a citizen of this planet?

Pass it on.

My latest resume, sort of

2007-06-11T07:48:00.000-05:00

Started my work career at Orange Julius in Lakeside Shopping Center when I was 15. I learned how to add really fast in my head and that hungry people are mean.

Went onto the N.O. Int’l Airport -started off as cashier, line server and ended up cocktail waitress/bartender/hollow-legged friend of older women.

After college flunk-out - bartended at a lovely hotel, then moved to front office and did the night summarizing for years, all the while checking guests in or out, answering the switchboard and expediting other employees to handle guest demands - like security for the big bug in the guest’s room. The graveyard shift only had one lonely desk clerk who handled the same jobs of three people during the day. I ate breakfast in the restaurant every morning before going home and sleeping off the night.

The hotel closed for rebuilding. It was old.

I went back to school, got a computer programming certificate from a vo-tech and then set my sights on the most boring job I could find. I was a computer operator for an insurance company for over 3 years. I watched a file clerk, who worked in a windowless room for 10 years, have a nervous breakdown and come out screaming profanities as she was exiting. It was quite a rant. She never came back. I knew that she was me in 7 years.

I had two babies.

I did many things for supplemental cash during the at-home Mom years; watched another’s baby, cleaned houses, little odd jobs here and there (not that odd).

Then, I met bi-polar boss and became an executive producer for his entertainment company. It was fun in the beginning. My computer skills got a lot better. I was expected to do anything and everything to get a theater up and running. The only thing I didn’t do was get people to support it financially. Nobody wanted to come to an old, run-down theater for anything more than the Rocky Horror Picture Show (good setting for that) and then the Asst. Director for that troupe was arrested for a couple of murders - which wasn’t good for business either. During that time, I produced an Improv Show that I am very proud of. I had some Masters in the troupe. I love good, live Improv, and they were the best. The boss pulled the plug on it after a few weeks, though it started building a following. He was determined to get prime, first-run movies in that theater, though studio distributors were telling him to go art-house. There was no reasoning with a man who thought he was smarter than anybody. I stopped trying to because he was ego-maniacal and held my purse-strings.

Got laid off for obvious reasons after 9/11.

Floundered some, helped my Dad and then Father-in-Law make their transitions, then got a call to work at Synchronicity - a new age retail store. I did it because of the hours 12-6, with Sundays and Mondays off, and because I could take my kids to work with me. Business was very slow, dismally so. I thought it was going to close any minute.

I started rearranging, having the owner invest in merchandise that I thought might work, holding weekly guided meditations, and classes in Kabala and Astrology (which I taught), and working all the angles that I could. It was a neat place - with a free tea stand, lending library, and it smelled good.

After running it for over a year, I made the owner an offer, invested in more merchandise, put the utilities and phone in my name and became the proud owner. What I forgot to get was a little thing called insurance.

A month later - the hurricane took care of that nagging question of “will it work?”

Since then, I have had 6 jobs - the first one was a day, the second 3 half-days, the third was for 3 and a half days, the fourth one was a week, the 5th was 4 months, and then this last one has been almost 8 months.

During this time, I have also pursued making a living at my two passions: I am a very good actress - focused and disciplined, able to emote at the drop of a hat, good memorization ability. I prefer comedy - it’s all over my face. I have done stints as an “extra”, but pretty much hate doing that. I’ve got it in my head that I am deserving of a decent role - maybe a nosy neighbor, or somebody’s Mom.

I am also an intuitive Astrologer. I use Tarot and Reiki when I have to. I am not above divining by I Ching or Goddess Cards. And mostly, I just use plain old intuition when responding to a client‘s issues. I am very good at getting to the root of a problem.

In other words, I am a freak. I occasionally get paid for my services, but mostly I read for friends, and as an Aquarian, everyone easily becomes my friend. It’s a 12th house Sun I have, so therefore boundaries are easily dissolved and my sympathies easily tweaked. How can I charge someone in a more penurious situation than I am if my God-given skills can help shed light on it?

There’s my resume, sort of. I have had other ones for administrative work, food and beverage, and acting. They all speak of my qualities of honesty, reliability, and versatility. I should get them all updated now instead of sitting here doing this.

On to it…

Can't get enough of Florida.

2007-06-05T07:06:00.000-05:00

I am meant to be vulgar wealthy. I am sure of it. Ft. Walton Beach is a beautiful place. I am already planning my next trip to the beach. It'll have to be a day trip to Gulf Shores or something. I just lovelovelove it.

An hour after we got back, my friend drove 5 hours to either collect the cat, or leave a cross on a tree to memorialize her. She called for her, opened cans of tuna, and then grabbed her when she surfaced from under my shed. Jupiter is the planet that rules luck. I thought the cat was dead. It had another life left in it after all.

Life has a way of turning out allright with a proper attitude. Once again, that philosophy is being tested. I found out yesterday that I will be losing my job. My husband too. The grocery chain that we are working for is being sold; some of them turned into Dollar Generals. There's all kinds of talk on the vine about what will become of them, who will buy them, what will happen, and soon, from what we hear.

My boss's 12 year old step-daughter, told my daughter that we are losing our jobs and they are moving to Philadelphia. He never told US that, though we are not surprised. Both girls were visiting my niece that lives a few doors down from him; we met the boss at my brother's barbecue last 4th of July.

I am sure to land on my feet, but this unsettlement leaves me wondering about my place in the scheme of things. The theme "what now?" is not funny sometimes. I am thinking of accounting school. I like numbers. Hmmph. That doesn't feel right. It is just one of the millions of passing thoughts I will entertain between now and the next job opportunity.

Here's to lazy days

2007-05-30T06:58:00.001-05:00

I am leaving tomorrow for Ft. Walton Beach, Florida. My skin is the color of milk. I am not worried - SPF 45 will be slathered all over. I am sure that I'll garner a few more freckles and I hope a little redness. I love that slightly sunburned and totally salted all over feeling. It's just for a few days. I'll post some pics when I get back.

Meanwhile, I just have a little problem to worry about while I am gone.

The flip side of Sagittarian is a little too non-chalant about details. Jupiter gets the big picture, just isn't so good at the smaller strokes that make it.

I had another Jupiterian friend drop by the other day. She had a bunch of cats (5 of them) in her 2-door car with her on her way from one of her domiciles to another a few states over. One of them escaped and went into my woods.

I spied the 3-legged, 14 year old cat yesterday. She came out for a moment and when I had her in hand, she jumped from my arms and bolted again. I fear the worst as we have two resident cats that I am sure will try to make mincemeat of her and two dogs, one of which would be scared of the cat, the other - Chip, the lab - will try to play with it to death, I am sure. (We also have a hamster and 3 hermit crabs, probably going on 4 hermit crabs after our trip to the beach. My Julia is a collector of small animals.)

My friend will make the four hour drive back to collect her and is very apologetic and appreciative of my efforts to catch and keep the cat safe until she can get her back. I've got the cat carrier cleaned out and waiting. I will try to shrug that off while hearing whooooooooooossssshhhhhhh, whoooooooooossssshhhhhhhh. (that's the sound of the surf, in case you were wondering.)

Why do I always seem to have something to worry about? I am Jupiter's Girl, but man, that Saturn sure likes to challenge the dickens out of me.

Your Majesty...

2007-05-28T07:37:00.000-05:00

My Jupiterian sister popped in for a visit yesterday with her new man. A co-worker of hers remarked to her the day before that she must have a horseshoe up her ass. She attracts men that are almost half her age. Her new man is sweet, handsome, works hard at his own business, and treats her right. I swear, that girl...!!!

I think it's her joie de vivre that is the most beautiful thing about her. Jupiter is in charge of that. She has a Saj Moon and Ascendant. You don't get much better than that for a positive attitude, except for her Virgo Sun - which keeps it all in check. (I love Virgos.) Cathy is detail-oriented, takes care of many at one time (that service thing Virgos have), and all the while shrugging it off with that Saj wisdom and knowledge that it's all good.

And to boot, she's a very talented artist. I have a painting and two of her prints hanging on my walls around the house. I showed her my new comforter and painted bedroom. New = 1 year old now. I have nothing but a calendar and dream catcher hanging. I asked her to create something to go over my bed. I can't wait to see what she does.

More berries than you can shake a doggone stick at here in my woods.